Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

Getting back on track was easier due to an influx of trainers looking to explore Meteor Falls. They didn't know about wild Pokémon around the area hiding at every opportunity but were willing to stick around for battles. Most of them made wagers under 2,500P which was fine with me; I didn't push the issue. Everybody on my team got relatively the same amount battle experience. However, there was some frustration mounting.

Magneton was the main culprit since its strength was growing without the prospect of evolving. I was able to get my partner out of a rut by talking things out, but it took longer each time. Aggron was visibly annoyed battling anything not fully evolved. He simply went through the motions during his victories. Altaria pouted every morning when I told her Winona wasn't coming to visit; she still listened to me otherwise. I left a voicemail and it took days for her to respond.

"Sorry I didn't get back you earlier. I listened to your message then got distracted by an influx of trainers. It's crunch time for everyone," Winona said with the wind whipping in the background. I could barely hear her.

"Not a problem. When are you available?" She must've stepped inside the tunnel leading to the field since the wind stopped.

"Tomorrow late morning or afternoon works depending on where you are. I want it to be light out and I have challengers the following day early in the morning."

I got a little nervous. "I'm by Fallarbor Town. Does quarter to noon work? If that's too long of a trip, I can meet you somewhere else."

"Don't worry about it! That distance combined with the right pace isn't a problem for Skarmory. Meet up at the Pokémon Center?"

"Sounds good! See you then!" I sighed after hanging up.

Maybe it would have been better to lie about my current location. I was still uncomfortable about exposing my third home to her. It soon dawned on me that I didn't have to take her to the makeshift field. Any open area would do.

"Glad to hear you set something up with her. Should we pick anything up?" Jack said at dinner.

"Actually, I'm not planning to stick around. The less people that know I live here, the better," I replied.

Jack didn't miss a beat. "You can bring extra snacks if you're going to be out all day."

"Some for the flight home too," Rebecca added. "Should be a nice day for it if you end before quarter to five."

"Let me guess… rain?"

"Thunderstorms. You know how bad it can get out here," Rebecca said. I cursed under my breath. At least Winona was punctual.

I gathered enough things for a day trip plus some extra food for the leader's return flight. The gear she got me was highly uncomfortable for casual wear, but it beat changing at the center or out in the wilderness. Sealeo was the only one who didn't want to tag along. He wanted more private time with Delcatty. Altaria happily chirped on the flight into town.

More people were wandering the streets from above, mostly on the southwest side. Another pocket of people was hanging out around the Pokémon Center front door; Winona wasn't in the crowd. I was a little unnerved at the spike in activity.

"So many new faces. Is there something going on?" I asked Nurse Joy.

"Professor Cozmo and his assistants are hosting a conference about meteorites. The information is online if you're interested!"

"I think I'll pass. By the way, any update on the Absol situation?" She saw the stress in my eyes.

"Nothing, but there haven't been any more incidents on my end."

My PokéNav buzzed courtesy of Winona. "If you'll excuse me, I have some training to do."

"Good luck! Still good for volunteering later this week?"

"Yup!"

Skarmory was eating out of her hand on the side of the Pokémon Center when I walked outside. The large steel bird stopped to look at me. Winona wore red flying gear almost a size too big with a small backpack attached. A black helmet covered her usual style on top and the rest was tucked in her jacket. The goggles were heavily tinted. She checked her watch.

"On time! So, I scoped out the surrounding area before I left and found a nice training spot. Or did you have one?" she asked.

"Lead the way. You're the teacher." She smiled before we took off.

Our destination was two old excavation sites just to the west of town. There were two more ahead, but she felt it was too close to the famous fossil maniac house. She let her hair out and removed the red gear in favor of her traditional gym leader attire. There was a sigh of relief slipped in.

"Feeling alright?" I asked.

"Yeah." She looked down at the red coat.

"Worried about people challenging you on the spot?" I joked. It appeared to hit harder than I thought.

"That's only part of it."

Judging by the long pause, I figured it was best not to push the issue with my lesson about to start. Everyone was let out to do as they pleased.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"Going over what I taught you last time for starters. You've had a lot of time to practice." An earpiece was thrown into my hand. "Let me see the results."

After a quick warmup, Winona gave me flying directions. The goal was to react as fast and accurately as possible; we succeeded. Altaria remembered the corresponding body part to go up, down, left, right, speed up, or slow down. It felt effortless. More importantly, my partner hardly broke a sweat.

Winona ordered us in for a landing. The applause after dismounting was genuine. Our previous session was not a waste of time. Any doubts about my training schedule for Altaria were also gone.

"Ready for the next step? It's a big jump," the leader noted.

"Let's move on," I replied.

"Very well. For the next exercise… my Pokémon will attack you. All I want you to do is dodge." My heart skipped a beat. "Ranged attacks only. Specifically, Pelipper's Water Pulse and Altaria's Dragon Breath."

Two drastically different moves in their potential harm to me in addition to Altaria. "How will that work?"

"Pelipper will go first. It will be in front of you but also be stationary. Once you get a feeling for the situation, the attacks will come out quicker. Then we'll have Pelipper fly by your side or stay ahead of you while also attacking. Altaria will follow with the same routine."

"Nothing from behind?"

"That's too dangerous for now."

I was mildly annoyed. "It's not like I get to choose when or how a Pokémon will attack me. Besides, this is a safe environment."

She shook her head. "You need to get a feel for the basics first."

"What if I get attacked from behind before you teach me?"

"The answer is in the drill. Stay even with your attacker or slow down so that they end up in front. If push comes to shove during an escape, turn and face your target when possible. Counterattacking during the drill will end any future lessons you had plans for too. Understand?"

"Fine," I sighed.

"Okay. You won't need the earpiece because I'll go up on Altaria." Swellow and Skarmory came out. "These two will catch you if something goes wrong."

Aggron shot a glare at the steel bird. I gave him my own glare before he turned away shaking his head. Skarmory took a step forward then realized it had a job to do; Winona didn't have to do anything.

Pelipper took its place in the air. I set myself up a reasonable distance away. Winona got behind her Pokémon then gave the order to fire. The blast of water came in faster than I thought.

"Down!"

Altaria dodged in plenty of time but I was still rattled. Snapshots of being attacked by a Flamethrower from Jon's Growlithe over a year ago didn't help either. Like a child, I closed my eyes and viciously shook my head to make the memory go away. Winona waited for me to give her a signal to continue.

Firing off multiple shots in a scattered pattern at once wasn't a problem for Pelipper. The hidden emphasis was to dodge in different directions so we wouldn't get complacent. Altaria didn't appear to be tired by the end. It felt great to experience the results of her conditioning rather than just see it.

"Could be a little crisper on some of those," Winona said half-jokingly when she flew over.

"Hey, it doesn't have to be pretty," I replied while shrugging my shoulders. "Do I get to be a moving target now?"

"Fly to your heart's content. I will give instructions to Pelipper then land. Landing or falling off will result in a stoppage. Ready?"

"You know it."

The water and flying type nodded at her directions during preparations. The moment I started to move was the moment I got shot at. Water Pulse was fired in my path ahead of me.

"Up! Up!" I screamed.

Altaria climbed almost on a dime but I still felt some mist from the passing attack. Instead of chasing me from behind, Pelipper flew away from me. It got closer to the ground then turned up to fire. The increased distance between us gave me more time to dodge. I felt her slowing down and her body heating up. A swift hit to her back got her to stop; I was glad she remembered that signal. Winona's Pokémon stopped as well.

"Don't attack. I know it sucks, but now is not the time," I pleaded.

Finishing the set yielded no further problems. I went with a mix of verbal and nonverbal orders plus dodging in different directions. The Water Bird Pokémon nonchalantly flew back to its trainer upon running out of attacks. Winona waved us in for a landing.

"Best to take a break at this point. How did it feel?" she said.

"Oddly enough, kind of fun." I started to take off some gear. "That feeling will go out the window if I get hit."

Winona looked forlorn. "You're right. Flying on the back of your Pokémon in the open sky is supposed to be fun."

I took out everyone's lunch. "Are you really okay with all this? If it's making you uncomfortable, I can find someone else to teach me. No disrespect intended."

"No, you're fine. Defensive flying is a necessary thing and any good instructor will teach it. This has more serious implications."

After our break, we got set for round two. Altaria had cooled off and I trusted her not to attack her double on the other side. Winona went up on Skarmory's back with Swellow and Tropius on emergency catching duty. My team went from lounging round to being alert after takeoff.

There was a sense of uneasiness in the air as both dragon types got into position. Dragon Breath was not that intimidating on paper. The thought of being attacked by it while on a Pokémon weak to it was a different story. Then there was the paralysis factor. I shuddered before taking a few deep breaths. The first sight of green flames got to me.

"Left!" I called out almost immediately.

We dodged so early that it was comical how inaccurate the original blast was. That pattern continued for every stationary attack. It made sense for Winona to move on to quicker stationary attacks.

Her Altaria fired waves of fire that travelled faster than Pelipper's Water Pulse. I eventually gave up on specific commands in favor of instinct. The onslaught slowly turned into the second phase where we flew around the area. Linoone yelped at a few close calls we had early on.

Between blasts deep into the set, Altaria's breathing became heavier. Her speed had also gone down a bit. I waited too long to stop since yet another attack was headed in front of us while also being a few feet higher. Pulling on her plumes was supposed to be an emergency turn, but she shot up. The unexpected maneuver caused me to lose focus and my grip.

Altaria turned around to catch me but got hit due to the attack still passing through the area. She couldn't stabilize and I was screaming for my life. My team panicked while I spiraled toward the ground; their screams cut through the rushing wind. The gear provided an odd sense of comfort because nothing was flailing around.

A sudden stop in momentum knocked the wind out of me while knocking some sense into me. Tropius had done its job well even if my chest was sore. Swellow guided Altaria to the ground by digging its talons into her wings. At its core, it was the equivalent to me lifting an intoxicated person up from underneath their arms.

"Altaria!" I gasped upon landing. My legs felt like jelly and I couldn't make it to her. Winona got to work immediately after Skarmory dropped her off.

"Ryan, I'm using a Full Restore! She should be fine. What about you?" she yelled out of concern.

"Give me a second." Those four words physically hurt to say. "Think I'm good. I'm going to lie down for a bit."

Linoone sprinted over to my side then circled me not knowing what to do. Aggron checked to make sure I was good before heading over to Altaria. Ninetales worked on calming Linoone down. I stayed on the ground for a few minutes then Magneton helped me get up.

"How's she doing?" I asked.

"Just fine," she replied while comforting my Pokémon. I carefully sat next to Altaria so I could cradle her.

"Let's call it a day."

"Beat me to it. Sure you're fine?"

"Positive. I just need a few minutes to rest." Linoone climbed into my lap. "Okay, maybe longer. You staying or heading out?"

"Staying, of course. You're not exactly in the best condition to be left alone."

I found lying on by back was the most comfortable position. Winona did some of her own tricks outside my field of vision to pass the time. Aggron was still concerned about the sleeping Altaria so I handed her over to him before taking a nap. Gray clouds covering the sun woke me up. I checked my PokéNav.

"Four o'clock already?" I called home then recalled my team. "Is rain still in the forecast or is it just cloudy?"

"Rain at a 95% chance by the house. It's supposed to last a couple of hours," Rebecca said. "Where are you?"

"Old excavation sites to the west of town." The flying leader was still up in the sky. "Look, we'll probably come back to the house. Please don't give Winona any impression that it's my place too. Treat me like I'm coming back to visit."

"You got it! I'll tell Jack. Latios isn't home either."

Winona landed once the wind picked up. "Looks like a storm is coming. We should head for the Pokémon Center."

"There's also my house to the south by Meteor Falls."

"I thought you grew up in Mauville?"

Shit! I blew my cover. "I did. I also consider where we're going my second home. Remember my story? Those are the people who helped me after I fell down the waterfall. They said I could come back anytime. Can't miss it since it's the only house for miles."

"Hop on Tropius with me."

We arrived at the front door with a decent amount of time to spare. Rebecca ushered us in and played her role perfectly. There was some small talk about finally meeting since we were all tangled in this Shadow Pokémon web.

After I "informed" her of what happened, she offered to show Winona to the shower and do her laundry. Then it hit me: Sealeo was roaming around somewhere. I had to come up with a reason for his absence. He came downstairs with Delcatty after the shower had turned on.

"Did you see anyone upstairs?" Sealeo looked confused. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

Rebecca came back. "I'll get a warm stew going for dinner."

"Thank you." I saw the rain starting to come down outside. "Pokémon Center's probably full. I think she would be miserable waiting out the storm there. Hopefully, the weather cooperates on her way home."

"Clear skies after 9 o'clock."

"Oh man… she's going to feel awful tomorrow." Jack walked in.

"Possibly. There's also a chance she'll be energized from resting here first," he said. "You were really adamant about not bringing her back. What happened?"

"I'm returning the favor from last time we met."

Jack game the green light for us to release our Pokémon for dinner once the leader came down. He jumped back at how big Tropius was prompting a quiet laugh from Winona. My team was confused as to why they were cooped up longer than normal.

The meal went smoother than I expected. I forgot to account for Salamence's behavior, but he warmed up to Winona almost instantly. She also did most of the talking since the housekeepers initiated the small talk. I chimed in every so often to make it less awkward. I told her Sealeo was mine and said I pulled him from the PC storage system because he didn't want to hang our earlier. She bought it.

"Your clothes should be done, Winona. Where would you like them?" Rebecca asked.

"On the couch is fine. Thank you. Oh! Thank you both for dinner as well."

"Not a problem. Would you like any dessert? We have chocolate ice cream," Jack said.

"I'll have a bowl," Winona replied.

"Same," I added.

Both housekeepers left the dining room along with all the Pokémon. With no distractions, I noticed how exhausted she looked. It wouldn't have surprised me if she fell asleep at the table. The ice cream perked her up a bit.

"Hey Winona, I wanted to… expand… on something I noticed." She encouraged me to go on. "You really weren't yourself when we met this morning." There was a moment of regret written on her face that turned into defeat.

"Life as a gym leader means you lose a lot of privacy. People are usually respectful to me when I'm off the clock. However, meeting you out here meant I needed to keep a low profile."

I stopped poking around after that. There was no telling what would happen if certain people found out about why she was vising in the first place. Eventually, she went upstairs to rest. I passed out on the couch. The storm had passed around quarter to nine. Winona gathered her things.

"Heading out?" I asked while getting up.

"Safe enough for me," she replied. "Night vision goggles also help."

"How come that wasn't in the package you gave me last time?" I playfully teased.

"To make sure you come back for night lessons." The way she said it was a mix of playful, serious, and mildly seductive. A small grin drove it home.

I tried not to blush. "If you say so. Anyway, I'm staying here for the night. Call me when you get home." We shared a hug.

"I will. Good luck with your training. Don't overwork yourself or your Pokémon."

"Vacation's already planned. Dewford has a spelunking event a week before the league's opening ceremony."

She was intrigued. "Brawly always sets something up for the leaders. I might see you there! Take care!"

I saw her out and gave her the food for the return flight. Altaria strutted past me with her eyes closed and a cheeky smile on her face when I went back inside. Following her along with the rest of the Pokémon upstairs was something I was too tired to do. I thanked the housekeepers for playing dumb. There was a knock on the door a half hour later.

A man with black hair and a tan trench coat was fixing his tie when Jack answered. He also wore a brown suit with a white dress shirt to go with brown pants. A black suitcase was in his hand.

"How may I help you sir?" Jack asked. The man pulled out a wallet with a golden Poké Ball symbol.

"My name is Looker. I'm a member of the international police. I was wondering if the residents here would be willing to answer questions about a recent event involving an Absol," I heard him say from the door.

Jack was caught off-guard. "Uh, yes. Follow me to the dining room."

The two went back and forth for a few minutes but I was too far away to hear what they were saying. Rebecca came downstairs to see what was going on then waited in the living room with me. She followed suit once Jack came back.

A flash came from the kitchen before the second round of questioning. The sound of Pokémon food being poured had me curious. Just like the first time, I couldn't hear the conversation. That changed when they were done.

"Nothing else for me. Thank you for your time Rebecca," Looker said while walking out of the kitchen. "Is Ryan here by chance?"

Good. He didn't see me on the way in. I was ready to become lost in a pile of blankets and pillows when he got his answer.

"Yes. I will get him. Please understand he may be a little exhausted from his earlier training." Looker went back to the dining room.

Rebecca intentionally went out of her way to find me. She went upstairs first, opening every door, coming back down, checking the sunroom, then finally reaching me. She told me to take my time answering. I scowled at her before leaving.

"Ryan! Pleasure to meet you. Agent Looker from the international police," he said while offering a handshake. "This is my trusty partner, Croagunk."

I vaguely remembered looking up data on the small Pokémon at Looker's feet: a fighting and poison type with the ability to evolve. It was surprisingly polite by offering its own handshake.

"Nice to meet you both. What can I do for you?"

A manilla folder was pulled out of his briefcase. "There was a report of an overly aggressive Absol wandering around this area. Did you encounter it by any chance?"

One does not become a field agent for the international police by accident. Lying to him on a simple question would be a disaster. Even telling a half-truth was a risk. My only hope was to stay on track without letting him control the conversation too much along with not showing any signs of nervousness.

"I did while training just over a week ago."

He scribbled something down. "Can you recall how the encounter went?"

"Apparently it had gone after a hiker earlier in the day. I was around here when the hiker told me what was going on. Absol showed up, my Magneton battled it, ended up killing it because I couldn't catch it. Rebecca called Nurse Joy the next morning."

I felt comfortable with mentioning the killing aspect. Doing so while out in the wild was more acceptable compared to any other situation. Killing for fun and poaching were prohibited. An obvious tell for either case would be missing body parts.

"Hmm, I see. Did it belong to another trainer by chance?"

My stomach felt like it was in a knot. A door was open for more information, but was it a trap? How much did the other two say before it was my turn?

"I don't see another reason why I wouldn't be able to catch it," I responded as calmly as possible. "Or am I missing something?"

Looker reached inside his briefcase but had second thoughts. There was something he knew that I didn't.

"There was a report of a Machop who could not be recalled into its trainer's ball while having similar symptoms. Was that trainer you by chance?" Croagunk's interest was piqued. I turned to it for a second.

"No. In fact, my team has a massive disadvantage against them. This fella here would cause some problems. Fingers crossed I won't run into too many at the upcoming tournament."

The small talk didn't work. "Have you seen any other wild Pokémon acting out around here?"

"Not here, not anywhere around Hoenn." He scribbled more notes then got up.

"Thank you for your time. Best of luck at Ever Grande City."

After politely declining Jack's invitation to stay the night, he left. We waited a few minutes to ensure he was gone. The stress on the two finally got to them as they crashed on the couch. I was more upset than anything.

"You mind telling me what the hell just happened? Because I sure as hell don't know," I growled.

"I wish I knew. That was unexpected," Jack groaned.

"Obviously. So why would you let him in and offer a room?" I turned to Rebecca. "Ratting me out didn't help either."

"He only wanted to ask about Absol," she replied while trying not to snap.

"Well he added Machop at the end! What did you two say to him!?"

Jack started pacing. "Nothing that would put you in a bad spot. My money is on Nurse Joy cooperating with the investigation. She's probably a branch on Looker's information tree."

The fear that was put in me with that statement rivaled me jumping into the upper river a year ago. Current and former employees at Pokémon Services were all potential contacts. Gym leaders would be foolish not to report unusual Pokémon behavior; Winona may have told the league in some way. Rustboro scientists were in the process of Absol's autopsy.

"Guarantee he'll cross paths with us again," I said.

"Lawyering up will help in the long run. Doctor Ellis knew a few despite not needing one. I'm sure they would be willing to offer their services. There's probably going to be a retainer fee," Rebecca replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. How much?"

"Paying 50,000P isn't too farfetched," Jack said with a straight face. "Part of their job is to make sure you don't accidentally incriminate yourself."

"Holy shit! That's a huge chunk of change!" I said in disbelief. Rebecca took a deep breath.

"Master… Looker might not be so friendly in his questioning next time," she noted softly.

All of a sudden, money was inconsequential. Having some legal protection was the difference between years in prison or walking away unscathed. Not to mention I wanted to keep my promise of keeping as many other people close to me out of trouble as possible.

"Can I do it in the morning? I want to sleep," I said.

"We'll take care of everything. Rest," Jack replied.

During my bedtime routine, I checked for any updates on Pokémon Services or other unusual activity. A red banner grabbed my attention. Ardos had stepped down from his position as a result of the raid. I scrolled through and the reason given was "accounting inconsistencies" which was a mixed blessing. There was no public response from authorities.

On one hand, the reputation of Ardos and his business was damaged, and his cash flow would take a hit. On the other hand, it was not enough to sink him or the business. The fact he was still walking around a free man was frustrating. Better that than nothing, though. I got a text just before I closed my eyes.

Made it home safely. Thank you for taking care of me.

After slogging through more training and dropping 50,000P for a lawyer, the vacation date had arrived. All I needed was a drawstring bag with sunscreen, my PokéNav, a bottle of water, a sandwich bag to hold money, a towel, a change of clothes, six Super Potions, and a flashlight. The event formally lasted two days and the golden rule was: explore at your own risk.

I encouraged Jack and Rebecca to come along at least for the beach, but they respectfully declined. Salamence was willing to fly me to Dewford early in the morning; he wanted a change of scenery for a bit. Flying on his back in a tank top and bathing suit without footwear was cold at first but felt great once the sun came up.

Other trainers took the same approach as we got over the open water. Those who couldn't fit on the backs of their Pokémon were safely carried. Boat clusters near the shore indicated a fairly large crowd. Anyone who wasn't distracted pointed up at the influx of flying trainers. I fed Salamence outside the Pokémon Center before sending him back seeing as he wasn't comfortable around large groups.

Vendors were sprawled out over town selling everything from cheap souvenirs to beach gear to valuable hold items. My only purchases were an umbrella to rent and inexpensive flip flops. The playful heckling made me feel like I was back home in Mauville. Overall, Dewford had a nice atmosphere. The beach on route 106 was controlled chaos.

Lifeguards had temporary stations set up equidistant from each other along the route. Aside from their usual duties, they were instructed to watch for battles outside of proper areas. Pokémon could roam around, but trainers were responsible for their actions. The thought of scouting potential opponents was gone the moment I set up my spot somewhat close to the water equidistant from Granite Cave and town.

"You guys have been working so hard! Take in some sun, sleep, go in the water, whatever. Behave yourselves."

Sealeo bolted to the ocean. Aggron carefully dug his personal sand hole to sleep in. Linoone laid on his back next to me; Magneton on the other side but preferred the sand. Altaria spread my feet apart so she could stay on the towel. Ninetales sprawled out on her stomach and promptly fell asleep.

Getting to a more relaxed state took some time. Even after I closed my eyes, I had it in the back of my mind that something bad could happen to me at any moment. I also worried about Sealeo causing trouble. Thankfully, neither happened. I was brought back to reality by an airhorn from a distance.

"Come closer to shore! Get on your boats! Tentacool swarm coming through soon!" a lifeguard casually said using a megaphone.

Six Wailmer were called out to form a makeshift barrier separating the people from the passing Jellyfish Pokémon. Sealeo reluctantly swam to shallower water as I walked to the ocean edge. They were moving through like their life depended on it. I saw the same lifeguard glued to their radio as things started to thin out. The last Tentacool was so far back that I assumed it was the cause of the swarm. It stopped for a second then fired a Poison Sting attack at a Wailmer.

"Drive it away! Everyone out of the water now!" the lifeguard ordered. The six Wailmer could only keep it at bay. A radio was pulled out. "Requesting backup for one abnormally strong Tentacool. Over."

"Are you fucking serious? How is it winning? Over," another voice droned over the radio.

"Hard to tell. It went from using Poison Sting to just ramming into them. Over."

"I'm on my way. Over."

By the time a supervisor showed up only one Wailmer was still conscious. The chiding stopped when Tentacool made a break for the shoreline after dealing with its last obstacle. Those who did not have Pokémon or did not want to get involved understandably fled. Trainers who stuck around were ready to battle if necessary.

"Crawdaunt, Night Slash!" the supervisor ordered.

One hit sent the poison and water type scrambling back to deeper waters. Crawdaunt followed it out to make sure it didn't have second thoughts about coming back. The crowd mumbled among themselves trying to comprehend what happened. I snuck closer to the two lifeguards.

"Very unusual. Tentacool around here only battle if someone bumps into them or fish them out with a rod. You check in with the other posts. I'll deal with Brawly and the rest of the organizing committee," the supervisor said. My body stiffened. Maybe it was distressed from something else and instinctively lashed out.

With the time approaching quarter after one, I packed my things up. I figured eating lunch and getting out of the sun for a bit would help with spelunking later. There were murmurs of the incident on the way back to town from other beachgoers.

Brawly and I eventually crossed paths only for a second. He was walking to the scene with a concerned look on his face. People were nervous about hollering to him. He was still willing to wave if they did. Two familiar faces saw me on the edge of town as they were heading to the beach.

"Glad to see you made it Ryan! Enjoying the nice weather?" Winona asked.

She looked amazing in her swimwear despite the obvious sunburn on her shoulders. Flannery was wearing a red coverup so I couldn't tell if she was in the same boat. She did have a sunglasses tan going on.

"Probably not as much as you," I replied with a grin trying not to laugh.

Flannery played along. "It's going to suck once you put your flying gear back on."

"Tell me about it," Winona said while rolling her eyes. Her attention went back to me. "So where are you off to?"

"Lunch then spelunking. What about you two?"

"Walking the beach for now. Maybe stop into Granite Cave to escape the heat. Maybe take a nap at Brawly's gym after since that's where we're staying. We're just going with the flow of things," Flannery said.

A small group of people noticed the two leaders. We took that as our cue to wrap things up. The fire leader eventually took the initiative to meet them halfway once they started moving closer. Winona leaned toward me.

"Stop by the gym after sundown if you're still around and need a place to sleep. It's closed to the public, but I'll let you in," she whispered in my ear. The soft smile after made me feel flush. I couldn't think of anything to say as she walked over to help Flannery.

Granite Cave proved to be busier than I expected after lunch. It was essentially a free-for-all. People literally left no stone unturned trying to find items left behind by nature or careless trainers. I opted to fly over the steep slope at the west end because I didn't have a Mach Bike.

A ladder put in place by the league took me down to the second level. The more serious treasure hunters were milling about. Some parts of the area required a flashlight while another part was flooded from the ocean. One misstep would get a person swept out to sea. I went to work in a safer area. A sparking object embedded in a rock caught my eye.

"Okay Aggron, I need your help. Gently remove this rock from the wall please." He did and with an awful signal from my PokéNav, I looked up my prize. "Normal Gem. Wonder what I could get for that?"

Experienced divers surfaced in the flooded area holding a bag full of items. Apparently, they were part of a team since their leader came over to inspect their findings. I found myself staring at them.

"Vitamins galore! Some poor bastard probably lost a shipment overboard from Slateport." They looked at me. "What? You want one or something?"

"If you want to give me one, I'll take it. If you don't, I'm going to be pissed but I'll understand. Those sell for 4,900P if you don't use them on your Pokémon."

They looked at each other. "Mister economics over here knows his stuff. Where you from?" the leader asked.

"Mauville." A boisterous laugh made me flinch.

"I recognize that east side attitude. How many Pokémon you got?"

"Six. I'm competing in the tournament next week."

That seemed to interest the crew. "I'm willing to spot you six vitamins."

"Boss!"

"Quiet! I was in this same position back when I was a trainer. This kid could be doing more important things. He's willing to investigate this cave and get his hands dirty to get a leg up on the competition." I was handed what I asked for. "Watch out for wild Pokémon the deeper you go. Same goes for the water level."

My search on the rest of the floor yielded no results. It was 4:30 when I made the decision to go even lower. There were even less people on the third level due to more pools of water, an absence of light, and a maximum height of about a dozen feet near the entrance to the level. It decreased to about nine feet quickly. Jagged rocks dug into my flip flops. Wild Pokémon snarled at Aggron as we walked past them since they didn't want a piece of him.

Our haul was great. A Star Piece, two pearls, and one repel were from the surface courtesy of Aggron's careful wall breaking skills. Between all my items, my bag was stuffed. I looked over to a pool of water.

"Sealeo, come on out!" He clapped when I shined the flashlight on him. "Dive in there and bring up anything you see. You don't need to go out to sea."

He happily dove and I waited a solid fifteen minutes until he resurfaced with a small marble-looking object in his mouth. It was perfectly round and clear with turquoise and light blue substances inside. I couldn't look it up because my PokéNav couldn't get a signal.

We went with to other pools hoping to continue my lucky streak. Unfortunately, Sealeo came up empty every time. His endurance was on par with Altaria's flying. I was confident he could carry me along route 128 if Altaria needed a break.

It got to a point where we were far away from anyone else. Aggron had to deal with a horde of Zubat every so often. It was closing in on 6:30 when I came across one of the last pools remaining in the nine-foot tall portion of the cave. There was a section leading to a larger room with a higher ceiling, but I didn't want to risk staying too late.

"Okay, this'll be the last one. Ready?"

All was calm until the pool erupted like a geyser. Sealeo came up panting and I instantly became nervous. I had to use two Super Potions to make him feel better. No status ailments either. Whatever attacked him chose not to surface.

To my surprise, he spat out another marble. The colors inside were mostly white and graphite with a hint of silver. I rubbed his belly for his efforts; he embraced it.

"Good boy! Did you have fun today?" He purred like a fine-tuned boat. "I figured! Rest up."

Walking back to the ladder turned out to be a pain. The main path had standing water up to my ankles. A horde of Mawile came out of the muddy ground to protect their territory. Aggron fought them off all at once but he wasn't a fan of the water. Unfortunately, he was my best choice for protection because he had the offense and defense to deal with being ganged up on in a cramped area. Altaria, Linoone, and Ninetales needed space to work, Sealeo needed a breather, and using Magneton's electricity was not ideal.

Footsteps started coming from behind me as I got into a more open area. The fact that no humans were around made me shiver. One yank of my bag had me screaming. A Sableye was digging around as I tried to shake it off. It only managed to snag the marble containing the graphite coloring then ran back to the pools laughing.

"Hey! Come back here you little shit!"

I swapped Aggron for Linoone before giving chase. The small adrenaline rush made me more confident running barefoot. My partner was out of sight, but I heard the two Pokémon going at it. When I caught up, Linoone landed a Shadow Claw sending the mischievous thief to the ground for good. The item was returned to me.

"Go on, shoo," I said.

The Darkness Pokémon looked past us then quickly scattered off the beaten path. A distinct noise came from the direction I was trying to go. The smell of salt intensified in addition to a surge of mist.

"Linoone, return! Altaria, get me to safety!"

Despite the low headroom, I flew deeper into the cave. The rush of water was catching up. We passed the last pool Sealeo explored and entered the section I didn't want to explore. It wasn't as tall as Shoal Cave's area, but Altaria had more room to work with.

Ocean water flooded the lower part of the area with a vengeance. I wasn't too nervous since the rush slowed down after a few minutes. There were no ledges to rest on, so I had Altaria make one by using a weak Dragon Pulse. She made a small crater high up where I could stand in.

All I could do was turn my light off and wait.

Hard to believe this story is already three years old. Going forward, Looker is going to be portrayed here like he is in the Pokémon Generations series on YouTube. Have a good day and I will see you next chapter :)

-W4f