TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Badges: 3
Account: 38,791 credits
Location: Dewford Town

DANIEL'S TEAM
Trapinch - Female

OWEN'S TEAM
Shroomish (Misha) - Female
Vigoroth (Omar) - Male

As I stared down at my meal and racked my brain for possible excuses that I could use to excuse myself from what was quickly becoming one of the most uncomfortable meals I'd ever experienced, I came to a few realizations.

The first, and most important, was that although the thing I wanted most in this world was to be reunited with my team, my burning desire to be anywhere other than where I currently was came fairly close.

The second was that despite feeling like I had a good grasp on who Owen was as a person, there were still things about him that I didn't know. But oh boy, was I learning.

The third was that although I liked to think of myself as mature, I was still relatively sheltered and naive when it came to certain matters, especially for things like flirting, dating, and the various forms relationships could take – platonic or otherwise. In fact, I might have been among the most ignorant people in the entire region on such subjects, at least as far as legal adults went. I never had close friends whose parents I could observe, Miss Augustine seemed completely content on her own, and my father had died when I was so young I couldn't even remember him, meaning I'd never actually seen my mother in any sort of relationship. She didn't flirt, date, bring guys home, or anything of the sort – she put every ounce of energy she had into providing for us and raising me, for better or worse.

I idly wondered if she would have dated again if I hadn't ever been born, or perhaps after I'd grown up and left the house. But I didn't linger on that thought, because there were much more pressing issues at hand that could actually be resolved.

Another realization was that although Owen's father might have been slightly unfair in his characterization of his son, there was some truth in what he had implied.

Owen was a playboy.

Alright, perhaps 'playboy' was a little too strong of a word, but I had to admit that he had a way with the ladies.

The signs had been slowly making themselves known over the past couple of days, but I had just brushed it off as Owen being well-liked and outgoing. Owen had quite a few 'friends' that we would randomly bump into, mostly while eating at Paulo Pokes, but I was beginning to realize that none of them seemed to be close friends. He occasionally brought up someone named Aziz, the boy he used to practice sparring with before he'd moved to Johto, and from what I could gather that seemed to be the only person that Owen might have called a 'close friend'.

Apart from randomly bumping into people he knew, which was a frequent occurrence since Dewford was so tight-knit, there were a couple of times that Owen had planned to meet with people, and he'd always managed to talk me into going even though I almost always ended up feeling very out of place. Despite Owen's best efforts, I definitely wouldn't say I made any friends, and not just because I had a hard time socializing around groups of strangers – I just didn't find that we had much in common since none of them were trainers. Sure, a few had a Pokémon of their own, but when none of them really trained, battled, or traveled, there weren't a lot of things for us to possibly bond over.

Apart from talking about Dewford, much of their conversations seemed to center around popular media and gossip – celebrities, television shows, movies, music, the latest trends, and a whole host of other things I would completely zone out for. Some of it was definitely a 'me' problem since it was common for others my age to be into that sort of thing, but I couldn't help but think that people in Dewford took it a little far. There was a lot of slang and references that I didn't understand, and they even talked about a clubhouse for sharing and discussing the latest trends and gossip, which I found particularly weird.

These meetups Owen put together were always smaller groups of roughly three to six people, and although it wasn't uncommon for girls to be present, I never really noticed anything too out of place. I didn't read too much into the playful nudges, giggling at things Owen said that I didn't think were meant to be funny, or the compliments of how much he'd already changed since they last saw him. After all, these were his childhood friends that he'd grown up with, and I was at a point where I was trying not to be taken aback by the unusual friendliness of Dewford's residents.

But for this particular meetup, I was beginning to piece things together. Not only were Owen and the girl he was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with being unusually friendly with one another even by Dewford standards, but I was starting to understand why Owen seemed to be trying even harder than usual to get me involved in conversations that I normally took a back seat to.

That leads me to my final and most startling realization – one that I had tried to dismiss as me overthinking things as usual, but the evidence was clear and the math added up to one undeniable conclusion.

Two boys and two girls, paired up with one of each on both sides of the table.

Owen with his arm draped over a girl's shoulder as she leaned over and whispered in his ear while casting glances between me and the girl by my side that appeared to feel even more awkward than I did.

I was a little slow to pick up on some things, but this particular meetup was so obvious that I had no choice but to finally notice what was going on. No matter how much I wanted to deny it or hope that I was reading into the situation too much, I was starting to feel confident I had it right.

I was on a date – a double date to be more specific.

Maybe if it had occurred under different circumstances and I'd been given a heads up, I wouldn't have been the absolute worst blind date imaginable. Maybe I would've tried harder to take Owen's many cues to join in on the conversation, and perhaps I would have realized sooner that the girl sitting next to me constantly bringing up her Lillipup was her attempt at relating to me and getting me more engaged.

After re-evaluating the situation with a new perspective, I couldn't deny that she was at least conventionally attractive. But she wasn't a trainer, not in any true sense of the word, and frankly I found her repeated usage of the terms 'totes' and 'fire' to be more off-putting, distracting, and annoying than I can reasonably put into words. I wasn't sure if she had been brought into the situation as blindly as me or was just quicker to realize what it was and decided to roll with it, but it can't be said that she hadn't given it a fair shot.

That sentiment was largely gone after many failed attempts to get me more involved, as now it was Owen, his date, and her all having a conversation as I silently contemplated what I could say to excuse myself that struck the right balance of being believable, urgent, and polite.

Ultimately, I decided to just stand up and say that I needed to stretch my legs, leaving with no intention of coming back. Not my best plan, but I was sick of thinking about it, and it was effective enough.

"Dude, where are you going?" Owen asked confusedly after catching up and grabbing my sleeve.

"I dunno, a walk maybe? Anywhere but here. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly the most social person, especially around people I don't have much in common with," I answered truthfully.

"Come on, stay! Just try to loosen up and give it a chance, dude!" he pleaded.

"Give what a chance?" I asked as I turned to face him properly, crossing my arms and giving him a critical look.

"You know… Letting loose, getting to know people, and having fun. We can't just train all day every day, dude. We'll go crazy."

"I've tried, but I won't force it. I just can't relate to them the same ways that you can, Owen. And besides, that isn't my idea of fun. Did you seriously lead me into a double date without telling me?"

Owen briefly grimaced, but quickly schooled his expression and tried to play it off. "It's not a date… We're just friends hanging out."

"You're wearing a button-up shirt, Owen. I've never seen you wear one of those," I pointed out.

"We aren't getting dirty while traveling anymore, so I figured I'd give some nicer clothes some use," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"It looks soft… Surprisingly well suited for getting nice and cozy with that 'friend' of yours… It sure would have been nice if I'd known to dress a bit nicer myself… for my first-ever date."

There was a hint of guilt in his eyes that told me I was right, even as he did his best to act innocent. I gave him an unimpressed look, and after he couldn't hold my gaze he folded.

"Fine! I didn't want to ditch you, and you're the new guy in town so people are obviously curious about you, so we made it a double date. It's casual dude, no pressure or expectations. No need to stress over it."

"I don't mind if you ditch me, it's better than being blindsided. Why are you even going on dates? Assuming lockdown lifts soon and you plan on finishing the circuit, wouldn't a long-distance relationship be kind of… hard to pull off?"

He shrugged, "Neither of us are looking for anything serious like that. It's just a good way to pass the time and decompress. Like I said, we can't just train all day every day."

"I appreciate that you've been trying to include me, but I think you should do your meetups without me, especially ones like this. I just don't socialize well in groups of strangers, and I don't have much in common with any of your friends. I just feel really out of place."

"Everyone is a stranger until you get to know them, but that won't happen if you don't try. Also, no offense dude, but they're all your age. It's a little concerning if you can't find anything to relate over."

"I don't know what to tell you. I don't watch TV, I don't care about celebrities, gossip, or trends, and I didn't grow up on an island so I don't fish, surf, or do anything like that. You guys can at least chat about Dewford and past memories growing up together, but I obviously can't do that. The only time I can somewhat relate to your friends is if the topic is around Pokémon, but even then it's a stretch. Hearing that girl talking about how she taught her Lillipup to walk on its back paws like it was some sort of major training accomplishment… I just can't do this, Owen."

"That girl has a name dude, it's Ashley," he said as he crossed his arms, giving me an unimpressed look. "Apparently she told Alana she thought you were cute, which is partially why we set this up. If you put in just a little effort–"

"What, I might get to first or second base? I don't care, Owen," I said in exasperation.

He frowned, "If brunettes aren't your type, then–"

I held up my hand to cut that line of questioning off. "Stop. That's not it, I'm just not interested."

Owen sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look dude, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. I was just trying to show you a good time and maybe help you find someone to enjoy lockdown with other than just me. Have you ever had a girlfriend before, or even just a fling? Hanging out with 'the boys' is fun and all, but there's something special about having a cute girl by your side..."

I raised a brow as Owen trailed off, his eyes going wide for a moment before he raised his hands placatingly. "Of course, it's totally cool if you're into dudes! Dewford is really open-minded about that kinda stuff, and I could introduce you to –"

"That's not the issue," I cut in flatly. "Ashley is attractive, but I have plenty of other things on my mind. I'm not going to add flirting or dating to the list just because we both have some spare time and are mildly attracted to each other, but I won't judge you for it. "

"You don't have to jump into the deep end, you know. You strike me as the kind of dude to settle down for something long-term, but I'd argue it's better to have a little experience with this sort of thing before you try an actual relationship, especially if you haven't even had your first kiss yet. I say this as your friend dude – you should work on earning that badge, you might be surprised what a confidence boost it can be, and it'll help when you find someone you really like."

"I get what you're saying, but I'm not looking for any of that right now – casual or serious," I said with a sigh.

"It's the perfect time," he said with a nudge. "The only other thing we have to kill time is train, and I don't mean to brag but Dewford has some of the prettiest girls in the entire region. Everyone is restless from the lockdown, the dating pool here isn't exactly huge, and you're a talented trainer from out of town who's a hero online. I bet you don't look half bad under that hoodie, either. You haven't been working out for too long, but I bet it's starting to show, plus you've been traveling a lot. With a little more meat on your bones and a decent tan–"

I waved my hand dismissively and turned to leave, unable to continue humoring the conversation. "Not interested, but thanks for the vote of confidence. You guys have fun, I'm going to wander around a little. We'll meet up in a bit for evening training."

I could hear Owen groan from behind me, likely wondering how he was going to explain my sudden departure to the girls, but I didn't really care. As far as I was concerned, the double date was doomed before it even started when he decided to keep me in the dark about it, and he could deal with the cleanup.

Aside from not feeling romantically adventurous at this stage in my life, there was another reason I wanted to draw a line in the sand. Owen and I had been spending a lot of time together recently, which was great in some ways, but I had been severely overextending my social battery. Not with him particularly – I could spend all day with someone I was comfortable with like Owen or Samantha without it being much of an issue, but when combined with Owen's parents and all the random people he would bump into or meet up with, it was becoming a bit much. For many people, like Owen, socializing was a way to relax and unwind, but I simply wasn't one of those people.

I wanted him to enjoy being home, but got the sense he felt obligated to keep me company during my stay, and I didn't want him to feel that way. There was also the fact that having Owen by my side at nearly every waking hour of the day was a frequent complaint made by a certain somebody who had been occasionally helping and annoying me when time allowed.

I felt an unknown presence brush against my mind as I reached the outskirts of town, but held firm and kept myself closed off. I didn't panic and I wasn't afraid, since I knew exactly what it was – Warren had taken to using different psychics against me so that I wouldn't get too familiarized with his Alakazam, since that would defeat the purpose of his 'rehabilitation', as he called it. He apparently had a small collection of them at his disposal, no doubt a perk of having the backing of Devon, I supposed. Although I wasn't sure if he was still technically a sponsored trainer, he surely still had access to a farm where he could house Pokémon that he caught beyond his carry limit. When I asked him about it, he'd informed me that he had multiple psychics because they each had their own specializations, which seemed a little overboard and weird to me, but I supposed that for someone in his position it made sense.

The presence applied pressure, but I stood my ground. My mind was mine – the only thing that made me 'me', and I wouldn't ever give it up without a fight again.

"You really suck at dates," a familiar voice spoke up as I felt the presence recede, causing me to sigh in relief.

"You suck in general," I retorted without even bothering to look back at him as I found a tree to lean against that had a good view of the ocean.

Warren came over and sat down beside me, which surprised me. We'd had a few sessions, and normally he was all business apart except for the quick jabs to annoy or insult me in an attempt to get a rise out of me. But he leaned back and looked out over the ocean, seemingly not in as much of a hurry as usual.

In fairness, the past couple of times we'd met up had been rather tight on time. It was usually in between training sessions, where I'd excuse myself a little early while Owen wrapped up his workout. But this time, we had over an hour until we were supposed to meet up, and considering Warren had been keeping tabs on me for the past few days, he probably had my general daily schedule memorized.

"You know, you remind me a lot of myself when I was your age," Warren said, and I did my best not to recoil at the comment.

"I don't exactly take that as a compliment," I remarked, causing him to chuckle.

"Didn't mean it as one. I used to be the same as you – after I started my journey, nothing else mattered to me. It was all about training, progressing, and taking that next step. You're what – a couple of months into your journey? You'll burn out if you don't take time to smell the roses, trust me on that."

"What exactly do you think I'm doing right now? I was going to enjoy some fresh air and a scenic view until someone decided to intrude," I said as I gestured towards the ocean.

"There's a difference between taking a break and enjoying life," he said disapprovingly. "You haven't slept in once, you haven't made any new friends, and you won't even flirt with a cute girl when she's sitting right next to you and expressing interest."

"You too?" I groaned in annoyance. "I don't want to go on blind dates, double dates, or any kind of date. I don't have the bandwidth for that, and it's not like I'll be here for long."

He raised a brow, "Oh really? You know how long you'll be here? Interesting. I never pegged you as a clairvoyant. Your mental control is admittedly pretty solid for someone your age, but if you are a psychic then I'd say you're shockingly mediocre."

"It's almost been a week now – that's an insane amount of time to lock the region down for. Owen's dad seems to think they're getting the local population under control, so I can only assume we're getting close to the restrictions lifting."

"Yeah, surely you have a good read on Hoenn's situation from this secluded island in the middle of nowhere," he said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and decided not to comment. After a good handful of encounters with Warren, I could tell when he was trying to get under my skin, and he was quickly approaching that territory.

"Still, my point stands. A person can only go so long constantly looking forward. Days turn to weeks, then months, and eventually years, and before you know it you've spent so long chasing something that you won't know what to do with yourself if you ever get it. And don't even get me started on what happens if you don't end up where you want. I'm just saying, you could stand to live a little. When I look back on it, I don't exactly regret how I spent my youth, but if I had a do-over I would have taken it a little slower. You might not expect this from a charming, handsome guy like me, but I was in my twenties when I finally got my first girlfriend. You don't wanna be like me, do you?"

I raised a brow, "No, not at all. That's a surprisingly convincing argument."

He snorted in amusement. "I'm not such a bad guy, I'm just tough on young trainers because that's how it was when I was your age, and it worked well enough for me. Sometimes, a little spite and resentment can be a great motivator. I could barely stand my mentor for a long time, brilliant and talented as he is, but now we can have a beer and share a laugh about it."

"I seriously doubt that you being a huge ass is just some sort of act to help foster the next generation of trainers," I said flatly.

He shrugged, seemingly not interested in arguing the point further. We sat in silence for a few moments, just staring out at the rolling ocean, but he wasn't exactly someone I wanted to spend my spare time with so I decided to try to move things on to our usual training.

"Well that was an inspiring talk. Thanks, dad. Can we get on with the 'rehabilitation' so you can let me enjoy the view in peace?"

He shook his head, "Nah, today is your graduation. You don't freak out anymore, so I'd say you're about as recovered as you can hope to be. It remains to be seen how you'd react to a Rocket or a serious attempt to break into your mind, but I don't want to accidentally send you back to the hospital, and I'm not really into roleplay so I don't want to go through the trouble of getting one of their uniforms to pretend to attack you. You might still want to think about talking to a therapist or something, but that's way out of my purview."

"No more surprise visits, snarky comments, or annoying quips? I'm heartbroken."

"I'm sure. But alas, I'm needed elsewhere, and my talents are wasted babysitting a brat like you."

As much as I was tempted to continue our banter, something that I had come to enjoy more than I would ever admit as it reminded me a lot of Samantha, I was more interested in what he might have been assigned to do next, so I tried to prod.

"Sounds interesting. Care to share? I can keep a secret."

He chucked, ruffling my hair much to my annoyance. "You wish. Let's just say I might finally get to see some action, and I couldn't be more excited. Don't get me wrong, for the amount of money I get paid I'll happily sit around all day to guard some package, scientist, or kid, but honestly I've been feeling a little restless and subtlety isn't my forte. I prefer to be much more… proactive. That's not exactly unique to me either, I'd say it's a trait shared by most successful trainers, and you even have a fair bit of that in you. If you keep at it, I wouldn't be surprised to see you in the Ever Grande Conference someday."

"That is the goal," I admitted. "If that happens, it should mean that I'm strong enough to handle anything that comes my way. I'm sick of luck being the deciding factor in how I'll fare when something bad happens. Both times I've run into a Rocket, I only made it out thanks to sheer dumb luck, and I don't think my luck will last a third time. Being able to stand my ground isn't enough – if somebody ever threatens me or my family, I want to be able to make them pay."

He hummed, staring off in silent contemplation for a moment before he spoke again. "I get the sentiment, I really do. But trust me when I say – you can't let things like that drive you forward. It's one thing to want to be strong enough to protect those you love, but don't go through life hoping for a chance at revenge. You have a Kirlia so you've got to be especially careful with that kind of thinking, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that it's unhealthy for them to be around."

I sighed. "I know. It's not like I'm going to go out looking for a fight, or that I crave revenge. I just want to live my life with my team unbothered – travel, make memories, get strong, bond, that sort of thing. I was helpless against that Claydol, and I'm not sure we could have taken the Houndoom once it started getting serious. It took my Corphish out in one hit, even with a type disadvantage. I thought we were getting pretty strong, but compared to trainers like that…"

"Type will only get you so far, as I'm sure you've realized. You're talking about an evolved Pokémon versus an unevolved one. I'm not saying it was impossible for you to win, but you have what – three badges and a couple months of experience? That Houndoom probably has years under its belt. You could train all day every day until you are blue in the face, but it'll never make up for natural growth and battle experience. Training will only get you so far, it takes time and experience to get to where you're wanting to be."

I sighed, knowing that he was right. Though I thought that he was downplaying the importance of training, the fact remained that it was a poor substitute for how much growth could be gained from having actual battles. It's partially why I was so bummed that I couldn't have Trapinch participate in any battles, because although we were making a lot of good progress with her training, it was impossible to tell how that would translate in a real battle. I suspected that she would be able to best a good number of wild Pokémon if she could get her jaws on them, but that was a big if since she still lacked much versatility and was slower than most opponents she was likely to go up against.

"Any other sagely advice for a new trainer?" I asked only half-sarcastically, deciding that I'd be an idiot if I didn't try to milk as much information out of Warren as I could before he left. As much as I wasn't a fan of him, it was undeniable that he was a talented trainer – in some ways, he was a good example of what I hoped to one day be.

Not so much his personality and the way he acted, since those left a lot to be desired. But even though I hadn't seen him in action first-hand, I had no doubt that he would have been more than capable of standing his ground against the Claydol. Though I was still getting a feel for the power scale of trainers, there was surely a fair gap between an elite-level trainer and an Ever Grande Conference winner.

He hummed in thought, seeming to take my question with a surprising amount of seriousness. "I could give you some corny sayings like 'never give up', or 'practice makes perfect', but I get the feeling you're looking for something with more substance. I looked you up – you've got a Kirlia, Corphish, Eevee, and Trapinch. That's not a bad start, but considering you aren't sponsored you need to give your last two slots some serious consideration. Do you have any plans, or are you just making it up as you go?"

"I'd like a ghost, but I haven't run into one and I know they can be exceedingly difficult to catch and train. Other than that, I don't have any plans. It's more like there's Pokémon I know I'd rather not train, and I try not to have much type overlap."

"A ghost is good, I highly recommend them," he said with an approving nod. "Especially for somebody who gets into situations like you do. With a capable ghost and a psychic on your team, you'll be in a good position for most situations you might run into. There is one very obvious thing your team is severely lacking though, any guesses on what it is?"

I frowned, my mind racing for an answer, but eventually I shook my head. There were a few things that came to mind that I could have said, but I didn't feel like playing a guessing game.

He stood up suddenly, surveying the area. "You know, I think this calls for a little… demonstration. But this spot won't do, so we'll need to go on a quick field trip."

He gave a low whistle, and within seconds there was a familiar cackle followed by a Gengar coming out of the trees, as well as a Xatu appearing beside him with a Teleport. It was a little startling, and I watched with a mixture of confusion and interest as he recalled the Gengar.

"Take us to a nearby island where we won't be disturbed," he requested while gesturing for me to stand up and get closer. I hesitantly complied, and soon we found ourselves on the shores of a large patch of sand surrounded by nothing but water.

I felt a little sick from the Teleport, but it was a fraction of what when I'd been brought to Dewford. There was a much more noticeable 'jerk' when we teleported, so I didn't suppose that it was a matter of the Xatu being any better at using the move, but moreso that the distance we'd traveled hadn't been nearly as far and the change in scenery hadn't been anywhere close to as drastic.

"Much appreciated. Keep an eye out to make sure nobody sees us," he said, causing the Xatu to close its eyes and concentrate, presumably scanning the area psychically.

"Are we even allowed to be here? This is surely on a route, and they're all closed off," I couldn't help but ask.

He gave a grin, "It's only against the rules if you get caught, kid. Sometimes, a trainer has to play fast and loose by the rules, and I've found it's often better to ask for forgiveness than permission. We won't be here long enough to get caught, and even if we did it would be a slap on the wrist and an escort back to Dewford, so lighten up. Besides, I'm doing this to help you, and to prove a point."

"That point being…?"

"Let's see…" he said as he started rattling off my team, holding up a finger with each to count. "Gallade, Crawdaunt, Flygon, an Eeveelution, and some sort of ghost–"

"My Kirlia wants to be a Gardevoir," I cut in to correct him, still unsure as to where he was going with all this.

He raised a brow, clearly confused as to why he'd recently delivered me a high-quality Dawn Stone, but declined to comment.

"Okay... That doesn't matter, just like it doesn't matter which ghost or Eeveelution you end up with for the point I'm trying to make."

"Well I'm still not seeing what you're getting at," I commented, looking around and seeing nothing but sand, sky, and ocean.

"The point is…" he trailed off as he unclipped another Pokéball from his belt and released a Pokémon.

A massive Pokemon.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't a Pokémon the size of a three-storied building.

I found myself staring up at Steelix – an absolutely colossal Pokémon. I'd only seen pictures of them, but they didn't do justice to just how terrifying they were in person. Though its hardened expression bordering on a scowl was scary in its own right, this was a Pokémon so large that it could kill me with the flick of its tail, and it might not even notice that I had been there.

Apart from the sheer size of it, I was also struck by the segments of its body that seemed to be in a constant rotating motion, easily able to picture myself being crushed between them. I couldn't help but be fascinated by it, wondering if it was something that the Steelix could control the speed of, perhaps to help it burrow like some sort of drill.

Of course, the body only served to momentarily distract me from the most horrifying part of the Pokémon, which was the head. Cold eyes, a long row of massive teeth, and a protruding jaw so powerful that Trapinch would probably bow in worship – they all came together to make Steelix the most frightening Pokémon I'd ever laid eyes on.

"Now, imagine you make it to the conference and you find yourself up against an opponent like Lex here. What is your gameplan?"

The Steelix leered down at me in amusement, and I could feel my heart pounding even though I knew I was perfectly safe. Truthfully, I didn't have the faintest idea how I would go up against something like a Steelix. It felt nearly impossible to overcome in a battle, and a death sentence if used by a Rocket or criminal, even if I used all of my team against it at once.

At least, as things currently stood. But if we were talking about the conference, then maybe…

"Depends on my team…" I started, trying my best to focus on the question rather than the towering Pokémon. "I'd probably use Flygon – she would know some ground-type moves, and I plan on teaching her some fire ones as well. In general though, I'd try to take advantage of how bulky and slow it is, outspeed it, and chip it down from range, ideally from the sky."

He chuckled, "That's a great way to wear out your team. Even if that worked, you'd be out a few team members before then. If we're talking about battling a well-trained and experienced Pokémon that made it into the conference, or even against a Rocket that's graduated from being a grunt, then Steelix will have ways to hit you regardless of how fast you are. There are lots of ways to ground a flying opponent, then it just takes one good hit with Iron Tail and your Flygon is out."

I nodded slowly, having no doubt that was true. He continued, "A type resistance won't mean much when getting clubbed by something many times its own size, as I'm sure you can imagine. Steelix also resists any dragon-type moves your Flygon would have, and types matter even less when you're dealing with this kind of sheer size and defensiveness. After your Flygon gets taken out, and what does that leave you with? My girl here resists most types, including fairy and psychic, and is so big that it completely dwarfs anything you could pull out. With the team you have laid out right now, I wouldn't be surprised if even a newly evolved Steelix could wipe your whole team. If you had a decent ghost, it would probably have the best shot at pulling it off. But with how hardy Steelix are, any ghost would likely be completely exhausted and on its last legs by the time she went down, if they even managed it at all."

"So what… If I want to fight against a behemoth, I need one of my own?" I asked, still unsure of what point he was trying to prove.

"Not necessarily, but it wouldn't hurt. My main point is that your team lacks a tank – something defensive that can not only take hits from an opponent as formidable as my pretty lady here, but retaliate with enough force to deal meaningful damage. Your Corphish will be a little bulkier when it evolves, and it might be able to take a couple of hits thanks to its shell, but it won't hold a candle against some of the truly defensive Pokémon you'll someday encounter. I'd recommend you plan on a tank for your last team member – it doesn't have to be a massive Pokémon, especially since you aren't sponsored and they can be ridiculously expensive to feed, but it should be something that can hold its own against one. You can't go wrong with a steel or rock type, but there's lots of options out there."

"Point taken," I muttered as he recalled the Steelix, much to my relief. "I don't exactly love the idea of planning out my team out like that. I prefer to go with what feels right, although I do obviously have some preferences."

"Hate to break it to you kid, but if you want to do well in the circuit, let alone the conference, you'll have to do a little more than wing it. All things considered, I think you've got a fairly solid team that can take you the distance, but defense is definitely your biggest weakness, so try to work in a tank. I'm a little surprised to hear you didn't plan your team, considering what you've ended up with and the fact you know you want a ghost."

"I knew I wanted a telepath for communication so I went out looking for a Ralts and lucked out, but that's about it," I explained. "A ghost and dragon just sounded like fun challenges since they're notoriously difficult to train, but I didn't exactly have my heart set on them either – it's not like I refused to catch anything other than a Ralts or Trapinch, it just sort of worked out that way. Other than that, I thought it would be handy to have a water-type, both for the everyday practicality of it and possibly traveling the sea with a partner rather than on a ferry, but it seems like it'll probably be years until a Crawdaunt is big enough to do that. I've heard they can get pretty big, but when they evolve they aren't even bigger than me."

"As long as you're feeding your Crawdaunt correctly and giving it good battles regularly, you'll be surprised how fast they can grow. Many water types, but crustaceans specifically, are capable of growing quite a bit larger even after they are finished evolving, given the right conditions. It might not ever get big enough for you to fully 'ride' on, but for a kid as scrawny as you, you'll be able to get towed across water soon enough, depending on how far you're trying to go and how much stamina your Crawdaunt has. Be careful with that though – I wouldn't do it until your Flygon is big enough to ride on. If you get stranded in the ocean with an exhausted Crawdaunt and no alternative option, you're dead."

"Noted. Can we go back to Dewford now? I feel like we're going to get in trouble out here," I commented as I looked around with unease. That wasn't exactly true – I had complete faith in Warren and his Xatu, but I was honestly feeling more than a little unsettled to be standing on a large sandy bank in the middle of the ocean.

"Killjoy," he muttered as his Xatu received some sort of telepathic command and teleported us back to where we had just been on the outskirts of Dewford.

"Well, this is where we part ways. I'd say it's been fun, but honestly… Watching you has been anything but. That date was particularly painful to watch, and you suck at making friends. If nothing else, you punching your buddy was entertaining, and training that Trapinch brings back some fond memories of my early days."

"And if some Rockets pay me a visit tomorrow?" I asked, more wanting to get a rise out of him than out of fear of that actually happening.

"Won't happen. Can't say you'll be safe if they bump into you again, but you'll be fine while you're here. Trust me, they've got a lot more on their plate than tracking down some kid who slightly annoyed them. They've got the Elite Four and Champion breathing down their neck and now… me."

My eyes widened at that revelation as he gave a confident smirk.

"Does that mean you're actually part of that task force now?" I asked.

He shook his head, "Nope, but that's for the best. When you're doing something in the official capacity of the League, there's a lot of red tape and rules on how you can do things. It's a drag, and I'm not suited for that sort of thing. I much prefer to do things… untethered."

I caught his meaning – he'd be doing things that weren't strictly legal. I couldn't help but wonder how a huge, public company like Devon could have somebody like him on their payroll, but I supposed they had their ways. I briefly wondered if he was even officially employed or if he did things off the books, since I could only assume that if he got caught Devon would catch slack for it. But he had to have some level of League endorsement, if what Vito had said was true and the Rangers had been comfortable letting him skirt the rules everyone else had to abide by.

Though I didn't want to pry too much, I couldn't help but ask the burning question on my mind.

"My friend Owen, he had some of his team stolen… A lot of people did. Do you think there's any chance of getting them back? Is that what you're going to do?"

He gave a frown, which made my heart sink. "Couldn't say, though I'd wager they are still in the region somewhere. Not even my Alakazam can Teleport all the way to Kanto, and with how many Pokéballs they have, I'd assume they'll need to smuggle them on a ship or plane. That's all but impossible given the lockdown, so they are probably planning to stash them somewhere until things cool down. Some might be distributed to members in the meantime, but I have to assume most are slated to be sold on the black market or used for research. I kind of doubt they'd do that stuff in Hoenn, but who knows."

I sighed, not surprised by the information. It was somewhat comforting to hear that they were likely still in Hoenn, but his answer did little to reassure me that Owen's team would be made whole again.

He suddenly ruffled my hair, causing me to groan in annoyance and jerk my head away as he continued, his voice losing some of its edge. "Don't stress about things out of your control. You're still just a kid, leave it to the adults. You're a little shit and you've got some growing up to do, but I see some of myself in you, and I'll admit I've taken a bit of a liking to you. I'll be keeping an eye on your career, so don't let me down kid."

I grumbled, sorely tempted to lash out at him calling me a kid or characterizing me as a 'little shit', but decided that if this was his version of a heartfelt goodbye, I could let it go.

"You're annoying as hell, but I guess you aren't quite as much of an ass as I thought, at least when you try. Thanks for all your help – for getting us here, watching over me, helping me with my… issue, and for your advice. I seriously appreciate it."

He shrugged. "Just doing my job. Speaking of which, I'm expected elsewhere, so I really need to get going. But before I do, one last thing…"

I watched confusedly as he reached into a side pouch of his backpack, feeling around for something.

"A parting gift for a kindred spirit."

He grabbed my wrist and planted the item in my palm, which I instantly recognized as a TM. I could also tell that it was different from the one I had – this was a standard single-use TM, as evidenced by the inside disc looking more like a thin plastic than a sturdy metal.

"169," I repeated as I read the number imprinted on the disc's housing out loud, a little baffled by the high number. Most of the TMs I'd seen were in the double digits, so the high number made me think that it was likely a fairly rare move from one of the more remote regions that didn't have as long of a history studying Pokémon.

"That isn't cheap or easy to come by, so I expect you to put that to use. It'll be a while until you can, but consider it a vote of confidence that you'll someday reach the level you're striving for."

"Which move is it?" I asked, not wanting to go through the hassle of pulling out my phone to look it up. For all they could contain, TMs were small enough to easily fit in the palm of your hand, so rather than print out long move names on such a tiny surface, they always bore a simple stamp with a number that correlated to the move within.

He smirked. "Something even Lex wouldn't be able to shrug off. It's not exactly common, especially in Hoenn, but it's one of my favorite moves so I always make sure to carry around a spare. I doubt you could find that particular TM anywhere in the region with the lockdown going on, but I don't see myself needing it anytime soon, so I'll just order another one once restrictions are lifted."

"Okay, but what is it," I persisted, feeling myself get equal parts annoyed and curious at his evasiveness.

He gave a feral grin, "Draco Meteor, for your future Flygon. Just use that bad boy in the general direction of any problem you come across, and boom – nine times out of ten, you don't have a problem anymore."

I openly gaped at him – despite it being a relatively rare move, even young children were familiar with it. It was the most powerful dragon-type move known to exist, and highly destructive.

Not just 'obliterate a house' levels of destruction either. If used by a strong enough Pokémon, it could theoretically wipe the bulk of Dewford off the face of the earth, assuming no Pokémon defended against it.

I just stared down at it, completely at a loss for how to react. I was tempted to shove it back into his hand, or to berate him for giving a fairly new trainer one of the most powerful and destructive moves a Pokémon could possibly learn.

But there was a much larger part of me that was excited beyond belief at the thought of Trapinch someday being able to harness that sort of power. True, it was far from a certainty that she would stay with me long enough to become a Flygon, and I would have to think about if I even wanted to reveal it to her since I didn't want to entice or manipulate her, but it could serve as a shared goal for us to work towards apart from her simply evolving.

"Did you seriously just give a 'kid' fucking Draco Meteor…" I couldn't help but remark as I pocketed the TM. There was no way that I was going to turn down a gift like that, but I also couldn't help but comment on just how irresponsible it was to give me something like that.

He adopted an innocent face, "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't give you anything. In fact, if anybody asks, we've never even met."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile. If you'd asked me earlier in the day what I thought of Warren, I wouldn't have had much that was good to say about the guy. He was smug, arrogant, self-important, loved to push buttons just for the sake of it, and so annoying it bordered on being insufferable sometimes.

But there was also a lot to respect about the guy. He was a powerful trainer, and in a lot of ways he embodied what I hoped I would one day become. Hopefully, I wouldn't be as rough around the edges, but there was plenty to admire.

"Fair enough. But if I get myself killed, it'll be on your conscience," I commented as he walked over to his Xatu, whose eyes were closed and had been either meditating or scanning the area during all of this.

"Don't blame others for your misfortunes, kid. If you teach that to your Flygon before they can handle it, or if you do it when they're still a Vibrava, I won't lose any sleep over you being a dumbass. Good luck on your journey, watch your back out there, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He gave a thumbs-up and a cheeky grin, and in the blink of an eye he was gone. I was a little baffled by that last remark, because my impression of Warren was that there was a long list of very stupid things he would do, as evidenced by the TM in my pocket. But I supposed it was a somewhat fitting farewell for him, as he didn't exactly seem to be the type for long, drawn-out goodbyes.

Apart from him helping me largely overcome my fear of powerful telepaths, I hadn't wanted him around. But now that he was gone, I couldn't help but wish he'd have been able to stay. There was a lot he could have potentially taught me, yet he surely had more important things to do than hang around Dewford to watch over me, especially if he was being sent to do something about Team Rocket.

I couldn't help but wonder what that might be. Based on what he'd said, it sounded like he was going on some sort of offensive, which confused me. If he wasn't part of the League's task force, I wasn't sure why Steven Stone or Devon would be taking any sort of direct, offensive action against Team Rocket, but there were a lot of other possibilities that made it hard to guess, like it being freelance work or a personal favor for somebody.

But in a weird way, it was also comforting knowing that people like him were getting involved. Sure, the Champion and Elite Four going after them was one thing, but Warren was right that anything the League did would come with certain levels of restraint. It was satisfying to know that there were people going after them who weren't afraid to play just as dirty as they did, and I could only wish Warren the best for whatever he was about to do.

I still didn't have much faith that Owen's team would be returned to him, but I was becoming increasingly convinced that Team Rocket was going to regret all the Pokécenter heists they'd done.

Good – they deserved everything they had coming to them, and more.

Not having received a text from Owen and still having some time to kill until we would meet up for our evening training, I decided to resume my earlier plan of relaxing and enjoying the view. Dewford really was a beautiful place, and although I'd seen the ocean a couple of times on my travels now, for some reason it was a lot more impressive when viewed from a tropical island.

I didn't get to relax for long though, because soon I heard a chime ring out and my pocket vibrate. It wasn't a message from Owen like I'd been expecting though, but rather an alert on my Pokédex.

"A new regional alert…?" I muttered to myself as I pulled out the Pokédex and flipped it open, expecting some sort of news related to the lockdown or Pokérus.

It was indeed an alert, but not at all what I'd been expecting. My eyes widened and I felt my heart begin to race as I read it out loud, quickly coming to the conclusion that I was the only one that had received this particular message.

"Please report to the nearest Pokécenter at your earliest convenience for important information regarding one or more Pokémon registered to you currently in League care," I said out loud as I read the message before bolting to my feet and shoving it back into my pocket, taking off into a sprint back to Dewford.

Though it hadn't quite been a week since my Pokémon were put in quarantine, which was supposed to be the lower-end of how long the infectious period lasted, I couldn't help but cling to a sliver of hope that I might finally be reunited with my team, however unlikely. But there was also a growing fear that something had gone wrong, and that I might be about to get some very bad news.

A/N: Listen, I'm currently juggling three jobs and a near-crippling addiction to Satisfactory. Not to mention, FFN's formatting is still borked and I once again had to manually format this 9k+ word chapter, so don't you dare judge me for this chapter being a little on the late side.

I really don't like handing Daniel things too easily, but Warren giving him Draco Meteor was just too perfect to resist, given his personality and the conversation they had. It won't be seeing use anytime soon, that's for sure. Also, I hope I didn't accidentally make Owen look too bad. I don't think I did, since it was meant to be more of a reflection on Daniel than anything, but I worry I might have made him a little bit too pushy when I just wanted him to try to get Daniel out of his shell. Interested to hear your thoughts.

Shoutout to The Muffin Rat King and Faefox for beta-reading this chapter.

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