"Oh my legends..." I groaned. "How the hell are these not alphabetical?"

I plopped another stack of Technical Machines down on the plastic display shelf, having now gone through the fifth stack. The tiny compact disks, TMs as they were commonly known, were actually digitized memories of Pokemon that held enough data to implant a move into the mind of Pokemon. I'd been looking for almost half an hour already for a specific TM for Wisp.

TM numbering was confusing and outdated, and not at all well organized. They weren't sorted by alphabetical order, move type, move category, or even release date. Instead, SilphCo. seemed to randomly release waves of fifty to a hundred moves all at once, arbitrarily numbering them with no regard for people who want to easily find something while shopping.

Generally speaking, TMs were a great tool for trainers, especially when getting Pokemon used to moves that they may not normally be able to learn, but they were disliked for two major reasons. One, they were expensive. The cheapest TMs cost at least a thousand Poké, with the most expensive and limited-run TMs being so rare that they were auctioned for tens of thousands of Poké. Even now, I knew that the one I was looking for was going to cost me at least two thousand, and I was in the clearance aisle.

The second reason was a little more complex, but it had to do with the way TMs are made. Basically, the way I understood it, the company recorded the memories of a test group of Pokemon using the move over and over again. Once they acquired enough raw data, they would use complex algorithms to find the key markers in a move, and then took that data and imprinted it onto a disk. Then, when the trainer wanted to 'upload' the move to their Pokemon, a special machine would essentially repeat the data over and over again to the Pokemon while it was in its Pokeball.

The reason career trainers weren't the biggest fan of using TMs was because of the way that they gathered data for a move. It essentially took the average ability of all the Pokemon recorded and set that as the baseline. Since your Pokemon didn't develop the move on its own, it would use it exactly as it recalled it from the TM. Technical Moves were predictable and easily read, and they often didn't mesh with a Pokemon's natural movement and flow.

What I wanted it for, though, was the main reason people used TMs outside of ridiculously powerful ones like Hyper Beam and Giga Impact. TMs could be used to get your Pokemon ready for move types that they wouldn't normally use, one that my dad had clued me into this morning.

The TM I was looking for had been printed a few times, thus the clearance aisle, and it contained the move Charge Beam. It was an electric type move that had a Pokemon focus electrical energy inside their own body before releasing it in a mildly powered laser beam. Misdreavus couldn't generally learn electric type attacks, but there were a few that they could develop once they had access to electric type energy, including Thunderbolt, Thunderwave, and, of course, Thunder. My hope was that Charge Beam would be a good enough jumping-off point for Wisp to be able to teach herself the rest of her electric type moves.

Not only would it be devastating in my upcoming challenge for the Cerulean Gym, but combining moves like Thunderwave with Wisp's natural sneakiness and proclivity for Hex could make her a real powerhouse.

I didn't have any TMs in mind for Artis, but that was because I wanted to iron out a few other moves in his training. It was beyond past the time to stop relying on the clumsy Snowout technique that I'd Frankenstein-ed together and actually shape it into Ice Ball.

That thought evaporated, though, when I saw the price tag on an Iron Tail TM.

"That can't be right?" I mused, the disk to the side. I perked up when I saw what was under it. "Fucking finally!"

A few trainers near me jumped at the sound, and I had the presence of mind to look ashamed. At eight in the morning, it was way too early to be that loud at a PokeMart.

"Sorry, sorry," I murmured.

I put back the rest of the TMs, sliding the Charge Beam and Iron Tail disks into a picnic basket that I'd grabbed from the camping aisle, along with a machine-washable camping blanket and a collapsable personal canopy. I was splurging a little bit after my win at Pewter Gym. While it hadn't been as ridiculous as the thirty thousand from the League, the extra ten thousand in my pocket made for amazing spending money. And I had a picnic date, so there was no way that I wasn't grabbing the proper equipment.

As I walked through the mart, I glanced over at the few evolution stones they had on display. I immediately looked away with a grimace. A mid-quality Fire Stone was running five thousand Poké, and Dusk Stones were way rarer. Whenever I wanted to evolve Wisp, it was going to cost me a pretty penny.

I glanced at the Moon Stone and debated picking it up. I decided against it. It was seven thousand Poké, and there was no guarantee I was going to catch what I was looking for in Mt. Moon.

I did, however, pick up a Berry Pot, a device that would let me grow berries in a climate-controlled expandable space. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I really think it was a good investment. Berries could save your life given that most Pokemon, aside from the obviously humungous ones, could survive off of a berry a day. They also had a myriad of powerful healing qualities that could be really important. I made to sure to pick up a handful of different types of berries, including oran, pecha, cherri, and chesto berries.

I also made a mental note to figure out which berry was Artis' favorite. I was sure that Wisp would be fine with the sweetest of the bunch, the pecha berry, from not only her history of being a sweet-lover, but from the audible groan that she made from my shadow when I picked them up. I had no idea what Artis' favorite flavor was, though. He just kind of seemed to enjoy whatever I sat in front fo him.

"Excuse me," I said to the cashier as I walked up. "Do PokeMarts still have that policy where you sell things at their marked price?"

The underpaid worker groaned. "Yes. What did they mark down?"

I grinned, sliding my copy of Iron Tail across the counter. "Somebody missed a zero."

"Whoa, good find. Five hundred for Iron Tail?" They glanced around to see if anyone else had heard that. When they didn't, they turned back to me. "Between you and me, did you happen to see anything else marked down like this?"

"I would've bought it if I did," I shrugged.

Their shoulders sagged a bit, but they got to scanning my stuff. I checked out and headed to the park. I'd gone through shopping and research a bit quicker than I'd budgeted my time for, so I still had about half an hour before Daisy was supposed to arrive.

I was not excited for my date, because I really didn't want my time with Daisy in Pewter to be over. We were leaving tomorrow, so Daisy had chosen to head back to Pallet as well. She was healed from the trauma of the museum and had been for a few days. Since I was leaving, she had not more excuses to stay here. Today was going to be our last day together for a long time, and we hadn't talked about when we would see each other again.

The whole idea had me in a sour mood, but luckily I had someone to take it out on.

"Tracy! Battle me!"

"No! Hey- I saw him first!"

"Nuh-uh! He's gonna fight me!"

"Ignore these losers! Let me go a round with you!"

After my battle yesterday, my popularity had skyrocketed. I'd been just over a hundred thousand followers on Pokegram after the museum video went live, but with our challenge elevation, I was sitting at just under a hundred and fifty thousand. Plus, since the video of my battle against Brock wasn't on grainy security footage, a lot more people were learning to recognize me on sight. It hadn't quite got annoying yet, but I wanted to start setting precedents as I had at the Pokemon Center.

"Alright," I growled. I glanced at my Pokenav+. "I have time to battle one of you. Decide among yourselves within the next minute, or I leave and don't battle anybody. Then, win or lose, you all have to leave me alone until this afternoon. Today's my day off."

The four of them looked mollified and turned to huddle with each other. After literally pulling straws, they thrust forward a member of their group that I actually took the time to look over. They were obviously a rookie, just like me, but they were on the younger side. The had a young and masculine form, wearing a blue t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts.

"Derek Tracy!" they yelled. "I'm Calvin, and I challenge you to a Pokemon battle! One v one!"

I wanted to crack a joke at how loud they were being, but honestly? I was already feeling the warm excitement of a battle building in my chest. It was my favorite feeling, depending on if Daisy was within fifty feet of me.

"Alright, Calvin. Let's take this to the park, and I'll take you on."

----------------------------------------

I called Wisp out of my shadow, and all four of the trainers 'ooed' and 'ahhed' over my Pokemon as she entered our makeshift battlefield. I wanted to genuinely give Artis the day off, considering he'd taken on two Pokemon of comparable strength yesterday.

Calvin released a small bird Pokemon that I'd actually considered catching, one with a tiny body and a big attitude.

"Spearow!" it squawked.

"Come on, Goldenwing! It's you and me!" Calvin called.

Their friends were not kind to Calvin.

"What a stupid name!"

"You only brought a Spearow?

"Crush him, Tracy!"

Calvin noticeably deflated, and even his Spearow looked a little embarrassed.

I held up my hand, turning to the three of them. "Hey, peanut gallery! We weren't asking for commentary. Keep your opinions to yourself."

They shut up quickly. I nodded, satisfied with my work, and turned back to the battle. "I don't feel like taking my Pokemon all the way back to the Center today, so do you want to go until surrender? That way nobody has to faint today?"

Calvin nodded, eyes shining that I was taking him seriously. "Yeah, that works for me! I'll beat you even quicker that way!"

I chuckled to myself. I had to give this guy points for confidence. Plus, if I remembered correctly, Spearow had a normal typing, so Wisp's ghost type moves weren't going to work on it.

One of the other trainers took their spot as the referee and called a start to the match.

Calvin shot out the gate. "Goldenwing! Get in there and Peck!"

"Get close," I called quietly. Given that the most that Calvin's Goldenwing could hit us with was a flying type move, I wasn't too worried. "Then hit hard."

Wisp vanished into the shadows of the trees around us, disappearing from sight. Goldenwing charged at where she'd been, but stayed vigilant in all directions. I raised an eyebrow, mentally reminding myself that they'd seen this tactic play out at least once against Yuji. I needed new tricks.

Wisp reappeared a bit farther away from Goldenwing than I'd wanted, unable to sneak up on the bird. Her eyes glowed blue with psychic energy, and she enshrouded the Spearow with a Confusion. It squawked in alarm, but Calvin grinned.

"Assurance!" he shouted.

My eyes widened. Oh, shit.

Very few things actually hurt ghosts in a major way. In fact, there were two. The first was energy from other ghosts, which made some amount of sense. You needed the incorporeal to damage the incorporeal.

The other was dark type energy. Something about the void made ghost energy go haywire, and in completely cancelled out psychic energy.

Wisp's Confusion vanished as Goldenwing's wings radiated black energy. The psychic energy just disappeared, leaving no trace.

Our number of usable move types against this bird just went to zero.

Goldenwing surged forward, but Wisp was just a bit faster. She narrowly managed to dodge the black-cloaked wing. The Spearow rushed again, though, unwilling to give up after just one try. It was only a matter of time before Wisp got hit.

"Get out of there! Shadow Sneak away!" I called. My mind raced as I tried to come up with a strategy.

Wisp vanished again, though I could follow her path by watching the shadows on the ground. Calin didn't seem to be clued into that trick yet, so he nervously glanced around the battlefield, trying to find my Pokemon. His anticipation didn't stop a satisfied grin from popping up on his face.

"Ha, we got you Tracy!" he jeered. "Your ghost is on the run now!"

I forced a smirk. "Nah, you got a gimmick. We're not out of tricks yet."

I'd said that, but I honestly wasn't sure where to go from here. Confusion could get an initial burst of damage on Goldenwing, but once he activated Assurance, it was going to get dispelled. Hex and Shadow Sneak were out of the question, same with Confuse Ray and Hypnosis. I needed another option.

Options.

Brock had used his moves yesterday in ways that I hadn't expected, he'd given himself options. What would Brock do?

I glanced at the battlefield, trying to find anything I could, and my eyes settled on the park grounds. A brilliant little bit of word association sparked an idea in my brain.

"Wisp!" I called. "You don't have to hit him! Use the battlefield! Confusion on that rock!"

Calvin's smirk vanished like psychic energy at my orders. Wisp reappeared on my side of the battlefield, carefully keeping her distance now. Her eyes once again burst into blue light, but this time it was a boulder on the other side of the field that glowed in response.

The dirt around it cracked and ground, grass tearing and roots snapping from around it. The boulder lifted into the air, easily dwarfing the tiny bird Pokemon in front of it. Goldenwing stared at it in shock, beak half open as it looked up.

Calvin was just as shocked as his Pokemon, but managed to get himself together enough to call for an order. "Get out of there!"

Goldewing hopped to move, rushing away from Wisp's new toy. It flapped it's wings, taking off into the sky. Wisp drifted upward, the range on her Confusion only lifting the boulder so far. It turned into a game of cat and mouse, completely flipping the power dynamic of the fight. Wisp was just a bit faster than the Spearow, and it made all the difference.

The boulder slammed into the underside fo Goldenwing, causing one of his wings to go limp and the bird to spiral towards the ground. Wisp released her hold on the rock, and Goldenwing's falling form immediately lit up with blue energy.

Calvin was about to call for another attack, but hesitated when he saw that Goldenwing wasn't in pain. Wisp had heard the terms of the battle, after all, and wasn't trying to faint him. Instead, she gently placed the Spearow on the ground, letting it cradle it's hurt wing.

"Spearrr-oww!" Goldenwing cried, tiny tears forming in its eyes as it held up its wing for Calvin.

"Oh, I'm sorry buddy, that looks like it hurts." Calvin kneeled down to pick up his Pokemon and nodded up to me. "I forfeit."

I nodded, giving him an apologetic look. I looked over at Wisp. She was now amusing herself by picking up the boulder again and rolling it in the air, flexing her psychic powers. It was like it had never occurred to her to really try and fight with objects rather than just using her attacks on other Pokemon. To be fair, it hadn't occurred to me, either.

She picked up a smaller second and third rock off the ground, moving them all in sync. She almost looked like she was... juggling?

"Showoff," I quietly said to her, cracking a grin. "You know, you can't keep them."

Wisp looked at me with big eyes. "Mis drea?"

"No, we can always get new rocks. Leave it."

"Dreeaa," she complained, sitting the rock back in the hole in the ground where she'd unearthed it from.

I glanced over to where Cavlin was talking to the other three challengers, and they were giving him a hard time. Not in a mean way, but like friends joshing each other to cheer each other up. I started grabbing up my picnic basket, but stopped when I heard one of the other trainers say something to Calvin.

"Don't worry," they said. "That guy's just crazy strong for somebody from Hoenn. You'll get him next time."

For somebody from Hoenn.

I frowned at the casual insult. I'd only seen it a few times, but people from Kanto really did think that people from other regions had a lower bar to pass than themselves. When I'd glanced through my comment section this morning, I'd seen more than a few much more pointed examples of Kantonian xenophobia, but it bothered me how much it was not-so-subtley engrained in their mindsets.

Mick had been active again on social media this morning, complaining at my challenge elevation and making an entire video breakdown of the mistakes I'd made in my battle. And honestly? He'd been pretty spot-on with most of it. What I did notice, though, was that his comment sections had been angrier at my planting of the Hoenn flag than anything I'd actually done in my battle. Though he hadn't said anything about it, his fan base was more than happy to carry the 'anti-foreign-born banner'.

I didn't want to think about it anymore, so I glanced around the park. Around us, we'd garnered the attention of a few other people in the park, though most of them were dispersing now that the battle was over. What did catch my attention, though, was a pretty lady wearing a white sun dress with both her hands clasped behind her back.

I sauntered up to Daisy. She glanced at the basket and smiled.

"Excuse me, miss," I said, pretending like I didn't know her. "I'm actually supposed to be on a date soon, but I couldn't help but how notice how stunning you were. I'm actually going to need to ask you to leave before my girlfriend gets here. This park isn't big enough for two beautiful women, after all."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Daisy's summer green eyes glimmered with amusement. "Oh, really? And why would I let this girl come and take you when I could have you all to myself?"

I put my wrist to my forehead, fake swooning. "Alas, we could never be together. My Daisy is as intelligent as she is beautiful, and she would hunt us to the ends of the earth if she found that I had absconded with you."

She couldn't stop the laugh that burst from her lips, breaking character. "Really? Abscond?"

I shrugged, walking up to her with a grin. I took both of her hands into mine. "What? I thought I'd get extra points for using big words."

Daisy leaned in, getting close. "Oh, trust me, you did."

I felt like a million Poké when she gave me a peck on the nose. "So, I have a blanket and canopy all ready for today, and I picked up lunch stuff. I just need to set up whenever you pick a spot."

"You're really spoiling me today," Daisy smiled. She glanced over my shoulder at Calvin and the other trainers. "Aren't you going to go get your prize money?"

I shrugged, slipping one hand into hers and letting her lead the way. "Meh, I don't need it right now. We also didn't fight a full battle anyway, so I figure it's fine."

Daisy gave me a curious look. I flushed, but after a moment she dropped it and pulled me along.

"Extra points for big words, preparing everything for our date, and being humble?" Daisy mused under her breath, just loud enough so only I could hear. "Somebody's really going for an +A today."

I grinned. "Don't worry, we have the whole day to ourselves. I'm sure I'll mess it up somewhere."

----------------------------------------

Daisy and I settled for a spot in the park that was surrounded by wildflowers. Nearby, there was a gardener caring for the fields, and he'd made us promise to be careful on his precious poppies. We'd agreed and laid out my picnic blanket, setting up the canopy to block out the worst of the sun and putting the picnic basket off to the side.

I laid out on the blanket and Daisy lay with the back of her head on my side, looking out into the park and enjoying nature. It was peaceful and calm, a real break from the pace of the last few... well actually I hadn't really rested since our break day in Viridian, almost a month ago.

It was crazy that so much had happened in the time that I'd been in Kanto. I'd gotten my first Pokemon, caught another, met new friends and even a girlfriend, gotten attacked by terrorists and wild Pokemon, and even gained my first Gym badge. It had all been a lot, but I was slowly getting comfortable. There was still a lingering pressure in the back of my mind, a fear that would only go away with work, but I knew that I'd have time for it soon. Once I got to Cerulean, I'd start my therapy sessions and start working on getting rid of that knot in my chest.

Life was good.

The cool breeze felt amazing on my skin, and the light of the sun was just enough to keep us warm, but not hot. The wild flowers smelt great and weren't too pungent. Daisy lazily pressed into my side, comfortable enjoying the close contact. In the distance, someone else was having a barbeque, playing great classic rock like Bon Jolteon and Aerodactylsmith.

My Pokenav+ buzzed as I started to doze off.

I sighed, but I reached over to look it over. The list of people who had my number was still small enough that any message could be important. I did smile, though, when I saw who it was from.

"Oh, I got a message from Peabody," I murmured.

Daisy rolled over, raising an eyebrow at me. "Peabody? You're email buddies with a talking Smeargle cartoon?"

"No," I laughed. "But that is where the name comes from. She's a friend from when I was a kid. I couldn't say her name right, so I called her Peabody because it was the closest I could get. She's a bonified expert on ghost types, and I figure she probably just saw my message that I'd captured Wisp."

Daisy continued to look confused, trying to analyze what I'd said. "Just now? But you caught her over a week ago."

I shrugged. "Peabody... let's just say she's kind of important. She was probably too busy to check her email."

She kept smiling but narrowed her eyes like she was pulling secrets out of my brain. I kept her gaze, running my fingers through her hair.

"You're being very secretive about this friend," Daisy said suspiciously. "Is this someone that I need to be worried about?"

"Eww, not at all," I gagged. "She was like a sister to me, so that'd be gross. Nah, she's just somebody who I didn't really keep up with for a while, so I don't feel really comfortable talking about her yet."

Daisy stopped staring and nodded her head, resting it back on my stomach. "Okay."

"Okay?"

Daisy smiled, not bothering to look up at me. "Derek, I think that at this point you've earned some trust. If you say I don't need to worry, then I don't need to worry."

I reached down next to Daisy and grabbed a healthy bit of my side between two fingers and pinched.

"Okay, what are you doing?" she laughed, giving me an exasperated sigh.

"I'm trying to wake myself up. There's no way that a relationship this amazing just fell into my lap. It has to be a dream."

Daisy stopped laughing, instead giving me an incredulous look. After a moment, she groaned putting her forehead back on my stomach.

"It's like you're trying to out-cheese yourself," she said through muffled groans.

I brushed some of her hair away from her face, and she looked up at me with her summer-green eyes. I leaned down like I was going to give her a kiss, but stopped a few centimeters away.

"I hope you took your lactose medicine, 'cause I will happily cheese it up," I whispered, letting my smirk take over my face.

Daisy looked like she genuinely took psychic damage from that joke, but she smiled anyway. Instead of complaining more, she leaned in the rest of the distance, giving me a small kiss.

"You're a dork," she whispered back.

"I know."

Daisy crawled the rest of the way, putting her ear to my chest and listening to my heartbeat. We laid there for a while longer, just enjoying each other.

I felt a small pit open in my stomach when I thought about how much I liked this, though. It wasn't going to last forever.

"How is this going to work?" I mumbled.

Daisy rolled over off of me, looking away. She obviously knew what I meant.

"I know we've had a great time this week," I slowly continued. "but with you working and me on the road?"

"I'll see you in Cerulean?" she suggested, fiddling with her nails. "I could always take some time to visit once you've made it there."

I shook my head. "I don't want you to take time off from research for me. Weren't you going to do another research trip soon?"

"Yeah, but..."

I sat up, pushing myself to a sitting position. Daisy looked up at me, still not meeting my eyes, and did the same.

"Daisy, I really like you," I said. "And I think you really like me, but from everything you've said you're so close to getting your specialization. I shouldn't be a reason to delay it."

"Yes, I am. I'm one research proof away," she sighed, conceding the point. Daisy finally met my eyes, taking my hands into hers.

"So, wouldn't it make sense to finish that-"

Daisy gave me a warning look, though a small smile graced her lips. "Derek, I'm the researcher here. Use logic on me and you risk bodily injury."

I held up both my hands in defeat and then mimed zipping my mouth shut. I hesitated halfway through, though, and mimed unzipping it.

"So do you mean that in like a hot way, or-"

"Derek!" Daisy slapped my arm, chuckling at my joke.

We shared a laugh, letting our tension on the subject start to release. I could tell that Daisy had been worrying about it too.

"I guess you're right," she said. "We'll have to wait to organize my next visit until after I get back from Johto."

"Johto? You're headed to the Sprout Tower?" I said, remembering our first-ever conversation.

Daisy shook her head. Not yet. I'm piggybacking off of another research team headed over Mt. Silver. I'll be tracking migration data over the course of at least a month. The expedition is set to head out next week."

I know I was the one to suggest this, but when she said that my heart plummeted.

Could I go a whole month with Daisy off the grid?

I shook my head. I have to. She's out there earning her future while I was working on mine. Just because we liked each other, it didn't mean we should put our lives on hold for each other.

"Derek? Are you okay?"

I took her hand into my own, bringing it up to my lips and kissing her knuckles. I nodded.

"Yeah, Daisy. I'm just going to miss you."

She let out a shaky sigh, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"I know."

She gave me a hug. Just a hug. Nothing truly romantic about it, but a real intimate and comforting hug.

"You know," Daisy said one we let go of each other. "If my math on your travel is correct, I should be back in time for your third gym challenge."

"Fourth," I sighed. "I technically have to count the loss to Giovanni. But yeah, you should be back around the time I hit Saffron."

Daisy nodded. "Maybe you'll meet up with my brother around there. From last I heard, he's spending a few extra weeks in Cerulean to stay with a family friend."

I gaped at her. "I'm sorry- You have a brother?"

She frowned. "Yes? Is something wrong?"

"No," I shook my head. "I just- I guess I hadn't actually asked. What's he like? Is he a rookie too?"

Daisy gave me a long look, like she was recounting information I should have already known. "Derek," she said in a 'teacher' voice. "Have you not checked this year's rookie standings?"

I sighed. "Daisy. Are you about to tell me he's an unreasonably highly ranked trainer and I'm going to have to defeat your brother to take my place at the top of Indigo this year?"

"No, I won't tell you that," she said in a rare bout of sarcasm. "But you might want to search for this year's rankings. You'll find Blue somewhere on that list."

"Blue? "I asked incredulously, picking up my Pokenav+. "Did your parents just pick the first color they saw when they were naming him?"

"Don't be unreasonable. It's a long story, but it's a nickname. He'll be listed under Gary Oak."

I scrolled through my Pokenav, stopping when I got to the first page of the trainer rankings website. I tossed my phone in the grass, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"No more battle talk," I declared. "No more siblings, I quit. I'm going to lay here and enjoy laying with my girlfriend until the Sky Dragon blots out the sun."

When Daisy gave me a weird look, I explained. "Sorry, old Hoenn expression."

Her expression turned flat. "You're a dork," she repeated.

"So you've said," I agreed.

She snuggled into my side. In the distance, the music from the barbeque echoed the sounds of Led Zubat across the park.

We'd gotten through our first difficult conversation, and at least we had some semblance of a plan. We spent the rest of the day lounging, chatting with each other, and generally enjoying the little time we had left together.

At one point in the day, though, I did glance back down at the rookie rankings for this your's Indigo Circuit.

Specifically, the number one ranked spot, currently holding two badges.

Gary Oak.

----------------------------------------

It wasn't until much later that I packed up and headed back to the Pokemon Center. Daisy chose to head back to her hotel rather than join me. We agreed that we'd say goodbye tomorrow before I left town, and we parted ways.

On my way there, I got a text from Hana.

[[18:36, Hana]] Hey, Derek. Once you're back, meet me and the others at the training fields in the back of the Center. I have something to show you all.

I texted her that I was, in fact, already on my way back and that I would be heading right there.

I had an inkling about what this could be. Before we'd entered the Viridian Forest, both Yuji and Hana had said that they were looking to get their second team members there. Obviously, only Yuji had found his. Since we were still near the forest and now Hana had a bit of extra money to burn, I assumed she'd put out a listing for her next teammate.

I was glad the rest of my friends were filling out their teams. Honestly, it had been weighing on me how easily my team was coming together. Between Artis and Wisp, I hadn't actually had to seek out a Pokemon yet. And even in the future, I was reliably going to receive a Pokemon from both Professor Oak and my father within the next few months, plus the one I was planning on catching in Mt. Moon. That was five of my six battlers right there.

Now, I could always catch beyond my main six and send them to Oak's Lab, and I fully intended to give myself as many options as possible, but I really wanted to pair down on six Pokemon for now. Given that it was my first circuit, I really didn't have time to fully train more than that before the Indigo Conference in a little less than a year.

Speaking of Professor Oak, I'd gotten my choices for his Pokemon down to just a few options this morning. I hadn't decided anything definitive yet, but I was learning toward a dragon type.

Dragons were just the strongest Pokemon out there, and they were some of the rarest to run into in the wilds. People generally tended to avoid them because of how notoriously hard they were to train, right up there with ghost and fairy types, but I was already training a ghost. Wisp had been downright easy to train thus far, so I figured that I could probably handle a fairy or dragon type.

I just hoped they would be as easy to bribe as Wisp was.

I walked around the side of the Pokemon Center, walking through the entranceway to the training fields. It was just as busy as ever. Unfortunately, given my rising popularity, I was facing a similar situation to what I had with Calvin earlier.

"Yo, Tracy! Wanna battle?"

"Hey, lemme fight you so I can get a challenge elevation too!"

"You and me, right now!"

A few trainers started calling out challenges to me, and within minutes the lines on either side of the battlefield had turned to me. If I didn't address it quickly, I was going to have a line.

I waved them off. "Sorry, guys, I already battled today. Try and catch me on the routes."

I technically didn't lie, because Wisp and Artis could definitely still battle, and that answer seemed to mollify most of them. I ignored the ones that it didn't, instead choosing to look for my friends. I spotted Yuji's head above the crowd and made my way to behind the bleachers where my friends had gathered. Yuji and Amy were standing opposite Hana, who was clutching a Pokeball in her hands. Notably, it was not Paige's Pokeball, which was still clipped to her waist.

Called it.

I walked up to them. "Sup, guys!"

"Hey, Derek!"

"Hello, friend."

"Sup, loverboy."

I gave Amy a flat stare, but I didn't correct them. I had just come off of an eight-hour date, after all.

I turned to Hana. "So! Is that your new Pokemon?"

Hana gave me a deflated look, like I'd just ruined a surprise, but she couldn't contain her excitement. Hana grinned from ear to ear.

"Yes!" She said excitedly. "I had wanted to catch one in the Viridian Forest, but I think my expectations were just a bit too high because of how rare they are. I've wanted one of these since I was a kid, but I knew that I was never going to get into Professor Oak's sponsorship program since I lived on the Sevii Islands. Honestly, it's a miracle that I could find anyone selling one."

Her words narrowed down the list of possible Pokemon from dozens of different choices down to one. Professor Oak only gave out three different Pokemon to his trainers, and Hana was a grass type specialist through and through.

Hana was shaking with excitement. "All right, everyone. Help me welcome the newest member of my team, Rafflesia!"

She released her Pokemon, clicking the button. A flash of red light solidified into a small green Pokemon, short and squat like a frog or a lizard, with a massive green plant bulb on its back. It looked at each of us with curious red eyes, giving Hana a wide smile. She'd obviously already introduced herself to her Pokemon before showing them to us.

"Bulba!" Rafflesia the Bulbasaur croaked.

"Gah!" Hana squealed in excitement. "Isn't she so cute!"

I grinned, Hana's good mood being infectious. "Yeah, Hana, she's adorable."

Yuji nodded. "Quite cute," he said quietly.

Amy tilted their head to the side. "I don't know. I think she's kinda funky looking."

Hana and Rafflesia both crumpled in place like deflated balloons. "No, don't listen to them!" Hana cried, holding her sad Pokemon. "You're so cute, don't worry about the creepy psychic person."

Amy knew what they were doing, and quickly followed it up by making another comment about Rafflesia's appearance. Pretty quickly, Hana and Amy were going back and forth.

Yuji and I shared a glance, chuckling to ourselves at our friend's hijinks.

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Later that night, after we'd all settled down into our room for the last time, I remembered that I'd received a message from Peabody. I chuckled as I opened her message, thinking back on her nickname. I genuinely hadn't thought about it in years, so when it popped out of my mouth earlier I'd surprised myself.

Once my eyes adjusted to her... ...aggressive use of capitalization, I gave the message a read.

Hey Derek,

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU CAUGHT HER, SHE'S SO BEAUTIFUL!

I'm sorry that it's taken a week to get back to you, but there was this WHOLE thing on Mt. Pyre and none of the teleporters were around, so I had to fly all the way there from Ever Grande. It sucked. But OML, DEREK! Between the Team Rocket stuff (please don't hesitate to ask if you need to talk about that btw), your Misdreavous' debut battle, and your gym trainer battle, you have such a great handle on her early training! Obviously, there's always stuff you can do better, but I guess my ranting when we were kids paid off!

Now, I've attached a list of stuff that I do with my own ghosts (though they all act a little differently) because I wanted to keep this actual message short and sweet, but I actually have something I wanted to offer you.

Since, as you probably figure, I'm pretty well connected in the spiritual and supernatural communities, I figured I'd reach out to some people by you to see if they could help with training up Wisp. (Adorbs name btw, it suits her so much) Luckily my grandma got me in touch with one of her buddies (who happens to be one of the E4) over there and she has ties to the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town, which is basically just like our Mt. Pyre. I put in a really good word for you if you decide you want to take some time to train Wisp over there and get in touch with the ghostly side of Pokemon training.

The training should help you take Wisp to the next level, but remember, it's gonna be TOUGH. Training ghosts isn't that hard when they're small, but I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a little more aggressive when she gets strong. Also, there are some side-effects to getting too in touch with ghosts, but I'm sure they'll tell you all about it when you get there.

On kind of a serious note, I just wanted to really check in with you. Are you okay? I know we haven't talked a lot recently, but I do care about you. If you need anything, literally anything at all, I'm here to talk. Other than some big stuff, I shouldn't be, like, at all busy until the EG conference starts. Even if its as simple as girl problems (I saw that you were dating Daisy Oak? HOW? But also, NICE!), I really do want to hear from you.

Anyway, I hope you're feeling okay and I miss you, friend,

P.

I smiled as I finished reading her message. Peabody was really looking out for me, and I couldn't help but feel a wave of gratitude. I did, however, feel a pang of guilt go through my heart for a few reasons.

The first was obvious. It had been my fault that we'd stopped talking in the first place, my fault that the friendship had petered out. She definitely still saw me as a close friend, though I don't know if that said more about her or me, but it did make me feel a little guiltier. I needed to make sure to always respond to her messages, and always try and check-in. Peabody deserved it.

The second reason was something that had been eating at me since Oak had given the offer of a Pokemon. I'd come to Kanto to avoid having people help me out. I know that I'd made a promise to myself and Artis that I'd start accepting help from people more, but between Dad sending me another Pokemon, Oak 'rewarding' me with another one, and Peabody pulling strings to help me train, it was too much.

I really didn't deserve any of it.

I was just a guy who was trying to do his best in his Pokemon journey. I wasn't the smartest, strongest, or most innately talented trainer that I knew. Legends, I wasn't even any of those things in my group. It didn't help that I knew that my friends weren't being given those opportunities. Hana had been saving up for who-knows-how-long to buy a Bulbasaur, and I'd seen Yuji's eyes this morning when I'd opened up about Oak's offer. Even my wonderful, humble friend had been upset about how easily I was being handed things.

I hadn't done anything to earn all of the goodwill and help I was receiving.

No, I was just benefiting from pure luck.

I was lucky to be born the son of an Ace Trainer. I was lucky that a girl liked me, and her grandfather just happened to be Professor Oak. I was lucky to have an extremely important and influential ghost trainer as my friend. I was lucky that I'd been followed by a ghost. I was lucky that I hadn't died to Rockets half a dozen times over. I could go on and on and on with how lucky I'd been.

One day they'd see that I didn't deserve it. Hopefully, I'd earn everything they'd given me before that happened.

I sent Peabody back a 'thank you' text and rolled over.

I didn't sleep much that night.

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The next morning we all gathered outside of town before dawn.

We wanted to get out onto Route 03 early, enough to maybe get a third of the way there in a day. It normally took four days to get to the Pokemon Center at the base of Mt. Moon, but if you did big days you could do it in three. We'd all agreed that we wanted to get to Cerulean as soon as possible, as we'd spent a long time in Pewter. I was also the only one that wanted to catch a Pokemon in Mt. Moon, so that would help our time considerably.

Daisy and Terry both came to see us off. Daisy and I had really said our goodbyes yesterday, but she had grown close to my little friend group and wanted to say goodbye. Terry's group would be leaving a day or two after ours, but apparently, he had a few more things he wanted to get done in Pewter.

I gave Terry a handshake, but he pulled me into a massive half-hug with one arm. "You're not getting off that easy, brother," he chuckled as I struggled to breathe. "It's been nice to have more family around, yeah? I'll be seeing you in Cerulean soon."

I pulled out of his hug, greedily taking in a lungful of air before grinning. "Yeah, man, I'll see you there! You and me, we gotta battle one of these days."

Terry nodded. "I'll look forward to it, brother. Now, be on your way. The day waits for no man."

I chuckled, giving him one last nod before turning to Daisy. She'd just said goodbye to the rest of my friends, and it was affecting them more than I'd thought. Amy looked legitimately glum, though I did spot a going-away present from Daisy in the form of a snack bag in their hand, and Hana was genuinely tearing up.

Daisy pulled her into a hug. "You'll have to send me your notes on Mt. Moon when you reach the other side," she said. "I'm excited to see what you think of it."

Hana nodded into her shoulder, doing her best to not smear her mascara. "Yeah, I can do that."

I'd known that Hana and Daisy had immediately clicked, but I hadn't realized quite how close they'd gotten. I made a mental note to update Hana whenever Daisy and I planned her next visit.

Daisy patted Hana on the back and they released their hug. She turned to me, giving me a small smile. I smiled back. Daisy gave me a small peck on the nose but didn't say anything as she took me by the hand and led me to the rest of my group. We'd had all of yesterday for that.

What I wasn't expecting, though, was what Daisy said next.

"All right, before you all leave, I want to get a photo of you together!" she said, smiling as she held up her Pokegear.

Yuji shot me a look. He was not a picture guy, but I shrugged and gave him an apologetic look. There was no way I was going to veto a group photo. Instead, I gestured with my head toward Amy and made a picking-up motion to him. He grinned.

With no words exchanged, Yuji and I both grabbed Amy under the arms, hefting them over our shoulders so that they were held above our heads.

"Hey!" Amy protested. "Just because I'm small doesn't mean you can just pick me up! This is discrimination!"

"Save it for your blog, tiny," I chuckled.

Hana and Daisy giggled at our antics, though Terry tossed me a half-amused half-worried look. Behind me, just loud enough that only I could hear it, Wisp giggled from my shadow.

Yuji and I maneuvered to each kneel on one knee as Hana stood behind us, head-height even with Amy, all of us with our backs to Route 03. With the sun just coming up, the lighting was perfect. Daisy snapped a quick photo of the four of us, giving us a thumbs-up when she was done.

"I'll send this to Derek, and he'll make sure to get it to each of you," Daisy promised, giving me a look that I would be doing so.

"Yeah, I got it," I agreed.

I gave Daisy one last kiss, and we lingered for just a moment. This was really it. I didn't know when I was going to see her again, and by the time I got to Cerulean, she'd already be off the grid.

I looked into her summer green eyes, and I could see that she was just as sad as I was.

"Derek, come on," Amy complained. "We don't have all day!"

Daisy giggled, not taking her eyes off me.

I sighed, pecking her on the forehead. "I'll be back," I promised.

"I know," she said simply.

I turned back to my group, hiking my bag over my shoulder. We headed out onto Route 03, leaving Daisy and Terry.

Back into the wilds, we went.