"I said give it back, you jerk!"

Passing by the trees, eight year old Angelina took a moment to look back at her pursuer. Ash Ketchum's cap was tucked away in a small, otherwise empty lunchbox, and the boy trailed behind her, doing everything he could to keep up, but she knew it was no use. For him, anyway. After all, she was one of the best runners in town, and he wasn't the best at anything.

"You'll have a better shot catching a Pokemon than me, Ashy boy!" she gleefully called out before rounding a corner. She was almost there, just a little bit further and everything would be perfect.

Just last night, it had rained torrentially, and somebody had noted a dirty hill that become all slimy and gross from what was left behind, leading to a large trail of mud at the bottom. All she had to do was just get there. It shouldn't be any more than a minute…

Finally she stopped at the top of the hill, taking a brief moment to look back before observing the scene in front of her. She did not have much time.

Sure enough, the dirt hill was still damp and muddy, but the real attraction was what lay at the bottom: A whole, deep puddle of mud big enough to be a miniature lake, surrounded by thick bushes on every side, with some the green decorated with spots of brown. It was such a jackpot.

She took in a breath, sucking as much air in as possible letting it all out and raising the small lunch box containing Ash's cap over her head with both hands. Only one shot at this - she was lucky she'd been working on her throws. Maybe this would be good Poke Ball practice?

"Angelina, please give it back!" Ashy boy was closing in, but she knew he was too late.

"Here we… GO!" with her best grunt, Angelina chucked the box as hard as she could. It bounced off of the mud near the bottom of the hill and rolled its way into the puddle before stopping, unable to keep its momentum for long due to the sticky terrain. Oh well; it certainly wasn't the dirtiest spot, but it had gotten close enough. "Yes!"

"Hey!" she turned around just in time to see Ash closing in on her, nearly managing to trip him as she stepped aside. Stopping at the edge of the hill, the boy rounded on her, and his upset face only grew angrier at the sight of her tongue. "Give me my cap back!" His hair looked so dorky without it, not that the rest of him looked much less pathetic with the cap on. When you were the loser of the whole town, there wasn't really anything you could wear to make you look cool. If anything, you just tainted anything you did wear. That fancy cap could have looked real nice on Gary, or Jake, or one of the girls or anyone else, but it just had to always be associated with Ash. What a waste.

Grinning ear to ear, the blue-haired girl pushed one of her pigtails back behind her head before showing the boy her empty palms, shaking them a bit for emphasis. "Don't look at me, you sure I have it?"

"I know you're the one who took it!" Ash stomped over to her. "Who did you give it to? It's mine!"

"Seriously dude, why are you crying so much over a cap? I lost a hair tie once and got a new one like a week later."

"That cap is expensive! And I didn't lose it, you took it!"

"Look, I put it in my lunch box, happy?"

"Where is your lunch box!?"

"Over there." Angelina pointed innocently down the hill, and Ash followed her finger to the bottom, where the lunch box lay half covered in the middle of the pool of mud. "Ya see? Right out in the opening."

Ash looked like a Gengar had just popped up in front of him. "NOOO!"

"Relax, loser," said Angelina, creeping up behind the distracted boy. "I had to put it in the box so it would be easier to throw, so the cap itself isn't dirty. Much."

"But how am I supposed to get it!?" Ash sounded like his eyes were a cracking damn waiting to flood the place all over again.

"Easy, you just crawl for it!" Putting her hands out, Angelina lunged forward and shoved Ash's back as hard as her muscles would allow. The boy lost his balance on the elevated earth, and was sent rolling down the hill, his startled yelp being interrupted and cut off by the impact almost as soon as it had left his mouth.

His extremely open mouth.

As Ash landed at the bottom, his clothes and body were decorated with filth, and he had lost a shoe, leaving his yellow sock at the mercy of the muddy earth seeping into his ankle. He seemed to be moaning in pain, and when he turned over and looked back up at her, Angelina was greeted with the disgusting view of his face. Hot tears came together with the mud and dirt covering him, and some of the mud had gotten into his mouth, bringing on a fit of gross coughing and even grosser gagging.

It was hilarious.

He was trying to talk to her, but he couldn't get any words out in the midst of the coughing and gagging. Soon after, he just cried.

"There you go, Ashy boy!" Angelina cupped her hands while calling out to him, even though it certainly wasn't necessary. "I figured you could use the head start! You're already halfway."

"W-W-Why did you do that?!" it was like he didn't even have the strength or focus to be angry anymore; the only potential description for his voice was miserable.

"Oh my Mew, your mom is gonna kill you."

"You're the one who pushed me!"

"Good luck explaining that to her looking like a human Muk! She'll be too busy screaming at you!"

"I hate you!" he screeched up at her from the bottom. "I've had it!"

"Oh boo hoo, no one in town likes you either."

The boy pushed himself to his feet, almost stumbling in the mud as his shoe and sock sank into it. As he tried to step forward with his shoe, it sank further and he face planted his way back into the filth. Maybe he really would have to crawl. Perfect…

Three sets of feet averted Angelina's attention from the loser, and she turned to see her friends stopping in front of her. A boy with muddy brown hair - Mark. A boy with almost dirty blonde hair - Jake. And a girl with regular yellow blonde hair - Sarah.

"Nice going, Angelina." Mark smiled approvingly.

"Yeah!" Jake added. "And sorry we're late."

"Ha, look at him go!" Sarah cheekily watched Ash crawling through the mud, first trying to retrieve his shoe. "Hope those clothes aren't too expensive!"

"Man, I'd hate to see his fingernails after this, too." Mark added. "How do you even wash your hands like that?" As he finished, he pulled out a small juice box. "I took his juice from the table if anyone wants it."

"EW!" Sarah slapped the juice box out of Mark's hand, sending it into the mud. "I'm not drinking unsweetened juice! That stuff's not even made for humans!"

"Aw, man." Jake dejectedly moaned. I could've had that…"

"You're disgusting, Jake!"

"Hey, guys!" Angelina spoke up in a raised voice. They probably had some time, but they needed to hurry if they wanted to make the most of it. "The camera, remember?"

"Huh?" Mark blinked. "What camera."

"Uh, yeah!" Sarah reminded. "You a need a camera to take pictures with, don't you?"

"Oh right," Jake eyed Mark suspiciously. "Didn't you say you were gonna bring a camera?"

Mark gave the other boy a dirty look, before pointing at him in accusation. "Me? You were the one who said who you were bringing the camera!"

"Why would I say that?" Jake threw his hands up. "I don't even have a camera because SOMEONE," he rounded on Sarah. "Dropped it in the pool at school a couple weeks ago!"

Sarah's cheeks could have glowed in the dark. "It was an accident!"

"Guys, guys!" Angelina's good mood was fading. "Hang on a second, are you saying none of us brought the camera? I thought that's the whole reason we did this, what the heck are we supposed to show Gary now!?"

"We could always just tell him about it…" Jake offered after a moment of thought.

"Are you kidding me?" Sarah side-eyed the boy. "We need the visual evidence! We were supposed to use up all the film, and now we have no film to start!"

"Oh, look!" Mark pointed out to Ash, who had retrieved the lunchbox with his cap, now wearing both of his shoes as well. "There he goes, there goes!"

"Just great," Angelina rolled her eyes as she watched Ash struggling to get up, only to fall again and drop the lunch box. Not that it mattered - it would still take a minute or two for him to get out, but without any pictures he might as well just teleport away like nothing ever happened. "All that work for nothing…"

"You think we'll get lucky and someone in town will take a photo?" Mark offered.

"Hopefully it's a good one." Jake replied.

"Hmmm…" Angelina tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose so. Oh well, not like anyone's gonna care when he shows up looking like that."

"Yeah!" Jake pumped a fist before calling out to Ash, who was finally on the verge of escaping his filthy prison. "Do ya hear that one? No one's gonna believe you!"

Ash was running away as fast as he could, and the sight of it restored Angelina's mood somewhat, bringing her lips up into a smile. Things hadn't gone as planned - Gary had gotten sick with a fever, and they had decided to surprise him with a few photos of Ash in a humiliating position in order to cheer him up. That sadly wouldn't be happening now.

But picture or no picture, camera or no camera, the image of Ash Ketchum drenched in mud from head to toe would at least be permanently printed in her memory.

/

Processing his thoughts gave Ash a chance to piece everything together. Shane had mentioned Professor Oak vouching for a rookie, and that alone should have narrowed things down for him. Who else his age had a passion for fossils and some form of connection to Oak, or more accurately his family? He wished he had taken the moment to deduce the obvious, because maybe he wouldn't have been so caught off guard.

In front of them, Angelina stuttered. "A-Ash…? You're- what are you…"

The icky sensation in his stomach, produced just by the sight of her, clung to his insides for a moment longer before his knuckles tightened. Neither Pikachu nor Valiant said anything, and the confused Flaaffy next to the girl was starting to seem stressed - at least, that's what Ash would have noticed had he paid attention to her. It was a feeling that happened on reflex, a natural, involuntary response accompanying the sight of anyone from Gary's clique.

But it didn't last.

'What am I doing here?' Ash repeated her question in his mind. She clearly wasn't expecting to see him, and the feeling was mutual, but who was she to question what he was doing? They were both trainers, for as much of a fuss as she had made about him passing the Exam (and scoring higher than her, nonetheless). He was tempted to say it was none of her business, or a lot of other things for that matter, but the sight of Nurse Joy behind him was a reminder that this was not a private moment. The pink haired woman was probably moments away from asking if there was a problem. Not to mention he was on a schedule.

He held eye contact with her. That knee jerk feeling in his stomach was gone, because knee jerk was all that it was. For as many bad memories as she brought back, she was a downgrade from Gary. A significant one. She held no power here, and Ash wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that she clearly had no way to know. But he'd let her know.

"I need to get through," he said. "Now." He kept his voice even. The bitter taste on his tongue was begging to be let out, but he couldn't do it here. Not in public.

Angelina was clearly smart enough to know that, because her startled expression didn't form into the sneer that he had come to expect. Instead she and Flaaffy stepped aside for him, and although Valiant's eyes remained on them as his trainer stepped towards the counter. Ash could feel her presence behind him; it was like an ice pick pressed into his back, creating stiff tension in his nerves and provoking the desire to turn around, as though he was naked facing away from her. But he kept his eyes on Nurse Joy, who thankfully had shown no reaction to whatever had transpired.

"Hello, Nurse Joy." he managed a polite tone while handing over his Pokedex - it took a bit of a strain, but was not as difficult as he feared. "Ash Ketchum, I'm with Pelsberry."

As his trainer spoke the words, Valiant could feel the blue-haired girl's heart sink. He finally looked away from her and back to Ash, who exchanged a few more words with Nurse Joy before receiving his room key. The shift in his trainer had been among the most jarring whiplash the Kirlia had experienced when reading emotions - a conga line that went from shock, fear, to anger. Ash seemed to be doing his best not to look at the girl (or her Flaffy) as he turned back to him.

"Let's get to our room, that Brenda girl is probably going to be waiting for us soon."

/

Once inside their room, Ash set his bag down on the desk while Pikachu leapt off of his shoulder and onto the bed. Ash did not take much time to take in the interior before putting his hands against his tense cheeks and taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry about that," he could feel Valiant's gaze on him as Pikachu turned back around to give him his attention. "It's just… that was Angelina."

"You've mentioned her before." Valiant commented, his voice somewhat serious. "A friend of Gary's."

"Yeah, I have." Ash confirmed, biting his lip with a wrinkled nose. "Not just a friend, one of his closest."

Valiant joined Pikachu on the bed after Ash moved to take a seat. Both of his teammates' eyes were focused on him, and rather attentive. He felt some gratitude for that; despite not knowing the full story, they all knew enough.

He took a moment or two to form his words. It wasn't as difficult as it would have been a while back, but he had still been caught off guard, and found difficulty just jumping into it. "You've seen the highlights, about all of the bullying Gary and his friends put me through. He was always the ringleader, and the other kids practically worshiped the ground he walked on." He quickly summarized in a barebones manner, not needing to ramble on about everything that they already knew. "I've told you a little about his clique before, right?"

Pikachu nodded, glancing at Valiant next to him for a second with a soft chirp before returning his attention to their trainer.

"Close friends." Valiant repeated.

"Yes," Ash nodded somewhat steadily. "Gary has a lot of friends, being super popular with all his followers." Fanboys and fangirls could have been a better word, but that was semantics. "But aside from the other kids just idolizing him, he has his closest friends: Mark, Sarah, Jake, and Angelina. The whole student body is pretty much his social circle, but those four are at the center, his real personal buddies."

Most of the time, he would have managed to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but today he found himself putting in less effort, if only enough to prevent his friends from feeling too uncomfortable. Just an abridged version of this story was enough to surface bad memories.

"So she was a bully too, right?" Valiant asked gently. "I felt it; you were surprised at first, and scared for a split second, but then you were angry. I sense hostility."

Ash shifted in his seat. That was a constant reminder; it would take more than just controlling his words to keep Valiant from feeling uncomfortable. Sensing emotions was equally an enviable and unenviable ability to have. "They're all bullies," he tried to keep the venom at bay. "Playing follow the leader, whenever I was picked on they either laughed or watched. But those four are different. Just being one of Gary's buddies puts you pretty high on the pecking order."

"They're popular too." Valiant echoed.

"Mhm," Ash confirmed. That on its own was probably one of the biggest examples of the Oak boy's almost hegemonic influence on the Pallet Town children. He was the leader, and his closest friends were like unspoken lieutenants. Sarah was whiny and spoiled, and a lot of the other kids might not have liked her very much if Gary hadn't hung out with her (It took one to know one, he supposed). But he did, and the effect it had on her social standing was like a magic trick. "Gary was the leader of it all, but his friends loved making me miserable too. And Angelina, well…" he barely shook his head. "She and Mark were the worst. When Gary wasn't around, it was usually one of them picking up the slack and getting the other kids to go along with it."

His mind was quick to fill in the blanks. Crushed cupcakes and stolen belongings - he had almost gotten himself grounded with all the dirt and filth he had collected retrieving his cap, which she had thrown in a nice and muddy spot covered in soaked leaves and bushes from the recent rainstorm the prior day. The same precious cap that had been burnt to a crisp by Damian's Charmeleon back in Celadon…

Pikachu growled for a split second, a couple of sparks flashing off of his cheeks, but his expression didn't go beyond simply looking stern.

Ash took a moment to glance at the door. Running into Angelina or Sarah on the road would have been one thing, but to have to actually be around one of them for an extended period of time was a tall order. For a moment, he was starting to regret coming here.

But that was only a split second.

"It doesn't matter," he managed to say after squeezing his fists for a moment. "I just wanted to give you two a heads up - actually I should tell the others too. She's probably shocked we even made it all the way out here, and she's definitely going to try and start something if she gets the chance. Who knows what; maybe she'll try to get me fired or embarrass me in front of the other workers. It's usually a variation of that." There was a bitter flare in his eyes for a moment as he gave them a small smile. "But that's her loss. We already beat Gary. We can beat her ten times worse if we need to, right?"

Pikachu and Valiant knowingly glanced at each other for a split second or two, just long enough to make eye contact and nod.

"Do what you need to do," the Kirlia offered. "We'll have your back."

Ash's smile turned more genuine. The gnawing in his stomach wasn't enough to overtake how he felt about his team. The best any trainer could ever want. "I know you do." he looked back at the door more sternly. "She's nothing, just one of Gary's minions. I used to be afraid of her, but that's ancient history. She'll be in for a rude awakening if she tries to pull her usual crap." As his palms clenched, he almost hoped that she would.

Standing up, he got ready to release the rest of his team. "Alright, we'll get settled in quickly. We're technically on the clock now, so he can't dawdle."

There was conviction in his voice. He wasn't the same person he used to be, and never would be ever again. Gary's group had ruined a lot of things for him, but they weren't going to ruin his journey. And she was going to find that out the hard way.

/

Ash found the Center's lobby empty (apart from Nurse Joy) when he, Pikachu and Valiant returned from their room, with no Angelina in sight. Her absence was a mild relief, but did not absolve the prickling in his back, and he walked out the doors with a silent dread that had not been present when he had first walked in.

The rest of the team had elected to stay in the room and relax - or watch TV, in Tempest's case. Silica had found a comfortable spot to ease herself, and although she was less hostile, Phenom and Nebula had nonetheless given the hippo her space. The "banana routine" that Ash had started with Pikachu back in Fuchsia seemed to have had the desired effect in breaking some of the ice, but everyone knew that things couldn't be rushed, lest they jeopardize the valuable progress that they made so far. Seeing the ground type in a relatively peaceful state while watching the talk show playing on the television lit a small flame in Ash's stomach.

If Angelina tried anything with Silica around, she would pay dearly. Tempest had already suggested drenching her in cold water to make a statement, and as tempting as it was Ash held it back. He wouldn't make her look like the victim until she tried to make him one (for the umpteenth time). Then she would know how it feels.

Ash did his best to bury the blue-haired girl's unwanted presence in his thoughts while he stepped outside in the hot sun (the uncomfortable heat was an upgrade from sharing an air conditioned lobby with her). He wasn't sure how easy or difficult that would have been if he hadn't spotted Brenda so soon. She wasn't too far away from the Center, most likely heading there to meet up with him, if he had to guess. Her lips rose up as she noticed him.

"Hi there!" She gave him a quick wave before reaching him and her standing posture seemed almost deliberately straight and upwards. "We didn't get much time to introduce ourselves earlier, I'm Brenda again. It's nice to meet you."

The girl's inviting expression and tone proved to be the distraction that Ash needed - he felt the tension in his back easing itself, which made it more manageable to push his frustrations and discomfort down. He didn't want to be moody in Brenda's presence - she was Russell's daughter after all, so it would be a bad look. Besides, she had done nothing to deserve it. He didn't even know her.

But she seemed nice.

"I'm Ash," he answered while returning her grin. "This is Pikachu and Valiant, two of my teammates."

Brenda hummed as the two quickly greeted her. "Patricia wanted me to show you around the camp. Daddy says that you should have some time to settle in for the day, but he'll be able to talk with you by tonight." she made a friendly motion with her hand while pulling something out of her pocket. "For now, we can use this time to get to know each other. Want one?"

She held out an impressively sized energy bar, labeled "Chocolate" on the wrapper. It was the simplest of gestures, but coupled with her demeanor, the offer almost entirely deflated whatever tension was left in the boy. Angelina may have been nearby, but that didn't make this environment anywhere similar to Pallet. He was among potential friends.

"Sure, thank you." relaxed, he took the bar from Brenda and followed her back towards the camp. "So are you a trainer too?"

"Sort of," she answered. "I have my license and some Pokemon, but I don't travel for badges. Not really for me." she looked back at him. "Doesn't sound like you can say the same, though." There was a playful, suggestive tinge in her voice.

"Guess not," he said, reaching over to pat Pikachu on the head as the mouse returned to his shoulders. "We're gunning for the Conference, right guys?" The electric type chirped in approval, accompanied by an affirmative tug in his mind from Valiant.

Brenda turned around in full, giving Ash a view of her own strawberry covered bar as she walked backwards. It was strange and sudden, but he managed not to blink. "Well you sure seem to be on the right track! You should've seen my jaw when Patricia told me how many badges you have!"

His face reddened. "She told you?"

"Yup, no need to be embarrassed about it." she encouraged. "I mean, come on - five badges less than halfway through the Season as a rookie? That's amazing! I promise I won't get offended if you brag a bit, I think you've earned that."

An image entered Ash's mind. All of the gloating Gary had done; his excellence at just about everything as though he was Mew's gift to trainer's, and how all of their peers had rewarded him for it by showering him with praise and soaking up everything he said like he was a renowned world leader in Pallet's self contained community. Ash himself had been punished with the opposite, but that was ancient history now. He was excelling in ways a rookie rarely did, and he had even beaten Gary himself after all those years spent crushed under the Oak boy's boot, while Gary and his friends relished in it.

How would they respond if he did the same? Could he even picture Angelina's expression if he showed her his badges? Every cruel thing that had ever been said and done to him by his peers, and he could throw it right back in their faces if he wanted to.

Maybe he would. Maybe he had earned it. But…

He kept his voice steady as Brenda turned back around to walk properly (thankfully before he could become worried about her bumping into something). "That's nice of you, Brenda, but I don't want to show off too hard. I don't want most people to think I'm rubbing my achievements in their faces." Most people.

"Hmm…" she calmly hummed. "I hear you, although…" She stopped for a moment (prompting him and Valiant to do the same, with Pikachu still on his shoulder), seeming to look him over as she turned her head. "I gotta admit, I… expected you to be a bit more "bigshot", I guess. I've seen trainers our age gloat over and over about a lot less. "Winning streak" this, and "caught a bunch of Pokemon" that. Those people would kill to be where you are right now."

Valiant studied Brenda before looking up at Ash, as if curious as to what his trainer would say in response. On his shoulder, Pikachu seemed thoughtful, although with some guilt Ash could have sworn that there was a hint of sadness in his starter's eyes.

"I guess I…" he took a moment to consider how he worded it. "I guess I know what it's like to be one of those people who "would kill" for it." It was an easy thing to admit now, even as he made eye contact with her. "I wasn't always doing so hot growing up, and when I first started out there were some pretty rough… speedbumps, I guess you can call it. Even now there's still things we're having trouble with and need to sort out."

"I see…" Brenda's friendly gaze turned analytical as she scanned the trio, before the look in her eyes began to shift once more. "Oh, I think I get it now…" For a moment it looked like she was staring at Valiant, but as the Kirlia returned her gaze she suddenly looked away, back at Ash and Pikachu. Ash didn't want to judge, but for a brief period the look on her face seemed sort of strange.

"You do?" he asked. She seemed to be getting at something else.

"Yeah," she nodded to herself; some of that inviting expression from earlier returned, but she still seemed to be in thought. Although hardly the same thing, Ash found himself believing that all of the time he had spent with Janine had made a person's "thinking face" easier to notice. "You're going for your sixth badge now, but these two need stones to evolve. Is that why you came here? Grampa Canyon is not far from Evolution Mountain after all."

Ash was impressed. He had just met this girl, and yet Brenda had already deduced the issue on his mind. That was encouraging. "That's not the reason, but that Dennis guy we came here with did mention it was possible, so I'll admit I'm kind of hoping."

And just like that, the thoughtful, analytical expression slipped away, seamlessly replaced by her friendly grin again. "Well I wish you luck, for what it's worth. We may be looking for fossils, but Daddy did say that we could find other valuables if we're lucky - including Evolution stones." She turned to point eastward, where the aforementioned mountain was visible in the distance. "And if you're not lucky, you could go closer to the mountain. There's a place called Stone Town at the foot. You might find what you're looking for there."

Ash followed her finger, thinking the suggestion over. It was definitely worth considering, but it was also pretty far out of the way…

Turning back, Brenda took note of his expression. "Yeah, I know it's a detour, but I thought I should mention it."

Ash shook his head. "No, you're right. I was hoping to head north to Vermilion after this was over, but we have plenty of time. I'll have to discuss it with my team later, namely you two." He looked at Pikachu on his shoulder and Valiant standing next to him. He wasn't quite sure what they were thinking, but based on the direction their heads were turning, they were unsurprisingly tempted.

They only needed three more badges to qualify for the Indigo Conference, and as Brenda had pointed out, the Season was not even half over yet. They had time, as long as they were productive with it. Rushing into things wasn't always productive, depending on how the dice rolled.

"I like the sound of that," Brenda approved. When she placed her fists on her hips, there was something empowering about her, like Ash suddenly felt like she would best him in an arm wrestling match. Abandoning the pose, she turned back to where the camp entrance was. "Anyway, ready to move on? Call me your tour guide!"

Her confident energy proved contagious as Ash suppressed a chuckle. "Lead the way."

/

The two chatted periodically as Brenda led him through the camp. Ash wasn't sure how big he had expected the place to be, but it's size was certainly decent, yet organized to a fairly competent degree. The most impressive section was likely the row of large vehicles that the girl had seemingly deliberately saved for last (making a point to brag about how new and state of the art their models were). It was a larger variety than he had imagined; differing machines designed for digging, demolition, and whatever other purpose would be necessary. Ash recognized the obvious ones, namely the excavators and bulldozers, but he knew he wouldn't be able to remember most of the names, so he neglected to ask.

Based on her enthusiasm, he walked away with the impression that Brenda was a fan of heavy machinery. Perhaps it came with her dad's job.

There were also more open areas nearby reserved for testing certain equipment, places for storage and supplies, among other things. It was a completely different environment from anywhere Ash had been before, and he silently thought about how things like it were a common thing for a lot of the people here.

Brenda's presence was a common positive; he found that he enjoyed her company. It may have been about halfway through the tour when he realized that the way she spoke almost came across as somewhat scripted and rehearsed, yet it never felt lifeless or unwelcoming, and her willingness to engage in (and instigate) conversation certainly helped.

As the "tour" winded down, they were joined by Jaden, and the three found themselves standing together in a somewhat quieter part of the camp (albeit not without activity). The lack of shade was bothersome, but Ash managed to push through it. Pikachu and Valiant were nearby, somewhat listening in on the interaction, but seeming to be conversing amongst themselves as well.

"So the plan is basically for Daddy to go to the canyon ahead of schedule with a smaller team of his choosing tomorrow," Brenda explained to the two boys while finishing her water bottle. "And help get everything further set up. It's not terribly far away, but you two should be ready for a bit of a trip." disposing of the bottle in the recycling bin, she wiped her lips. "I take it neither of you are used to these conditions?"

Jaden blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"Call it a hunch. I can't say I'm a fan of the heat myself, but I've…" she paused for a moment, raising her index finger as though looking for the right word. "Been given some practice back at home, with more extreme conditions, I mean."

"So is there a different reason you aren't into traveling?" Ash asked innocently. Although he had gotten used to it over time, the long hikes and camping outside hadn't exactly been his favorite part of being a trainer back in the beginning but it was worth it for the rest.

She seemed somewhat thoughtful again. "Traveling isn't so bad, I actually love being outside. I guess I was just never drawn to the competitive side of the field, including contests. No biggie." She lifted her chin a bit while crossing her arms. "So, speaking of which, where are you guys from?"

"Olivine City." Jaden offered.

"Oh, right." Brenda rolled her eyes. "You're Shawn's brother, so I guess I should have known that already, but we don't really talk. You seem quite a bit different from him.

Jaden's face shifted awkwardly. "My big bro is… kind of tough, yeah. Not really a people person these days."

"Hmm," she hummed for a moment before turning to Ash. "And you?"

"Pallet Town." he answered.

Brenda seemed to perk up at that. "Oh! We have another trainer named Angelina from there! You two friends?"

The question came out of nowhere, like a loud bang going off in a quiet meadow. Valiant had a similar experience as his head turned in Ash's direction, feeling the sudden change in his trainer as Ash resisted the urge to clench his fists. It was an inevitable reminder of what he had managed to distract himself from during the tour, unfortunately given by the person who had been that distraction. He wasn't in the mood to laugh at the irony.

"We know each other…" Ash kept his face straight, and tried to sound innocent as he asked. "Was she the trainer that Mr. Shane mentioned was recommended by Professor Oak?"

Brenda seemed thankfully oblivious as she answered. "Yeah, Daddy says that her essay for the Qualification Exam showed a lot of love and passion for prehistoric Pokemon and fossils."

"Oh…" Jaden curiously chimed in. "So she got in for the same reason as me?"

Brenda turned her friendly gaze on him. "Another fossil enthusiast, huh?" he nodded a little bit shyly. "I'm sure she'd be open to comparing notes with you, she's a really nice girl."

'Fossil enthusiasts.' It was a connection that Ash hadn't made in his mind until Brenda had made it for him. Jaden, his new friend, shared a common passion with Angelina of all people. He suddenly felt less comfortable. He almost wasn't sure what "nice girl" Brenda was talking about, but that detail was less surprising. Gary's group was nothing if not two faced.

"Anywho," Brenda brought his attention back to the conversation before he had a chance to get too deep in thought. "I still have a few things left on my to do list for the day, and Daddy's trusting me not to slack, so I gotta go."

"Thanks for showing me around," Ash was a little bit disappointed to see her go, but she was right about having more to do than just socialize. Besides, Jaden was still here. "And for the snack."

"Don't mention it, I like my job." Getting between the two boys, she put her hands on their backs, as though she were a good deal taller than both (she was taller, but not by much). "I have a good feeling about you both, I hope you enjoy the experience!"

Jaden said a quick goodbye as they watched her go, eventually disappearing into the more active side of the camp. As she was out of earshot, the second year nudged Ash from the side. "Hey, she's a real looker, don't you think?"

"Huh?" Still trying to curb his discomfort (hopefully without Jaden noticing it) Ash turned to his friend, only partially catching what he had said.

"That Brenda girl," he continued. "You got a good look at her, right? She's pretty as heck."

"Oh…" Feeling his cheeks redden, Ash felt somewhat awkward. He knew that this was "boy talk", although he was hardly used to it.

'Who's fault is that?' a bitter voice in his mind reminded him why he didn't have many friends growing up; one of the people responsible for that was here right now…

"She looks nice," he agreed. It was an embarrassing thing to say out loud, but he wasn't going to put that on Jaden, especially if it meant distracting himself-

"Hey." A rough hand collided with the back of Jaden's head, and the red-haired boy flinched, rubbing the spot where he had been struck. Behind him was Shawn, the large man from before, although the Pachrisu wasn't with him this time. He seemed to be pretty annoyed. "If you want to gawk at girls, go to the beach. You're here for an excavation project to 'build your resume', aren't you? "

"Sorry, bro." Jaden's frown made him look a few years younger than eleven, and his tone of voice sounded as such. Ash took quick note of the timidness before deciding not to make eye contact - hopefully that would be less embarrassing.

Shawn huffed. "Are you even taking this seriously? I swear you have the attention span of a Slowpoke."

Now Ash was getting annoyed. What was this guy's problem? They had only gotten here a few hours earlier at most, and they were just talking.

Stepping between the two, Ash angled his head up to look Shawn in the eye. "Hey," he said sternly. "Leave him be."

The annoyed look in Shawn's eyes grew more tense, and as he stepped closer to the boys, Ash began feeling a bit more conscious of the man's size. He looked like he probably lifted weights. "I'm sorry, who are you again?"

A bit further away, Pikachu and Valiant were looking their way, fully alert with the mouse on all fours, and his tail stiffly erect. Ash felt his heart start to speed up, and Butterfree in his stomach. He wasn't sure what he was going to do before Jaden put his arm in front of him, motioning for him to step back.

"It's fine," he said, looking Shawn in the eyes nervously. "We were just going. Come on, Ash." Ash allowed Jaden to lead him away and back to Pikachu and Valiant, who continued watching Shawn for a moment before turning to follow.

Shawn watched the group go before turning his head to see Russell approaching him, holding an unopened can of beer. The blue-haired man looked over to the departing group with a fairly relaxed expression before speaking. "You know, you really should be nicer to your brother."

Shawn fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Easy for you to say, probably not much pressure having a perfect daughter."

"You're crazy if you think I don't yell at Brenda."

"Well, then maybe I just need to pick up the slack." As Shawn shook his head, there was brief distaste in his expression. "Not like anyone else is doing it. Parents coddle the kid ten times more than they ever did with me, and surprise surprise, now he's softer than the donuts at the gas station." he looked at Russell with crossed arms. "Real lot of favors that did him last Season. And he wants to get into some dream school that they don't have the money for and is clearly out of his league, but don't expect mom and dad to tell him."

"Well, can't say I can relate," Russell answered. "But it's not as uncommon as you think." Offering him the can of beer, he added, "Maybe you just need something to cool off a bit, you like one?"

Shawn's nose wrinkled, holding up his hand as though he was blocking something. "Get that piss away from me, I've put enough poison in my body."

"Suit yourself," opening the can, Russell took a drink. "Figured I'd get a little ritual out of the way. Tomorrow's an important one for Brenda, she's laser focused."

"Good to see someone is." Shawn replied, not quite as dismissive.

/

"He's not always like that," Jaden tried to assure after they were out of earshot. "My brother's just been kind of irritable lately."

"I didn't want to cause a scene," Ash promised. "But still, he didn't need to make a big deal out of it." He had only met Shawn two brief times, but he already wasn't liking the vibe that he got from the man, and not because of his large size. "Why is he being so rude to you?"

Seeing the discomfort in his friend's face, he regretted the potential force he had spoken with. Jaden raised a gentle hand. "Really Ash, it's okay. Thanks…"

Ash bit his tongue for a moment. He was being too forward, like he couldn't control his own tone of voice whenever the words came out. "I'm sorry, I'll drop it."

"It's cool, man. So I take it the meeting with Mr. Shane went over well?"

"Yeah, for the most part." Ash thought back to the boss of the project. "He isn't very friendly, though."

"Shawn says he's all about the money," Jaden commented. "But hey, I guess there's just people like that sometimes. At least we don't have to expect that from everybody. I've talked to a few people and they seem to be pretty okay."

"Yeah, me too." Ash agreed, instinctively looking back at Shawn (who was talking to Russell now) for a split second before pulling his gaze away. "They seem like nice people."

'Most of them.' Shawn was one thing, but he wasn't the person who kept finding their way back into his mind.

"Hey dude, are you okay?" the concern on Jaden's face prodded at Ash's guilt. "You seem a little bit on edge. Nervous?"

It wasn't the first word Ash would use, but he managed to not clench his fists, trying to relax his body. "Yeah, I… guess I'm a little bit nervous. First time doing something like this, you know? A lot of people I've never met." 'And one person that I have.'

Jaden reached over and patted Ash's shoulder. "Well, I'm in the same boat for the most part. Can't say I'm not nervous, y'know?" he chuckled a bit awkwardly, and after a moment Ash managed to follow. "Why don't we just stick together for now? I can use a friend."

Ash nodded, and his words weren't forced this time, nor was his smile for the most part. "Yeah, so can I."

/

The sun's gradual descent brought the temperature down at a notably less gradual rate. Ash could feel the chill coming on as the daylight faded, and although it was initially a welcome relief, it wasn't long before a new discomfort set in, for the opposite reason as most of the day. Desert-like climates were definitely going to take getting used to.

Thankfully, the Pokemon Center's interior was still a desirable temperature. As the day came to an end, the cafeteria began to fill up, and Silica became notably agitated, so he recalled her. The rest of his team ate mostly together with a few of Jaden's Pokemon, but Valiant shared the table with the boys as they sat across from Patricia and Beth. Patricia's Persian ate near Beth's starter, a Primeape, but they were the only other Pokemon currently present in the group.

"It was a real struggle," the Charm of Maya still hung around Ash's neck as he talked about his experience with Koga. "But we were able to win in the end. Tempest was the last one standing." he briefly glanced at the Kingler, who was casually enjoying his bowl.

"Toxic Spikes," Patricia echoed, looking up from her plate. "Leader Koga can't get enough of moves like that. I knew the Muk on his main roster knew how to do that, but I'm kind of shocked that a weaker one was capable of it. He really put you through the wringer."

"No kidding," Jaden's face tensed. "I've avoided that Gym like the plague. I know it's nearby, and it would make sense to challenge the closest one, but…"

Beth gave him a sympathetic look. "You don't need to feel pressured, Jaden. There are plenty of Gyms in Indigo. You can't be too picky given travel time and the like, but there isn't anything wrong with narrowing down your options at least a little bit. Most trainers do." she gave Patricia a bit of a bashful look. "Not you of course…"

The brunette was unfazed. "Well it's not like I can expect most of them to pull their punches with me all that much anyway. A lot of them enjoy the chance to cut more loose and get a real workout, I battled Surge shortly before coming here, and you can always count on him unleash on someone that he knows can take it."

"Not that he's known to be merciful with those who can't…" Beth added.

The electric Gym Leader's name brought back unpleasant memories for Ash, but also served as an encouraging reminder. "Surge is next on my list. I haven't planned much after that."

"You already have Sabrina's badge, right?" Beth confirmed, to which Ash nodded. "Saffron's still just north of Vermilion, so you can always take the Magnet Train to Goldenrod."

"I have considered that," he said. "I guess I could also see if I could take a boat from Vermilion to Cinnabar, but, well…" he paused for a moment, wondering if it would be appropriate to bring up the conversation with Koga before deciding to dance around it. "Someone I know advised against that. Challenging Leader Blaine, I mean."

Patricia studied Ash for a moment, and he wondered if she knew he was hiding something. She seemed more curious than suspicious, though. "Well, I personally agree with them. You don't want to go there, for a badge, anyway." She had said it with little conflict or hesitation. And next to her, Beth seemed to be nodding.

"Is Blaine really that bad?" he had already heard Koga's account, which had been more than enough for him to consider avoiding the Fire Master, but if he had a chance to get a second opinion…

"He toys with you," Beth said, scrunching her face a bit. "And not in the appropriate way. It's like he does everything he can to make the experience as unpleasant as possible for a lot of challengers."

"Yeah…" Patricia frowned. "Blaine isn't very popular with his peers nowadays. As far as I know, he's grown bitter and cynical with age, and he takes it out on "unworthy" challengers. Although, it's more like he uses whatever B.S. he comes up with to cure his own boredom." she glared. "Not every Gym Leader is as friendly as the last, but that man's walking a thin line on abusing his power."

"What exactly does he do?" Jaden asked.

"It can vary sometimes," Patricia sighed. "Admittedly, I'm not fully caught up in whatever his new favorite game is, since I haven't sought him out in a while, but the general stories are the same." As she looked back to Ash, there was a gentle sternness in her pretty blue eyes. "Surge doesn't treat green trainers any better, but his respect is at least worth earning. If you want my advice, don't even bother with Blaine. Cinnabar is a good vacation spot, but it's the last place to go looking for badges. Besides, like Beth said, there are plenty of other Gyms. You don't have to put up with the worst one."

Beth's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Uh yeah, what she said."

First a fellow Gym Leader, and now a top contender of the Conference. That was two credible people who had suggested the same thing: Stay away from Blaine. Ash found the sentiment hard to argue against. If both Koga and Patricia were really so insistent…

He shared a look at Valiant for a moment before nodding back at the older girl. "Thanks for the advice. I guess it'll be Goldenrod then." if he was correct about the Johtonian metropolis' place on the map, that should give him a few options for his eighth and final badge, but it was far enough in the future for him to not stress too hard over it.

Patricia smiled. "The distance and convenience varies, but you could potentially go from there straight to the majority of other Gyms in Johto, if you really wanted to. And of course there's plenty of stuff to do while you're there. It's the biggest city in Indigo, after all."

"Can you say anything about Whitney?" Ash asked. "I know she's new." She was also very young, with just two or three years over him from what he knew - a very rare age for a Gym Leader. Her grandfather, the respected Leader Wade, had tragically passed away the previous Season, so this was her first year with the position.

"I handled her well enough," Jaden offered. "But I… don't have much of a resume. She wasn't doing anything too intense. And you're going for your sixth badge."

"I haven't challenged her," Patricia stated. "So I can't give you a lot of direct pointers. She's good, though. Leader Erika is fond of her, and from what I know she's quite talented despite her inexperience. But if you can handle Koga or Surge then you should be fine." her eyes narrowed. "Just remember not to get cocky and keep your eye on the ball. You'll lose all your momentum if you let it go to your head."

"Don't worry," Ash was assertive, but he still nodded in gratitude. "I'm not out to sabotage myself." The more he looked back, the happier he was to be in his current position. It felt good. But he wouldn't forget where it all started.

He would not end up like Gary.

The thought of the Oak boy drifted Ash's gaze to another table, somewhat nearby. Angelina was digging into her food while chatting with Brenda. A decent bunch of Pokemon were with them, but aside from Flaaffy, who he had seen with the blue-haired girl earlier, he didn't know who belonged to which trainer. The two girls seemed to be enjoying each other's company, talking casually as though they had known each other for a while. If it had been anyone else, the sight would have looked normal to him. He'd have no reason to consider how cruel one of them was capable of being.

As if by chance, Angelina turned her head, and her eyes landed on him. The nerves in his stomach went to work as they caught each other glancing before he looked away, in time for Patricia to speak again.

"That is good to hear," she encouraged. "Just make sure you stick to it. I'd hate to see you fall off-" she stopped herself and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not trying to sound like I'm doubting you."

"It's okay," Ash raised a hand, a tiny grin sprouting from his lips. "You're like, the best possible person for me to listen to. I'd be stupid to brush you off." Between herself, Tanner Redgate, Horace Bluewall from Hoenn, and her own cousin Annette from Kalos, Patricia was one of the four favored to win the upcoming Conference at the end of the Season, and an all star in Indigo's competitive field. Even the most stuck up, arrogant and entitled trainer around would hang on every word she said.

The fact that she was willing to take the time for him made his bones tingle. He remembered having a similar feeling when he and Janine had met Tanner back in Saffron…

"Yeah," Jaden's smile was a bit less modest. "I still can't believe we're sharing a table with you!"

Beth looked like she was suppressing a giggle, but Patricia seemed just about as put together as ever despite her growing smile and slightly reddening face. "My pleasure. But if there's one thing I can say about Whitney, well, being a Gym Leader at her age is extremely rare, but it's also a sign of great promise because of that. The League wouldn't give a position like that to any twelve year old just because her grandfather was the previous Leader, especially for such a major city like Goldenrod. She's being given extra guidance and assistance to help her grow into the role, and I doubt she's one of the Region's strongest right this second, but she's the real deal, whether she's on Surge's level or not. Letting your guard down will be as punishing as any other Gym you face."

"Right," he said. "Thanks again."

Before the conversation could continue, some movement caught their attention, and the group turned to see Brenda walking towards them. Angelina remained at their table, watching.

"Hey guys," Brenda raised a hand in greeting, and gave a nod to Patricia and Beth before turning to the boys. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted you to know that Daddy needed to talk to you, he just called me about it." she added, "No need to rush, though. Just go to him after dinner. He wants to go over a few things."

"Tell him we'll be there," Jaden offered her a thumbs up, and Ash nodded next to him. "Does he want us together, or…"

"Whatever works," she shrugged. "Seeing you both at once would save time, just as long as he sees both of you.I think he just got done to talking to that weird guy- uh, what was his name?"

"Dennis." Ash offered.

"That's it!" she lightly slapped her palm. "Well weird or not, Daddy seems to approve of him. Says he'll be a real asset." she winked. "As I'm sure you two will be, cya!"

Ash couldn't help feeling mildly flustered as she walked away. He knew she was just being nice, but it's not like it was common to be winked at by a pretty girl. "She seems to be in a good mood."

"Yeah, she's really excited." Patricia said. "This is her first "big job" apparently."

"If I may," Valiant's voice projected into Ash's mind. "It's a bit hard to tell, but she also seems… kind of stressed?" Ash glanced at the Kirlia. "Sorry, I'm not sure entirely. But I was getting that impression while she was showing us around. She didn't seem entirely cheerful."

With a thoughtful hum, Ash looked back at the girl, who was reclaiming her seat across from Angelina. Brenda certainly didn't look like she was stressed. Was it one of those situations where you were excited and anxious at the same time?

"Speaking of excitement," Beth looked at the brunette. "Has Nurse Joy given you any updates on the Egg?"

Patricia's smile was probably her biggest of the evening. "It's projected to hatch shortly after the job's done. Pretty good timing, huh?" looking at the boys, she added. "I think we mentioned it in front of you earlier, right?"

Ash tried to remember. "Yeah, you were talking to your Charizard about it."

Jaden snapped his fingers, as if putting something together. "Oh yeah, and you said your Meganioum was taking care of it. Does that mean they're the parents?"

"Heh, sure are." she confirmed. "They mated a while back, and now we have a baby Chikorita on the way. Quite the pair, if I say so." she chuckled fondly. "Of course I know I'm biased."

"You must have some serious connections." Jaden blurted out, and his face lit up, as though he hadn't meant to say it out loud. "I-I mean, it's just that your Starter's a Shiny! And a Charizard! That's awesome!"

Patricia seemed a bit nervous, but not terribly so. "My family has a lot of money, and Leader Erika is a close friend of ours. In fact, my Meganium was a gift from her. A direct gift, in fact."

"Direct?" Ash raised a brow.

"Leader Erika's starter is a Meganium," Beth elaborated. "Named Greenwood."

Ash definitely remembered that. Erika had used her Meganium against Silver in the attack on Celadon. It didn't take long for him to put it together. "Wait, so Greenwood and your Meganium…"

Patricia nodded. "Yes, they're family. Greenwood is my Meganium's mother. When I turned thirteen, Erika gave me her Egg as a birthday present."

"A Pokemon Egg from a Gym Leader." Ash echoed. He could hardly picture a better birthday present. He knew Patrica was both a celebrity trainer and came from a wealthy background, but that one revelation felt like he suddenly understood it far more than he ever could have before.

"That's cool as heck," Jaden was star eyed. I wonder what it's like to have a baby being born into the team. It must be like having a baby in the family or something."

"That's certainly how it feels for me. Who knows, you might get that feeling yourself some day, if any two of your teammates fall in love."

It did sound like a pleasant thought. Phenom's hatching had been something special for all of them, but Patricia had an Egg where both of the parents were already a part of her Pokemon family. That must have felt unreal.

After a moment or two, Ash realized that his plate was getting close to being cleared, and looked over at Jaden. "Oh by the way, I'm almost done."

"Me too," the other boy nodded before looking at the girls. "Uh, before we go, is there any other news you can share? If you don't mind - I know you're probably more in the loop about the field."

"Well…" Beth hesitated for a moment before saying. "It's not a happy story, but…"

"You're talking about Cornelia, right?" Patricia picked up where her friend left off.

"Cornelia?" Jaden echoed.

"You mean the Quarterfinalist from the last Conference?" Ash continued. She was a fairly respected competitor in the training scene, who leaned towards electric and flying types.

"Yeah…" Patricia breathed through her nose. She seemed a bit unpleasant. "She was caught using rare candies."

Jaden visibly flinched. "You mean… cheating?"

"And illegal in general," Beth nodded, looking down at her plate with a frown. "Her career is over. Her license has been suspended indefinitely, and her reputation is pretty much going to be in the toilet when word gets out." Now it was her turn to flinch. "And she was a student at Surge's Gym, from what I know. He's probably so mad… I don't wanna judge, but she never really was the nicest person to be around."

"I heard rumors that she was really bitter about her match with Tanner," Patricia brought up. "Can't say I sympathize. She was taking a lot of personal shots beforehand and he knocked her out 6-2. She really lit a fire under him."

"Yeah, hard to forget that." Jaden remarked. "The match was still really good, though. Do you think that's what pushed her to cheat?"

"Wish I knew," the older girl shrugged. "Some trainers just go down that path. It's pretty messed up."

"But she still made the Top 8," Ash pressed. "She had a really good thing going."

"Well, like I said before," the brunette wiped her lips with her napkin. "It goes to your head sometimes."

"You're not like that, though." Beth spoke up rather quickly before looking at Ash and Jaden. "And neither are we, right boys?"

Jaden smiled sadly. "I don't care how hard it gets, I'd never cheat." a nervous chuckle seeped from his throat. "Plus, my brother would totally kill me." It seemed like he had been trying to lighten the mood, but the words came out with discomfort.

"Me neither," Ash insisted. "Never ever."

The high level competitive scene must have carried an avalanche's worth of pressure. Not cracking under it was half the battle on its own.

/

Russell's office didn't provide the same view as Shane's, but it had a comfier feel to it, which was a good trade off for Ash. It helped that Brenda's father didn't seem to share his boss' dismissive attitude. The vibe that he got sitting across from him with Jaden was more inviting, like they were actually wanted here.

There was only one source of tension in the room, owed to the Banette floating next to Russell. The ghost type was wearing the signature grin his species was known for, teeth and all, and Valiant was clearly on edge. It wasn't like Ash was afraid of ghosts inherently, especially after seeing such a side to them in Lavender, but the sight of one made the memories of what had happened a great deal fresher, through no fault of the Banette's own. Valiant's situation was sadly more complicated; ghost and psychic types didn't traditionally mix, more often at the psychic's expense that, and the Kirlia's history with them went well beyond the attack on Lavender Tower.

Russell seemed to misunderstand. "Knock it off, Pluto. We don't wanna make our guests uncomfortable." The Banette's expression turned a bit less exaggerated, and the ghost simply shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, this is my new friend. He's harmless."

"Oh," Ash held up a reassuring hand. "It's not a problem, we didn't think he was being rude or anything. Right Valiant?" Next to him, the emotion Pokemon still seemed uneasy, as though he was perpetually suppressing a shiver, but he nodded nonetheless.

"You said new friend," Jaden brought up. "Is he one of the ghosts that's been scattering about the Region after the Lavender incident?"

Ash tried his hardest not to flinch. To remain casual, and show no special reaction, as though the attack had just been an awful thing that he had seen on the news. To not let the images move to the front of his mind just because somebody had said the word "Lavender".

It wasn't Jaden's fault, he didn't know.

Seeing the look Russell briefly gave him (Ash was sure he didn't imagine it) wasn't helping, but it was Jaden that the man turned to and addressed. "No, Pluto wasn't a part of that. Actually he's from Johto. A close contact introduced us."

Ash looked back to Valiant. His friend was managing not to squirm, but it was clearly an effort. "Want me to call you back?"

"No," although calling it "strained" might not be the best description, the Kirlia's telepathic speech did give the impression that it required more of an effort. "I need to practice being around ghosts."

Ash hid his frown. Was Valiant referring to Viridian Forest or Lavender Town? Was the match with Leader Koga's Haunter still on his mind, more than he realized? That last thought gave the boy pause. He was used to his psychic friend wearing his heart on his sleeve, not bottling things up. But this wasn't the place or time to be asking him questions… he would have to make a mental note.

Looking back to Russell, he nodded. "We're good over here."

Russell's face was strange for a moment. It seemed like the look he was giving was directed towards the Kirlia himself, but it was too fleeting. Too split second. A look of concern? Nonetheless, he seemed to take Ash at his word. "Okay, this shouldn't take too long. Patricia will be in charge of whatever more specific instructions she chooses to give you. I'll be leaving tomorrow for the canyon, and you two boys will be heading there with everyone else once the job officially starts. You're officially marked as part of the security team, but your services will be utilized in whatever way is deemed best suited. For starters," he opened the folder on his desk. "I've printed the information that the Pokemon Center shared with me - which is why you were told to tell them that you were with us, by the way - and have a few specific requests that I'll need you both to follow."

The two boys exchanged a few looks before returning their attention to the man, now with straighter expressions. It was more truly sinking in with them now: They were on the job, meeting to one of their bosses. The time for small talk had come and gone, and suddenly, things felt a lot more important.

"O-Okay," Jaden nearly cleared his throat. "I mean, such as?"

"Well, your Kirlia is here with us right now," Russell's eyes landed on Valiant once more, and the young psychic visibly shifted. Pluto was looking at him as well. "So I'm going to start with him. According to the sheets, he knows a healing move called Life Dew. Can you verify this, Mr. Ketchum?"

"Yes, I can." Ash nodded. "And he's pretty good at it, too." Life Dew had certainly come in handy for both training and traveling. There was never a time where it wasn't convenient to have, which could have been why he wasn't terribly surprised by what Russell said next.

"I understand that there is a strict limitation that allows you to only carry six Pokemon at once," the man continued. "Which we do not have the authority to waive. In fact, we're not exempt from it ourselves. Nonetheless, one the time comes to go to Grampa Canyon, we must insist that your Kirlia be one of your six. He will be present to assist in any first aid needs."

It wasn't like Ash had any plans to send Valiant to Oak's Lab in the near future, but it felt a bit different knowing that it was final: Not by his choice, but out of necessity. It wasn't a position that he had been in up to this point, and something so simple and sensible set the tone. Not a bad tone by any means, but a reminder: This was something different.

"Right, no problem." he nodded.

Russell nodded back before briefly glancing at the papers on his desk once more. "Another thing, I see that both of you have a teammate who knows how to use Dig. A Glaceon for you, Ash, and a Phanpy for you, Jaden. Is this all correct?"

Another thing that Ash should have seen coming, but somehow a bit more surprising. An obvious detail that he did not consider, and had flown past his radar. "Yes, my Glaceon knows Dig, sir."

"Same with my Phanpy." Jaden confirmed.

"We have equipment for digging of course," Russell said. "Both machines and tools. Pokemon assistance is our third method, however, so I'll ask that you also bring them along too. This shouldn't be an issue, correct?"

His words rested on Ash's shoulders. Just like that, he'd be seeing Glaceon again. The team was so incomplete without her, it was a good feeling knowing that she would be coming back. But there was a large Donphan in the room: Glaceon's return would mean a different teammate being sent to Oak's Lab in her place. The team would still be incomplete, and would remain so for however long it took for him to get his eighth badge.

It was another thing that hit him. Softly, painlessly, but clearly felt: It was officially time to start rotating.

"Right now, my Glaceon is at the Lab," he nodded again. "I'll be sure to have her sent over to us, but could I please have a chance to talk things over with my team? We're new to this rotation thing, so we need to work out who will go in her place. It won't be Valiant of course, since you need him."

"That's not a problem, just as long as she's here in time for the job."

/

Back in their room at the Center, Ash relayed the news to his team, with Valiant off to the side.

"Pretty much it," he said. "Glaceon will be coming back pretty soon, and since Valiant is needed, that means it will need to be one of you."

Mixed emotions flowed through him as he looked at Pikachu, Nebula, Phenom, Tempest and Silica. Getting to see Glaceon again (perhaps sooner than expected) was a joyful thought that nearly put him at ease from the past few days. But the reunion would just be another farewell, and now he had to pick yet another one of his friends to temporarily leave the group. Over the course of just a few split seconds, he found himself cursing the stupid six Pokemon rule. The logical reasoning for the law's existence that he had previously been well aware of escaped his mind in that singular moment: Why couldn't they all be together at once? Why did he have to wait until he had eight badges to boost the number of available slots? Why did Angelina get to be here but not all of his teammates?

He did his best to suppress his sigh, keeping his attention on the five available options - which was really only three. He couldn't send Silica to the lab on her own, and it wouldn't be right to send Tempest there and leave her without the only teammate she was fully comfortable around. Looking back, he had noticed while settling in for the night that she didn't seem to be explicitly avoiding the other three. She was getting used to their presence, but how much would she be willing to lower her guard if Tempest wasn't close by? She had understandably gotten anxious in a cafeteria filled with strangers.

The two of them needed to stay together for as long as it was necessary to keep progress steady. Tempest understood that, and despite previously tolerating the situation, he seemed to have warmed up to her himself. No, it needed to be Pikachu, Nebula or Phenom.

"You three," he addressed the trio separately, offering Silica and Tempest a signaling nod. "We should have about a day or two to make the decision. I'll give you all a chance to talk it over for now. I don't want anyone to feel pressured to volunteer, but we do have to send someone, and there's no need to rush it. Just think it over." his brow nearly furrowed as he finished. Was he respecting his team's feelings, or just pushing the burden off of himself?

…He sighed. He shouldn't be thinking like that. Of course it was normal to let his friends come to a decision; they were the ones being sent over to the Lab by themselves, not him. The long (and hot) day was likely getting to him. He needed to get to bed soon. But there was still more he needed to say.

Giving the other three some space, he approached Silica and Tempest, who had separated from the rest, and crouched to stay at the hippo's level. "Hey Silica, how are you holding up?" she responded by gently butting his arm with her snout, rubbing against it for a moment. The muscles in his face moved on their own, and he smiled for a split second while patting her back. "I know there's a lot of stuff going on right now. Being a trainer is really busy. Like I said before, we can ease into things at whatever pace you want. We have a comfy room with a TV if you ever think you need a break." She sounded grateful at that, judging by the light rumble she offered.

Pikachu watched the exchange for a few moments before turning to Nebula and Phenom. For some reason, in that one moment, he felt very conscious about how much smaller he was than both of them. Phenom had once been a tiny hatchling who could fit into the basket on Ash's bike, and now he was big enough for the mouse to ride him like a mount. Although not all were created equal, a good chunk of dragon types could relatively afford to hold off on evolution, continuing to grow at a steady rate without it. Phenom had yet to hit anything resembling a ceiling, and yet compared to the electric type, he was already…

Nebula's affirmative chirp briefly snapped Pikachu out of his thoughts, but even as he paid attention to what she was saying, all it did was cause him to take in her as well. Fully evolved…

The three of them didn't talk for too long, because as Ash had said, they had hopefully a couple of days to reach a decision. Nonetheless, it was clear that none of them were particularly excited about the thought of going to the lab by themselves, even if they did not necessarily dread it. Nebula gave Phenom a sympathetic look as his perspective began to occur to her: The talk of the town was fossil Pokemon, which he himself was. He was probably the most curious of all of them, and sending him to the lab now of all times felt like it would be in poor taste.

That thought had her turning to Pikachu, and her eyes shifted into a frown for a moment. If he were to agree that Phenom should be allowed to stay and go to Grampa Canyon with the others… that meant it would be down to them. Choosing between herself and him made her feel uneasy. Something was different about her first and closest friend as of late. It wasn't always a blatantly outward thing, but she knew the mouse, down to the subtleties, and the way Pikachu was acting right now was not… him. There was something uneasy in the air, she knew that much even without Valiant's ability to detect emotions.

More than once, she had felt tempted to ask the Kirlia himself, but held her tongue each time. It felt like a violation. A breach of boundaries, and yet without it she was just left wondering. It wasn't super hard to figure out the general idea: Pikachu had no pathways to evolution at the moment, and his progress had stunted. Valiant's was as well, and Ash had not been able to purchase the Dawn Stone from Dennis just yet, but… something else was on her friend's mind.

It occurred to her that the evolution situation, in certain ways, was similar to this one. The reason he wasn't a Raichu yet - and in fact had not become one a long while ago - was because he had passed up the opportunity in favor of giving Eevee a chance while she was free to lick from a variety of options. Did he regret that choice? Was he jealous of Glaceon?

…Going to the Lab for a little bit was a fairly small sacrifice in comparison, but much like Phenom, the thought of expecting Pikachu to put himself second now of all times made Nebula feel dirty. Which was why she placed her wing on him and gave him a gentle offer: She would be willing to go to the lab, if he wanted to stay.

Pikachu shifted at that. Nebula was offering to be the next to take one for the team. First Glaceon, and now her… he silently admitted to himself that he did want to be here for when Glaceon came back, so that he could see her again, but the thought still made him anxious, especially if Nebula wouldn't be around. It felt like he had been too caught up in his own thoughts as of late, not properly conversing with the Staraptor like he used too. Of course they still talked, but his head wasn't always fully in it. She deserved better after all of the hard work she had done…

…He raised a paw and thanked her, but somewhat nervously asked that they not rush. It didn't seem like there was any easy, right answer to the dilemma, but they at least didn't have to settle it tonight.

The Staraptor nodded after a moment or too, and it looked like she was going to turn away and get ready for bed, but she held back to speak to him one more time. She gave him a gentle reminder that he could talk to her whenever he wanted if something was bothering him. That he was her partner, and that their current stages did not change that.

The reminder warmed Pikachu's stomach, but there was still guilt in the middle.

/

A nightmare woke Ash at 5:09 AM.

The room was still dark when he awoke with a startled motion, and after processing the fact that he had been dreaming, and that he was now awake, he saw the time on the clock. An early hour that blurred the lines between morning and night. With the lights off, he wasn't provided with a full view of the room, but Pikachu was sleeping soundly on his bed. The only bed in the room.

For the umpteenth time, Ash felt tense, and it reached his hands. After a few silent moments propped up in bed, he carefully got up, making sure not to disturb his starter's peaceful form as he went to the bathroom. He felt compelled to stay up and take advantage of the quiet hour, so he got changed and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind him as gently as he could manage.

Thinking back to the nightmare he had just had once again gave his mind an avenue to Janine, both wanted and unwanted. Whenever either of them had a bad dream or were struggling with the aftermath of what had happened, they would turn to the other to get things off of their chest, as they had promised back in Lavender Town. It was comforting reassurance, and they had opened up to one another in a way that he wasn't used to, but greatly appreciated.

But Janine wasn't here now. He had his team, and he couldn't love them more if they tried. They certainly weren't worth less to him than she was. But they weren't humans, not even Valiant. And none of the humans currently surrounding them would understand.

The thoughts felt like they were flowing through his stomach and his chest rather than his head as he walked the halls, trying to push them down. He could not appropriately let them out anymore. It made him feel trapped. What if Janine had a nightmare? He hoped it wouldn't lead to her feeling the same way. He would have rather hoped that she wouldn't have anymore bad dreams at all, but he knew that was wishful thinking.

Memories didn't work that way, especially the bad ones. He'd known that for years, and now one of the sources of those bad memories was sleeping soundly in this very Center, while the more recent ones forced him out of his sleep, so soon after he had parted ways with his best friend.

None of it was fair.

The large windows in the cafeteria provided a view of the sky, which was still black like night. To Ash's mild surprise, he wasn't the only person in the room, however. He could make out Patricia pretty easily (she was relatively hard to miss), but the girl she was talking to was unfamiliar to him.

She was another teenager, with emerald hair and a fancy white jacket. As she turned her head, noticing Ash's presence, her black eyes came into view. The conversation paused as Patricia was the next to take note.

"Oh, Ash!" she said in mild surprise, gesturing for him to come closer. "Good morning, I wasn't expecting you to be up, no offense." she quickly added in that last part.

"I woke up earlier than planned, so I felt like I might as well get up now." Ash left out the part about his nightmare. Patricia was not Janine.

"Well," said the emerald-haired girl, "The Center doesn't normally start serving food until sixish, but since some of us workers have to be early risers, they're doing us a favor by moving breakfast time to five, so you'll be able to eat." That was a relief to hear - as she was almost finished, Ash could feel his stomach rumbling as though it was almost directly signaled to.

Patricia nodded, before gesturing her hand to the other girl. "Ash, this is Irene, a researcher in training. Irene, this is Ash, one of our new freelance trainers for this assignment."

"Pleasure to meet you." as the two shook hands, Irene's face was soft yet composed. It didn't feel like she was being cold to him, but she didn't seem to be speaking in a particularly sociable way. Her expression barely even shifted.

"Same here," said Ash. "So, researcher? As in fossils?"

"Not strictly," Irene shook her head. "Behavioral-"

"Hold on," Patricia held up her hand apologetically. "I think that might go over his head." looking at Ash, she continued. "To simplify it, Irene studies the behaviors of Pokemon in the wild, including traces they leave behind, like territory markings. As a part of that, she also studies remnants."

"Including fossilized remnants?" Ash guessed.

"Yes," Irene nodded, and looked at Patricia. "And I'm sorry, I'll do my best to be more approachable in my wording."

She must have been a very intellectual person, Ash guessed. Some people were just far smarter and more knowledgeable than the average person, and while some of them, such as Professor Oak, were able to translate that knowledge in a more understandable form for the less academic folk, others had a harder time bringing themselves down to that more relatable level. He knew that there were researchers in both history and present day who had issues with social communication as a result, and even certain famous trainers and breeders as well. The vocabulary and mindset was just extremely different.

"We were about to get breakfast ourselves, actually." Patricia offered. "Would you like to join us, Ash?"

/

Ash could probably count the number of breakfasts that he'd had at such an early hour on the fingers of his hands. He had been getting up earlier in the morning than usual as of late, but being awake (and up and about) this early in the morning felt like its own separate time of day that was sort of foreign to him, And according to Patricia, a decent few of the workers did it often. As the three of them set their trays on the table, a few other workers had entered the cafeteria to get their own food, although it was far from crowded.

One of those workers was Shawn. As he walked past their table, a distasteful look was sent Patricia's way, to which her face scrunched up in return. As he spoke to a couple of other men, Ash thought he could hear Shawn say something along the lines of "head feels like Graveler took a nap on it."

"What's his problem with you?" he couldn't help but ask. He remembered the previous evening how Patricia had briefly spoken with Jaden's brother shortly before dinner, and the vibe then had been uncomfortable as well, even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

"There's no problem," Irene remained calm and to the point. "Shawn has never been friendly, and he isn't a very good sport about a freelance fifteen year old outranking him."

"He just has an attitude problem," Patricia responded. It was pretty clear she didn't want to talk about it. "That is all."

Ash felt his eyes lingering on the large man and the three workers he was setting his food down at the table with. The way he had berated Jaden over something so trivial the previous afternoon reentered the boy's mind, and it irked him. Once it sneaked its way into the front of his head, it had a hard time leaving, even as he looked away back to the girls.

It felt like Irene was studying him. "So Ash," those first two words were delivered as an almost stoic announcement, as if solely to grab his attention. "You have a Charm of Maya."

That helped mitigate the mild issue with Shawn, and the boy briefly glanced down at the gem hanging around his neck. Ever since he had gotten it, he had worn it everyday, as commonly as his cap. "You know about that?"

"Naturally," the emerald-haired teen folded her hands, more focused on him than her own food. "You must be quite skilled, although Leader Koga doesn't simply hand them out to exceptional trainers for that reason alone. There must be another reason."

Ash thought about how he would respond to that, not wishing to violate Janine's privacy, but Patricia spoke up first. "That's between you and Koga, though, don't feel pressured to share." As Ash nodded a silent thanks, the brunette glanced at Irene with light disapproval, and whatever curiosity the other girl possessed seemed to evaporate as though it was never there. Maybe he had misunderstood her intentions.

"Just an observation," she spoke easily. "I look forward to working with you."

"Thanks," Ash finished a spoonful of applesauce before replying. "So you're not on Russell's team then? The people who are going in today before everyone else?"

Irene shook her head. "That's a rather small team. I will be with you. My talents will be best suited for that."

Patricia grinned knowingly. "Irene was actually recognized by Russell. She'll be a big help."

"You flatter me," Irene's voice was still mildly stoic, but she was smiling. "I have been an acquaintance of his for the past year or so. I'll have to repay him for giving me this opportunity, but first I need to do it right."

"I'm not quite in the same boat," Ash admitted. "But Patricia did give me the idea to come here. Did I thank you for that?"

"Happy to have you, Ash." There was approval in Patricia's tone. "Speaking of Russell, he seems to have good expectations of you as well. He says he likes the vibe you give off."

For some reason, Ash felt the tiniest of blushes in his cheeks. "That's nice. Did he say anything about Jaden?" The second year was just about as excited for the assignment as anybody could be, it would be a shame if he was overlooked.

Patricia seemed to share that sentiment, based on her reply. "He says he loves the enthusiasm, and I don't disagree. To be honest, it's kind of hard to picture him as Shawn's brother. You two seem to have hit it off, if you don't mind me saying."

"Yeah," Ash said easily after finishing his first of two pancakes. "I guess we just clicked. Ran into him and Dennis on the way here, we started talking, and you know." It felt like an almost lazy way to describe it, and yet sometimes it really was that simple.

"Perks of being a trainer, huh?" If he didn't know better, he may have assumed that Patricia was a mind reader. "It's a gift that keeps on giving. I hope you'll have a similar experience here."

"Yeah, me too." Ash agreed with a nod. The unpleasantness that had followed him to the cafeteria had mostly subsided naturally, now existing only in the back of his mind as the three of them continued to talk.

That one "perk" that came with being a trainer meant more to him than most could understand.

/

The day would start officially a couple of hours later. Russell's small team was gathering at the base of the camp to move out for Grampa Canyon, and Angelina was glad she was able to catch up with Brenda before she joined them. The two girls shared a brief hug in the Center's lobby.

"See ya soon." Brenda did her best to sound casual, but Angelina could hear the fluctuation in her voice. '

"Aren't you nervous?" she cautiously asked. "I mean you'll be underground, right?"

"Not exclusively," the other girl reminded. "Besides I have a bit of experience in caverns, and so does daddy, most importantly. This is hardly his first time. Besides, my mom's the one who initially scoped the place out and reported the findings. They're all public, and it's nothing too dangerous with the proper team."

"If you say so." Angelina managed not to frown as the two of them separated. She naturally felt her own fair share of excitement, but the recent anxiety continued to gnaw at her. She had found herself spending more and more time with Brenda as her stay at the camp went on, and being separated from her almost felt like removing training wheels, as silly as it was to say.

For better or for worse, Brenda seemed to pick up on how she was feeling, and her smile shifted into a gentler one. "Keep your chin up, girl. This was your dream, right? It's a killer first step you've gotten for yourself. Oreburgh University will be begging for you to come to them when they see this on your application."

"I'm just hired help." she reminded with a giggle.

"Means more than you think," Brenda raised her chin. "Anyway, I need to get going before Daddy starts wondering where I am. And try to stay positive, you've been really on edge this past day." She turned around and quickly exited through the doors, clearly in a hurry, but Angelina didn't take it personally. She couldn't help but find her friend's parting words eating away at her, however.

Brenda had clearly noticed something was wrong as of recently, and the blue-haired girl was grateful that she had never tried to ask. She wouldn't have understood, and if she were to try and tell her why Ash Ketchum's presence was such a problem, where would she even begin? It felt like a sick prank from the universe that he was here at this specific time. The fact that he was clearly avoiding her should have helped, but it didn't. Thinking back, she hadn't really told most of her team about him; aside from Flaaffy, whom she told everything. Even then, she would have been pushing it to go too much into detail. Between the electric type and Brenda, even the most consolidating presences had their limits, and where did that leave her?

It was a position she had never been in before. She was used to being able to talk to her friends about virtually everything on her mind. But now Gary was acting weirdly, and she owed him way too big of a favor to drop stuff on him, Mark and Jake were at home; the former's parents wanting him to wait another year and the latter being barely too young when the Season started, and Sarah… well, she was being herself, but when Angelina had tried to say what was on her mind she had bit her tongue at the last second.

And now… she barely even knew Brenda, compared to everyone else, yet for some reason she had been drawn to the girl like a magnet. And in this environment, watching her rushing out of those doors made Angelina feel exposed, like a single finger poke could break her body like a sandcastle.

/

With a solid day or two remaining before the real operation began, work for the day largely consisted of a combination of sorting and packing - which in short, meant moving a lot of boxes and crates.

Too many boxes and crates.

Ash knew that projects like this were big and required a lot of equipment, that much was obvious. But seeing the process was both fascinating and somewhat nerve wracking. Heavy machinery was necessary for the job, yet required additional machinery just to properly transport. And there were a lot of vehicles to haul up.

Thankfully, he wasn't to be directly involved in any of that. Instead, he and Jaden were among the parties on standby patrolling the perimeter. Russell had said that "security" was mostly a catch all term that most of the freelance trainers were labeled with, but today that role was being played fairly straight. Somebody needed to do it, after all, and it was probably preferable to doing labor in the hot weather. It did also give him and Jaden a decent view of the action from where they were placed, and Ash was grateful that Patricia had grouped them together.

Ash had sent Nebula and Pikachu to the skies to watch from above. A few other flying types were in the air as well, including Beth's Pidgeot and Jaden's Fearow. On the ground, the two kept most of their remaining team members in reserve, with only Tempest and Heracross accompanying them. He had decided that Phenom may draw attention, which felt counterproductive for a security patrol (although the Tyrunt would certainly be more than a big help on the off chance that a fight should start), and that Valiant would appreciate being spared the lack of shade. Silica was safely in her ball as well, as Ash knew that the activity going on around them would only serve to drive her nerves into a frenzy. He realized with some guilt that she may be spending a lot of time in her capsule once they headed over to the canyon…

Multiple hours passed as the longer part of the day came and went. The sun reached its highest point in the sky, given the rocky land a scorching bath of golden light that could have made certain spots feel like one was sitting on fire. Nebula and Fearow both took a break while the two boys reapplied their sunscreen, and Pikachu was recalled after understandably deciding that he had had enough of the heat for the time being. The sentiment made Ash think of Glaceon - Russell wanted her with them to assist with the digging, but how would she fair in the heat? She was an ice type, after all…

Such thoughts were the occasional distraction over the course of a day that may have been the longest of his entire journey thus far. As time went on, and nothing happened, the word "patrol" gradually began to shift towards "doing nothing". And unfortunately, it wasn't like he could hope that that would change, because a security guard having too much time on his hands was theoretically a good thing.

It also meant that there was very little to do with that time. He could only pace around the same area so many times before losing his mind, and that had been used up some time ago.

Tempest was more than a little restless, and Ash knew for a fact that the Kingler was wishing that something would happen. It didn't have to be anything particularly dangerous; just something as mundane as a single wild Pokemon getting a bit too close, and needing to be driven off. Anything that would give him an excuse to punch something, or even just get in any form of a workout at all. Eventually, the water type settled for observing the workers - or more specifically, the Pokemon assisting them. Machop and Machoke were fairly common, as was to be expected. No doubt the burly fellows were a source of temptation for the river crab, but he knew better now. Despite that, his eyes were still bigger than his fists, a fact that Ash was reminded of when he caught the Kingler staring in a particular direction.

Tempest had caught sight of Shane, clipboard in hand, taking whatever notes must have been on the paper. Close by was Patricia, in her uniform that labeled her as head of security, speaking to the man. Not too far from them, however, was her Poliwrath. The water/fighting type was instantly recognizable to just about anybody who knew Patricia; the species was well known for its strength and stamina, but hers was a living wonder that would left an unfair first impression for the rest of the species to live up to. Even from a distance, a good eye could see the bulging in his muscles as he assisted the bigger workers and Pokemon in moving around supplies. The way he lifted the boxes and crates seemed effortless, as though he was merely reaching down and lifting them up without strain. As second nature as breathing. He had been at it for a while and something told Ash he wasn't getting tired.

Exertion alone was hardly ever enough to wear him out, after all. Poliwrath had fought massive battles on his trainer's behalf, and could famously go, and go, and go for what felt like an unlimited amount of time without breaking much more than a sweat. War of attrition and stall tactics were seldom a wise strategy to employ against him, because they played to his biggest strength: Long fights. You had to dish out real damage and overpower him to get his strength to wane, and even then he was tenacious enough to take a lot of punishment before he truly began to feel the effects. Even when poisoned he was capable of pushing himself for a while, like a force of nature made almost entirely of muscle.

Of course, rather than a force of nature, Tempest was looking at him like a walking buffet table. Ash was grateful for the sight, because the short-lived amusement was a welcome break from trying to distract himself from the heat attempting to cook his skin alive.

"Tempest," he snorted, playfully shoving his hand against the Kingler's outer shell (although he predictably did not budge). "You could eat a bowl of rare candies and still not even be a warm up for that guy." The dirty look Tempest shot him was hard not to giggle at. "Face it, you know I'm not wrong." Heracross' snicker redirected Tempest's attention to him, and the fact that he didn't start swinging was a pleasant reminder of his restraint.

Jaden managed a strained smile at the exchange. "Have you ever thought about that, actually? All those strong looking Pokemon here, and a lot of them might not even be all that focused on fighting. Even though they're fighting types. It's a bit weird, isn't it?

"Yeah…" Ash thought about the Machoke in particular. How trained were they? Was it just for lifting things? Pokemon were very versatile in the number of uses they could have, and he imagined never even seeing combat to a noteworthy degree, despite most likely being capable of it. But a battle trained Machoke had more than enough potential to thrive in the high level scene, without even needing to evolve (a blessing, given how many of them had a notoriously difficult time evolving).

About a half hour passed after that brief moment, although from Ash's perspective it was more like two hours. Thankfully, the next noteworthy moment was a true life saver.

"Hey guys!" The young man approaching them was several years older; most likely seventeen or eighteen, and he wore the same security uniform they did. Two Mightyena and an Elekid accompanied him.

"Something wrong?" Jaden asked, although Ash had an inkling he knew what his friend was hoping that the older teen would say; mostly because he was hoping for the same thing.

"Nope, nothing's wrong." the older trainer shook his head. "It's time to swap shifts."

/

"You can't be serious." Jaden nearly buried his hands in his face as they reentered camp proper, having recalled Tempest and Heracross. "It's only three o'clock? That felt like twenty four hours, not six!"

"I was honestly gonna say thirty six…" Ash tried to joke, hoping that it would lighten the mood.

"How does anybody ever manage it!?" Jaden's voice was more incredulous than his face. "This is a thing people do for a living? Several days a week? Not just as a side job or something? I'd probably get so restless my bones would unzip my skin and walk right out of it!"

"Well," Ash offered. "I mean, like… I guess not every security guard is working in a place as hot as this. Although it's still pretty uneventful…"

"No way I'd be able to handle the stress," Jaden pressed. "I mean, obviously I'd be hoping nothing happens and that the whole day goes smoothly, but that just means it's gonna be long and boring. I'm glad we got here as late as we did - things are gonna be a lot more exciting once we reach the canyon."

"True," Ash agreed, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "Although I think I kind of underestimated the heat."

"At least your Glaceon will be with you," Jaden looked over with what seemed to be an attempt at a reassuring, gentle expression, but was somewhat strained from fatigue. "A blast of air from her will cool you right off."

The suggestion sent a very pleasant mental image through Ash's mind, but also reminded him of a concern that had crossed him earlier. "That definitely sounds nice, but… I mean, she's the one most likely to need-"

"Hold it." Abruptly, Jaden stopped walking and raised a hand.

Ash frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry…" the other boy's face wrinkled. "I just… I think I can hear my brother yelling."

"You mean Shawn…?" Ash asked cautiously. With the surrounding activity, it was a bit difficult to tell, but now that Jaden mentioned it, he did hear some vague shouting coming from a nearby section.

Jaden's expression was strained with hesitance for several moments before he hissed to himself and turned in the direction of what was apparently his brother's voice. "Sorry about this, man. You can go on ahead if you want." he took off in a light jog.

"Wait up!" Without thinking, Ash followed him, maneuvering around a few of the other workers they passed by and doing his best to keep Jaden in his sights. He was grateful that they weren't traveling too noteworthy of a distance, otherwise he was certain that he'd have lost him.

The quick trip took them to one of the places where some of the smaller equipment was being stored. A decent amount of people were standing still, looking in the same spot - enough to where Ash could immediately tell that somebody was making a scene, and as Jaden had suspected, Shawn was the one yelling.

With a gulp, the red-haired boy slowed to a stop as they approached the small crowd, giving Ash a chance to catch up to him. "Thought so…"

"What's going on?" Ash wondered aloud. "Who's he yelling at?"

A man in a hard hat was standing next to him, seemingly with no intention of getting between Shawn and whoever had triggered his temper. Looking down at the boys, he spoke. "I think that girl mixed up the equipment or something. A bunch of stuff was packaged wrong.

"What girl…?" Ash trailed off as he and Jaden managed to get a closer look, and he blinked in surprise.

Angelina was sitting on the ground, huddled against a box and looking down in dismay. Shawn loomed over her, glowering down while Pachirisu stood at his feet. The girl flinched as he spoke in a sharply raised voice.

"This is what, the third or fourth time this week? Are instructions that hard for you!?"

Angelina stammered something that Ash and Jaden couldn't make out, and for a moment, Ash was even having a hard time paying attention to what Shawn was saying. His mind shifted his vision, and for a moment he saw himself in that same pose, back in Pallet Town. Crouched down, cornered and humiliated while everyone watched and nobody did anything. The look on Angelina's face was almost hard to comprehend, as he had never associated such vulnerability with her, but he felt a surge of surprise and gratification at the sight. It was almost cathartic- no, almost didn't cut it.

It even sort of made up for the heat.

On the ground, Angelina stuttered to get her words out. Her face was white enough to belong to a Dewgong. "Look, I'm sorry, I j-just-"

"J-J-J-," Shawn echoed. "Seriously if you don't know how to talk then just shut up!" At his feet, Pachirisu was frowning, shifting in awkward discomfort as her eyes moved to the audience that had gathered, but he wasn't paying them any mind. "You were given the most basic ass shit to follow for crying out loud! Now we gotta take everything out, make sure all of it's even there, and get this, the clock doesn't stop for that! You're smart enough to write some fancy piece that Professor Oak enjoyed reading, why the hell can't you do this!?"

"He's really letting her have it." Ash remarked, nibbling his lip and crossing his arms. 'Good.'

Next to him, Jaden's face was queasy. Shawn kept shouting for a few more moments before the boy briefly squeezed his eyes shut and rushed towards them.

"Jaden, wait!" startled by the movement, a concerned Ash reached to stop him, but moved too slowly. Pachirisu noticed Jaden first, stepping aside as he got between Shawn and Angelina with his hands raised in surrender.

"Whoa bro, that's enough!"

Shawn was caught off guard for a split second, before surprise quickly turned to irritation. "Where did you come from? Aren't you supposed to be at the perimeter with your friend?" There was a clear accusation in the large man's tone, and Jaden recoiled, shrinking under his towering brother's gaze. Behind him, Angelina was still curled up, still trying to look anywhere but at any of the people present, and thus keeping her eyes to the ground.

"We just got off!" his voice was mildly desperate, trying to escape the scolding before it started. "Look, you need to calm down. Yelling at her like this-"

"Did Racewood tell you to butt in?" Shawn cut him off. "Didn't think so, now get out of here and let me do my job. You don't even know what's going on."

"How is this gonna solve anything? You have her huddled up like a-"

"JUST SHUT UP!" Grabbing his head with both hands, Shawn's voice was loud enough to even make the onlookers recoil, and the blood left Jaden's face as he nearly fell back on top of Angelina. "Seriously, it's not my fault she keeps screwing up. Or you, for that matter. You're already leeching off of me just by being here!"

Jaden's face twitched as his expression fell. "Wha-"

Behind him, Angelina got to her feet. Keeping her head low, she ran around the two brothers (and Pachirisu) as quickly as she could, barely registering Ash's presence as she ran past him and the rest of the people watching. A few heads turned to watch her leave, but now there was a new scene to watch in discomfort.

Jaden glanced in the direction Angelina had run off in, looking to the ground for a moment before summoning the strength to lift his gaze back to his brother. "You see what you did-"

"Enough, bro." Shawn spat. "You know the only reason you're even here right now is because our parents begged and begged me to show Shane and Russell your stupid essay? You should be a bit more grateful instead of getting involved with my business just because I'm not fragile like you. Next thing I know they'll want me to give you a cut of my paycheck cause you can't be bothered to learn how to budget yourself."

Jaden's face was tight, and Ash could see him starting to squirm before he sighed, averting his gaze from Shawn and running off in the direction Angelina had gone in.

"Jaden-!" Ash tried to call out, but he wasn't sure if the other boy heard him.

"If you hadn't been such a pussy," Shawn yelled after him. "Maybe your first year wouldn't have been such a shitshow!"

Ash grit his teeth for a second, looking uneasily at the opposing man and feeling his eye twitch. As Shawn huffed, still standing in place, he finally seemed to take notice of the onlookers, most of whom were staring right at him, while others were doing their best to look just about anywhere but.

"What, is my family a skit to you all?" his voice wasn't getting any quieter. "Get back to work!" That seemed to break the spell, and although the awkward tension did not leave the air, the audience began to separate, going whatever which way - except towards Shawn, who stomped off in the opposite direction of his brother with Pachirisu following him.

Ash was the only one who didn't move, and as his eyes locked onto Shawn's back, he clenched his fists.

/

"Excuse me, I'm sorry." Out of focus, Jaden nearly ran into Patricia's Poliwrath, who was holding a large crate like it was a box of donuts. The boy's heart sped up for a moment, partially because he had nearly bruised his head on the object, and partially because he was within touching distance of one of Patricia Racewood's Pokemon.

The brute-like water type made a reassuring noise, signaling that he was unoffended, and for a moment Jaden simply stood still, briefly forgetting everything else before his thought process snapped itself back into place. "Uh, hold on! Poliwrath?" The amphibian stopped and turned around, as easily as though he wasn't holding a heavy object in his hand. "Um… sorry to bother you, but did you see a girl run past here? She has a blue ponytail and is about a year younger than me?" Poliwrath thought it over for a moment before turning diagonally, grunting in affirmation. Pressing his hands together, Jaden bowed. "Thank you so much. Big fan, by the way!" he added that last part while running off.

Sure enough, the girl that his brother had been shouting at had managed to find a quieter corner of camp away from prying eyes. She was curled up with her arms around her knees, so he couldn't see her face, but he could tell that she was crying.

As he got closer, Jaden slowed his pace, doing his best to close the distance as gently as possible so as to not startle her. "Um…" his tongue tied itself like a shoelace for a second or two, leaving a less than slightly awkward pause between his attempts to talk. "Hi, are… you alright?"

Angelina lifted her head from behind her knees, and her sharp glare was diluted by the redness in her wet eyes. "Go away!"

Jaden flinched back, and his stomach twisted into a knot of guilt that nearly made him throw up. What could have made Shawn so upset that he'd leave her this shaken about it? He did have an idea why, but it hardly made him feel any better - it certainly wasn't going to reassure her.

"Sorry…" was all he managed to weakly get out before walking away.

Not more than a few seconds after Jaden had turned around, Angelina's expression morphed into a frown, and her nostrils clenched together. "Wait!" Jaden stopped, but didn't fully turn back around, simply looking back in her direction. As his head turned, she averted her gaze, focusing on the fence she was sitting near. "I'm sorry, that just came out."

Jaden eased up just a little bit, and with some caution walked back towards her. He wasn't nearly as big as Shawn (or as loud, for that matter), but with her on the ground, it felt as though he was towering over the girl as he stopped in front of her, and he quickly grew very conscious of that fact. "Can I sit?"

"...Yeah." Not wanting to stutter, Angelina waited a moment before responding, giving him a weak nod.

Most of the remaining tension in Jaden's body was released in a deep exhale as his bottom rested against the rocky ground next to her. The two remained still and quiet for a decent minute, the only sounds being that of the workers nearby while Angelina dried her eyes.

Consciously breathing through his nose, Jaden broke the silence and turned his head to look at her. "I'm sorry about my brother. You didn't deserve that." The words returned some of the guilt to his stomach. Whether he denied it or not, there wasn't much Shawn could say about him that wasn't true, but this girl was different. She was a total stranger, who his brother had angrily bullied right in front of him.

"..." for a moment, he was starting to think that she wouldn't respond (not that she was obligated too), but the girl managed to summon her reply. "...It was bound to happen eventually. I've been testing his patience for the better part of a week."

"Testing his patience?" Jaden's mind and lips were not in sync. He knew what he wanted to say, but felt more than a little tempted to bite his tongue and hold back, yet they came out anyway. "Or has he been breathing down your neck."

Angelina nearly flinched, which would have sparked more guilt in the boy, but thankfully she didn't. "Both, probably. I've just been messing up a lot."

"Well…" Jaden paused for a moment. He needed to say this exactly right, otherwise he would just come off as sanctimonious. That was the word for it, right? It was what came to his mind, at any rate. "We all mess up. Sometimes really badly. It doesn't mean we need to be torn down for it, right?"

His voice was soft and friendly, and Angelina wanted to appreciate that, but his specific words were like razor blades traveling through her innards. They must have cut her vocal cords as well, because she didn't speak again for another minute, once again not looking at him, with closed eyes and a gentle shake of the head. "You don't understand."

"I…" This time, he did bite his tongue. He had just met this girl today, not even ten minutes ago. He certainly wasn;t around for whatever previous incidents had taken place between her and Shawn. Nothing he said could erase that, so when she said something as simple as "You don't understand" how the hell was he supposed to respond?

"I mean…" he tried again, but came up short a second time. The second time was always the hardest; it came after the first, with the fresh knowledge of disappointment being a potential outcome. Maybe it would be easier, he decided after another couple of moments, if he wasn't looking at her.

So he looked away, down at his crossed legs, focusing less on her stained face and more on actually figuring out what needed to come out of his mouth, and how. It still took longer than he wished, but his mind did feel slightly more put together because of it.

"Look, uh…" he managed to gulp, although suppressing it still forced him to pause anyway. "I know I don't know why he got mad at you like that, but you just made a mistake. I know what that's like, honest. Whatever you-"

"Thanks, but…" Angelina trailed off, frowning at the fact she had just interrupted him. "Sorry, I… that's sweet of you, but I've screwed up a lot more than just a few lousy toolboxes. I have two badges and don't even have a full team yet. Can you relate to that?"

Jaden looked back at her again, managing to study her more closely with slightly less recoil. "I mean… you're only a first year, right?"

"So what," Angelina shrugged. "That makes it okay?" her voice wasn't bitter, but it still hurt. There was something about it that managed to have an impact anyway. Defeated in the most nonchalant of senses.

"Why shouldn't it be?" he challenged, his voice barely more firm than before, just enough to be noticeable while doing its best to be friendly. Although she did not turn her head to look at him, she did move her eyes in his direction. "Most rookies have pretty shoddy showings in their first Season, if we're really being honest. It's no badge of shame, because virtually everyone expects that."

"And we're supposed to be okay with that?" Her reply was stiff, but quieter than before.

"I wasn't…" he admitted, looking back at his crossed legs. He held his tongue for a moment before continuing, a good part of him not wanting to say anything else. "My first Season was… pretty terrible, and it was my fault. But I shouldn't have beat myself up over it. If I had stayed optimistic, maybe I would have bounced back and done better."

Angelina blinked back a tear or two. "That's… maybe."

"But I think I get it, at least somewhat." he offered, managing to look back at her. "It's not easy being optimistic when you're being dragged through the mud, so you just go deeper. That's what happened to me, I think. I didn't really take the time I needed to reflect until the off Season, promised to myself the second year would be better. A lot better." he flinched a bit before saying that last line, but the fact that she was looking a thim now seemed to be a halfway decent sign. "You still have time, though. The Season's not even half over."

"..." Angelina was silent again, but found herself at least trying to absorb the boy's words. They felt so undeserved, but she didn't want to reject them. She was selfish like that. "What happened?"

"Hm?"

"To you, I mean?" She pressed her lips together for a moment, knowing she probably didn;t have the right to ask this question, yet her tongue managed to move anyway. "What was so bad about your first year?"

"Um…" Jaden bit down, and his stomach turned hollow. He had never told this story to another trainer before. It was only known by himself and people like his family who couldn't not know. All of a sudden, he really didn't want to talk, but…

He wondered if he would have felt better if somebody had gone up to him and told a similar story. In a twisted way, it may have cheered him up, albeit for somewhat messed up reasons.

"Well, I…" he gulped for a moment, and then almost gulped again, for a second time in a row. Once he said this, there would be no going back. "I, uh… last Season I only won four badges."

Her head snapped back in his direction. Sure, it wasn't an unheard of number, but there was something about hearing it aloud. "Only four in a full Season?"

His smile was strained, attempting to mask the pain in his eyes. "That's only the half of it." he exhaled, a decent part of him still tempted to quit while he was ahead. "Let's see… Well, my navigation was terrible, for one thing. I spent the whole Season losing the road and ending up in the middle of nowhere. I'd find my way back, and then just get lost again. By the second half I didn't even bother trying to plan my routes anymore, cause what was the point? Maybe I'd have better luck just winging it." he sighed sadly. "I didn't. And you said you don't have a full team yet?"

"Five Pokemon." Angelina said with a sympathetic look.

"Well I…" Jaden could feel his cheeks reddening. "Kind of had the opposite problem. I had in a full team in about… three weeks, I think? It's a bit fuzzy, but I had six Pokemon pretty early on. And then I just kept catching them. Chased after almost every Pokemon I saw that I didn't have already."

"That's usually not a very good idea." Angelina did her best to sound calm and friendly; not judgmental.

"Got that right," he snorted, somewhat distastefully, although it wasn't directed at her. "Used up so much resources on trying to catch as many Pokemon as I could. Pretty soon I couldn't even keep track of them all, let alone train them properly. I always kept Heracross on me - he's my starter - but he wasn't my biggest fan for a while so it took a hot minute for us to really work together well. And…" his face turned pained, and now it was Angelina's turn to feel that guilt in her stomach. "One of my teammates ditched me towards the end. He was an Electabuzz, and he was really strong. Grew way faster than me, and he could see it, too. Finally got fed up and just… left."

Angelina's eyes stung. "I… I'm sorry…" feeling the shame creeping up from her stomach to her chest, she averted her gaze. "You don't need to tell me this…" she kicked herself for saying that. It was too late - he had told her, because she pried. She could only imagine the horrible things she would have said to him if he had told her this story four months ago.

"Heh…" he tried to chuckle to lighten the mood, and not just for her sake. "Still think you've hit rock bottom?"

"..." she blinked before folding her fingers. "I suppose it could be worse…"

"You don't need to be sorry you asked," Jaden quickly added. "I mean yeah, it still hurts. A lot, especially that bit with Electabuzz. It's my fault, but I never stopped digging myself into that hole until I actually stopped and took the time to think. I told myself 'This isn't working' and tried to figure things out. I waited way too long to do that, though. That was my real problem." he rubbed his hand against Heracross' Poke Ball. "I'm hardly a great trainer right now, but I'm doing a lot better. I started figuring that, well uh…" he held his tongue for another moment. What was the best way to word this? He knew what he wanted to say, but what words did he need to use to say it? "Maybe instead of feeling bad about my screwups, I should just accept them - not the fact that I'm screwing up, I mean, but the fact that I did screw up. Make it past tense, really turn it around, y'know?"

".." Angelina studied him for a moment. His innocent features were comforting. He wasn't cool or tough, but it wasn't a discouraging sight "...I think I do…" she looked away while taking in a breath. "But I'm not sure if it's that easy. I was taught the importance of positive and negative momentum in school."

"Negative momentum?" Jaden echoed with a blink. "That's like the dumbest I ever heard-" his eyes widened, and his hands shot up to his mouth. His face was probably hot enough to grill a burger. "Sorry, that came out wrong!"

Angelina blinked back, staring at him in surprise before her lips cracked into a smile. And then she was laughing. A soft, quiet giggle that pierced whatever intangible substance that had been holding it back. When she stopped, her eyes were still wet, but the expression they carried perfectly matched the sound of the giggle, and the gentle grin remained on her face. "I'm Angelina."

"Jaden." The two shook hands. "So, on a more positive note, who was your starter?"

That caused her face to brighten. "Oh, she's the best. She's a-"

"Excuse me." a new voice suddenly entered their ears.

A bit startled, the two kids turned to where the voice had come from, getting to their feet when they saw the emerald-haired girl approaching them, wearing a fancy white jacket. Angelina quickly recognized her, and they both recognized Poliwrath flanking the girl.
"Oh, Irene. Sorry, we were-" she stopped as Irene lifted a hand.

"I heard what happened," she said, not hostile, but coolly composed. Beside her, Poliwrath crossed his arms. "Patricia wanted me to find you. You're not in trouble, but you shouldn't be sitting all the way back here."

"Right…" Jaden rubbed the back of his neck, almost involuntarily. "That's my bad."

"And mine." Angelina quickly cut in. "I'm the one who came here in the first place. Jaden was just… trying to talk to me."

"I see," both of them felt fairly small under the teen's analytical gaze, even though she wasn't glaring at them. "Well, Patricia knows everything. She says she's sorry for what happened, and she'd like you guys to take the rest of the day off. Start fresh for tomorrow." she gestured towards herself with her hand, like a teacher guiding their class through the hallway in a line. "In other words, follow me to the Center."

As she walked away, Poliwrath lingered for a moment to make sure they were following. Their heads were still low, but Angelina mustered a grateful glance at Jaden as they headed through the camp.

/

On the outskirts surrounding the camp, Pachirisu perched herself onto a rock, gazing at Shawn in concern as he ran a hand through his blonde ponytail, taking a deep breath while staring at nothing in particular.

"I swear I've had it with this whole week. At the end of my rope with all the crap… I wonder if the guys have any spare cigarettes on them." Pachirisu glared, doing a series of disapproval with her paws before he held up a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, don't worry." But then he leaned against one of the rocks, sighing so deeply he could have deflated. "Who am I kidding? Without you I would have caved ages ago. Isn't there a hump I should've gotten over by now?" Pachirisu tilted her head thoughtfully, but suddenly perked up. "What is it? Someone here?"

Ash had hesitated a couple of times before following the man out of camp. An instinct or two had tried to hold him back, but they came and went. The look on Jaden's face when he had run off still stuck with him, and it lit a fire. As Shawn and Pachirisu came into view, he couldn't quite tell what they were talking about, and once he got closer the electric type noticed him first.

And then Shawn's eyes landed on him.

As the blonde man rose up to full height, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the approaching boy, his large size once again became a conscious factor that slowed Ash's pace. For a second or two, Ash had trouble meeting his gaze, but forced himself to anyway. He hadn't come here to back down.

Although he did feel tempted when Shawn crossed his arms and spoke. "What do you want, kid? Have some business with me?"

Ash could quickly understand why Jaden (and Angelina) felt the way they did in front of Shawn. The look in his eyes coupled with his stature weren't a good combination for most on the receiving end, but although he nearly held his tongue, it didn't last long. He had seen worse gazes.

"Look," he finally said, unable to speak directly to him without feeling tense, but not stopping himself either. "I don't care what you say to Angelina, but you have no right to talk to your brother like that in front of everybody."

Pachirisu grew uneasy, looking hesitantly up at Shawn from her perch as his face wrinkled in irritation. "Who are you?"

Nobody was around to get between them, unlike the last time he had asked that question. Ash quickly grew conscious of that as well; it would be easy enough to turn around and walk away before anything else happened, but he couldn't.

"I'm Ash." he simply said.

"There's nobody in my family named Ash." Shawn leered. "Why don't you tell my brother that if he has a problem with me, he can say it to my face instead of sending his friend to do it?"

"He didn't send me to do anything," Ash managed to keep his voice neutral, ignoring the sweat in his hands. "I came here on my own."

An amused, bitter smile partially stretched across Shawn's lips. "Ah, so we have a white knight here. Let me tell you something, wise kid." he left the rock, ignoring Pachirisu's attempts to dissuade him as he got a little bit closer, not taking his eyes off of the much smaller boy. "However I talk to my brother is none of your business, so instead of getting involved in my business, how about you stay in your lane like you're supposed to?"

Ash nearly took a step back as Shawn loomed over him, but the moment he stopped himself he redoubled his resolve, planting his feet against the ground as though they were being held there by an anchor. He did his best not to avert his gaze from Shawn's eyes.

"I get it," his voice turned bitter, and he couldn't help it. "You pick on someone who won't defend themselves, and nobody does anything about it, but the moment someone sticks up for them it's none of their business? How convenient." he nearly spat it out.

His mind went back to his conversation with Janine back in Fuchsia City, and how she had gone behind his back and confronted Gary. He wished somebody had done that for him back in Pallet Town, and nobody ever did. She had, and now it was his turn.

Shawn's nostrils flared. "You heard me you little…" behind him, Pachirisu made another attempt, but he raised a hand to silence her, turning his head back. "Not now, Pachirisu." her frown failed to give him pause as he looked back at Ash. "He needs to know his place."

Ash tried not to grit his teeth. Shawn was an intimidating man, and he could still feel his nerves telling him to back off, but he wouldn't. This wasn't Marauder or Caesar, or anything close. And as big as Shawn was, Ash would be looking an even bigger man in the eye when they got to Vermilion - they didn't gain anything from backing out now.

"I don't care if it's none of my business," the boy pressed. "I'm not just gonna step aside while you pick on one of my friends. You're the one who needs to drop the attitude, not me."

Shawn's eyes flashed, and for a moment Ash felt his heart skip a beat, but that came and went as well. He could be as scary as he wanted, and he still wouldn't come anywhere near the sight of Koga staring through him from behind Shadowblood's mask, or anything that the Rockets and their supporters had put him through. He was just a bully, and Ash had outgrown being afraid of bullies.

"I get it," Shawn's smile was visibly wrinkled, matching the bitter dismissiveness in his voice. "It's not easy for a rook like you to grasp or accept how little your opinion matters compared to everyone else who actually has a voice. But you got your little jabs in, so maybe you should keep that delusion of yours going and walk the fuck away." reaching for his belt, the man pulled out a Poke Ball and enlarged it. "I've got something right here that's way bigger than whatever pipsqueaks you've been training."

The sight of the Poke Ball did much more to encourage Ash than discourage him, and he quickly mirrored Shawn's actions without missing a step. "Well I have a friend who would probably love to him."

Shawn held back a venomous chuckle. "That was your last chance."

He chucked the ball upwards, and both trainers pulled themselves back to make room. In midair, the capsule burst open, and a large, round creature came down on the earth with a loud crash that summoned a cloak of dust. Even then, it didn't take long for Ash to recognize what Shawn head sent out, and although it didn't inspire any regret, it did put him on alert.

"Graveler, get this brat out of my sight." The rock/ground type sent a puzzled glance back at the man, but the look Shawn sent back made it very clear he wasn't in the mood for questions. "Just do it." Without any resistance, the large Pokemon seemed to shrug before focusing on Ash.

Since Geodude bordered on being as common as the rocks themselves, Graveler were - while not nearly as common - fairly easy to recognize in their own right. They were imposing creatures with all the strength and durability one would expect from a rock type, but their ability to roll made them deceptively fast hard hitters. Similar to Machoke, their evolutions were quite rare and difficult to obtain (some Graveler had an easier time evolving than others, but rarely was it ever truly easy), but often weren't needed. Plenty of Graveler had a visible presence in tournaments, including the Conference.

A strong opponent for sure, but not enough to frighten off a trainer who had just won the Soul Badge.

Phenom appeared in front of him, and his greeting call was interrupted by the sight of the hostile rock creature. Without fully turning his head, the prehistoric dragon moved his eyes towards Ash with a knowing gaze.

"We're fighting," he confirmed. "Take him down."

A smirk stretched across the Tyrunt's jaws, and his eyes flared with aggression. Baring his teeth, he pressed his feet against the ground and took off running for his target.

Graveler glared back at his attacker. Tucking his limbs away, he assumed an entirely ball-like form and charged straight into Phenom. Ash quickly stepped away as the Tyrunt was painfully launched back, bouncing on the ground once as Graveler returned to full height and fired a Rock Blast from his mouth. Phenom landed on his feet and recovered in an instant, firing his own Rock Blast that collided with Graveler's to create a growing cloud of thick dust. Phenom took off running through the cloud and back at Graveler, with his teeth turning to ice at Ash's order.

"Come on, is that all you got?" Shawn taunted. "Flatten him with Rollout!"

Once more, Graveler assumed his ball-like state, and charged straight into the Tyrunt. The impact was loud and hard enough for Ash to feel it in his bones, and Phenom recoiled as he was smacked away again, nearly slamming into the rocks behind him. This time Graveler did not stop, rotating in place as his opponent returned to his feet. Although Phenom ached from the attack, it didn't take long for the pain to dull - he had durability to spare as well.

"I thought you were a noble white knight," Shawn spat sarcastically. "Graveler, hit him harder this time."

Rollout was a move designed to accumulate momentum overtime. Even as he rolled in place without actually going anywhere, Graveler was storing energy, ready to pick up where he left off, and the attack would only get faster and stronger from there. When he charged forward again, it was like he was being launched, not needing to regain his previous speed, already rocketing towards Phenom at an alarming rate.

Alarming in a general sense, but not enough to alarm Phenom. Ash smiled in approval as his partner kicked off of the ground and cleanly leapt over his opponent's rolling form. Graveler passed by from underneath the airborne dinosaur, but kept on going, gaining speed and turning around as Phenom landed on his feet, ready to rush the dragon again.

Ash didn't know the limitations of this Graveler's Rollout, but either way their best bet was to halt his momentum on their own terms. "Earth Power!"

Snarling with vicious conviction, Phenom stomped his foot into the ground, sending a tremor that formed a wave of energy that ripped through the rocks. Graveler continued to roll towards him, faster than ever, but when the energy collided head first with him, the explosion knocked him out of his ball form with a more than a little displeased sounding grunt. The large rock Pokemon landed on his bottom in a loud thud that summoned more dust around him, gripping his head with his hands and trying to shake off the daze.

"Get in close with Scale Shot, then Brick Break!"

With Graveler down, Phenom took off running at a decent speed. Opening his mouth, he fired a barrage of glowing scales that pelted against Graveler's stone hide like machine gun bullets. The rock Pokemon's natural defenses predictably absorbed much of the onslaught, but the consecutive nature of the attack still stung, and chipped off some of his outer armor. Once he was about halfway to his opponent, Phenom ceased firing and increased his pace, taking off at full speed as he lowered his head, which glowed with the same orange energy that Ash knew all too well. With little regard for how strong his foe's rocky shell was, Phenom smashed head first into Graveler, and although he staggered back from the impact, his own natural defenses shielded him from any regret as Graveler was sent tumbling back with an upset roar.

Quickly coming to a stop, the rock Pokemon pressed all four of his hands against the ground, easily lifting himself up as his angry eyes locked onto Phenom. The Tyrunt responded by blowing through his nostrils, and the look on his opponent's face was almost like a silent trigger as the dinosaur's gaze turned hungry like a predator.

"Had enough?" Even as he spoke the words, Ash nearly paused himself mid statement. That didn't sound like him, yet he didn't feel sorry for saying it. Not to Shawn.

"Nice try," Shawn said with a barely suppressed snarl. "You had a chance to get off easy and you blew it. Graveler, show them your Brick Break!"

Rising to full height, Graveler rumbled a low, hoarse noise from his throat, like a distorted growl. One of his arms glowed orange, pulsing with energy, and he took off running towards Phenom - but he wasn't moving nearly as fast as before when he was rolling. He wasn't even starting off with a roll to build speed, he was just going for it.

'You aren't beating us in a slugfest.' Asht thought. "Phenom! Psychic Fangs, and then Iron Tail!"

Phenom took off running much faster than Graveler, closing the distance on his own terms rather than his opponent's. Once he entered swinging range, Graveler lunged forward to punch the prehistoric dragon, but Phenom easily ceased his advance to hop back and avoid the blow, before lunging forward as his teeth pulsed with psychic energy. His powerful jaws wrapped around the rock Pokemon's glowing arm, and Graveler wailed - an inhuman sounding expression of pain as Phenom squeezed and grinding his grip against the rocky limb. Taking a step back, the Tyrunt let go of his victim, turning his tail to metal before lunging forward once more, lashing out and bashing an Iron Tail against Graveler's face. As heavy as he was, the blow easily sent Graveler staggering back, trying to maintain his balance before falling onto his bottom. The attack had left a gash on his rocky face, which shifted in visible pain and discomfort, but Graveler was still getting up.

"Again!" Ash called.

Like a hunter smelling blood, Phenom rushed his wounded foe, striking with a second Iron Tail that produced greater effect, sending Graveler back further, faster; doing more visible damage and triggering more verbally expressed pain. The large creature's back struck the rocks behind him, creating cracks in them as he managed not to fully slump down, but also failed to rise to his full height.

"Graveler!" Shawn was more angry than worried. "Get up now!"

"Too late!" Ash's blood was pumping, and it was a good enough sensation that almost made him feel better. "Dragon Pulse!"

Blowing hot air through his nostrils, Phenom clenched his jaw, which began to glow as he gathered energy on the inside, and pulsed when he opened it to reveal the growing sphere of draconic power. With his best roar, the Tyrunt lunged forward and fired the blast with all of the force he could muster. Still sitting against the rocks, Graveler attempted to cross all four of his arms to shield his face, but The arm Phenom had bit down on was somewhat limp, leaving him to awkwardly cross the other three together. The blast smashed into him, detonating the rocks in a geyser of smoldering dust and debris as Graveler let out the loudest, most stomach churning shout he had produced yet. The sheer volume and force of the shout progressively transitioned into a pained, defeated tone before dying out entirely, and as the cloud of smoke slightly parted (but didn't go away), his unconscious form came into view amidst the rubble.

Ash's grin could have split his face. That felt Great! "Awesome, Phenom! He didn't stand a chance!" Shawn's Graveler was strong, but clearly untrained. It had barely even been fair, but that was hardly Ash's concern right now. Shawn had asked for it.

Phenom seemed rather pleased, but not in a strictly joyous way. His eyes were lit with victory, stamping both feet against the ground before rearing back and giving the heavens his best roar.

"Hang on a second!" Shawn ripped another Poke Ball from his belt, and his ears could have been producing factory smoke. "We never said this was one on one! What are you celebrating for-"

"STOP!"

Phenom turned his head just in time for a glowing vine to appear out of nowhere and smash him in the face. The Tyrunt's bulky form was effortlessly flung back, hitting the ground and briefly attempting to lift himself before collapsing in full, and out like a light. A gash-like dent was left where he had been struck, trickling blood.

Momentarily speechless, Ash and Shawn followed the vine as it retracted back to its origin, and saw Patricia. Her fists were against her hips, and her blue eyes were like fire. Flanking her was Meganium, eyes narrowed with uncompromised vigilance.

The sight sapped all of the bravado from Ash. "P-Patricia, I-"

"Quiet." was all she had to say as she stepped forward before turning to walk toward Shawn. Meganium did not follow her, but her gaze did.

Shawn grit his teeth for a moment, nostrils clenched in a sour stare as he reclipped his Poke Ball. "Don't give me that look, Racewood. The hell do you want?" Pachirisu came up behind him, climbing up his back to rest on his shoulder. Her face did not match his own.

The teen showed no signs of reluctance or reservation, even as he came closer, stopping right in front of the man as the expression in her eyes didn't change. "You know exactly why I'm here, Shawn. Why don't you tell me just what I'm walking in on?" her voice was like steel, and Ash was convinced that nothing would bend it.

"Oh, so I'm the bad guy now!?" Shawn's glare somehow seemed to get even worse before he pointed at Ash - although his eyes stayed on Patricia, Pachirisu turned her head towards the boy before trailing between the unconscious Phenom and Graveler. "He's the one who started it, not me. Maybe if you kept a better eye on your trainers-"

"You're the adult!"

"Yeah, and you're not." Shawn pointed a finger at her, as though he was going to poke her, but didn't touch her. "Newsflash, Princess Silverspoon, but I don't need some spoiled celebrity trainer telling me what to do, so why don't you take your privileges and shove off before-"

"I said that's enough!" Patricia's posture didn't change, even as her voice turned more forceful and less composed. "Call me what you want, but whether you like it or not, I outrank you in this operation, so if you don't want me to inform Shane of your behavior, you're going to listen to what I have to say, because right now I'm the one answering to the people who sign your paychecks, do you understand?"

Shawn didn't back down, but as Ash got closer, the man's face seemed to begrudgingly lose its disgust, leaving behind only the glare in his eyes.

"Honestly," Patricia continued. "I thought it was bad enough with you constantly snapping at the other workers, but even for you this is too far! I heard about your little incident with Angelina and your brother. Do you have any shame?"

"She set me back because she couldn't follow directions clearly." Shawn retorted defiantly. "I suppose you're gonna pin that one on me too?"

"So you scream at her in front of a crowd of people? She's ten years old, what's the matter with you?"

"She chose to come here! And so did he," Ash did not feel startled when Shawn pointed at him. "None of this would have happened if either of them had just shaped up for once."

"Or, alternatively, if you had realized you'd set an example by being the bigger man." Patricia stepped closer, both staring holes into each other while Pachirisu quietly glanced at Shawn from her shoulder. "This isn't your first offense, Shawn. You've been giving that girl a hard time for as long as she's been here. You took your frustrations with her out on your own brother. And I don't know what they taught you in trade school, but where I come from, picking a fight with an underage co-worker while on the clock is considered bad behavior." She barely shook her head, keeping eye contact with the man as her voice evened out. "So do what you're told and get back to the Center, you're dismissed for the rest of the day. Now."

There were probably a million words that Shawn wanted to say to her, and Ash doubted a lot of them were appropriate. Nonetheless, the hostility gradually left his face, and what lingered more closely resembled spiteful sarcasm, which seamlessly carried over to his tone of voice. "You're the boss."

"Yeah," she nodded steadfastly. "I am."

Shawn took out Graveler's Poke Ball to recall the knocked out rock/ground type. Not sparing Ash a glance, reclipped the Poke Ball before turning to leave, managing not to huff as he walked away without looking back. Still on his broad shoulder, Pachirisu turned and gave Ash and Patricia what seemed to be a regretful look before focusing on the path ahead of her trainer.

Patricia watched him reenter the camp before letting out a breath. Her face was rid of the previous hostility when she looked at Ash next. "Don't worry, I know it wasn't your fault." Ash was going to respond, and maybe say thank you, but the shift in her face made it clear that she wasn't done. It wasn't an angry shift, but it carried authority, and firm assertiveness, even more clearly when she turned to face him in full. "But you need to know that what you did was beyond inappropriate."

Coming from her, the words solicited guilt that the boy previously hadn't felt, and he consciously tensed. "He was being a bully, I had to stand up to him."

Her face somehow seemed gentle and forceful all at once, as though she was trying to both console and chastise. "Trust me, I'm well aware of how he is, but that doesn't mean doing this." she gestured her hand around to nothing in particular before pressing it against her hip. "There's always going to be jerks you don't get along with, Ash, but battling isn't going to make all of your problems disappear, especially in the workplace. If it wasn't me you might have gotten fired."

The adrenaline that remained inside of Ash was waning, and he found it a bit more difficult to look at Patricia directly, but after some faltering he did still manage.

"Hey, listen." The teen girl had dropped most of the assertive tone, although it was still present as she closed most of the leftover distance between them. "I'm not asking you to be a pushover, Ash. That kind of backbone is necessary, but there's a time and place to stand up for yourself. Sometimes you just have to learn how to tolerate it."

'Tolerate it.' Ash repeated to himself, successfully not clenching his fists. Like he was already tolerating Angelina being here? What happened if she worked up the courage to pull something?

He did his best to ease himself. Despite the thoughts flowing through him, he found it hard to stay angry. Patricia didn't understand, but even telling himself that didn't feel fair. Maybe it was just the way she worded or delivered it, but he couldn't bring himself to think that he was wrong.

"I…" he sighed through his nose, keeping his frown mostly at bay while looking her in the eye. He didn't want to guilt her or appear like he was asking for easy sympathy - she was on his side. "You're right, I'm sorry. I should have left it to you."

The sad smile on her face flickered in and out like a lightbulb, and her hand rested on his shoulder. She had a gentle touch. "Take the rest of the day off, Ash. You need to cool off, and I'm not just talking about the sun."

He read her face for a moment or two, and found that the sight reassured him, at least a little bit. Tipping the rim of his cap, he nodded politely before turning to Phenom and recalling him.

"Sorry about that, buddy." he spoke softly to the Poke Ball. "Great fight." With that, Patricia watched him walk off, passing Meganium and heading back into the camp.

/

It wasn't even eight o'clock yet, and Ash was already lying on his bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Not because he was tired, but because he was tired. Ever since the incident with Shawn a few hours ago, his mind had felt like it was on a separate planet from his head, and everything from dinner to speaking to Nurse Joy in his team felt like he was on autopilot - only not even whatever usual program his absent mind defaulted to whenever he was faced with situations like this. What's more, time continued to move at an agonizingly slow pace, even long after he got to the Center, and that wasn't doing his mind any favors on its own.

The longest day of his journey was on the verge of ending, but how many hours would the last one take?

Nobody on his team bothered him, although he did his best not to ignore him. Tempest had been mildly jealous that Phenom had gotten into a fight instead of him, but seemed to get over it quickly while talking to Silica about something. Come to think of it, they had been talking for a while, and Valiant had joined them somewhere halfway through. After resting up, Phenom (with a bandage on his head) had settled for watching TV with Nebula. Ash was only half aware of what was playing on whatever channel he had set the TV to - some kind of sitcom that played periodic laugh tracks in the background.

Pikachu was like a mirror of his trainer, lying parallel to him on the bed, and also staring up at the ceiling. Ash was beginning to wish he had paid more attention to what may have been on his starter's mind, but as he worked up the cognition to ask him, he missed his chance.

"Excuse me, Ash?" Valiant's voice was incredibly delicate, as though talking to his trainer was the act of holding a newborn baby in his arms.

Ash lifted himself up into a sitting position, and Pikachu did the same. Tempest and Silica were with the Kirlia, and some sand was leaking onto the floor. "Is something wrong, you guys?"

"Not exactly," Valiant slowly shook his head. "But Tempest and Silica wanted to tell you something."

It might have been the specific mention of Silica that resurrected Ash's full alertness. "Okay, I'm all ears."

Valiant glanced back at the pair, looking for the final confirmation. After a moment of exchanging glances, Tempest and Silica mutually nodded. A bit unsure, Valiant turned back to his trainer, and pressed his hands together with a brief bow.

"Tempest and Silica would like to be the ones who get sent to the Lab. Together."

Ash's face might have turned pale for a moment, and he wasn't able to respond immediately. "W-Wait, what brought this on? I can't do that." He wasn't remotely comfortable with Silica being anywhere without him. Not yet.

All three Pokemon expected their trainer's reaction, and Pikachu echoed his protest. Valiant briefly responded to the Pikachu, and the mouse's face turned hesitant and uncertain. Turning his head to Ash uneasily.

Ash moved his gaze away from Valiant, and past Tempest to Silica. The frowning hippo was the most important factor in this conversation; not any other member of the team, and certainly not himself. "Silica, if I did something wrong you can tell me. I want you to be comfortable."

"It's nothing you did," Valiant quickly chimed him. "She says there's too many people here. She's not comfortable coming along - she likes you, I mean, but it's…" he glanced back at her for a moment. "Too hectic, or too noisy."

Ash nodded slowly, breaking eye contact. She hadn't been able to handle the cafeteria once it got crowded. Things would be even worse at Grampa Canyon proper, of course. "I could keep you here in the room while the rest of us go, Silica…" he threw the idea out the window the moment it left his lips. "But that's basically the same thing as sending you to the Lab… but are you sure you'll be okay over there?"

Silica responded, beginning with a brief stutter before saying everything else with near perfect clarity.

"She says she will be if Tempest is with her." Valiant confirmed.

"Tempest…" Ash repeated, looking over to the Kingler next. "And you're okay with that? You'll be sitting the canyon out."

Tempest took a breath before straightening up and nodding back to his trainer, and Ash blinked for a split second. Tempest had come a long way learning to be a team player, but with the way he and Silica had been spending time together, he wondered how much things had evolved beyond a begrudging willingness. Either way, the boy's feelings were the same. He had told the water type back at the Safari Zone just how much he had grown to trust him, and it was time to prove it.

"If you're there, then I'm okay with it too." he barely managed a small smile. They probably deserved more than that, and he did his best. "We'll have nothing to worry about if you're watching over her."

The rumble that left the Kingler's throat sounded fairly pleased. Ash looked over at Pikachu, who had been listening to the conversation. The emotions his body language conveyed seemed a lot more mixed and unreadable. The electric type had a right to be nervous, but Ash found himself having faith. It was true that the current project would not be a great environment for Silica yet, but if there was any one Pokemon who could help better prepare her…

Then it was official. First thing tomorrow morning, Glaceon would be rejoining the team, and it would finally be time to dig for fossils.