As the sun began to rise and I was roused by the endless squawking of the coastal Wingull, I sat up in my sleeping bag and looked around, taking in the scene. Apollo was sleeping at the foot of my sleeping bag as usual, currently hugging the fabric around my ankle, and I smiled fondly at the sight. Corphish was sitting with his back at the entrance facing inward towards us, and I couldn't be sure if he was intent on keeping things out or us in.

I stretched and groaned, noticing that my legs were a bit sore after a full day of walking and jogging. My rustling awoke both Apollo and Corphish, who each did their own versions of a morning stretch as I stepped over Corphish and out of the tent.

After spinning up a small fire and cooking a little rice, I ran my team through some drills. I had Apollo Teleport across branches of the nearby treeline, instructing him to try not to go back to any branch he'd been on previously. I thought it would be good practice to ensure that he had control of the exact destination, which he seemed to have no problem doing so I instructed him to go as fast as possible and always orient himself towards the trunk of the tree. I found it interesting that he seemed to be just as good at teleporting between branches as on the ground, and that my fear he might accidentally slip and fall to the ground was unfounded.

For Corphish, I had him practice his Bubble. I instructed him to use both claws at the same time and to hold it for as long as he could, then told him to take a break before trying to beat his last attempt, essentially making it a challenge. We really needed to practice his water moves if we were planning on tackling the Rustboro gym, and I wasn't sure that Bubble was going to cut it. I wasn't actually sure if Corphish could learn Water Gun, but I figured that we could at least work towards Bubblebeam.

I ate my light breakfast then began packing up camp, idly wondering what I should do with Corphish during our travels. I could carry him in his Pokéball, however I didn't want to play favorites by only traveling with Apollo. I definitely wanted at least one Pokémon out, and I was quite fond of having Apollo experience the world alongside me and practicing telepathy as we walked. He was small and light enough that he could neatly sit on my shoulder without much trouble.

Corphish by contrast was a fair bit larger than Apollo and surely much heavier, and I didn't quite know how comfortable I'd be if I had him on my other shoulder. I also highly doubted that he'd be able to keep up with me by simply walking, so I need to come up with something.

"Hey Corphish, climb on." I requested as I got an idea, putting my backpack on the ground and pointing at the top. Corphish was confused until I explained that I wanted him to be able to stay out of his Pokéball as much as possible, and soon he climbed onto the backpack and nestled himself in. His legs gripped the backpack as I put it back on, and after it was snugly in place I had Apollo Teleport back onto my right shoulder. Corphish wasn't too heavy when carried like this, and after I found my way back to the path and began to enter the Petalburg Woods, Corphish soon readjusted to give himself a better view over my left shoulder.

I didn't know what I'd do when they evolved or after we got more team members, but this would work for now. It was probably frowned upon to walk on routes and through cities with multiple Pokémon released, but I didn't really care what people thought and hadn't run into as many people as I'd expected anyways. I'd probably seen about twenty people since leaving Petalburg, and most seemed to be preoccupied doing their own thing.

I'd always had the impression that running across trainers was a frequent occurrence, and that people randomly battled just from crossing paths, but that didn't seem to really be the case. Perhaps it was a dying tradition, or perhaps I was just getting unlucky, but I'd need to be more proactive if I wanted to get into some battles.

As we stepped into Petalburg Woods, the first thing I noticed was just how little sunlight and sky there was. The forest was so dense that there were only small pockets of sky visible through the leaves. The trees were thick and tall; I had no idea how long some of these trees must have lived, but many were wider than my arm span, and they towered high above.

"This is Petalburg Woods. We're on the only established route through it, and we're likely to take a few days to get to the other side. We're going to go slow and steady, and the path is going to split a few times, but they should all connect and lead us to the other side as long as we try to keep going north. Try to remember what direction we're heading now; it's the direction of the exit. Keep your eyes out for any aggressive wild Pokémon, and if they attack keep your distance. You can easily get poisoned and we want to avoid that as much as possible. We have a few antidotes but not many, and poison is hands down the biggest threat to us." I explained, and to my relief both seemed to take the impromptu briefing seriously.

"On that note, try to stay rested and remain alert so we can fight off any Pokémon getting too close. Don't go picking any unnecessary fights or wear yourself out, but if you want to do some light training while we travel. Apollo, you can practice your Teleport by occasionally going to a tree branch up ahead and keeping a lookout, and Corphish I can give you something to strengthen your grip while you practice your Bubble into the air."

I quickly found a sturdy stone and handed it over my shoulder to Corphish.

"Remember, light training. Don't wear yourself out." I stressed as I looked at Apollo specifically, who promptly averted my gaze. I was sure that if anybody was to overexert themself, it would be him.

Embarrassment.

I chuckled; maybe if Apollo didn't want to be singled out he should pay closer attention to his limits. It dawned on me that he had never really reached a limit; he'd gotten tired and sluggish but had never actually gotten completely exhausted. I idly wondered if I would be a bad trainer for letting him push himself to his absolute limit, which was likely to end in him fainting or collapsing. It was probably a good idea for him to experience that sooner rather than later, but I'm sure an argument could be made that it was a form of abuse.

Shrugging off the thought and deciding to postpone thinking about the morality of limit testing, I noticed Apollo suddenly appear on a particularly far branch at least fifty feet ahead, easily the furthest I'd ever seen him go, and I gave him an impressed round of applause. I suppressed the desire to chastise him for doing something I assumed would be pretty draining, instead deciding to continue walking and see how tired he was when he returned.

As I finally reached where Apollo was and began passing him, he reappeared back on my shoulder, definitely a little winded but not as bad as I would have thought. I gently rubbed his helmet in approval as Corphish began to release a stream of Bubbles behind me, clearly not content to let Apollo further surpass him.

The more I thought about Apollo's Teleport, the more it seemed like something that would take a lot of training to perfect. I still hadn't seen him Teleport somewhere that was outside of his vision, and I knew it still took a bit of extra care and time in order to determine his ending orientation if he didn't want to just face the same direction, but he was definitely getting better at that. I also have yet to get him to try to Teleport another object with him, something I expected would be extremely difficult at this stage but theoretically possible. I decided that was something to try during the next training session.

Zeal. Pride.

"Low! Taillow!" A shriek rang out, and I ducked as a bird buzzed right next to my head. A Taillow looped around and landed on the path in front of us, spreading its wings wide in a clear challenge as it glared at us.

I quickly looked around to see if there were others that might be inclined to gang up on us if we fought back, but saw none.

"You're up Corphish! Apollo, we'll let him handle this, so don't interfere unless I say." I instructed, and Corphish jumped down from the backpack much to my surprise. I guess I shouldn't be too shocked that such a drop wouldn't phase him, but I still hadn't expected it.

"Corphish, I'll let you fight this battle yourself without instruction. I want to get a better idea of how you prefer to fight." I instructed as Corphish squared up against Taillow, who was trilling and puffing itself up in an attempt at intimidation. I grinned, knowing Corphish was immune to such displays.

The Taillow took off quickly, immediately racing towards Corphish with what I assumed was a Quick Attack. I resisted the urge to shout a command and watched as Corphish hopped to the side, sidestepping the attack before his shell began to faintly shine. I assumed that it was Harden, and silently nodded in approval that Corphish had seemingly taken my talk about tactics and strategy seriously.

The Taillow carried its momentum and banked a turn, buzzing by Corphish and pecking at it while Corphish tried to clamp down on the bird but missed. The Taillow was fast, and if I were in charge of this battle I would be looking for a way to slow it down or bring it out of the sky.

Corphish seemed to be perfectly comfortable with how things were progressing, and continued to attempt swipes at the Taillow as it dove in and out in what was truly an impressive display of acrobatics. I got the impression that Corphish had gotten plenty of practice against flying opponents at his pond, likely from other Taillow and Wingull, as he seemed to have a good grasp of the matchup and didn't strike me as at all bothered by playing defensively against the aerial onslaught. I wanted a flying type that I could fly on, but Swellow weren't exactly big enough to carry much more than parcels or small Pokémon. Even so, I felt a newfound respect for the species I hadn't before.

Humility. Respect.

I hummed in agreement. One of Corphish's attacks finally connected as he was sideswiped by Taillow but still managed to bring his claw down on the bird's back, sending it into the ground with a heavy thud. Corphish darted towards the Taillow as his right claw shot forward and gripped around the bird's neck.

*CRACK*

Apollo and I both flinched as the piercing sound of snapping bone rang out. My eyes bulged as I stared at the limp body of the Taillow, its head contorted in an unnatural position. I was positive that had been a killing blow, and I gaped as I struggled to form any sort of reaction.

Sadness. Fear. Disappointment. Anger. Sorrow. Despair. HATR–

"Apollo, please calm down. These things happen. It's a risk that comes with battling, and it's why knowing our own strength is extremely important." I cut in, reflexively holding my throbbing head as I attempted to break Apollo out of his spiraling. His emotions were more powerful than I had ever felt, and being flooded with so much at once had instantly given me a throbbing headache.

I wasn't sure if I truly believed that it had been a mistake, but it was undeniably a teachable moment and I was going to use it to the group's benefit.

I rubbed my temples as I approached Corphish, who had released the Taillow and seemed quite pleased with himself, beaming proudly. He was largely uninjured; he had a few scuffs on his shell but seemed to be alright otherwise. I knelt down in front of him and leveled him with a serious, grave look.

"Corphish… You shouldn't have done that…" I trailed off as I tried to think of what to say. Corphish was staring up at me a bit blankly, and I glanced at my shoulder to a trembling Apollo with a questioning look, wanting to get a feel for what Corphish was feeling.

Confusion. Perplexed.

"Look at the Taillow. It's dead… Did you mean to kill it?" I asked delicately.

Corphish glanced back at the Taillow, and I could see the moment he realized that it was indeed dead. He hesitated, fidgeting as he looked down at the ground. I glanced at Apollo once again for his read on the situation, who lowered his head slightly.

Regret. Shame.

I sighed, feeling some relief that it at least seemed accidental. Regret and shame were good, but I would have preferred if it were remorse, or something showing empathy for the Taillow. Did he only regret it because I had told him not to maim or kill when explaining the rules of battles?

I suddenly wondered how many of his foes he might have killed at his pond. Would he have killed Apollo during our initial encounter, given the chance?

The thought sent shivers down my spine.

Worry.

I shook my head, snapping myself from my dark thoughts and thinking of how best to move on from this. Although I wanted to make sure lessons were learned from this, I also didn't want to be too harsh. As long as a clear line was drawn in the sand and my point was made, I was willing not to get too hung up on it unless it happened again, but a bit of lecturing was in order first.

"You need to remember that you are strong and that killing is bad. The neck is a weak spot that can easily kill, so don't crush it unless it's a life-or-death situation. That Taillow only wanted to spar for fun, it wasn't a danger to us. Even if you started losing, you have me to rely on now Corphish. If I see you getting too hurt I'll recall you into your Pokéball and heal you, and Apollo can help keep us safe too. Death is a natural part of life and accidents happen, so we shouldn't beat ourselves up over this, but we also need to respect life and try our best to preserve it when possible." I informed both of my Pokémon firmly, lamenting the importance of the topic.

Apollo nodded fervently while Corphish dipped his head slowly, seemingly a bit distraught. I decided that was enough for now, and stood up as I turned my attention to the Taillow.

"Let's give this Taillow a proper burial then get going."

I gave Apollo a reassuring nod, then dug a small hole and buried the Taillow beneath a nearby tree using my shovel. I almost decided against saying any words, but eventually chose to give a very quick eulogy.

"Taillow was strong, the strongest of its species I'd ever seen. It fought bravely, and it died in an unfortunate accident doing what it loved. May Taillow rest in peace and never be forgotten." I bowed my head slightly, giving a moment of silence before getting my backpack and team resituated and continuing our walk down the path.

As we walked our group stayed silent, each lost in thought as the forest rang with distant chirps and scuttling. My team was no longer doing their training, and I wasn't in the mood to talk out loud like I often did. I was content to let the gravity of it linger and give them time to reflect.

I thought about what had happened, and if I could have handled it better. I didn't want to overblow the situation or make my team afraid of death, but I also needed to impress upon them the value of a life. The only reason I had given the eulogy was because of that, and although it likely made Corphish feel worse I didn't want them thinking if they died they would be unceremoniously buried and left without a second thought.

I sincerely hoped that I would never need to hold a proper burial for any teammates I truly cared about, but deep down I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Dread. Worry.

I looked to my shoulder, seeing Apollo looking at me with worry and realizing Apollo must have picked up the basics of what I was thinking.

I offered no words, not wanting to break the moment of contemplation for everyone, but I gave a reassuring nod and shifted my thinking to something more positive, knowing Apollo would sense it.

I was determined to make sure none of us ended up like that Taillow, no matter what it took. This world could be dangerous, cruel and unfair; I knew that all too well already.

I'd do everything I could to make sure we were ready to overcome whatever came at us. With enough time and training, nothing would be allowed to threaten my family's way of life.

"Hey!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a sudden voice ahead. On the path jogging towards me was a girl with disheveled brunette hair that went past her shoulders wearing jeans and a purple raincoat, which struck me as an odd yet uniquely memorable choice. She was accompanied by a Cottonee that sat neatly on her head, only adding to the interesting aesthetic. Apollo and I both waved in greeting, and soon found ourselves face-to-face with the stranger.

Annoyance. Worry.

"Hey, have you seen a bratty Taillow? I just caught him yesterday, but this morning he flew off and hasn't come back." She asked with clear concern, and I held back my desire to scream at the top of my lungs.

Shame.

I gulped, my mind racing before quickly coming to a realization I absolutely hated; I had to lie.

I knew the potential consequences of a trainer's Pokémon killing another's, especially outside of a proper battle. If it had been a battle with the trainer and clearly an accident, chances were slim that anything would have happened, but this situation was quite different. The trainer wasn't even present, and the killing blow hadn't exactly been something others would see as accidental.

If I told the truth, there was a very real chance Corphish could be taken and possibly even put down, and I could lose my license. I absolutely had to play ignorant and lie.

DISAPPROVAL.

The emotion sent by Apollo was strong, like a huge wave crashing over me. It took everything I had not to visibly recoil.

Apollo had made his position clear, but there was simply no other way. I couldn't bear the thought of our budding family being ruined because of an honest mistake. We had learned and grown from it, and no attempts at explaining it would ever do the reality of the situation justice. I hadn't even had Corphish for a day, and we thought the Taillow was wild! Surely this girl was more at fault than we were, she let her Taillow run off and attack trainers! We didn't even have a choice but to fight!

Disappointed. Mortified.

"Hey, are you alright? You look a bit pale…" The girl suddenly asked, snapping me out of my mental argument with Apollo.

"...Yeah, sorry, haven't been feeling good… A Taillow did swoop in and attack us earlier actually. Battle hungry, particularly acrobatic, fond of using Quick Attack and Peck?" I eventually answered, not at all surprised when my description lit the girl's face up with recognition.

"That's him! I'm so sorry, he's a real handful, I hope he didn't hurt you!" She said apologetically, and all I could muster in response was a shake of the head.

"Can you tell me how long ago and where he went?" She asked hopefully.

"Less than an hour ago. He continued down the path after a quick scuffle with my Corphish, I'm sure if you keep going you'll find him eventually. He was a very impressive battler; I'd never seen a Taillow that agile." I complimented, trying my best to act natural by attempting to mix in as much truth as possible.

"Yeah, he's a real natural. Can't wait to see how strong he is after some training. Okay, thanks! Sorry again, it was nice to meet you! I'm Eliza by the way!" She began to continue her jog away, waving farewell and clearly in a rush to find her missing Pokémon.

"Daniel. Good luck." I replied lamely as I waved back. I really didn't feel good about that, but I took some small comfort in the knowledge it was a fresh capture.

Dishonor. Disgust.

"I know Apollo, I'm sorry. You don't know how much trouble Corphish could have gotten in; he doesn't deserve to be punished for that. I believe in second chances, don't you?" I asked hopefully, however Apollo still seemed reluctant.

Concern. Injustice.

"I know, and I agree, there was an injustice here. But that injustice would have become much bigger if Corphish was punished for an honest mistake. I really don't like lying, but there truly was no other way. Trust me on this, please..." I pleaded, feeling relieved when Apollo gave a reluctant nod, although clearly still distraught.

"Corphish, you understand why we can't kill now right? You should be in big trouble… You could have been taken away, and you'd never get the chance to battle or evolve if that happened. You are strong, and you'll only get stronger. Be mindful of your strength, and be sure never to kill unless absolutely necessary." I said over my shoulder, wishing I could see Corphish better.

"...Phish." Was all I heard from behind me.

"We are a team and a family. We will all make mistakes or decisions another may not agree with. It's a natural part of life, and all we can do is work together to do better in the future." I informed them. I decided to leave it at that, and we continued down the path winding through Petalburg Woods, each of us silent and deep in thought.

Things eventually started to return to something resembling normal, although the overall mood was still somber. Apollo went back to practicing his Teleport and Corphish occasionally shot off Bubbles, although I think they did it more to take their minds off things than anything.

There were noticeable differences from before though. Apollo wasn't brushing against my mind or sharing any emotions, but I decided to leave him be and give him a bit of space, although I kept an eye on him. He definitely seemed gloomy, but I didn't see any indication that he was actually getting 'sick' from the negativity of the day which was my main concern. I suspected it would only become a health issue if the environment persisted over days or weeks, which I was confident wouldn't happen.

Corphish was harder to read, especially since I couldn't see him and Apollo wasn't feeding me any information. Although Corphish was shooting off Bubbles, I noted that I couldn't hear any grinding or crunching sounds from him clamping down on the rock I knew was in his claws, leading me to believe he was simply holding it. I hoped that I hadn't made him afraid of his own strength; while it was important to teach Pokémon about applying appropriate force based on the situation, it was also a well-known problem that Pokémon could become scared from experiencing death and would hold back too much, often to their own detriment. I dearly hoped that this situation wouldn't snowball and that it could quickly be left in the past, but only time would tell.

As the day was nearing an end, I found myself in my second ever battle with a trainer. It was a 2 on 2 battle. Apollo dispatched the Shroomish with relative ease, but by far the most noteworthy part was how Corphish defeated the Paras. He seemed determined to prove to Apollo and I that he could show restraint; finishing the fight with a Vice Grip that slowly squeezed until the opponent fell unconscious. Although he got paralyzed in the process, I was exceedingly proud of him and Apollo seemed to be much more at ease afterwards.

I had read that paralysis would eventually wear off over time so I just had Corphish rest on the backpack, where he occasionally tensed or flinched, but it faded over the course of about ten minutes or so.

I could tell that the boy had initially been dissatisfied with the 500 credit bet, but he seemed much more amicable after he lost. I really needed to save up quickly in order to have the chance at making more in future battles, and I felt like I was at a real risk of being denied battles altogether unless I had more money to put up. I still didn't know how much the average trainer would want to bet yet, but I knew that I needed to get some savings going.

The only other memorable thing about that trainer was that he had complimented Apollo and asked if I had any tips on finding a Ralts since he was headed for Petalburg, which of course I feigned ignorance to. To my surprise Apollo actually sent me feelings of understanding and acceptance. I could tell he wasn't a fan of lying, but it made me glad that he at least understood why it had to happen sometimes, and that he had once again resumed communicating with me. I didn't want to be known by my partner as a habitual liar, but at the same time he needed to learn that honesty wasn't always an option and that the world wasn't so black and white.

Once the sun began to set and night slowly overtook the woods, I found a spot just away from the path and set up camp. Corphish once again scavenged around and ate random things while I cooked up some ramen and Apollo stared into the fire, his attention lost in the dancing flames but not doing his usual swaying.

I felt a bit bad that he couldn't see the moon from the overhead trees, but it couldn't be helped. I decided to let him be and gave him space, and after ensuring that Corphish was still in eyesight and preoccupied with his scavenging, I leaned against my backpack and pulled out the Pokédex.

We were a little more than a third of the way through the Petalburg Woods, as indicated by a pin marking the location broadcast from the device's GPS. Unfortunately there were no detailed maps or anything of particular use, only a general advisory to use caution and bring antidotes due to risk of being poisoned.

While fidgeting with the device, I soon noticed Apollo and Corphish actually interacting, seemingly having a hushed discussion of sorts. They seemed a bit distant and cautious of each other, but I was glad that they appeared to be getting along and that Apollo wasn't holding a grudge. I waited until their conversation died down before standing up and clapping my hands, declaring it training time.

I had Corphish practice spraying his Bubble as wide as he could, instructing him to cover as much area as possible. He was surprisingly adept at this; however they didn't go very far or have as much power behind them when used like that. I could see it being used to obscure the opponent's vision, or perhaps to stun an enemy before attacking. I instructed him that whenever he heard me call out 'obscure' I wanted him to completely shroud himself in Bubbles using that method, and I had him practice using the technique with both claws to cover him on all sides rather than just ahead.

For Apollo, I started out telling him to try taking one deep breath before releasing multiple smaller Disarming Voices, something that I had wanted to try but hadn't gotten around to. I quickly learned that he was technically able to do it, however he could only do between two and three of them with one breath, and the attacks were so weak that I couldn't even see any of the familiar pink distortion from them. They reminded me of a slightly weaker version of his Disarming Voice the day I had first been shown the move, so after a bit of practice with no noticeable improvement I decided to come back to it when he was a bit stronger, possibly after he evolved.

I then followed through with my earlier thought to test his ability to Teleport with other things. I was surprised to learn that Apollo could pretty easily Teleport objects his own size or smaller with him, although there was definitely some correlation between the mass of the object and the effort it took. It seemed to get exponentially harder as the mass grew and the distances got longer, and it took him longer to initiate. He was able to Teleport my lantern about twenty feet away, but was unable to even initiate a Teleport of my entire backpack. I noted down my observations in my notebook as he rested, then had an idea.

"Corphish, come here for a second." I called out, deciding to really put this to the test. Corphish came over, and I explained that I was going to have Apollo try teleporting him as far as he could. Corphish was clearly a bit nervous, squirming and shuffling as Apollo cautiously reached out a hand and touched his shell. He focused, and to my surprise he teleported both of them about seven feet away.

After an initial moment of shock, Corphish was jumping with glee and clearly enjoyed the experience. For Apollo's part, he was heavily panting and the most tired I'd ever seen him. I doubted he'd be teleporting me anytime soon, but was glad to see that his skills were progressing. I made sure to offer plenty of praise, and he seemed pleased with what he had accomplished.

Training concluded and the day came to an end, and I felt gratitude that Apollo still chose to sleep at the foot of my sleeping bag. I had been a bit worried that today's events might have pushed him away, and although it clearly had bothered him it didn't seem like it was anything unrepairable.

I closed my eyes and laid back in the sleeping bag, and I couldn't help but wonder if I'd ever reveal today's story to anybody. It wouldn't surprise me if I took it to my grave, but it would be nice to have somebody who I trusted to talk to about these kinds of things. Surely I'd only done what any other trainer who cared about their Pokémon would do if put in that exact same situation, right?

I silently hoped I would get a response from Apollo; some kind of reassurance, but none came. I knew he was in my head, but I supposed he just didn't want to think about it anymore.

Sighing deeply, I listened to the sound of the forest, focusing on the wind blowing through the leaves as I tried to put today out of my mind and rest for tomorrow. My legs were still sore, and I was already looking forward to reaching Rustboro and being able to rest in a proper bed.

Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day, and we'd be able to put the ugliness of today behind us.

TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 0
Account: 1,156 credits

POKÉMON
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish - Male

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