TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Badges: 2
Account: 9,537 credits
Location: Route 111

DANIEL'S TEAM
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish (Duran) - Male
Eevee (Orion) - Male

SAMANTHA'S TEAM
Espeon (Stella) - Female
Skitty (Chase) - Male
Masquerain (Buzz) - Male
Oddish (Joy) - Female

OWEN'S TEAM
Makuhita (Bronson) - Male
Geodude (Roxy) - Female
Shroomish (Misha) - Female
Slakoth (Omar) - Male

As we sat around the campfire under the night sky and idly chatted about anything and everything, I found myself incredibly grateful that the slight awkwardness surrounding our earlier conversation hadn't lingered for too long.

During the brief period of silence that followed, Samantha and I were both set straight by our starters. After Apollo pointed out that it wasn't fair for me to hold Samantha's encounter with Rockets against her when she was defenseless at the time, and that I had taken action on the Geodude before it had even been a threat to us, I decided that an apology was in order. There must have been a similar conversation happening in Samantha's mind as well though, because as I was mustering up the courage to break the silence and apologize, Samantha beat me to it.

A quick discussion revealed that we both simply worried about the other's safety. Samantha was concerned I'd get myself into trouble by being overly brash, and I had almost the exact opposite concern that inaction and indecisiveness could get her hurt. But with it clear that both of us at least understood the other's concerns and would keep them in mind, we agreed to move on with a hug and the promise that we would do whatever we could to stay safe.

Despite our reconciliation, there was still some lingering awkwardness that followed as we returned to having telepathic conversations with our starters. But Owen didn't have that luxury, and it quickly became apparent that, similar to Samantha, Owen wasn't well-suited for prolonged periods of silence.

Between him being seemingly unbothered by the conversation, periodically offering random thoughts and observations of whatever caught his attention, and the fact that he had an infectious energy that just made others want to engage with him, it didn't take long for things to return to normal.

Whatever the case, by the time the sun began to set and we needed to make camp, it was as though nothing had ever happened, which I was exceedingly grateful for. I didn't want to ruin our last few days together by needlessly bickering, and Samantha seemed to have the same mindset.

It was interesting to me just how little our routine changed despite the addition of a new member to our group, but that was largely due to just how agreeable Owen was by nature. He offered no resistance when I suggested we set up camp when there was still over an hour of sunlight left, although he did question why I chose to do so behind the treeline. He also was perfectly content to allow Samantha to do the cooking upon her request, claiming that he was a 'shockingly mediocre chef'. He even held his training for his team at the same time I did, although he did so separately making it so I didn't get the chance to see what exactly that entailed.

Despite him seamlessly fitting into the routine Samantha and I had grown accustomed to, that didn't mean there weren't some differences to be found.

For one thing, his team's diet was all-natural. Whereas Samantha and I fed our teams pre-made food, Owen's team scavenged the surrounding area for food, similar to what Duran did but for their main meal rather than a snack. Shroomish and Slakoth ate from the surrounding vegetation while Roxy the Geodude seemed more keen on eating pebbles and rocks, which was uncomfortable to listen to but endlessly intriguing to watch.

The only exception was his Makuhita, Bronson, who waited around patiently and didn't eat. I grew slightly concerned and considered saying something, but soon Owen whistled and his team sat in a line in front of him, looking up at him expectantly.

That's when Owen gave each of them Pokéblocks, many of them different colors in what I assumed were hand-crafted to their unique preferences. Each of his team members got one but Bronson, who ate an impressive five of them. Even from where I sat, I could tell that they were densely packed, and had no doubt that they were extremely filling even for a species as heavy as Makuhita.

My impression of what I'd witnessed was that for most of his team, they served as the final course of their meal and served not only as a treat but also a supplement if they didn't have much luck scavenging for their natural diet. But for a Pokémon like Makuhita, who I imagined had very demanding dietary requirements compared to any other Pokémon in our camp, it was the only reliable way to make sure that he got enough food to keep him healthy.

Pokéblocks were commonly credited for having many potential benefits, as Samantha would no doubt rant about all day long if given the chance, but chief among them was that they served as a compact way to transport large quantities of food. I had no idea exactly how many berries Owen had compressed into each block, but I didn't doubt it was at least five.

"Wow, you never told me you made your own Pokéblocks, Owen! Why didn't you mention it when we were talking about them before?" Samantha asked when she glanced over from feeding her team to find his munching on Pokéblocks.

"Sorry, I was just too interested in what you were telling me. They're nothing special, I don't mix different berries together or anything like you do. I just use them so I don't have to carry entire sacks of berries around with me everywhere I go," he chuckled.

"That's still really cool. You must know a fair bit if you have specific berries picked out for each of your Pokémon," Samantha complimented.

"I know way more about berries than I do Pokéblocks," he shrugged. "I'm not an expert or anything, but I know the effects and flavor profiles of all the common types. One of the first things I do when I capture a new team member is figure out what their favorite berry is so I can make sure I carry plenty of them on me."

"I do the same thing," Samantha agreed with a nod. "I managed to talk Danny into doing a taste test with his team, but I don't think he's fully sold on just how beneficial berries can be to a Pokémon. He has a Pokéblock presser and carries around a pouch of berries, but I don't think he really uses them."

"Occasionally as treats or rewards," I shrugged, "But my team seems perfectly content with the food they have. Orion has some pretty expensive food, and Duran loves to scavenge whenever he gets the chance. Add onto that the fact that I give each of them vitamins every night, and I think they're doing just fine."

"You give your entire team vitamins?" Owen asked with disbelief, which I answered with a simple nod. "That stuff isn't cheap, man! I got the impression you didn't have much cash."

"I consider it an investment in their health and future. With the ten thousand I got from the Mauville gym, I spent that on vitamins for Orion since he was the only one not getting any. As for Duran and Apollo, I had a little windfall of cash for capturing that Rocket, so I spent a good chunk of it on theirs."

"Danny isn't exactly the best with money," Samantha jabbed, "I happen to know he also bought ten Ultra Balls and a Luxury Ball, yet he cheaped out and got the oldest cellphone money can buy."

"It's an investment," I repeated, "I don't see anything wrong with how I spend my money."

"I'm inclined to agree with Danny here," Owen interjected. "Ten Ultra Balls sounds a little excessive, but it's not the worst idea in the world. A Luxury Ball and vitamins are good for the health of his team. I also noticed that you have your Corphish in a Net Ball. Not many trainers would care enough about the comfort of their Pokémon to spend that kind of money. I've considered changing out my team's Pokéballs, but they don't seem to have any complaints and I'll admit to being a bit attached to them, sentimental."

"That's fair. Apollo was the same way; he didn't want a new ball even when I offered one," I remarked.

"Speaking of Pokéballs, I can't help but notice yours look a little off, Sammy," Owen commented, causing her to raise her brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Those aren't normal Pokéballs, are they? They look really similar, almost indistinguishable, but I can tell they're a higher quality even from the quick glimpse I got. What's the story?"

For a moment, I worried that Samantha might have trouble coming up with a believable explanation. It was clear to Owen that she came from a wealthy family, as evidenced by her backpack and tent which he thankfully declined to comment on, but those weren't anything too difficult for the average wealthy family to acquire.

But Pokéballs that weren't Pokéballs, yet were disguised to look like the common product? That's not something just anybody can get. The fact that Owen had somehow been able to tell the difference astonished me, as I wouldn't have given them a second thought without knowing what they truly were.

"They're Luxury Balls disguised to look like a normal Pokéball," Samantha admitted nonchalantly, much to my surprise. "My parents got them from a close family friend who works at Devon as something of a favor. If you haven't noticed, I'm trying not to bring attention to the fact that I have quite a few valuable items someone might want to steal. My tent and backpack look average to the normal person passing by despite being rather expensive, so long as I'm careful who I use them around. I wanted Luxury Balls for my team for obvious reasons, but my parents are worrywarts and wanted me to not flaunt our wealth and bring the wrong kind of attention. So, this was our compromise."

"Makes sense, that's pretty neat," Owen complimented, seemingly not giving it any further thought.

"And you were poking fun at me for my Luxury Ball," I quipped.

"Don't act like there isn't a difference, Danny. My parents bought me all this and didn't strain their bank account doing so. You on the other hand are always broke because you're spending every money you earn on things you don't really need."

"Agree to disagree," I shrugged, "I am perfectly happy with my purchases. I like buying nice things for my team, sue me."

Samantha rolled her eyes with a hint of a smile playing at her lips, choosing not to argue to my relief.

From there, the night slowly came to a close. Samantha, Owen and I sat around the fire and got to know each other better, joking around and discussing random topics as they came up as our teams wandered the perimeter and conversed. It was amazing to me how well they all seemed to get along; I even saw Owen's Slakoth Omar hanging around Orion at one point, which surprised me greatly.

As always, Apollo and Stella were inseparable, however they were accompanied by Bronson for most of the night. I witnessed the trio periodically checking in on the different groups of Pokémon and the usual stragglers, and I got the sense that as the starters they felt some sort of obligation to ensure everybody was doing fine, getting along, and felt included in some way.

It was heartwarming to see, and it made me happy to see Apollo being more social and stepping up to take some responsibility, no matter how small.

I was still a bit worried that with so many Pokémon of varying personalities, infighting would be inevitable. But for the time being everyone seemed to be keeping the peace and getting along, and I was cautiously hopeful that things would continue to stay that way.

As if Arceus himself had read my mind and decided it would be a fun prank to spit on my hope for continued peace, the next morning a fight broke out.

It wasn't anything serious, only a minor spat between Duran and Owen's Shroomish as we packed up and got ready to continue on our journey. We'd already done our morning routine and had breakfast without a hitch, and were in the process of packing up when the disturbance happened.

The only hints we had to go off of initially were the end results of the scuffle and the emotions that Apollo managed to pick up. For Duran's part, he felt annoyed and disrespected, and he got a heavy dose of spores and paralysis. Misha the Shroomish was soaking wet and slightly trembling in what I guessed was the result of a Leer, and Apollo shared the emotions of embarrassment, resentfulness, and exasperation.

Neither was willing to talk about what happened. I briefly considered just having Apollo read Duran's thoughts, but Apollo picked up on my contemplation and reminded me of the importance of respecting privacy when a mind wished it. Apparently, when he had connected to Duran's mind to seek information he got the sense that he wasn't currently accepting visitors and immediately backed off. Thankfully, picking up on emotions wasn't something you needed a connected telepathic link to do, so I at least got the gist of what happened from that.

Luckily though, there ended up being a Pokémon who was able to provide some clarity on what happened. Though nobody had seen anything, Orion gently nudged Apollo to get his attention and shared what he had heard with his impeccable hearing, which Apollo then relayed to me.

Misha approached Duran and said something about him being grumpy, likely in a poor attempt to strike up a conversation. Duran quipped back that she was the one who looked grumpy, which was unfortunately just the default facial expression of her species. There was some squabbling where Duran wanted to be left alone and Misha persisted to get under his skin, he gave a low-powered Water Gun as warning to leave him alone, Misha responded with a Stun Spore after being soaked, then Duran used Leer to intimidate the Shroomish and prepare for a proper fight. Thankfully it stopped there, as Apollo sensed their emotions, Teleported between them to break it up, and alerted me. As soon as Owen and I got involved, things deescalated almost immediately.

I didn't get the chance to share this version of events with Owen because he brushed it off easily enough, saying that these things happen, no harm was done, and that Misha would be on her best behavior and was sorry for anything she might have done. I wasn't sure I believed that last part, as the only response the Shroomish gave was a forced nod as it refused to maintain eye-contact, but it was good enough for me. I made Duran apologize as well, who did so with similar enthusiasm, and then mentioned that as long as he was given respect and personal space he wouldn't be a bother to anyone.

I didn't particularly have a problem with what happened or how things ended, but I wasn't a fan of Duran throwing the first proverbial punch, even if it wasn't intended to harm. He'd done the same thing with Chase at one point, blasting water as a warning when he kept annoying him, and although it didn't become an issue then that same behavior was now causing trouble, so I had to address it.

I pulled him aside as we prepared to leave and had a quick talk, not wanting to lecture him but also needing to make it clear that fighting among our group wasn't acceptable.

"Duran, I can guess what happened. If you're being annoyed or harassed, just let me or Apollo know and we'll take care of it. You can also be alone in your ball if you ever want to, I know it's cozy in there and nobody can bother you. We all need to get along if we're going to be traveling together, so no using attacks on any of our travel companions. Even Leers or weak Water Guns aren't okay, they just escalate things that can be talked out."

He gurgled and snipped his claws annoyedly, refusing to make eye contact as his paralysis caused him to tense again. That annoyed me more than anything else he'd done today, so I knelt and addressed him more firmly.

"Duran, you're allowed to be alone if that's what you want. I'll never make you socialize if you don't want to. Some people aren't as social as others, and that's fine. Chase does it, Omar does it, and you can too. But you don't get to lash out when somebody tries to get you to interact with them, no matter how annoying you find it. You will not attack or antagonize others unless we're in a battle, especially not anybody we're traveling with. You don't have to be friends with any of them, even if I'd like you to, but you will respect them."

He seized again from the paralysis, then finally looked at me properly, a hint of defiance in his eyes.

"...Cor, Cor-phish."

I wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but thankfully Apollo was able to provide some assistance.

Disagreement. "Not earned, and not family."

I shook my head and wagged a finger, "Wrong on both accounts, buddy. First of all, let me remind you of how well she battled in her gym fight, and helped us prepare for the gym by letting us get used to paralysis, in case you forgot. She didn't have to do that, she did it as a favor to us. Everybody deserves respect, even complete strangers unless they did something to lose it. But somebody who we know, who's done us a favor, and has proven their strength, they definitely deserve respect."

He looked down and seemed to concede the point, but I raised another finger, "Secondly, family aren't the only ones who deserve to be treated with respect and consideration. Like I said, all strangers should be given that unless they did something to lose it, but there's a middle ground for friends and acquaintances. Let me ask you something, do you see Sammy or Stella as family? Last I asked you, you didn't. Have you changed your mind? No wrong answers."

He huffed and immediately shook his head no. I resisted the urge to sigh or disagree and decided to simply nod in acceptance. "That's fine. Let me ask you another question; do you respect either of them? Last time this came up, you denied doing a small favor for Samantha and told me you don't respect them. Has that changed?"

He seemed to consider the question more than the previous, and eventually relaxed his posture and nodded.

"So you don't see them as family, yet you respect them. If Stella called you her friend, would you disagree?"

He seemed uncertain, so I reached down and rubbed his shell. "I used to be like you, buddy. I didn't think I needed anybody's help, and I didn't let anybody be my friend, even if they tried to. It took me a while until I felt comfortable considering Sammy a friend, and even longer for me to consider her close enough to be family. If I consider her like family, and you consider me family, wouldn't that make her and her team your family? If they were in danger or needed help, wouldn't you help them?"

He seemed to consider this, but I continued. "I kept everyone at arm's length just like you. But eventually, you'll come to see that it's not bad to accept someone's help, or to have someone you can call a friend. I like Owen, we may be traveling together for a while. Owen and his team are much more into battling than Sammy's team; if we start holding spars, won't it suck if nobody wants to battle you because they think you're grumpy and mean? We can all help each other and get stronger if we can get along. Otherwise, we'll be stuck battling wild Pokémon, and it'll not only take you longer to evolve, but I know how bored you'll get fighting untrained Pokémon."

That seemed to get through, as he nodded furiously and gained a look of understanding.

"Phish, Cor-Phish, Corphish!"

"Want battle, stronger, evolve, try be nicer."

I smiled and nodded, standing up with a stretch. "Like I said, if you want alone time, that's fine and others should respect that. If you're annoyed, you can let Apollo or I know and we'll try to fix it, but you can always ask to go back into your ball if you want. But no more fighting, I'm serious about that."

He nodded solemnly, and we returned to the main group who seemed ready to go. Everybody was returned except for Chase, Bronson, and my team. I bit my lip, not wanting to return them but also not wanting to set a precedent that we would all travel with our entire teams out. I was pretty sure I was the only one inclined to do so, not only for the fact that I had fewer team members, but they could all fit on my person quite comfortably. If they all kept their teams out, we would be one massive swarm of people and Pokémon, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing but also not ideal.

Yesterday had been different. We'd left Mauville with one each; Stella and Orion because they were picked up from the groomer, and Owen had his Slakoth hanging lazily from his backpack. We came across quite a few people during our first few hours of traveling, and were more focused on getting to know each other and putting distance behind us.

Today though, being so much further from Mauville, we were much less likely to see others. I also didn't want to keep my team in their balls if I could help it, particularly after they'd had to during much of our stay in Mauville and most of yesterday.

"Everything alright?" Samantha asked as she gave me a close look as Owen watched in amusement as Chase slinked around Bronson, trying to get a reaction from the currently stoic Makuhita.

"Yeah, I just needed to have a quick talk with Duran. Everything is fine," I nodded as I quickly came up with an excuse I could use to have my team out. "I think I'm going to travel with my team out today. Duran needs a day of fresh air, and since we're getting deeper into the route I'd like to have Orion and Apollo out as lookouts."

"Lookouts?" Owen repeated, joining our conversation.

"Yeah, Apollo likes to practice his Teleport by warping between tree branches to keep an eye on what's ahead, and Orion has an amazing sense of hearing that can pick up on anything out of the ordinary. Since Stella isn't with us today, I think it's for the best."

"Nice excuse," Samantha remarked with a sigh and roll of her eyes. "Someday, you'll need to be more comfortable traveling with your team in their balls, Danny. They won't always be so small you can carry them with you, and your team is only going to grow."

"You're right, but today isn't that day," I said firmly. "We won't be able to all travel together for long, so I want to take advantage of it while I can. Besides, I wasn't kidding when I said it would be smart to keep them as lookouts."

"Fine by me," Owen shrugged. "None of my team would make a good lookout, and they aren't exactly well-suited for travel anyway. Bronson here enjoys the workout of trying to keep up though, as long as it isn't an everyday thing."

"Maku!" Bronson declared as he slapped his chest.

"I don't really mind either, even if I don't think we need to be that cautious yet," Samantha admitted. "We've only seen a few Taillow, Zigzagoon, and an adorable duo of Plusle and Minun so far, so I don't think we're north enough to run into anything that's a threat."

"Better safe than sorry," I shrugged before having Duran get on my backpack. Orion looked up at me expectantly, but I shook my head and knelt down to address him.

"No pocket for you today, buddy. You've got a big responsibility. You and Apollo are in charge of keeping us safe. Stay nearby, search the area, and keep your ears open. If you see or hear anything you think might be a threat, tell Apollo so he can relay it to us."

Orion's eyes went wide, but he nodded seriously. I smiled fondly and quickly pet his head before standing up and turning to Apollo.

"Remember Petalburg Forest? Same deal; practice your Teleport, keep an eye out on what's around and ahead. Keep a telepathic link with Orion so he can contact you if he needs to. In fact…"

I turned to face Orion once again. "Both of you, let's make a game of it. Work on being quiet and staying out of sight. If I point at you, you've been spotted and need to be sneakier. Not only me; try not to be spotted by any wild Pokémon or random travelers we come across. Sound fun?"

Both nodded enthusiastically, then as Apollo disappeared with a pop, Orion took off into some shrubs.

"That's smart. You're mixing fun, training, and group safety in a pretty unique way," Owen complimented.

"You're also ruining Orion's beautiful fur, yet again. Why bother getting him groomed if you're just going to stuff him in your pocket or have him frolicking through the woods?" Samantha asked with a sigh.

"We train every morning and night, anyway," I shrugged. "No matter what, it's going to happen. Besides, it's not like it's completely ruined. He's still softer than I could ever get him to be, and I'm sure he will be by the end of the evening."

"You got lucky with Orion. Most Eevee aren't so willing to get dirty, especially females. Stella wouldn't have rolled in the mud for any amount of Pokéblocks when she was a young Eevee. Are we ready to go now? We're burning daylight waiting on you."

I nodded in agreement, and we made our way back to the path and continued north. Spirits were surprisingly high among our group despite the minor setbacks, however Duran was unusually still and seemed to be in a state of deep contemplation as he rode on my back.

That was fine with me, though. My hope was that I'd given him plenty to think about, and that he might be able to take some of what I'd said to heart. I didn't want to force him to change, and I didn't even particularly blame him for defending his personal boundaries when pushed beyond his comfort. But I simply couldn't allow there to be any infighting amongst our group, and wanted him to at least consider loosening up a little and allowing others to interact with him more.

Despite being a little rough around the edges, I felt confident that over time he'd come to find that life was more fulfilling when you could enjoy it with others. It was a lesson that I was still in the process of fully understanding myself, but when I thought about how many laughs and memories I would have missed out on had I taken this journey alone, I knew that it was for the best.

Hopefully, Duran would come around to seeing that too.

After a few hours of traveling, talking, joking, and pointing to Orion and Apollo whenever I managed to see them slinking around the edge of my visibility, we spotted a sizable pond on the far western side of the route's path, just barely visible through the tree line.

Naturally, we went to investigate and take a short break. It was beautifully serene, easily the clearest, calmest water I'd ever seen, and it was home to a slew of Pokémon. Occupying the water were Marill and Azumarill, Surskit and Masquerain, Goldeen, and the occasional Barboach graced the water's surface, and of course there were plenty of non-water-types enjoying the afternoon along the water's edge. It reminded me a lot of Route 117 in that it felt somewhat sacred, like battling here would be taboo and disrespectful to the pond's peaceful residents.

But as we lounged along the water's edge and watched as our teams enjoyed the area, I was proven wrong after we were suddenly approached by a man that I'd guess was in his mid to late twenties accompanied by what was undoubtedly the largest Swellow I'd ever seen circling above, and it didn't even come close.

I had no idea where they came from, but I could tell by the way he carried himself and the six Pokéballs resting on his hip that this was a serious trainer.

As he approached with a friendly wave and smile, quite a few of our Pokémon paused their recreations and came over to watch the proceedings with a mixture of curiosity and, in Duran and Bronson's case, guarded wariness. But I suspected that Apollo relayed that the pair had no ill intentions, because it didn't take long for them to loosen their posture and go about their business, although they continued to keep a watchful eye on the Swellow in particular.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" the man greeted as he got within talking distance.

"Sure is!" Owen answered with a wide grin. "We aren't intruding or anything, are we? We are just taking a quick break and enjoying the view, we'll gladly leave if this is your private land or something."

"Oh no, nothing like that. I do live with my family just on the other side of those trees over there, but we'd never be so selfish as to claim such a place as only ours to enjoy," the man answered with a chuckle. "I'm Vito, Vito Winstrate. I take it you're all traveling trainers?"

"That's right, we're just passing through on our way north. I'm Sammy, and this is Owen and Danny," Samantha introduced with a friendly smile.

"You've all got quite an interesting assortment of Pokémon," Vito complimented as he took in the sight of all our teams. "I don't suppose you kids are challenging the gym circuit?"

"Sammy is a coordinator, but Danny and I are," Owen answered proudly as I nodded in agreement.

"I don't mean to impose, but might you humor an odd request? I promise it'll be worth your while," he proposed.

I raised a brow, suddenly reminded of the berry lady with the insanely fast Linoone. My encounter with her had been very similar, and I was getting the exact same vibes from this man, particularly with the presence of the Swellow.

"Let me guess, you want to battle?" I asked, which caused the man's eyes to widen in surprise.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "My request is a little more than a simple battle, but you've got the gist. Neither of your telepaths even tried to touch my mind. Have you heard of my family, or was it a lucky guess?"

"Lucky guess," I confirmed with a nod before casting another glance at the monster of a Swellow. The last Swellow we'd fought had been a fairly impressive specimen, but it paled in comparison to the graceful, effortless fluidity that this one flew with, and the difference in size simply couldn't be ignored either.

Apollo had gotten absolutely thrashed when fighting that other Swellow, which hadn't been that long ago, and my instincts were screaming at me that this particular Swellow far exceeded the other in terms of experience and skill. Normally, I had absolute faith in my team to pull through, particularly when they got to work together to accomplish a goal. But I got the distinct feeling that my team wouldn't stand a chance in a battle against the monstrous bird, perhaps even all three at the same time.

I must not have been alone in bearing a skeptical look, as the man gave us a look and seemed to realize our hesitance before holding his hands out placatingly, "Before you say no, I'm not the one you'd be battling. I'm not trying to hustle a bunch of young trainers or anything like that. Hear me out, I promise it'll be a fair fight and worth your while."

After a quick conversation, it was revealed that he was seeking battles for his family members, not himself. He mentioned that he and his little sister, who was currently journeying, were the only two 'career' trainers in their family, but that his parents and grandmother thoroughly enjoyed casual battles, particularly against younger trainers. He also noted that it had been some time since the rest of his family had been blessed with visitors willing to oblige them with a battle, and that they would be thrilled if we could spare some time to visit and spar.

Honestly, the whole thing sounded strange, and I was especially suspicious of the fact that he was very insistent that they would make it worth our time. If it wasn't for Apollo confirming that he had pure intentions, I probably would have declined. But Owen was fully on board and seemed to have no such reservations, and with Apollo's reassurance both Samantha and I hesitantly agreed to follow the man to their family home.

The home of, as we would soon find out, the accomplished and rather unique Winstrate family. Although I wouldn't realize it until later, what seemed to be an inconsequential encounter with them had lasting effects that drastically shaped my future and proved invaluable in helping me navigate the unprecedented, tough times ahead.

A/N: Uh oh, foreshadowing! Also some character development from Duran, Daniel, and Samantha. Things are looking up, but happy days are in increasingly short supply. Pardon the long summary at the beginning of this chapter; I'm trying a new format, but it will look much cleaner once the group splits up here soon.

Shoutout to Trix for beta-reading this chapter.

Come chat about DotD or hang out on Discord. gg/ ge6a8XcNcB