TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 1
Account: 6,644 credits
POKÉMON
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish (Duran) - Male
Eevee (Orion) - Male
Just as I had guessed, I beat Samantha back to the lobby. The Pokécenter was busier than any I had ever seen with about twenty people, most of them waiting for their Pokémon to finish getting a checkup while some used the computers. Most seemed to be normal civilians who were getting their companions a checkup or follow-up treatment, as evidenced by the fact that I saw most of them paying Nurse Joy when retrieving their singular Pokéball. Although I knew the ones using the computers must be registered trainers considering it required a Pokédex to access, I didn't really see anyone who struck me as a 'real' trainer, but rather civilians who treated training more like a hobby.
After checking with Nurse Joy, I found that my team still wasn't ready to be retrieved due to how busy they were, so after waiting around for about five minutes for a computer to free up I decided to pass the time by using a computer. It reminded me a bit of the orphanage, having to wait my turn to use the computer and hope nobody pestered me to hurry up and give them a turn.
I had two goals; to check my email, and to see if there were any local job listings that Apollo and I would be suited for. Although I wasn't dead broke, I wanted to have more wiggle room in my finances, especially for battling. I'd seen a battle court during our walk to the Pokécenter, and I fully intended on visiting that in the near future to try to get some good battles in and hopefully deepen my pockets a bit. But you needed to have money to put up in order to make it, and as things stood I wouldn't feel comfortable betting more than a thousand or so credits, which I knew most would scoff at.
To my delight, there were multiple Telepathy requests on the job board. I supposed with a city as big as Mauville, there were probably lots of people who needed help understanding and resolving issues with their companions, which gave me hope that I might be able to make some good money during my stay. I ended up spending some time constructing a message I could simply copy and paste to send to each potential employer, hoping that I would be able to land a few of them.
Feeling good about my prospects of earning some extra spending money in the next few days, I opened up my email to find that I had two unread messages. One was from Steven, causing me to groan in regret at the reminder that I'd actually wasted the ex-champion's time with something so impulsively stupid. My earlier email to him about Marelle probably read like somebody with deep paranoia, and one could argue that the only reason I'd even sent it was because she decided to expose the charade I was planning in order to cover for my mistake. Now that the dust had settled and Marelle was friends with Samantha, I regretted sending that email and was almost positive that I'd made an ass out of myself trying to get some validation for my initial dislike of Marelle.
Feeling the sudden urge to put off reading that email as long as possible, I opened up the second one to find that it was from Norman, of all people. I hadn't talked to him since leaving Petalburg and hadn't expected him to keep in touch, but I found myself able to temporarily forget the lingering dread of reading Steven's email as I opened Norman's with interest.
'Daniel, congrats on your first badge! Saw the video of your battle and it was… interesting, to say the least. Glad to see you didn't lose heart even in the face of such adversity. You and Apollo have come a long way in a short time, you should be very proud of your accomplishments. While telepathy is a powerful tool to be leveraged, be sure you don't become over-reliant on it. You'll find it becoming less useful as you battle more experienced opponents who know how to close off their minds. It seems you haven't been neglecting regular training though, so keep it up. I suspect you won't have much trouble with the Dewford gym, but I wish you the best of luck regardless. Looking forward to your future challenge against my gym, safe travels!'
I couldn't contain my grin as I wrote back, telling him that I appreciated his kind words, would actually be challenging Mauville instead of Dewford next, and that I was also eager to challenge him when the time was right. I chose not to mention how I intended to challenge his true team, as I didn't want to come off as arrogant or presumptuous after only having won my first badge, but knowing that he was actively keeping tabs on my progress only reignited my desire to someday do so.
My excitement took a nosedive as I turned my attention to Steven's unopened email, knowing I couldn't put it off any longer. I took a deep breath and clicked it open, and as I read it my heart sank with the realization that its contents were far worse than I had imagined.
'Records indicate multiple instances of physical and verbal altercations, documented substance abuse, and one instance of a mental health crisis that resulted in temporary institutionalization. Potentially unstable, currently undergoing court-mandated therapy and although improvements are reported, concerns remain. Older brother was prosecuted for previous involvement with Team Magma, has been missing since release and is suspected of changing loyalties. Although she herself has no known ties to criminal groups, due to the possibility of her brother's involvement I advise exercising caution and remaining vigilant. Was happy to hear you and our mutual friend continued traveling together. Stay safe, keep in touch, and keep an eye on your email for that thing we discussed; it's coming along nicely, and I think you'll be more than pleased.'
I stared at the screen, rereading the message over and over again, hoping I'd misread or misunderstood. But no matter how many times I tried to reinterpret it, the conclusion was the same.
My instincts had been right; Marelle shouldn't be trusted.
I had no earthly idea why Steven had decided to share so many intimate details about Marelle. Not that I wasn't appreciative of his thoroughness, and I didn't doubt he had left out many details such as the results from her psychological evaluation during her institutionalization, but I still couldn't help but feel like I shouldn't have been told most of that. It felt wrong to have so much dirt on somebody, most of which I doubted was publicly available information. I was inclined to trust the judgment of the ex-champion, however I couldn't help but think that a simple 'suspicions valid, stay cautious' would have sufficed.
Not having any idea what I was supposed to do with this information and feeling wholly unqualified to deal with the implications, I considered my options. I wasn't sure if there was actually anything I could do; it wasn't like I could just reveal to Samantha what I knew and tell her to stay away from Marelle, there was no way that would go over well. Besides, Marelle was still back in Verdanturf, and if Samantha ran into her again it would probably be after we had split up.
There was also the fact that Marelle could be entirely innocent. I'd never ascribed to the notion that people were guilty by association, so I wasn't fully convinced that just because her brother was prone to joining criminal enterprises, she was as well. Her brother's criminal inclinations aside, I didn't feel like I should hold her troubled past against her. I didn't know the first thing about drug use and couldn't tell you the difference between drugs, but I knew that plenty of people struggled with addiction but were eventually able to overcome it. Not to mention, if someone were to pull up my records from the orphanage they'd surely see a few documented instances of fighting as well, back when I was still a little more emotionally unstable and sensitive from my mother's passing. I'd never gotten suspended or institutionalized, but from what I could tell Marelle had bounced back and moved past whatever caused that.
I considered responding to inform Steven that Marelle had been left behind in Verdanturf, that she had begun texting Samantha, and that they might possibly meet up in Fallarbor. But I decided against it and logged off the terminal before sitting in one of the lounge chairs to wait for Samantha.
As I thought about things, I couldn't help but feel dirty about the situation and as though I had overstepped my bounds. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that Samantha would feel some resentment if she knew that I had emailed her parents about concerns for her safety. It made me scummy, just like the reminder of the 'deal' I'd made that had made our newfound friendship even possible.
I sighed, wishing I'd never sent that email to Steven and that he'd responded with nearly anything else. But things had changed since I sent it; Marelle was an entire town away, and it wasn't like Marelle would be able to uncover Samantha's true identity or do anything nefarious from text messaging. It was also entirely possible that after my 'reality check' on Route 117, Samantha would be keep her at arms length. I couldn't be sure, but I was almost positive that me interfering further would be counterproductive and that it was out of my hands.
If anything, I'd given Steven a heads-up that they had become friends and put her on his radar, so perhaps that was enough.
As Samantha entered the Pokécenter and I went to greet her, I pushed the thoughts from my mind. Rather than dwelling over the what-ifs of someone who wasn't even around anymore to potentially cause trouble, there was a more pressing matter at hand that undoubtedly deserved my immediate attention.
Sushi.
After what was undoubtedly one of the best meals I'd ever had and enjoying Samantha's company, we checked back at the Pokécenter to find that our teams still weren't ready to be retrieved. I considered demanding that they be returned to me, but from the distraught look on Nurse Joy's face I could tell she was overwhelmed, so I decided to be patient and not add to her troubles. I did however make a mental note that I should be more mindful about handing over my entire team in big cities, and that I should probably start cycling who I had checked so I could keep at least one of my teammates with me at all times. I felt oddly vulnerable, and even if the rational part of my mind told me that I likely wouldn't need to defend myself in a city like this, it was still a bit unsettling to know I was essentially defenseless.
Samantha didn't seem at all phased and was eager to show me around the city, so I pushed my unease aside and let her give me a tour. While the feeling of vulnerability never fully left, I did enjoy the fact that we weren't drawing any eyes. Without our backpacks or Pokémon, we looked just like any other citizen in the city, which was a nice change of pace from feeling like there were always curious eyes on me, especially when I had Apollo on my shoulder.
Mauville wasn't nearly as sprawling as the cities I was used to, and I soon found that you could visit most of the city's key points of interest just by walking down a couple of main streets. Buildings were tightly packed together and much more vertical than I was used to seeing, and I started to understand why I was seeing much fewer Pokémon here than I had expected.
Most people seemed to live in apartment complexes, and I had no doubt that most had similar rules to the apartment I'd grown up in that disallowed most or all Pokémon from residing there. That isn't to say that there weren't houses to be found, but it seemed to be far from the norm here.
Samantha enthusiastically showed me around town, and by the end of her tour I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on the general layout of the city.
First was Rydel's Cycles, which was closed but was one of the more unique buildings to be found in the city. While I definitely had no need for a bicycle, it was still interesting to see all the different models they had hanging in the window. Then we stopped at the Pokémart, which was significantly larger than any others I'd ever seen, and I took the opportunity to buy a new folding knife that was much more suitable than the one I currently had. It was a bit expensive, but it featured a hook along the back of the blade, serration along the lower half of the knife, and a clip to fit neatly on my belt. I could tell that Samantha wasn't particularly impressed when she chose to break off to browse the rest of the store while I picked out which one I wanted, but she chose not to speak up and I left perfectly happy with my purchase.
Next we stopped by the food court, which was a huge collection of both fast-food and restaurant-style eateries all arranged into one huge arc around a collection of tables and booths. Since we'd already eaten we didn't spend much time there, but she did point out a couple of places she recommended I try before leaving the city.
She also pointed out a place called Crooner's Café, which was of course closed, but she said was hands down the best place to get a coffee in the city and that we just had to go there in the morning. Samantha was adamant that if I was to be a coffee fan, I needed to spend some time figuring out what 'my drink' was. I had no issues with that, and we decided to use that place as our morning meeting spot to make things easy.
Next up was the Game Corner, which she absolutely refused to go in and seemed to hold some resentment toward. It was a massive purple building with plenty of glass windows, flashing lights adorning its edges, and plenty of neon signs promising rare prizes and fun times. It was still open and I was tempted to go inside to look around, but decided that could wait for another day. This tour was about getting a lay of the city, and I didn't want to attempt to lure Samantha in when she clearly had no interest in stepping foot through the sliding doors.
Then we came across the gym, which was pretty much what you would expect and looked almost identical to the other gyms I'd seen. Its only defining feature was that it was more brightly lit and painted in yellow, but aside from that it was perfectly average and uninteresting. I decided that I should probably stop by sometime tomorrow to schedule my match, since unlike Rustboro it was entirely likely that this gym had a waitlist. I still didn't feel quite ready for it, at least as far as Duran and Orion were concerned, but I didn't want to risk waiting weeks to challenge it.
The last stop on our tour was TV Mauville, which was responsible for serving most of the television and radio shows in the region. Samantha informed me that she'd been given a private tour before and that inside was a bit of everything including offices, green rooms, conference rooms, wardrobe areas, studios, editing facilities, and production control rooms. It was hands down the largest building in the city, but considering we couldn't just waltz in and look around, I settled for admiring the building as well as the Medicham who sat at the entrance playing the role of security guard.
I'd never seen one before, and I had to admit that it was quite intimidating. While it might not be as big as me, I got the distinct feeling that it was more than capable of dispatching my entire team without much trouble, reminding me just how far we had to go. I had no idea what badge level it might be, but considering most trainers never got more than four badges I assumed it was likely at least at a five or six badge level, if not higher.
As we stood out front Samantha was explaining what she knew about the place, I was surprised to feel a presence brush against my mind, which quickly receded once it realized it wasn't welcome thanks to being on guard after a day of harassment from Stella. Although the Medicham made no reaction and pretended not to pay us any mind, I was almost positive that it must have been the one responsible for that.
"It's just checking for threats. Don't worry, it won't force its way into a mind," Samantha informed me as she answered my unspoken question, clearly having felt the same thing.
"Is it really allowed to check minds like that? What if I didn't have my defenses up?"
"It just wanted to read your surface thoughts to make sure you weren't planning anything. We are technically on the property, and that aside it's perfectly legal for a Telepath to read the thoughts of open minds. It wouldn't have combed your memories, that is very illegal," Samantha assured me.
"How would somebody even know? The only reason I could even feel its presence was because I'm familiar with it. Most people probably wouldn't feel anything, or if they did they'd probably just think it was the wind brushing against them or something. Does it feel different when a Telepath dives into your memories?"
"Not really. It feels the same, but you might find yourself suddenly thinking of the thing they're combing through if they aren't careful. But if a skilled telepath wants to dig through the mind of somebody completely untrained and unaware, chances are they'd never even know."
"I'm pretty sure your dad's Metagross combed through my mind at some point, but I never felt anything and can't really prove it," I admitted.
"Wouldn't surprise me. I'm almost positive Daddy checked my ex-girlfriend. Something you'll learn is that if you have enough strength or influence, you can get away with skirting a lot of lines. I'd wager that most people with powerful telepaths abuse it in one way or another, assuming they can convince the Pokémon to do it. That's probably the biggest disadvantage you have with your telepath being a Ralts; it's much more noble than most of its peers. Not saying it's impossible, but you'll have an uphill battle convincing Apollo to do stuff like that."
I raised a brow and considered asking about Samantha's ex-girlfriend, having never known she had one until now, but decided I was too interested in the current conversation to change topics. Besides, I doubted Samantha would want to tell me that particular story right now anyway. I'd never been in a relationship before, but I knew that talking about an ex was generally frowned upon and could bring up some raw emotions, and I didn't want to ruin what was a pretty good day.
"I thought all telepaths valued the sanctity of a mind?" I asked confusedly, turning my focus back to the topic at hand.
"Sure, natural telepaths intrinsically believe that, but that doesn't mean they can't make exceptions or convince themselves that intruding is for the greater good. Pokémon are a lot more like humans than most people like to think. They can be selfish, devious, vengeful, and even have the capacity for evil. Some species are more prone to it than others, but even someone like Apollo isn't immune to letting some darker tendencies take hold. You also have to remember that not all telepaths are natural telepaths. It's not uncommon for psychic types to feel superior to other beings. Some even develop a sort of god complex if they get their way for long enough. But it usually just takes a run-in with a Pokémon who can truly put them in their place to rectify that."
"And if they're at the top of the proverbial food chain like your dad's Metagross?"
"Then it's up to the trainer and the rest of their team to keep them in check. Metagross is a bit of an outlier, anyway. I'd hesitate to say he doesn't have a personality and all the flaws or quirks that come with being a sentient being, but there's some truth to it. It's much more like a Porygon; extremely robotic, calculative, matter-of-fact, unemotional… One time it caught me crying in the closet and casually informed me that scans indicated that my face was leaking, my voice was abnormal and inconsistent, and that I should seek immediate medical care. Daddy has since made Metagross much more personal and better at understanding stuff like that, but it paints a picture. Come on, let's get going."
As we continued our stroll through Mauville and slowly began working our way back to the Pokécenter, my mind lingered on what she'd just told me. I wasn't sure I'd be up for raising a Pokémon like that; explaining things like human emotion from scratch, teaching it how to have some semblance of empathy, the whole suite of problems that came with having a Pokémon like that sounded like an absolute nightmare to me.
It made me wonder just how many Pokémon might be like that, and hope that I never accidentally caught one. I could handle somebody like Duran who was largely indifferent and grumpy with matters outside of training and battling, and I was even optimistic that a dragon or ghost would still be able to feel like a member of the family. Dragons may be temperamental and stubborn, but there was still emotion and kinship to be found, and I'd heard that a bond with a dragon was one of the strongest a trainer could develop. As for ghosts, they had a tendency to be largely indifferent to the worries of the living and were often described as vicious, spiteful, mischievous, and malevolent. Despite this, they were also said to be among the most loyal and useful partners a trainer could have once their trust and respect was earned. Even if our relationship ended up being ambivalent, I was confident we could make it work.
But a Pokémon that lacked the capacity to even feel emotions? I didn't feel like that would make for a good fit in our makeshift family. I'd much rather deal with Pokémon that had some hard to handle natural traits than one that was completely robotic and emotionless.
After reaching the Pokécenter, we were relieved to find that our teams had finally gotten a checkup, and all came back with a clean bill of health. I asked Nurse Joy about Orion's weight, and she said he was just slightly below average but that it was nothing to worry about, which told me that he'd put on a bit of weight since being caught and that the food I'd gotten him was a good choice.
"It's getting late, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. What about you?" Samantha asked after we retrieved our teams and stepped away from the counter.
"I kind of want to do some training," I admitted, "I'm a bit nervous about our chances at beating the gym. Duran deserves a chance at redemption, but he's going to have an uphill battle with such a major type disadvantage. And if it ends up being a three on three and Orion needs to battle, then we're in serious trouble. He's not ready for a gym battle."
"It's only the second gym, and you don't mess around when it comes to training. You might be surprised. Have some faith in yourself," Samantha reassured me while patting my shoulder.
"You said the gym leader often uses a Magnemite, right? I don't think anybody but Apollo would have a chance at bringing that down."
Samantha nodded seriously, "He uses the Magnemite line as his aces, no matter what badge level it is. I'm positive he wouldn't pull out a Magneton against someone with only one badge, so you should expect Magnemite to be the last he sends out. Like I said before, you should expect a Voltorb or Electrike as other likely picks, and I've heard he sometimes uses a Mareep. Assuming it's a two on two battle, Duran should have a decent shot at handling those species, but you're right that it won't be easy. Paralysis is almost a certainty, so be prepared for that headache."
I groaned, "Can't Voltorb use Explosion? I'm getting flashbacks already. If Duran gets knocked out to another cheap shot like that he'll start hating gym battles, and I don't think his pride would be able to handle another crushing loss like that."
"Relax. Leader Wattson is a genuinely good guy, I've met him before. He's a total sweetheart, he wouldn't use Explosion on a one-badge trainer."
"I bet a lot of people would have said the same thing about Georgia," I commented.
"Fitting that you would leave out the 'leader' part. Word on the street is she might be stepping down."
I raised a brow in interest, "Why, because of her battle with me?"
"In part, maybe. It's just a rumor, but apparently League officials have been dropping by the gym recently. There are threads saying she's been off her game, and that now's the time for anyone who's struggled to get the badge to challenge the gym. She's also been down in the dumps recently, and not her usual bubbly self. Could all just be a coincidence, but I think it's likely there's some background stuff going on that isn't exactly good news for her."
"Hard to imagine her being bubbly. Do you think it's possible she was pulling similar stunts with other trainers?" I asked.
"Dunno, I haven't watched many of her gym battles. I used to occasionally go with my parents when she was newly appointed, but I never saw anything like that. I definitely think Preston pressuring her was a one-off just for you, but maybe she's done other stuff too? Hard to say. In any case, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a new gym leader in Rustboro this time next year."
I hummed in thought, not sure how to feel about that. On one hand, I was glad that it seemed she hadn't gotten away with going so hard on me and bowing to outside pressure. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel just a little guilty that perhaps she didn't deserve it. I didn't know the extent of her relationship with the Livingston family or how she had even been talkies into doing what she did, but it sounded like overall she was a good gym leader and person. Perhaps she was coerced and felt she didn't have any say, and rather than the League putting the blame on a rich and influential family like the Livingstons, she had taken the fall.
I'd always thought gym leaders were extremely influential in their own right, but maybe it simply didn't compare to one of the wealthiest families in the region, or so I had been led to believe. That, or perhaps the reality was that gym leaders weren't quite the pillars of community I had always thought they were, at least not anymore. Either way, I couldn't help but worry she might be taking the brunt of fallout created by powers outside her control.
"Anyways, I'm going to bed. I'm tired from walking all day, I'm surprised you aren't. Good luck with your training, weirdo." Samantha said with a smirk as she nudged me playfully.
"Thanks for the tour. See you at the café, don't drink too much coffee before we meet up, wouldn't want you overdosing."
"Oh please, I can handle my caffeine. I'm a professional, after all. Try to stay away from the Game Corner; you'll lose track of time and before you know it, it's six in the morning and you're broke. See you at ten o'clock, don't be late!" Samantha waved before releasing Masquerain and leaving the Pokécenter, apparently intent on giving him a turn at seeing the sights.
I released Orion and tucked him into my pouch before deciding that I should check my email to see if I got any responses for potential jobs. For how late it was getting, the Pokécenter was still surprisingly busy. Not so busy that I couldn't get a computer, but still far more populated than I'd ever seen in any other city. Thankfully, it wasn't so much that Orion felt uncomfortable, and I affectionately pet his head as I made my way over to a free terminal.
"We're going to do some late-night training, I just need to check something first," I informed him as I sat down and logged in, happy to see that I had three responses.
Two of them were interested, had sent me their address, and asked me to confirm a time. One thanked me for my inquiry, but wanted 'a more experienced telepath'. I contemplated sending a response to try to convince them that Apollo was fully capable doing of whatever the job was, but decided to just leave it be. I settled for scheduling the two interested parties for eleven and noon, feeling confident that was more than enough time considering how long the last job had taken.
I realized that I had a pretty full schedule laid out for tomorrow, something I wasn't used to. Early morning training and meditation, meeting Samantha at the café, then two back-to-back jobs, grabbing dinner with Samantha at the food court, and evening training at a bare minimum. I also wanted to schedule my gym challenge, further explore the city while it was still daytime, find some challenges at the battle court, and check out the Game Corner. I sort of doubted I would be able to manage all of that in one day, but I didn't need to rush. It was entirely likely that we'd be here for a few days while I waited for my gym match.
Or… I would, in any case. It suddenly dawned on me that Samantha didn't need to stick around and wait for me, unless she just wanted to. I wasn't sure what kind of timetable she was working on; It had been three days since she won her last ribbon, and I knew that Verdanturf's contest hall ran one contest a week, although I wasn't sure if that was the case.
Based on everything I knew, it seemed like the contest circuit differed from the gym circuit in that there was a specific order for the contest halls to be conquered. It could make sense that the length of time for each 'tier' got longer as fewer people qualified to participate, but you also had to consider that some might be stuck at a tier for months or years on end… or could they?
I began to realize that I didn't know much about the contest circuit. I had no idea if their ribbon system carried over each season, or if they somehow reset every year. For those challenging the gym circuit, a badge was a badge. It didn't matter if you got it a month or ten years ago, or who the gym leader was at the time. If you earned a badge, that was a lifelong accomplishment that would always stick with you, and it never lost its value. I assumed contest ribbons were the same, but I could also see how they might want to start with a clean slate every year.
Those questions aside, I wondered what the odds were of Samantha leaving me behind if I stayed in Mauville for too long. Not that it would matter too much considering we were already planning on parting ways when we traveled north and the route split, but I couldn't help but feel sad at the thought of cutting our already limited time together short. Even if we bickered and occasionally clashed, I felt as though we were starting to hit our stride.
The reality was that Samantha Stone was not only a wealth of knowledge, but also someone I enjoyed having around. I hoped that she would stick around for a little longer, but if she chose to continue on her journey, I wouldn't fight it. I doubted that I'd be able to do much more to prepare her for traveling alone than I already had. She now had four teammates and at least the idea planted in her mind that she should take training more seriously if she wanted to be ready to tackle whatever she might encounter, the rest was out of my hands.
Well, besides maybe doing something about Marelle, but truthfully I felt entirely out of my depth with that. All I could possibly do was warn Samantha yet again, but I'd reached my limits with that course of action after doing so multiple times. I wasn't about to tell her what Steven had told me; not only would she likely be upset that I could only hope she took the warnings seriously and knew what she was doing.
"Vee?"
Snapping myself from my thoughts, I looked down to see Orion looking up at me questioningly. I gave a warm smile and scratched behind his ear before logging off the computer and standing with a stretch.
"Sorry, I was just thinking. We've got a big battle coming up soon, did you know that? I don't think you'll need to battle, but it's possible. Either way, we've got some training to do, so let's get going."
A/N: It seems there's more than meets the eye with Marelle, and Daniel has yet another secret thrust upon him that he feels he can't share. They just keep on adding up, poor guy. Next chapter Wattson makes an appearance and we get some juicy drama from an unexpected source. See you then!
Shoutout to Trix for beta-reading this chapter, and to all of you who still enjoy following the story. Hope you all have a happy new year, see you next year!
Come discuss DotD or just hang out and chat on Discord. gg/ ge6a8XcNcB
