I groaned and rolled over in the comfortable bed I found myself in. I kept my eyes shut and tried to force myself to fall back asleep so I could forget the pain my body was in. I continued to lay there, awake but unable to sleep, until I heard the sound of cloth shuffling.

I groggily opened my eyes and sat up, now comprehending the fact I was in a sterile hospital room. In the corner, the Champion of Hoenn, Steven, was sitting on a padded chair, watching me as I laid in the bed.

“...Have you been staring at me this entire time?” I groaned out.

Steven raised an eyebrow.

“Your first thought upon waking up is if I spent my time watching you? No, I had Claydol Teleport me here once you awoke.”

What’s wrong with that as a first thought? Wait, my first thought after...

Memories flashed through my head. Courtney. Wattson. Mega Manectric. A flash then darkness.

“Wally, my Pokémon, are they okay?”

Steven smiled at my question.

“Yes, they’re quite alright,” he said. “Your friend Wally was well protected after you threw yourself over him to shield him from the electrical blast. A little singed, but nothing too bad. As for your Pokémon, none of them were too injured. The worst was Swablu, who will need to be put on a Pecha-heavy diet for the next few days. Your Mawile held up surprisingly well against what was a decently powerful Fire Type move.”

I nodded and rubbed my head to try to make the headache I was dealing with feel better.

“How long?” I asked.

“Four hours.”

Four hours?! I thought this would be a moment where he said three days or something, the medicine of this world is incredible!

“Wait, but if you’re here... Team Magma! Did you get them?”

Steven frowned at that question.

“No, I found my line of communication cut off when I was chasing after their stolen Pokémon stores. We managed to retrieve the Pokémon, but we realized too late that it was nothing more than a distraction.”

I slumped back against my pillow.

So Courtney escaped and she seems absolutely unhinged. Didn’t she try to destroy the world in the Delta Episode? Is that going to happen here?

Steven continued to speak as I considered the repercussions of how Courtney acted after being confronted by Wattson.

“I was told that your role was key in turning the operation into a massive victory,” he said. “Without your assistance, I doubt we would have had as much success as we did.”

“Victory? How so? Courtney escaped so I imagine Team Magma’s still around,” I replied, cocking my own eyebrow.

Steven’s face didn’t change much to my question, but I saw that he was holding back a smirk.

“Well, most of her forces were captured and their recent string of losses to us means that few criminals will be willing to join them. Most of their resources were spent creating distractions in other locations, so I doubt they’ll be creating any plans as large-scale as this one any time soon. Team Magma has been reduced in size, lost most of their Pokémon, and more importantly, their leader’s strength has been crippled by your actions.”

I scoffed.

“Pft. Courtney hurt by me? I didn’t do anything. My Pokémon were the ones that fought and they could barely defend themselves just against her Weezing. I just stood back and watched. I’m not sure what’s so damaging about that.”

His eyes glimmered in amusement at my reply. He reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a small, round object.

“Ah yes, your Pokémon. Well, when a certain blue bird was being treated for poison, this was found concealed within his feathers.”

I looked closer at the object in his hands to figure out what it was. It looked like a glass marble containing numerous iridescent colors, but more importantly it had a helix-like structure in the center of it.

I immediately sat straight up, completely ignoring the pain I was in.

“That's a Key Stone! Pokémon can’t Mega Evolve without it!” I shouted.

Steven finally stopped holding back his smile and chuckled a bit at my reaction.

“Yes, indeed, a Key Stone. It seems your Swablu managed to take this from Courtney when he used ‘Thief’ against her.”

I sat there in shock, realizing how big of a deal this was. Courtney fought back against Drake, but she was able to do so because she had a Mega Pokémon at her side. Without the Key Stone, her Camerupt wouldn’t be able to Mega Evolve, and her power would be significantly reduced.

“Originally, this Key Stone was a part of the Draconid Tribe’s hidden treasury,” Steven explained. “When Team Magma assaulted it in Meteor Falls, Courtney was able to secure it for herself to use against our forces. With the quick thinking of your Swablu, it has now been removed from the hands of one who would misuse it. However, there’s still the question of what to do with it.”

I was about to reply, but Steven tossed the Key Stone at me and I fumbled to catch it. I picked it up off where it landed on the blanket and looked it over.

It was genuinely beautiful and filled with every possible color. At a distance it looked like it contained a sparkling fog of pastel colors, but when positioned just right the shades lined up to create a full rainbow across its entire interior. A pointed helix-like structure made of black ore was built into the center of it, and when I rotated the stone that structure seemed almost reluctant to move with it.

I looked back to Steven questioningly.

“So what are you going to do with it?” I asked.

He looked back at me, his smile deepening.

“I think it’s fine where it is.”

“W-what?” I sputtered. “You just said it was stolen from the Draconid Tribe! Why are you giving it to me?!”

“The tribe was rather insistent that the Key Stone would find its way into the hands of someone who deserved it. When I informed them that a trainer was able to steal it back from Courtney, they declined my offer to return it to them. By all measures, it now belongs to you.”

"Isn't it dangerous to leave this in the hands of a random trainer?” I replied. “Shouldn't the League take it and protect it?"

Steven chuckled again.

"Please. You are clearly aware of the potential dangers that Mega Evolution might pose, and are educated enough on the topic to understand what you can do with it. Your reaction today shows that if there was any 'random trainer' that should have it, it would be you.

“However,” he stated, his face growing serious.”If you do obtain any Mega Stones, do not practice Mega Evolution on your own. For the safety of the region, locate the nearest Gym and request their assistance in mastering the phenomenon. We do not want any berserk Mega Evolved Pokémon running rampant on routes or near cities, no matter how confident you think you are in your success.”

I rotated the stone in my hands once more, looking it over and watching the colors shift. Steven continued to speak while I was lost in thought.

“Of course, you still haven’t received compensation for your assistance during the operation. That Key Stone was acquired by your Pokémon, after all, so it wouldn’t be right for me to say it’s your payment. What do you want in return? Money is always an option, but something tells me that you wouldn’t ask for just some funds. Experience, maybe?”

Yeah, I did go kind of hard on not receiving money the last two times, huh?

“And if you’re wondering, your young friend received a large selection of TMs for his assistance,” Steven said. “I may have snuck in a few reusable ones that you may be interested in. I’m curious to see if you can make use of them.”

I nodded absentmindedly, focusing hard on what I wanted for a payment and only half thinking about what he just said.

"Can I ask for an Altarianite?" I asked.

Steven shook his head and I was filled with disappointment.

"You may own a keystone, but I cannot provide you with any Mega Stones until towards the end of the season. The Altarianite is one of the few Mega Stones we have available, but I cannot provide it to you until after our official announcement. However, if you find any on your own, you're welcome to use them."

I mentally filed that information away for later and considered what to get instead.

“How about a sponsorship?” I asked, hoping for the next best thing.

Once more, Steven shook his head.

“Unfortunately, that’s not something that I nor the League is able to provide. Sponsorships are decided solely by the person or group that would provide the resources, so while I can provide positive comments to anyone who asks, a potential sponsor will only decide to sponsor you if they personally think you are the right fit for them. As for me, I cannot sponsor you either personally or with the Devon Corporation without drawing more attention to your person. I think we’d both like to avoid a potential media storm around your identity.”

I was a little unhappy after finding out that I couldn’t get a sponsorship out of this, but I understood the reasoning behind it. Steven noticed my dour mood and spoke up once more.

“Alex, while I cannot say anything specific, I can tell you a compatriot of mine has expressed interest in you. While I might not be able to provide you with a sponsorship, you may be receiving good news in the future.”

That made me perk up.

Someone might be interested in giving me a sponsorship? I really hope they go through with it. I’ve been waiting so long for extra funds and for a place to send extra Pokémon to. It would be nice if I could expand my team.

After thinking about what options were left, I ended up settling on the obvious.

“Since those two options aren’t available, you aren’t going to believe this, but cash is fine,” I said. “I have a decent amount left after my Gym wins and Sea Mauville, and the small weekly amount from Marty is nice, but my income is still small. I wouldn’t mind having a decent chunk in my savings for emergencies.”

Steven pulled out a PokéNav and typed on it for a few moments before pocketing it once more.

“Done. Anything else?”

I didn’t expect that to be completed so fast, but I wasn’t complaining.

“Um, well I can’t think of anything physical I’d like since you already provided Wally TMs he could share, and I’m still waiting on the egg to hatch, so I don’t want to expand my team right at this moment. Actually, that gives me an idea. Could I have my carry limit expanded?”

He frowned after I asked that.

“Even the Champion must abide by the six Pokémon limit. It’s not a matter of convenience, it’s a matter of safety. While I have no doubts you could handle carrying more Pokémon with you, I do not want to set a precedent to expand it as a reward. No doubt that younger, more inexperienced trainers will push to have larger teams and create issues in the future.”

After considering what he said, I came up with an alternative proposal he might accept.

“Then can you extend the time that Ponyta wouldn’t count against my carry limit after they hatch? Normally it’s only until their first battle, but if I’m to make sure they can protect my mind, and since they would be too young to fight at the same level as the rest of my team, I’d like it if Ponyta wouldn’t count against my limit so I can train a full team of six Pokémon before the conference.”

Steven nodded in response.

“It’s pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable, but I can pull some strings. Consider yourself able to carry seven Pokémon with you, up until Ponyta evolves into Rapidash. At that point, I have no doubts you will have a sponsor to send your extra Pokémon to.”

“Thank you. I don’t have anything else to ask for.”

"Very well," Steven said as he stood up. He paused before standing up all the way, and sat back down before speaking again.

"A previous 'anonymous informant' provided the League with some very helpful information recently,” he slyly said. “I don't suppose they would be able to provide any more?" he asked.

I thought about what I could mention for a moment, couldn’t think of anything, then shook my head.

"Honestly, with Team Magma weakened so much, and with what was shared last time, there shouldn't be any world threatening issues. At least, provided the Red and Blue Orbs stay on Mt. Pyre."

Steven's face was blank when I said that.

"Why? Is there something special about that mountain that requires them to stay there?"

I shook my head again.

"The orbs can be used to empower both Kyogre and Groudon and put them in a Mega-like state known as Primal Reversion. I didn't share this before since I was either panicking about revealing too much, or didn't think it was as important as the other information I gave you. It should be fine since the Orbs were secured after catching the team leaders last year, anyway."

Steven froze. His sudden fear didn’t fill me with confidence.

"...the Orbs were secured, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"The remnants of Team Magma managed to steal them back when it was leaked that Drake would be temporarily stepping away from guarding them. Both are currently in Team Magma’s possession."

I leaned back into the bed and Steven collapsed into his chair.

"Shit," I said.

"Shit, indeed."

There was a moment of silence as we took in the potential destruction Team Magma had at their disposal.

“Mount Chimney for Groudon, a Seafloor Cavern southeast of Sootopolis for Kyogre, and if awoken, the Cave of Origin in Sootopolis,” I said. “Those are the potential locations where the Legendaries may appear. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific for the Seafloor Cavern.”

Steven solemnly nodded. I decided to add one more thing.

“And don’t go building a rocket filled with infinite energy as a defense against a meteor or anything like that,” I said, remembering the Delta episode. “Courtney might try to blow it up to destroy the world, and Mega Rayquaza can take out the meteor itself.”

We sat in silence for a few more moments until Steven finally stood up and walked jerkily towards the door. His face was flat and emotionless when he next spoke.

“Very well,” he said. “It was a pleasure talking to you, up until a danger to the entire region and potentially the world was revealed. Again.

“As uncomfortable as I am towards the future, I once again thank you for your assistance. Now please excuse me, I have major safety precautions to implement, and must be going. I apologize for leaving on a sour note, and I wish you luck for the rest of your journey. Let us pray that Team Magma never finds out about the secret of Primal Reversion.”

"Minimize who you tell," I called out to him before he left the room. "The less people know, the less chance for the information to leak."

Steven looked me in the eyes and gave a swift nod, then headed back out into the hallway.

I collapsed even further into my lying down position.

If Team Magma is able to awaken Groudon or Kyogre, we might be screwed. There’s no protagonist in this region, and Ash isn’t here either. The next best option would be Wally, but he’s still basically a kid. I don’t want him to have to fight off a Legendary Pokémon.

I only had that moment to think before the door to my room slammed open and I was assaulted by fluff.

Ninetales, Swablu, and Florges all charged forward and jumped onto me, happy to see me safe. Ninetales rubbed against me and licked my face while Swablu noisily chirped and nested in my hair. Florges floated next to the bed and frantically looked me over to make sure I was okay. She sighed out when she saw I was mostly uninjured, and hugged my arm affectionately. Mawile hopped up to sit on the bottom edge of my bed next to my feet, and Azumarill just casually walked next to me and patted my arm. I shot both Azumarill and Mawile a smile while I petted and hugged my other Pokémon.

“It’s so good to know everyone’s okay,” I said. “I’m happy no one got hurt.”

“What do you mean?! You got hurt! You didn’t need to protect me like that!” Wally yelled, entering the room.

He walked in carrying the container that held my egg in his hands. At his side was a Delcatty, his Skitty seemingly evolved while we were apart.

“Yes, but now I’m just sore and therefore not hurt, so there,” I said, jokingly.

Wally sighed in an exasperated manner and put the egg down on the table next to my bed. I said hello to it so it knew it wasn’t excluded, and relaxed as my Pokémon laid down next to me. Wally went over and collapsed into the chair that Steven had just been sitting on.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Wally,” I said.

“I’m just happy you didn’t get too hurt,” he replied. “Thank you for protecting me, Alex. No one’s ever done that before.”

I laughed. “Oh, I hope not! It would have sucked if you needed to be protected like that twice.”

Wally chuckled at my joke.

“So, are you still interested in traveling together?” I asked him.

Wally looked aghast at what my question was insinuating.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Just checking you haven’t found some sort of heroic destiny you decided to follow.”

He looked at me in confusion.

Well it doesn’t seem like he decided to chase down Team Magma or anything like that.

“So, got any specific plans to do, or do you have a specific route you want to take when we set off?”

Wally hummed for a moment before responding.

“Well, I was talking to Professor Birch and he and some of his researchers have an expedition soon. They’re going to explore and research the habitats of Pokémon in the desert of Route 111. I wanted to go, but if you have different plans it's okay if we go elsewhere!”

I laughed. “No, no, that sounds perfect. A nice relaxing expedition sounds fun. I doubt it’ll be anywhere near as exciting as what happened today.”

Wally laughed as well. “Yeah, it sounds nice to me too.”

And with our plans set, Wally and I chatted with each other for the next few hours as my Pokémon nestled around me.

It was late at night when I heard a knock at the door to the room in the hospital. Wally had already left, and Steven had no further reason to be here. Curious and not really having a reason to deny them entry, I shouted to have them come in.

Wattson walked into the room, but rather than his usual jolly self or the serious tone he took on sometimes, he looked sad. His head was wrapped in bandages and he glanced at me with a guilty look in his eyes.

He laughed sadly before speaking.

“Wahahahah... Ah, Alex. I’m glad I didn’t wake you up.”

He walked over to the chair and sat down. He crossed his hands then leaned forward, and frowned for a few moments before he spoke.

“It is my fault you were so injured. I was caught off guard, not expecting a sudden assault on my person, which caused Manectric to go berserk due to his Mega Evolution. I should not have been so quick to use Mega Evolution in a critical situation without completely mastering it first. Alas, it seems I have been spending too much time isolated in my Gym. I’m getting rusty in my old age.”

I sat up from my bed to properly look at him. Wattson seemed to be wracked by guilt, and couldn’t even look me in the eyes. It was a big difference to how he acted back when I was intimidated by him after our first battle. I was unsure how to respond, so there was a long moment of silence as I gathered my thoughts and reflected on my own failures.

“Recently, I lost a Gym Battle against Norman,” I explained. “I felt bad afterwards, but I didn’t let it stick with me. I recognized my mistakes and made improvements. I’ve honestly made a lot of mistakes and assumptions since I’ve come to this region. I’d like to think I’m improving, but sometimes I feel like I’m still making bad decisions.

“You have nothing like that you’re responsible for. You saved us. We were losing to Courtney, badly, and the sudden Thunder from your Manectric stopped Courtney from doing something worse. If you had come any later, we might not be having this conversation right now. Thank you, Wattson, for your help.”

Wattson smiled softly.

“No, thank you, Alex. You’ve done a lot to assist the League,” he said. “I’m glad you’re in a good mood. I see that you’ve gained much more confidence since our battle for your Dynamo Badge. It fills my heart with joy to see you’re okay.”

Wattson stood up and stretched before rubbing his bandages and wincing from the touch.

“Well then, I’d better be off. It’s getting late and we both need to sleep. If you ever need anything, Alex, don’t hesitate to call me. I owe you for everything you’ve done.”

We said our last goodbyes, and Wattson left the room. Once the door closed behind him, I heard a muffled “WAHAHAHAH!” and the sounds of more cheerful footsteps walking away.

I was released from the hospital the next day and given some medicine to take over the next week to help with aches and pains. I stopped by a jeweler's and bought a thick bracelet to slot the Key Stone into. I made sure to get one with a wire mesh over the stone to make sure it couldn’t be easily stolen with Thief. I placed the bracelet onto my arm, then left to meet Wally within the city. After chatting for a bit, we took off north together to reach the desert on Route 111.

The desert was closer to Mauville than Lavaridge was, so the entire trip took us only three days. The spot to meet up with the expedition was just outside the valley the desert was in, so it was overall a pretty easy trip. The three days we spent traveling let Wally and I talk and compare what our teams could do.

Wally’s team was basically the same as last time I met him, but two of his Pokémon evolved: Kirlia into Gallade, and Skitty into Delcatty. Roselia and Comfey were still with him from Route 117, and he spoke excitedly to me about how well they had been performing in battle. I asked him when he planned to evolve Roselia, and to my surprise, he didn’t know that she could even evolve. I offered to let him use my Shiny Stone to evolve her, but he declined since now that he knew it was an option, he wanted to spend time training her with the goal of evolution in mind.

We also discussed the TMs Wally got as a reward for helping out during the Team Magma crisis at TV Mauville. I did end up asking him why he was there in the first place, and he told me he wanted to try to get a signature from the Hoenn Rangers Coexistence Force, which was an old TV show that used to be popular. His face turned bright red when he confessed that to me.

Wally had received a number of single-use TMs containing powerful attacking moves, but I wasn’t going to take away his reward so I focused on the reusable TMs he had at his disposal. They were solely utility moves, and were mostly niche options. The reusable TMs contained the “Swap” moves that used Psychic power to switch boosts between Pokémon, all of the defensive screen moves including Protect, all of the “Room” moves that changed obscure properties of the battlefield, as well as all of the terrain moves that manipulated the field.

Some of the TM moves would have been nice to teach my Pokémon, but none of my Pokémon would be able to learn any TM moves during the expedition. TMs could let a Pokémon skip the entire training process and instantly understand a move well enough to use in battle, but TMs could only be used with a special device or a PC at a Pokémon Center so we didn’t have the option right now.

Looking them over, the one move that stood out to me the most was Protect, which would allow a Pokémon that used it to completely prevent the effect of a single move. It couldn’t be used very often due to how much energy it took to activate and sustain, but it was common in high-level play so I was tempted to teach it to everyone anyway.

I was also reminded of the TM I got in Sea Mauville, which I had ignored since it contained Dig, which wasn’t useful for my team at all. After taking a while to talk to Wally and look over all his reusable TMs, I made the decision to focus on TMs once we returned to Mauville after the expedition. I would also try to see if I could exchange the Dig TM for something more relevant to my team.

Outside of those TM discussions, my Pokémon also continued to train. Similar to what we did on our travels after Petalburg Gym, my team spent a bit of time at the end of each day to work on their moves.

Florges helped Ninetales learn Moonblast, and Ninetales helped Florges learn Dazzling Gleam. Ninetales was farther along with Moonblast than Florges was with Dazzling Gleam, since Dazzling Gleam required the user to have a certain desire to stand out, which Florges lacked.

For Swablu, he randomly figured out Cotton Guard. I'm not sure when he did since he just started using it in practice one day, but the increased defense it provided was a massive improvement to his survivability. The move looked completely ridiculous when he used it since the fluff on his wings expanded and covered his entire body in a white fluffy material, making him look like a flying cotton ball. As ridiculous as its appearance was, I couldn’t understate how effective it was to protect him. When it was up, he could take a punch from Azumarill and the shockwaves from the impact would be absorbed by the fluff so effectively he would barely feel it.

Speaking of Azumarill, her physique in preparation for Belly Drum was coming along well. Once this expedition was over, we'd start teaching her the new move. I was nervous about how it might go, but Laura knew several trainers who had taught their Pokémon Belly Drum, and I could ask her to ask them for advice.

(I had tried to call Laura in Mauville, but Hideki picked up instead and informed me she had entered isolated training with all of her Pokémon after receiving Hitmonchan. Apparently, the new Pokémon had ignited her drive to become stronger.)

Mawile also made her own developments. Her moves came out quicker, and her Dark Type moves specifically were even more subtle. Hyper Cutter and Sheer force were still developing, and her spars with Azumarill helped her in melee combat. She would shift into learning Play Rough relatively soon.

As for Wally, in the days we traveled, I continuously answered his questions about Pokémon. I found out it was rare for people to go online to gather information, and most stuck to books or lectures in school. Wally was a little behind on what he knew since he only knew about most, not all, Hoenn Pokémon species, and wasn't aware of some evolutions. Honestly it was kind of shocking how little he knew about Pokémon in general when I compared his knowledge to how well he trained his team.

I even asked him about how he was able to train Pokémon so well, and he just shrugged and said, "I don't know. I just do what works."

So, interested in seeing how strong his Pokémon were exactly, I challenged him to a one-on-one Pokémon battle. Outside of our encounter with Team Magma, this would be the first time Mawile would be battling a trainer as part of our team.

“So, Mawile, you remember the plan?”

She put on a determined face and nodded once. She glanced over to Azumarill, who was watching impassively, and I frowned.

Mawile has been getting outshined by Azumarill too much recently. I know I didn’t object to their rivalry, but if this keeps up it won’t be good for her self esteem. I hope this battle can make a difference.

Wally stood on the other side of the clearing we were in with Roselia next to him. I questioned his choice to use Roselia for this battle since Mawile was immune to Poison Type moves, but he just said he wanted to practice being at a disadvantage.

I stood up and Mawile walked over to our makeshift field. We wouldn’t have a referee, so we had to be careful. Wally’s Comfey was on standby to interrupt the battle if either side got too hurt. Other than that, it would be a normal battle.

“You ready, Wally?” I said.

He gave a firm nod. Not needing to say anything else, the battle began.

“Alright, let’s do this. Mawile, Vice Grip into Iron Head!”

“Roselia, Magical Leaf!”

A familiar swarm of glowing leaves spun out of Roselia’s flowers and zoomed towards Mawile. Mawile used Iron Defense reflexively and brought her massive jaws forward to use as a shield. It wasn't that effective of a defense for a special move like Magical Leaf, but reinforcing her horns and using them as a shield still helped reduce the damage.

Mawile ran forward, holding her jaws in front of her and charging at Roselia. The flower Pokémon nimbly leaped back right before Mawile got close, but Mawile didn’t let up and kept approaching. Roselia followed through with another use of Magical Leaf, and Mawile used her same shield defense to reduce the damage once more.

When Mawile reached Roselia, the Grass Type tried to leap back again, but this time, Mawile lunged forward, her mouth open, and locked Roselia in her jaws with a Vice Grip. Unable to move, Roselia wiggled to try to escape but failed.

As Roselia struggled, Mawile’s large mouth took on a metal sheen as she flipped it back to slam her jaws and Roselia into the ground, using Iron Head.

“Leech Seed and Mega Drain, Roselia!” Wally called out.

Large, bulbous seeds popped out of Roselia’s roses and landed on Mawile’s body. Vines extended and grew out of them and wrapped around the Steel Type. Mawile groaned in pain as Roselia used Mega Drain at the same time, the Grass Type’s familiarity with photosynthesis drawing in energy away from Mawile, and taking in energy stored by Leech Seed at the same time.

Mawile tried to keep up her Vice Grip through the damage, but the vines from Leech Seed unintentionally pulled her maw open a little too wide, and Roselia managed to finally wiggle out. Roselia turned to use Mega Drain once more before she left, but Mawile ducked and lunged underneath Roselia’s flower hand to smash into its stomach with Sucker Punch.

Roselia was stunned from the damage and stumbled back while Mawile grabbed the seeds on her body and ripped them off.

Standing alert, both Pokémon faced off. Roselia swung her roses forward and another set of Magical Leaves came out. Mawile used her maw to reduce the damage, but froze when something dropped out of her mouth.

In the heat of the battle, Mawile’s favorite stone from Granite Cave had been unlodged from inside her mouth and landed on the ground.

Mawile immediately stopped defending herself and lunged forward to grab it, causing Roselia to pause in surprise. Mawile picked up and started to hug her stone, sniffling and crying lightly while holding it.

Roselia looked around nervously, then approached Mawile to comfort her.

Of course, that’s when Mawile took advantage of Roselia’s good nature to hit the Grass Type with an Iron Head while it didn’t expect it.

The combined damage of a second Iron Head and the Vice Grips from before caused Roselia to faint. Mawile placed her stone back in her mouth and puffed up her chest. I didn’t fail to notice her subtle glance at Azumarill.

“Alex! That was so mean!” Wally cried.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I admit, it was a cruel strategy. But it used both Mawile’s held item, a Hard Stone, and her move, Fake Tears. We’re trying to improve how she tricks her opponents with Fake Tears to make it more useful in battle. It only really works once, but when it does, it’s pretty effective. Sorry to put you on the receiving end of it.”

Wally slumped a bit and nodded sadly. I felt bad for using that trick in battle, and I honestly felt like I had just bullied the poor kid. Comfey was already on the field and treating Roselia’s wounds, who at least didn’t seem to think that the Fake Tears trick was too mean.

I walked over to Wally to shake his hand, more out of habit than necessity, and watched Mawile and Roselia talk to exchange tips. Mawile was being a bit stubborn about listening to Roselia’s advice, but a quick admonishment from me later and she was acknowledging how she could improve after that battle.

With Mawile’s first proper fight done, Wally and I continued forward towards the desert.

We arrived at a small camp set up filled with people in lab coats. The expedition wasn't scheduled to leave for another few days, so I was surprised to see so many researchers here.

"If you're wondering why we’ve set up so early, it's to take preliminary measurements about the environment outside of and surrounding the desert."

A deep voice spoke from behind us and Wally called out in joy.

"Professor Birch!"

Professor Birch was a rotund man dressed in a lab cob, a navy blue T-shirt, and dark green cargo shorts. He wasn't wearing full shoes, but rather just a pair of sandals. He smiled at Wally while Wally practically jumped up and down in excitement.

"It's good to see you well, Wally. How goes your Pokédex entries?"

I shot a glance at Wally. We had been traveling together for several days, but not once had he taken out a Pokédex or even mentioned it to me.

Wally rubbed the back of his head apologetically.

"Sorry, Alex. I knew you didn't have a sponsor and didn't want to rub mine in your face."

I shrugged nonchalantly.

"No, it's alright. I kind of assumed Professor Birch would do something like that after you said you were meeting him in Littleroot."

Professor Birch laughed at that.

"Now that's some incredible foresight,” he said boisterously. “Are you here to participate in the desert expedition as well? We have two destinations in mind if you want to hear about them."

I nodded excitedly. I only knew of two points of interest within the desert from the games, and I wanted to know if they would be the same.

"We'll be making an announcement in a few days once the rest of the trainers get here, but it doesn't hurt to fill you in now,” Professor Birch said.

"Outside of our general goal of our habitat research, we have two locations we wish to reach. The first is the famous Mirage Tower, a sandstone building that has been known to disappear for days on end, and has several eyewitness accounts that report seeing it collapse, only to have it reappear intact a few days later."

"The second location is a ruined city in the south. It's our primary goal, and we'll reach it by following a path that passes by the location of Mirage Tower. We want to take a survey of the Pokémon that live there, so we'll have trainers escort members of my lab to explore the place. Unfortunately, unlike other expeditions, you won't have free time to roam around due to the dangers of the desert and Ghosts that lurk in the ruins."

Wally went pale.

"Gh-ghosts?"

"I'm sure he meant Ghost Type Pokémon," I said.

Professor Birch smirked.

"You meant Ghost Type Pokémon, right?"