"Duuude, it's so great to see you again!" as though a switch had flipped in her brain, Misty hooked her arm around Ash's neck. "It's been about a month by now, right? I figured we'd run into each other at some point, but I wasn't expecting it to just happen." The two had dropped off their Pokemon to Nurse Joy and were now standing in the lobby. There was a decent bit of activity going on around them as people came and went, and a couple of groups conversed amongst one another, but it wasn't overly crowded, and they had found their own section. Eevee was still with them, only needing some potion and a sitrus berry from Ash, while the rest of his team were in the Center's care.

"I'm really glad I ran into you." Ash agreed, pushing her arm off of him. "If you were here all along then I kind of wish we met sooner."

Folding her arms against her chest, Misty returned his smile. The adrenaline between the two had vanished, the high of their battle a thing of the past. Now, both were completely at ease, and it almost felt uncharacteristic of her. "Well, you know how these big urban spaces work. At least, I hope you've figured it out by now. We could've been living here and had no idea we were in the same place." Moving to the side, she found a cushioned chair to sink herself into, Ash quickly following suit as Eevee leapt up onto his lap. "But that's all out of the way now, so what's new with you? Any more badges or team members?" her smile turned cheeky as she tilted her head out them. "It seems a certain someone might've picked up on my taste for badass water types."

"Heh, his name's Tempest." Ash replied, recalling that Misty had most likely seen the Krabby in action just before they revealing herself. "I actually caught him pretty soon after we split up. At Cerulean's coast." his hand rested on Eevee's head to pet her, eliciting a soft pur from his friend as her eyes briefly closed. "I've been to Celadon City; I have their badge. Right now we're all prepping to challenge this city's Gym next, we're almost ready. You?"

Misty nodded in approval. "I guess that makes two of us with three badges, then. Before I left Cerulean City, I found a nice fishing spot; part of it was just nostalgia, but I was ready for another team member too. Ended up catching a Horsea, she's great." Her hand patted her belt. "You already saw Togetic, I ended up catching her shortly after leaving. As a Togepi." After taking a brief pause to let Ash and Eevee process, she continued. "I went off the beaten path after that, decided to work my way to Saffron, but not straight down. We went east for a little bit, considered the Rock Tunnel off to the northeast of here, but it was closed off." her face tightened. "Because of him."

Ash got the message: he remembered that news report that he had seen during his first stay in Saffron, about how the Iron-Masked Marauder had murdered four League agents on the shore beyond the Rock Tunnel, along with killing most of their Pokemon and looting a few. Judging by Eevee's growl, she seemed to pick up on it as well.

Misty huffed for a moment at the bad memory, but regained her composure decently quickly. "Anyway, we've been in and out of Saffron, as I said earlier. Spent time battling the other trainers in the city and going off into the wild to train. We got our badge from the Gym just a few days ago. We'll be heading over to Celadon soon."

Ash's expression transitioned to a frown. "Celadon's Gym is… closed, for a while."

She sighed. "Yeah, I heard some talk about that recently; it's why I've been dawdling a bit about getting ready to leave. Doesn't really change anything, though; I'll just head over there and do my thing until everything's opened back up again. Gives me more time to train and get my team prepared." Chewing on her lip, she glared off to the side. "Damn Team Rocket gets in the way yet again."

He eyed her sympathetically. She had already been denied access to the Rock Tunnel because of the Marauder, who had tried to murder both of them and their teams not too long before, and now the terrorist attack in Celadon was putting a crucial part of her journey on hold; he realized that he and Janine had been lucky to have challenged Erika beforehand.

His friend took a deep breath before looking back at him with a smile. "But yeah, other than that things have been great. Glad it seems to be the same for you."

Ash ignored the flashbacks to the child soldier ambush on the way to Celadon, and the museum. She didn't need to know he had been a part of either of those. Still, having them come to mind made him realize just how badly things had been going for Celadon territory as of recent. It felt unfair; he was traveling, so he was never staying in one place for too long, but people lived there. Saw it the same way he saw Pallet Town. How stressful must it have all been for them?

"Yeah, it's been great." he replied, trying to think only of the good parts. Meeting Janine and Suzie certainly did wonders to keep him focused on the positives, and he and Janine had even conversed with a top trainer not too long ago. 'I'll probably leave soon after I'm done with Sabrina's Gym, but if you're leaving soon then I'll probably be here longer than you."

She hummed. "Makes sense; I'm likely gone in a day or two. Any ideas of where you'll go next? You've already tackled Celadon and Cerulean yourself, so that's two separate directions you don't have to worry about. But there's also…"

"Vermilion and Lavender." Ash confirmed with a nod. "South and East."

"And the Magnet Train." Misty added. "To Goldenrod."

"Mhm." Ash nodded again. "Although I've already decided to wait on that for the time being. I still have to choose between Vermilion and Fuchsia for my next goal. I'll be going over it with a friend."

Misty seemed a bit confused. "Friend?"

"Yeah," Ash patted Eevee's head once more. "I paired up with another trainer while leaving Celadon; she and I came here together. Probably until we've reached Fuchsia, we're planning right now." Suddenly, he realized something. "Have you been traveling with anyone?"

She shook her head. "Been flying solo since you left. Cool to hear, though; going in pairs has its benefits. Especially if you're going to Fuchsia." she shuddered as she spoke.

"Yeah…" Ash smiled lightly as the realization began to sink in further. "I'll be going there eventually no matter what. Even if I do choose to go to Vermilion first… it's still right on the way to Fuchsia."

"No matter what…" Misty repeated to herself before brushing it off. "So, how do you feel about that?"

Briefly, Ash scratched the back of his neck. "I've heard pretty unsettling stuff about Fuchsia territory's wilderness, even recently. Can't say I'm looking forward to it, especially since the trip through will be pretty long." his expression slightly hardened. "We'll be ready, though." The next several seconds were silent, and a blink made Ash realize she was staring at him. "Something wrong?"

She snapped out of it as quickly as he had noticed. "Something's different about you. Not just your cap." briefly, her eyes lingered at the top of his head. "...You."

Looking back at her, Ash contemplated the girl's words. He'd been trying his hardest for as long as he could remember at this point, especially after Cerulean. Was it finally sticking…?

"I've learned things." he smiled at her. "A lot has happened, and I've had just as much to think about."

"Heh," the water lover chuckled as a smile free of fire or smugness made itself known. "Well, the new side of you has my approval. I wouldn't mind this being your norm."

/

"So," said Janine, eying Misty curiously from across the table. "How did you get two Water Stones?"

The poison specialist had returned to the Center just a little bit after Ash had heard back from Nurse Joy. To the boy's discomfort, Pikachu was confirmed to have suffered a dislocated shoulder from his battle with Starmie (most likely from the final attack), and in addition to staying in care overnight with the rest of the team, was recommended an additional day of rest afterwards. The rest of the team would be good to go by morning.

Ash had introduced the two girls, who had apparently bumped into each other briefly a couple of days prior. The three were eating dinner in the cafeteria now, having the end of a table (occupied by other trainers a little bit further down) to themselves. The cafeteria in question was fairly packed, reflecting the amount of activity that Saffron's Center often received. With the rest of the team still in the Center's care, Eevee was the only Pokemon currently with Ash, joining Janine's team for the meal. Misty's Prinplup, Jigglypuff, and Horsea were present as well. The sun had begun setting by the time Janine had gotten back, and by now, most of the orange in the sky had given out to the nighttime black.

Misty placed her half-eaten burger down, taking a second to finish chewing before grinning at the other girl. "Heh, that's a personal favorite tale of mine. You're from Fuchsia, so I'm sure you're aware about the excavation field currently in play?"

Janine nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Specifically, Grampa Canyon is set to be explored thoroughly for fossils. A big team is being put together for it. Do the stones have something to do with that?"

"Indirectly, I guess." Misty answered before taking another bite of her burger. Swallowing, she continued. "When I was on my way to the Rock Tunnel, I ran into a couple people from one of Fuchsia's villages. According to them, the news about the assembling excavation team has inspired a fair amount of people to see if they can get in on the action elsewhere, and Fuchsia's mountains have been targets. It sounds like most people are trying to build up a sort of resume in hopes of joining in on the Grampa Canyon operation. Others are just being inspired to look for treasure or something."

"The project's really high-profile, right?" Ash added in.

"Yeah, from what I know." Misty nodded. "The company running things is going all in, and there are obviously going to be different sides to the operation. Must be some pretty good pay involved. Anyway, that's where the stones come in." she sipped her orange juice. "During my preparation for Sabrina's gym over here, I was going in and out of the city, although I never strayed too far. When I was a bit to the south, I ran into a…" she scratched at the scalp just above her forehead. "Fairly interesting man who fancied himself something of a collector. Apparently he had hit the jackpot during a recent… "treasure hunt" at one of Fuchsia's mountains. He had not just quite a few Evolution stones on him, but a bunch of valuable materials that can be acquired through mining. A bit too energetically proud of himself if you ask me, but the collection was certainly something. Apparently, he did it for both reasons: he wants in on the Grampa Canyon business for sure, but it's not just a rarity for him. Seems like an addict when it comes to this kind of stuff."

"So, you got the two water stones from him?" Ash inquired.

"More like won." Misty responded. "He had plenty of treasure to spare after all the success he saw, and he offered to wager the two Water stones in a battle… if I wagered all of my money in return."

Face pale, Ash was lucky he hadn't been in the middle of eating or drinking when she revealed that. "You mean… you accepted?!"

Next to him, Janine was equally surprised. "That's… no offense, but what were you thinking?!"

Unable to make eye contact with either, Misty giggled nervously. "I saw those shiny stones that he was flamboyantly flashing in front of my face and… I got greedy. Would've lost every penny I'd worked up from the hot streak I was on if I lost… but I was on top of the world at the time and barely registered those stakes back then." she bit into her burger. "But the good news is… I won! And after smoothing over the preparations, Staryu and Eevee were happily evolved and stronger than ever." elbow resting against the surface of the table, a cheeky grin adorned her face as she looked at Janine whilst gesturing her head in Ash's direction. "Just ask Ash. He got a nice taste."

Amused, Ash chuckled. "I can attest."

Frowning for a moment, Janine looked like she was about to comment on the carelessness of Misty's decision, but a moment later she smiled lightly. "Well… as long as it all worked out for you, I suppose."

Looking between the two girls, a certain vibe settled into Ash's chest. 'They're so opposite.' He didn't need to tell himself that too vehemently, as it went without saying. Especially when he was given the opportunity to observe their table manners side by side.

Still grinning, Misty hummed. "Well, that's the short version of the story. I lucked out pretty well, but I'd like to say I earned those stones all the same."

'Earned them…' Ash casted a side glance over to Eevee, who was currently chatting with Prinplup and Ivysaur whilst digging into her bowl. 'I have three Pokemon that can evolve from stones, and two that outright need them. I've already mentioned it to Eevee, but maybe I should talk to Valiant about what he thinks, too.' Although he only had two potential evolved forms to choose from rather than a multitude, that still meant that the Kirlia had a choice to make. And whether or not a stone was even required would depend on that choice; Gallade required a Dawn Stone whilst Gardevoir evolved traditionally.

"Anywho," Misty kept her eyes on Janine. "I know plenty about Ash, but how's your end treating you? I can always teach him a lesson if he's slowing you down too much." Good-naturedly, she sent an amused grin in response to the boy's eye-roll.

The Fuchsia girl giggled. "No need, he's been just fine. I was recently able to get some help for my Toxtricity from a breeder in Celadon, so everything has been going smoothly for me since then."

"What made you interested in poison types?" Misty inquired.

"I was somewhat brought up like that." Janine replied. "Is it the same for you and water types?"

"Aquatic stuff has always been pretty big in my family." Misty nodded. "Not that I'd ever do something for the sake of copying my sisters, believe me, but I'm in love with the ocean and everything in it. Marine life was my favorite subject at school since day one, and I even did my essay on fishing for the Qualification Exam. Once training became my passion, I opted to combine the two. Came naturally and logically to me." she pointed her thumb to her chest. "And that's why I'm gonna become the greatest water type trainer to ever exist."

"I wish you luck, then." Janine responded approvingly. "You're off to a great start with how well the season has been going for you so far." her smile turned sheepish. "I'd just advise… taking more conservative bets with your opponents."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The Cerulean girl stuck her tongue out. "Don't worry, I'm no dummy. I'll quit where I'm ahead in that department. Best of luck to you, too."

Though their reasons and specialties of choice weren't the same, there was an understanding connection to be had between two up and coming trainers who knew what it was like to possess a passion for a specific typing.

/

With preparations for Sabrina's gym nearing completion, activity amongst the group had mellowed out the following day, in hopes of unwinding to be both physically and mentally prepared for the trial ahead. Pikachu was released from care, and spent the day relaxing in the room, content to pass the day by laying carefree in Ash's bed. Ash was sure to spend a fair amount of time with his starter, and when he wasn't in the room with him, Valiant was still there to keep Pikachu company, the Kirlia himself having chosen to spend the day in relaxation.

With plans to leave the city shortly after he and Janine were done at the gym, Ash had chosen to get a portion of their shopping out of the way for now. He'd hold off on food and TMs until the very end point, but had taken it upon himself to purchase a tent and healing items from the store.

Though Pikachu and Valiant had taken a much deserved (and, in Pikachu's case, needed) day off, other members of the team had taken it upon themselves to put the finishing touches on their training.

Eevee weaved in and out between a patch of rocks as Nebula hovered after her, the stream of golden stars steadily escaping her beak and locking onto the evolution Pokemon, who used the cover to shield herself as she strategically evaded the projectiles.

"That's good, Nebula." Ash called out to the pair. "Keep it up!"

With eager encouragement from both her trainer and training partner, Nebula stepped up her game, the stream of golden stars growing stronger and faster as she increased the effort put into the Swift attack. Eevee continued evading the assault, finding some dust in her view as the onslaught began to take its toll on the nearby rocks that she was using for her cover. Abruptly, Eevee leapt over the gradually growing cloud and launched her own stream of golden projectiles. On reflex, Nebula quickly swerved upwards, avoiding the countering Swift as the stars angled their way after her, towards the sky on the verge of sunset. After leading them higher into the air in a straight line, the Staravia halted, angling her body straight down and launching another Swift from her beak to meet Eevee's own, pursuing one.

As a cloud of smoke spawned from the clashing explosion, Nebula shot straight down, velocity empowered by Quick Attack as her wings turned to metal, dive bombing straight in Eevee's direction. The evolution Pokemon had predicted this, however, and had taken the time Nebula had spent in the air to supercharge her tail with Focus Energy. As Nebula shot out of the lingering cloud of dust, her Steel Wing was met with a well-aimed Iron Tail as a loud CLANG! Spread out through the air around them. Straining, Eevee's teeth clenched as she felt her paws sliding backwards, pushing harder against Nebula's offense as her tail firmly stood its ground against the wing strike that it had intercepted. Nebula, in turn, grinded her beak, attempting to power through Eevee's steadfast defense and pouring more effort into her Quick Attack to further heighten her momentum and force her training partner backwards.

The exchange continued onward as Ash and Tyrunt watched from the side, and the several seconds that it consisted of felt like several minutes, until the two finally parried one another away.

Catching herself in the air, Nebula descended and perched herself on top of a rock, sucking in a deep breath as Eevee landed in a sitting position and did the same. The quadruped lifted her head to eye the bird, who met her gaze. After a moment or two of silence, the two smiled in content as Eevee offered her teammate a bark of approval. Ash couldn't help but find their expressions contagious as he and Tyrunt watched them.

"I guess things have changed, haven't they?" perking up, he turned to see Misty approaching them. She had come to the training grounds with them to practice with her team, but was likely planning to head back to the Center now, as all of her Pokemon seemed to be recalled. "Didn't she hate Nebula's guts at first? Now she's taught her a move."

"Things have had time to clear up." he responded, looking back to see Tyrunt joining the two as a conversation seemed to strike up between the pair. "We're lucky." it would require a lot more work to achieve similar results with Tempest, making it all the more relieving that the tension between Eevee and Nebula was thankfully a situation that had run its natural course. He turned back to Misty. "So, you're leaving in the morning?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sorry I can't stick around, but I at least want to be in Celadon once the gym reopens. And according to the news, they're getting ready for that now. Shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks. Figured I'd get over there and start doing my training around that area." she looked back at Nebula, Eevee, and Tyrunt for a brief moment before continuing. "So, you and Janine are heading over to Sabrina in a couple of days?"

"That's the plan," he responded, instinctively reaching up to his head as a brief gust of wind caught him off guard, but finding no cap to hold down. "Would like to have a full day of taking it easy before we jump over to the big stuff, although I'm not sure how eager Tempest is going to be about that." looking behind him, he spotted the Krabby further down the training grounds, practicing a few of his moves in succession. Before, he had been with Tentacruel and Skrelp, but Janine had left about a half hour ago, so now the river crab trained alone like usual.

"Good idea." Misty nodded. "You can't take any chances with her. The stories about Sabrina are all true." she rubbed her chin. "Well… the ones I've heard, at any rate. Fighting her was a bit disorienting."

"Erika has some tricks up her sleeve herself." Ash said. "Want any tips?"

"Hmmm…thanks, but I'd rather figure it out on my own." her gaze met his eyes. "Same for you?"

He thought it over for a moment or two. It would be nice, but she had put it best. He wouldn't always have the luxury of a friend who just so happened to be in the area giving him direct, specific advice, and things would only get more rough from here on out, so it would be best not to get too used to it. "Yeah," he smiled in confirmation. "It's probably for the best, for both of us."

"Heh," she nodded in agreement before readjusting her backpack and looking back in the direction she would have to leave in order to get to the Center. "Welp, time for me to turn in and get ready to leave tomorrow. Try not to miss my pretty face too much while I'm gone, 'kay?"

With an amused chuckle, Ash rolled his eyes as though it were an involuntary response. "I don't know how I'd ever cope."

"And buy a new cap at some point, I'm not used to seeing your full head of hair." She smirked as Ash rubbed his head, before her face mellowed out. "Seriously though," her expression softened into an easy smile as she offered her hand. "It was great seeing you again, Ash."

Happily accepting, he returned the look as the two shook, tightening their grips on one another to almost the most they could muster. "Same here, take care out there, Misty."

"You should be saying that to the bozos I share the battlefield with." As the two friends separated, she waved while turning to walk off. "See ya down the line."

He simply waved back.

/

In the night sky above the legendary metropolis, the moon found itself surrounded by a cluster of shining stars that gave the pitch black a beautiful shade. From the window in Ash and Janine's room, Nebula was granted a full view of the spectacle as she leaned against the windowsill, resting, but not quite ready to go to sleep just yet.

The same couldn't quite be said for the rest of their respective teams, however. Tempest rested with his back against the wall, content and proud with a good day's work as he snoozed away his workout. Tyrunt was curled up on a pillow with Eevee slightly curled over him, Valiant resting next to the two. Pikachu remained in his trainer's bed, all but his head and ears beneath the covers. At Janine's side of the room, closer to the window itself, Ivysaur rested right next to his trainer's bed at the head, joined by Beedrill. Golbat was at the foot with Toxtricity, whilst tentacruel and Skrelp joined one another at their own corner.

Though most of the team were asleep, the trainers themselves had one more thing left to do before heading to bed.

Stepping out of the bathroom, having finished drying his hair from the shower, Ash turned his attention to the desk, with two side by side chairs. Janine occupied one, using the light from the desk's lamp as her eyes immersed themselves in the text of the book she had laid out in front of her. Settling in for the night, she had untied her ponytail, allowing her purple hair to freely fall down to her shoulders as she silently read through, relaxed and tranquil. Ash had seen her with the book a few times; it was a novel that she had packed with her when leaving home, about a lone ninja warrior traveling between aristocratic cities to challenge the various warriors operating from the shadows to uncover a century-long, continent-spanning mystery. Through her travels, she had been periodically progressing through her third time reading the book.

Upon hearing the door, Janine looked up from her reading and smiled as she saw Ash exiting the bathroom. "Alright, are you ready?"

He nodded. "Yeah." at his answer, she quickly closed the novel after bookmarking it, pushing it to the side of the desk near her backpack as she scooted her chair to the right to make more room for Ash, who sat down in the chair next to her.

Once they were situated, Janine unfolded a massive map across the desk, another thing that she had brought with her for her travels. This map detailed all of Kanto and Johto, and as expansive as a full map of Kanto already was, this full picture of Indigo's mainline put the scope to shame. Both Region's were laid out in such detail (complete with visuals of the cities themselves) that it was like looking at them from an overhead view. Mt. Silver towered over the Indigo Plateau and the mountain range surrounding them and Pewter, a sight that drew Ash's attention towards it faster than anything else on the map, before his eyes began to move across the entire thing.

This was the land that trainers of Indigo traveled. A near endless treasure trove of branching paths, magnificent geography and iconic landmarks to make for an awe inspiring scope, all laid out in a single, desk-sized map.

Ash didn't realize that his mouth was open until he heard Janine's suppressed giggle. "It's a really nice view, isn't it?" Regaining his composure, he looked back at her and nodded as she straightened the picture out a bit better. "I really enjoy looking at this every now and then. Sometimes it's fun to just… take it all in."

Ash couldn't agree more. "To think even Saffron and Celadon are just two small parts of the package."

"Apart from the Plateau and Mt. Silver, I think just about anything is shockingly small when viewed next to the full thing." as she turned her head, she locked eyes with him without effort. "Thankfully, we just have the eastern portion to worry about." her hand rested on Saffron City.

It was hard to tear his eyes away from everything that the map openly offered for him to look at, but Ash was able to manage as his eyes traveled to the subject of the discussion: Easter Kanto.

Turning her gaze back to the map, Janine's tone morphed into its professional, business-esque form. "Vertically speaking, we are roughly in the middle of Kanto at the current moment, on the edge of the Region's east." Her finger lightly pressed against Saffron City, before tracing downward, passing over Vermilion before finally making its way to the mountainous wilderness of Fuchsia, a unique mixture of mountains, forests, and wildlands that many a trainer dreaded traversing through. "Fuchsia makes up the bulk of Kanto's southeastern portion. A straight shot through Vermilion would be the quickest route to take, albeit not exactly short. Fuchsia City itself stands at the far end." her finger finally rested upon her hometown. "If we take this route after we're done with Sabrina and her Gym, it won't be too long before we can stop for a rest at Vermilion, and we could also challenge LT. Surge during our stay. After that, we'd move on downward to Fuchsia territory, which will take longer to get through, and of course, be more difficult."

Ash's mind flashed back as Janine paused to give him time to process as he nodded along to her, eyes laser focused on the easter side of the map. 'I'll have to have a rematch with Surge at some point, but will I be ready that soon? It won't take much time to get to Vermilion if we head south, and his team…' the image of his Raichu firing an enormous, Hyper Beam-esque blast of lightning down at Pikachu was all that he needed to get the point across to himself.

"And our second option, of course…" Janine continued, her finger tracing its way back up to Saffron City before moving eastward. "Is to go east first, to Lavender Town." her finger tip stopped just over the Noble Town, as it was often called. A spiritual town home to limitless ghost type Pokemon and peacefully resting souls, south of the Rock Tunnel and Power Plant. "This will give us another quick place to stop, but it'll be a much longer trip once we move." With fluidity, her finger slid downward across the map; past a bridge over the waters at the furthest, most eastern portion of the Region, as well as Diglett's cave, which was closer to Vermilion, before finally arriving at Fuchsia again. "We won't necessarily have to be out in the wild the entire time, there will be at least one Pokemon Center out there that we can stop at, and given the reputation of the area, as well as how expansive that it is, others have seized the business opportunity to set up occasional lodgings for trainers to use as rest stops. Not to mention, there are a few villages that we can plan our course for. Nevertheless, we'd have to be as tightly packed with supplies as we can manage, and be precise with how we travel; no wasted movements." Lifting her hand off of the map, she looked back at Ash. "That's the short version of the necessary details. Does everything sound right to you?"

He nodded back at her before returning his gaze to the map. "Surge and Koga…" he looked back at her again. "We're talking about two of Indigo's Gym Leaders with the… biggest reputations."

"And taking the longer route means we'll have a lot more time to train and prepare for them." The moment Ash had looked back at her, Janine's purple eyes had found their way to his, her expression completely smoothed out; no signs of anything other than matter-of-fact.

"Especially since we won't be stopping at Vermilion along the way." Ash continued. He looked back at the map. "But it's easily the less surefire choice of the two. Fuchsia's wilderness is the main concern no matter what, but it'll take longer to get there from Lavender than it would from Vermilion. We'd have to do everything we can to hit the rest stops, and probably get more money from battling other trainers to make sure we have the necessary supplies; without draining our wallets."

"It will definitely be bigger resource management than either of us have needed in the past." Janine nodded in confirmation. "We would probably need an additional day or two to prepare before leaving this city to go to Lavender."

"And unless we reach a village along the way to Fuchsia…" Ash scratched his head, his face growing uneasy. "We'll be away from civilization for a long time."

He could feel her frown. "That's the biggest negative to you, isn't it?"

Ash's mind raced its way back to the terrible week in Viridian Forest. Even if the Bug Catcher Gang had made it far worse, it had still been one deprived of security and comfort. If they chose the latter path to take, they would be out there far longer than then, and apart from the ghost stories centered around Viridian Forest, Fuchsia was a far more infamous place.

"You've already warned me," he admitted to her with slight unease. "That I couldn't get away from that once we got to Fuchsia territory." he sighed. "It's just… going to be a huge step up, although that's true even if we take the "easier" path." it was true; one way or another, they would eventually be going through Fuchsia no matter what.

"It's not that I don't understand." Janine's professional tone didn't change as her finger traced the map. "That's why I haven't been fully decided myself."

The brief moment of silence that fell between them was comfortable, they rookies accessing a map that detailed the full scope of their magnificent travels, and sharing the moment with one another as they contemplated the future of their travels.

"Still though," Ash finally broke the silence. "The main benefit of going to Vermilion first would be to get a gym challenge more quickly. In this case, against Surge." his face tightened. "And he's as bad as Koga."

"And even if we were to compromise and simply challenge him to see how it goes, and leave for Fuchsia afterwards regardless of the result," Janine's eyes hovered over the map in deep thought. "That would still leave us with less time to prepare for Koga."

Ash hummed, voice transitioning from unease to acceptance. All of a sudden, the choices didn't seem as even, as though the risk-versus-reward aspect had been flipped over. "We could be shooting ourselves in the foot with the so-called "easy" option." his muscles relaxed. 'I've already lost to Surge once, and I didn't want to come back until I knew for a fact that I was ready. If we take the long path to train ourselves up, no matter how awful the terrain might get, Koga could be the one to make me see if I'm ready.' After all, Koga was one of the few Gym Leaders in Indigo who the training community feared as much as Surge. What better way to get a clear cut answer for himself?

Janine allowed her expression to ease, face slightly softening as a small smile curved its way up her lips. "You should know, I've been to the same parts of Indigo that you've had. I know more about Fuchsia in general, but in practice, this will be new for both of us." she glanced back at Vermilion, gaze lingering for a moment. "That's why I do find it tempting to take whatever "safer route" that we can get out of this." her fingers drummed against the desk. "But Fuchsia isn't just infamous for its harsh wilderness and terrain; it's also famous for being a fantastic playground for training."

"For the same reasons it's infamous." Ash finished for her, looking back at the map. "The difference is who's able or willing to take it." Another lingering silence fell between the two, but it was a pause that he broke once more. Exhaling a deep breath, he turned back to his friend, face more steel.

'Be proactive. Set your own example, like Suzie said.'

"I'm not sure being "ready" is the point, now that I think about it." she looked at him curiously, hands followed over the middle of the map as his brown eyes found their way to hers. He smiled a bit; it wasn't a wide grin, only just visible enough to convey what needed to be conveyed. And that was to bring out the readiness on his face, reflective of the fire yearning to burn in his chest.

The wildfire of a future Champion.

"Trainers can't always be ready for everything, and that's part of the challenge." he pointed out, eyes just as firmly locked on hers as the other way around. Just as professional. "I'm up for that challenge."

His friend chuckled through her closed lips, grinning back at him. "Then it's time we both passed that challenge. Lavender it is." she offered her hand, and Ash was quick to accept.

There were no tightening grips in this handshake, no playful competition for dominance. Simply two partners on the same page.

His rematch with LT. Surge would come in time, but for now, they had a long term plan to plot out. And once they had cleared their heads at Lavender Town, they would tear through Kanto's infamous Fuchsia terrain and take the fight to Koga.

Neither forgot the task currently at hand, however. Their business in Saffron wasn't done yet, and the battle to come would be the test, the gateway to the next level they were prepared to pursue.