During our first few hours traveling together, I learned a number of things.

The first was that despite the Espeon's flawless English, their telepathy wasn't on par with Apollo's. My starter informed me that Stella had to disconnect from his mind to connect to Samantha's, which I found interesting.

When I asked Samantha how Stella was able to use telepathy with her when she had her mind blocked off, she informed me that it was similar to having somebody knock on the door and deciding whether to let them in. She told me that she was able to know if it was Stella attempting to access her mind, which made sense considering I had also been able to notice a difference between the telepathic presence of Apollo and Stella.

Another thing I learned was that Stella was unable to read minds, at least proficiently. She was apparently in the early beginning stages of doing that, and Samantha informed me that despite knowing English so well it didn't help her make more sense of a human mind. She was able to make sense of the occasional thought if it was a Pokémon's, but it wasn't nearly at a level that could be used reliably or match how well Apollo could read my human mind.

It served as a stark reminder of what Roxanne had taught me; natural telepaths would always far exceed the abilities of psychics who were taught to do it.

I also learned that Samantha was a bit hyperactive and seemed to hate silence. Whereas I could go for hours lost in my own thoughts and enjoying the scenery, Samantha seemed to find it awkward. Whenever a conversation would die out, she would either bring up a new topic less than a minute later or pull out her phone to keep her occupied.

Perhaps it was because I'd never had a phone, but I couldn't help but wonder if the way she used it was considered normal. She seemed to be able to multitask; playing various videos while also scrolling through things and typing furiously. She used earbuds so I couldn't tell what she was watching, but she only kept the earbud on the other side of me in, so she was still able to hear me. I'd have asked her what she was doing if I didn't need to fully take advantage of every break between her seemingly endless questions and points of conversation.

Most of what she deemed discussion-worthy were things I found terribly boring and had no good answer for. She'd try to make full conversations out of mindless questions like what my favorite food, color, trainer, gym, and much more was. I quickly learned that our minds simply worked very differently; she seemed to have fully considered each of her questions to a disturbing degree, whereas many I would have never even considered dedicating time to think about.

One interesting thing I did learn was that her Pokéballs were actually more akin to Luxury Balls in disguise. They were supposedly better and stupid expensive, so much so she didn't even want to give me a number and said they weren't publicly available. She claimed Devon only offered them privately to wealthy trainers who didn't want to stand out, which I found quite interesting.

I was also able to confirm that her backpack was indeed fitted with space-folding technology. After a bit of pestering her for an exact tier, she reluctantly revealed it was 10x, something I didn't even know existed. Apparently it was something you could get if you had ridiculous amounts of money and special ordered it from Devon, confirming my suspicion that her seemingly 'casual' backpack was designed specifically to be low-key.

I made it clear to Samantha that she needed to do everything she could to keep all of these things a secret from others. I didn't want to imagine how many people might try to rob us if they knew she had items worth more than they could ever hope to earn in a lifetime.

I took it upon myself to be the lookout. Samantha was enthralled with her phone, and our Pokémon seemed to be having a deep conversation of sorts, so it was up to me to keep an eye out.

Route 116 wasn't terribly interesting; it was the same scenery I was used to with the addition of a looming mountain not too distant in the north. I mostly saw the same Pokémon that I'd been used to seeing, however I did spot a couple of Nincada and Pidove, as well as a Joltik. None of the species particularly interested me, but the prospect of possibly finding an Eevee had me paying close attention to our surroundings.

Something I did notice was that there were more people here than on any route I'd seen previously. That isn't to say there were a lot, but being so close to Rustboro clearly made it a favorite spot for locals to train. Most of the people we passed had common Pokémon with them and were doing extremely basic training drills or struggling to battle against the local wildlife. While Duran couldn't participate in battles, it was a little disappointing not to see anything I'd actually want to battle.

It wasn't only me who seemingly lacked interest in battling. I wasn't sure which was the most off-putting, but the presence of Samantha, Stella, and Apollo was enough that nobody seemed willing to approach, although we garnered plenty of eyes. I didn't think we were that impressive of a group, but compared to everyone else here even I had to admit we stood out quite a bit.

I wasn't sure if it was a mark of the decline of dedicated, journeying trainers or if it was just the area, but I found myself feeling disappointed. I'd always heard that being a traveling trainer consisted of pitting your skills against others as you crossed paths in your journey, but so far that hadn't really been my experience save for a select few encounters. I wasn't going to push too hard to challenge others with Duran out of commission and Samantha needing to stop and wait for the battle to finish, but I couldn't help but wonder if I'd ever find areas with more trainer activity. I really hoped it was just the areas I had been in and not something that was going to be a recurring theme during my travels.

"You look a bit anxious, what's up?"

I glanced up to see Samantha giving me a curious look.

"Was thinking about how few actual trainers there seem to be," I admitted with a shrug. "This is the most active place I've seen since journeying, and it's still pretty underwhelming. Not sure if it's the season, the areas I've been, or maybe just a sign that true trainers are on the decline, but it's a bit… disappointing."

Samantha hummed in thought, "Well we're half-way through spring, so most people are probably far ahead of us. The biggest wave of new trainers is always in early spring; trainer schools graduate students late in the fall, and many of them along with most people who have winter birthdays wait until spring to begin. Winter isn't too much of a concern for most of Hoenn, but it can still get chilly at night so most people wait until the weather is nice. Plenty of people leave shortly after their birthday, so there's always a chance you might run into somebody. We aren't traveling the traditional route through the region either. I'm sure you'll start running into more serious trainers after we reach Mauville."

"I hope so… I've been a trainer for over a week and have only had a few battles."

"Well you're clearly making up for it in other ways. What's your training like?"

I shrugged, "At least once a day, but usually twice unless we're tired or something. We had a training session this morning, and we'll have one tonight once camp is set up. Usually it's just an hour or so of practicing moves, but lately we've been getting a bit more creative with spars and games. I want to try figuring out how to incorporate some strength and dexterity training but haven't really done it yet. Sometimes my team trains while we travel, but today Duran needs rest and Apollo is talking to Stella. Considering they beat a gym yesterday, I'd say they deserve a bit of a break."

"Not enough of a break to skip this morning's training though," she pointed out.

"They like training and we take it seriously, but we did other stuff too. Apollo and I meditated, and I had a very productive talk with Duran."

"Huh, didn't peg you as the type to meditate."

"Didn't you do it to build up your mental defenses?"

"My mentor had me try a few times, but it didn't help me much. It's not really my thing."

"You had a mentor?"

She shrugged, "I've had quite a few, both hired privately by Daddy and from taking some advanced course at the Trainers' School. I'm pretty decent with psychics, nutrition, grooming, all sorts of things."

"I might have to pick your brain on some of that stuff," I admitted, "I've got a couple of books but I don't know the first thing about nutrition. Apollo doesn't need to eat and Duran is a walking garbage disposal, so I haven't given it much thought. I did get them vitamins, but I'm pretty sure the kibble and Pokéblocks I have are barely passable."

Her eyes lit up in excitement, "You make Pokéblocks?! We should totally have a taste-testing party tonight!"

I shouldn't have been surprised that particular topic would excite Samantha; from what I could tell most coordinators swore by Pokéblocks and took them very seriously, and it seemed she was no exception.

"I wouldn't mind. Maybe you could help me figure out a mix they actually like, rather than tolerate."

I could see the excitement in her eyes, and I began to wonder if I was going to be able to teach her even a fraction of what she had to offer me. She'd been to the best trainer school in the region, had taken advanced courses, and had been privately tutored by multiple experts by the sounds of things. All I had was years of skimming the internet, a couple of books, and a little over a week of experience. She was older and more educated, and I was beginning to feel a bit of an inferiority.

Reassurance.

I looked over to see that Apollo was now giving me his full attention, his conversation with Stella seemingly done for now. I didn't want to pry too much, but I wondered what they had been talking about for so long and how it was conversing with another telepath.

"Fun. Different. Her teach human. I help mind."

I blinked, trying to decipher what I'd just heard and unable to remember a time when Apollo had said so much. He was quickly approaching full sentences to the point where I had no doubt that a month from now we'd be having complete conversations, but it was sometimes hard to decipher what he meant when he talked like this. So much of it could be left to interpretation, and although he was sending me more information it left me with more questions than answers.

Just as I was considering how to ask Apollo to elaborate, we were interrupted by somebody I could instantly tell was a traveling trainer jogging over and waving us down. Unlike most of the others we'd seen on the route, this one had a full backpack and sported clothes suited for more than an afternoon outdoors, and the Swellow circling overhead let me know he was more serious than most we had come across.

"Hey, my name's Keith; you two look like serious trainers, either of you up for a battle?" he asked with a friendly smile.

"Not it," Samantha said almost instantly. I looked down at the Espeon to find that it had begun grooming itself, completely ignoring the trainer and his Swellow.

I'd have liked to use Duran for this fight; he was fairly adept at fighting birds and needed the practice, but he was out of commission.

I looked to my shoulder at Apollo, "Feel up for a quick battle?"

I could tell he was a bit nervous; he seemed to be averse to birds after being hunted by them in his earlier days, but to his credit he nodded his head regardless.

When he asked me what the bet was, I initially offered 1,000 but agreed to double it when he countered with 5,000. I could tell he was a bit disappointed at how little was being bet, but I wasn't willing to go any higher and he didn't push. He was friendly and seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of a good battle. He was unlike any trainer I'd met before; although I could tell he was confident that his Swellow could take on Apollo he wasn't at all dismissive. He struck me as a good trainer, and I hoped I'd be able to run into more people like him during my travels.

Samantha played the role of referee, standing off to the side with Stella as we took our places. Although I saw four Pokéballs on his belt, he didn't recall his Swellow to pull a fast one on me, something I found myself extremely grateful for. He could have taken advantage of knowing that I was going to use Apollo for his own gain, considering we hadn't exactly agreed on which Pokémon to use. It was just implied.

He was honorable, something I could respect a lot. I mentally instructed Apollo not to use his telepathy on his foe. I knew it was going to make this a tough battle, but I didn't want to pull that trick on an opponent like this unless it was absolutely necessary.

As it turned out, it was very necessary.

The battle started off alright; Apollo was able to Teleport out of the way of the Swellow's mixture of dive bombing and ranged attacks, and we landed a couple of Disarming Voices. But it wasn't doing much, and the Swellow was too fast and relentless for Apollo to focus enough to land a solid Confusion. I think he might have started landing it a couple of times, but he would always need to Teleport out of the way just as he started to use it, breaking his concentration.

When I realized that we were losing this and needed more power, I mentally instructed Apollo to start using telepathy on his opponent before calling out for him to use Calm Mind. My thinking was that he would need to close his eyes and focus in order to use the move, and that only telepathy would let him avoid being hit.

I shouldn't have been surprised that it didn't work. He tried to focus, but he didn't have enough familiarity with the move to use it in the heat of battle. He narrowly avoided a Wing Attack, and things quickly took a turn for the worst when our opponent called for an Agility and began following up with back-to-back Quick Attacks.

It took all of Apollo's focus to avoid the onslaught of attacks, but despite how good he was at Teleport he soon lost his steam. Telepathy wasn't enough to save him; as he was slowing down and becoming sluggish his opponent seemed to be only getting faster. After taking a couple of hard hits, I forfeited when Apollo started struggling to get up to his feet.

It pained me to admit, but we didn't have an answer for that kind of speed and mobility. It would require more stamina or power we simply hadn't built up yet. We would have either had to hit harder to slow down the assault, or had the endurance to keep Teleporting and poking down the opponent, neither of which we could pull off against this opponent.

We were simply outmatched, and it served as a good lesson that telepathy wasn't something that could solve any problem.

"That was a pretty good battle, your Ralts is hands-down the best at using Teleport that I've seen from an unevolved psychic," the boy praised as he held out a hand.

I shook his hand graciously, "Thanks. We've practiced it a lot, but still need some work in other areas."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. From what I could tell those Disarming Voices were pretty strong, but Swellow is a bit of a tank. Once your Ralts evolves I'm sure it'll be a force to be reckoned with."

I bent down and sprayed Apollo with a potion, praising him for his efforts. All things considered, he really had done quite well. He'd avoided being hit for a good while, which was no easy feat considering how fast and relentless our opponent was. He was a little down from the loss, but once he saw I was genuinely impressed with his performance he seemed to cheer up.

"Say, how many badges do you have?" I couldn't help but ask.

Keith beamed proudly, "Just got my third. Headed back to Rustboro for my sister's birthday actually."

I sighed as I pulled out my Pokédex, "I really should have checked before our battle. I've just gotten my first. It was a good learning experience though, I appreciate the battle."

He rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly, "How about you just pay me the initial 1,000 you wanted to put up. I feel a bit bad for talking it up, I sort of forgot I was in a starting zone again."

I nodded in thanks and found the option in my Pokédex for battle payouts before holding it out for him. This was my first time 'officially' losing a match; usually I just had to hold my Pokédex out and receive payment.

"Daniel Ingram, I'll keep my eye on you. It was nice meeting you, and…" he turned to Samantha, who was currently crouched down petting Stella.

"Sammy. Danny is my brother, thanks for knocking him down a peg. You actually broke his undefeated streak," she grinned.

I shot her an unamused look but decided against saying anything. At least Apollo seemed to be enjoying himself and feeling better about his loss, as I noticed him stifling a giggle.

Keith didn't seem to notice our various reactions to that statement, "Sammy and Danny, I'll remember that for sure. Safe travels you two!" he waved cheerfully as he walked towards Rustboro with his Swellow taking to the sky.

"Really?" I couldn't help but ask Samantha once he was out of earshot.

"Oh come on, it's funny!"

"We look nothing alike, and if anybody searches for 'Sammy Ingram' they'll realize you're full of shit.

She shrugged, "Not until we are long gone. Besides, if anybody pries I'll just say we aren't actually related, we just got really close at the orphanage."

"I don't go around advertising to the world that I'm an orphan, in case you haven't noticed. Don't you think it's a bit fucked up claiming you're one when you aren't?"

"Watch your language little bro," she snapped with a slight smirk, "It's the perfect cover! Has anyone ever told you that you take things way too seriously? Lighten up."

I shot her a warning glare, "Don't. I can stomach 'Danny', but 'little bro' is wayyyy too much."

"Awww, but I always wanted a little brother," she pouted playfully, "I guess we'd probably be more like twins anyway, I'm not that much older."

I was completely over this conversation and decided not to respond to that, but I did have a lingering thought.

"Hey, if you battle somebody what does your name show as?"

Samantha slapped her own forehead, "I knew I was forgetting something! I was supposed to change it at the Pokécenter, but I hadn't picked out a name yet and sort of forgot. Mind if I do Sammy Ingram?"

"I do, actually. That aside, you can change your name just like that?"

"Only once, Daddy made special arrangements. I wasn't supposed to battle while my profile was set to private, but now that I'll be traveling Daddy says I would draw attention if I didn't have a profile. I'm supposed to go to a Pokécenter, set a name, and un-private my profile."

"Well we're too far from Rustboro to turn back now, so we'll just do it in Verdanturf. People might buy that you're an orphan, but you have way better gear and Pokémon that aren't found around Petalburg. And, again, we look nothing alike."

"Alright, so what are you thinking?"

"We got close at the Petalburg orphanage, but you were adopted and moved to Rustboro. Your new parents got you an Eevee as a starter, and it explains why you have better gear. We kept in touch and made plans to travel together for a bit after I made it to Rustboro. You could even say you went through a couple of years of trainers school. It's not flawless, but it'll make more sense than if you claim you're actually related to me. There's no way to explain your gear, your Pokémon, or how different we look."

"Fiiiine. But I'll still say you're my brother, if only in spirit. It plays into us being close, and it'll help keep people off my back. Creeps won't make a move on me with my brother around, and we won't get pestered by people asking if we're dating."

"Whatever," I shrugged before picking up Apollo and setting him back on my shoulder, "Just no 'little bro' and I'm fine with it."

"Now I need to think of a cute last name…"

I rolled my eyes as we resumed our walk east. Although she was a bit annoying and careless at times, she was also reasonable and serious when it counted, something I could really appreciate.

Things were pretty relaxed as we continued our travels. Apollo was preoccupied with a telepathic conversation with Stella while Samantha was watching videos and flipping through her phone, presumably trying to come up with the perfect last name.

I could still feel Apollo's presence in my mind, but it was plain to see that his attention was elsewhere. He would occasionally send me a feeling or quick comment on a thought I had, but for the most part I was left to my own thoughts; something I was completely comfortable with.

"We should set up camp," I declared as the sun began to set behind the trees. "I"m assuming you haven't ever assembled your tent, and that's not something you want to struggle with in the dark."

"That's not a concern, but it is getting dark and my legs are getting tired. How about here, this seems like a good spot."

I shook my head, "We are not setting up camp right in the middle of the route. We'll find somewhere secluded; somewhere nobody traveling the main path will see us."

"Alright, you're the expert I suppose," she shrugged.

It only took us about five minutes to find a hidden clearing surrounded by dense trees, and after declaring my approval we started to set up camp.

I had expected Samantha to have some ridiculously lavish tent that would be a nightmare to erect. I was proven half right; although her tent was only slightly larger than mine, it looked perfectly unassuming.

That is if you were looking at it from the outside after it was set up. Watching what looked like a shoe-box automatically fold out, connect the poles and erect itself at the press of a button was anything but normal, and after some pleading I was allowed to look inside and realized it had built-in climate control and even a wall-plug for electronics.

"How," I managed to ask after getting over my initial shock.

She gave a self-satisfied smirk, "There are small yet highly efficient solar panels hidden on top that help it charge, and it's got a tiny generator that's so quiet you can't even hear it. I can also just charge it when I get to a city, but unless I'm drawing serious power it's pretty self-sustaining. For things like charging my phone or running my hair dryer, it's perfectly suited for the job."

"How exactly would anybody believe you are an orphan if they saw this? There's getting adopted by well-off parents, then there's… whatever this is."

"It's not that crazy. Sure it's expensive, but really the only thing I think I need to hide is the quality of my backpack, which shouldn't be a problem."

"Did I hear you say hair dryer? Are you about to bust out an entire bathhouse next?"

She huffed and crossed her arms, "I have a portable shower if I really need it, but I want to try roughing it until at least Verdanturf. I'll have to get used to being at least a little dirty."

"Oh yeah, you're really roughing it," I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

My tent now set up, I gathered some wood and started up a campfire. I then released Duran, and as I checked up on him and poured some water on him Samantha took that as her cue to release her Skitty.

I was struck by just how lively our campsite was. Duran took to scavenging the surrounding area while the Skitty ran in circles around him playfully. Duran reminded me of a grumpy old man, completely ignoring the feline's attempts to play and occasionally shooting a few warning Bubbles toward it whenever it got too close. Apollo and Stella were sitting around the campfire, a fair distance apart but I could tell they were enjoying each other's company.

As I was preparing to make myself some ramen, Samantha shot me a warning glare and began unpacking her own food, so I relented and decided to let her cook. I wasn't sure I believed she would be a good cook, but she seemed to have actual cooking ingredients and a plan, and I wasn't really in a position to criticize whatever she made.

It turns out she had a small cooler with vegetables and other various supplies, and she was able to whip up a pretty solid stir-fry. It was almost too sweet for my liking, but it was better than anything I'd ever made before and far more nutritious than the ramen I was planning on having.

"Pretty good, right? My mom is a way better cook, but I've been practicing and I'm not so bad if I do say so myself."

"It's pretty good, although it's nearly too sweet to be edible," I remarked as I took another bite.

"You can't live on ramen and rice, you know. You should learn to actually cook."

"We don't all have the luxury of being able to afford fresh produce and carry it around in a cooler that weighs almost nothing thanks to space-tech. But I'll admit I have been thinking of trying some new things. I haven't really done any foraging yet, and I still want to try hunting and fishing. Just haven't had the need to, I'm not sick of the food I have just yet."

"You will not be hunting or fishing in my presence, Daniel Ingram. I'll cook every meal myself if I have to, without needing to kill to do it. And don't pretend you can't afford to buy a handful of cooking ingredients, it's not even expensive. But the backpack does help, I'll give you that."

"Are you a vegetarian or something?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Not exactly…" she fidgeted nervously, "But it's different when it's already prepared. I don't want to see anything killed or gutted or whatever… It's disgusting and cruel."

"That might just be the single dumbest thing I've ever heard. If you were vegetarian that's something I could respect, but it's pretty hypocritical to eat meat and then condemn those who do the dirty work needed to get it."

"Fine, then I'll go vegetarian! I didn't bring meat anyways, so it's no problem!" she snapped venomously, surprising me.

She seemed to quickly realize she was getting too heated as her expression softened almost immediately.

"Just… please don't," she all but pleaded, showing a vulnerability I hadn't yet seen.

I considered pressing the issue; this seemed like the kind of thing Steven wanted me to expose her to, but looking around I saw that we had an audience. Duran had stopped scavenging and was watching with interest from the side, Apollo seemed a bit conflicted and was no longer conversing with Stella, and both of Samantha's Pokémon were watching me with a wary look that bordered on a glare.

"Alright, but you're cooking. Less sweet in the future, please."

She gave no verbal response but nodded, and the camp fell into an awkward silence. We finished our meals and I gave both of my Pokémon their vitamins before feeding Duran some kibble and pouring more water on his developing shell. Samantha also fed her team, and although I didn't get a good look it was a wet food that came in cans. If I had to guess, it was a much higher quality than the kibble I was using.

There was still a bit of daylight left so my team and I went a little distance away and did our evening training. I had Duran practice putting more pressure into his Water Gun by having him focus on shooting it as far as he could, encouraging him to challenge himself to keep going further with each attempt while Apollo and I found a quiet area nearby to meditate. I instructed him to practice Calm Mind and get familiar with tapping into the source of his psychic power, telling him the goal was to make it as fast and instinctual as possible to bolster. I knew that soon we'd need to introduce some distractions to help simulate using it during a battle, but for now he just needed to be more familiar with the move.

I used my time meditating to consider my new traveling companion. I thought we were getting along fairly well, but there were definitely some core differences in our personalities and outlook on life that introduced a bit of tension. I didn't see it as anything majorly concerning, although I did feel like I saw a hint of Samantha's stubbornness shine through when she suddenly declared herself vegetarian to prove a point.

By far the most concerning thing was her carelessness. She had clearly been thoughtful in ensuring she brought along plenty of equipment and supplies for her travels, but she would need to be careful with what she said and did around others. For somebody who had apparently gone through a kidnapping scare with Team Rocket, she seemed to lack seriousness when it came to staying low-key and having a solid backstory people would believe.

She would have camped right in the middle of the route, and all it would take was assembling or packing her tent in front of the wrong person, pulling the wrong thing out of her backpack, or saying the wrong thing and she could easily be targeted. Team Rocket was one thing, but there was always the risk that somebody thought they could pull a fast one on some naive rich girl.

I got the feeling she took a lot of things as a fun game when in reality her safety was on the line. In a way I could appreciate her approach to life; I was almost certain I took most things too seriously and would do well to relax a little. I was sure we both had plenty of things to teach the other, but if there was one thing I wished to impart to her it was a better sense of self-preservation.

"Hey Daniel, I wanted to apologize..."

I opened my eyes to see Samantha standing a few paces away with her arms behind her back, a regretful look on her face.

"It's really not a big deal, I sort of caused it."

She shook her head rapidly, "No, you were right. I was being a hypocrite. I talked to Stella afterward, and she helped me understand that death is both a natural and necessary thing. I still don't think I'm ready to experience that side of things, but I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm sorry."

"For what it's worth, I don't think I'll need to do that while we're traveling together. Even if I did manage to get meat I wouldn't know what to do with it. You're a pretty good cook, so if the offer still stands…"

She beamed, "Of course! It's fun to cook, and I can't have you living off ramen and rice for the rest of your life. You should really learn to cook, I'll teach you."

"I wouldn't mind, but what I'd really like you to teach me is your mental defenses. I'm clueless when it comes to Pokéblocks too. I tried reading up on them but it didn't make much sense to me."

"That reminds me! We were going to have a Pokéblock party! I'll go get things ready, you wrap up here."

She cheerfully bounded back towards camp, and I caught Stella giving me a look and slight nod I took as appreciation for mending things with her trainer.

Apollo suddenly Teleported onto my shoulder, and I rubbed his helmet before standing up.

"Guess training is done for the day. Make any good progress?"

"Better focus. Calming Mind."

"Well it is called Calm Mind, so that makes sense. Let's go check on Duran and head back to camp."

I had expected to find Duran shooting Water Gun at trees or into the air, but that's not the scene I returned to.

He was currently engaging Samantha's Skitty as he blasted jets of water at the feline, who was doing an extremely admirable job of evading. My heart sank and I initially thought they were fighting, but as I ran over I quickly saw that the Skitty was thoroughly enjoying itself. I was also able to tell that Duran wasn't actually angry; perhaps slightly annoyed but mostly determined.

It wasn't a fight but a game, and although I didn't know how long it had been going on I could tell it had caused Duran's Water Guns to become perfectly passable for use in battle. His control over the streams definitely needed a bit of work, particularly tightening up the streams and putting a bit more power into the speed at which he shot them, but the water flow was there.

If I had to guess, the Skitty had annoyed Duran while he trained and he began blasting water at it, and that's what had prompted this game. I wasn't complaining though, it seemed to have done wonders and surely gave him ample motivation to get it working.

"I'm glad you two are getting along, but that's enough for now. Let's get you some water Duran, I'm sure you need it after that. Great job by the way, you're really getting the hang of Water Gun."

Duran huffed and looked a bit annoyed that he hadn't been able to hit the Skitty, but he obliged and followed me to the camp. The Skitty seemed disappointed that the game was over, however once it saw the spread of Pokéblocks that Samantha had laid out on a picnic blanket it pranced over eagerly.

"That's a lot of Pokéblocks," I couldn't help but remark as I grabbed my bottle of water and liberally poured it all over Duran.

I wasn't kidding either; whereas I only had a small case that could hold about twelve, Samantha had about twenty laid out and had seemingly cut them in half. She also had a case that was roughly the size of a suitcase, and I could see there were over a hundred that were neatly sorted.

The Skitty was creeping its way towards the immaculate spread, but Samantha held a hand out and blocked its path.

"You'll get your own Skitty, don't worry. I already know what you like, this is to figure out what Daniel's team prefers."

The Skitty pouted, but after Samantha handed it a blueish-green Pokéblock it took it in its mouth and carried it away, seemingly to savor it in privacy. Stella for her part was much more patient, however the flicking of her tail indicated she was eager for hers, which Samantha happily obliged.

Samantha kneeled down in front of my team as she addressed them, "We're going to figure out which types of Pokéblocks you like best. Make sure you're honest about which ones you like and dislike. Everyone is different, the point of this is to figure out your unique tastes. You won't hurt my feelings if you really dislike one, promise. Try each one out and let us know which ones stand out. One of each, don't take too big of a bite or you won't have room to try them all."

Apollo was a bit reluctant and needed me to confirm it was alright, but Duran had absolutely no reservations as he began to dig in. I wasn't sure if he had taken her warnings about not eating too much seriously, as he was eating his halves entirely at an alarming rate.

"Slow down Duran, we need to know which you like. It's important. I know they are good, but make sure you let us know which ones are really good or really bad," I warned him, thankfully causing him to slow down as Apollo began taking his first nibble of one.

I took out my notebook and began writing down everything I could, both Samantha's extremely convoluted and confusing explanations of things as well as my team's preferences. Samantha claimed that you could tell a lot about a Pokémon based on their Pokéblock preference, from their personality type to their general strengths and weaknesses, but I quickly found myself zoning out because it sounded like utter nonsense to me.

The taste test didn't take long, and my team did a good job of nodding or shaking their head with varying degrees of enthusiasm. I made sure to note down the conclusions that Samantha was able to come to and learned that Duran preferred spicy flavors while Apollo liked things that were bitter, which surprised me. She told me which flavors mixed well with those and which I should avoid, and gave me a list of corresponding berries that my team would like. She even taught me a couple of song beats that I should blend the berries to for varying consistencies.

Then she pulled out a small chart and started rattling off various information she took as gospel, greatly reminding me of horoscopes. Initially I simply humored her, but by the end I found myself reluctantly noting her findings as they seemed to be pretty good descriptions of my team.

She claimed that Apollo was considered 'gentle'; someone who was compassionate and kind-hearted, and that although he would naturally struggle to defend against physical attacks he was capable of excelling at defense against those that were non-physical. Duran was 'adamant'; best described as having a high resolve, being greatly determined, and overall tough. His grouping preferred to physically attack and needed more training for other types of attacks.

It sort of added up too; Duran was a natural brawler and took considerable effort to train his ranged attacks, while Apollo had trouble taking physical blows but had the means to take less direct attacks.

I had initially thought she was spewing Tauros shit and making things up based on her knowledge of my team and their species. She claimed that their species did have a lot to do with it, but that it was entirely possible that their strengths and tastes could be swapped.

By the end of her rantings, I wasn't sure I was a believer but I noted down everything that seemed relevant and thanked her for her help. She surprised me by saying all of this wasn't that serious; that it was just good to know what flavors your Pokémon liked and that any perceived strengths or weaknesses could easily be overcome with training. Despite that, she was firm that although this wasn't exactly scientific it was something many top trainers, breeders, and coordinators swore by.

With the sun finally setting over the horizon and our group winding down, I soaked Duran in water one last time before recalling him for the night, not wanting him to dry out overnight. He was surprisingly content with it; he seemed to truly enjoy his Net Ball and seemed very satisfied after eating his fill and having an intense workout with the Skitty.

Apollo and Stella admired the moon a short distance from the camp, seemingly having another telepathic conversation. I was endlessly curious about what they talked about so much, but was just happy that he had seemingly found a friend of his own. I knew he could pick up on my curiosity since I still felt his presence, but he chose not to fill me in and I respected his desire for privacy.

Samantha sat in a camping chair enthralled with her phone, so I leaned back against my backpack and cracked open Telepathic Tendencies. Almost immediately once I was settled in, I got interrupted.

"Coming. Visitor. No frighten."

I looked over to Apollo and noticed Samantha doing the same, clearly having gotten a similar message from Stella. I set the book down as I saw Stella and Apollo approaching, and my eyes widened as I saw an Eevee accompanying them. It was trotting alongside Stella, seemingly fixated on the faint glow of the gem on her head.

"I'll offer some food. You get some water," Samantha said in a hushed town, slowly bending down and reaching into her backpack to get a can of food. With deliberately slow motions I unzipped my backpack, got a bowl and poured some water into it before pushing it as far away from me as I could toward the approaching group.

The Eevee stopped as the group got near the campfire, seemingly snapped out of its trance and looking startled from the flames. It was then that it realized mine and Samantha's presence, which didn't help matters. It looked like it was about to take off and run, but Stella looked at the Eevee and her gem shone as she seemingly reassured our visitor that there was nothing to be worried about. The Eevee seemed to want to join us, but it was clear that the campfire was not something it was willing to get any closer to.

Samantha and I had the same idea; both pulling out our lanterns before Samantha poured some water on the fire to extinguish it. Once the campfire was only smoldering embers, Eevee finally felt comfortable enough to approach and join our circle.

Apollo walked over to the bowl and picked it up, carrying it closer to the Eevee as Samantha opened her can of food and allowed Stella to carry it in her mouth by its edge. Both of our starters set the offerings down next to the Eevee and gestured invitingly, and after a moment it obliged by taking a quick drink before digging into the food.

"Hey there Eevee, it's nice to meet you. I'm Daniel, and this is Sama… Sammy," I corrected myself while gesturing to her, realizing I needed to get in the habit of using that name.

It paused its eating to give us a curious look before hesitantly nodding, clearly a bit wary of us. It seemed perfectly comfortable around Apollo and Stella, and I began wondering how long they might have been talking with the Eevee before bringing it over.

"Short time. Curious Stella," Apollo answered telepathically.

That made sense; Eevee were known for being rather skittish and quick to run, but the presence of an evolved Eevee would surely have piqued its interest and helped it feel more at ease.

"Dream to evolve. Scared of alone."

I nearly spluttered at the information. I was sorely tempted to try acting on it now, but it felt premature. It would be best to let the Eevee spend the evening with us to get more comfortable before bringing up the topic.

The Skitty who had been lying a ways off on its own was now slinking closer to the Eevee, clearly preparing to pounce and play with the Eevee. I could tell that the Skitty meant well, but the Eevee had taken notice and had paused its eating with a look of wariness.

I was about to say something, but the Skitty suddenly disappeared as it was sucked into its Pokéball, Samantha clearly having seen what was about to happen.

"Sorry about that, he's just playful," Samantha apologized to the Eevee as it showed relief. "We're just relaxing before bed, you're welcome to spend the night here with us. We'll keep you safe, I promise."

We all nodded in agreement, and after a moment of consideration the Eevee trilled happily and continued eating, seemingly much more at ease.

The presence of the Eevee made the group much more social, and we were able to have surprising in-depth discussions with it due to the presence of two telepaths. Samantha and I took turns asking questions, and we learned that this particular Eevee was male; something that wasn't too surprising considering the rarity of finding a lone female in the wild. They typically remained hidden and had a mate go out for food, and this Eevee confirmed it was all alone. It apparently had a brother, but he was captured some time ago by a trainer while providing a distraction so this Eevee could escape.

Despite obvious sadness about being separated from his brother, this Eevee was surprisingly mature and well-informed. Although it had always lived in the wild, it seemed to innately know that most humans were good, and that a trainer's purpose was to help a Pokémon get stronger in order to reach their full potential.

I would have expected the Eevee to hate humans, and although there was surely a little bit of wariness there it seemed to be on the hunt for one who could help it achieve its dreams; evolution and someday reuniting with his brother, if even briefly.

I'd planned on being patient and waiting to ask until the morning, but Apollo was telepathically encouraging me to make the proposal. Even Samantha and Stella were shooting me glances, so with all eyes on me I made my move.

"Hey Eevee, you're welcome to come with Apollo and I. We're training to beat the best trainers in the region, and we'll be traveling all over so we might just run into your brother. I can't promise that but I can guarantee you'll evolve if you come with us, although depending on what you want it may take some time. Just to warn you though, it won't be easy. We train a lot and you'll be fighting some tough opponents, so unless you're really motivated you might want to find another trainer who–"

The Eevee jumped into my lap and nuzzled against my shirt, clearly having made its choice. As I pet him I realized I'd need to get some grooming supplies after noticing a few mats in the fur. Samantha took notice and kindly let me borrow a brush she had, and my new Eevee purred happily while I carefully brushed it until all the mats were out. I resolved to give it a bath in the morning, something I could tell it sorely needed.

After the quick grooming, I laid out an Ultra Ball, Luxury Ball, and my Premiere Ball to give Eevee the choice of which one it liked best, setting aside the Dusk Ball. Eevee began to shiver in what seemed to be fear, and Apollo informed me that Eevee was scared of tight spaces. It took a bit of convincing from Apollo and Stella that it was a necessary thing that wasn't scary, but he seemed determined to come with us and soon signaled he was ready to choose.

As I was describing the differences Eevee instantly chose the Luxury Ball when I mentioned it would be the most comfortable and spacious. I requested that he relax and not resist what was sure to be an odd sensation, and in no time at all I had a new team member.

While I gave Eevee a minute to familiarize itself with its new ball, Samantha congratulated me and smugly claimed that I 'owed her one', not only for her 'letting' me catch it but also for Stella attracting it.

I couldn't argue with her and agreed that I owed her a favor. I was almost certain that the Eevee wouldn't have approached without Stella's presence and that my cheap kibble wouldn't have been nearly as enticing as Samantha's quality food.

As it turns out, there are perks to traveling with a Stone.

TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 1
Account: 5,342 credits

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

AN: A bit of tension, a bit of progress, Daniel's first official loss, and a new team member. Not a bad day all things considered. Surely things will continue to go smoothly.

Shoutout to TysonG for beta-reading this chapter.

Come hang out on Discord. gg/ ge6a8XcNcB