After savoring what would be my last shower for at least a couple of days, pressing a few more Pokéblocks and updating my notebook, I went to retrieve Duran. Nurse Joy informed me he was doing well physically, but was not doing the best emotionally and seemed to be dwelling on his loss quite a bit. I wasn't terribly surprised that Duran was taking it hard; he was rather prideful and had been excited for the battle.

I asked her how the molting process had gone, and she happily launched into an explanation I found very interesting. She explained that Duran had to be in a water tank before starting, as molting successfully and healthily required a lot of moisture, but ideally full immersion in water. He had to twist and squirm his way out of his shell, all while his new shell absorbed water and expanded. This hadn't occurred to me, and I was also surprised to learn that Duran actually ate his old shell immediately after. She explained that he would be unusually hungry, requiring plenty of rest and moisture for the next couple of days.

She confirmed that he was allowed to train so long as it was non-strenuous and there was no battling or risk of damaging his shell, so I thanked her before checking out of my room and setting off toward the beach.

I was a little nervous to talk to Duran; we hadn't talked since his crushing loss at the gym, and I wasn't sure if he would resent me for it. Realizing I had no idea what I was going to say and that Apollo and I needed to do our daily meditation, we gave it our second try right there on the beach. Although the sound of the waves was rhythmic and soothing, the sound of Wingull squawking was rather distracting, but I saw it as an opportunity for us to work on shutting out outside interference. I'd like to think we had a basic grasp of how to meditate and knew that we wouldn't often find ourselves with the luxury of a completely silent environment, so it was best we learned how to do it despite some slight distractions sooner rather than later.

I instructed Apollo to do his best to ignore my emotions and any other distractions, and he seemed up to the challenge. I didn't anticipate having such strong feelings this time, since I was planning on thinking of how I wanted to approach the discussion with Duran rather than reflect on everything troubling me. I also really wanted to try practicing alongside Apollo; it would be difficult if we had no choice but to separate every time we did it.

After setting a timer of fifteen minutes, we sat facing the sea and began meditating. This time I found it much easier to control my breathing and relax, and felt myself deep in thought in only a couple of minutes.

Reflecting on the situation, I quickly came to a few conclusions. First, I had approached it wrong by hyping up the battle and implying it should be an easy win. That had surely made the defeat tougher for Duran to swallow, and I decided that I should treat all battles going forward with equal importance and seriousness. Just as I had wanted Apollo to be humbled by the Linoone, my recent gym battle would serve as my own humbling.

The other thing I realized was that it was foolish to rely on type advantages for a victory, and that they could easily be overcome by a well-crafted strategy. It hadn't even occurred to me that Duran's bubble-based attacks could be so easily nullified, and I was stricken by just how few moves my team actually knew. Apollo still only had two attacking moves, and Duran had three; two of which were basically just different variants.

We needed to get some diversity, and the first thing that came to mind was helping Duran figure out Water Gun. When I'd researched moves that my team could learn naturally, I specifically remember seeing it there. I had no idea why he didn't already know it; I had always been under the impression it was the most basic water-type move a Pokémon could learn, and I knew it served as the base for learning more advanced moves like Water Pulse, although I didn't recall that being something Duran could learn. I hadn't paid very close attention to the lists when writing them down, so I resolved to give them a closer look and try working towards a few for both of my team members.

As far as how to handle my conversation with Duran, I felt that I should take responsibility. Duran had done everything he could have to prepare for that fight, whereas I had just decided to wing it. Steven was right; I was foolish not to do everything in my power to ensure my team would succeed. I wasn't convinced I would have come up with anything that could have countered Sandstorm, but I should have known it was a possibility and had a rough idea of what Pokémon we would be fighting.

I'd always imagined that the best trainers had the ability to tackle anything thrown at them and that it was somehow dishonorable to craft a counter for specific opponents. But if a trainer who had once been Champion was telling me otherwise, and if I could prevent my team from getting hurt or humiliated, I shouldn't let my hubris get in the way.

*BEEP BEEP*

My eyes snapped open and I pocketed the stopwatch, feeling more than ready for my discussion with Duran as I felt Apollo re-enter my mind.

"How'd you do Apollo? Were you able to shut me out?" I asked curiously, looking down at my starter.

He nodded, "Good. Relaxed."

I smiled and rubbed his head affectionately, "I'm glad we're doing this. I don't know about you, but I think it's really helpful to take time to think about things. We should make sure we do this daily, is that alright?"

Peace. "Yes, more."

"You two have a remarkably close bond for how long you've known each other."

I whipped my head around to the source of the unknown voice to see Steven Stone standing next to his Metagross, his arms crossed and a soft smile on his face. I quickly rose to my feet, brushing the sand off me.

"Mr. Stone?! Why are you–"

"Please, Steven is fine," he cut in while holding a hand up. "I wanted to have a private conversation with you but it seems you don't check your emails too often, and having Metagross teleport me into your room seemed… improper."

"What's wrong with knocking on the door?" I asked, instantly regretting my question when Steven gave a slight frown.

"We're trying to ensure Samantha will be able to travel unbothered. You two were seen together in public the day you met, but that can't be helped. It would draw much more attention if people knew you were attending dinner with our family, or if they knew I was meeting with you personally. I'm quite confident the restaurant staff will keep our dinner private, it's one of the reasons I frequent the place. But waltzing into a Pokécenter and asking for you would put a lot more eyes on you, and we want to avoid that for obvious reasons."

Nodding, I decided to ask the question that was burning in my mind.

"How did you find–"

He held his hand up again, "Metagross has been keeping tabs on you, before, during and after our dinner, just to ensure you didn't have any unsavory intentions. I'm happy to say you've passed. But we are both short on time, so let's get to the point of this talk if that's quite alright with you?"

I blinked, trying to think back on what all I'd said, done and thought since after telling Roxanne I'd travel with Samantha. I felt violated; if I was understanding correctly Metagross had likely been reading my thoughts without me knowing, perhaps even my memories. The rational side of my brain understood why Steven would want to vet me before sending his daughter off to travel with me, but it still felt wrong and was surely illegal.

Not that anybody would seriously entertain an orphan accusing the ex-Champion and president of Devon of breaking the law.

I took a deep breath, pushing the anger aside. It wouldn't help me and he was right; we both had things to do.

"Alright, what did you want to talk about?"

"I'd like us both to recall our partners, if that's acceptable."

I nodded, grabbing Apollo's Pokéball from my belt.

Confusion. Worry. "Why?"

I snorted in amusement and rubbed his helmet reassuringly, "Don't know, but who are we to argue with an ex-Champion? I'll be fine, promise. I'm sure it's just about Samantha."

Steven recalled his Metagross, and upon seeing that Apollo gave a reluctant nod and I did the same.

"A few things. First, I've got a lead on a suitable Dawn Stone. It won't quite compare with the one in my personal collection, but it will be more potent than any you'd have access to otherwise. Your Ralts already shows great potential, but I have a feeling the added boost of an extremely potent Dawn Stone will make him a nightmare for your opponents when he's a well-adjusted Gallade."

I frowned, suddenly remembering I'd made that deal and realizing why Steven had wanted Apollo recalled. I'd made it a point not to think about it, and for the most part had forgotten about that. I felt a bit of shame; in a way I had put strings attached to being Samantha's friend, even though it wasn't necessarily my intent.

"About that, I don't want you thinking–"

He held up his hand again and cut me off yet again, "It's fine. I had Metagross look into that specifically, and your request made sense once I better understood all the factors. I don't hold it against you, I know you truly have an interest in trying to befriend Samantha. I can't fault someone in your position for being opportunistic, and the simple fact is Roxanne and I do owe you if you're able to ensure her safety and show her the ropes. So don't think of it as payment, think of it as a thank you and an investment in your potential as a trainer."

I exhaled, relieved that Steven was being so understanding.

"Alright, thanks for the update. What else did you want to talk about?"

Steven hummed and rubbed his goatee as he considered his words, "Similar to you, Samantha has also had a run-in with Team Rocket, although the nature of it was quite different. I won't be the one to tell you the story since it's not my place to say, but what you should know is that Samantha has been targeted by them in the past in order to get to me. Whatever target you think you might have on your back, I can assure you that it's nothing compared to the one on my daughter's."

My eyes widened in shock as he continued, "You are far more cautious than her, and with your Ralts it's almost a guarantee that you'll see any danger before she does. However you fought in Petalburg Woods. It's commendable, but rarely will you encounter a lone Rocket, and even more rarely will you come out unscathed from an encounter with them. I want you to promise me that if you are with Samantha and something happens, you'll both flee. Avoid confrontation at all costs, and do not endanger my daughter unnecessarily."

I nodded seriously, but there was a question burning in my mind I couldn't help but ask.

"If Samantha knows the Rockets want to kidnap her, why doesn't she have any bodyguards or Pokémon protecting her when she's around town?"

Steven sighed, "The incident happened a few years ago. I'll admit that after it happened I overcompensated a bit; I had three guards with her at all times, and for a while she didn't mind. It shook her up pretty badly, and it took a long time for her to work through the trauma of what happened. But eventually she decided she didn't want to live her life in fear, and she refused to eat or go to school until I lifted the protection detail off her. Perhaps you've already realized this, but she can be rather stubborn when she sets her mind to something."

"That makes sense, but why doesn't she ever have any Pokémon out? Surely that would help keep her safe."

He shrugged, "She adores them, but their time together is mostly limited to grooming and practicing routines. She claims having them out would draw too much attention, but I suspect the more likely reason is from stubbornness of wanting to feel like she doesn't need protecting. Or perhaps she simply doesn't want to put them at risk, it's hard to say. But I do think she is a bit too detached from her team. Trainers should share the struggles of their team, and if your bond is close enough they will naturally want to do the same. You strike me as a 'classical' trainer in many ways, so my hope is you are able to impart some of that mindset on her."

"I'll try my best sir."

He nodded and crossed his arms, his look turning more serious.

"The last thing I wanted to discuss with you was Preston Livingston. My wife had a long discussion with him and believes he'll back down, but I know his type and I'm not so convinced. If you find that he insists on making your life difficult, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll step in if necessary, and I can be rather persuasive in these kinds of matters."

I gulped, giving a rigid nod as Steven released his Metagross.

"Please remember what we've talked about, and please take good care of my daughter. She has much to learn about the world, and you are in a unique position. You have much of what she lacks, and you're one of the few people she might be willing to seriously listen to. She respects you and views you as a friend, both of which are no easy feat to accomplish. See that you don't trivialize that. I'm glad we were able to have this talk Daniel. I wish you safe travels, and good luck on your journey. I'll be keeping my eye on you, so don't disappoint."

Before I could even respond, Steven was gone. I took a few moments to process the conversation before releasing Apollo, who instantly teleported to my shoulder.

Relief. "Good?"

"Yeah, everything is good. He's a good father and person. He just wants the best for Samantha. Think we'll be able to keep her safe?"

Determination. "Do best."

Pushing my encounter with the most powerful man in the region aside, my mind returned to Duran.

I briefly considered having Apollo around to help translate for my conversation with Duran, but decided it would be best if we had a private moment. Apollo was thankfully understanding, agreeing to sever our link and give us some space. I told him to stay here and practice his Double Team while Duran and I had our chat, and that I'd be in sight keeping an eye on him to make sure he was alright.

After walking a bit down the beach, I decided to use my shovel to make a little tidal pool for him; both to keep the ocean's inhabitants from endangering him but also to ensure he had plenty of water for his developing shell.

I took a deep breath and released Duran, and was instantly stricken by just how different he looked. His coloring was a few shades lighter and he looked a bit bigger, but most notable was his demeanor. He seemed vulnerable, quickly retreating into the little pool I'd dug and taking a defensive posture; but lacking the confidence and determination I had grown accustomed to seeing. He seemed nervous and timid, and I noticed he wouldn't meet my gaze.

I sat beside the pool, looking over to see Apollo practicing his Double Team in earnest. He was getting quite good at the move he once struggled with; I could no longer tell which Apollo was the real one, and he was holding it quite admirably from what I could tell.

"We won the gym battle," I started while pulling the badge out of my pocket, showing it to him with a smirk. Duran glanced up at the badge for a moment, but he quickly averted his eyes again and didn't seem too surprised.

"You and Apollo both did great. You took out your opponent, and he took out his. Your battle was particularly hard, but you should be proud of what you accomplished."

Duran shuffled uncomfortably under the water, and I could tell he wasn't convinced.

I sighed as I pocketed the badge and stared off to the horizon, "I'm sorry for how your battle went. It was entirely my fault. I was too stubborn to do any research on our opponent, and you're the one who got punished for it… I learned a lot from that battle, and I promise I'll do better in the future. I owe you that."

Duran finally met my gaze, and I could see a slew of emotions in his eyes; sadness, shame and disappointment being the most prominent. I reached into the water and gently patted his shell.

"We both aren't happy with how things went. We can't change what happened, all we can do is learn from it and improve for the next time. You just keep doing your best, and I'll do everything I can to match your efforts. We've only been together for a week or so. We've come a long way in that short amount of time, but we have a lot further to go. We'll keep getting better until nobody can beat us, I promise."

Duran nodded, and I could see that familiar look of determination return to his eyes.

"You know… Nurse Joy said you shouldn't battle for a day or two, but she did say you were fine to train," I said with a grin.

He partially emerged from the water and clicked his claws excitedly, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight of my crustacean being back to normal.

I waved Apollo over, and he Teleported over panting as he resumed our telepathic link.

Concern. "Good?"

I simply nodded in response, and to my surprise I saw Duran do the same. Was Apollo communicating with both of us at the same time?

"Practice. Difficulty."

"That's seriously impressive," I couldn't help but admit.

Pride.

I decided now was a good time for a team meeting of sorts, I clapped my hands together and drew their attention.

"Alright guys, we're leaving Rustboro today. We've got our gym badge, so it's time to continue on our journey. Once we finish with our morning training I'll be going back to Rustboro to restock on supplies, then we're heading east. On that note, we'll have some new travel companions for at least a short time. Duran, you might not remember but it's the girl who refereed your fight against the Growlithe."

Duran looked confused for a moment, but then his expression morphed into one of disapproval. He emerged from the water and snipped his claws in agitation, talking more than I'd ever heard him as I cast Apollo a confused look.

"Stranger. No trust. Dangers. Distract."

I hummed in thought, realizing just how out of the loop Duran was. I spent a few minutes discussing how we'd talked about our encounter with the Rocket, how she had helped sign us up for the gym battle, how she'd stood up for Apollo at the cafe, and how her family didn't want her traveling alone for her first time. I decided to leave out that she was a Stone, it would be hard to explain and didn't really add anything to the explanation. After hearing the story he seemed to understand that she wasn't actually a stranger, but still didn't seem happy about it.

"It's only a temporary thing. We both have different places we need to go, so we'll split up soon enough. I have a feeling you'll benefit too; she's a good trainer with two Pokémon and a gym badge. Once your shell is hard enough, I bet she'd let you spar with them. She may even have a brawler like you."

That seemed to change his mind. I could tell he still wasn't very keen on the idea, but he nodded before going back into the water, seemingly placated.

"As for training, I think it's time we try to learn some new moves…" I reached into my backpack and pulled out my notebook, flipping to the page where I'd written down the moves my team was known to learn naturally.

For Duran, the obvious choice was to try practicing Water Gun. It would be a great asset not only if we ever encountered another counter to his bubble-based attacks like Sandstorm, but would serve as a building block for more advanced water projectile moves.

Something that struck me as strange was that I didn't see any of those in the list I had written down; there were a couple I knew to be dark or normal-type, and a few that I didn't know enough about to be sure exactly what they were. But there was a complete absence of moves like Aqua Jet, Water Pulse or Scald.

I knew there were Technical Machines that could help, so I decided I'd take a look when I visited the Pokémart even though I doubted I'd be able to afford much. I'd also need to learn more about some of these moves Duran could learn that I wasn't familiar with.

Looking at Apollo's list, I quickly realized I'd have to research some of these too. I was more familiar with his list of moves than Duran's but had no idea how to go about coaching something like Draining Kiss or Psybeam.

Something that did stand out to me as within our grasp was Calm Mind. It wasn't a new attack option like I wanted, but we'd already been practicing meditation and I could only assume that it was within the same realm.

I spent the next hour attempting to coach each of them through the selected moves with mixed success. It took some serious practice and concentration, but Duran was finally able to stop making bubbles and produce pure water from his claws. It lacked pressure, and I couldn't help but wonder if him being partially submerged in the tidal pool I'd dug for him was making it much easier than it normally would be on land. By the end of our session it reminded me a bit of a garden hose; only with much less water. It was just enough pressure that it wasn't drizzling down his claws, but he was using the water without bubbles so I considered it a good start.

As for Apollo, I asked him to focus his mind and try to zero in on his psychic abilities; the source of the power that he tapped into when using Confusion. For the most part it ended up just being meditation practice, although I did see his horn glow faintly a couple of times. I didn't really have any idea how we could test if it was working without having him actually use Confusion though, which wasn't an option. He seemed to think he had a better grasp on how to channel his psychic power by the end though, so I considered it a good exercise if nothing else.

Before wrapping up I fed Duran some of the meat kibble, remembering that he needed to eat plenty while he recovered from his molt. I then told him he'd be resting in his Pokéball for the day until we set up camp in the evening. I didn't want him drying out during our travels, and the only solution I could come up with was to keep him in the Pokéball to hopefully retain some moisture and to pour water from my water bottle on him when I let him out.

Although he was a bit stubborn, I could tell that he was actually fairly tired and convinced him that rest was necessary if he wanted to be a strong Crawdaunt someday. He reluctantly agreed and I was able to return him without too much of a fuss.

We made our way back to the Rustboro Pokémart. It was getting close to noon and I didn't see Samantha, but I decided that I'd do my shopping first and if she still didn't show I'd go check my email.

I didn't need to buy much, mostly restocking the food and potions I'd gone through getting to Rustboro while grabbing another repel. The pepper spray still felt relatively full so I didn't get another one, but I did grab a badge case for my new gym badge as well as a couple of antidotes. I still had over five thousand credits to work even after the items I'd picked out, so I decided to give the Technical Machines a serious look for the first time.

It was a wall display with an array of small discs, with a small plaque that stated the TM number, move name, move type, and price. In the center of the display was a tablet labeled 'Compatibility Checker', where you could search the name of a Pokémon species and get a list of TMs that were known to work for your Pokémon.

Although there was a diverse selection of TMs, something I noticed was that there were quite a few types completely missing. It took me a minute to piece it together, but I eventually realized that there wasn't a single TM that would be super-effective against rock-types. I wondered if that was the case in every city with a gym or if it was something unique to Rustboro.

I'd never really thought of it before, but I suddenly realized why the first gym recommended for new trainers was rock-type; it was weak to five different types, which was a lot. I groaned in annoyance as I came to another realization; the electric-type gym I would come across next was only weak to ground-type attacks, something that it had in common with rock-types and meant I couldn't find any here. Apollo likely couldn't learn any of them anyway, but Duran should be able to learn something like Mud Shot or Dig.

I scanned the list of available TMs, but the only one that caught my eye was outside my price range. Protect was an extremely versatile move that I had no doubt would come in useful countless times during our journey, particularly for Duran when we fought Mauville's electric gym. I remembered seeing it on the list of moves Duran could naturally learn and was pretty sure that Apollo could learn it once he became a Gallade, but I wanted to start learning it as soon as possible. Apollo was a glass cannon who couldn't afford to take hits and Duran lacked mobility. Perhaps if I could figure out how to get Duran to learn it naturally, he'd be able to teach Apollo so–

"You should see the look on your faces. You both look ridiculous."

I turned my head to see… Samantha, although it took me a moment to recognize her. Her hair was a short and slightly wavy bob that obscured half of her face and she'd dyed her hair strawberry blonde. She wore jeans, brown hiking boots and a grey tank top under a brown jacket. What immediately stood out to me was just how normal her clothes were, even the sunglasses she now properly wore over her eyes despite us being indoors. Her outfit was clearly new, but nothing in her stood out as being expensive or designer. I had also expected her to pack a lot, but she only had a modest backpack that was a fair bit smaller than mine. I immediately suspected it was outfitted with space-folding technology, but it looked completely unassuming.

"Nice disguise," I complimented sincerely, "and how exactly do we look ridiculous?"

She huffed, crossing her arms and casting me a glare. "Nice disguise?! You're supposed to compliment when a girl changes up her hair, jerk. And you both have the same dumb look on your faces, although I suspect for different reasons."

Apollo and I gave each other confused looks, but Samantha had clearly decided she didn't plan on elaborating. She bumped her shoulder against mine as she took place next to me and began looking at the wall of TMs, humming in thought.

"Looking at TMs, huh? Don't waste your money, you can just borrow mine."

I gave her a blank stare, "What are you talking about? There are at least a hundred TMs, and they are single-use. There's no way you have multiples of every single TM."

She grinned and wagged her finger back and forth playfully, "Daddy got me my own collection for my birthday, and the employee versions don't break like the ones sold in stores. It's important for a coordinator to show diversity and creativity, so it was the perfect gift. I'd be willing to share if you're nice. A compliment on my hair would be a good start."

I gaped and my face paled as her words sunk in, "You're telling me TMs are designed to break? Just so people spend more money?! They're already stupid expensive, and–"

Her hand shot out and covered my mouth, and I seriously considered biting for a brief moment.

"You're making a scene. It's not exactly a huge secret, and there are lots of reasons for it. Just skip the TM shopping, okay?"

I took a deep breath through my nose to calm down before nodding, and she removed her hand before glancing down at my shopping basket.

"Ew, that's what you eat? Here I thought you were the travel expert…"

I closed my eyes and took another breath, desperately trying not to rise to the bait. I decided to ignore her comment and went to pay for my items, and after they were rang up she slapped down her Pokédex and a small black card on the register, startling both me and the cashier.

"I've got this," she announced cheerfully.

I was having a very hard time keeping my cool at this point. Deep down I knew she was just eager to travel and wanted to help, but she was coming across as a bit demeaning.

"I'm paying for my own supplies," I said firmly as I gave her a serious look, making sure I made eye contact. She looked a bit startled and I couldn't help but soften my expression.

"Please," I asked pleadingly, "Independence is important to me."

For a moment I thought she'd argue, but soon she nodded and took her Pokédex back, leaving the black card.

"It's just a discount for the Devon items. You can pay, but at least let me help," she said softly, avoiding my gaze.

"Alright," I muttered, suddenly reminded of Miss Augustine and Norman. "Thanks."

We were all a bit uncomfortable as I finished paying, the cashier included. After doing some quick math in my head I realized that the discount had given me half off on the Pokémon products, all of which were made by Devon. It didn't help with the food and although I wasn't usually averse to silence I felt compelled to break the ice as we left the Pokémart.

"Your hair suits you, Samantha. It's nice," I complimented awkwardly.

She gave me a look I couldn't decipher, but eventually it became a warm smile.

"Better late than never. By the way, you can't call me that in public anymore."

I looked around as we walked down the street, and although there were plenty of people around I was confident nobody had heard me.

"Nobody heard, but fair enough. What's your alias? I assume you picked one out already?"

She nodded, "I have, but I'm only going to use it for contests. I want to be a normal person when I'm traveling. Call me… Chloe. That's a cute name, right?"

"You want three names? That's insane," I stated bluntly.

"No, it's smart."

"It's setting yourself up for multiple personality disorder, and you'll have a hard time keeping track of it. Let's meet in the middle and use Sammy."

She huffed, clearly annoyed. "You know I hate when Preston calls me that, and anyone with a brain knows that it's short for Samantha."

"I actually think it's perfect. Not many people know who Samantha Stone is anyway; especially outside of Rustboro. Your dad made sure of that. It's far enough removed that people who do know won't make the connection, you'll know people are talking to you when they use it, and it gives you a chance to reclaim it from Preston. Plus I kind of like it," I said with a devilish grin.

She gave me a glare before her eyes lit up and she adopted a smug grin.

"Fine. You have some fair points, Danny."

I felt Apollo bobbing on my shoulder and cast him an unimpressed look when I saw he was giggling.

"Danny. Sammy. Same."

My eyes widened in realization, "What exactly are you trying to do, make us seem like siblings? We don't look anything alike."

"Wasn't the idea, but that could be fun," she shrugged. "Either you're Danny or I'm Chloe, it's your call. Let's grab some lunch then get going."

"We're taking it to go. No cafe this time."

After getting a sandwich to go, we went north and left Rustboro behind. Rather than continuing straight for the beach, we took the right path onto Route 116; something that was a first for me but Samantha had apparently done plenty of times.

"I actually caught my first Pokémon here. Technically both of my Pokémon can be found here, but my parents got my starter from a breeder," she explained.

I hummed, trying to remember what was commonly found on this route. I knew there was Taillow and Zigzagoon, considering they were extremely common in this part of the region, but the only other things I could really remember was Nincada and the occasional Whismur that sometimes ventured outside of Rusturf Tunnel.

"You still haven't told me what your team is, might be a good idea now that we're traveling together."

"How about you guess, that sounds way more fun."

I groaned in annoyance, but suddenly remembered I had a literal mind reader on my shoulder. I had told Apollo not to read the minds of strangers, but I'd say that a traveling companion and the closest thing I had to a friend was fair game, especially if she wanted to play games. He needed to practice holding multiple links anyways, so I mentally instructed him to try his best to relay her team to me.

Hesitance. Uncertainty.

My mind pleaded, trying to convince him he needed the practice and that I'd take the fall if she found out. I wasn't convinced she even would; Apollo was getting much better at being subtle and I doubted somebody unfamiliar with telepaths would even be able to tell.

Reluctance. "I try."

I rubbed my chin, pretending to think as we continued walking while I gave Apollo a chance to try his best. A second later Samantha stopped walking and just stared ahead, and I could feel the pure panic in Apollo's warning.

Shame. Worry. "Block."

I froze; she had blocked Apollo? If anything I thought she might notice, but to entirely block him? Clearly she wasn't unfamiliar with telepaths like I had thought.

She turned and faced me, and although I was expecting to see her livid or angry she actually looked amused.

"I was wondering when you'd try that. It was a good attempt; I could barely even notice your Ralts trying to get in, but I was ready for it and paying attention. You should have known better, you do realize I grew up around Daddy's Metagross and my mom's Lunatone, right? Not to mention I'm a Stone, of course I'd be trained to protect my mind."

I sighed, suddenly feeling very stupid. She was of course right, and when she put it that way there was no good reason that I didn't piece it together. I needed to remember that more people than I might think in this world had experience with telepaths; although Apollo was certainly uncommon there were surely plenty of psychic Pokémon capable of telepathy in the region.

"You're right. Sorry," I muttered, "I shouldn't have even tried. Apollo didn't want to, but he needs to practice holding two links and I thought it'd be a good time. That's actually the first time we've tried telepathy on someone without permission, well aside from the Aron but that's a bit different."

"I'm flattered to be the first, but don't make a habit of that. More people than you might suspect are paranoid of telepaths, and your Ralts has a ways to go until he can do it completely undetected. Tell ya what though, if he wants practice I've got the perfect solution."

I tilted my head in confusion as she grabbed a Pokéball from her belt and released a Pokémon. I recognized it as being the same one that was at my gym battle, and finally got a good enough look to see that it was an Espeon. It held itself with regal poise, its forked tail slowly flicking back and forth as it took in its surroundings before giving Apollo and me a critical look.

"This is Stella, my starter. She's an absolute sweetheart, I hatched her from an egg myself. She's been learning telepathy but it doesn't come naturally for her, so I think it would do her and your Ralts some good to practice with each other."

The gem on Espeon's head began to faintly glow, and a moment later Apollo seemed to get unusually bashful. I could still feel his presence in my mind, so I tried to sate my curiosity about what she had said to him.

"Praise. Seen battle."

They both nodded in what seemed to be a telepathic introduction, and I was surprised when a moment later I felt a new presence enter my mind. Whereas Apollo's felt warm and friendly, as if my mind was wrapped in my favorite childhood blanket, this one felt oddly detached and impersonal, more like somebody was keeping me at a distance and talking to me from across a room.

"Daniel Ingram, a pleasure to formally meet you. I hope you may extend the same kindness you have to my Mistress."

I blinked, feeling a bit taken aback. This Espeon had perfect English, and hearing Samantha referred to as 'mistress' struck me as odd. I was also stricken by just how different it was from Apollo's voice. Stella's voice sounded like a soft whisper and was clearly feminine, whereas Apollo tended to be louder but had a much lower pitch and was more monotone, although he had been getting much better about making slight adjustments so I could better understand when he was asking a question.

"Nice to meet you Stella. I'm sure we'll get along great. This is Apollo, my starter and best friend. I also have a Corphish named Duran, you can meet him later but he's resting in his Pokéball for now. He may not be quite as friendly as Apollo and me, so please don't take offense if he prefers to be left alone. It's just how he is."

She nodded, and I felt her presence leave my mind. We resumed walking with Stella keeping pace right beside Samantha, and I could tell her and Apollo were having a conversation from the way her gem glowed and how Apollo's attention seemed to be elsewhere.

"I thought you said both of your Pokémon can be found here? Do Eevee live around here? I don't recall seeing it on the list of Pokémon in the area," I asked curiously.

"This is the best place in the region to find an Eevee, and although not quite as rare as your Ralts they tend to be. You've probably been looking at the list of what's commonly seen."

"What's your other Pokémon? Is it more common?" I couldn't help but ask.

Samantha nodded, "More common for sure, but I wouldn't say it's super common. He's a Skitty and he's super adorable, although a bit of a brat and a loner."

I hummed in thought; an Eevee and a Skitty were two great picks for somebody hoping to perform in contests. I idly wondered if she had meant for her Eevee to evolve into an Espeon or if it had just happened, but it felt a bit rude to ask in Stella's presence. I was pretty sure that Espeons only occurred when they were extremely happy, which wouldn't shock me for an Eevee living life with the Stone family. She was likely used to being pampered and groomed to an excessive level, something that would make any Eevee happy.

The more I thought about her team, a nagging thought took root in my mind. I knew that Samantha had beaten the Rustboro gym, but I didn't know how long ago. If she had only recently gotten Skitty, had her Espeon beaten the gym by herself?

"Hey Sama… Sammy. When did Stella evolve?"

"About half a year ago, Danny," she grinned in amusement. "I was brushing her on my bed in the morning before going to school and it just sort of happened. I'd been stressing myself out about bringing up the topic with her, so I was honestly a bit relieved when it happened."

"And when did you beat the gym?"

"About a month ago," she shrugged.

"You're telling me you had Stella solo the gym?" I asked incredulously.

She chuckled before answering, "Well it wasn't easy. Took us two tries, but we eventually got it."

We fell into silence for a short while as Samantha fiddled with her phone and our two starters conversed telepathically, and I found myself wondering just how strong Stella the Espeon might be. To beat a gym by itself and to already be so proficient at telepathy when it didn't come naturally to them implied they were no push-over, and I had a sneaking suspicion that Duran wasn't going to be pleased with the presence of yet another psychic-type that he couldn't overcome.

I just hoped we'd all be able to get along and travel without incident, but only time would tell.

TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 1
Account: 6,342 credits

POKÉMON
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish (Duran) - Male

AN: After a few interesting and important conversations, Daniel's stay in Rustboro has officially come to an end. Samantha finally revealed her team and surprisingly has a telepath of her own. We'll see how things go! I personally dislike short chapters and usually try to keep them at least 5k words, but lately I've been hitting 7k-8k. Will try not to go over 10k, but it might happen. Getting a bit worried it might be too much to read in a sitting, so let me know if I should dial it back a bit.

Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed.

Shoutout to TysonG for beta-reading this chapter.

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