Friday, June 2nd, 1978, 1700

Okay, so stripping down was a bit of an exaggeration. Dani was wearing compression shorts underneath her hiking pants and went in with a black sports bra. Hardly anything to bat an eye at. Nonetheless, it was still a bit much for me, and I could feel my face flushing at the close-quarters encounter. I had not been trained for this and was beginning to think that my tutors had intentionally set me up for failure. Bastards. I could just imagine them smirking while watching me flounder encountering women my age.

My family, abiding by traditional clan values, was modest and proper, so undressing casually like this was certainly not the norm for me. I had never in my young life been this close to a member of the opposite sex before this morning, much less one I had just met, in such a state. Not that I was complaining, exactly. More the opposite as I observed the other trainer.

Dani was inhumanly pale, which told me she either didn't get outside very often or actually took care of her skin when she did. Unlike me, as I glanced down at my tanned and now slightly reddened skin.

Outdoorsy or not, she was clearly active, as evidenced by the lithe muscles present on her wiry frame. I couldn't help but nod in appreciation at the hard work she must have put in. Ellie might've been doing a good job hiking with me, but she was no athlete.

"Are you coming in or not, or would you like to just continue staring at me?" she asked, looking up at me from the water with a calculating gaze. "Not that I'm not worth staring at," Dani said as she flexed her arms like a bodybuilder on stage. "I take training seriously and work out every day. I can tell you do, too. You clearly were happy enough with your body to do our match shirtless, after all."

This was her second dig at my shirtless mistake, and I felt my confidence dwindling by the second. The only thing going in my favor was that I was at least in quite good shape compared to the average teenager, who wasn't subjected to harsh trainings which frequently culminated in some variety of violent ends.

I glanced over at Eon and Nana, who circumspectly avoided my eyes, preferring to continue their meals with wry amusement at my plight.

Some help they are, I thought to myself in disappointment. What was I thinking to just roll down to the beach like this? Especially after a match where it must have looked like I was intentionally trying to show off.

I eventually settled on ignoring the comment entirely, hoping that if I forgot about it, everyone else would, too. "Yeah, just give me a second. I need to wash my clothes, anyway." I shyly removed my clothes, keeping my briefs on, obviously. I made my way into the cool water, stiffening momentarily in pain as it hit my sunburnt skin with a stinging sensation that quickly faded as the calming water did its work.

She smiled as I joined her. "Welcome, I imagine the water feels great on your burns. And whatever else you got going, on, considering those nasty looking wounds you seem to have recently collected. What happened, anyway?"

I shrugged as we swam out until the water was roughly up to our chests. "Minor run in with an Arbok on the last day before the start of the circuit. I made a rookie mistake and forgot Arbok were actually really good with ground type-energy and got punished for it."

I looked around, checking along the way to see if there were any signs of dangerous water pokemon. There were plenty of Tentacool in this area, and Tentacruel were occasionally spotted, but mainly further out from the shoreline. They also happened to travel in packs, so if there were one, you could bet a good pokéball there were more hiding in wait.

Both types of pokémon had long limbs that could be used to crush the life from swimmers, not to mention the ability to apply a fast-acting neurotoxin from hidden barbs on their tentacles. I shuddered, briefly remembering my mother's Tentacruel's eating habits…. Not one to dwell, I shook off the discomfort and continued my scan; I only saw a few Spearow in the distance but didn't sense anything amiss.

"What do you mean, 'got punished for it'?" she asked as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the sun, which was on its way downwards. "Wouldn't your pokemon get punished for it, not you?"

"We do things a bit differently at the clan compound, where I train most of the time. About three quarters of our training is basically a hybrid between a pokemon match and a battle between the two respective trainers. We do normal matches, too, but Kiriel is adamant of the importance of maintaining the military traditions that brought our clan to greatness in the first place," I explained as I settled into the enjoy the water, letting the cleansing salt ensure my injuries wouldn't get infected.

"That's crazy," she said. "I haven't heard of anybody else doing something like that at all. What's the point?"

"To be prepared for anything, I guess?" I replied. "The modern circuit is still fairly new, and there's no telling when things could go to shit, so it's important to be aware of your surroundings. With normal matches, the trainers aren't concerned of their own safety at all. Which is fine, if nobody is trying to attack you, but if they are you're pretty screwed. It's a different style but I don't mind it, honestly. I think it's easy to forget that for most of human history pokemon have been used as tools of warfare and not just as pets or traveling companions."

"Hmm," she said. "I can't say that I've really thought about it like that. At Fuchsia High they mostly gloss over the bad parts of Kanto's history, choosing to focus on all the progress that's happening currently. I'd like to try out a match like that if traveling together works out. Would that be okay?"

I looked over at her in surprise, once again caught off guard by her quick adaptation to new information. Were all normal trainers like this, or was Dani unique? It was difficult to tell, but I was more than happy to oblige her request. "Of course!" I told her. "We'll have to take things slowly, but if you're interested, we could do a few matches in that style, but I'll definitely be careful not to leave any permanent marks. Your skin looks completely flawless, so I would hate to leave any permanent injuries."

"Right," she replied with a crooked smile. "Thanks for the compliment, I guess? I've always hated being as pale as I am. It seems like no matter what I do I can't get a tan—unlike you, apparently. You're super burnt, by the way."

"Thanks for telling me—I wasn't already aware," I groaned. "It was worth it, though. It was wayyyy too hot at the start of the day."

"No problem, happy to be of help," she shot back with a mischievous grin. "Besides, it's gratifying to see that even the Seiichi make mistakes. Between your strong pokémon and your superior knowledge, I assumed that you had it all together, but alas, even pokémon geniuses forget to put on sunscreen," she joked as she splashed water ineffectually my way.

"Rude," I spluttered as I wiped the water off my face where it had made contact. I focused on washing my sweaty clothes out with silt from the ocean floor. "Besides, I'm not a pokémon genius; compared to the rest of my family, it's like I barely know anything."

"That's disgusting," she declared with a frown. "If you don't know anything, that must mean most people know less than nothing in their eyes. Probably makes them a bit out of touch for a 'ruling' family."

"It is disgusting," I agreed, happy to have any ally against my family. "But before we get completely derailed, I believe you were going to answer my questions before we hopped into the water?"

"Right, remind me what they were again," she joked, putting her hand to her chin like she was thinking hard to remember something.

"You know what they are," I grumbled as I listed off my earlier questions, "How far did you make it, how serious are you, and why do you even want to be a trainer in the first place."

"I didn't actually forget, Mare," she laughed. "I was just buying time to think about my answers. For someone so knowledgeable, you miss some obvious things."

Mollified, I responded with a simple "Oh."

"It seems like you don't always have a snappy response to everything. That's good to know," Dani mused, laughing as she floated languidly in the water near me. "I didn't make it very far," she admitted. "I only got the Vermilion and Celadon badges before getting stuck at Blair and re-attempted her gym for the second half of the season. I'm pretty sure they thought I moved permanently into one of the Saffron pokemon centers."

She snorted as if annoyed at the memory. "I was too stubborn to move on and come back later. I didn't have my dad's Rapidash at that point, so I was only working with Beedrill and Venonat, and they both just got pummeled by her Psychic types. I only recently caught my Scyther in the Safari Zone."

I nodded in understanding, feeling sympathy for her tale. I don't know if I could've tried again if I became stuck like that so early on in the gym challenge. Kiriel would've probably disowned me.

"I've heard that happens a lot to beginners. Sula said that besides Kiriel's gym, Blair's gym is by far the hardest, considering there isn't a good answer to the Psychic type. I mean, sure, they are technically weak to bug, ghost, and dark pokemon, but it's not like it's that easy to get any of those rarer types. It's difficult to get close to the psychics, and most of the bug pokémon easily catchable rely on melee attacks or spores to do anything worthwhile. It's too bad you just caught your Scyther. With their high speed and brutal scythes, I've heard they're one of the better answers to Blair. They can get in close and actually apply their super-effective type-energy. I also heard that some Scythers can even learn to channel dark energy, too!" I said excitedly as I gushed about a topic I felt confident about.

"I'm keenly aware," Dani replied as I continued scrubbing my clothes well past what I needed to.

I continued, happy to have the opportunity to impress her. "Apparently, Blair doesn't go easy, even on beginners. Most other gyms have a set of pokémon that are intentionally weaker for new challengers, but Blair almost always uses at least one pokémon from her actual team. I think Sula said it serves as some type of gatekeeping?

According to her, if you don't have the firepower to beat a decently strong psychic pokemon, you're never going to make it much further and certainly won't make any splashes at the conference," I explained, finally content with the state of my clothes. No way they would smell now. I glanced her way, just now realizing that she had been quiet for quite some time.

"Are you finally finished? You sure talk a lot, Mare. It's insulting that you immediately assumed I didn't know any of that. I was in Saffron for four months doing the same thing over and over and desperately looking for information on how to beat her. I promise you, I know more about it than you do, even if your precious older sister gives you all the tips and tricks you could ever want," Dani snapped.

I looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she was upset. "I didn't mean it like that!" I defended as I started shaking my clothes out, carefully making sure there wasn't any sand stuck in the folds. "Remember how I told you I haven't spent much time around people my age?"

"Yeah, I guess you did say something like that," Dani said slowly. "What of it?"

"Well, at the compound, if I don't have something intelligent to say about basically every topic, I get reprimanded by my teachers, my sister, or Kiriel in the worst of cases. It's become something of a habit to show how much I know about things before they can jump down my throat about how I'm slacking. Call it a defense mechanism. I promise I didn't mean anything by it," I replied, hoping she could tell I wasn't trying to talk down to her.

Dani frowned, making a face of distaste. "That sounds obnoxious," she declared while holding up a finger for emphasis. "But! That doesn't excuse the fact that your habit is also obnoxious as hell. You're not the only one who knows things out here. I'm a year older than you and have actual experience with how the circuit works, whereas your knowledge seems to be mostly theoretical, from what you've said."

She took a breath, calming herself. "I know we've just met, and I maybe don't have all the book knowledge you seem to have from your 'fancy family training compound,' or whatever you want to call it, but I'm not stupid. Don't treat me like I am."

I held my hands up apologetically. "Noted. It was not my intention in the first place, and I apologize for insinuating you didn't know what you were doing. I am abruptly realizing I'm a bit strange. My traveling partner, Ellie, relentlessly points out when I say odd things, so there's certainly room for growth. It's only been a day, and I'm already getting better! Can you just tell me when I'm doing it?"

"No. I'm not your mother. If I do it for you, you'll never develop any semblance of self-awareness. Just think before you go on some long-winded explanation; it's not that hard," she said before shifting position from staring up at the sky to face towards me. "Let's just drop it for now. What are you even doing down there? Are you done washing your clothes?"

"Yes ma'am," I said, feeling the faintest of smiles making its way onto my face. "I'll do my best. And yes, they are in passable condition now. Can we move on to the other questions I asked?"

"What can I say? I'm a skilled conversationalist," Dani smirked.

"Yeah, whatever," I said. "More like I'm just getting my bearings." I started trudging towards the shore, holding my clothes above the water. "One sec, I'll be right back. I'm just going to put these on Nana to dry off."

"Sure, sure. Good luck getting your clothes back," she joked as she resumed her position floating on her back.

Back on the shore, Nana was sleeping peacefully. The fire-dog was curled up on the ground protectively around Larvitar, who was gently snoring in a post-first-meal stupor. The baby pokémon looked to be enjoying the heat radiating into him from Nana's ever-present warmth.

"Lithe," the sleepy canine pokémon growled, as I laid the clothes on his back to dry before quickly settling back into slumber as he realized it was only me.

"No rush on these ones, Nana. Just give them the steam treatment. Thank you!" I grinned as I ran back into the water.

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Nana had long ago gained enough control over his temperature to dry clothing, but he had only recently mastered the ability to do it without blackening said clothing during the process. We called it the steam-dry method, and I was quite proud of it. No more charred clothes for me.

As I made my way back into the water, I realized that afternoon had transitioned to evening somewhere along the line, and the sun lazily descended to the horizon's western edge. There were no clouds to be seen, so I enjoyed the undisturbed gradient of the clear sky.

The fiery reds at the top gradually gave way to a dusky blackish-purple closer to the horizon line. It was beautiful, and I sighed in contentment.

Dani was also staring off to the horizon, enjoying the vivid colors. "It's lovely, isn't it?" she murmured, as much to herself as to me, before clicking her tongue. "We should start heading back to camp. I don't want to run into a rogue Fearow or something worse. Plus, I'm sure our companions will be worried. I'll answer your questions on the way back," she offered as she moved to get out of the water.

"Wait," I interjected, not ready to go back just yet. "At this point, we will be walking through the dark anyway. Let's just enjoy the rest of the sunset. Nana and Eon can take care of anything we run into in this area, I promise."

Dani glanced my way, apparently checking to see if I seemed truthful, before nodding in agreement. "If you say so, but I'm gonna be pissed if something happens."

"Cool," I smiled. "Your turn, now, yes?"

She gave me a weird look but nodded. "Fine. I'll answer your other questions now. I'm very serious. I feel embarrassed about how last season went, and I'm determined to make it through the entire circuit this year. I wouldn't have waited for you at the camp if I didn't want to improve. The fact that you trounced me so easily stung my pride more than I'd care to admit, and reaching out like this wasn't easy for me," she admitted. "If I only do easy and comfortable things, I'll never improve. I could travel with the other boys from Fuchsia, and they would worship me, but I would never get any better from it. This year is going to be different."

Dani paused as if she was making a difficult decision. "I would also like to apologize for earlier. It rubbed me the wrong way when you talked about Blair like that. You made it sound so simple, and it kind of pissed me off. I didn't know much about what you said, which made me even more mad that I missed something like that after spending so much time there."

I shrugged my shoulders awkwardly before waving her apology away. "Apology accepted. It's not like you really did anything worth apologizing for, though. I do need to work on my bad habits, so this seems like a win on all accounts. I'm dreading facing Blair, anyway. I'm sure you'll crush it this year."

Dani gave a small smile but nodded and seemed happy to get that out of the way. "I will crush her this year. I have to."

I looked at her curiously. "So, why do you want to be a trainer, anyway? I've only really spent time with professional tutors and haven't had many opportunities to talk with normal people my age. I never had a choice in this, even remotely, and this whole gym circuit thing seems like a lot more trouble than it's worth."

"Why do…" I paused as I struggled to find the words. "Why do all this? Why travel, fight, and train to get badges if you don't have to? There are many easier and better ways to make a living than wandering around bathing in the ocean for Arceus' sake," I said with an expansive gesture around us.

"Normal people?" Dani asked with a raised eyebrow, for some reason focusing on the smallest part of what I was saying.

"Average?" I suggested, and her eyebrow raised even higher.

"Not forced into it by their intense family?" I finally settled on, internally sighing in relief as her eyebrows settled back down. That was a close call.

Dani dropped her glower and laughed. "I'm just giving you shit. I knew what you meant right away. You sure are easy to mess with, you know that? I think this is going to be fun!"

"Yeah, I unfortunately am keenly aware of my many flaws, one of which is that I take people seriously when they say things. Not my fault," I said with a groan, preparing myself for the apparent onslaught of sarcasm that I consistently failed to pick up on. My family was aware of my inability to discern jokes, and capitalized on it whenever possible, to my immense frustration. It was no fun being the butt of every joke.

She gave a sad smile, now. "My answer will probably be disappointing and clichéd, but I want to be a trainer because of my dad. My parents had me when they were only fifteen, so I think he felt like he missed out on his chance to really be a trainer. He waited patiently to attempt the newly minted gym challenge so they could raise me."

"Right," I said, happy to sit back and listen.

"When I turned twelve, he judged me responsible enough to mostly care for myself, so he started trying the challenge again. He tried for two years and could never make it to the conference. He came back home when I was fourteen, and my parents decided they wanted more kids, so now I have a set of twin siblings who are turning two soon! I'm sixteen, turning seventeen in February, by the way."

She laughed, but it was oddly sad. "They're adorable but also annoying as all hell, so I'm happy to be away, at least for a while. I'm not ready to step back into life with my family. Not yet."

I crinkled my forehead in confusion, now that her explanation was finished. It left me with more questions than answers. "What part about that made you want to become a trainer? I don't understand. Why would you care about your father's dream like that if they weren't forcing you into doing anything? You becoming a good trainer won't suddenly make your dad a good trainer. That doesn't make any sense."

"I'm getting there! Hold your Ponyta's," she said, glowering at me before turning back to the sunset. "The problem is that I can tell my dad is unhappy. He smiles, laughs, and is a great parent to my little brothers, but it never reaches his eyes. He gave me his Rapidash this year and told me he was officially retiring. He's now working at a local pokémart and going to school part-time to become an engineer, but I know it's not his dream. He wanted more, and what we offer as a family has never been enough."

"Okay, I still don't get it, though," I said skeptically.

She sighed. " I guess it's like this; I really love my dad, and I hate seeing him like this, so I hope that if I can do what he couldn't, he can at least be proud of me for carrying on his dream. I know I can do it. Last year was a fluke, and this year will be different," Dani declared confidently. Her words showed her determination, and I could feel goosebumps creeping up on my exposed skin. "It might not make sense to you, but it makes sense to me and that's what's important."

I shrugged, choosing not to press the issue. "I can't say that I completely get it, but at least you have a reason you feel good about and some goal to work towards that you believe in. In a twisted way, we're both chasing our parents' dreams differently if you think about it," I reasoned.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Don't you want to be a trainer?"

"Not really," I scoffed. "I never had a choice in this, ever. You're trying to fulfill your dad's dream to make him happy because you care about him, and I'm expected to continue Kiriel's legacy in case something ever happens to my sister."

Somewhere along the line, I had already decided that I was just going to openly trust this girl I had just met, so I continued, "I'm nearly positive the only reason Kiriel had a second child was to provide one more fail-safe to keep the gym in the clan's hands. Otherwise, nothing makes sense. She's never treated me as anything other than a tool that has to fill some role for the clan. She's never been warm, never been loving, and has never shown any interest in me beyond how my training is progressing. I can't imagine doing something for someone because you wanted them to be happy. That's just not how it works for my family."

I could feel the mood quickly growing somber, but I ignored it. "I've always known that I would be dropped the moment I showed any signs of weakness or reluctance to fill my role. Even now, the only reason I own a rare pokémon like Larvitar is to fulfill some scheme that I wasn't even worth being notified of until the first day of the circuit," I explained, my voice acrid with the resentment I felt for my family that I usually kept bottled up. I felt stupid baring my soul to someone I just meant, but it just felt right.

There was a moment of silence as Dani processed my words before responding carefully, "I guess we all have our own circumstances… I'm sorry, Mare. I know we just met, but now I feel bad for ever being jealous of you," Dani said delicately, as if she were afraid of hurting my feelings or something equally ridiculous.

I laughed, trying to dispel the melancholic blanket that had fallen over us. "It's okay! Sorry for making the mood so heavy. I don't have many opportunities to vent like this," I said. "Thanks for listening. I know we just met, but I feel comfortable talking with you."

".... I'm glad, I guess? It's funny you say that; I've actually struggled to make friends and have mostly kept to myself for the last few years. It's weird to hear someone feeling so comfortable around me," said Dani.

I couldn't see her face, but it sounded like she was smiling. I hoped I hadn't just weirded her out by coming on too strong. It was hard for me not to feel excited about finally getting a chance to meet someone unaffiliated with my family whatsoever.

I cleared my throat. "Right. Yeah. On a lighter note, I want to apologize for my rude behavior earlier, after the match. Sula told me I should make up a persona when battling, and I settled on a cold, arrogant archetype dismissive of his opponents. Apparently, it helps to intimidate other trainers. Did it work at all?" I asked, honestly wondering about how I was perceived.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," she groaned. "That explains so much! You started off like this cocky know it all, and now you're hitting me with the sad story of your life. Way to keep a girl guessing! The Seiichi really don't play around."

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It did work. Too well. I was fuming after our match. It's a nasty trick, but if you're not worried about your likability, I'd recommend you keep it up. It'll be especially effective with newer trainers that haven't developed much self-confidence. If you had done that to me when I first started, I probably would've cried."

"That's a relief," I breathed. "I was worried I just looked like a total idiot, but it was too late to back out."

"Yeah, no. Your pokemon were too well trained for anyone to think you were an idiot, and you were pretty intimidating in general. " She turned my way and gave me a thumbs up. "As long as you don't vent your mopey personal life to your opponents, I don't think anyone will catch on. You certainly fooled me. You've definitely got the cool and collected mysterious trainer vibe going for you."

"That's good to hear! I do want people to like me, but it's more important for me to win matches than be liked for my assignment. Thanks for the feedback," I said with a happy smile. It was rare to receive such unadulterated praise and I couldn't help but feel happy.

"No problem. The clothes are a bit ridiculous, though. Might want to invest in some normal clothes if you don't want to stand out wherever you go. It's immediately apparent that you're different with those on."

"Noted, maybe I'll pick up something in Vermillion. I'm used to these, though," I said with a gesture towards my pile of now-dry clothes. "They might stand out, but they're a lot more durable than you might think."

"Well, then don't complain when people give you weird looks when we get closer to civilization," she said as she started swimming back to shore.

"Done," I smiled as I followed after her, only now realizing the sun had almost entirely disappeared from the sky, and I had been treading in swiftly darkening waters.

I don't care how brave you are; swimming in the dark is terrifying when leviathans like Gyarados exist. Any kid from Fuchsia had heard horror stories of the gargantuan pokemon sinking fishing boats with unquenchable rage at the theft of its young. One bite could easily rend a trainer in two, and two bites would leave nothing to find. There were numerous stories of rangers hunting down Gyarados who had become too fond of the taste of human flesh.

As we climbed out of the waves, I immediately noticed Larvitar had left his comfortable den and was frantically waving his arms at me. He stood almost waist-deep in the water and was clutching something in his tiny hands.

"TAR! TAR! LARVITAR!" he said animatedly while holding up the object, but it was too dark for me to make it out.

"Nana, please, we need some light over here," I requested. Nana, who was currently lounging further up on the beach with Eon, promptly made his way towards us. As he approached, he leaned his head back, breathed deep, and forcefully emitted a white-hot flame toward the heavens. This method, which I had dubbed 'the torch' easily cast enough light to examine what Larvitar was holding up.

"What is it? Can I see?" Dani asked as she peered at the unknown object, Larvitar's contagious energy quickly catching hold.

I gingerly accepted the gift from Larvitar, holding it up to Nana's flare. It appeared to be a stone, but perfectly smooth. Too smooth.

It was less than a third of a meter wide but was maybe a half meter in length. It was almost perfectly teardrop shaped. There were no edges, and it glimmered with a translucent blue. I found it impossible to avert my gaze and noticed that we were all huddled with interest around Larvitar's find.

I spun the heavy teardrop stone in my hands, examining it for any cracks or flaws, finding none. It was large enough that it more than filled up both hands held together and probably weighed around ten kilos, which was much lighter than I expected for a stone of that size.

I could feel excitement rising in my chest. There was no mistaking what this was. I held it up against Nana's fire, enjoying the pale blue that emanated from it when I did so.

"Dani, I think you might just be a lucky charm," I said while leaning down to caress Larvitar's crest to congratulate him for his haul. "If I'm not mistaken, this is a pristine quality water stone, and it's about to change Eon's life."

"Tar! Larvi!" Larvitar growled, shocking me out of my excited stupor as I gazed at the beautiful azure stone. He stood below me, gesticulating wildly with his fin-like hands.

"Do you need something?" I asked in confusion, not understanding the meaning behind his frantic movements.

"Laarrrrrr," he responded in exasperation, pointing to the stone I held.

"You want this?" I asked.

Dani giggled, apparently finding this whole scene amusing. "I think he wants to carry it!"

"Larvi! Tar-Lar," Larvitar said while nodding his head to Dani in confirmation. The small pokémon somehow looked very self-assured, crossing his arms confidently as he calmly waited for his prize.

I considered the situation. He did find the stone, but this was also potentially a priceless artifact worth thousands of league credits, or a ladder by which Eon could climb to new heights of power. It seemed irresponsible to let it rest in the hands of a less-than-a-day-old pokemon...My internal musings were rudely interrupted by Dani as she lightly shoulder-checked me.

"Come on, you know he deserves it! What's the worst that could happen? Look at how excited he is! It's his birthday, don't let the little guy down!"

I glanced at Dani skeptically before finally relenting. "Okay, it may be his birthday, but plenty of bad things could happen, just so the record is clear."

I knelt down and gently set the water stone in his stubby claws, coughing to clear my throat. "Larvitar, I'm entrusting this to you. You found it, so it's going to be your responsibility. It's an important stone that is very rare. I'm grateful to you for finding it. Do you understand how important this is?" I asked gravely, catching and holding his gaze to convey my message clearly.

"Larvitar, Tar-Lar," he assured me, reaching up to grasp the stone, pressing it to his tiny chest like a child might hold a stuffed bear.

The evening light had disappeared at this point, and dusk was settling into the forest like a heavy blanket. It would be a trial to make it back to camp, and I was sure that Ellie was worried. I really should have told her that I was going for a hike to look for rocks. She had been sleeping so soundly that I hadn't wanted to disturb her, but at the time, I hadn't known I was going to be gone for hours.

After getting dressed, Dani had giggled her way up to the base of the cliff face with Nana and Eon and was starting on her ascent. They appeared to take to her immediately, showing no shame at abandoning me with Larvitar. I turned to follow her while keeping a close eye on my footing. The last thing I wanted was to sprain an ankle on the second day of my journey.

"Wait up! I can't see without Nana! I can't believe you commandeered my pokemon," I grumbled, readying myself to catch up to the rapidly receding figures.

"CRUNCH!"

A loud shattering noise rang out into the night behind me. I turned around in a panic, looking around for potential attacking pokemon. My eyes darted around, hardly making out anything in the inky blackness that had descended upon us. I could feel my heart rate increasing as my adrenaline kicked in.

"CRUNCH!"

I made my way toward Larvitar to grab him and get him safely back to the others, away from the dangerous pokémon I was sure was stalking us. However, to my surprise and disappointment, the small pokémon hadn't moved a centimeter from when I handed him the stone seconds before.

"Mare! What was that?! Are you okay?! We're headed your way!!" I heard Dani shout, the fear in her voice palpable even from a distance.

"CRUNCH!"

The shearing noise dissipated abruptly, and all I could hear was the sloshing of the waves and the sound of Dani and company crashing through the brush on their way toward our location.

My panic took on a new meaning as I realized with relief and confusion what had caused the racket.

"Lar?" Larvitar asked innocently, cocking his head as he licked the glassy blue remnants of the meal off his tiny hands.

As I watched in awe, a pale blue glow began emanating from a series of sinuous, almost runic lines etched into his scales. The pokémon looked up in concern as he took in my state, his eyes narrowing with fear.

"Laaaaa?" Larvitar cooed quietly as he began patting me down in concern as if I was the one who had caused the ruckus and was now literally glowing.

"Mare, are you okay?" Dani asked as she stumbled back onto the edge of the water. Her hair was damp and was filled with all matter of brambles. She must have been forcing her way through the forest in concern. "What happened? Those noises were terrible!"

She recoiled in shock when she noticed the radiant pokémon patting me down. Dani immediately knelt down, her voice worried. "What did you do to the little guy? How could you let this happen to him?!"

I could feel my eyebrows raise nearly to my hairline.

"NO. NO. This," I gestured at Larvitar frantically. "This is your fault!"