TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Badges: 2
Account: 12,537 credits
Location: Route 112 (South Fork)

DANIEL'S TEAM
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish (Duran) - Male
Eevee (Orion) - Male
Trapinch - Female

OWEN'S TEAM
Makuhita (Bronson) - Male
Graveler (Roxy) - Female
Shroomish (Misha) - Female
Slakoth (Omar) - Male

After finally conquering Fiery Path, we found ourselves with only limited sunlight remaining and quickly found a secluded area to set up camp. We'd taken a little longer than I had anticipated thanks to all of the battling we'd done and our unexpected encounter with the Camerupt, but since it wasn't past sunset when we emerged from the volcano and we were all in one piece, I considered the day a resounding success.

I wasn't alone in feeling that way either. Everyone was in exceptionally high spirits after we settled in for the evening and released our teams, particularly after Duran was gracious enough to rinse the dust, dirt, and sweat that coated most of us.

There was naturally a bit of a stir caused when everybody realized that Roxy had evolved. In fact, Owen was so excited for the reveal that he made an entire thing of it, having her recalled until everybody was out to bear witness and congratulate her before announcing he had a surprise and releasing her. The reactions varied wildly; there was shock, envy, pride, elation, and everything in between, but in general everybody was exceedingly positive and happy.

I'd been most curious how Duran and Bronson might react, and although I could sense a tinge of jealousy from both of them, they were largely congratulatory and seemed to have even more respect for Roxy, which was already plenty present before. I found Trapinch's extremely noticeable gawking rather entertaining, but not surprising considering she had already been naturally wary of Roxy when she was a Geodude. Now a Graveler, Trapinch seemed to realize just how much power evolution could bestow, and just how far out of reach some opponents truly were from her current capabilities.

Apollo was obviously the only one who knew of Roxy's evolution ahead of time, but he was too preoccupied with checking on me to ensure that I was in a better headspace to ruin the surprise for anybody. He was glad that I had come to terms with my mixed emotions on the topic, and informed me he was proud of me for confronting and moving past them.

I truly had, as well. I knew from the very beginning that there was no justification for me to feel anything but happy for Owen and Roxy's accomplishment. But sometimes, witnessing something so monumental and life-changing could make a person think and question things they otherwise wouldn't have. Owen hadn't done anything wrong, and neither had I. There was nothing wrong with being a little introspective and insecure every once in a while, so long as it wasn't dwelled on or left to fester. I addressed it, moved on, and that was the end of it.

As fired up as Roxy's evolution had left many of us, training sadly wasn't an option. By the time we found a place to camp and got fully settled in, there wasn't any daylight remaining for us to train in, and we hadn't even eaten yet. It was probably for the best though since it had been a long day filled with battling and training, and with Roxy's evolution our group seemed to be in a somewhat celebratory and festive mood.

Because of this, we had a more social and extravagant dinner than normal. That isn't saying much in the grand scheme of things, since our teams were still warming up to each other and neither Owen nor I were particularly good cooks, but we pooled our food together to create the best buffet we could muster. The only exception was Trapinch, who not only seemed completely uninterested in eating any of the berries or Pokéblocks, but indicated to me that she wasn't even hungry. I supposed she likely wasn't the type that needed to eat daily, especially when her meals were much more substantial, so I decided I'd check again in a day or two.

Still, it was an exceptionally enjoyable and lighthearted night, and it undeniably brought all of us closer. There was more socializing and laughter than ever before, and I even caught Trapinch palling around with Duran as he did some scavenging after having his fill of being around the masses.

Trapinch was still largely solitary and reminded me a lot of Duran, which would help explain why she seemed drawn to him, but I decided not to bother her for the evening since I trusted Duran to handle himself around her. I did notice her staring at Roxy with a contemplative look on more than one occasion, and figured it best to allow her time to think and adjust at her own pace. The fact that she seemed to be able to relax in the presence of so many Pokémon was a good sign to me, and even if she only seemed particularly interested in befriending Duran for now, I saw no reason to be concerned.

After some time, Owen surprised me by saying he was going to have a team meeting and asked if he could borrow Apollo to take me up on my earlier offer. I hadn't expected him to be so eager, but agreed after Apollo reassured me he was happy to help. With Apollo predisposed and both Duran and Trapinch doing their own thing on the outskirts of camp, I decided to take the opportunity to groom and bond with Orion, whose fur desperately needed some care.

"Guess it's just me and you," I said as I patted my lap for him to jump up on as Owen took his team and Apollo a short distance away. He jumped up happily, and I began running the brush through his fur carefully, working out the knots that had begun to develop.

"Sorry you got so dirty, guess that grooming we had done in Mauville didn't last too long," I said as he relaxed and began to purr, clearly enjoying the attention. "I'll give you a proper bath once we get to Lavaridge, I promise."

I was tempted to ask him about how things were going or if he'd given any thought to evolution, but he seemed tired and I realized that without Apollo I wouldn't be able to discuss anything too in-depth. I decided to just voice my random thoughts, similar to what I used to do with Apollo, and ended up talking about a wide range of topics. I talked about how proud I was of his progress, my thoughts on Trapinch and Owen, how I'd felt during the encounter with the Camerupt and seeing Roxy evolve, and whatever else came to mind. I can't be sure how much Orion actually heard though, because at one point I glanced down to find that he had been lulled asleep by my voice and the rhythmic brushing I'd been doing.

I carefully pulled out Telepathic Tendencies to pass the time, deciding to let him sleep on my lap for now. But I didn't get to read much before Owen and his team returned to the campfire and Apollo suddenly Teleported onto my shoulder. I quickly recalled Orion, not wanting to risk him being woken up by the group as Owen approached.

"How did it go?" I asked curiously, looking between Owen and Apollo.

"Great! Apollo was a huge help, I learned a lot about my team and we're more on the same page than ever before. I definitely want a telepath on my team now, that was invaluable. Thanks again Apollo," Owen said with a beaming smile as Apollo waved it off with a bit of embarrassment.

"Happy to hear. I'm sure Apollo would be happy to help anytime you need it, so don't be afraid to ask," I said as Apollo nodded seriously.

"I'll probably take you up on that, thanks! Say, what's that you're reading?" he asked curiously, his attention focusing on the book he'd seen me set aside.

"It's called Telepathic Tendencies," I answered as I grabbed and flipped it open, trying to find where I'd left off. "It's a book that I got a while ago that's been helping me understand telepathy better, and teaches a lot of techniques around it. Things like closing off your mind, controlling your thought patterns, things like that."

"I know that one! Supposedly it's the golden standard for any trainer with a telepath. I'm not much of a bookworm myself, but I planned on picking it up once I got a Meditite. Yours looks a little different than the ones I've seen on shelves though…" he trailed off as he came over and sat beside me, looking over my shoulder.

"I think mine is probably an older edition. I got it used," I said, trying not to show the discomfort I was feeling from Owen hovering so close to me while he got a good look.

"Geeze, your notes are hardly legible. You've got scratchy handwriting. like a doctor or something," Owen chuckled.

"They aren't mine, they were already there when I got it. Some of them are useful, but most of them just point out important sections or recite mantras and sayings."

"You weren't kidding when you said it was used, look at the state of the thing. Half the pages have creases and folds, there's water damage, and the cover is marked up to hell. Hope you didn't pay much for it, even for a used book this thing is in pretty rough condition," Owen pointed out.

"It was given to me, and it gets the job done," I shrugged, "Makes me feel less guilty about cramming it into my backpack."

"Who'd you get it from? Do you have like a telepathy mentor or something?"

I hummed in thought, contemplating if I should keep it a secret that Roxanne was the one who gave it to me, but seeing no reason to. Any traveling trainer could stop by the Rustboro Trainer School, and there was no reason it would implicate Samantha as being a Stone. Besides, I was pretty confident that Owen had nothing but good intentions, and didn't feel the need to be quite as guarded around him as most random strangers, particularly now that Samantha was gone.

"Not quite. I stopped by the Rustboro Training School for some guidance when I was going through some growing pains with Apollo, and a teacher helped me sort through some things and gave me this."

"Oh wow, a lot of big names have gone through that school! Someone famous might have used this book, maybe even a few! Mind if I see it really quick? I promise I'll be careful."

I nodded, handing the book to Owen who began thumbing through it with interest.

"It's a pretty interesting read," I commented as he looked through the book. "It's helped me learn quite a few things there's no way I would have figured out on my own. It's also the reason I usually try to meditate in the morning. One of the big themes is mindfulness, and–"

"Dude! Have you seen this?!" Owen cut in excitedly as he held the book out, showing me the inside of the back cover.

"My dear friend Roxanne, thank you so much for all your assistance proofreading and editing. I couldn't have made it this far without you," I read the note out loud as my heart began to race at the sight of Roxanne's name, noticing that this was different handwriting than the rest of the book had and much more legible although I couldn't even begin to decipher what the scribble underneath said.

"Do you have any idea what this is?" Owen said excitedly, his hands noticeably shaking as he pointed to the signature. "That's Sabrina, dude! Member of the Kanto Elite Four, easily the most famous psychic-type specialist in the world. She's also the most capable human psychic living today, and coincidentally the author of this book! And if you got this from the Rustboro Trainers School, I'd bet she's referring to the Roxanne Stone! You know, previous Rustboro gym leader, the top brass at the trainer school, famous researcher and academic, not to mention wife to Steven Stone, the best Champion Hoenn has ever seen and owner of Devon! Ring any bells?! How have you never noticed this?"

"I never flipped to the back," I admitted honestly. The name Sabrina was vaguely familiar and I was fairly sure I'd seen or heard it in passing before, but I wasn't too familiar with many trainers outside of Hoenn.

"Did Roxanne herself give you this?" Owen asked as he refocused his attention on the book and resumed thumbing through more pages.

I shrugged, trying to play it cool since Roxanne had become the focus of the conversation. I was tempted to lie, but I trusted Owen enough to be honest about my chance encounter with Roxanne. I could easily tell the story without mentioning Samantha whatsoever, so I saw no harm in being upfront.

"I just went there wanting to get some info on telepathy, and next thing I knew I was getting a crash course from a teacher. I didn't realize who she was until later, but you'd have never guessed she was anyone special. She's pretty down to earth and personable."

"Dude, that's insane! I can't believe she'd just give you this. A signed first-edition book from Sabrina herself has to be worth a fortune, especially if these are Roxanne's notes in it. This could be in a museum!"

I chuckled as he handed the book back carefully, "It's in pretty rough shape, I don't think any museum would want it. Roxanne did make it abundantly clear that I shouldn't ever sell this book though, guess now it makes sense why."

"That's insane. I can't believe you just casually met Roxanne Stone like it was no big deal, and she gave you that. One of my dreams is to someday meet Steven Stone, even if it's just in passing."

"So it's fair to say you're a fan?" I asked with an amused grin.

"Come on Danny, how could you be a Hoenn trainer and not be? He's the greatest Champion any region will see during our lifetime."

"A completely unbiased claim I'm sure," I chuckled jokingly.

"If you asked people around the world who they thought the best Champion in our lifetime has been, they'd pick Cynthia, Lance, Leon, Iris, Diantha, Alder, or Steven. But do you know what sets Steven apart from the rest of them?" Owen asked with a surprising amount of seriousness.

"He owns a mega corporation and does a lot of philanthropy?" I guessed, trying to take the conversation more serious since Owen seemed so invested in it.

"That's two more reasons he deserves the title of best Champion ever, but no. We're talking strictly as a trainer. Out of that entire list, Steven is the only one who didn't need a dragon's strength to get the title of Champion. Lance and Iris are dragon specialists, Leon and Diantha each have two on their team, Alder has one, and Cynthia's ace is the world's strongest Garchomp."

"I get the point you're trying to make, but I don't think training a dragon is some sort of cheat code or anything," I remarked. "I see it as proof of how good of a trainer they are, not as a crutch that gave them strength they wouldn't otherwise have. I'd bet that most of those names would have been Champion even if they never caught a dragon."

He held his hands up placatingly, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not dismissing any of them. All are legendary trainers no matter how you slice it, and I agree most would have been just as successful without a dragon. I'm just pointing out yet another way Steven stands out. Here's another; most of those trainers are known for their overwhelming power, yet Steven stonewalls his opponents with impenetrable defenses. I'd bet every credit to my name that his Metagross comes out on top in a one-on-one against any other Champion's ace."

I shrugged, "Not really worth speculating about. Champions don't even do exhibition matches like that anymore, do they?"

"Nope, at least not since Steven wiped the floor with Iris when she first took the mantle and got a bit too cocky for her own good. They used to be pretty common, but I can't remember the last time I saw League representatives from different regions having a serious battle. I have to assume the League made a rule against it, which is weird considering they used to generate so much interest. Occasionally a gym leader or Elite Four member will have an exhibition against one of their region's peers, but they always seem to be more for show than a true battle."

"Maybe they caused more division between regions than the League wanted," I ventured. "I could see how it might provoke some xenophobia and nationalism."

"Some did take it too seriously, but I think those matches did far more good than harm. Exhibition battles got countless kids interested in being trainers and served as the catalyst for a lot of diplomatic cooperation between regions. It's not like they don't happen anymore either, they just get kept quiet. A few years ago, Maylene had a battle against Brawly behind closed doors when visiting Dewford, and I would have given anything to watch that. Nobody could confirm what happened or who won, but anyone with some brains could figure out they had a seriously heated battle. Maylene was spotted around town that weekend, the gym was closed for a day, the ground kept shaking, and there were all sorts of loud noises coming from inside the gym. It's a true shame that such great battles are kept private just because they happen between gym leaders from different regions. I'd have loved to see how Brawly did against Maylene's Lucario."

"I'll be honest, I don't know who that is," I admitted. "I'm sorely out of the loop on stuff like that. I don't even know who the current Champions are, as embarrassing as that is. I completely checked out when Wallace was having his fall from grace, and I didn't exactly have a good source of news or gossip at the orphanage. We didn't have a television, nobody was into Pokémon, and I had to use my very limited time on the computer to teach myself the basics of being a trainer."

Owen snorted, "It says a lot about how worthless the position is these days when a trainer doesn't even know their own region's Champion. I can't blame you though, he hasn't really done anything worth talking about unless you count his overpriced line of products and mediocre acting. Tucker only cares about himself, he's the biggest narcissist I know and a sad excuse for a Champion if you ask me. He's undeniably strong, especially for a generalist, but not someone I'd ever want to hang out with or look up to."

"Damn, tell me how you really feel," I said half-jokingly.

Owen gave an apologetic look, "Sorry, I don't mean to be so negative. The guy just rubs me the wrong way, ya know? A Champion should be humble and authentic, at least in my opinion. It just feels like every Champion we've had since Steven has gotten progressively worse. Wallace was far from perfect and was a little too much of a showoff for my tastes, but at least he took the position of Champion seriously. I get that Hoenn is famous for being the birthplace of contests and coordinators, I just wish all the theatrics didn't leak into our recent Champions. It makes us look weak and vain compared to other regions."

"You sound like an old man reminiscing about the good ol' days," I chuckled in amusement, trying to use humor to lighten the mood.

He grimaced, "I've listened to my dad rant about this stuff for years. I never paid it much mind, but the older I get the more I find myself agreeing. I know I'm being pretty unfair and overly critical, it's not like it's entirely Tucker's fault that things are the way they are. He isn't that bad if I'm being honest, I personally just find the way he comes off to be… distasteful. But plenty of people eat that stuff up, and he's undoubtedly strong enough for the job, at least on paper. I'm still convinced that Steven would have run circles around him in a battle, and probably some other regions' Champions as well."

"I don't know about any of that, but I can understand your frustrations with traditional training being overshadowed by the contest scene," I conceded, deciding that since Owen was so invested in the conversation I should do more than jokingly brush him off. "I get why though, most people probably spend their entire lives in the comfort of city limits. Training and battling aren't a necessity for most people, and if you don't have much experience with Pokémon it can be easy to think that battling is cruel or barbaric, despite most Pokémon having the innate desire to grow stronger and evolve. Contests are more glamorous and entertaining than watching a slugfest, and some battles can be tough to watch."

"You aren't wrong. People like my dad keep citizens safe these days, but regions weren't always protected by rangers. I don't have a problem with contests being popular, I think they're pretty cool and I've seen some insanely impressive performances. I just wish it wasn't at the expense of traditional training, that's all."

I jolted as my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, and as I pulled it out I realized that I'd forgotten to text Samantha.

#1 Sister: Earth to Danny! Are you alive?

"I'll quit ranting and let you get back to what you were doing, sorry to talk your ear off," Owen apologized as he rubbed of the back of his head. "I can get a bit passionate about this stuff."

"You're fine, nothing to be sorry for. It was an interesting conversation, I enjoyed it." I said with a smile.

Owen grinned, but I could tell he was a little embarrassed. He was normally very jovial and optimistic, and I got the feeling he didn't like showing any negativity if he could help it. But I found it refreshing to see that side of Owen, and I could definitely understand many of his points.

"Say, mind if I borrow that brush for Omar?" he asked as he pointed to Orion's brush that I'd set aside.

I handed Owen the brush and turned my attention back to my phone as he returned to his team, not wanting to keep Sammy waiting for too long to give her cause for concern.

You: Yeah I'm alive, glad to hear you are.

#1 Sister: Jerk, you said you'd text me. I was getting worried.

You: I was going to, promise. Just been busy. We needed to eat, and Orion was in desperate need of grooming.

#1 Sister: You guys took your sweet time, huh? It shouldn't have taken all day to get through.

You: Got some practice in for Lavaridge, best place for it. Roxy even evolved.

#1 Sister: Wow, that's great! Congratulate them for me!

You: Will do. Everything good with you?

#1 Sister: Finally hit route 113, so making good progress. Haven't seen a soul though, it's both peaceful and odd.

You: Same with us. Doesn't surprise me though, not much up north. Good time to focus on your team.

#1 Sister: Joy had her first battle today! Lost to a Zigzagoon, but she did great. In the early stages of making a routine for Buzz, and I think Chase is about ready to make his debut.

You: Just make sure you win. Marelle seemed determined to beat you, don't make it easy for her.

#1 Sister: Don't plan to. Worry about yourself, you've got a big match coming up. You better not be planning on using Trapinch instead of Orion, he deserves the chance to shine. Can't rely on Duran and Apollo forever.

I frowned, knowing she was right. Even if Trapinch had a type advantage over the Lavaridge gym, there was no way I was going to deprive Orion of a chance at proving himself after the disappointment he faced in Mauville's gym. Besides, Trapinch had a ways to go until I would feel comfortable using her in any sort of proper battle, let alone a gym.

You: Right, let's both do our best. Gonna turn in for the night, training bright and early. Stay safe.

#1 Sister: Okey, goodnight!

Flipping my phone closed and deciding that I wasn't going to make any meaningful progress reading Telepathic Tendencies, I glanced down at Orion as he slept in my lap and pondered what I could do to better prepare him for the upcoming gym. Although no longer the newest member of my team, he still hadn't quite gotten up to par with Apollo and Duran. It was easy to blame it on his limited selection of moves, but there had been a point in time where both Apollo and Duran suffered from the same. Apollo still didn't have many options, yet I had still found ways to play to their strengths.

Part of Orion's predicament simply came down to him not having the same training and experience as the rest of the team, but it was also my failure to give him adequate guidance on maximizing his strengths. Apart from hopefully learning Bite in the near future, chances were that he wasn't going to learn much more as an Eevee. We needed to make do with what we had at our disposal, since I really didn't see Orion evolving anytime soon.

Problem was, I really couldn't afford to neglect Trapinch. We were still in the early stages of our relationship, and things were going rather well. But even with her being somewhat satisfied and compliant at the moment, I only had a limited amount of time to get Trapinch fully on board with the idea of sticking around for the long haul. I needed to at least help her learn a new move, since I didn't really anticipate that I'd be able to get her to a point where she could consistently beat wild Pokémon in a fair battle given her extremely limited mobility.

"Hey, we're about to turn in for the night," Owen's voice broke me from my thoughts as I looked up to see him handing Orion's brush back to me. "Roxy and I have a lot to figure out in the morning and I want to keep looking for a Machop, so I want to get an especially early start to the day."

"I think I'll follow your lead and head to bed," I said as I stood with a stretch. "Sammy wanted me to pass on her congratulations to you and Roxy, by the way."

Owen gave a beaming smile, "Thanks! She's doing alright by herself?"

"She seems to be doing fine. She's on Route 113 now, and her Oddish lost its first battle against a Zigzagoon. She said she's enjoying the solitude and working on routines with her team. I just hope she can make it to Fallarbor in time, I feel bad for having her cut it so close. Hope she doesn't get held up and miss it or I'll feel horrible."

"Even if she gets into a scrap with a Skarmary or something, I think she should be fine. For a coordinator she's pretty good at battling. I can tell Stella and her Skitty aren't pushovers just by the way they carry themselves, so I'm sure she'll manage just fine. Wouldn't surprise me if she was stocked up on repels and pepper spray either. Sounds to me like she chose to hang back with you, so don't feel bad about that. After experiencing that desert, I think it's safe to say traveling that alone would have been risky, so it was probably for the best."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks Owen. See you bright and early, good luck on your search for a Machop," I said as Owen let Bronson and Misha into his tent while bidding Roxy goodnight, leaving her outside the tent as he retreated to bed with a sleeping Omar clinging to his back. It seemed that Roxy's evolution came with the caveat of no longer being able to join Owen and the rest of his team in the tent due to her size. She didn't seem to mind though, likely happy to take the role of keeping watch over camp, and it gave me an idea for how I could approach Trapinch's sleeping situation without needing to recall her.

I glanced around to find Duran and Trapinch socializing on the other side of camp. Although they sat a fair distance apart, I could tell that they seemed to be hitting it off on some level, as Duran didn't have that familiar look of annoyance I tended to see whenever he didn't get his alone time.

"Glad they seem to be getting along," I muttered to Apollo, who had been unusually quiet as we observed Duran and Trapinch from afar with interest.

"Kindred spirits. Trapinch respect Duran, Duran see much of self in Trapinch."

I nodded, "Kindred spirits is spot on, but I'm surprised you know that phrase. Suppose you heard that one from Stella too. You holding up alright, by the way? You've been rather quiet lately."

Reassurance. Determination. "Alright, but been thinking. Want to evolve like Roxy before see Stella again. Make proud."

I forced a smile as I rubbed his head, "She'll be proud of you no matter what, you know that buddy. You'll evolve when you're ready, no need to feel rushed. I'm sure you're closer than you think. You also shouldn't evolve for anyone else's sake. Make sure whenever you evolve, it's because you want to."

"Want evolve, always have. Just want sooner. Surprise Stella."

"We'll just have to train extra hard then," I said with resolve. Although I wasn't the biggest fan of him being driven by a desire to impress Stella, I wasn't about to be too hard on him for it. He had always wanted to evolve regardless, so if Roxy and Stella were just added motivation I didn't see much harm in it.

Refocusing on Trapinch, I walked over to where she and Duran were chatting, causing them to halt what appeared to be a slightly strained and awkward conversation as they gave me their attention.

"It's bedtime guys, we've got training to do bright and early. Trapinch, I wanted to ask how you'd prefer to sleep. Do you just want to be returned to your ball, or maybe you'd like to dig a little pit and sleep outside like I'll assume you're used to?"

I felt a little bit bad about not offering her the option to sleep with the rest of us inside the tent, but I simply didn't have that much trust in her yet. We were undeniably making progress and I was pretty sure she wouldn't try to hurt any of us, but short of asking Duran to watch over her all night I couldn't guarantee with complete confidence that she wouldn't murder any of us in our sleep. I couldn't even say with any certainty that she wouldn't try to take revenge on Duran when his guard was down; I needed more time to observe her behavior and mannerisms before I let my guard down.

Part of me wondered if I was being too unfair by purposely keeping her at a distance despite wanting to get closer. Duran's capture had been of a similar nature and he could have undoubtedly done some serious harm to me and Apollo if he'd wanted to hurt us while our guard was down, but something about the Trapinch just felt different somehow.

Perhaps it was because her body was mostly one massive head, or maybe it was because she attacked using teeth instead of claws, or it could have been the fact that I knew there was a dragon buried deep within her. Whatever the reason, I found myself being much more on edge around her than I ever had with Duran. There was little doubt that Duran could kill Apollo in one decisive blow if he so chose, yet it never seemed like a real possibility.

Call it a gut instinct or being overprotective of my happy little family, but I just wasn't ready to trust Trapinch to that extent yet.

It didn't end up mattering though, because Trapinch quickly chirped a reply that Apollo informed me translated to 'sand paradise', which I took to mean she wanted to sleep in the ball. That was just fine by me though, so I recalled her after bidding her goodnight and made my way to bed with the Duran and Apollo, deciding it best not to rouse Orion from where he slept in his ball.

"I really appreciate you being friendly with Trapinch," I thanked Duran as we settled in for the night, with Apollo curling up against me while Duran took his usual spot by the entrance. "I know you like your space, but I appreciate you keeping Trapinch company. Pretty sure she looks up to you, like a mentor or role model."

He muttered a response, but I didn't even need Apollo's assistance to translate it. I could tell just from his body language and tone that, although he'd rather not express it, he was glad to be regarded so highly and didn't mind letting Trapinch pal around with him – likely due to her not being overly annoying while also giving him ample space.

They had a lot in common, and were a good duo. I just hoped that their budding friendship would be enough to convince Trapinch to stick around, because I wasn't sure the week or so we had before returning back to the desert would be enough for me to win her over on my own.

Or at least, that's what I thought at the time. I slowly drifted off to sleep, completely oblivious to the fact that my plans were soon to be thrown completely out the window.

A/N: A shorter and calmer chapter compared to most, but an important one all the same. We learned more about Owen, progressed things with Daniel's team, and the Champion is finally revealed to be Tucker, who some might know as being the Battle Dome's Frontier Brain. I doubt I'll bring up the Battle Frontier in the fic, it either shut down years ago or never existed, but I didn't want an OC Champion and Tucker neatly fit what I was going for. I've got some fat chapters queued up and the recent foreshadowing is about to start coming to fruition, so I'm excited for the upcoming chapters to go out. See you next week!

Shoutout to Trix and Feanix for beta-reading this chapter.

Like the story? Come hang out and chat about DotD, help brainstorm, and get instantly notified of new chapters at Discord. gg/ ge6a8XcNcB