TRAINER ID
Name: Samantha Morgan
Age: 16
Badges: 1
Account: 1,292,551 credits

POKÉMON
Espeon (Stella) - Female
Skitty - Male

"Sammy, wait!"

Samantha heard Marelle's voice call from behind her as she kept a swift pace and strode toward the treeline at the southern edge of Verdanturf with purpose.

She needed to put some distance between herself and Daniel; she knew herself well enough to know when she was about to get into an argument that got out of hand, and even if part of her thought that he deserved it, another part told her that it wasn't worth it, at least not right now.

There was a much bigger issue at hand, and she couldn't afford to waste time arguing with Daniel over another one of his dumb mistakes. Although she was rather hurt that he'd missed her performance, there was a time-sensitive matter at hand she needed to clear her mind for and address.

Her parents, who she knew had been watching the contest from home, were blowing her phone up if the multiple missed calls, voicemails, and text messages she'd seen when saving Marelle's number were any indicator. Although her phone was on silent, the longer she ignored it the more it felt like she could feel the constant buzzing, even if it didn't exist.

She'd known what she was doing when she broke her promise with them to use a disguise, but she'd hoped that the elation of winning her first ribbon and proving to Daniel that she wasn't some lazy rich girl would have made this a moment of celebration.

Instead, all that was left was anxiety about confronting her parents. Winning her ribbon almost didn't feel real; perhaps later in the evening it would sink in and she could really revel in her accomplishment. But right now it felt more like a dream, and with the situation with both her parents and Daniel, it was quickly turning into a nightmare.

One thing at a time… First, she needed to deal with her parents, who would no doubt be extremely upset and want her to come home claiming what she'd done was too dangerous.

She had strong suspicions about how the conversation with her parents would go. Her dad would initially ignore the elephant in the room and immediately start with a heartfelt congratulations; he was always supportive of her and her dreams, and she had a sneaking suspicion that even if she'd done terribly he would say she did wonderfully. Unconditional love and support, that had always been his style.

Her mom on the other hand… well, Samantha doubted she would ever fully approve of her career choice. Not that Roxanne had anything against coordinators specifically, but she really didn't like the idea of her daughter traveling the region or painting a bigger target on her back than she already had just by way of being a Stone. She'd probably offer a quick congratulations then immediately demand she go home, claiming she broke their deal and that it was no longer safe.

Daniel, though… Samantha couldn't put her finger on why it mattered so much to her, but she wanted to prove herself to him above all others. He was a capable and promising trainer who, despite his shortcomings, had become someone she would consider a close friend. He was one of the very few people Samantha had ever met whom she didn't feel the need to put on some sort of front around, acting how people expected and wanted her to rather than being her authentic self.

Sure, she had some friends she still kept in touch with, but in the social circles she grew up in everybody kept each other at arm's length and interactions often felt… superficial. There were moments where she felt truly close to Daniel; closer than she'd ever felt with any of her friends or family. He somehow managed to make her feel like she was a normal person, despite all the reasons in the world for him to treat her like everyone else always had. They could rib each other one moment, then instantly go to just hanging out and talking about whatever came to mind the next. Most people wouldn't dare bite back, so their banter was something Samantha truly appreciated about their relationship.

Perhaps he was just good at hiding it, but Samantha didn't get the sense that he was intimidated by her or using her for his own gain. In fact, he'd flat-out denied her help when she offered to pay for his supplies, something that cemented in her mind that their friendship was genuine. Even if it was a bit of a stubborn and stupid decision considering his financial situation, Samantha could respect his desire for independence. Thankfully he accepted her help in other ways, such as borrowing the TM for Protect, teaching him how to groom Eevee, and being the designated chef.

He might be a bit hard-headed at times, but he was far from hopeless. In fact, of all the very promising trainers Samantha had seen during her time at Trainers' School, she thought Daniel was the most likely to go the distance. He might lack a formal education, but he was far from dumb, had natural talent as a trainer, and a level of dedication many couldn't hope to match.

That's why she got so annoyed whenever he insinuated that she should be training or practicing. She'd purposely not done any of her routines since traveling with him, wanting it to be a surprise that she wasn't some lazy rich girl assuming everything would simply work out in her favor. Oh no, she'd put in the work to ensure her debut would go amazingly; many months of literal blood, sweat, and tears poured into her prepared performances. All she had wanted for today was to prove that to Daniel and earn her first ribbon, and she'd been robbed of one of those things.

The contest had been a lot more nerve-wracking than she'd anticipated. It's one thing to have a routine perfected, but another entirely to perform it flawlessly in front of thousands of eyes, both in person and watching from home. She'd never thought of herself as somebody to shy away from the limelight considering her desire to make a name for herself separate from the one she was born with, but when she was backstage peeking out at all the people, cameras, and spotlights, the nerves really started setting in.

That's why she appreciated Marelle so much. Samantha was almost positive that if Marelle hadn't gone out of her way to help calm her down, she would have bombed and Marelle would have won.

What kind of person throws away their own chances at winning a ribbon just to help a stranger? The world of coordinators was notoriously cutthroat, so Samantha had been surprised when she approached her and offered her advice and help. Perhaps she simply hadn't seen Samantha as a threat; her performance was really good, so she probably thought that helping wouldn't really hurt her. But she'd not only done it, she took her loss with grace and seemed genuinely excited to make friends with someone she considered an up-and-coming coordinator. Samantha didn't doubt that her loss stung more than she let on, but networking was a huge part of this industry and she was almost guaranteed to win the next one considering the skill level of the rest of their competition in that contest.

Samantha finally reached the treeline and took her backpack off before leaning back against the trunk of a particularly thick tree, watching Marelle approach. She had half a mind to ask Marelle for some space, but perhaps she had some advice to help here too. She didn't get the sense that she hated Daniel, or that she would purposely try to sabotage a relationship she had made clear during their backstage conversations meant a lot to her.

Marelle quietly took a seat beside Samantha, close enough to offer her support but not so close as to intrude on the space Samantha clearly craved.

"I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry…" Marelle trailed off, looking genuinely regretful and apologetic.

Samantha sighed, leaning her head back against the tree and looking up at the sky. "You didn't do anything wrong… You just called him out on a lie, I would have done the same in your shoes."

"Yeah, but he had the right idea… Neither of us should be bringing you down, it's your big day. I don't know what kind of person he is, if he would have actually told you later on or not, but I couldn't stand the thought of him pretending like he was there supporting you when he wasn't."

"He was there, supporting me," Samantha snapped a bit more pointedly than she had anticipated. The surprised look on Marelle's face and the venom in her voice both took her by surprise, and she groaned and lightly hit her head against the tree.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just…"

"It's fine, you're right. In fact, he sort of got kicked out for supporting you too much, now that I really think about it… He just wanted his team to see you perform, and he only caught the camera's eye because he was cheering so enthusiastically. Kind of endearing, in a weird way."

"Yeah, I guess. Still sucks, he's the only one I really wanted to see my final performance."

"What about your parents? Surely they watched from home, right?"

Samantha bit her lip; she'd purposely danced around the topic of her parents when talking with Marelle backstage, keeping Daniel's warning in mind and being sure she didn't leave an opportunity to be caught out in a lie. She'd very delicately chosen her wording when describing her relationship to Daniel, and had purposely not mentioned anything about her parents.

"Yeah, I'm sure they watched. But it's just not the same… They are kind of set in their opinions on it, but I sort of wanted to show Daniel how much work I'd put into it. He's kind of a freak when it comes to working hard; he trains twice a day, and sometimes I think he sees me as lazy. But I'd already done all my practicing before we left Rustboro together, so I just wanted to surprise him."

"Well, I think you accomplished that much. He literally got kicked out for being so impressed with you, so even if he didn't see your final performance I think you can call that mission a success. Not to mention you ended up winning the whole thing."

"I guess you're right… Still sucks though. We sort of had a bit of a fight after he made fun of your name, and it ended with me telling him I'd never forgive him if he missed my performance."

"Do you think you can? Forgive him?" Marelle asked.

"Maybe… Probably. I really wanted to slap him back there; to scream at him for being so dumb and selfish. But that initial flash of anger is gone and now I'm just… disappointed."

"Walking away was smart. You know, my big brother told me that emotions are a chemical reaction in the brain, and that it only lasts about ninety seconds," Marelle said while staring off toward Verdanturf with an expression that seemed surprisingly wistful to Samantha.

"You never told me you have a brother," Samantha noted curiously.

"Never really had the chance. Once Daniel got brought up you really got talkative, and since that story was a good distraction for both of us I just let you rant," she said with a grin as Samantha flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry, I guess I did get a bit carried away. That whole Geodude thing has been weighing on me pretty heavily, so it was nice having someone to talk to about it with, and it was a really good distraction," Samantha admitted. "I can talk to Daniel about most things, but for something like that… I dunno, I just don't think it impacted him the same way."

"Some people are desensitized to the ugliness in the world. My brother was the same way; he was a big softy when it came to family, but apart from that he could be surprisingly unbothered by bad things."

Samantha felt her chest tighten and hesitated, wanting to ask the question now burning in her mind. Thankfully, Marelle picked up on the unspoken question so she didn't have to say it.

"Yeah, was. He… well, he might still be alive somewhere, I'm actually not sure, but what I do know is that the brother I knew and loved died years ago," Marelle said with a hint of sadness, although Samantha got the feeling she'd long since run out of tears and come to terms with it.

"You don't even know if he's still alive?" Samantha asked confusedly.

"Last I heard he was, but it's been a while and his lifestyle wasn't exactly safe, so who knows? It's a long story. I don't really want to bring your day down anymore, but maybe I'll tell you about him some other time. The point I was trying to make is that people deal with trauma differently. He might be completely unaffected by it, but he could also just be good at compartmentalizing. Now that you've got my number you can call or text me whenever you want to talk about things, but if you're close enough to consider Daniel a brother of sorts, you should try talking about it with him. After all, he was there with you, and it might do him some good to talk about it."

"Yeah, maybe… We mostly came up with the whole sibling thing as a fun joke," Samantha confessed.

"But you still consider him a good friend," Marelle pointed out.

"I do," Samantha nodded, "but… I don't know, I guess I'm just hurt he'll probably never get to see me win a ribbon in person. We're planning on parting ways after Mauville, since he wants to challenge the Lavaridge gym and I need to go north to Fallarbor for the next contest hall."

"Why can't you two just stick together? What's the rush? it's not like either of you are pressed for time until the end of the season."

Samantha sighed, "We're just both eager to chase our own dreams, I suppose. Sometimes I get the feeling he'd prefer to be alone, too."

"Well journeying alone is stupid; the world can be a dangerous place as you two saw in Rusturf Tunnel. I'd offer to travel with you, but I've never really been too interested in roughing it on routes. I just book Teleports to get around and never stray too far from town."

"It's fine, I'll figure something out. I was actually prepared to travel alone but my parents really weren't a fan of that idea, so I waited until I could find someone to go with."

"I'm sure you've realized this, but coordinators journeying together isn't really that viable. Only one can win a ribbon a week, whereas multiple trainers can beat the gym. That's why journeying coordinators usually group up with trainers," Marelle explained.

"That's assuming everybody is accomplishing their goal on their first try. What if somebody loses their gym battle or contest? They all have to wait around another week."

"True, but not everyone is in as much of a hurry as you and Daniel seem to be," Marelle pointed out.

"Maybe I'll talk to him about it, I dunno," Samantha sighed, "I honestly don't even know what he's trying to accomplish, besides beating the gyms obviously. We talk a lot, but most of it is about nothing, ya know?"

"Maybe it's time you two had a serious conversation. If you two care about each other at all, neither of you should let the other travel alone. Routes can be dangerous, and Team Rocket has been more active in the region lately. Just yesterday there was a news segment that said sighings had nearly doubled. Apparently they've begun targeting any trainer they can catch that's alone, stealing money and Pokémon. There was even a murder related to them in that report. It's scary stuff, so promise me you won't travel alone."

Samantha clenched her fists and gulped, a familiar feeling of dread creeping up on her at the mention of Team Rocket. She was usually content to bury her old fears and trauma by believing that the only reason she'd been helpless was because she didn't have any way of protecting herself. Now she had Stella, Skitty, and had taken some self-defense classes. She liked to believe that if a couple of grunts tried something again, she would be far from helpless.

But hearing that they were specifically targeting solo trainers… that was a startling realization, but it checked out considering the story she'd heard from Daniel. Historically, Team Rocket was known for being low-key and working in the shadows, and they tended to only target places or people who had access to information or technology not available to the public.

Places like Devon Corp.

Samantha's father had talked about various Rocket attempts against his company many times over the years. Usually, it was in the form of getting one of their members hired into a position with access to what they wanted.

But sometimes, if they really wanted something, they might act with more force. Breaking into facilities, threatening family members, hacking into networks... the more they wanted something, the more bold they were willing to be.

Security and screenings had been drastically increased over the years, but attempts were still not uncommon. Considering how many times they'd been caught doing these things, it made Samantha wonder just how many times they didn't get caught.

If they were now targeting random trainers and stealing their Pokémon, chances are they were planning something big. Samantha wouldn't have been surprised if that meant that they were making more attempts on Devon as well. She decided to ask her dad when she talked to him next, which she had no doubt would be quite soon. He'd surely want to not only congratulate her on her accomplishment, but scold her for not using a disguise as she had promised.

"I'll keep that in mind…" Samantha said as she stood and stretched, trying to brush off the feeling of unease from the information Marelle had just given her.

"I know you want to journey, so promise me you'll find someone else to travel with if you and Daniel split up? If you can't, just use Teleports to get around until you can. You should be able to afford it thanks to that prize money you won," Marelle said with a grin as she stood and nudged Samantha.

"I'll be safe, I promise," Samantha said as honestly as she could. She had no intentions of being careless, but if her and Daniel couldn't come to an agreement to stick together she'd simply have to continue on by herself. Journeying was important to her; while her main goal was to climb the ranks as a coordinator, she also wanted to experience what it was like to be a 'normal' trainer while she still had the chance. Although battles didn't particularly appeal to her, traveling the beautiful landscape between places she'd visited with her parents growing up and mingling with normal people did. Sure, her goal was to make a name for herself in her own right, but she still had plenty of time until that was possible.

She'd spent her whole childhood traveling around via Teleport, and frankly she was over it. How were you supposed to see all that the region had to offer between its points of interest like that? She'd already been to every noteworthy beach, museum, hotel, department store, and restaurant in the region, and while those were great there were still plenty of interesting and beautiful things to be experienced in all the space that lay between.

If there was one thing that countless vacations had taught her, it was that many of the best things you could experience weren't found in a brochure. You had to talk to locals and look places you normally wouldn't think to; Samantha had already visited all the touristy places in the region, it was time to find its hidden treasures.

"I'm not sure if Daniel told you, but I have a bit of a talent for knowing when somebody is being untruthful. That was a half-truth. You shouldn't make a promise you don't intend to keep," Marelle scolded as she wagged her finger.

Samantha's eyes widened; she hadn't forgotten Daniel's warning and had been careful with her words every time she talked with Marelle, but this was the first time she had seen it in action. She'd been starting to think that Daniel was being paranoid or over-exaggerating, but that had been the first hint of a lie Samantha had uttered, and Marelle had caught it instantly.

"Bet that comes in handy," Samantha said with a bit of a chuckle.

"It has its uses. Kind of alarming that you don't plan on staying safe, though."

"I'll be as safe as I can without compromising my dreams, that I can promise," Samantha said truthfully.

"Fair enough," Marelle shrugged, seemingly content with that answer, "What's your plan now? Are you going to go talk to Daniel now that you're more calm? Planning on leaving town tonight?"

"Nah, no way I'm skipping the chance to sleep in a bed after today. I'll probably head out tomorrow though, I'm guessing Daniel is eager to get going. I'm not ready to talk to him yet though, I think I'll call my parents and then turn in early for the evening. I'm sure they've been blowing up my phone."

"I'm sure they're very proud of you. I should probably do the same, actually. If you're leaving tomorrow, wanna meet up in the morning for breakfast before you head out?"

"Sounds fun, although it might need to be brunch. I'm not much of a morning person. I really owe you one, Marelle. You really helped me out today, both backstage and with calming down after the whole thing with Daniel."

"You don't owe me anything but a chance at redemption. You better make it to the Grand Festival if we don't face each other in another contest before then. You don't get to beat me and then disappear," she said with a playful grin as she waved goodbye and started heading toward town.

"I'll be there, just make sure you are too! I'll text you in the morning!" Samantha said with a smile while waving goodbye.

As Marelle began making her way back to town, Samantha pulled out her phone

Seven missed calls, four voicemails, three text messages, and… an email from Daniel? How had he managed that if he was kicked out of the Pokécenter?

Samantha sighed, clearing her notifications and deciding to tackle things head-on with a call. She could guess what the voicemails and messages said, but she'd have to see what Daniel had to say when she was done dealing with the issue at hand.

She nervously dialed her dad, hoping that she might be able to catch him alone. He'd be much more understanding and gentle than if her mother got involved.

It wasn't that Roxanne was a bad mother or anything… she just had a habit of taking a much firmer hand. There was no doubt in her mind that if she talked to her mom, she'd be getting lectured. Her dad might be one of the strongest trainers in the world, but he was a big softy when it came to his daughter. Absolute worst case he'd say he didn't agree with her decision, but he wouldn't be overly stern.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself, mentally preparing for what was going to be a difficult phone call.

Or so she thought. Just as she was about to press the call button, her heart skipped a beat as her father stepped out of the treeline with his trusty Metagross by his side.

Samantha gulped; this was both good and bad news. She knew that she'd have a much easier time talking about it with her dad, but for him to show up in person meant that this conversation was going to be big.

"Hi Daddy," Samantha said with a forced smile and a timid wave.

"Samantha, I think you know why I'm here," he said more sternly than she was used to hearing as he crossed his arms and gave her a critical look.

"To congratulate me, obviously," Samantha said as a strained joke, however her father didn't look amused.

"In part. I'm very proud of what you accomplished; you clearly put in a lot of work and have the potential to go far. But I'll have to watch a replay later, it was extremely hard to focus on your performance with your mother freaking out at the fact your face was on the television. You lied to us; you promised that you'd use the mask we had made. Come on, your mother is waiting."

Samantha sighed, resigning herself to her fate as she put on her backpack before walking over and putting a hand on Metagross.

In the blink of an eye, she was back in the living room of their home in Rustboro, staring down her irate mother as she cast a glare that would go down in history as one of her best ever.

"Take a seat. We have a lot to discuss," her father said while patting her on the shoulder reassuringly.

Samantha silently cursed as she took a seat, wishing that she would have simply returned their call before it came to this. This would have been a much easier conversation to have over the phone, but it was far too late for that now.

The only thing she could hope for was that she'd be back in Verdanturf by the morning, as she had no intention of abandoning her plans for breakfast with Marelle.

Being a legal adult, her parents wouldn't be able to keep her home. The worst thing they could do was refuse to Teleport her back, but she could just book one at the Pokécenter. It wasn't like they could drain her accounts or force her to stay here; all the money she had was officially hers, although they could definitely remove access to her trust fund and prevent her from getting more.

Not that Samantha thought they would do that anyway; her mother may not be the most supportive of her supposedly 'dangerous and foolish' decision to journey and become a coordinator, but her father had always been the family mediator and voice of reason. She'd probably get an earful, have to apologize profusely and make some more silly promises in the name of appeasing her overprotective mother.

"What in Arceus' name was going through your brain, young lady?! You promised us you'd take precautions, was it so hard for you to just wear the damn mask? You have a lot of explaining to do, so start talking," Roxanne hissed.

Samantha resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she settled into the chair, refusing to meet her mother's eyes that she could feel burning a hole in her.

"She's right," her father spoke up, his voice much softer as he sat beside Roxanne and put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to tell us exactly what was going through your head. Start from the beginning, and don't leave anything out."

"Mistress, you are distressed."

Samantha sat on the edge of the bed, having just gotten back to her Pokécenter room and released her team. The sun had set long ago, but she wasn't about to end the night without some time with them.

She grabbed the brush and patted her lap, inviting Skitty to jump up for a quick grooming. Despite usually being a bit antisocial, he never turned down the opportunity to be brushed. This time was no different, and he happily accepted the offer as he jumped onto her lap and curled up, giving a low purr as she started brushing him.

"I just had 'the talk' with my parents," Samantha said with a tired sigh, deciding to talk verbally to include Skitty in the conversation rather than converse with Stella telepathically. "The one we knew was coming. It went… about as well as I thought it would."

"I see… You shouldn't let such matters bring you down. We've achieved the first step of your dream, is it not cause for celebration?" Stella sent as she lay by Samantha's side to receive some affection with her free hand.

"Yeah… I guess it just hasn't set in yet. It's been one distraction after another. First Daniel, then my parents… Hey Skitty, we won our first contest today! It was so much fun, and really nerve-racking, but I made a new friend and we got our first ribbon. I'll have to show you a video of it, it's already on the Pokénet according to my parents."

Skitty gave no response other than intensifying their purr. He was never particularly active during a conversation, but Samantha liked to think he was a good listener. Not to mention, she knew that he had some interest in someday performing. She'd shown him plenty of videos of contests, and he was often captivated when watching Stella practice her performances. She'd also discussed it with him using Stella as a translator, and knew that Skitty was intrigued by the idea of a life of fame and luxury. Although they hadn't gotten particularly close, she could tell he enjoyed the life being on her team afforded her, and had no doubt that he would someday come out of his proverbial shell.

"I also think it's about time we gave you a name, Skitty. I was thinking Chase, since you have a bit of a habit of running around stalking things. It's just the right amount of cute while keeping it masculine, and I think it hints at your mischievous nature well. What do you think?"

Skitty looked up and tilted his head, pondering the name for a moment before giving a short nod and returning back to relaxing in Samantha's lap. She was fairly confident he didn't care too much either way, but at least he didn't seem to absolutely hate it.

"Alright, Chase it is," she said with a smile as she put the brush down and scratched behind his ear. Seeing that the grooming was over, he hopped off her lap and onto the chair at the room's desk, curling up for a nap.

Samantha rolled her eyes before turning to Stella, patting her lap and grabbing the brush again in an unspoken invitation to take her turn at grooming, which she happily accepted.

"You did amazing today, Stella. I can't tell you how proud I am of you," Samantha murmured as she carefully brushed her starter.

"We did amazing. You put on quite the show yourself, Mistress. Despite your reservations and worries, you performed with confidence and elegance."

"It still doesn't quite feel real, does it? We're finally doing it, and we're already making waves. You should have seen it Stella, after Marelle and I left we got swarmed by fans. I did autographs and pictures, isn't that crazy?"

"Marelle seems to be a very good person. After seeing her offer her assistance to calm your nerves, I must admit I felt a bit guilty about my role in Daniel's ploy."

"Ugh, don't even get me started on Daniel. Guess what? He got kicked out of the contest hall. He didn't even get to see our final performance, or us winning our first ribbon. He's such a jerk sometimes…" Samantha growled.

Stella took her head off Samantha's leg and looked up, her eyes narrowing.

"I'm so sorry, Mistress. I know how important it was for you to show how hard you'd worked. I presume you scolded him accordingly?"

"Nah, I couldn't… I mean I wanted to, but I had my parents to deal with, and it was a lot to process so I just walked away. We actually haven't talked since then, although he did send me an email apologizing. He's camping outside of town tonight, he got kicked out of the Pokécenter, can you believe that? I swear, that boy just can't help but get himself into trouble."

"I see… What was the reaction to you not using a disguise? Both your parents and Daniel."

"Well my parents were not happy, to say the least. Mom really gave me an earful and tried to talk me into coming home, but Daddy helped me smooth things over. I did have to promise to do some more battling though, to make sure I could handle myself in case something ever happened. They also really want me to get more members on my team for added protection, but that's not a big deal. I was planning on doing that anyway, Route 117 has loads of Pokémon who are absolutely amazing in contests and simply beautiful."

"I'm glad things worked out for you, Mistress. However I can't help but notice a bit of tension in you this evening. If you sorted things out with your family, I presume Daniel to be the cause?"

Samantha sighed, putting the brush down to pet her starter; something that always brought her immense comfort.

"Yes and no. He got kicked out because he had both Apollo and Eevee watching, which is obviously against the rules, but he just wanted to let them support me and only got caught because he was so enthusiastically applauding our first performance. It's extremely aggravating, annoying, and disappointing, but also a bit endearing, ya know? He said he's planning on leaving at noon tomorrow, and would understand if I didn't want to come with him. Classic Daniel, assuming the worst."

"So you plan to make amends with him and continue journeying together?"

"Yeah, he can be a bit dense but he's not half bad. Somehow he even got on your good side, which is no easy feat," Samantha said with a grin.

"I admit that I enjoy having a fellow psychic and telepath to converse with. Apollo might be young, but he is also shockingly wise and mature at times. He is also pure of heart. As for Daniel, I particularly enjoy watching your interactions with him. The bickering and banter between you two is quite entertaining, and I think he is a good person despite some missteps. He is also very driven and determined, something I find rather admirable. Young Apollo has mentioned one thing that stood out as strange to me, however…"

"What's that?" Samantha asked with a raised brow.

"We were discussing my evolution, and he mentioned that he is rather eager to experience it himself. That's perfectly natural, however he mentioned that Daniel informed him he will someday become a Gallade. Correct me if I am mistaken, but don't male Kirlia have the ability to become either a Gallade or a Gardevoir? I worry Daniel may be pressuring young Apollo into a decision due to his own desires, something that would not be completely out of character considering what you overheard regarding Duran's molting."

Samantha furrowed her brows in thought, "You're right, they can. That is strange… Daniel doesn't strike me as the type to do that; he's been very adamant about letting Eevee decide their own evolution. Perhaps Apollo misunderstood? Did you mention that he could become a Gardevoir?"

"I did not, Mistress. It did not feel like my place to cause trouble, however I would be remiss if I didn't bring it to your attention."

"I'll bring it up with Daniel when I get the chance. It could just be a mistake; he never went to a trainer school so he's not exactly the most informed trainer. He gets all his information online, but I can't imagine he'd misread something like that if he was researching Apollo's evolutions."

"Perhaps. I sense some darkness buried deep within Daniel, however I believe the presence of Apollo and yourself are good for him. I must admit, you have also been happier with him around, despite the occasional squabble."

"Yeah, it's nice having somebody I can be myself around. He doesn't treat me any differently just because of my name. Most of the time people will try sucking up to me, or if I try to banter with them they don't have the balls to do it back. We're different in a lot of ways, and we get on each other's nerves, but I do enjoy our time together. It's also incredibly refreshing to hang around a boy who isn't constantly trying to impress or hit on me. Am I just not pretty now that I'm wearing normal clothes and don't have my long, natural hair?" Samantha asked with a playful pout.

"He didn't show interest before you changed your appearance, Mistress. Perhaps Daniel simply isn't romantically interested in women?"

Samantha snorted, "I think he's just not interested in romance in general. I highly doubt he's gay, or he would have mentioned it when I came out to him. Not to mention the fact that he seems completely indifferent to how he presents himself. Every gay guy I've ever known took care of themselves and actually put some thought into their appearance. I had to shame him into not wearing tattered rags, and he still won't get a haircut. He's straight, I'd bet money on it."

"I'll defer to your expertise in such matters, Mistress. I wouldn't concern yourself with your appearance, you drew plenty of eyes from both males and females at the contest."

"Naturally, we were both absolutely radiant. I'm just playing around anyway, I'm not really looking for a relationship right now. I've got plenty to focus on without worrying about a relationship, not to mention I still need some time to fully recover from my breakup with Eliza."

"Have you spoken to her recently?"

"Nah, it's better to completely cut off contact than try to stay friends with an ex, at least in my opinion. Some people can manage it, but it's just too much for me. She did send me a long text a couple of days ago, saying she made it to her grandparents' house in Oldale safely. Apparently she caught a Taillow, but it flew off the first chance it got and she's beating herself up over it. She said she missed having me around to comfort her for things like that, and hoped I was planning on starting my own journey soon. I couldn't bring myself to respond… Even though she obviously wanted someone to talk to, I just don't think I can be that person anymore. Does that make me a bad person?"

"People handle pain differently, Mistress. I don't believe you should blame yourself for wanting to separate yourself from the source of difficult feelings."

"I guess. Maybe I'll reach out to her someday, I dunno. I just need more time to heal. I just don't think I can handle being friends with somebody I love but can't have, you know?"

"Perhaps after you both achieve your goals, you will be free to rekindle that flame. The stars may align one day, but for now your ambitions take you down separate paths."

Samantha yawned, exhaustion from a long day setting in now that she saw Chase in a deep sleep.

"Maybe, maybe not. I just know I can't hold onto hope for something like that. Let's get some well-deserved sleep. We had a long day, and we'll be back on the road tomorrow. We should be well rested, especially if I'm going to have to deal with Daniel. I also made plans to have brunch with Marelle before heading out, so I can't sleep in too late."

Stella nodded, using her telekinesis to flip the light switch as Samantha tucked herself in underneath the sheets. As Stella took her place at the end of the bed as she always had, Samantha's mind was buzzing with thoughts.

Her first ribbon, her parents, Marelle, Eliza, Daniel… She sighed, wishing that she could have had Chase use Sing to put her to sleep, but he was long asleep and that wouldn't go unnoticed in the Pokécenter. For all the moves that had been able to be stored into a TM, Hypnosis wasn't one of them, which meant that Stella couldn't help apart from offering a comforting presence. She idly wondered if Stella would feel comfortable cuddling with her, to help take her mind off the day's events that were buzzing in her head.

"Of course, Mistress," Stella sent while hopping onto her stomach and curling up, purring lightly as Samantha began to pet her.

"You picked that up from my mind? You're really improving fast, I'm proud of you," she murmured as she closed her eyes.

"I cannot take full credit, young Apollo has been very insightful."

Samantha nodded and yawned, doing her best to shut out the world and all the thoughts of the day to focus on the comfort her starter gave her as well as the warm embrace of the bed she would have to leave behind tomorrow.

As productive as today was, it had also been completely exhausting for her. She hoped that tomorrow would be a much more relaxed day, and prayed to Arceus that her and Daniel could just move past their disagreements and enjoy their day exploring one of the most captivating routes in the region.

If things went well, by this time tomorrow Samantha might even have a new addition to her team. There were plenty of Pokémon she was interested in that she would be keeping an eye out for. As darkness slowly began to consume her, her mind wondered what her next team member might be and what kind of personality they might have.

Hopefully, Chase and any future teammates would someday feel as close as she was currently feeling with Stella. She'd never really thought of it before, but Daniel had the right idea to treat his team like family. Samantha and Stella always got along, but up until recently it felt like they sort of kept each other at arm's length. It was probably a product of the environment they were in, always expected to be classy and polite, but now that she was traveling she could truly appreciate Daniel's approach.

She had no idea if Daniel cuddled with his team while he slept, but it wouldn't surprise her. As she began slowly drifting into unconsciousness, she found herself hoping that Stella wouldn't mind making this a regular occurrence. This was something she could really get used to, and maybe someday she would be close enough with Chase and her other future teammates that they would feel comfortable joining.

One step at a time though, just like she'd always done. She refused to be like so many others she knew who expected the world to just fall into place around her. She was going to earn the life she wanted, not ride on the coattails of her parents' accomplishments.

Samantha Stone finally drifted off to sleep, the hint of a smile on her face as she looked forward to taking another step forward tomorrow, comforted by the knowledge that Stella would be right there by her side just as always.

A/N: Tried something new by snapping perspectives, hopefully it wasn't too out of place. Doubt I'll do it often, but I felt like it was necessary to explain Samantha's side properly. Once again, in what is likely to be the only content warning I ever give, please be advised that the next chapter is Daniel and Eevee hunting, is fairly graphic, and can be skipped without missing anything vital to the plot, just some character development. It's not excruciatingly detailed in my personal opinion as I gloss over the more unpleasant parts, however I refuse to write a story that skips to Daniel happily eating meat without any of the weight that comes with taking his first life. I'll be able to gloss over any future hunting that might happen, but that simply can't for his first time.

Shoutout to GoMagikarp for beta-reading this chapter.

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