Edward found him the next day, when he was down at the beach strapping the last of his luggage to Tor.

“Hey. I need to talk to you.”

He paused and double-checked his knots before glancing at the boy.

“What are you doing over here?”

Edward looked determinedly at him.

“I said, I need to talk to you.”

The trainer started walking up to the hut for the last look around. Edward jogged behind him.

“Are you the champion or not?”

He didn’t even look at Edward before answering.

“Does it matter either way?”

Squatting in the sandy portion of the room, he dug for a moment before unearthing an old case.

“It does matter. How can I trust any of the things you’ve taught me?”

He straightened up and brushed off some of the sand, revealing the logo on the front.

Edward looked at the case and stopped for a moment.

“So, what they said was true. You are a Unova challenger. How many did you get?”

Wordlessly, the trainer tried opening it. The foam had long since worn out, and the plastic on the front was smeared and cracked. Resisting his initial attempts, he put some muscle into it, and it opened with a resounding pop. Edward peered over from the side and gasped at the eight badges held within. Not even one shone, each battered and torn in their own unique way. One stood out as being covered in a dark stain reminiscent of blood.

“If you had eight badges, why didn’t you go challenge the League?”

He smiled but it didn’t reach the eyes.

“Of course, I challenged the league. Who wouldn’t? The problem was, I wasn’t strong enough.”

His gaze drifted, and he seemed to reminisce.

“Six times I challenged the league, and not a single time did I get past the first Elite. Despite having the so-called best team and supposedly perfect strategy, I lost every time. Ah, there it is.”

The trainer put the case carefully in his pocket and dug a little deeper, pulling out a few small bags of coins. Finished with his work, he turned around and walked back to the shoreline with Edward.

Edward asked incredulously.

“So, you gave up your dream, and moved here to be a petty thief?”

“Hahahaha! Essentially, yes. I was worn out and tired of chasing a dream that I couldn’t realize, and by the time I woke up all my savings had disappeared and my Pokemon left to be with someone who could carry them to victory. So, I came somewhere I could live without worrying about my past failures. Of course, that didn’t really go as well as I planned.”

“And now you’re leaving?”

“For a while. Let the people cool off before I come back. I can’t stay away for too long though. Despite everything, at least on Golden Island I can escape.”

Putting one foot up on Tor’s back fin and preparing to pull himself aboard, he stopped.

“Listen, Edward, there’s one last pointer I want to give you before you begin your journey. Every year, hundreds of trainers compete for the title of strongest. It’s dark, bloody business to rise to the top. More than the gym leaders or Elite Four, your greatest opponents will be your fellow trainers. You will want to win at all costs, but there will be those who will do whatever it takes to gain even the slightest foothold above you. I suppose it’s fitting the last lesson is to never trust anyone, especially after what happened yesterday, but it is still a truth.”

He stared deep into Edward’s eyes.

“Trust no one. The same people you are traveling with today will stab you in the back tomorrow if it means taking another step forward on their own journey. If you are not prepared to do the same, it is better to stay here and become a Clampearl farmer. Do you understand me?”

Edward stared back at him, and the trainer could feel the resolve contained within.

“I understand.”

“That’s settled then.”

He swung his other leg up and stood on top of Tor.

“I suppose this is goodbye for now then.”

Edward nodded.

“Before you go, tell me your actual name! I heard from Henderson that Alexandre was a fake name!”

The trainer smiled, truly this time.

“It’s Adriano. See you around kid.”

And with that, Tor pushed himself forward and accelerated into the distance, leaving nothing behind but an empty hut, a dent in the sand, and a crying boy.