TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Badges: 3
Account: 37,953 credits
Location: Dewford Town

DANIEL'S TEAM
Kirlia (Apollo) - Male
Crawdaunt (Duran) - Male
Eevee (Orion) - Male
Trapinch - Female

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

Despite the lockdown restrictions being largely lifted and having my team back, I found myself getting restless due to a nagging feeling of feeling 'stuck'.

I could technically leave Dewford any time I wanted, yet that wasn't really an option if I looked at things practically. No matter how I sliced it, Dewford was the next gym that I needed to conquer in order to continue my journey, so I was forced to wait for it to reopen. I wasn't sure exactly what they were waiting on or how long that would be, but it wasn't as though complaining about it was going to make it happen any sooner. As far as I could tell, none of Hoenn's gyms had begun accepting challengers yet, though I felt reasonably certain that they wouldn't remain closed for too long. No doubt the League wanted the region to return to normal as quickly as possible, but I also couldn't blame them for doing it cautiously and incrementally. Likely, they were ironing out what changes needed to be made to ensure gyms didn't become a hotspot for Pokérus to spread, and I could easily see a mandate where challengers had to get their team cleared by a Nurse Joy on the day of the scheduled challenge to be permitted to participate.

The wait for my chance to take on the gym was definitely annoying, but thankfully I had things to keep me occupied in the meantime – and not just training my team. After meeting up with Owen for our evening training, I'd reluctantly allowed him to talk me into upgrading my combat training into sparring matches. He was right that at a certain point I needed to take what he'd been teaching me and put it to practical use to ensure it stuck, but I'd been a little worried that I would inadvertently become an outlet for him to take his growing frustrations out on after losing his battle.

Yet that didn't end up happening, because whatever he'd done after parting ways with me had done wonders for his mood. As far as I was aware, he'd just spent some time alone and then had lunch with 'some friends', but I supposed that if they were of the female variety that would likely help explain things.

Whatever the case, he'd lost all his edge and was exceedingly fair in our sparring. Sure, I definitely 'lost' and came out with a few scrapes and a bruised shin, but he was patient and pulled his punches when he felt the need to make an example of openings I was leaving.

Honestly, I didn't think I was cut out to be a fighter. I could tell Owen was going exceedingly easy on me, and I couldn't see myself standing much of a chance against him in an actual fight. I even had an advantage thanks to being taller and having a longer reach, but Owen had experience, weight, and power that I simply couldn't match.

In fact, the only way I put up a real fight was the few times I managed to get him to the ground. Owen was genuinely complimentary of me throughout our entire session, but the only praise I felt like I deserved was at my ability to slip out of holds and reverse the advantage, which came much more naturally to me than punching or kicking. Owen noted that some people simply had a lower center of gravity that made them naturally more sturdy and balanced, but he was adamant that I shouldn't solely focus on the wrestling aspect if my goal was to have practical fighting skills at my disposal in case I ever needed them for self-defense.

I wasn't about to bet on my chances in a face-off against someone who had any level of experience in fighting, but I was starting to feel reasonably confident in my ability to get somebody into a chokehold, armbar, or leglock if I managed to get a good hold on them and sweep their legs to take them to the ground, so I was happy with the progress I was making. If nothing else, I wouldn't feel completely useless if I was left to my own devices against an enemy, and in the end that was what I wanted most.

But my team was much the same way – training and practice could only go so far, and at a certain point you had to put it to practical use to continue progression. This was especially true for Trapinch, who still had nearly no battle experience of note despite how hard she'd been working on her quest for strength and evolution.

Trapinch deserved the chance to put all she'd been working on to use, especially considering one of her main motivations was to evolve. That simply wasn't going to happen anytime soon without battling, especially for a would-be dragon. That's why I was planning to go out into the wilderness after we finished our next morning's training, but as I ate another amazing breakfast at Owen's house and listened to him and his mother chatting while Owen's father and I quietly enjoyed our meals, I heard a piece of news that immediately caused me to change my plans.

Granite Cave was once again open to the public.

Owen had frequently mentioned how I needed to make sure to visit it before I left Dewford, and I knew that it was the only place nearby where Pokémon would be strong enough to put up a decent fight for the majority of my team. It might have been diving into the deep end a little in Trapinch's case, but she wasn't the only one whoneeded to get some battles in. A daytime excursion was the obvious choice – I would surely get to see some interesting Pokémon, possibly something that might fill the role of a 'tank' like Warren had recommended, and we would doubtlessly encounter stronger Pokémon than we would roaming the island.

Pair this with my slowly growing restlessness at feeling like I was waiting around for the gym to open, and I was extremely eager to explore Granite Cave.

So you can imagine my confusion when I came out of the guest bedroom all geared up and ready only to find that Owen hadn't changed out of his workout clothes or retrieved his backpack.

"You'll definitely regret wearing that with how cold caves get," I joked. "I know we probably won't make it too deep, but you should also bring your backpack, just in case. Sharing a flashlight is annoying, and you never know what might happe–"

"I'm not going," Owen cut in flatly, wiping the grin from my face.

"...Huh? But you're the one who's been telling me what a good place it was to train for weeks now."

"Yeah, and I'm glad that you finally get to check it out. But you'll have to do it alone, dude. I just… can't," he said with a slightly pained expression before quickly forcing a smile. "You'll love it though, at least as much as someone can love a dark, creepy cave. There are Pokémon in there you won't find anywhere else in Hoenn, and it'll be great training!"

I nodded absently, trying not to frown as I thought about whether I should try to convince him to change his mind. It was extremely odd to me that he wasn't even more excited to go than me after he'd repeatedly talked so highly about it. I couldn't make sense of it, especially since he'd just faced a crushing loss against the Kantonian the previous day and had seemed extra inspired during our morning training session.

"Do you have plans or something?" I couldn't help but ask, trying to understand.

Owen sighed, a little frustrated that I hadn't yet pieced it together. "That's not it, dude. I just have some memories in that place I'd rather not be reminded of right now, alright?"

It took me a second to catch his meaning, and in retrospect I really wish I'd had Apollo with me who surely would have helped me pick up on it sooner. But Apollo was in his Pokéball on my hip, so I was left to piece things together on my own, which I soon did – just a lot slower than I should have.

"...Oh."

That was all I could muster as realization dawned on me and I began feeling like a thoughtless asshole.

I could definitely empathize with how he might not want to go back to Granite Cave, at least given the current circumstances. After all, he had told me that it was where he'd befriended Roxy while training Bronson, and I could only assume they'd spent a fair bit of time training there as Roxy was integrated into the team.

"Yeah… Sorry dude, I just don't think that's where Bronson or I should be right now, I hope you understand," he said regretfully before once again forcing a cheerful grin on his face. "Seriously though, you'll be fine without me, you've got Duran and Apollo after all. Just be on the lookout for a marker that warns when you're about to enter deeper chambers where the seriously dangerous Pokémon are – you can't miss it and shouldn't take it lightly. You're pretty strong, but don't go picking a fight with an Onix or something. Remember, there's no service down there and your Pokédex won't be able to call for help from Rangers, so be careful not to get in over your head."

"Right, I'll be sure to do that…" I trailed off, coming to the decision that it would be in extremely poor taste to try to persuade him to join. Part of me thought it would do him some good – a form of exposure therapy that had done wonders for me and Orion to get over some of our hang-ups, yet there was still a chance that he could get Roxy and Bruno back, so it didn't feel right to insinuate he needed to work towards moving on if their absence ended up only being temporary.

"Well, if I'm not back by nightfall, just assume I did something dumb and send help," I said half-jokingly, trying my best to lighten the mood but failing miserably. Not only because it wasn't funny, but because I hadn't considered who might have heard it.

"If you aren't going to be cautious in Granite Cave, you don't have any business going in there, especially alone," a stern voice broke in as Owen's dad stepped into the room, crossing his arm and giving me a disapproving look.

I schooled my expression nodded seriously. "I'll be careful. I know how dangerous it can get in caves, I've seen it first-hand. I won't take it lightly."

He studied me closely as if to check for signs of lying, then eventually nodded. "See to it that you don't. You should be fine with three badges, so long as you don't go too deep. Make sure you take plenty of food and water, a flashlight with extra batteries, and of course some chalk or something to mark where you've been so you can find your way out. You can't always rely on using airflow to find the entrance again, depending on where you end up. It's true there are some tough contenders down there, but by far the bigger danger is getting yourself lost in the maze of interconnecting caverns and chambers."

I did my best not to frown or look annoyed, thinking he was being a little too overbearing for what was only going to be a few hours of exploration, but deciding it best to simply appease him. "Thanks for the suggestions. I've got most of that, but I'll make a quick stop at the Pokécenter for the chalk. Speaking of getting lost, isn't there a map or something? Surely at least some of it is mapped out, even if it's just the upper chambers."

Owen's dad shook his head, giving me a light glare. "That's not something we make available to the public. Do you have any idea how many people go missing in Granite Cave every year? I'll give you a hint, it's a lot more than you think. Most eventually show up after stumbling around for a while until they find the exit, assuming we don't get to them first, but the few who never make it out alive always fiund their way to the lower caverns and get in over their head. Handing out or selling a map would only mean more cocky trainers and nosey tourists dying on our watch. Nah, better to risk people getting a little lost in the upper chambers. That way, only the more dedicated and capable trainers even find their way to the seriously dangerous parts of the cave."

I bit my tongue, knowing that arguing wasn't going to be productive even though it seemed like flawed logic to me. I could see some merit in what he was saying, since there would definitely be those who might think they could waltz in, catch an Onix or something, and be home by sunset. Despite that, I still didn't agree that people getting lost in a sprawling cave was preferable to trusting people to know their own limits and capabilities.

But Owen's father wasn't a man I would ever willingly argue with, and nothing I said would change the reality of the situation, so I pushed my true feeling aside as best as I could.

"Makes sense… Markers it is. I'll keep the airflow in mind too, thanks for the tips."

Satisfied, Owen's dad refilled his coffee and returned to the living room to enjoy his last few minutes of relaxation before heading to work. I helped myself to another cup of coffee, filling up my tumbler as Owen gave me some last minute pointers and advice, and ten minutes later I was gone to do final preparations for what I hoped would be a productive and interesting excursion into Dewford's infamous Granite Cave.

In a stroke of genius fueled by teenage defiance, I got my hands on a map of Granite Cave.

Owen's dad had been right – there was no publicly available map one could simply buy that charted the caverns of Granite Cave. Just to confirm, I looked for one when I went to the Pokémart to pick up some last-minute supplies, even asking the clerk about it, but she only confirmed what I'd already been told.

But just because no map was made readily available to the public didn't mean one didn't exist. So I made a quick trip to the Pokécenter to use the public terminal and do a little sleuthing online, because even if there wasn't an official map surely somebody had compiled something, right?

As usual, the internet delivered. It was far from complete or professional – just some smudged sketches and bullet points written in a notebook somebody had taken a picture of with their phone and uploaded, but it was surprisingly detailed and helpful for what it was.

A good handful of the upper caverns, warnings of which paths would inevitably lead to a dead-end or loop back, and clear instructions on how to reach the marker indicating the beginning of the more dangerous portion of the cave, including some scarce notes on what laid beyond although the creator didn't seem to explore too far past that point.

It was far from perfect, but it was definitely better than nothing.

Truthfully, I didn't think I'd actually use the map. I didn't have any grand ambitions, specific Pokémon, or particular destination I wanted to find. But I found myself slightly annoyed by what Owen's dad had said despite his good intentions, and although I had the good sense not to get into a needless argument with the man who had allowed me to eat and sleep in his house as a guest for the past week, I couldn't ignore my strong desire to rebel in some small way.

So I had a map, courtesy of BidoofusRufus and Nurse Joy. She clearly agreed with Owen's father on some level, because she gave me an appraising and mildly-disapproving look when handing me the map that unfortunately printed out behind the front counter to prevent abuse of League facilities. Though she knew full well what it was and that it could potentially get me into trouble, she reluctantly gave it to me with little more than a frown, a reminder of the potential dangers, and a gentle plea to be careful.

I doubted that I was the first or last trainer that Nurse Joy would see printing that map. It was frowned upon, but it wasn't as though I could get in trouble for possessing someone's notes and drawings, so she had little choice but to hand it over, even if I could tell she had her reservations.

But I had a map and a strange sense of satisfaction when I left the Pokécenter to head towards Granite Cave, so I considered it mission success.

Not even half an hour later, I held a quick team meeting at the mouth of Granite Cave to fill everyone in on what we would be doing, and soon Apollo and Orion accompanied me as we cautiously yet confidently began strolling down the refreshingly chilly, annoyingly dark tunnels in search of formidable and interesting Pokémon.

Granite Cave wasn't what I'd been expecting.

Well, that's not entirely true – it was indeed sprawling, and it wasn't as if it was my first time being in a cave. It shared a few vague similarities to Rusturf Tunnel and Fiery Path, but both only served as a means to an end to traverse through a mountain, so it was quite different from the recreational cave diving with only one possible exit that I was currently doing.

Even if Granite Cave looked and felt different from what I'd been expecting, at the end of the day a cave is a cave, so my overall approach was much the same as the others I'd been in – stay quiet, be cautious, and try not to let the unsettling environment rattle my nerves.

Still, despite the similarities of what I was used to when subterranean, there were some very notable differences.

The first I should have expected, at least if I had given any thought to the name bestowed upon the location. True to its name, the interior of Granite Cave was made of… well, granite, or so I could only assume. I was no aspiring geologist or recreational mineral enthusiast – in fact, you might say that rocks were one of the few things that didn't pique my interest in the slightest, yet I couldn't help but be intrigued at how the walls glimmered and shone with the light from my flashlight, even where it hadn't been directly illuminated.

I could easily see why so many different and interesting Pokémon would call the place home. The walls seemed almost dynamic, changing hue depending on where you were with specks, flecks, and veins I imagined must be different minerals mixed into the granite.

I couldn't even begin to hazard a guess at what they were, but my favorites were the red and pink patches.

Though the aesthetically pleasing geological makeup of the cave was the first strange thing I noticed, it wasn't the most startling. After nearly an hour into our excursion and what was probably my fiftieth time checking with Apollo and Orion only to be once again disappointed, I eventually came to the conclusion that something was very off.

We hadn't encountered, seen, heard, or otherwise sensed a single Pokémon.

It would be almost impressive if I didn't find it so eerie. Between Apollo's capacity to sense minds and emotions and Orion's incredible sense of sight, smell, and hearing, I felt very confident that we hadn't passed any Pokémon unknowingly. It dawned on me that if we ever stopped journeying and looked for stable income, we would probably be extremely effective doing search and recovery work as a Ranger, a thought that kept amusing me as I struggled not to get bored at the lack of action.

It was nearly unthinkable that the cave's residents were simply sleeping or hiding just outside of our visibility. No, we weren't just missing them – they simply weren't there.

At first I didn't think too much of it, since it often seemed to be the case that there weren't many cave-dwelling Pokémon hanging out near the entrance of a cave. The first fifteen minutes or so in any sort of tunnel tended to be largely uneventful – the only Pokémon I was used to seeing near a cave's entrance was Zubat hanging from the ceiling as they slept and waited for nightfall so they could go out and hunt, but I hadn't seen a single one so far.

I did notice this and found it slightly strange, but I wouldn't have been surprised if Zubat simply didn't like being on an island in the middle of an ocean. Yet after nearly an hour of not encountering a single Pokémon, I became convinced that something was off.

"This is weird," I muttered as I scanned yet another open cavern we'd stumbled upon with my flashlight, Apollo helpfully leaving another chalk mark along the wall with a small triangle pointing down the path we'd just come from. He'd taken it upon himself to be the chalk bearer, taking an interest in it after seeing me use it a few times and having nothing else interesting to do. It gave him something to practice manipulating with his telekinesis as we continued our slow march, so I didn't mind letting him be the chalk czar.

Concern. Curiosity. "Maybe they very deep? Or leave?"

"Maybe…" I frowned, feeling somewhat unconvinced since I felt as though we were fairly deep, all things considered. Though I hadn't been using the map, we'd only found ourselves circling back a couple of times so far, and I felt reasonably certain that we had been slowly traveling downwards for the most part.

By this point, Orion was dozing off in my hoodie pouch. I'd stopped bothering him to ask if he sensed anything, because the answer was always the same and Apollo was on constant lookout for any presences. Orion was faring rather well given he'd been pretty scared of the dark not so long ago, but it surely helped that we weren't encountering any Pokémon and Granite Cave's passageways were among the most spacious we'd ever traveled through, making it feel much less claustrophobic.

He seemed to be slowly getting over his fears, which made me exceedingly proud of him even though I was purposely trying not to make a big deal of it.

"Should leave? Or maybe use map?"

"It's a little too late to start using the map now," I sighed. "No way I'd be able to remember each turn we took, that's what the chalk is for. As far as heading back… I'd planned on being here until evening training, and it's not even noon yet."

Determination. "Let see map. I remember way."

Not even trying to hide the skepticism that oozed off of me, I decided to oblige him out of amusement more than anything. There was no way that Apollo remembered every path we'd taken, since he'd left well over twenty markers by this point and it wasn't as though the splits we'd encountered were as straightforward as left, right, or straight.

To my utter shock, Apollo was able to not only pinpoint exactly where we were, but the path we'd taken. He used the chalk to draw a line showing exactly where we'd gone, and although I had no way of confirming the information there was nothing that stood out to me as being obviously incorrect.

Honestly, I was still rather skeptical, but his absolute confidence in his work made it hard to do anything other than trust that he knew what he was doing. I'd always known that Apollo was smart, but that made me realize there was a very real chance that he was far more intelligent than I was, something that was more than a little humbling.

But I ended up just chalking it up to him having a freakishly good memory, because it was easier than facing the possible implications and insecurities that could have easily occupied my mind for days to come.

"Looks like we aren't terribly far from the path that leads to the deeper caverns," I noted as I brushed aside the temptation to ponder what Apollo had just done. "I hadn't really planned on going down there, but maybe that's where all the Pokémon are holed up. We could head that way, and if we don't find any Pokémon maybe we poke around just a little beyond the sign. You think we are up for it?"

Confidence. "We strong. Be careful, show respect."

"Alright, you're the boss," I joked, but Apollo gave me a disapproving look and took a noticeably more stern telepathic tone to my surprise.

"You trainer. Much older and wiser. Know more about world and Pokémon, lead best. Do not doubt self, we always trust and follow, even when disagree."

I gave a genuine smile and ran my hand over his head fondly, not surprised he'd picked up on the brief feelings I'd tried to bury and ignore. "Sure buddy, but I'm far from perfect, you know that as well as anyone. We are a team, so speak up if you ever think I'm about to make the wrong choice. This would be one of those times – are you sure we should go where it could be dangerous?"

A cheerful nod and smile was my response, and I tucked the map away into my back pocket, feeling confident that Apollo's exceedingly impressive memory would be adequate for leading us to our destination, and stood with a stretch.

"Alright partner, lead the way."

Another hour later, we still hadn't encountered a single Pokémon. It was truly unsettling – like we were the only ones in the entire sprawling cave complex, and I began to wonder just how many of the cave's residents might currently be in quarantine.

After all, Owen's father had previously said that there was a particularly nasty outbreak of Pokérus in Granite Cave, and that was why it remained closed after so many other places had been reopened. One would assume that so many Pokémon living in close proximity would make for the ideal breeding ground for the virus, and I could easily imagine that a huge portion of the population had been infected.

But all of them? Very doubtful. Why would they even open up the cave if there weren't any Pokémon to find?

None of it made sense, and the deeper we got, the more determined I became to get to the bottom of what was going on. Sure, I still wanted to find Pokémon to battle so I could give my team some experience and possibly even add a new member to the team, but it increasingly felt like I was part of some huge mystery that was just begging to be unraveled.

Intrigue. Curiosity. "Thinking of growing family?"

I nodded, focusing my thoughts as I remembered the last encounter I'd had with Warren, replaying it in my mind as best as I could recall. We'd been experimenting a bit with Apollo's new abilities to read memories, and although there were times when it was downright impressive, it tended to be a little shoddy and unreliable, specifically when it came to looking for something in particular. I'd found that he was still much better at picking up things that I was actively thinking about, so remembering the scene and replaying it was much more efficient and reliable.

Understanding. Hesitancy. "Maybe not tell Duran about this 'tank'. Prideful of shell and strength, would hurt if knew you thought him lacking."

I hummed. On its surface, his advice seemed obvious – after all, it wasn't as though I planned on telling Duran that he wasn't tough enough to serve as our team's protector if we ever found ourselves facing down a truly imposing foe like a Steelix.

But beyond the obvious, there was merit in Apollo's suggestion when it came to avoiding using that term if at all possible. I didn't want to plant the thought in his mind that he was currently expected to fulfill some specific role, or that his species was somehow inadequate for doing so. In fact, I didn't even like that I was beginning to think of our team in those kinds of terms. I had always been aware that trainers in the upper tiers of competitive battling tended to view their team makeup through a strategic lens and would aim to fill specified roles like tank, physical and ranged attackers, speedster, and utility specialists for things like status effects, inflicting debuffs, and field control. There was no 'ideal' combination since it depended a lot on your battle style and team synergy, but the general consensus was that a thoughtful balance of designated roles helped to ensure that you couldn't be easily stonewalled by a specific style of opponent.

I found it distasteful to think of my growing family as some sort of sports team I had to strategically curate purely for the sake of the high-level battles I one day hoped to participate in. If I were to build my team in terms of roles, then it was very possible to end up in a situation where a Pokémon might feel like they had to choose a specific evolution in order to continue fulfilling some perceived role, or sway them into focusing their training in an area they might not want to. Though not currently the case since he seemed to want to, Apollo could easily feel obligated to evolve into a Gardevoir if he was to be classified as our resident ranged attack specialist, which is essentially what he was at the moment. Conversely, he might feel obligated to utilize the Dawn Stone I now had in my possession in order to be a physical attacker if our team found that lacking, even if it wasn't what he truly wanted to do.

Not that I thought we were lacking in that department. Duran was currently a rather capable brawler, although it wasn't impossible that his preferred battle style changed as he got more acclimated with his new body and abilities. I could easily see a future where his increasing control over water made him–

Hopeful. "Can I see?"

"Hmm?" I hummed questioningly, realizing I'd just been mindlessly walking while lost in thought.

Curiosity. Interest. "Want see stone. Have with, yes? In backpack?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and quite literally flinched, realization splashing me like a bucket of ice-cold water. I hadn't yet explicitly told Apollo about receiving the stone because when I was telling my team the story about what had happened since they'd been quarantined, I had chosen to omit that detail. It wasn't that I'd been trying to hide it from him – I'd fully expected him to pull that from my mind and for us to have a proper discussion about it at some point, but during the story-time for my team I'd admittedly glossed over that particular event since I found it to be extremely embarrassing. I did mention that I'd done some specialized training with Warren, but hadn't gone into detail about the unfortunate scene that prompted it or that I'd been working through some trauma leftover from the Lavaridge incident.

This, however, was not how I'd wanted the Dawn Stone brought up. I'd wanted it to be a more controlled situation where the stone wasn't present, so I could confirm that I needed to sell it before he saw it first-hand and his decision was possibly influenced. It was a well-known phenomenon that Pokémon tended to get a little bit… transfixed on their respective evolution stones if they got too close or laid eyes on it, becoming nearly obsessive and reverent of what I'd heard was the equivalent of a strong innate calling to fulfill some perceived destiny.

Frankly, I shouldn't have even had it in my backpack, but where else was I supposed to put it? I could have theoretically hidden it somewhere in the guest bedroom at Owen's house, but it was extremely valuable and even the slightest possibility of Owen's mom accidentally throwing it away while cleaning sent shivers down my spine.

"That's not a great idea," I said hesitantly as I resumed walking, my initial shock subsiding.

Annoyance. "Won't touch, promise. Can control self, not hatchling."

I groaned, feeling extremely torn and a little guilty. On one hand, I didn't think that Apollo was so impulsive or careless as to touch the stone if it wasn't what he truly wanted. It would be an immediate and massive boost to his strength, but becoming a Gallade would also completely change his battle style by requiring him to be a physical attacker, which went against everything he felt comfortable with. Not to mention, he had evolved only about a week ago, and was just now beginning to get used to his new body. It was well-known that evolving a Pokémon too early or in rapid succession was bad for their health, limiting growth and potentially introducing issues that could have otherwise been prevented by simply waiting until they were fully ready.

On the other hand, this was one of those situations where it was foolish to rely entirely on logic and will-power. I could see why he might take some offense in me questioning his ability to exhibit self-restraint, but the reality was that if he had a sudden uncontrollable urge to touch it, it could happen in the blink of an eye thanks to Teleport, no matter how careful we were.

It was like placing a pile of berries in front of a Snorlax that had just woken up from a long nap and asking them to have the self-restraint not to act on the incredible urge to start shoveling them into their mouth, only worse.

"Remember earlier when you said you would always trust me, even if you disagreed? This is one of those times where I'm going to have to put my foot down as a trainer," I said resolutely. "Maybe you can see it later, but that would be after we had a serious talk about it and are able to come up with a safer way to do it. This isn't the time or place, buddy. Sorry."

Disappointment. Acceptance. "Later time, other place?"

I briefly considered how I wanted to answer that, but never got the chance because that was the moment we came across multiple metal plates bearing exclamation marks encompassed by a red triangle drilled into the wall – a clear warning that beyond that point was dangerous.

Somehow, Apollo had managed to successfully lead us to the entrance to the deeper portions of Granite Cave, which meant that we were possibly about to encounter some strong Pokémon and hopefully begin to unravel the mystery of what was going on with Granite Cave.

"We'll revisit this conversation later. I need to talk to Orion about his evolution sometime soon as well. Speaking of…" I trailed off as I gently shook Orion awake, deciding I need him to be on high alert if we were to continue any deeper.

"Alright you two, focus up and let's figure out what's going on here. Be on high alert and ready to escalate, because things might be about to get dangerous."

As dumb as it may seem, I almost hoped that was indeed the case, although obviously I had no desire to find ourselves in any true danger.

But the thought of walking deeper into Granite Cave for another hour or two without coming across a single Pokémon was almost unbearable, let alone all the time it would take to backtrack after eventually calling our expedition a resounding failure.

We'd come too far to turn around and leave completely empty handed. My curiosity demanded to be satiated, and I'd told my team they'd be battling soon during our quick huddle before entering the cave, and I wasn't about to be a liar if I could help it. They deserved the chance to battle after over a week of quarantine and training, I was determined not to leave Granite Cave with my head hung in disappointment, even if it meant taking risks we probably shouldn't have.

As long as my team had my back, which I knew they did, we'd be fine. So long as we didn't seriously piss off some Onix, Golem, or Aggron, I doubted there was much in the cave that could pose a serious threat to the combined force of my team, particularly Apollo and Duran. That's what I kept telling myself at least – we were stronger than ever before, and despite our actions and decisions being seemingly reckless, I truly didn't plan on going too much deeper or purposely seeking out danger.

I just wanted answers, and maybe a decent battle or two – that didn't seem like too much to ask.

But of course, things rarely go as planned, and our excursion deeper into Granite Cave proved to be no exception.

A/N: Hopefully all of my fellow Americans had a great Thanksgiving! Sorry I missed last week, I usually try not to skip holidays but I had two different family dinners to attend and it just wasn't possible to get out, thanks for being patient and understanding. Despite my life being kind of crazy right now I still haven't missed more than a week, so I'm feeling pretty good about it overall.

The next chapter is one of my favorites that I've written so far, so hopefully you all enjoy. As I publish this chapter, I'm getting the first snowfall of winter – so make sure you are all staying warm (and cute)!

Shoutout to The Muffin Rat King and Faefox for beta-reading this, and to all you lurkers who enjoy the story but have never commented. I see you, I am you, and I love you.

Discord. gg/ ge6a8XcNcB