"So where are you from, Steven?"

   I paused and looked at Wallace's younger sister, Winona. She was a very pretty girl with long lavender hair that was put up into twin Tepig-tails and matching lavender eyes that glittered with intrigue and excitement. She gave off the vibe of someone who loved adventure and living life to the fullest. I held up my index finger in a gesture that meant, "Wait a second," and swallowed what I had in my mouth. 

   "Rustboro," I replied. After we battled, Wallace had taken me to Café Wisteria where I met Winona. According to him, she had just turned twelve and they were half-siblings. He also apparently had another directly blood-related sister named Lisa, but she was off in Unova and the two hardly ever talked, if at all. Wallace was also my age, sixteen. Since he had decided to change his career path from Coordinator to a standard Trainer, he went back to his home city so he could accompany his half-sister on her own journey.

   "Really? That's pretty close to here. We came here all the way from Sootopolis," Winona said as she took a drink from her water glass. "Wallace's Mantine brought us to Slateport and we had to take a train to Rustboro afterwards."

   "You have a Mantine?" I asked Wallace.

   He nodded. "Our father brought a Mantyke back from Sinnoh when he went on a business trip there and he gave her to me when I initially began my journey."

   "That's nice," I said, not quite sure of how to respond to that.

   "Wallace got his badge yesterday, and now we're gonna go to Dewford Town next!" Winona said.

   "The next Gym is there," Wallace added. "I'm not at all worried about the battle. Justine is the Leader there and she specializes in Fighting-types. My Starmie can sweep her team with ease!"

   Fighting-types? From what limited knowledge I had of the type match-up system, I knew that Steel was weak to Fighting. Sure, Meteor was also part Psychic-type but that wouldn't matter if Zen Headbutt was the one Psychic move he knew.

   Hey, I could still win regardless! Meteor chimed in.

   What did I say about reading my mind? I growled. I had no idea how I managed to convey that infliction through thought, but I did somehow.

   'Don't do it,' I know! he sighed.

   "Steven, are you okay?"

   I snapped out of my mental conversation and saw Wallace and Winona staring at me. I then realized that I had been scowling the whole time I was speaking with Meteor. "Yes, I'm fine. Just... thinking," I said reassuringly. Winona's eyes suddenly sparked, as if she had gotten an idea.

   "I know, you could come with us to Dewford!" she offered excitedly. "We were gonna leave in a few days, and because you're collecting badges like my big brother, you'd have to go there some time. It'd be fun to have another person traveling with us!"

   "That sounds like it could be fun," Wallace agreed. "How about it, Stevie?"

   "Please don't call me that," I sighed. Your thoughts? I asked Meteor.

   You're on your own here, it's not my call whether you should go with them or not, he replied defensively.

   I thought about Winona's offer, perhaps going with them wasn't such a bad idea? Being around others wasn't something I was used to. I had always preferred to be alone when it came to most things, that was because I'd never spent too much time with anyone other than my parents. That couldn't be the case this time. While part of me was telling me to stay away from everyone, the rest of me desperately wanted to be around others. My mind was made up. "Okay, I will. It'd be nice to have some company."

   Winona almost jumped out of her chair. "Yay, this is gonna be fun!" she squealed. I couldn't help but smile. It was strange, I hardly knew these people and yet they were talking with me like we had known each other for years. I didn't mind though, oddly enough. Maybe it was fate that I had literally run into Wallace.

   I think I know what you're after. You just want to mooch off of Wallace's money, don't you? Meteor said slyly. I don't blame you. From the way he and his sister are dressed, they must have loads of cash.

   I am not thinking about that! Maybe I want to travel in a group. Or, Arceus forbid, I might actually want more friends! I retorted, making sure to not show any expressions as I talked this time. Out of all the times he chose not to read my mind...! I suppressed my sigh by shoving another forkful of salad in my mouth. Yes, I had ordered a salad. It was enough that Wallace was treating me, I didn't want to be rude by ordering something expensive. 

   After we finished eating, Wallace paid the bill and we left the café. For once, I was in high spirits. An hour ago, I was absolutely miserable, and now I was the complete opposite. Crazy how much could change in a day!

   "Steven, do you wanna have a battle?" Winona asked as we passed the Route 103 entrance.

   I hesitated for a moment but relented when Meteor said he wanted to do it. He probably wanted to repair his damaged pride. "Um, if you'd like to. I don't see why not," I then answered.

   "As long as you don't knock down any more trees that is," Wallace added, earning a confused look from me.

   "Yay!" Winona cheered. She stuck her arms out to her sides and spun in circles, her sky-blue dress billowing out around her. "Yes, yes, this is gonna be so much fun!"

   "Winnie, stop it! There are people watching," Wallace scolded his sister.

   "C'mon, Steven! Let's go!" Winona grabbed my hand and tried pulling me. Being the skinny, delicate-looking twelve year-old she was, she wasn't really able to. I soon gave into her incessant tugs and let her lead me to the route. I could hear Wallace trying to stifle a laugh behind me, and I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

—~*~—

The route wasn't too different from Route 104, except that there were twice as many trees and only a few ponds scattered here and there. Winona continued farther down the route until she found a clearing she thought was good enough to practice in. It was a sizable gap in the trees bordered by low-lying shrubbery and tall oaks. Winona walked to the clearing's center, slung off her backpack, and dug around in it until she pulled out a standard Poké Ball. She also pulled out a pair of blue goggles, the kind that a pilot would wear.

   "You only have one Pokémon, right?" Winona asked me. I nodded and sent out Meteor, who already looked like he was ready to battle.

   "I've been practicing with Combusken lately, and I think she's ready!" Winona said excitedly, tossing the Poké Ball into the air. "Combusken, let's go!" An avian Pokémon emerged from the capsule and landed gracefully on the ground in front of their Trainer. It had tan and brown feathers with no visible wings, instead having long talons at the end of its arms.

   "That is a Combusken?" I thought aloud. Even though I was clueless when it came to what most Pokémon were, I at least knew the Hoenn starters and their evolutions.

   "You might want to be a little careful," Wallace warned. "Both Winona and Combusken have a knack of getting a little too... overexcited when they battle."

   I didn't like the sound of that in the slightest.

   "Wallace, stop distracting him!" Winona yelled to get our attentions. She had put on her goggles by now and was staring at us with her arms crossed.

   "I was just warning him, Winnie. Remember what happened the last time you battled?" Wallace looked at his sister sternly.

   "Combusken can control herself better now! I promise she won't burn down anything, okay?"

   Burn? Hearing her say that made me feel uneasy. She's burned things down before? My muscles tensed up, the thought striking fear into me.

   "Um... Steven?"

   I suddenly realized that I had unknowingly taken a few steps back. "D-don't worry, Wallace. I'm.. I'm not too fond of fire, that's all." I'd had an aversion to fire and Fire-type Pokémon ever since I was little. Due to an incident involving a wild Vulpix, a Fire Stone, and a particularly nasty Ember, I nearly had my hand burned off. Because of it, I never wanted to be close to fire or a Fire-type unless I had to. Goes to show how even when I was little, I was obsessed with collecting rocks.

   "You don't have to battle her if you don't want to," Wallace offered.

"Yeah, it's fine," Winona chimed in.

"Though you seem like the last person that would be afraid of fire in my opinion," Wallace said quietly, probably not intending for me to hear. "My Pokémon know Water moves if you're worried about the obvious," he then said louder.

   Ignoring what I heard before, I shook my head. "No it's fine! Don't let my problems trouble you." I forced myself to step forwards again, trying to ignore the bad feeling I had. If Winona said Combusken could control it, I was willing to believe her despite part of my mind telling me otherwise. "Winona, you have the first move," I told her.

   "Oh, okay," Winona said. "Combusken, start with Double Kick!"

   Easy to dodge! Meteor almost sang, gliding out of way of the bird's kick before I could say a word. Combusken spun around and launched a second kick, scratching his side. Hey! he snarled and gave me a look.

   "M-Meteor, Iron Head!" I stuttered out. Meteor flipped around and flew at Combusken.

   "Block it!" Winona interjected.

   Combusken dug her talons deep into the dirt and lifted her arms just as Meteor slammed into her. She easily shoved him back, her obvious advantage over him in strength showing through. Her shove knocked him away and to the ground. As Meteor recovered, Winona issued her next order.

   "Now Combusken, use Ember!"

   "Meteor, dodge it!" I countered.

Combusken opened her beak and spewed red-hot flames that surged past Meteor as he dodged away. The attack vanished into the forest, slamming into several trees' trunks. The fire immediately began eating away at the bark and leaves, and within seconds those trees burst into flame, painting the lush forest with alarming shades of red. It took a minute for the situation to register with me. When it did, my heart dropped.

   "Oh no!" Winona gasped.

   "Winnie, what did I tell you?" Wallace cried, sending out Mudkip along with a large manta ray Pokémon and a starfish Pokémon. "Starmie, Mudkip, use Water Gun on those trees. And Mantine, use Bubblebeam!"

   So much for the battle, Meteor chimed in, his voice slightly pained. As quickly as it had began, it was over. I told him to be quiet and shrunk away from the quickly spreading blaze. My heart began to beat faster and my breaths became quick and shallow. I told myself to calm down, that I would be fine as long as I stayed away from the fire.

   Even from where I stood I could feel the heat radiating off the flames. For such a small Pokémon, Combusken was able to cause a lot of damage! Luckily, Wallace seemed to have it under control. A mixture of Water moves doused most of the fire within minutes, leaving behind charred black trees and smoke.

   "Is everyone okay?" Wallace called out.

   "Yes, I'm fine!" I answered, getting a lungful of smoke in the process. I doubled over in a coughing fit, choking on the acrid fumes.

   "I'm good," Winona said apologetically. "I'm sorry, Wallace. I really am! I was sure that she would be able to pull it off this time." The young girl hung her head, too ashamed to meet Wallace's eyes.

   "Winona... I told you that you needed to be more cautious when it came to battling." Wallace stared at his sister, his gaze full of concern and disappointment. I felt my heart sink. The way he was talking to her, it reminded me of how Dad would speak to me whenever I disappointed him.

   "If she says she's sorry, then she is! Leave her alone!" The somewhat choked words escaped me before I could stop them. I clamped my hand over my mouth, shocked at what I had said.

   "It's okay, Steven." Winona lifted her head and gave me a small smile. "Wallace knows I didn't mean to do it. He's just worried because he's looking out for me. Besides, this isn't the first time I did something like this!"

   What, you've started more forest fires? I thought worriedly, looking around at the aftermath left behind by Winona's failed display. The off-hand comment Wallace said about her knocking down trees seemed pretty tame compared to this, especially what could have happened if he hadn't put the fire out fast enough.

   "Winnie's right, though I did sound a tad harsher than I usually do," Wallace said as he recalled his Pokémon. He gave me a worried look. "Does this change your mind about traveling with us?"

   I shook my head, forcing myself to smile. This could be my one chance to make actual human friends, and I wasn't going to let my petty fears get in the way. "Oh no, I do want to still. As long as you keep Combusken's Fire moves as far from me as possible," I tried to joke though it sounded like more like a low-key threat than anything else. Humor wasn't my forte, that was for certain.

   "I usually try to! Why do you think I was wearing these?" Winona said, pushing her goggles farther up on her forehead. "They aren't just for fashion after all."

   "You could have fooled me. I thought you had them to complete your whole, 'pilot' look," I replied. Winona's sunny attitude made me feel better, and I was able to shove my unpleasant memories to the back of my mind.