A/N: This is kind of a long author's note, but bear with me—everything here is important to the future of this series.

I'm sorry for the long hiatus regarding this story. Even though it may seem like it, I've never given this fic up, and I think I may have a solution that will help me break through my writer's block and get this series moving again.

Some readers may already know this, but to those who haven't heard, I wanted to spread the word that I am currently rewriting TMRC from the start. That means that after this update, this version of the fic will be discontinued, and I will be writing a new draft. I'm sorry if this is disappointing to anyone, but because the writing and some of the ideas in these chapters are so dated, I feel like this is the best option for me as a writer.

So what does that mean for the future of this series? Well, I'm actually in the process of writing the new draft already. Camp NaNoWriMo is underway all through July, and the new draft of TMRC: Origins is my project for the month. It's only Day 3 right now, and I've already written 15,000 words into the draft (and counting,) all of them part of entirely new scenes I never made it to in the old draft.

Once the month is over, if the draft is complete, I will begin editing it right away. If it isn't, I will decide whether I want to start editing what I have or finish the rest of the draft first. Either way, I predict the entire process may take me at least a month, but I'm also aiming to upload the starting chapters of the new draft before November, since I will be participating in NaNoWriMo again and focusing on my original writing. Therefore, I will tentatively set a goal frame of September or October for posting the new TMRC.

Now, since I know that posting author's notes in place of chapters technically isn't allowed on this site, I've decided to treat you to a preview of what you can expect to see in the future. The scene below is one I would have eventually reached in this draft, maybe around Chapter 5 or 6. This writing comes completely raw and barely edited from yesterday's session of Camp NaNo, so keep in mind that what you're reading is merely a rough draft. As always, I'm open to feedback and constructive criticism. For reference, Leah is 6 in this scene, and Treecko is in the 14-16 age range.

Thanks for your continuing patience and interest in TMRC, and I hope you'll stick around for the rewrite. In the meantime, enjoy!

As Treecko walked away, a sense of loneliness crept into Leah even worse than before. After days of wandering the wilds alone, those brief minutes of companionship had made her feel safe for the first time since she had left the cave. Now, sitting here in the silence that seemed so much emptier than she remembered, she felt even smaller and more exposed than ever.

"Wait!" She hopped up and ran after. Treecko had a minutes' head start, but he had stayed on the trail, so she caught up to him easily. "Don't leave me alone."

"I'm not going north. Your family will be heading there. You know the way to go now."

"But I don't want to be alone. It's not safe."

"I'm not changing course just to drop you off somewhere. I wander alone. You healed me, I showed you how to tell which way is north, now find your own way."

Leah froze, watching him walk on. Why was he being so mean? She knew he wasn't going the same way she needed, so if she followed him, her family might not find her. But she couldn't go alone forever. She was lucky when she fought the Primeape; she caught it off guard when it was focused on someone else, and that someone had already been beaten into unconsciousness. If a powerful Pokémon like that found her while she was completely alone, who would come to her rescue if she fell?

Treecko was the only Pokémon she had found since she left home who was able to talk back and who didn't try to attack her. He was her only possible friend out here. Maybe, with a little persistence and some good-natured childish pestering, she could convince him to take her where she needed to go.

So she followed him, tailing him close enough that she could rush to his side quickly in case either of them were attacked, but far enough back that she wouldn't be disturbing him until he was ready to talk. Nikki and Nate did this to Nora all the time, annoying her until she gave them what they wanted just so they would stop. It worked. Sometimes. But even though she hadn't done it much at home, Leah knew she could do it too, and Treecko would have the disadvantage because he had never seen this tactic before.

After what must have been an hour of walking, her plan worked. Early on, she saw Treecko's shoulders tense even as he continued to walk. At one point, he even sped up and started taking random turns, but just as he was trying to ignore her presence, she ignored the message and stayed with him.

"Stop following me!" he finally shouted, pivoting around to face Leah. Though he was only half her height, his visibly tense and frustrated stature made him seem bigger than he looked.

"But I can't go on by myself."

"You made it this far by yourself, you can do it again."

"It's not safe alone. You're the only other Pokémon that isn't my family who talks to me."

"That doesn't mean anything." He turned away and started walking again. "I told you, I wander alone."

"Why?"

"I just do, okay? And I don't get why you would even want to follow me anyway. I'm not going to the same place you are. Didn't you want to find your family?"

"You could take me to them. We'll keep each other safe. I promise!"

"Not interested."

"Please?"

"No!"

"You're mean."

"You're annoying."

"That's not fair!"

"Neither is life. Deal with it."

Leah pouted. She didn't understand why he was fighting this so hard. But he wasn't running away from her either. She knew from the encyclopedia in her father's study that Treecko were fast and could hop from tree to tree in a pinch to lose their pursuers. But he hadn't, so there must be hope.

"Stop looking at me like that." Treecko hadn't turned his head, but he must have been watching her from the corner of his eye. "I'm not changing my mind."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want company."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't!"

"That's not a reason."

"Argh, fine!" He stopped and flailed his arms into the air. "You want to know why? You couldn't keep up with me. I'm not carrying any dead weight around."

Leah felt confused. "But I'm not dead."

Treecko sighed. "It's an expression. It means someone who's weak or useless. Happy now?"

"I'm not useless!" Leah stamped her feet. "I saved you, remember?"

"Yes, and I already thanked you for that, okay? But I can't drag someone around with me who can't fight."

"I can so!" Leah dug around in her sack, pulling out her slingshot and a gravelerock. She held them out in each hand to show him. "See?"

Despite himself, Treecko couldn't help his curiosity. He took a step closer to peer at them, and she bent down so they were at his eye level. "What are they?"

"My slingshot and gravelerocks. I fight with them. Watch." She set up the rock and aimed for a boulder up ahead. Her shot flew true and struck the target with a smack, bouncing back and falling on the ground. "See? That's how I saved you from the Primeape!"

Treecko froze, then turned to Leah in shock. "You fought off that Primeape that attacked me? Are you just telling me a story to try and make yourself look good?"

"No! I'm not a liar!" For the first time, Leah was actually mad at him. She was always an honest person, and to have someone accuse her of dishonesty when she was telling the truth was one of the few things that really offended her.

Treecko must have caught that, because he instantly backed off and raised his hands in defense. "Hey, sorry, sorry! I didn't know, okay? It's just hard to imagine a human child taking on the fully-evolved Primeape that beat me. I thought you just found me lying there and decided to stop and help me."

"Nuh-uh." Leah shook her head. "He was being a bully. He was hurting you after you fainted."

"No wonder I was in so much pain when I woke up," Treecko pondered. "So you actually shot him with a rock?"

"Lots of rocks. He got mad, but then he ran away."

"Huh," Treecko commented, looking at her with a new respect. "Normally I wouldn't buy a story like this, but I don't know, there's something about you. Guess I didn't give you enough credit."

"I'm not very strong," Leah admitted in a subdued voice. "Pokémon are stronger than humans. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a human so I could be stronger." She squatted down to be at eye-level with the wood gecko Pokémon and clasped her hands together in a gesture that she knew would look cute. "But I'm not useless. I can fight, too. Please let me go with you."

She felt a little guilty for using the pleading eye tactic, another staple of the twins, but she thought she saw Treecko's stoic expression struggling not to crumple. She tried not to show the grin that wanted to take over her face.

"I don't... I can't—"

"It's safer with two," she pressed her advantage.

"But—"

"I saved you, remember?"

"Well, yes, but that was a onetime incident and a mistake on my part."

"But if you get hurt real bad again, who will back you up? Who else would heal you?"

Treecko didn't answer.

"You can be leader, and I'll follow you. I'll do everything you ask. And I'll help you fight."

"So if I told you to leave, you would?"

"Tree-ckooooo, that's not fair! You don't tell your friends to go away."

Treecko blinked. "Friends?"

"Yeah, we're friends! Best friends. You're the first friend I ever had."

"Wonder why."

"Hey! Meanie."

Treecko was silent for a few minutes. Then, he sighed, and a reluctant smile pulled his lips. "You're not going to give this up, are you?"

"Nope!" Leah beamed proudly.

Treecko shook his head. "Tch, who would have thought I'd be babysitting a human."

"I'm not a baby!"

"It's just a word. It means someone older who is looking after someone younger."

"Oh."

Treecko crossed his arms and looked to the side in thought.

"Don't you get lonely being alone," Leah asked.

"Yeah," Treecko sighed. After a moment, he added, "If we do this, you won't get in my way? If I tell you to shut up or to stop bothering me, you'll be quiet and give me space?"

"Promise."

"And I'm not going all the way north with you. I'll take you partway, but after that, you're on your own."

"Okay." She was sure she could convince him to change his mind later.

"I'm not sure I believed that last one."

"That's because you're a meanie."

"Hey, rule number one: no backtalking the leader. I only agreed just agreed to this—I could just as easily leave you behind."

"I'm sorry! I'll be a good girl. The best!"

"We'll see about that."

Even as they bantered, Leah skipped happily alongside her new companion. If she were to turn her head and look at this very moment, she would have seen the small smile that Treecko couldn't suppress upturning his cheeks.