TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 1
Account: 9,267 credits

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

"Earth to Danny! Whatcha thinking about?"

I glanced up as Samantha nudged me, a playful grin on her face as we once again sat on the patio of Crooner's Café having a coffee.

Admittedly, I'd been spacing out a bit and probably wasn't being a good conversationalist. I had a lot on my mind; contemplating if Orion should participate in the upcoming battle, wondering if Duran had a good chance at redemption, mulling over the information I'd read about Wattson's common battle strategies while doing research at the Pokécenter after our evening training, and also some lingering thoughts about Samantha's situation.

Not to mention, we'd held our first 'official' team meeting in the Pokécenter room just before bed and it had been surprisingly unproductive, although illuminating. Apollo hadn't quite led the discussions how I'd been hoping, but he did serve the role of translator quite well. Everyone was pleased with the progress they were seeing from training, were eager to continue improving and excited to someday evolve. Duran wanted more battles, and was pleased when I informed him we'd not only be visiting the battle courts, but had a big gym battle scheduled. But by far the highlight of the session was Orion mentioning that he now considered us his new family, although he was still hopeful to someday find his brother.

When I decided to dig into the topic of evolution more, I found that neither Orion nor Apollo had fully decided. Apollo informed me he was leaning toward Gardevoir, as he believed it more closely reflected his current battling style and would allow him to stay 'connected to the moon', but Orion was just flat-out uncertain. The only information he really had to go off of was first-hand experience with Stella and what I'd told him of the others, but he didn't fully understand the differences. I chalked it up to him not being that familiar with the different types, and spent some time explaining them as best as I could.

It didn't help much though; he was clearly just as uncertain by the end, and I'd assured him that he had plenty of time to think about it.

"Lots of things are on my mind, actually," I admitted before taking another sip of the sweet nectar I was quickly developing a deep love for and releasing a deep sigh of satisfaction.

"Anything you wanna talk about? You've been a bit off today," she asked, a hint of genuine concern on her face.

"Mostly worried about the gym battle. I owe you for helping us with Aqua Jet, but I just don't know if it'll be enough. That combined with Protect should give Duran a chance, but it'll be tough. Orion still has a ways to go too, not sure I'll be able to let him participate."

"You're such a worry wart," she grinned. "Weren't you planning on hitting the battle courts today, anyway? I'm sure you'll feel better about your chances after you mop the floor with a couple of trainers who are stuck here trying to get their third badge."

"Maybe," I shrugged, "Are you going to come do some battling too?"

"Nah, I think I'll go back to that spot you found and keep working with my team. I feel pretty good about the next contest since Stella and I have had it prepared for a while, but I want to try some new things with her and start playing with ideas for my newer members. No offense, but it's hard to really dig into things and experiment with you around, although I'll admit doing drills around your team is good motivation for mine."

"Couldn't you just do the entire circuit with Stella?" I asked curiously.

"In theory, sure. But I don't want to be known as a one-trick Ponyta. Can't just use the same tricks and outfit for every contest, now can I? Besides, sometimes it makes sense to change up your team if there are other similar Pokémon or performances at the same event. Standing out is half the battle, after all."

I nodded, taking my last sip of coffee before standing up.

"Well, no time like the present. I want to get a couple of battles in before a telepathy job I've got scheduled in a couple of hours, and I think I want to check out the Game Corner later too. We keep walking past it and I have to admit my curiosity is getting the better of me."

"Just promise me you'll set a hard limit, alright? I'll be seriously disappointed if you're completely broke the next time I see you."

"I know, I'm going in with the expectation I'll lose a thousand credits. It'll be worth it for the experience though."

"You say that now, I'll be interested to see if you feel the same way after," she remarked as she stood with Masquerain fluttering around her. "Remember, food court at eight. Don't lose track of time, it's easy to do there."

"I won't, promise. See you there," I waved farewell before setting off toward the battle court, petting Orion. Although he was now much more comfortable being around so many people, I could feel that he was a little tense at the reminder that he was likely about to participate in some trainer battles.

I'd given him the warning during this morning's training, as well as a refresher on the differences between a battle with another trainer versus what he was used to with wild Pokémon. He'd been cautiously optimistic this morning, but now that the time was upon us I could tell he was letting his nerves get the better of him.

It was just another thing we needed to work through with some exposure therapy. It had done wonders for many of his fears, and I knew once he was actually in the battle he'd likely be fine considering what I'd seen of him previously. He was likely just nervous at the thought of potentially having strangers spectating him, as well as going against an opponent that had actually been trained. But he needed to get over his hang-ups sooner or later, especially if I wanted to try having him participate in the upcoming gym battle.

I pulled him out of my pocket and held him in front of my face to address him, "I'll only send you out if I think I've found a good opponent, otherwise it'll be Duran. You might not even battle, buddy, but if you do just remember what we talked about; don't attack until I say so, and be sure you stay in the arena. You'll do great, just do your best. Winning doesn't matter, all we care about is improving," I assured him.

He gave a cute little whine of acceptance, and I nodded in approval as I set him down and grabbed his Luxury Ball from my clip. "I'm going to return you now, alright? Don't want to reveal our cards if we can help it. Just relax, but be ready."

He nuzzled his head against my leg, and I smiled happily as I returned him. I knew that he wanted to battle and improve, he just needed to get a bit more confident and comfortable with it; something I hoped we'd be able to accomplish today at the battle court.

Earning a little extra spending cash would also be nice, not that I'd ever let anyone other than Apollo in on that particular thought.

The battle court was exceptionally lively, with around thirty people roughly my age or a bit older spread across three different arenas; one sand, other dirt with only a few scarce patches of grass remaining from heavy use, and one a deep pool of surprisingly clean-looking water. I stood off to the side for a few minutes to get a feel for what was happening, and quickly realized that the dirt arena was being used in a sort of 'king of the hill' format, with the winner staying to take on the next challenger. The water arena had a few people sitting along the edge letting their water-types relax and play in the water, although I didn't doubt the occasional battle did happen there, and the sand court seemed to be for whatever random battles people wanted to hold.

As I continued to observe, I couldn't help but notice that most of the people here didn't seem to be actual trainers, and that nearly all of the battles on the sand court didn't involve bets or Pokédexs. I did see a few individuals with multiple Pokéballs who looked to be a bit more serious, and they tended to be the ones who were participating in king of the hill, and I was relieved to find they were only betting a thousand credits each round, mostly fighting for bragging rights and practice. One stockier boy with a dark tan and spiky brown hair that appeared to be on a winning streak with a particularly peppy Makuhita, who was allowed a couple minutes between battles to rest and heal.

None of the battles were a complete blowout; Makuhita was surely a skilled battler, but I couldn't help but think Duran had a good shot at handling it. I was convinced that Orion wouldn't stand much of a chance, as the two battles I witnessed had the opponents trying to keep their distance and chip it down, but Makuhita was surprisingly good at closing distance. Once it got its hands on the opponent, things quickly went downhill.

Orion was quick, but his Swift wasn't particularly powerful. Add onto that the fact he would be at a type disadvantage as well as facing down an opponent that looked to be even heavier than me despite its size, I didn't think it would be a fair fight.

"Anyone else? Am I the king of the court for the day?" the boy asked with open arms and gusto as his Makuhita took its spot back in the arena and nobody else stepped up.

I decided this was as good of a time as any for me to get involved, and was feeling rather relieved that the court didn't seem to be occupied by trainers well above my skill level. It did leave me curious about where the trainers who were stuck trying to get their third badge were though, as that had been what I had been expecting to find. But from what I'd seen, this was a great place for both Duran and Orion to get some practice in while also giving us a good chance at winning.

As a battle between a Wingull and a Whimsur had drawn most of the spectators' attention to the other arena, I stepped into the arena, eliciting a smirk from my soon-to-be opponent.

"Haven't seen you around. How many badges you got?"

"Just one, but I plan on making it two in a few days," I responded, "how about you?"

"Getting my third tomorrow," he said with a confident grin before adopting a look of confusion. "Wait, which badge do you have?"

"Rustboro. I came from Petalburg and didn't want to backtrack for Dewford," I shrugged.

He nodded in understanding, "That's fair, I didn't exactly do the traditional path either. Started in Dewford since it's my hometown, then took the ferry and hit Rustboro. No offense, but sure you'll be able to keep up in a battle?"

"I feel pretty good about my chances, but only one way to find out," I responded as I took my spot.

"We're only doing single battles with thousand credit bets anyway, so no biggy if you lose. If you're still game, let's get this show on the road," he said enthusiastically as his Makuhita slammed its fists together, clearly eager for a challenge.

I was hopeful that we were up to the task, but knew that either way Duran would really enjoy the battle I'd lined up for him as I released him onto the field.

"A Corphish, huh? Interesting choice, let's see if it can hang. Can we get a ref over here?"

One of the older trainers stepped up to officiate as Duran sized up his opponent, seemingly happy that his opponent didn't appear to be a push-over.

"This will be a one-on-one battle with a thousand credit wager between Owen's Makuhita and the challenger's Corphish. Challenger, when you're ready, you get the first move."

I raised a brow, noticing that he didn't care to get my name as well as mildly surprised that I was just being given the first move. But I was happy to take the initiative, and immediately decided that Harden would probably be the best option considering it was inevitable that Duran was going to take some hits. His newly developed Aqua Jet would allow him some mobility to keep away in a pinch, but I knew that the majority of the battle was likely to end up as a slugfest of a brawl.

"Start with Harden and Leer," I ordered, hoping we'd have time to pull both off.

"Trying to set up on me, huh? Two can play that game; Bulk Up, Bronson!"

As Duran's shell took on a new sheen, the Makuhita tensed its body and flexed as its muscles began to bulge, making the already bulky Pokémon look even more intimidating. I was extremely happy with my choice of opener as Duran gave Makuhita a threatening glare that, although not appearing to do too much, I knew it hadn't been fully brushed off.

"Bubblebeam!"

"Get in there Bronson, give him the works!"

As Duran leveled both of his claws at his opponent and began blasting a concentrated Bubblebeam, the Makuhita began lumbering forward, his palms held in front of him to block the attack as he pushed through and quickly gained momentum despite the onslaught.

I silently cursed, reminded of just how important weight was in battles. I had no doubt that the Makuhita was taking some damage, but for an opponent as sturdy as this, Bubblebeam simply wasn't enough to keep distance.

I'd know this was going to happen eventually, I'd just hoped we could wear it down some before the brawl. But it seemed that a close-up fight was imminent, and I had to admit that I was curious how Duran would fare. Rarely did Duran get a chance to fight like this, and I hoped that this would help satisfy his desire for a good battle.

Makuhita finally closed the distance and Duran gave up trying to keep his opponent at bay with Bubblebeam, taking a fighting stance and looking ready for the impending brawl.

"Force Palm!"

"Razor Shell!

Duran raised a claw oozing with water just as the Makuhita pulled an arm back and opened its palm, and both faintly glowed as they threw out their respective attacks. His training paid off; with practiced ease he was quick enough to slash across his opponent's chest, leaving a deep cut.

It wasn't without consequence though; just as he caught the right side of the Makuhita's chest, he was slammed with an open palm with enough force to push him back almost his entire body-length, his legs digging into the ground for purchase.

It was a classic trade of blows, and I was pretty certain that we'd come out of it on top. Duran's shell was more than equipped to take hits like that, it was more a matter of making sure he didn't get too rattled. As I looked at the damage we'd inflicted, I noticed that although we'd broken through skin, it hadn't been deep enough to draw blood. Duran's cut was clean and thin; much more a slice than a gash, and I grinned with satisfaction as I noticed it continuing to leak water that had permeated the skin.

"Wow, that attack is no joke! Good thing Bronson's skin is thick! Get in there and Arm Thrust!" our opponent called out.

"Protect, then Vice Grip!"

Duran created the barrier just as Makuhita brought both hands in front of him with open palms and began alternating strikes, doing quick jabs at Duran and slowly pushing him back as his legs tried to keep him anchored to the ground. The fighting-type kept throwing his palms forward, each hit seemingly faster and harder than the last as he pummeled the protective shield, causing it to flash under strain.

I could tell it took great effort on Duran's part to keep it from falling under such strain and pressure, but he was the resident expert at the move and seemed determined not to let his opponent break his defenses.

To his credit, it held. The shield soaked roughly twenty hits before the Makuhita finally let up, and just as it did Duran dropped his protection to lunge forward with Vice Grip.

"Detect!"

Makuhita shot a palm out and knocked Duran's claw to the side before using the other hand to deliver a brutal Force Palm that sent Duran tumbling. He quickly recovered, a look of burning determination on his face that told me he was nowhere ready to call it quits.

"Use your new move, get in there!" I shouted.

He leapt forward as water burst out of the crevices of his shell, jettisoning him toward his opponent at speeds that rivaled Orion's Quick Attack. Samantha had helped us to understand that by utilizing the same control over water that allowed Duran to use moves like Water Gun, Bubblebeam, and Razor Shell, it was possible to change where the water was being produced and influence both the direction and pressure, with adequate practice.

And boy, had we practiced. Duran had instantly seen the benefits of having such improved mobility, and although our training had come with plenty of failures and setbacks, we'd finally gotten to a point that he could consistently and reliably launch himself at anything within a roughly twenty meter range.

Duran slammed into his opponent with enough force to knock them off their feet, much to my surprise. The size of our opponent meant that there must have been considerable power put into that strike, and I couldn't wait to see how devastating it would be when Duran used it as a Crawdaunt someday.

"That's what I like to see! Pummel it, Bronson!"

"Brawl it out, Duran! Show us what you've got!"

Truthfully, I no longer cared if we won. Sure, some extra spending money would be nice, but the main reasons for this battle had been fulfilled in my mind. Duran had been given a good fight like he wanted, and we'd been able to test out two of his new moves. Everything else was just icing on the cake, and now that I was being presented with an opportunity to see Duran fight in a true brawl against a skilled opponent, I decided to let him take the reins.

As the Makuhita began throwing out Arm Thrusts, Duran did his best to bob out of the way while slashing with the occasional Razor Shell whenever he found an opening. Duran managed to turn a couple of the strikes into mere grazes with his antics, but not many. I could easily tell that the hits were powerful as palm after palm slammed into my crustacean, and that even though his hardened shell was more than up to the task of taking the damage, it wasn't negligible and was quickly adding up. For his part, Duran managed to get in some good cuts, but considering the Makuhita didn't even attempt to evade and kept the pressure up, I suspected that we were in a losing situation. Despite how powerful his Razor Shells appeared to be, they just weren't cutting deep enough through the Makuhita's thick skin to do any serious damage.

Duran seemed to realize the same thing, and he started doing something that I really hadn't expected. Rather than slicing with the serrated edge of his open claws as they dripped with water, he closed them and began clobbering his opponent instead.

It took a moment to realize what was happening. His claws were still faintly glowing, telling me he was using some sort of move, however I saw no water or any other discernible type energy radiating from them. As soon as I noticed that he was throwing out attacks in pairs, with one claw immediately following the other, I realized he must be using Double Hit; a move that I remembered seeing in his list of known moves but completely neglecting since we had so many other things that needed to be worked on.

That thought was quickly being proven wrong, as where the cuts had failed, raw bludgeoning force was prevailing. Each hit caused his opponent to recoil, especially considering that Duran had decided that attacking the head was something his opponent was more than capable of taking without excess risk of permanent damage. It was interesting to see; Duran reminded me of a boxer as he delivered blows to the chin and cheek while Makuhita was more like some sort of martial artist, quickly striking at any opening it could find.

This had turned into a pure slugfest, but Duran's change in strategy was having some sort of payoff considering Makuhita actually began attempting to evade attacks where possible. Whereas before Makuhita kept up the pressure and continued to press forward despite taking hits, he now joined Duran in keeping up constant movement, taking side-steps and lunges as they tried to land blows of their own while dodging.

It occurred to me that this was turning into a battle of stamina and willpower. Both were surely dealing significant damage, but each fighter was tough as nails and stubborn beyond belief. I could see them both slowing down and looking rather battered, and knew that the battle was nearing its end one way or another.

"You need to finish this, Duran! Go all out!" I shouted.

"You too Bronson! Arm Thrust isn't enough; Force Palm for the knockout!"

Duran surprised me by letting loose a point-blank Aqua Jet. I knew that it took quite a bit out of him, and hadn't expected him to have the strength left to perform it again. Yet he proved me wrong by launching the top of his head right into the Makuhita's chin, causing its head to wretch just as he threw out a powerful Force Palm. Since Duran wasn't currently grounded, he took the hit hard and was sent tumbling back, and the Makuhita staggered on its feet looking extremely dazed.

Sadly, that hit seemed to rattle Duran enough that he couldn't continue. It wasn't from lack of effort though; he tried his best to stand, but he was too out of sorts and dizzy to get his footing, and after falling over twice the referee called it.

"Corphish is unable to battle! The winner is Owen and Makuhita!" they announced with the raise of an arm.

I nodded in acceptance, casting a glance to the barely-standing Makuhita and realizing just how close we'd been. With a faint smile of contentment, I walked onto the field and sprayed Duran with one of the potions I'd had the foresight to bring as I told him how impressed I was with his efforts. He was a bit too out of it to give a proper response and on the brink of unconsciousness, so I decided to return him for a well-deserved rest.

There was a slight chance he would be disappointed later on, but I had a sneaking suspicion that despite losing, he would be a very happy lobster by dinnertime for having been put against such a good opponent. My crustacean was prideful, but not so much that he couldn't accept when he'd been bested fair and square. All he cared about was growing and improving, and there was simply no way he couldn't see clear progress made during this battle; especially after learning Double Hit.

I was drawn back to the present by the sound of whistling, and looked up to find that we had accrued quite the crowd of excited spectators who were currently giving us thanks for the show we put on. The other courts were completely empty and all eyes on us, and based on the amount of people present I guessed that we'd likely drawn in people who had been walking by and seen the intense battle.

"Dude, that battle was awesome!" I heard the familiar voice of my opponent as a hand clasped my shoulder tightly. I looked up to find the boy with a beaming smile, seemingly just as pleased with how the battle had gone as me.

"It was, your Makuhita was a great opponent," I agreed as I pulled out my Pokédex and registered our battle. Although it stung a bit to lose money from my already meager savings, I saw the experience as more than worth the price.

"Speak for yourself, that Corphish is nasty. It matched Bronson in a brawl and it isn't even a fighting type!" Owen praised sincerely as he clasped and shook my shoulder. Usually I wasn't a fan of being manhandled like that, but something about the boy's energy was infectious and I found myself minding less than I normally would for reasons I couldn't fully comprehend.

"Well thanks for the battle, Owen. I'm Daniel by the way," I said as I offered my hand for a handshake, which he returned with a very firm grip.

"Really great to meet you, man. Best battle all day, hands down! Wanna go grab some food or something? Bronson needs a long rest after that one."

"Actually, I was hoping to get a battle for my newest team member," I half-announced, forcing myself to speak louder than normal in the hopes that I might get a taker. Having eyes on me while drawing further attention to myself made me uncomfortable, but I had taken Samantha's words to heart and knew that I had to put myself out there more if I wanted to get more battles.

"Say no more, my man! I've got a newer capture that needs more experience, I'd love to battle you again! But if I'm being honest, you'll probably wipe the floor with us if you've trained yours even a fraction as well as your starter. He hasn't been in a trainer battle yet, and training hasn't exactly been going great, so you'll probably win your money back."

I gave Owen a blank stare, processing what I'd heard. He'd incorrectly assumed that Duran was my starter, and although I was inclined to correct him, it occurred to me that it might be better to just leave that comment alone. Owen didn't have his Pokéballs visible; when he'd sprayed a potion on his Makuhita and returned it, I noticed him simply slip the Pokéball into his pants pocket. He was wearing baggy cargo shorts so I had no idea how many Pokémon he had, but I had a feeling that Makuhita was his starter.

If I corrected him that Duran wasn't my starter, it seemed quite plausible that he could get disheartened that a trainer with fewer badges nearly beat his starter without using theirs. Chances were that I'd never see this boy again after we parted ways, and considering he had a gym battle coming up and was in high spirits, I just couldn't bring myself to risk ruining his morale to point out something so trivial in the grand scheme of things.

My mind made up, I beamed. "Sounds perfect, mine has only been in one official battle, and he lost. Sand arena? Or are you still king of the court?"

"Nah, forget that. I had a good run, someone else can take the throne. Let's do this; hey ref, mind overseeing another match in the other arena?"

Just as Owen had suggested, our next battle was a complete blowout. He used a Slakoth, and despite Orion's limited battle experience, he was more than equipped to deal with it.

Within the first minute of the battle, more than half of the crowd we had attracted dispersed out of disinterest, and another much more even battle on the other court drew most of the attention. In fact, I was pretty sure that everyone who continued to watch us only did so to fawn over Orion, since Eevee weren't exactly common and he still looked fantastic from being recently groomed.

Two minutes into the battle, Orion and I were declared victorious after successfully knocking out our opponent, much to Orion's hesitance. Although it was nice to win my money back, it didn't feel earned. The Slakoth couldn't land a single hit on Orion; the closest it got was taking a delayed, lazy swipe at Orion as he landed a Quick Attack. But it was easily dodged and wouldn't have done much even if it had landed, despite its massive claws.

The whole experience made me immensely glad that I hadn't caught a Slakoth myself, as it had been something I'd had some interest in. I'd even had the opportunity to add one to my team back in Petalburg Woods, but had decided against it due to already having my hands full with Apollo and Duran.

I knew the species had a lot of potential, but I could tell that training it would be just as aggravating as a Magikarp; patiently waiting for it to evolve before you could do any notable practice or battling with it. It struck me as an odd choice for somebody with Owen's disposition to want to train, but after returning a bashful Orion who wasn't used to having multiple sets of eyes on him and receiving my winnings, I had a chat with Owen on the sidelines and things eventually began to make sense.

"You're looking at the future gym leader of Dewford!" he announced loudly, jabbing his thumb to his chest as he gave me a confident smirk.

I blinked, taken aback by such a bold proclamation and slightly confused.

"Isn't Dewford a fighting-type gym? Slaking is normal, right?"

"That may be technically true, but both Vigoroth and Slaking have a lot of fighting-type moves and are natural brawlers. They are fighting-types in spirit, there's no doubt about that. Also, Dewford is one of the first gyms for most trainers and gym leaders rarely use their personal team against challengers."

"Fair enough, I guess. So… are you lined up to inherit the gym, or what's the story there?"

He waved a hand dismissively, "Nothing like that, I just love my hometown and look up to Brawly. He's a super nice guy, insanely strong, and as cool as they come. Grew up watching his gym battles, and one day I decided I wanted to be just like him. When I earned my knuckle badge, he told me he saw great potential in me. He doesn't lie about stuff like that, either. I know I can do it if I work hard enough!."

I nodded, finding myself with a newfound respect for the boy. A small part of me found his ambitions to be slightly childish and grandiose, but as Norman had once said there was nothing wrong with aiming high. In a way, I envied him for having such a concrete goal to strive for; the only things I had like that were someday beating Norman's true team and participating in the Ever Grande Conference, but I wouldn't be crushed if I never got the chance to do either. By and large, I already had most of what I wanted. Freedom, independence, a sense of family, and the opportunity to explore the world to my heart's content were all things I felt like I currently had in my grasp, it was just a matter of holding on and enjoying the ride. Sure, I would love to have a few more friends, expand my family a bit, and become stronger and more capable to help ensure I could continue without fear of falling victim to some rogue criminal or wild Pokémon, but all of that was a work in progress, and progress was surely being made.

"Well I hope you're able to accomplish that someday, Owen. I think you'd make a great gym leader," I said truthfully. I could actually see him doing a good job at it; he radiated positivity, was outgoing and friendly, and clearly loved Dewford. During our last battle, he hadn't once gotten frustrated or disappointed in his Slakoth's performance. For every setback and missed opportunity, he kept his positivity. When Slakoth had taken that lazy swipe at Orion, he enthusiastically praised its efforts for how 'close' it was and cheered him on. He even took his crushing loss with extreme grace, never losing his smile as he praised Orion.

He was a genuinely good person, that much was easy to see. I could easily see him doing an admirable job at testing and guiding the next generation of trainers someday.

"Thanks man. Say, you down to go grab some grub now? I'm starving, and I wanna hear your story," Owen asked with genuine curiosity.

I hesitated, feeling bad knowing that I had to turn him down. Not only did I already plan on eating with Samantha, but when we'd registered our last battle in our Pokédexs I'd checked the time and realized the job I'd scheduled was soon approaching. As much as I was having a fun and interesting conversation with the boy, I simply couldn't take him up on his offer.

"I actually have a job scheduled that I need to go do, so I should probably get going before I'm late," I replied apologetically.

Owen didn't bother to hide the look of disappointment that crept onto his face, but was unsurprisingly a good sport about it.

"If you've gotta go, you've gotta go. You're a cool dude though, we should hang out before I skip town. Mauville is great and all, but it's a bit busy for my tastes. Once I get my badge tomorrow I'll be looking to get back on the road soon, but I'd love to hang out and hear what you're all about. Say, you should come watch my battle! It's at six in the afternoon tomorrow, it'd be great to see a familiar face cheering us on! We could hang out after, it's perfect!"

I considered the offer for a moment before deciding I would be dumb not to accept. Although Owen would be competing at a badge level higher than me, it was a chance to gather information for my own upcoming battle. Not to mention, Owen was quickly rubbing off on me. I normally wasn't a big fan of people who were so loud and outgoing, but Owen had a certain friendliness about him that I found infectious.

"Sounds good, I'll be there cheering you on. Maybe we can hit the Game Corner after to unwind? I've been wanting to go, but haven't had the chance yet. I was planning on trying it out later today, but it might be more fun going with somebody," I suggested, remembering that Samantha refused to go with me.

To my surprise, his face warped into one of distaste, "Do yourself a favor and stay away from that place, dude. Lost fifteen thousand credits there yesterday and swore I'd never step foot in there again. Let's grab some grub after my match though, I'm sure I'll be starving."

I sighed, "You aren't the first person to warn me to keep away, but I still want to experience it. Well good luck in your match, I'll meet you out front after, hopefully to congratulate you."

He beamed, "It's as good as in the bag, Daniel. Just you wait! Well I'll let you get to your job, don't work yourself too hard. Catch you tomorrow, my man!"

And with that, we parted ways. After I was clear of the battle courts I released Apollo, and as I searched for the address where we were scheduled to help a woman get to the bottom of why her Meowth refused to quit urinating on her bed, I caught him up on recent events.

Happiness. Pride. "Owen is new friend?"

I shrugged, "Maybe? Acquaintances at least. After we grab food together tomorrow, he'll probably be leaving town and there's a good chance I never see him again, unless it's at the Ever Grand Conference or something. You might not get the chance to meet him; I want Duran to be the one with me watching the gym battle, if that's alright with you.

Acceptance. "Will help Duran most. Lost battle? Okay?"

"Haven't had time to check in with him, but I'm sure he'll be fine. It was a fantastic battle. He'd prefer to barely lose than beat an easy opponent like Orion got. Although I have to admit, that might have been for the best in his case. It helped build his confidence, which is one of his biggest issues."

Worry. "Sure ready for leader? Seen thoughts. Uncertainty."

"We've got a few days to train, and watching a gym battle will help. I'm mostly worried about Duran. He's going to battle, that much is sure, and no matter what I do to prepare him it's going to be rough for him. With Orion, I'm on the fence. If he gets trounced, it could be a good learning experience. But I also don't want to risk ruining the progress we've made with his confidence if he has no chance of succeeding. If both Duran and Orion can't win their battles, I don't want to put everything on your shoulders. It's unfair to you, and I wouldn't want to win that way."

"Each have strengths and weakness. Family covers family, do best and trust. Your words."

I grimaced at the reminder of the talk I'd given the team back in the Verdanturf recreation room as I knocked on the door of our temporary employer.

"Well hopefully, it won't come to that. Guess we'll have a better idea after tomorrow. Either way, we still have lots of training to do. Now focus up buddy, we've got a job to do and credits to earn."

A/N: What's this, did Daniel actually make a new friend? Sweet, sweet progress. I'm trying to catch back up on writing, but between being sick and all the battling coming up, I'm quite behind. The next chapter is done, but the one after that is still ongoing, which is concerning. Trying my best not to break my streak, but it might happen unless I can make some serious progress these coming days. Fingers crossed. It's supposed to snow up to ten inches in the coming days, so I may have plenty of time on my hands.

Shoutout to Trix for beta-reading this chapter.

Come discuss DotD or just hang out and chat on Discord. gg/ ge6a8XcNcB