TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Badges: 3
Account: 38,427 credits
Location: Dewford Town

DANIEL'S TEAM
Kirlia (Apollo) - Male
Crawdaunt (Duran) - Male
Eevee (Orion) - Male
Trapinch - Female

OWEN'S TEAM
Hariyama (Bronson) - Male
Shroomish (Misha) - Female
Vigoroth (Omar) - Male

A shiver ran down my spine as Duran unleashed another torrent of water with enough force to peel strips of bark off the tree he was currently targeting, his pride and confidence unmistakable as he showed off the boost in power his evolution had granted him.

I'd obviously known that Duran and Apollo would be stronger after evolving, but I hadn't been expecting the difference to be quite so drastic. Part of me couldn't help but wonder how much of what I was seeing might be a result of Pokérus, but deep down I knew that wasn't what it was.

While I'd have never wanted to find myself on the receiving end of one of Duran's Water Guns, I was never under the impression that being struck by it would do much more than knock the wind out of me and put me on my ass. Now, he was able to pump out nearly twice as much water as before thanks to his claws having grown so much and his larger body being able to hold a much larger quantity of water for him to tap into.

It was hard to wrap my head around how much stronger he was compared to the last time I saw him, and that sentiment extended to Apollo as well. Only a week ago, Apollo was still struggling with the basics of telekinesis and could barely even levitate a leaf off the ground. I knew for a fact that he hadn't been practicing it at all since then, not only because I doubted he'd have any opportunity to practice while in quarantine, but because he confirmed my assumption after I couldn't help but ask.

He still lacked the finesse and fine control needed to make something like Magical Leaf work, where he'd need to be able to manipulate multiple objects with enough precision to fling them toward the intended target, but now the simple act of levitating a leaf was child's play for him.

He'd graduated to rocks.

It was wobbly and uncoordinated, and he was still a ways away until he would be able to levitate a cup of coffee to me without spilling it like Stella had been able to do, but it was a massive leap in ability. He had all the power necessary to get the job done, he just needed more experience with regulating the flow of his psychic energy and learning how to more subtly manipulate the object he targeted. The rock he levitated was rather jerky, and Apollo found himself completely unable to hold it steady and rotate it like I'd challenged him to, but that would come with more practice.

Still, he'd gone from struggling to lift a single leaf to haphazardly waving around rocks, cementing in my mind that evolution was both a wonderful and startlingly terrifying thing.

I know that Orion felt similarly startled by this, because I could feel him shiver in my arms as we both watched Duran enthusiastically showing off his newfound power. We were supposed to be taking it easy today – it wasn't even meant to be a proper training session, since three of my four team members hadn't done a lick of training in over a week.

I'd just wanted to give them a chance to burn off some steam, and to get an idea of how much evolution had affected their current capabilities. If nothing else, both of these goals had been successful, yet I hadn't been expecting the differences to be quite so startling.

"Alright buddy, that's enough. I get it – you're stronger than ever. No need to wear yourself out," I called out at Duran, who looked slightly disappointed at his fun being cut short as he lowered his claws and sauntered over, yet complied without a fuss.

Amusement. "Determined to prove strength. Eager to train, get even stronger."

I glanced to my side at Apollo and gave him a confused look, unsure how he could know that. I still hadn't had a chance to look into the 'issue' he currently faced with Duran that prevented him from communicating with telepathy, as it had still only been a couple of hours since we'd been reunited and we hadn't even had the chance to meet up with Owen yet like we'd originally planned to do after some alone time.

"Still cannot sense mind, but not needed. Can feel, especially when strong."

I nodded in silent acknowledgment, feeling a sense of relief that he could still sense Duran in some way. I obviously knew that he had shown the ability to passively sense emotions from those that were nearby, but it wouldn't have shocked me if that was somehow affected by Duran's new typing, and regardless I still found it impressive how he was able to glean so much information just from picking up on a couple of Duran's emotions.

Perks of being an empath, I supposed.

"You two went a little overboard in showing off what you can do," I remarked with a grin, glancing between Apollo and Duran as I gestured at the mess of bark, broken branches, random rocks, and scattered clumps of disturbed sand and mud that they had left in their wake. "This was supposed to be a light demonstration. Remember, you haven't trained in over a week, and you aren't familiar with your new bodies yet. Believe me, I'm just as excited to see what you can do as you are, but if you hurt or overexert yourself you'll just end up in Nurse Joy's care again."

Apollo readily agreed with my sentiment, but it was obvious that Duran was a little disappointed that I wasn't letting him push himself. I could tell that he was feeling restless after a week of being cooped up, and was undoubtedly eager to test the limits of what his newly evolved form could do. But I wanted to take it easy, not only to slowly get back in the groove of our normal training routine after a week of lounging around, but because we had only been reunited hours ago. It was a special occasion, and didn't want to immediately return to our routine of training or battling, even if it's exactly how Duran would have preferred to spend the day.

"I'll get you a battle soon," I reassured him as I slightly bent over to rub his shell. It was still strange to me just how big the two had gotten after evolution, since I was so used to having to bend over to interact with them, but both were now nearly three feet tall and roughly half my height. Duran was still slightly taller than Apollo, as he'd always been, but given their new scale it wasn't nearly as noticeable as before.

They both seemed so big to me, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and awe. It wasn't the first or last time I'd have that thought, even after having been with them for hours now, and I felt a little bit like a parent gushing over how grown up their kids had gotten.

"If nothing else, the gym should be opening up in the next few days, at least I hope. We sort of need to beat Dewford's gym before we can move on to the eastern ones, since I am saving Norman for last. I'm sure you'll love this gym, Duran. The gym leader is a fighting-type expert, so it'll be the perfect chance for you to let loose in a brawl. We probably shouldn't count on being able to beat him up close and personal considering it's his specialty, but I'm sure he'll find a way to close the gap even if we try to keep our distance."

I'd done some research into Brawly and the Pokémon he typically used. It was hard to say exactly what we might be going up against, since he typically received challenges from trainers with fewer badges than me, but I felt reasonably good about our chances at winning.

At least, when it came to Apollo and Duran. Apollo had a type advantage coupled with nearly unmatched mobility, and I wasn't at all worried about Duran's ability to pull his own weight, but truthfully Orion had me a little worried due to the type disadvantage. So long as he was able to outspeed his opponent he had a solid chance, but considering a lot of fighting-types were rather bulky it made me nervous he might not be able to put enough power into his attacks to deal any meaningful damage.

It was mildly concerning, but I wasn't too stressed about it. What really had me nervous was if it ended up being a four-on-four battle and Trapinch had to get involved. She wasn't even familiar with battling wild Pokémon due to the recent restrictions, and throwing her head-first into a four-badge gym challenge seemed like a great way to completely crush her morale and motivation after all the progress we'd made.

A chime rang out, and I pulled out my phone to see that Samantha had texted me to confirm that I'd gotten my team back and ask how things were going. It wasn't surprising since I'd told her that I was being reunited with my team today, but I'd been far too preoccupied getting reacquainted with them to update her.

As much as I wanted to focus on spending time with my team, I felt a prang of guilt upon seeing the message. Although we'd stayed in touch during lockdown, I had to admit that I hadn't exactly been a good friend to her recently. Our correspondences mostly consisted of her checking up on me and trying to strike up conversation, only for me to give her a quick update and resume focus on training, both for myself and Trapinch. She'd been wanting to have a proper phone call for quite some time, and I kept finding excuses to brush it off.

It wasn't that I was purposely avoiding her or didn't want to talk to her – I just hadn't exactly been in the best headspace to want to have a 'serious' conversation, particularly about what happened in Lavaridge. But now that I had my team back and felt like I'd largely come to peace with what had happened, I felt like it was long overdue for me to reciprocate the consideration that Samantha had been showing for me.

Compassion. Confidence. "Feel your regret. Easy to fix, so should do before worse. Go, we wait."

I faintly smiled, thankful for Apollo's silent support as I made up my mind. "You guys hang out for a few minutes. I'm going to call Samantha, it shouldn't take too long. I'd like to treat you guys to some good food to celebrate the occasion, so I'll also check in with Owen to see if he's ready to meet up. Omar and Bronson both evolved too, so it'll be interesting to see how different our group is once we're all together again."

It was a startling realization, since a week and a half ago Roxy had been the only evolved Pokémon in our group. Now, even with her absence, we had four evolved Pokémon between us. Duran's evolution was the only one that I would consider 'standard' as well – Apollo evolved as a result of a life-threatening encounter with the Rockets, Omar's could best be described as a freak accident, and Bronson had evolved due to Pokerus, although he was surely close to doing so regardless.

Then again, it was well-known that Pokémon tended to evolve in high-stress situations, so perhaps it wasn't that strange that we'd had a wave of evolutions given recent events. Yet the fact still remained that our group would look a lot different than it did when we were last all together.

I set Orion down and stepped a few paces away from my team as I called Samantha, observing how Orion began to excitedly bark at both Duran and Apollo, no doubt expressing his amazement at how strong the two had become. I'd been worried that Orion would feel left behind or inadequate, but he seemed to be taking it in stride and was more happy for his brothers than anything. I was planning on having a talk with him about his own evolution somewhat soon, just so that we could try to come to a decision and begin making any necessary plans. I had nearly forty-thousand credits to my name, but knew that it would be woefully inadequate if I ended up needing to buy Orion an evolution stone.

At least, if I wanted to get him one that was decent quality, which I fully intended on doing.

"Seriously?! You choose today of all days to call and chat?" Samantha's disbelieving voice asked over my phone's speaker as she answered my call.

"Seems like the perfect day to me. I'm not keeping to my training schedule today, and I'm in a particularly good mood for obvious reasons, so I'm feeling more social than usual."

"I take it you got your team back then? Everything going good?"

"Overall, yeah. A few small hiccups, but it's about as good as can be expected," I remarked as I watched Duran, Apollo, and Orion all having a group conversation while Trapinch basked in the sun, nearby but distinctly separate. My team had taken my words to heart and tried to be more social with Trapinch, but she still seemed reluctant to fully immerse herself in the group. There was only so much that we could do – if we tried to force it too much, it would only be counterproductive. I just had to trust that she'd feel more at ease over time, and hope for the best.

"You don't sound quite as excited as I would have expected," Samantha commented, causing me to frown.

"It's great, really. Everyone is healthy and happy, and I finally feel like things are going to be alright. It's just that things are still a little strained with Trapinch, and now I've got this new problem where Apollo can't even talk with Duran telepathically, since he's part dark-type now. It put a little bit of a damper on our reunion, and I'm really hoping it's something that we can figure out, but we haven't let it spoil the occasion."

"Ah. Well luckily, that's not something that can't be overcome. I've heard that it takes some specialized training and adequate control over type-energy, but it's definitely possible for that to be fixed. Dark-types naturally resist psychics to the point where their mind can be entirely shrouded from a psychic's influence, but from what I gather it's just a matter of training Duran to repress his dark-type energy enough for Apollo to sense his mind."

A huge wave of relief washed over me, the feeling contributed to by Apollo as he silently lingered in the back of my mind. "Yeah, Apollo says he can't even sense Duran's mind. They can be standing right next to each other, and to Apollo's senses it's like he's not even there. I guess he can still pick up Duran's emotions somehow, but his mind is just… missing."

"Not surprising. I'll be honest though, it will probably take some time to fix, since Duran has just become a dark-type and likely has poor control over it. I also wouldn't be surprised if Apollo is always limited in what he can do telepathically with Duran, but I know for sure basic communication is possible. It's not completely a lost cause, so don't let it get you down. I'll ask my mom if she has any suggestions, this is exactly the kind of thing she'd know."

"You don't have to do that," I said hurriedly. "I haven't even had a chance to look into it yet. I'm sure if I look online, I'll find something to point me in the right direction."

"It's fine Daniel, she'll be more than happy to help. Both of my parents have been asking about you, by the way. You've been making me sound like a shitty friend when they ask how you're doing and all I can really say is 'alright, I think, he's just training hard and keeping his head down until things blow over.'"

"I know, I'm sorry," I apologized with a sigh."I've just been a little checked out, sticking to my routine and distracting myself with training. I didn't really feel up to talking about anything too heavy, or being reminded about Lavaridge or my team. But I'm feeling a lot better now. It might not seem like it, but I seriously appreciate you checking up on me. It's a little late for me to ask, but how have you been? I got the impression you were seriously bored during lockdown, but surely there's been some interesting developments, right?"

I heard her snort over the phone. "You could say that. Made some great progress with my team, especially Buzz and Joy. Honestly, I sort of did the same as you – spent most of my days keeping busy with training my team. I don't know if I've ever expressed to you just how much I hate feeling cooped up at my parents' estate. I always found any excuse I could to get out of the house – it's partially why I spent so much time at the battle courts, even though I didn't do much battling myself. That, and for inspiration for possible routines, of course."

"I suppose it's safe to assume you're feeling ready for your next contest? Is Chase finally ready to make his debut?"

"Definitely! I've got the perfect aesthetic for us. I commissioned a designer to help me out, and I'm in love with what she's come up with. It should be ready for pick-up here in the next couple of days, and I can't wait to get my hands on it."

"I hope I get to see it. I need to stick around here until the gyms reopen and I can get my badge, so it might be a week or two before I can make it to Slateport, it's hard to say. Don't feel like you need to wait for me or anything, I'll totally understand if you want to get back to competing as soon as possible."

I heard her hum over the phone. "We'll see how things go. I'm looking forward to competing again, but honestly I just wanted to get out of the house more than anything. I did that the moment the lockdown lifted, so I'm feeling quite content for the time being."

"You already left home?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Well duh. I didn't even want to be there anyway, so of course I left the first opportunity I got. It's not like there was much reason for me to stick around anyway – Daddy has been super busy and has hardly been home, and as much as I love my mom she can be a little much in large doses."

A bunch of questions sprang to my mind that I wanted to ask – about what had Steven so busy, if Roxanne was back to teaching at the Rustboro Trainer's Academy, and whether she was going to resume being 'temporary' gym leader when the gyms reopened or if they'd found a new gym leader yet. But I didn't want to get into an hour-long chat with Samantha when I just got my team back, and there was one question that burned in my mind more than any other.

"If you aren't home, where are you?"

"Back in Fallarbor. I had some unfinished business to take care of, and I got the feeling that somebody was a little too preoccupied to entertain a visit from their dear sister."

I heard her giggle in amusement before she continued. "Besides, you have Owen to keep you company, but I completely ditched Marelle, even if it wasn't on purpose. She's been stuck here all alone since lockdown started, and since it's one of the places the Rockets targeted it's been seriously depressing, even though it happened over a week ago. Not that I blame them or anything… I mean, I just got here this morning and I'm already starting to look forward to leaving, it just feels weird."

I frowned, remembering that Fallarbor had indeed been one of the locations the Rockets targeted. If I recalled correctly, it was one of the more 'successful' heists they'd pulled, but I hadn't even registered the fact that Marelle had been there for it.

"I never even thought to ask, but did Marelle…" I trailed off, not sure how to put it delicately.

"She got lucky. She was still on Route 114 when the alert went out, so it took her a little while to get back into town. By the time she got there, the Rockets had already come and gone."

I sighed in relief, which somewhat surprised me. I didn't exactly consider Marelle a 'friend', but I definitely didn't hate her or wish misfortune upon her either. Sure, she made me uncomfortable and we didn't exactly have the best history together, but all things considered she seemed like a good enough person, and there was no doubt that she cared dearly about her Marill. I knew that Team Rocket had stolen a lot of Pokémon, but in actuality Owen was the only trainer that I personally knew who was affected.

Not that I knew a ton of trainers, but it was relieving to hear that Samantha and I weren't the only ones who had been spared.

"Glad to hear. So by 'unfinished business', does that mean trying to explain your sudden disappearance to Marelle? That couldn't have been easy – weren't you with her when you got taken home?"

"That's partially why, but I also never got a fair shot at finding a Swablu. The first time I went out with Marelle, it was mostly just to say that I tried more than a true attempt. But during lockdown I thought about it a lot and kind of got my heart set on it, so I wanted to give it a real shot. Since Marelle is stuck here until the contest hall reopens and she can go for her next ribbon, she could use the company anyway."

"So how did you smooth things over? Didn't she find it weird that you got whisked away hours before the lockdown was announced?"

I heard her sigh. "Yeah, it's been tricky. I've tried to play it off as my parents overreacting to some insider information they got about the lockdown coming, but unfortunately the Rocket attack makes it all the more suspicious. She even saw my dad's Metagross for a split second, and all I could think to say was that it was part of my family's private security. Thankfully she hasn't seemed to fully piece it together, but she definitely knows I'm not just some average girl and that I'm not being entirely truthful, even if she's nice enough not to pry. Honestly, I've been thinking about just telling her the truth."

I hesitated, resisting the urge to berate her for what a dumb idea that was. Marelle didn't exactly strike me as a person with bad intentions, yet the report that Steven had sent coupled with her uncanny ability to pick up on falsehoods made me extremely wary. But at the end of the day, it was Samantha's secret to tell, and it sounded like it was getting to a point where it was simply a Snorlax in the room that could no longer be ignored.

"It's your call… I'm sure you know my feelings on that, as well as your parents'. They kind of put you in this situation though, so if you feel like you have to tell her, they can really only blame themselves."

"Right!? That's what I'm saying! I'm surprised you agree with me, I was sure you'd chew me out. Realistically, I can only keep who I am a secret for so long. I don't plan on revealing it publicly until after the Grand Festival, if I ever get that far, but I think it's fine for select people that I know are trustworthy, like Owen and Marelle."

"I think Owen is a little more trustworthy than Marelle, but you know her better than I do. Something about Marelle just makes me a little uneasy, and it isn't only her weird 'talent'," I remarked, remembering Steven's report on her checkered past and her brother's criminal affiliation.

"Well I trust her, and that's what matters. She's been a good friend to me, and unlike you she's been in touch and keeping me company throughout lockdown," she said with light accusation that lacked any serious venom. "Stella is against it, but she's always overprotective of me. I still haven't fully decided if I'm going to tell her, I'll see how the next couple of days go, but I've been feeling more and more tempted to. She's been telling me a lot about herself, her past, and her family, and I feel like shit when I can't genuinely reciprocate. Plus, no offense Danny, but I could use someone other than you that I can have real talks about my life with."

"No offense taken, I'm not exactly the best ear to complain to or shoulder to cry on. I'm still not fully convinced Marelle is the best choice for a confidante, but you're an adult and it's your secret."

She snorted in amusement. "True, but you are surprisingly dependable when it counts, like now. I know you've been going through a hard time, but you better start making more of an effort to keep in touch now that you're doing better. I've been patient and understanding, but if you send me another one or two-word response I'll get a teleport to Dewford and slap you myself."

"Understood. We'll stay in touch and try to meet up in Slateport. I'm sure Apollo would be over the moon to see Stella again, and I've got a few stories you'll no doubt find endlessly amusing… Like how horrible my first date went."

"...WHAT?! Tell me everything! Actually, no – this is the kind of thing that demands an in-person conversation. I never took you as the type to have the balls to ask out a girl you just met, good for you. But also, what the hell, Daniel? Your days are too busy to give your dear sister a call, yet you have time to go on dates? Jerk."

"Blame Owen, he thought blindly leading into a double date was a good idea," I sighed.

"Ah, that makes wayyyy more sense. If you say it was bad, I can't wait to hear Owen's side of the story," she said, amusement clear in her voice.

"I'm actually not so sure he'll be coming with me…" I admitted hesitantly. "I hope he does, but I dunno. Every time we've talked about plans after lockdown, he's gotten a little… evasive and weird. I think he's considering taking a break or something. Not that I could really blame him, he did have two Pokémon stolen, and it doesn't seem like there's been any progress made on getting them back."

"I have it on good authority that progress is definitely being made, so don't let him give up hope. But if he decides he needs some time to come to terms with what's happened, don't push him too hard. I know it's not exactly your forte, but just do your best to be there for him. If you decide to spend some extra time in Dewford with him, I'll understand."

"I don't think I'd be able to change his mind regardless of what he chooses. He's still training and in relatively high spirits so maybe I'm wrong, it's just a hunch I have. Either way, I only plan on staying long enough to check out Granite Cave and get my badge. Dewford is nice and all, but I'm ready to get back to journeying… Anyways, I should get going, my team is kind of waiting on me. Just wanted to touch base with you, since I've been kind of a shitty friend lately."

"A little bit, but I get it. I'm just glad you seem to be doing better. Tell Apollo that Stella is looking forward to seeing how much he's grown."

I could feel Apollo's embarrassment over our link, and couldn't help but smirk.

"Will do. Talk to you later – good luck with finding a Swablu, and with Marelle."

"Thanks! Enjoy the day with your team, you deserve it! Talk later, buh-bye!"

I pocketed my phone and turned my attention back to my team only to find Trapinch had actually joined my team's conversation, and was currently paying close attention to whatever Duran and Orion were talking about as she gazed up at Duran with wide eyes.

"How evolving feels," Apollo supplied helpfully, causing me to silently nod in thanks at answering my unspoken question.

Oh, how I had missed that over the past week.

Sure, Trapinch wasn't actively 'participating' in the discussion, and I couldn't help but notice that she was still a couple of paces outside of the loose 'huddle' that my team had formed. But they left an opening for her, and she'd clearly decided to take it so that she could listen in. They were letting their guard down around her and allowing her to get within striking range, though I couldn't help but note that Apollo and Duran were the two by her side, probably by design since Orion was the most vulnerable to potential injury if I had to guess.

We still had a ways to go until she was fully integrated with my team, but it seemed that they'd taken my words to heart. They were doing their best to make her feel welcome, and she was beginning to feel slightly more comfortable around them. I still hoped that she would one day reach the same level of camaraderie she'd once had with Duran, but it seemed that any lingering animosity two had largely faded.

To me, it was just more proof that things were definitely on the upswing. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I'd been right – it was shaping up to be a wonderful day.

A/N: A shorter and calmer chapter, yet informative and important nonetheless. We even have Daniel showing some clear signs of character growth, you love to see it. It's admittedly not my most elegant ending to a chapter, but I didn't want to drag it out with a bunch of reflection, couldn't go to the next scene without the chapter being obscenely long, and didn't want to hint at what's to come, so it'll have to do.

FFN's formatting is STILL broken... I seriously salute any authors who have dealt with this shit for years, assuming they've always been in this endless cycle of things breaking.

Shoutout to The Muffin Rat King and Faefox for beta-reading this chapter.

Discord. gg/ ge6a8XcNcB