Come on, come on... don't mess up, you almost have it! I sighed in frustration as the tie's knot once again didn't come out right. I hated these things with a fiery passion. For what felt like the tenth time, I undid it and started over.

   It was the night of the company party, a night that had arrived much faster than I expected. I was currently struggling with a tie that Mom had insisted I wear. "You have to make a good impression," she had said. A good impression on who? The people that I'd be the boss of in the upcoming years? Good impression or not, they'd be sucking up to me so they could get on my good side, and in turn Dad's good side. Now that running Devon was the last thing on my mind, I didn't give a Flaaffy whether I was "promising" or not.

   I finished the knot and this time, it looked passable. Mom had gone out and gotten me a whole new outfit just for tonight. It consisted of a white long sleeved button-up shirt tucked into a pair of black pants and a pair of black dress shoes. It also had that annoying mess of a tie and a set of wide silver bangles that were to be worn on my upper arms, almost to my shoulders. And to complete it was the stickpin I had gotten for my birthday. It was an outfit that looked very similar to one Dad was wearing in an old picture, bangles, pin and all.

   "Oh Steven, you look so handsome!" I heard Mom gush. She came into my room and stood behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "And so much like your father when he was your age. It's almost uncanny!"

   "Um, thank you." I glanced at her before turning back to the mirror. What was she talking about? I looked nothing like Dad right now. If anything, I resembled a worn-out version of him. Black circles hung under my listless blue eyes, evidence of how little sleep I'd gotten recently. The dark color stood out clearly against my overly pale skin, making me look almost lifeless. It was like I was only a shell bearing my dad's likeness.

Perhaps a few weeks ago I would have taken Mom's words as a compliment... key words being "a few weeks ago." Now I equated that phrase to an insult. Just to make her happy, I plastered a fake smile on my face.

   "How long are we going to be there for?" I asked. I didn't want to be around those people for longer than I had to.

   "Four, maybe five hours. Depends on when your father is done talking."

   "O-oh..." I stammered. Great, tonight will be so much fun!

   "Well, we should get going. Your father's already there and we don't want to keep everyone waiting!" She was unusually cheery tonight. It kind of weirded me out. She pushed me out of the room and downstairs to the front door, herding me like a Mareep. Her actions only served to heighten my anxiety. It was obvious she was putting on an act.

—~*~—

Dad stared hard at me with the utmost seriousness. "Remember son, be polite, speak properly, and try to be sociable!" he stressed this to me as we were about to enter the auditorium.

  I returned his words with a blank stare, trying to keep it from turning into a glare. First time he had spoken to me in days and he was telling me to act like an actual person, not some sleep-deprived teen who was on the brink of snapping emotionally. Dad knows best. Dad. Knows. Best. The mantra repeated itself in my head on an endless loop. My eye involuntarily twitched and I hastily rubbed at it. I had to pretend like everything was fine. After all, no one could know that the precious little heir could actually think for himself.

   We entered the auditorium and as soon as we did, all conversation ceased. The three or so dozen people in the huge room turned their heads to face us and I felt a childish urge to run away. It was stupid, I know, but by then my anxiety had peaked and I didn't want to be near anyone, let alone Dad's employees. Once everyone saw us the room exploded with greetings and comments.

   "President Stone, it's so nice to see you!"

   "How have you been doing, Mrs. Stone? You look so nice tonight!"

   "It's amazing how you were able to put this together so quickly!"

   Dad raised his hands, signaling for everyone to quiet down. He then grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to his side, causing everyone's gaze to turn to me. "Everyone, I want to introduce you to my son Steven. I hope you all will make him feel welcome here." Dad squeezed my arm tightly, meaning he wanted me to say something. I didn't know what to say, I was too busy trying not to have a nervous breakdown. The people closest to us were giving me pleasant, comforting smiles while a few others looked puzzled at my no doubt petrified expression.

   You can do it. Take a deep breath, and calm down, Meteor told me. Unbeknownst to my parents, I had snuck in Meteor's Poké Ball along with the gray spherical stone and my Stone Badge. Meteor as the obvious moral support and the other items because they had become my unofficial good luck charms. When Meteor's ball was minimized it was around the same size of the stone, making it easy to carry with me. Having them with me made feel a little better.

   I did what Meteor suggested and took a breath, gathering up what courage I could scrape together in two seconds. "Thank you, Dad," I began. "I am very grateful to be here tonight, and I look forward to meeting and conversing with all of you. If it weren't for my dad's excellent leadership and everyone else's cooperation, this celebration would not have been possible," I finished, putting on the warmest smile I could muster. My insides may have turned to jelly and I felt like I was going to faint, but at least I had said something.

   Show-off, I didn't say 'give half a speech,' Meteor said with a slight sarcastic edge to his tone. I ignored his comment and watched as the employees quietly chatted amongst themselves, some of them saying how well-spoken I was. Even though I despised the situation I was in, I felt a swell of pride when I heard the positive remarks. I snuck a glance at Dad and was surprised to see him smiling at me. He looked so... happy. I felt like I had won back some of his approval.

   A few minutes into the party both my parents had left to talk with others, leaving me to talk with random people I had never seen before. They were all really nice and were a lot more welcoming than I expected. No one forced me to talk with them, and whenever I gave my thoughts on Devon or anything in general they would listen.

I was finding this strange in general, and in a humorous way. Most of them were very impressed with my knowledge on marketing and the like. The sheer hilarity of full-grown adults talking to a sixteen year-old as if I were one of them never wore off, making me feel equal or even a bit superior to them. Sure, a few of them were overly nice, those wanting to get on my good side, but they were few and far between.

   Along with the older employees, there were a fair many younger people, either working here full-time or as interns. Over the next hour I had gotten to know one such intern well. He was a recently-turned nineteen year-old named Archie. The only reason he was at Devon was because he wanted some experience before starting his own business, though from how he talked, he could have passed for a well-dressed sailor. Like the others, he was impressed with how knowledgeable I was. I actually gave him a run-down on the best place to open his business and how he should advertise his products.

   "For such a wee scamp you sure know a lot 'bout running a company. I've never spoken with the head man himself but you seem a lot like him. Like father, like son!" Archie laughed.

   "I suppose you could say that..." I replied, gazing across the room to where Dad was entertaining a group of people. "Running Devon isn't exactly what I want to do anymore, though." I stopped, realizing what I had said. "Don't tell my dad that I said that!"

   "No problem, that's understandable! But now you've got me curious, what do ya want to do, then?"

   I checked to make sure no one was looking, which was pretty hard to do considering how many people were here. When I thought it was safe, I carefully slipped Meteor's ball from my pocket. Archie looked closely at it, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "It's a Beldum," I clarified.

   Archie smirked. "Ah, I see. You want to go on a journey. I get ya. Anyone your age does. I left on my own journey when I was thirteen, and my Sharpedo has been my trusty partner ever since. I've always loved seagoing Pokémon, they can be so terrifying yet beautiful at the same time."

   No surprise there. Archie seemed to have grown up on Hoenn's coast, so it'd make sense that he loved ocean Pokémon. I had no idea what a Sharpedo was, but I was sure it was a Water-type. I was about to reply when I realized how parched I was. "I'm going to get some water, do you want any?"

   "Nah, I'm good. I appreciate the offer though."

   The glass of ice water felt like it was going to freeze my hand off as I tried to find my way back to Archie. Navigating the Devon auditorium felt akin to walking through a maze. The groups of people wouldn't move, forcing me to weave around them. How Dad could be the head of so many people was beyond me.

   I was edging by a group of eight or so men when I heard Dad's voice among them. He was talking about me! Curious as to what he was saying, I quickly squashed myself into a different group close enough to Dad's so I could hear him speaking. The people whose conversation I interrupted were at first startled by my sudden appearance, then once they saw it was me, they went back to talking. I pretended to be part of the group while listening in on Dad.

   "... He'll be ready to take over Devon in case something happens. After what happened to his grandfather, I don't want to take any chances."

   I vaguely knew what he was talking about. Sixteen years ago, a group of rouge employees had rebelled against my great-grandfather who was Devon's president at the time. It ended with the deaths of both my great-grandfather and grandfather. My grandfather never had the chance to run the company and that forced Dad to become the president. It was a huge loss for the company, making extensive security and background checks mandatory.

   "No wonder he's so intelligent, I had talked with him earlier and he gave a very probable prediction on the Dive Ball's sales if we sold them in Slateport versus Mauville," one of the employees commented. To his credit, I had done just that. It would only make sense that a water-based Poké Ball would sell better in an oceanside city.

   Dad sighed loud enough for me to hear. "That's good. Lately he hasn't been very enthusiastic when it comes to his studies. Carol had gotten him a Beldum and now he wants to spend every waking hour with it. I swear, he's become far too attached to it. On top of that, he said that he wants to be a Trainer!"

   "Of course he would, most kids his age would have left on their journeys by now. My own son had just left and he's twelve," another employee pointed out.

   "Steven's my only child!" Dad said, his voice full of frustration. "He's the only Stone who can inherit Devon and it's for the best that I don't let him leave. He wouldn't be able to survive on his own anyways! He has no knowledge of the outside world or what could happen to him. It would crush him if I did this... but I cannot risk letting this rebellious streak of his get worse. I'm going to have to take away that Beldum."

   I froze, utter shock stealing my breath away. Every thought I had vanished, being replaced with a single question: why? My mind refused to process what I had just heard. He wasn't serious, he couldn't be! It felt like I had been punched in the chest, leaving me winded and gasping for air. The glass I held slipped from my grasp, falling to the tiled floor and breaking into a million crystalline fragments. Everyone's attention turned to me again, including Dad's. I spun around to face his group, my face twisted in a look of shock. Dad saw that I had been listening, and his expression reflected mine.

   "Steven, i-it isn't what it sounds like! I didn't mean it, r-really!" He stammered out a desperate apology, something I'd never seen him do. I couldn't respond, it was like my voice had been ripped from me, rendering me speechless. I knew Dad wasn't the best person, but to make his threats a reality and take Meteor from me no matter what turned him inhuman in my eyes. I then made a decision that changed my life forever, I ran. 

   I took advantage of everyone's shock and fled the room. All rationality I had was gone, keeping Meteor with me became my one priority. Dad's voice echoed behind me, begging me to come back. I didn't listen, I hated him, I hated him with every fiber of my being. He ruined my life, he turned me into a blissfully obedient puppet, and he wanted to take my one friend away. There was no way in hell that I would listen to him.

   Before the employees had a chance to react to what was happening, I was already out of the room and halfway down the hall. The hallway was pitch-black, the only light coming through the windows created by streetlights. It didn't matter, anyways, I knew where the exit was. Before I knew it, I was out of the Devon building and running through Rustboro's mostly deserted streets. Going home was not an option, neither was my spot near Meteor Falls. They were both places my parents knew I might go. Instead, I left the city through the south entrance.

   I had never been to Petalburg Woods before. I had always stuck around the north side of Rustboro, so it would be perfect. The shadowy forest loomed over me as I entered it, the darkness consuming me the moment I set foot inside. I decided to stay off the main paths. The more hidden I was the better.

   I ran until it started to hurt, but I forced myself to continue. No one could find me. The strenuous action went on until my legs gave out, sending me crashing to the forest floor. I was able to catch myself before I could faceplant, wincing as my palms scraped across all the sharp rocks and sticks on the ground. That was it, I couldn't go another step.

   I remained on the ground on my hands and knees, breathing harder than I ever had before. It felt like my lungs were on fire, and the air I inhaled clawed its way down my throat like razors. But the pain wasn't what I was focused on. I couldn't believe what Dad had said. He said he wouldn't take away Meteor. He lied to me! I felt tears beginning to well in my eyes and I clenched them shut, trying to force them back. I did what he told me and he still lied!

   Bit by bit, droplet by individual droplet, the tears slowly snuck their way from the corners of my eyes, landing on the leaves with a light tapping sound. I told myself to stop crying, but that only seemed to cause more tears to form. I couldn't do it, I couldn't hold them back any longer. I was fighting a battle I knew I wouldn't win.

I let the tears flow, and with them came the pain. All of the physical and emotional pain I felt coalesced into horrible agony, and I started sobbing, making it worse. It felt like my heart was breaking several times over, crumbling away and adding to the pain that already consumed my chest. I stopped fighting and gave in to the emotion wracking my body.

   Steven, what's going on? Meteor asked worriedly. When I didn't respond, his words grew more frantic. Answer me! What happened? His ball clicked open in my pocket and he appeared in a bright flash. I could feel his presence hovering around me, as if he was examining me. He lightly nudged my arm, trying to get my attention. Are you okay?

   No! I'm not okay! Isn't it obvious? I thought, my throat feeling too raw to talk.

   I just wanted to know. I heard everything, your father wanted to get rid of me... I didn't know he hated me so much.

   I didn't know either. He betrayed both of us. Dad knows best, yeah right! I hate him, I hate him, "I hate him!" I cried aloud between my sobs and gags. "I never want to go back... never..." I resumed my pitiful sobbing.

   O-okay, we won't, Meteor said. Um, let me go find someplace for us to rest for the night. We'll worry about what to do next tomorrow. With those words, Meteor vanished into the forest and I was left to wallow in my pain and tears. On top of everything else I was feeling at the time, I felt horrible for whining like a child to a Pokémon of all things. This wasn't who I was! I wasn't some overemotional wreck who complained to others about my problems and expected them to pity me. But here I was, doing just that. Pathetic, truly pathetic.

   My sobs eventually quieted to embarrassing hiccups and I was finally able to dry my eyes with my shirt sleeve. I struggled to my feet, using a tree trunk for support as my legs were still shaking. Meteor hadn't returned yet and I was beginning to get worried. Did he get lost?

   I found a clearing! It's not that far either.

   Well speak of Giratina... Meteor floated into view, his eye glowing faintly in the darkness. I followed him on unsteady legs and he led me to a tiny clearing in the middle of a patch of dense trees. "I know I've said this so many times but thank you. You're the best Pokémon anyone could ask for," I said truthfully.

   Pokémon are supposed to help their Trainers, Meteor said. I'll stay up on watch.

   I nodded and laid down on the ground, trying my best to get comfortable. Although it wasn't exactly an ideal campsite, it would have to do for tonight. It didn't take long for my exhaustion to kick in, and I was falling asleep within seconds.

Perhaps Dad was right, and I won't be able survive out here? I faintly wondered. No, I have Meteor. I can survive anything as long as he's with me. Those thoughts comforted me as I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

—~*~—

The gentle breeze on my face was what woke me up the next morning. It was pleasantly cool and carried with it the scent of fresh spring air and wildflowers, something I'd never fully experienced before. Along with the breeze came the sounds of chirping bird Pokémon, their wordless melodies better than any actual song.

I barely opened my eyes, trying not to accidentally blind myself. The sun had already risen considerably, though I couldn't exactly tell because of the canopy the treetops created. After giving myself another minute or two to wake up, I opened my eyes fully.

Petalburg Woods was much prettier in the daytime. Tall, elegant ferns and flower-covered bushes grew everywhere. Oak trees stood proudly in almost uniform rows. Distant trills and chirps added a powerful ambiance and rays of sunlight broke through the trees, dappling the mossy ground with complex patterns of light. All of these things gave the forest a beautiful yet haunting atmosphere.

When I tried to move, deep aches shot through my limbs, a painful result of all the running I had done the previous night. My body wasn't used to so much physical activity. I may have been thin, but that didn't change anything. Sleeping on the ground probably didn't help things either. With a groan I forced my sore muscles to move, pulling myself up into a sitting position.

You're awake! You'd been sleeping for a long time. I didn't want to wake you though. I caught sight of Meteor in the corner of my eye and I turned to face him, giving the Steel-Psychic-type a small smile.

"Good morning to you, too," I said. "You could have woken me up earlier if you wanted to, I wouldn't have minded."

I'll keep that in mind for later, then. Meteor gazed around the clearing before looking back at me. Now that you're up, what are we going to do? he asked.

My smile faded. "I... have no idea," I replied. It was true, we fled Rustboro and were now in the middle of the woods. None of this had exactly been planned. It was almost unrealistic in a way. One minute I was my dad's obedient son doing the same old routine, and the next I was a runaway hiding in the forest. What was realistic, though, was the loud growl my stomach emitted, reminding me how long it had been since I last ate.

Maybe we should look for a town, Meteor suggested. It's obvious that you're hungry, and one thing I've learned about humans is that they don't function right if they haven't eaten in a while.

I felt my face redden from embarrassment. "Was it really that loud?"

It was noticeable enough, he replied simply. If he were able to, I was sure he would have shrugged. Where's the nearest town?

"Petalburg, I guess." I checked my PokéNav's map. It was a route away from the south entrance of the forest, a full day's walk by the looks of it, which probably meant that we had to spend another night out here. Even if we did get there, I didn't have any money. What was the good of buying anything if I had nothing to buy it with? Meteor must've been reading my thoughts because he gave his two cents on the matter.

We shouldn't worry about money for now, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I had no choice but to agree with him. I spent a few minutes making sure I hadn't lost anything. Once I knew I had everything, Meteor and I made our way through the woods.

Petalburg Woods was a labyrinth of trees and undergrowth. What I had seen earlier was just an older section of the forest, before the newer trees had begun growing. There was a path hacked out from the greenery though it was somewhat hard to see. Every once in a while, a random Pokémon would dash across the trail or buzz past us mindlessly.

While we were making our way through the forest, I swore that we were being watched. But whenever I would look around I saw nothing but greenery. Meteor didn't seem too concerned, so I shrugged it off. The trail eventually widened until it ended with a large gap in the trees. We emerged from the forest and onto Route 104.

Route 104 was a lot like the routes north of Rustboro. The only things that were different was the amount of vegetation and the lack of mountainous terrain easily made up for by the abundance of water bordering the right side of the path. White and blue-striped Wingull flew in the clear blue sky overhead whilst wild Poochyena scampered through the tall grass near the woods. It was like something out of a nature documentary. I tried to enjoy this, yet I felt overwhelming sadness.

You miss your parents, don't you? Meteor said.

"Pardon? No, I don't. It's their fault that this happened. Dad wanted to take you from me and Mom didn't say a thing about it."

Liar, Meteor said. I can read your mind, remember?

"Okay, fine! You're half right," I admitted. In truth, I did miss Mom. She was the only person who sympathized with me, and she was the one who gave me Meteor in the first place. And maybe she didn't actually know of Dad's plan. That realization made me even sadder. But I couldn't go back. If I did... I physically shuddered at the possibilities. I didn't want to think of what could happen. "It doesn't matter anyways, what's done is done. I have my freedom and I'm going to savor it for as long as I can."

I hear you, Meteor remarked.

"Hey mister!"

A child's voice rang out from behind me, startling me. I whirled around and saw a kid maybe a few years younger than me running out of the tall grass.

"Do you need anything?" I asked, confused as to what the kid wanted.

"I want a battle!" the kid said, giving me a cocky smile. "I saw you and your cool-looking Pokémon in the forest earlier, and I wanna see how strong it is."

So this was why I thought we were being watched, we actually were! I breathed a silent sigh of relief when I realized that. We were never being watched by anything malicious, it was just a kid and his Pokémon. "Um, sure. What kind of Pokémon do you have?" I replied, genuinely curious about what the kid could have. And to my utter disappointment, he brought out a Zigzagoon, something you could find all over the place. The battle was over in less than a minute. With a quick Zen Headbutt, the Zigzagoon fainted and the kid was whining about how I was lucky to have won.

"Whatever, you won and I lost. Losers have to pay up." The kid held out a handful of coins.

"Why are you paying me?" I asked, taking the coins regardless. They amounted to fifty-four PokéYen.

The kid scoffed. "Haven't you ever battled someone before? Losers pay the victor some of their money. Everyone knows that!"

"Sorry, I didn't know. I've only been a Trainer for three weeks."

"Three weeks? And you're just now battling a regular Trainer?"

You're one to talk! How long have you been a Trainer? A day? Maybe two? Meteor yelled at the kid. Steven may not be that experienced, but he managed to beat you! I flinched back, Meteor needed to learn when to stay quiet! As expected, the kid's eyes widened and he freaked out.

"It talks?"

Yeah, what of it? Hang around a few Psychic-types for long enough and you'll wish they would shut up! Meteor retorted. The kid didn't stick around for long after that, running back the way he came while screaming about evil talking Pokémon.

"Did you really have to do that? I'm sure he would have apologized eventually." I raised an eyebrow.

No one talks to you that way and gets away with it! Meteor fumed. He was so furious that I swore he had one of those red veins that people got in cartoons when they were mad. It was kind of funny, really.

"I can stick up for myself," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Meteor sighed, calming himself down. Regular talking can't always get you out of those kinds of situations. You need to be assertive! Or else people will take advantage of you and just walk all over—He stopped himself when he saw the look on my face. I wasn't referring to your father!

"No, it's fine. I know what you're getting at, and you're right," I agreed. I was a pretty passive person by nature. Solving conflicts using words was something I'd also been taught. The only time I'd ever actually yelled at someone was at Dad last week. But Meteor had a point. Wow, learning life lessons from a Pokémon. And when I thought things couldn't get stranger.

I heard that! he said, bumping my arm. Helllooo? Mind reader!

"Shush, Meteor," I said, beginning to walk away from him.

Hey! I said to be assertive to other people, not me! he added before hurrying to catch up with me.