Thunder Wave and Spark won't have any effect, there's no point in raising Special Defense with Light Screen, so that means it's going to use...

"Manetric, use Bite!" my opponent commanded.

And there we go! I thought with a smile. The battle I was currently partaking in had been going extremely well, and victory was already within my reach. "Finish it with Metal Claw!" Silvette charged at the opposing Electric-type, the ends of her feet morphing into three-pronged claws of energy. She leaped at Manetric, slashing its left flank with her claws and sending it tumbling. It came to a rolling stop at its Trainer's feet in a small dust cloud where it didn't get up. I had won!

"Congratulations! You've defeated me and as the Hoenn League rules state, you have earned the Dynamo Badge," the gray-haired man I'd been battling said. He handed me a circular blue and yellow badge. I accepted it and pinned it to my jacket.

"Thank you, Wattson. Sorry if my challenge was so abrupt, I wanted to have a battle as soon as I arrived in Mauville," I said with an apologetic smile. I wasn't exaggerating. After the incident with Baltoy, it had taken us two days to get to Mauville City. The moment I caught sight of the Gym I wasted no time in requesting a battle. Wallace and Winona were waiting outside for me, and I felt kind of bad for ditching them like that.

"It's fine! I love it when Trainers are passionate in what they do, and you're a perfect example of that. Your passion was clearly shown through the skill you displayed," Wattson said.

"Oh, uh, thank you," I said, my face flushing. I wasn't used to receiving praise like this and it felt a little awkward. I didn't think my skills were anything amazing. Even if they were, I didn't want to flaunt them. If anything, Wattson should be praising Silvette and Meteor. They were the ones who did all of the work.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed over," Wattson said. "Most Trainers come and go, only caring about the badge and what earning it represents."

"They're both equally as important," I said. I personally thought the badge was the most important part of winning a Gym battle since earning one was a sign of strength. But I guessed the battle was something important in of itself. After all, a fancy piece of metal couldn't give me the same exuberance a battle did.

I left the Mauville Gym and met up with Wallace and Winona, who were waiting nearby. I told Wallace he could go battle Wattson if he wanted to and he gratefully accepted my offer. I had no clue how he was going to defeat an Electric Gym with all Water-types, but I was sure he would figure something out.

"So what did you two do while I was battling?" I asked Winona.

"Nothing," she said. She stuck out her lower lip and frowned, showing her dismay. "It was really boring! And it's gonna be worse now because Wallace takes forever whenever he battles!"

"We can go do something if you want," I offered.

Winona's expression brightened and she smiled. "Can we go back to Route 110? I really wanna look for some bird Pokémon," she said enthusiastically. "And I figured out how to stop Combusken from setting things on fire. Wingull can use Water Pulse on her, and that'll stop her from using the move!"

That sounds like it would be more harmful than helpful, but if it gets the job done... "Oh really? That sounds... unique," I responded. I couldn't bring myself to contradict her logic, even if it was quite wrong. Winona seemed convinced beyond a doubt that her "revolutionary" technique was the greatest thing she had ever come up with and I didn't want to spoil her joy.

"You really think so?" She looked so happy that I could practically see the sparkles in her eyes as she talked. I definitely couldn't do it, not after seeing her smile like that. "But I'll go tell Wallace what we're doing and then we can get going!" Winona abruptly dashed into the Gym, practically leaving a line of dust in her wake.

It's like she's on a permanent sugar high! Watching her zip around like that makes me wish I could still come out of my ball whenever I wanted, Meteor commented. A second later, Winona reappeared and she was practically bouncing in her excitement.

"Let's go, let's go!" she squealed, grabbing my hand and trying to pull me. It reminded me of when she had first wanted to show me her beacon technique. It was humorous to me back then and it still was now. She paused in her action, her joy fading by the slightest. "Oh wait, how do we get there?" she asked sheepishly.

I laughed. "Let's just start walking, we'll find the route entrance eventually."

As we were walking, I decided to make small talk with Meteor. You said you wish that you could come out of your Poké Ball whenever you wanted, you know that's no longer possible, right?

Hey, a Pokémon can dream. I feel like I'm missing out on life by always being holed up! he pouted.

It's fine, I know what you're getting at. I know that feeling all too well, I replied.

Hey! You've got to stop thinking about that stuff, Meteor snapped. His voice then took on a deathly serious tone. Oh, and don't look now, but I think someone's following us.

I immediately felt myself tense up. E-excuse me?

I heard some... interesting thoughts a second ago. I might have been imagining it since this city is a sea of thoughts, but these were too specific.

Who did they belong to?

A man in a black suit a few yards behind us. Try to get a look at him without making it too obvious.

I pretended to take a casual look behind me, and in the process I saw who Meteor was probably talking about. He was a man with blond hair wearing a professional-looking black suit and sunglasses several paces behind us. It was hard to tell, but it looked like he was staring straight ahead, straight at me. I felt my blood spike with shards of ice and I looked away from him. My mind instantly jumped to the conclusion that Dad had sent out a search for me and the man was one of the people who was a part of it. What were his thoughts? I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Your hair color, what you're wearing, details like that. He kept repeating them over and over, like he was trying to memorize them.

The thought of the man being someone Dad had sent vanished. If he was looking for me, he would have already known what I looked like. My stomach twisted itself into an all-too-familiar knot of dread and I began to feel queasy. Stop joking around Meteor. You're... you're scaring me, I admitted before I could stop myself.

I'm not joking, I'm really not! Do you think I'd joke around about something like this?

No you wouldn't... I stole another glance at the man. He was still following us, he was still staring at me. Why was he doing this?! I had to get us away from him somehow. I looked at Winona and she was walking alongside me happily. I had to be extra careful going about this. If this man was truly following me in particular, Winona could possibly be put in danger. "Winona, let's go this way," I said, tilting my head towards an upcoming street on our right.

"Why?" she asked, her gaze focused on the numerous cracks in the sidewalk that she would then jump over.

"I remember that the route was southeast from the Gym, and we might get there faster if we go this way," I lied, trying my best to keep my voice from shaking. I made the turn and as we did, I looked behind me. The man had also made the turn. I was now fully convinced that he was intentionally following us.

My mind raced to come up with a plan to get Winona and me out of this situation. Any unnecessary double-backs could clue her in that something was wrong, taking shelter in a store allowed him to trap us, direct confrontation was completely out of the question, and asking for help could lead to him taking a different path and eventually following us again...

   Nothing I thought of wouldn't work without frightening Winona, and I didn't want her getting wrapped up in something that potentially only involved me. And so I began the most terrifying game of keep-away I had ever had the misfortune of playing. I made turn after turn, and yet the man continued to follow.

The inevitable soon occurred and Winona began to ask why I kept going down so many random streets. I couldn't do it, I had to tell her what was going on. But as if by some incredible miracle, I saw the Route 110 entrance.

I grabbed Winona's hand and flat-out ran with her out of the city onto the scenic forest path. I then pulled her behind the biggest tree I could find, praying to Arceus that we were hidden enough. I clamped one hand over her mouth while shushing her with the other. The look of terror my face displayed must have convinced her to be quiet. We remained like this until the man thankfully passed us by and when he was gone, I uncovered Winona's mouth, whispering apologies profusely as I did so.

"What's going on? Why are we hiding?" Winona asked angrily. She had no idea what kind of bullet we had probably dodged a minute ago.

"Someone was following us," I explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she questioned. "You could have told, I wouldn't have done anything crazy."

"I was aware of that, but I didn't want to take any risks," I tried explaining.

"So? I might be younger than you but that doesn't mean I'm dumber!" she said. Her angered expression changed to one of disappointed sadness; she looked genuinely hurt. I felt scummier than a Grimer at that moment. Leading her on like that and not acknowledging her feelings was a horrible thing to do, and I did it for a horrible reason.

"I..." I sighed. "I didn't want you to worry." I repeated the phrase I had said countless times over the course of my life. Only now did I realize how empty those words really were.

"If you had told her, perhaps you wouldn't be in your current predicament."

I whirled around and saw the man who had been following me less than a foot away. A terrified cry escaped me before I could stop it. Winona cried out as well, and she clung to my arm like her life depended on it.

"Don't think about trying to run. Gengar, Mean Look."

"Gaaarr!" The rasping voice of a Pokémon echoed from seemingly nowhere and in that instant I felt every one of my muscles seize up, rendering me motionless. I realized with a sickening jolt that Mean Look was the same move Valerie's Sableye had used on me. Winona's fearful whimpers told me that she was in the same situation. A large purple Pokémon with spikes along its back and two bangles around its arms appeared beside the man, its purple-tinted eyes filled with a hollow sense of malice.

"Don't worry, you don't have to maintain those unpleasant positions," he said. "Don't have the desire to flee, and you can move all you want. Mean Look is for trapping escaping foes... or targets. I'm only telling you this because I trust you won't bring out any of your Pokémon, I hope I'm correct?" The Gengar's smile somehow stretched wider when its Trainer said this.

   Both my mind and my deepest instincts were screaming at me to run away as fast as I could but through some sense of willpower, I forced myself to think otherwise. This man was clearly a member of the Insurgents, and there was no point in trying to get answers if I couldn't talk. A surge of heat spread through me and I could move again.

"See? Isn't that better?" the man asked. He removed his sunglasses and put them in his jacket pocket, allowing me to see his deep brown eyes. "So, you're the Trainer my Lady Valerie keeps ranting on and on about. She's been interested in people before, but not to the extent she has been with you."

"What do you want with me?" I asked. My voice was calm despite the terror wracking me. I had to act brave, if not for my own sake, then for Winona's.

"Your first encounter left such an impression on her that she found it impossible to forget about you. And after the feat you pulled off in Granite Cave with my colleague Andrew, it made her more curious. She desires to meet with you again. We were conducting business in Mauville today when, what a coincidence! She happens to catch sight of you heading towards the Gym," the man said.

Was he even aware of what he was saying? These people seemed to be too dense to figure out that a grown woman being so "interested" in a sixteen year-old was a little on the disturbing side. But that was besides the point. I had met Valerie once, what about me left such an impression on her? Of course, I had no intentions of waiting around for her to arrive.

Meteor, tell Winona to send out all of her Pokémon on my cue. I think if we can take down that Gengar, the Mean Look will wear off and we can try to escape, I thought.

Will do, give me a sec.

I glanced over at Winona and she looked up to meet my gaze, careful to not physically move her head to tip the man off that we might be conspiring somehow. The moment the man looked away to once again check our surroundings, I mouthed, "Go!" Within a few seconds, Winona and I sent out every one of our Pokémon. Our numbers totaled us to a team of four, outnumbering the man.

"Silvette, use Mud Slap to blind both of them. And Meteor, use Bullet Punch on Gengar!" I ordered. Silvette stomped the ground, sending mud flying into the faces of both the man and Gengar. The man yelled in shock and desperately tried to wipe away the gum-like dirt that clung to his face. Meteor lashed out with a Bullet Punch, pummeling Gengar and knocking it into a tree.

"Combusken, Peck! Wingull, Water Gun!" Winona commanded, raising her arms as if to accent her point. Her bird Pokémon flew at Gengar, peppering it with a flurry of sharp-beaked blows. The purple Pokémon flailed at the birds but its short arms were nothing but a slight inconvenience to the attacking flock.

The man succeeded in partially clearing his vision and after doing so, he sent out a second Pokémon. It was a Manetric, similar to the one I had battled at the Gym minus the collar and the glassy, purple eyes. "Gengar, retaliate with a Shadow Ball and Manetric, use Discharge on that annoying swarm of feathers," the man growled. Gengar generated a blob of shadow between its hands and launched it at Silvette.

"Silvette, try to dodge it," I said. The blob hit her head-on and sent her flying back. I held her Poké Ball up and managed to recall her before she could be tossed into the branches of a nearby tree. I figured that Shadow Ball was a Ghost-type move, a type that was super-effective against Meteor's Psychic half. If it's using Ghost attacks, I'll need to be extra cautious when attacking with Meteor.

At the same time Silvette was hit, Manetric unleashed a frenzy of electricity. Each bolt flew at each of Winona's Pokémon and they were engulfed by the attack. They dropped out of the air like stones and collapsed to the ground, twitching with paralysis. Combusken dodged the bolt that was intended for her and aimed a skillful Double Kick at the Electric-type. Its paws were knocked from underneath it and it fell flat on its muzzle.

"Keep using Double Kick!" Winona cried, scrambling to return her fainted Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

"Meteor, don't take your eyes off that Gengar and try to hit it with a Confusion!" Meteor was fast enough to attack first, I knew he was!

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball again!" the man countered. To my shock, Gengar was faster than Meteor and he was hit with the devastating Ghost attack. His scream of surprise and pain rang out loudly in my mind, mocking my reckless action. I recalled him just as Manetric finished electrocuting Crimson with a Thunderbolt, knocking her out and firmly securing our loss.

"A valiant effort, but it was all to no avail." The man gave us a mud-spattered smirk, his eyes shining with smug satisfaction. "You didn't even take down my Gengar, the one thing that prevented you from escaping in the first place! You need to work on your teamwork and coordination if you want to get anywhere as Trainers. Now you'll just have to wait for my Lady Valerie. I wonder if your loss will affect her opinion of you?" This last question was directed at me and I could only glare at him. We had failed, and we were going to pay for it. The three of us waited in tense silence until I saw a red-haired woman approaching us. This woman, of course, was Valerie.

"It is so nice to see you again, dearie. Fancy meeting you here!" Valerie said, her lips stretching into a cold smile. Her dark eyes seemed to stare directly into the very core of my being, and I found myself being petrified by something other than the Mean Look. I said nothing and adverted my gaze, afraid that anything I said would result in her doing something horrible.

"Address my Lady Valerie when she speaks to you!" the man snapped, causing me to jump.

"Quiet, Liam," Valerie said. "You have no need to address him so harshly. Look at him, the poor dear's shaking and he's whiter than a sheet. He's absolutely terrified!"

I balled my hands into fists at my sides in some vain attempt to appear intimidating, but this action did nothing to stop me from trembling. Valerie was right, I was terrified. I was defenseless, outnumbered, and terrified. And although I was, I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing it. I swallowed back my fear and forced myself to look Valerie in the eye. "You said you wanted to talk. Stop taunting me and get on with it already!"

"Aww, trying to be confident, are you? How precious!" Her words coupled with her smile were so sickeningly sweet they made me want to vomit. She then roughly grabbed me by the arm and yanked me close to her, prompting a small scream from Winona. She was so close that I could feel her breath against my skin. "The first thing you should know about me, dearie, is don't try to be a smart-ass with me. If you do, things will turn out very, very badly for you, that Metang of yours, and that little girl," she whispered in my ear, squeezing my arm so tightly that I thought it would break.

"Okay, I'll cooperate!" I said, my voice seconds away from becoming a cry of pain. If I got out of this, I knew I would have another set of bruises to go with the ones Valerie had left the first time.

"That's a good boy. Handsome, and obedient, qualities that most don't seem to possess these days," Valerie said. The way she said those words made my skin crawl, as if swarms of Ariados were scuttling across it. "All I want to ask is a simple question. If we want to get to know each other better, there is a basic thing I would like to know: your name. That isn't too difficult of a request, is it? I would simply like to know your name." Was she serious? Like that was happening! The chances of that occuring were in the negative digits at the highest.

"No, I won't," I refused.

Valerie's false smile faded and her expression darkened, her gaunt features twisting in instant anger. "... Did I hear you correctly?" she asked slowly.

"I refuse to tell you anything about me, much less my name," I repeated. The fear my eyes clearly held belied the iciness my voice tried to bear.

"You are trying my patience!" Valerie hissed. Her scowl became a smile that couldn't have been more forced. "Let me ask once more. What. Is. Your. Name?" she asked again, each word she spoke dripping with sugar-coated malice.

"I told you, I'm not saying anything!" I said.

"You... disobedient little... brat!" Valerie brought back her free hand and sharply smacked me across the face. I was so startled that it took me a moment to figure out what had even happened. Utter shock kept the pain at bay and I stared at her, my eyes wide.

   Trying and failing to move, I tripped over my own feet and fell down hard on my backside. My hand reflexively flew up to cup the right side of my face, and I winced when it made contact with my stinging cheek. The pain quickly evolved from a light stinging to an intense burning. It hurt like hell. My eyes began to well up with tears and it took everything I had to not let them fall.

"You can't be all talk without any action, everyone knows that," Valerie scoffed. She looked down at me with anger and disgust. "What, are you going to cry? Reactions only result in more pain." She raised her hand again and I flinched back, my breath catching in my throat.

"Leave him alone!" I heard Winona cry. She ran in front of me, blocking Valerie.

"N-no, Winona! You'll get yourself hurt!" I stuttered. The young girl ignored me and continued yelling at Valerie.

"Stop being so mean to him! How would you feel if somebody treated you like that?" she demanded. Valerie's expression darkened, her contempt shifting from me to Winona.

"If you insist on protecting him, you'll share his punishment!" She removed a Poké Ball from her pocket and released the creature it held. I was now looking at Valerie's Sableye. "Sableye, use Fury Swipes on those brats. Don't spare either of them the other's agony." Valerie smiled coldly.

"Eyee-yeee!" the Sableye said in almost a singsong tone. Its short claws became surrounded in a white glow and they appeared to extend and sharpen. It then proudly displayed its now five inch long claws. They shone with an unearthly white glow and were wickedly sharp. I tried to move but found myself paralyzed. Gengar's Mean Look was still in effect and it wasn't about to let either of us flee our imminent pain.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault..." I whispered. This was it for us, we were done for. Sableye lunged at us and I recoiled in terror.

..!

My heart skipped a beat when I sensed another Psychic presence. Out of nowhere, the Baltoy I had tried to help sprung from the undergrowth, putting itself between us and Sableye. It rapidly spun in place and a wall of glistening white light materialized from thin air. Sableye's storm of Fury Swipes clanged against the wall of light, preventing any of them from getting through.

"What is this?" Valerie gasped. Baltoy spun in place again, turning its attention to Liam's Gengar. It fired off a multicolored beam of Psychic energy that caused it to faint. Baltoy turned its head to look at me and pointed into the trees with one of its arms while tilting its head in the same direction.

Thank you, Baltoy, I thought to it. I took advantage of the confusion and sprung to my feet. Winona didn't try to move, she seemed to be too stunned to react. In turn, I grabbed Winona around her waist and used all of my strength to haul her away from Valerie and the others. Perhaps it was my newfound hope of escaping or the massive amounts of adrenaline surging through my veins but I had the strength to carry both Winona and myself back towards Mauville.

As we neared the city's south entrance, I caught sight of Wallace approaching us. He smiled and raised his hand to wave at us but his smile quickly faded when he saw that I was literally carrying his sister. His brisk walk turned into a run as he rushed to meet us. Steps away from reaching him my legs finally gave out and I collapsed to the ground in a heap.

   Winona squirmed out from underneath my arm, got to her feet, and tried to get me up. When I didn't move, she resorted to shaking me. I wasn't unconscious or anything, I was fully awake, too awake. I just couldn't move an inch. The panic and adrenaline had worn off, leaving me exhausted and numb.

"Winona, are... are you alright?" I asked as I fought to catch my breath.

"I'm fine! Thank you for saving me," she replied, nodding.

"What happened to you two?" Wallace questioned frantically.

"Can't explain now, we have to run..." I said. We weren't safe, we couldn't be. I hadn't left the Insurgents that far behind. And on top of that, I had to get Meteor and Silvette to a Pokémon Center. Not knowing if they were okay filled me with a fear greater than any the Insurgents could generate.

Hey, stop thinking about me like I'm dead or something! Meteor said. Passing out and dying are on two completely different spectrums!

Thank Arceus you're okay, I thought. Trying to move resulted in immediate failure. I managed to get myself off the ground an inch or two before I fell back down. I was no more stable than a Goomy at one HP. I wasn't going anywhere fast.

"Whoa wait a second! Who were you running from?" Wallace grabbed my shoulders and hauled me into a sitting position.

"The people in Dewford, the ones who stole the WaveOrb! They knocked out all of our Pokémon and they're after us! If we don't run right now, we're going to be caught and... and..." I slumped forwards, breathing heavily. My heart was still racing and my lungs were starved for air.

"You look like you're about to pass out, you're not going anywhere! If they're after you two we can fight them off," Wallace stated confidently. "If your Pokémon can't battle, I'll still use mine!" All the while, I was intently watching the treeline, waiting in terrified anticipation for Valerie or any of the other Insurgents to make a reappearance. One minute passed, nothing. Two minutes, still nothing. The minutes continued to crawl by and nothing else happened. Had they really let us go? The tall grass to the right of us rustled and I nearly leapt out of my skin.

...

I relaxed when I felt a second presence. There was no mistaking it. I looked through the deep green blades and caught sight of something tan. Baltoy? I tentatively asked. The small Psychic-type glided from its hiding spot, coming to a stop on the edge of the grass.

"Is that the Baltoy we saw a few days ago?" Wallace asked. I nodded, not taking my eyes off the Pokémon.

Are those people gone? I asked it, not expecting a worded response. It nodded. Relief flooded through me and I allowed myself to relax fully. They really were gone. Wait, I thought you were scared of me. Why did you come back? I asked next.

   It moved closer, "staring" up at me with sealed eyes. It was then I noticed that Baltoy's presence remained strong in my mind. Unlike before, it wasn't faint or hesitant. A thought slowly began to take form and I was cautious to voice it.

   Did you come back because of me? Baltoy's presence became lighter, the same way Meteor's did whenever he was happy about something. It glided ever closer to me, stopping less than a foot away.

..?

I was sure I knew what it was trying to ask. I reached into my bag and removed a spare Great Ball I had purchased. I then gently set the mechanical ball down on the grass in front of Baltoy. Do... you want to come with me? It looked from me to the Great Ball for a moment before it nodded. I picked the ball up, aimed it at Baltoy, and pressed the center button. A beam of red light came from the center and when it hit Baltoy, it was broken down into energy particles that were pulled into the ball. The button glowed red once, twice, three times, and a star popped out from it, the sign of a successful capture.

...

I could still sense Baltoy's presence, it was light, airy, and joyful. Words probably couldn't have described how happy it was. It finally found a Trainer, someone it could befriend. How scared you must have felt, circling around that lonely forest for days, possibly weeks, all while being injured and without someone you could trust, I thought wistfully to my new partner. That wouldn't be the case anymore. I was determined to help and protect like it had done with Winona and me. I would protect Baltoy until they found their voice. Welcome to the team, Orbit.