Petalburg City was much smaller than Rustboro. If it weren't for the amount of people, I would have mistaken the city for a town. Instead of huge stone buildings that seemed to scrape the sky with their height, the buildings in Petalburg were no more than four stories high, all made from a mixture of cobblestone and wood. And in place of the asphalt roads crowded with crosswalks and quick-moving cars, there were wide stone pathways with strolling people and the occasional biker. Although it was a dramatic change from Rustboro, it was a nice one.

The first place I stopped at was Petalburg's Pokémon Center. Meteor had to be healed after battling those strangers' Pokémon. Luckily, it wasn't very far from Route 104's entrance and I found it within minutes.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center, how may I help you?" the nurse asked, her actions mirroring the nurse in Rustboro's. Her voice even had a similar cadence.

"Could you heal my Beldum, please?" I handed Meteor's Poké Ball to her. As I did so, I noticed a set of finger-shaped dark bruises ringing my wrist. I quickly glanced at my other wrist and saw more bruises, though they weren't as pronounced. The nurse saw them as well and looked concerned.

"What happened?" she asked. Before I could respond, she grabbed my arm, making sure to not to touch the bruises. "It looks like someone was holding you quite hard. Tell me what happened."

Unlike what happened with the nurse in Rustboro, I couldn't get away with lying again. I gave her a shortened version of the events that took place in the forest, this time mentioning the collars.

"Shady businesspeople controlling puppet-like Pokémon?" She let go of my arm and looked at me with disbelief. I didn't blame her, my story sounded pretty fantastical, laughable even.

"That was what happened, I'm telling you the truth," I said, giving her the most earnest look I could. After a moment, she nodded.

"I'll contact the local police and give them your story. It'll be anonymous, so they won't try to find you, okay?" She handed Meteor's ball off to a Blissey. "It'll take a minute or two for your Pokémon to heal, so you'll have to wait."

"Okay, thank you." I stepped away from the counter, a group of young Trainers taking my place a second later. As I watched them hand off their Poké Balls I realized that they were no older than the kid I had encountered earlier. I suddenly felt a little self-conscious. All of these Trainers were younger than me. It made sense, though. In Hoenn, kids had to be at least twelve before they could start their journeys. I had "started" later, and as a result I was older than them but with just as much experience.

Not for long, I thought, glancing at the badge pinned to my shirt. After all, wasn't a Trainer's strength measured by their badges? Even with what just happened, I could still prove I was strong.

"Excuse me." The nurse waved me over. I shoved my way past the kids and over to the counter again. "Thank you for your patience, and here is your Pokémon. We hope to see you again!" She handed Meteor's ball to me and went back to tending to the other Pokémon. I thanked her, though she most likely didn't hear me, and left the Center.

I kinda like this place, Meteor commented once I let him back out of his ball. He made sure to project his voice inside just my mind. Not everyone out there needed to know he could talk. It's like the forest grew into a city or something.

There is already a city like that. It's called Fortree and it's located farther northeast of here, I replied. When my family moved from Mossdeep, we passed through Fortree on our way to Mauville. Though the memories weren't as clear as they used to be, I could still remember that Fortree was a city composed of literal tree-houses. Almost none of the buildings were on the ground and they were connected by rope bridges. Now that I was on my own, it was a possibility I could go back there! The thought made me feel better about what I did. Even if I was a runaway, I would make the best out of it.

Eventually, I found an inexpensive-looking café. Another major letdown occurred when I saw that I couldn't even afford the cheapest thing there. Money was never a problem in my family. In fact, we had way too much of the stuff, so going from being able to buy almost anything to being denied a bottle of water was kind of hard to comprehend.

I can't believe that everything costs so much, Meteor said. Do they really expect everyone to have so much money?

"I can't believe it either," I sighed, making sure to keep my voice down. "Everything costs at least twice as much what I have." Perhaps... Dad was right. How can I support myself if I can't even afford something as simple as water!

Hey! Don't think like that, Meteor nudged my shoulder. It's only our second day on our own. We can get through this! Let's go back out to Route 104 and find a few more kids to battle. The cash will stack up eventually.

I mentally facepalmed, feeling like an idiot. Of course we can battle more Trainers, why didn't I think of that?

For being so book smart, I'm surprised you're not street smart, Meteor muttered.

By then my patience was more than paper-thin, and it may have had to do with how miserable I was feeling at the time. I was hungry, every part of me was sore from sleeping outside, I was on edge from my encounter with Valerie, and on top of that I was still homesick. It left me feeling somewhat queasy and irritated beyond belief. Meteor's little quip didn't just break whatever patience I had left, it freaking cleaved it in two. I turned my head to face him, not slowing my pace in the slightest. "You know what? Why don't you just—!"

Steven, look out!

Out of nowhere, someone crashed into me. I cried out in surprise and pain as a foreign object collided with the side of my head, resulting in an audible crack. They must've been running because the impact caused me to stumble backwards. My feet backpedaled in an attempt to keep the rest of me upright, but I found myself falling. I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the landing. To my surprise, I didn't hit the ground. I hesitantly opened my eyes and was amazed to see that I had frozen mid-fall, a pale pink light further obscuring my already blurred vision.

Don't worry, I got you! Meteor said in a strained voice. I floated back upright and the light dissipated, placing me on my feet as it did so. Meteor must've caught and kept me from falling using his psychic power.

As soon as I regained mobility, my hand flew to the spot where I'd been hit. I winced in pain as my fingers made contact with my right temple. Lightly touching it sent a wave of pain through my head, and I felt dizzy. Luckily it didn't seem like the skin was ruptured, just bruised.

I looked to see what had hit me and saw someone laying on the ground in front of me along with a four legged Pokémon. They were sprawled out on their back and seemed to have tripped over the cute, blue-finned Pokémon that was glancing from me to its Trainer, its wide mouth open in shock.

"A-are you okay?" I asked, wondering how the person didn't see me. "You should have been watching where you were running!"

"You were the one who ran into me!" they said as they sat up. He was a boy around my age with sea-green eyes and short-cut hair to match. What was strange about him was that his clothes were mostly white with a clean, white, short-sleeved jacket over a high-collared blue shirt and white pants. I shouldn't have been one to talk since I was still wearing the same dressy clothes Mom had gotten me. They were nice, though definitely not as fancy as the boy's apparel.

My eyes narrowed. "No, I'm sure you were the person who ran into me," I said. "It's common knowledge that you're supposed to walk up the left side of the road, not down."

"Well sorr-ry, Mister Fancy-talk. If I had known that I wouldn't have done it, now would I?" He stood up and dusted himself off. "Did I hurt you, Mudkip?"

"Kip, kip!" His Pokémon smiled up at its Trainer, shaking its head in a "no" response. He then looked back to me, noticing Meteor hovering next to me.

"Nice Pokémon! A Beldum, right?" he asked.

I nodded, weirded-out by the guy's sudden attitude shift.

He gave me a half-smile. "I'm sorry if I came off sounding rude. You surprised me, that's all!"

I think your definition of 'surprise' is completely different from mine, I thought while trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my head. "Apology accepted," I sighed.

"I suppose some introductions are needed," the boy said. "I am but a simple wandering Coordinator-turned-Trainer who just wants to find his way in this unforgiving world." He gave an over-exaggerated bow, clearly trying to play up the situation. "Or Wallace if you want to be simple. And this amazing Pokémon beside me is my Mudkip."

"Kip!" Mudkip raised one of his front legs like he was trying to wave, giving me and Meteor a wide smile.

"My name is Steven, and this is Meteor." I tilted my head towards my Beldum who was now trying to play with Mudkip. Not having any limbs didn't seem like too much of a problem for him, though.

"Nice meeting you, Steven. To make up for what I did, how about we have a battle? I know that's a weird thing to say but I don't know how else to make up for it," Wallace offered.

I was briefly taken aback, my first thought being, no, of course not! Though I wanted to turn down his offer, something about the way he asked gave off a vibe that said, "it'll be fun." Battling did cheer me up, and after everything that had happened, I needed a pick-me-up. "A battle would be fine. It's not the weirdest thing I've heard recently."

"Great! Be ready to lose, because I just got the Stone Badge and I haven't lost a battle yet!" Wallace said with a smirk.

Because we couldn't exactly battle in the middle of the street, Wallace and I went to a small park located close to the Pokémon Center. The park itself had been designed especially for battles, so the field looked like the one back in Terrance's Gym. Finn was Wallace's only Pokémon and that worked out fine since I only had Meteor. One or two passerby saw us and came to watch the battle.

"After you, Wallace," I said, already feeling a rush of excitement. I was curious about what Mudkip could do and I wanted to see instead of sending Meteor in right away.

"Oh, okay. Mudkip, use Water Gun!"

"Kip!" Mudkip firmly planted his feet on the ground and shot a jet of water at Meteor.

"Dodge it, then counter with Zen Headbutt!" I ordered. With relative ease, Meteor moved out of the way of the water before charging at Mudkip, the top of his head glowing with a blue light. Finn didn't move an inch, not until Wallace intervened at the last moment.

"Mudkip, Mud Slap!" He slammed his front feet into the ground, the dirt darkening with sudden dampness. The mud flew up a second later and into Meteor's face. Meteor couldn't see anymore and he crashed into the ground. He floated back up, shaking the mud from his head furiously.

Aww, come on! That wasn't fair, my Accuracy was lowered! he whined. Why does my Ability have to be Light Metal?

"Shake it off and use Iron Head!" I told Meteor, surprised that his attack had missed.

"Jump and use Water Gun," Wallace commanded. Mudkip jumped onto Meteor, launching himself off of Meteor's back. He spun in midair, causing his next Water Gun to become a churning spiral. The water slammed into Meteor, knocking him from midair once again.

"Iron Head again!" I was beginning to feel a tad frustrated. Mudkip couldn't keep dodging Meteor forever.

"Mudkip, Water Gun!"

No, this isn't how it's going to play out! Meteor powered through the water and hit Mudkip, sending the Mud Fish Pokémon hurtling halfway across the battlefield. Meteor lost some air and began hovering closer to the ground. I'm fine! I won't lose! Without me telling him he used Zen Headbutt and hit Mudkip again just as he was getting up.

"Kiiii..." Mudkip squeaked as he struggled to his feet.

"What was that for? Tell your Beldum that it needs to listen to you!" one of the spectators yelled. I gritted my teeth, trying to block out their words. It wasn't my fault that Meteor didn't always listen!

Don't do that again, please! That Pokémon was so frustrating to deal with sometimes, but I couldn't hate him for it. "Meteor, use Zen Headbutt!"

"Use Dig," Wallace told Mudkip. The ground around Mudkip's feet turned into watery mud before it vanished altogether, forming a hole large enough for him to dive into. Meteor froze mid-attack and looked around for the subterranean Water-type. How was Meteor supposed to attack Mudkip now? I then remembered that Meteor could sense other Pokémon, maybe he could do that in Mudkip's case?

Find out where Mudkip went, I thought, hoping Meteor was listening in. Wait until he's under you, then use Take Down!

I'll try; It's hard to sense things that are underground. Meteor closed his eye and stayed completely still. The ground under him abruptly dissolved away and Mudkip sprung up from the hole he had created. Meteor was thrown high into the air, spinning awkwardly as he tried to right himself. He managed to, though, and countered with Take Down. Both Pokémon were knocked across the field in opposite directions, ending with both of them barely being able to stay up. After a long stare-down, during which neither Wallace nor I dared to say anything, Meteor couldn't stay airborne and fell to the ground, Mudkip following right afterwards.

"Oh wow, it's a tie!" Wallace exclaimed.

No, that wasn't the case. Meteor had fainted first, meaning Wallace had won. I... I lost again. My heart sank, any thrill I had gotten from the battle dying. "Actually... you won," I said. "Meteor fell first."

Wallace shook his head. "No way, both of our Pokémon fainted at nearly the same time. Those two or so seconds don't count. Just ask them, they'll agree with me." He gestured to the dispersing group of people who had been watching us. "Tell me, was that a tie?" he asked them. The people gave mixed opinions, but most agreed that it was. "See? What'd I tell you? Neither of us won or lost."

It's a tie, Meteor said tiredly. And if you disagree, I'm gonna tell everyone in this city that you talked to your rock collection!

I flinched inwardly at Meteor's remark. I definitely didn't want that to happen, so I begrudgingly agreed with Wallace. "Okay, a tie it is. Now if you could excuse us, we need to be on our way." I returned Meteor to his ball before turning away. "Thank you for the battle, Wallace."

"Wait, where are you going?" I turned back and saw Wallace running over to me.

I was confused. We had our battle, what else did he want? "I'm going to the Pokémon Center, then I'm leaving the city. Why do you ask?"

"Why don't you come have lunch with me and my sister? I was on my way to meet her when I got... sidetracked. Besides, I want to hang out more with you. You seem like someone worth getting to know, if that makes sense?"

Even if I could, I wouldn't be able to buy anything, I thought bitterly. "No thank you, I'm not too hungry anyways," I said dismissively. At that moment, my stomach chimed in with an especially loud growl, one I knew for a fact Wallace had heard. My face flushed hot in embarrassment and I looked away, not wanting him to see how red my face must have been.

"I was going to say you were lying, but it looks like you did it for me," he said with a chuckle. "Do you really not want to hang out with me and my sister? Because I won't be offended if that's the case."

"No, it's not that..." I trailed off, not wanting to admit how little money I had.

"What is it then? Can't pay the bill or something?" Wallace genuinely looked concerned.

He hit the nail right on the head. I didn't respond, feeling too embarrassed to say anything. Wallace took this as a "yes" and kept talking. "Why don't you have lunch with us and I'll pay for it? You won't regret it, I promise."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I blurted out. "We barely know each other, and you're offering to pay for something I should be able to afford myself."

"Aww, come on, Stevie! We're rivals now! Not all rivals need to be jerks to each other." Wallace smiled playfully.

I frowned. "First off, please don't call me that. And two, when did we suddenly become rivals?"

"Five seconds ago," Wallace replied, checking an imaginary watch. "So are you taking me up on my offer or not? Café Wisteria does have a lot of great dishes."

I choked back my denial and nodded, trying to smile. "Okay, fine. I'll accept your offer. You had better be right about the café!" For some reason, I couldn't dislike Wallace. Something about his flamboyant personality and how he wouldn't take "no" for an answer interested me. How his Mudkip pulled off all of those fancy maneuvers also intrigued me as well. I guessed it wouldn't hurt to hang around with him and his sister for a while.