After breakfast, I packed up and left the Pokemon Center. I released Hitmontop to walk beside me and sent a text to Mom before I reached the edge of town. The Fighting Type stretched his arms as we approached the gate leading out to Route 205. Waiting for us there was Karl, who was tossing a ball with his Darumaka. The Fire Type hopped from one foot to the other as he caught the ball with his tiny hands before throwing it back to his Trainer. Watching them play nearby was Helen and her new companion, a large metal orb with a single eye and magnet appendages that took notice of Hitmontop and I approaching. The Magnemite drifted away from its Trainer to float lazily towards us, bobbing mid air as it stared first at me, but soon lost interest as it examined Hitmontop, who raised an eyebrow at the Steel Type.

"Oh, Magnemite, you can't do that, come here. Other Trainers and Pokemon might not like you getting that close," Helen told her new Pokemon.

"It's alright, I don't think it means any harm," I reassured her. "Where's Damien anyway?"

"Said he was getting breakfast. Maybe he'll buy for all of us this time," Karl mused.

While we stood there waiting, I encouraged Hitmontop to join in Darumaka's game, who happily giggled at having a new friend to play with.

"Try just using your feet, Hitmontop," I suggested.

It was tricky at first hitting the ball back, and a few times it got sent way too far away or he missed hitting it entirely. But soon he found his rhythm, managing to smack the ball back to Karl and Darumaka with the side of his foot. A smile began to form on Hitmontop's face as it played with the Fire Type. After around ten minutes, Damien arrived with two drinks and a paper bag in hand.

"Here, matcha latte," He handed Helen a cup with a paper sleeve wrapped around it and handed Karl the bag.

Helen began fiddling with her phone. "What do I owe you-?"

"Nothing," Damien cut her off. "Really, it's on me. My treat."

Helen looked pleased at that while Karl rummaged around in the paper bag before scowling at Damien.

"Aww, come on. You got her latte but couldn't find my donut?"

"I told you dude, I don't know what the fuck a cruller is. I looked and picked what I thought was right," the blonde teenager groaned as he noticed the Magnemite hovering around Helen's head. "That's your new team member right? Was it hard to catch?"

"Nope, they tend to hang out near Valley Windworks. I wanted a Pachirisu but they're more popular with Coordinators and the Steel Type will be useful," she replied before picking up her bulky-looking backpack. "Ughh, why does this thing feel like it got heavier?"

"Did you pick up extra supplies or something?" I asked, to which Helen shook her head.

"It'll feel lighter the more we travel. We've got to build up the muscles for it," Karl said through a mouthful of breakfast pastry before grabbing his own pack and putting away Darumaka's ball. "Come on, you're gonna be walking too. Gotta build up your stamina," he told the Fire Type, who clapped his tiny hands together.

Damien decided to join in. The teenager unclipped a ball from his belt and released the creature inside. What appeared was a dopey looking Wooper, eyes glazing over and drool running down his chin. Karl didn't look convinced.

"I don't know if that's the best idea, Damien."

"Why's that?"

"Wooper can't even keep up. What happens if he falls over?"

"He's fine, Wooper-?"

But the Water Type had already fallen face first before rolling onto his back as he looked up at his Trainer with that same vacant expression. After several seconds, he still hadn't made a move to pick himself back up. Helen giggled while Damien groaned before recalling the drooling Pokemon.

"Fine, point taken."

After that, we headed out onto Route 205 with our Pokemon in tow. Hitmontop was getting along really well with Karl's Darumaka, while Magnemite hovered above our heads observing the group as a whole and getting used to us. It would take us a few days to make it to the Ranger Outpost before we entered Eterna Forest, where we'd rest for a day or two before making the arduous trek through. The rest of the day was spent under the waning September summer sun, and although I spotted a few Pokemon nearby that weren't startled by us, none of them stood out as potential team members. There were a few Electric Types, like Electrike and Shinx but nothing out of the ordinary. I considered fishing in the river nearby as we crossed the bridge but I already had Marshtomp and doubling up on Types wasn't something I was crazy about. Generally, the idea of the Gym Circuit was to push you to raise a diverse team that could handle most any Types you would face. Some Trainers, like Kalani, were specialists of one Type and had likely trained her Pokemon in a way to be able to mitigate their common weaknesses. So far, my team didn't overlap on Types, but as it stood now we were lacking in good ranged options, and none of my Pokemon could fight in the air. Hopefully our next team member could fill that role or help to mitigate that particular weakness. Eterna Forest was teeming with Bug and Grass Pokemon, so I wouldn't be hurting for options. Though, getting through that nightmare of a forest took priority over catching new Pokemon, especially when other people's lives were at stake.

Luckily, traveling with other Trainers made things more interesting than roughing it in the wilds with just my Pokemon. I talked plenty with Karl and Helen, and listened in whenever they or Damien spoke. Occasionally, I was the outsider on a lot of their inside jokes or they'd reference something I wasn't clued in on, but that was par for the course when you were the new member of a group. Even Damien seemed to be lightening up a bit, he hadn't made a single quip about me joining the whole day. Every once in a while, another Trainer would approach us looking for a battle. Damien took the first one, easily steamrolling with his Houndour while Helen did the same with her Meditite. It was my first team seeing her battle, and I had to admit the Psychic Type was exceptional, and even Hitmontop was intrigued at watching them fight. Still, my starter didn't seem terribly thrilled about battling when another Trainer asked about sparring with his Machop, so I compromised and let Marshtomp get some exercise. The Fighting Type was stubborn and refused to go down but eventually relented after repeated hits with Water Gun and Rock Throw. The Trainer had been nice enough about it though, and the few hundred Poke-Dollars he'd given me wasn't bad either.

After several hours of travel, we arrived at the foot of the rocky-uphill climb that would lead us to the Ranger Outpost and Eterna Forest. Damien was dragging his feet, and although Karl and Helen didn't seem like they wanted to admit it, I knew they were tired too. They'd recalled their Pokemon as well, who'd also been exhausted from travel. Hitmontop seemed fine, but I was ready to sit down and be done for the day as well. I looked back to them and addressed the group.

"Everyone good to stop here for the day…?"

That had been all of the encouragement they needed. Helen sank to her feet and sat on the ground, while Damien found a stump to rest on. Karl slung his heavy backpack off his broad shoulders and sat down on it like a makeshift cushion.

I sent Hitmontop around to gather kindling while I had Marshtomp dig a pit for the fire. Karl and Damien were setting up tents nearby while Helen was organizing bowls and feeding their Pokemon. Once my starter came back with an armful of dry sticks, I sent him off again to find bigger pieces like logs. While I used the lighter to carefully set the twigs and kindling alight, Marshtomp watched cautiously over my shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. With you here, the fire's perfectly within our control, right?" I asked the Water Type. He nodded nervously before taking a step back as I fed more twigs and sticks into the fire pit. "It's gonna get a bit bigger, but it's contained to the pit so even if we let it go, it can't get out of control. We'll have to douse it before we leave, but that's your job. You're our little firefighter, Marshtomp," I told him before playfully poking him in the stomach. He was nervous still, but the reassurance that everything was alright seemed to be helping him.

As the sticks and kindling began to light, Damien and Helen sat down to eat their trail food as they watched Marshtomp and I. Damien leaned over to whisper something to Helen that I couldn't hear.

"Damien. Shut. Up," Helen chastised in a low tone through her teeth.

"What? Come on, you can see it too, I'm not wrong am I?" the greasy-haired teenager complained.

"You were fine with him all day, don't start shit now," she said before scooping up two bowls of Pokemon feed and walking away to feed her team, leaving Damien with a granola bar in his hand and an exasperated look on his face that soon turned red as he noticed me watching their exchange. Damien crushed the snack in his hand before running after her.

As we were left alone now, I decided to release Sableye. I hadn't seen or talked to him since last night, and I figured getting out of the Pokeball would be good for him. The Dark Type seemed bewildered at our surroundings until I caught him up to speed on where we were.

"Look, I don't want to use the Pokeball as a punishment. I don't think any of you like being in them but when you pick fights with Hitmontop and refuse to listen to what I say, I don't have many options. You like watching TV and drawing, right? It'll be easier for you to stay out of the ball and do those things if we can get along," I told the Ghost Type, who stared at me until I stopped talking before his gaze shifted to Marshtomp and Hitmontop. The two of them were enjoying their kibble and Marshtomp even waved to Sableye, who began to raise a hand in response before he shifted his attention to me. "Marshtomp wants you around, too. I'm not asking you to be Hitmontop's best friend but he hasn't been malicious to you. Even you have to acknowledge that."

The Ghost Type shifted around where he sat before shrugging his shoulders.

"Here, I feel like you're probably hungry," I held out a few of the stones he'd dug out of the Ravaged Path, which he quickly snatched out of my palm and devoured. "That's it for now. Feeding you is tricky. I know you don't eat like the others do, but we have a limited supply of your food for the time being and I'd rather not waste it by letting you gorge yourself."

I pointed to my traveling companions along with their teams. "That's Karl, Helen and Damien. We'll be traveling with them and their Pokemon for a while. If you can get along with them and their teams, you can stay out of the ball to play, but you can't cause trouble and you have to listen when I tell you something, got it?"

Sableye looked down and away from me, before he nodded in agreement. I hadn't forgotten about the scuffle he'd had with Hitmontop the night before, and neither had the Ghost Type. I was lucky it had ended with just the TV remote. If I didn't nip this in the bud now, they'd be impossible to handle as they grew more powerful. I wasn't worried about Hitmontop getting destructive and out of control, but Sableye being a Ghost and Dark Type meant my other Pokemon weren't the best equipped to deal with him. A Fairy Type would be ideal, but I'd heard that they could be rather finicky to deal with. Besides, I knew the ones native to Sinnoh like Clefairy and Ralts only appeared closer to Mt. Coronet, a fair distance away from us now.

Karl had returned Darumaka to his Pokeball, the Fire Type having been exhausted from the day's travel while he tossed the same tennis ball around with Damien's team. Pancham and Houndour seemed to enjoy the game, Houndour in particular was able to jump and snatch the ball out of midair. I couldn't say the same for poor Wooper. His heart was in the right place, but he often just let the ball bonk him on the head or tried to use his tail to swat it back with no luck. Still, he seemed happy just to be included. Soon, my own Pokemon finished their food and joined in the fun. Hitmontop seemed hesitant at first, but he soon found himself kicking the ball back with little to no effort and Marshtomp seemed to be having fun shooting the ball with little bursts of water. While they played, I set up my new tent and hoped I'd get to use it for more than one night this time, then ate some of my trail food for dinner while I watched them.

After around an hour, it was getting too dark for them to play outside of the firelight, so the game came to an end. I recalled my team so we could get some rest. I had opted to take the last watch, so I settled into my tent to sleep for a while. Hours later, I was woken up by Karl shaking me. With bleary eyes, I settled into a spot near the campfire, and released Marshtomp several feet away from the fire pit. The Water Type materialized, splayed out on his back and yawning as he looked up from the nap I had just interrupted. I released Hitmontop nearby, who simply opened his eyes and blinked several times before beginning his morning stretches while Marshtomp walked a few feet away to practice his Icy Wind. I joined the Fighting type in morning stretches, and soon began sweating in the cold morning air. My legs ached from the long walk yesterday, but it felt good to move my body. After the stretches, I sat down in front of the fire pit to rest and fed the flames with leftover kindling and sticks. For awhile, I sat there watching the flames flicker and the shadows dance along the edges of the fire light. I remembered that Sableye hadn't been out yet, and let the Ghost Type out of his ball. He seemed calmer, more at ease now but I guess that had to do with it being night time. His species lived almost exclusively in dark caves and until now I'd really only had him out during the day.

"Go practice your Shadow Ball, see if it's any easier now. Give it an hour of solid effort and I'll let you draw by the fire," I told him. He gave me a wicked looking toothy grin before walking over to join Marshtomp.

Leaving my Pokemon to practice on their own left me wondering how the rest of the group handled the training of their teams. Despite knowing Karl and Helen relatively well, I also didn't know the reason they'd become Trainers. Most people had aspirations of becoming Champion or having any kind of career related to Pokemon. Some people did it simply because they could, a fun thing to do while they were young. I knew even less about Damien, and I honestly couldn't say that I wanted to. He'd been openly hostile and standoffish about having me along for this leg of the journey. Still, they all had to have their reasons for doing this, right?

I heard something to my left and noticed that Marshtomp had joined Hitmontop in one of his exercises. They were practicing the motions that Hitmontop normally did for Mach Punch, though the Fighting Type had to keep correcting his form.

A little while later, the Water Type joined me by the fire by slumping his back up against my side before he dozed off. Hitmontop had found a tree nearby, and had latched onto a solid looking branch with his tail. He was doing pull-ups, using his tail to lift his head just above the branch before lowering himself back down. It was actually kind of impressive that he could do that.

"Don't push yourself too hard, ok? We've got more walking to do today."

"Top!"

With a flip, he landed near the base of the tree looking pleased with himself. It was probably time for him to begin practicing a new move. Marshtomp had been training with Icy Wind for a while and Sableye was starting to learn Shadow Ball, so it was time to add to Hitmontop's arsenal as well. Flicking through his information, it actually revealed he could learn quite a few moves. Wide Guard, Detect and even Drill Run, though I didn't know how to begin teaching him a devastating move like that. And those were just at a quick glance, there were plenty more he was capable of with TMs and the proper training.

The thought did come to mind though that we had worked on a few moves back in Jubilife using some of the sports gear I'd picked up. Maybe once we reached Eterna, we could begin the process again. Even if I wanted to start right now, it was way too dark to reasonably ask Hitmontop to start practicing new moves when neither of us could see what was happening. The Fighting Type joined me by the fire, and I gave him my phone to watch a video. There was no reception this far out, so I had to download them myself, and I needed a way to keep him occupied outside of exercise and training. Soon, Sableye walked back into the firelight dragging his feet. I handed the Ghost Type a sketchpad and pencil, and he seemed content to create another scribbling mess all over the page. At least he wasn't eating the pencil this time.

As dawn began to break over our camp, Helen was actually the first to emerge from her tent, roughly combing her hair before putting in a bun and greeting me with a wave before she noticed Marshtomp sleeping next to me. Actually, he had rolled to his right and was using my leg as a makeshift pillow. Hitmontop was tucked under my arm, content with his video while Sableye was happy as a Clamperl with his scribbles.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Helen squealed, pulling out her phone as she squatted down next to the Water Type to get a better picture before stopping. "Oh, can I…?" she let the question hang in the air as she looked at me.

"Yeah, go for it," I encouraged.

She snapped the photo, then got a different angle and took another before standing up to admire them and watch the four of us together.

"Do you have any siblings Titus?" Helen asked.

"Nope. It was hard enough for my Mom to raise me by herself, I couldn't imagine it if she had more," I explained. "You've obviously got Karl though."

"Yeah, he's the brother I always wanted. I have an older sister, but we don't talk very much," she mused. "Speaking of, I'd better go wake him up."

Karl and Damien emerged from their tent, yawning and stretching and began feeding themselves and their teams. I did the same, while watching the others and being shocked that Helen's Meditite had nothing to eat. The Psychic Type was working through a series of yoga stretches as the other Pokemon around him ate their breakfast.

"Meditite doesn't eat?" I asked her.

"He does every once in awhile, but fasting is part of his training so it makes it tough to give him food."

I marveled at that. I knew certain Pokemon could thrive off of sunlight or other means, but for a Fighting Type to train by fasting was really impressive.

Once everyone had eaten, I had Marshtomp douse the fire. He stood a few feet away before shooting a jet of water into the pit. What remained of the logs and coals sizzled as the water hit and a small plume of ash shot up. I praised the Water Type for being brave, which he sheepishly accepted.

I could tell he was getting more comfortable around fire now that I'd shown him that he could deal with it himself. Plus, we'd be able to take that Ranger course on fire safety once we reached the station outside of Eterna Forest.

"Hey!"

Out of breath, I looked around before I found the source of the voice, as did Hitmontop. After walking all day, I was beginning to feel the weight in my backpack but strangely Helen had been quiet on that front. Approaching us with a raised hand was a boy around my age with black hair and a confident smile. Clinging to his head was a purple simian Pokemon, an Aipom. It flashed its teeth at me with a mischievous grin before jumping off its Trainer's shoulder and swinging back up to the other side with its tail.

"Up for a battle? Trying to get my Pokemon some exercise," the dark haired teen explained.

I first looked to my companions, but even Damien wasn't up for a battle at the moment. We'd been walking since the early morning and even though we'd hit some relatively flat ground at the moment, it'd been an uphill trek most of the day.

I glanced at Hitmontop, who was sitting on the ground next to me. Marshtomp was likely just as exhausted but Sableye hadn't been out and walking either. There was also the money to consider. I could make Hitmontop battle, but he might not be entirely into it.

"I don't know…Hitmontop?"

The Fighting Type looked up at the Trainer, sizing them up. After a few seconds, his frown returned before he shook his head at me. Aipom leapt from the teenager's shoulder before taking a few tentative steps towards Hitmontop, curious about the other Pokemon as it cocked its head examining him.

"It's gonna be a no, sorry," I admitted.

"Oh, that's Tauros shit. Fine, be a coward," the teenager vehemently snapped.

Aipom turned his back to Hitmontop, before slapping the Fighting Type's cheek with its tail and bounding away, hooting and giggling. Hitmontop leapt to his feet as he began stomping towards the Aipom and his Trainer before I grabbed him.

"Well, looks like he wants to fight. I say let 'em," the Trainer barked, a cocky smile growing on his lips that matched his Pokemon.

"Hitmontop, stop, come here." I ordered. The Fighting Type glared at Aipom before stomping back to me, an angry frown plastered to his face.

I knelt down to him before grasping his shoulders. "Hey, you don't have to-" Hitmontop's eyes snapped to mine before he shook his head.

"You want to fight?" I whispered. He nodded.

"Alright. But Aipom won't fight clean, he's going to try to get under your skin. But we'll find an opening and hammer him, you just can't let him get to you." I instructed before I stood up and eyed our opponents.

"Ready?", the black-haired teenager called out, his Aipom dancing around without a care in front of him.

"Yeah!"

My opponent tossed a stone high into the air. It was a start signal for impromptu battles for Trainers in the wild, the battle beginning as soon as the rock hit the ground.

"Aipom, Swift!"

"Swift!"

Stars gathered around the Normal Type, as it swung its tail in a circle over its head before swatting them towards Hitmontop, who matched the effort with star shaped projectiles of his own. The result was a collision of stars that shattered and broke on contact but none were getting through.

"Rapid Spin!"

"Double Hit!"

Hitmontop flipped back before spinning in place and shooting forward towards Aipom. The Normal Type leapt at his opponent with a glowing tail before swinging it. The attack bounced harmlessly off of Hitmontop, the rotational force shunting the attack away and throwing Aipom back as they collided.

"Double Team!"

As the Normal Type flew back, two illusory copies emerged from its body to join the fray. The three of them began laughing, hooting and pointing at Hitmontop, one of them going so far as to slap his rear with his own tail to taunt him. Double Team didn't create literal copies of the Pokemon, just illusory fakes but the move was still hard to use and it was perfect for Aipom, who preferred being clever and tricky to brute force.

"Swift, again!"

"Bounce!"

I was expecting one of them to leap high in the air, but two of the Aipom seized a third by his legs and threw him into the sky. I'd seen the move used on TV and in videos, but never like that. The stars connected, destroying one of the illusions, but one still remained on the ground.

"Dive and Quick Attack!"

"Mach Punch, hit the grounded one!"

A whip crack echoed across the field as Hitmontop blurred, his punch breaking the illusion as Aipom soared overhead and struck the ground where the Fighting Type had been standing.

Even if we had the Type advantage, we were getting nowhere. We had landed one attack so far, but we needed to get some kind of lead.

"Mach Punch, again!"

"Sand Attack!"

Aipom struck the ground with his tail, throwing a cloud of sand and dirt in front of him that Hitmontop tore through, his fist making solid contact and throwing the Normal Type back. My starter stopped in place to rub at his eyes, unable to open them properly.

"Double Hit, he's vulnerable!"

"Grab his tail!"

The purple creature dove, striking Hitmontop across the cheek with the hand of his tail before the Fighting Type stopped the limb from finishing the attack. Aipom pulled on his tail and tried desperately to free himself but he was stuck.

"Aipom, Tickle!"

"Dizzy Punch, don't let up!"

Even if Hitmontop couldn't see properly, it wouldn't stop him entirely. With his one free fist, he threw a steady barrage of heavy punches at the Normal Type before the Long Tail Pokemon went down.

"Aipom, return!"

The dark haired teenager recalled his Pokemon before walking over and wordlessly handing me some cash from his pocket before he left.

I walked over to Hitmontop, who was still rubbing his eyes, and knelt down to him with a bottle of water.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Tilt your head back and open your eyes, it's gonna sting a little but it'll help," I told him.

Reluctantly, the Fighting Type leaned his head back and barely opened his eyes as I poured the water over him. He sighed in relief and finally managed to fully open his eyes, blinking several times as he wiped the water away from his face. A smile manifested on his face as he looked at me.

"You did great, Hitmontop. Come on, it shouldn't be too much farther to the Ranger Station."

Late in the afternoon, we arrived at the outpost, a large wooden building that dwarfed the one I'd been to in Jubilife. There were Trainers milling in and out and hanging around the place. Attached to the outpost was a Pokemon Center, the last stop before heading into Eterna Forest. Further up the road, I saw a pair of Rangers barring what they generously considered an entrance to the forest. It looked like they had just turned a group of young Trainers away and pointed back to the Ranger Station.

I looked at my group as I asked, "So, how long did we want to stick around here for? I was looking into taking a few of the courses before we headed in."

Karl rolled his shoulder before replying. "We can stick around for a day or two at least. We should enjoy hot food and a bed while we can."

Damien looked like he wanted to interject before Helen piped up.

"They make everyone take the safety course before they're allowed in, but another day to prepare and get ready couldn't hurt."

"Yeah, I guess it's okay if you think so," the blonde haired teenager replied.

We headed for the Pokemon Center, but before we could get our Pokemon checked out, I noticed a teenager holding his head in his hands sitting on a couch by himself. As I handed my team to the Nurse I asked her if he was okay.

"No, he just lost his starter. There's a Heracross out there somewhere that's out for blood and they were in its way. If he hadn't been with a group to fight it off, it might've killed him too," she replied somberly. A hollow feeling crept into my stomach. Losing any Pokemon was tough, but a starter was often worse. I wanted to reach out and say something, but I knew the words coming from someone who didn't know what he was going through would sound like bullshit.

We'd be heading into that same forest in two days, I just hoped that we were prepared for it.