"Keep going, Sven! You're not allowed to stop until you either drop from exhaustion, or that last mile is finished!"

Her Growlithe snorted in protest, but he kept moving his paws through the slippery sand to keep up with his trainer. Great beads of sweat rolled down Rosa's forehead as she and her Pokémon finished their final stretch along the Desert Resort's river bank, but she refused to stop or even slow. They were going to finish this lap if it killed them.

It had been two weeks since she and her team had left Castelia City, and Rosa had spent every spare moment training herself and her Pokémon. They'd all grown accustomed to the easy routine of wandering the city, but now that they were back in the wilderness, she was determined to whip them back into shape. Each day started at the crack of dawn with a long run through the cooled sand, and after breakfast, her team took turns chipping away at the desert's population of ground and fire-type Pokémon.

The typing made training almost too easy for Zaveid, but Sven was having a difficult time. The first few days, he took every opportunity to shake the sand from his pelt and shoot her pitiful, heartbroken puppy dog faces. When that didn't convince her to usher him out of the desert, Sven stumbled through the sand with his head drooped like a wilted flower. He only stopped his silent protest when she threatened to make him sleep in his pokeball at night.

Despite his improved attitude, however, he still wasn't at his best. Even now, she could see his strength failing him as he struggled to stick to her side. Her other Pokémon were far ahead, just tiny blurs on the horizon, but Rosa understood Sven's difficulty. His endurance was like hers – basically absent.

"We're almost there Sven," she huffed as they leapt over a patch of jagged rocks sticking up alongside the riverbank. A Mandibuzz circled overhead, perhaps thinking they would make appetizing prey after cooking so long in the crippling heat. "Don't you dare quit on me. If I finish this last mile and you're even two seconds behind, you'll be running through breakfast."

His response came out as a whimper, but Rosa paid it no mind and focused instead on breathing. Her lungs burned like she'd baked them in the sun, and each intake of breath was painful. Her muscles protested the exercise as well, especially her calves. How could a few weeks of idleness cripple her like this? She hated to think what it had done to her Pokémon.

"Another hundred feet, Sven, come on."

She could feel the sand in her trainer shoes, dirtying her socks and grinding against her toes. "Fifty. Not one step behind me or you'll keep running, got it? Right here. You're here with me."

Her legs trembled beneath her, but just when she was certain her lungs were going to burst from exertion, Rosa heard her pedometer go off. Its insistent buzzing sounded like that of an alarm clock, but to her, it was the sweetest sound she'd heard all morning.

Smearing a gritty streak of sweat from her forehead, Rosa slowed her pace to an unsteady jog, then finally a walk. Sven wheezed noisily beside her, looking as if he were ready to drop. He wasn't damp with sweat as she was, thanks to his body's ability to convert heat into usable energy, but his body quivered like leaves in the breeze.

Tentatively, he lifted his charcoal eyes to meet hers.

Her mouth quirked into a smile. "You did well."

That was good enough for him. Her pup immediately stumbled around her to the rushing river and shoved his entire face into its blue-hued stream.

Rosa chuckled as she pulled her own water bottle from the light fabric pouch around her waist. At least she'd found something useful in Castelia. "Slow down there, pup. Drink too much at once and you'll make yourself sick."

He huffed in acknowledgement between laps of water, but otherwise ignored her. She shrugged and took a swig from her bottle – if he wanted to be sick through breakfast, that was his choice.

After they had both had time to catch their breath and drink their fill, the two walked side by side back to camp. The vastness of the desert sand seemed endless against the rising sun's rays, but the attentive perk of Sven's ears told her they were getting close.

As Rosa suspected, Anna and Zaveid had already returned. As they stepped into the familiar ring of trodden sand under an alcove of weathered rock, her eyes fell on Lucario busily sifting through her bag as she prepared breakfast. The Pokémon was pulling out plastic containers that contained Rosa's hoard of premade sandwiches, and as Rosa went over to greet her, she was pleased to see the pocket that contained the Pokémon food was still bulky with unopened food.

"You got Zaveid to wait until Sven and I got back, huh? And you didn't even have to tie him up – I'm impressed."

She ruffled Anna's ears and got to work distributing food for her team. The morning air was already stiflingly hot as they settled down to enjoy their meal, but the quiet atmosphere somehow allowed it to still be pleasant. It had been a long time since Rosa had felt so content.

Angry voices broke the silence.

"It's around here somewhere, and if you don't find it, you'll be sleeping underneath the sand."

"Don't give me that Sal. This desert is huge, and we've been looking all night."

"I don't care, find it."

"I know it's important, but-"

"Did I stutter? Find it, or no one will be finding you. Go."

"Who is that, do you think?" Rosa whispered, lowering her half-eaten sandwich onto her lap. It had been days since she'd seen another human. The pair of voices both sounded distinctly male, but there was a rough edge to them that sent shivers down her spine. All her Pokémon had stopped to listen as well, and as the lesser one let out a gruff, "Yes sir", her team abandoned their meals to place themselves near her side. She felt Anna's warm hand slip into her own.

The first voice was rapidly approaching. "Incompetent idiots. I'll find it myself. I . . . hey, you up there!"

Rosa tucked a damp lock of hair behind her ear and crammed her sandwich back into its wrapping. She wasn't necessarily afraid of the noticeably bad-tempered man, but she wasn't sure she wanted to hold a friendly conversation with him either.

As she got to her feet and herded her Pokémon towards the entrance to the alcove, the man's previously concealed form materialized from the storm of stirring sand. Her face grew ashen as her eyes caught him, and Rosa stumbled back into the safety of the stone cave.

He was massive. Brawny arms bulged from cut leather sleeves, thick with muscle and completely able to snap her in two. The sleeveless biker jacket did nothing to cover his beefy, barreled chest, and as he moved, it reminded her of a bull charging. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, but that only made him more intimidating. His hickory-colored hair swung past his shoulders, but he tucked the strands behind his ears and marched right up to the mouth of the alcove like it was his home.

An echo of growls rumbled through the cave as Rosa's Pokémon all simultaneously bared their teeth. Zaveid stood front and center, his eyes narrowed on the approaching biker like he was fixing to remove the man's head. Sven and Anna looked no friendlier a few inches behind.

"Stand down everyone," Rosa commanded.

They all shot her uneasy glances, but when she didn't retract her order, they dropped their hostile positions. The biker looked and sounded frightening, but that didn't necessarily mean a fight. Rosa pushed her way past her tense team members and met the fearsome man at the entrance.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Her back and shoulders were tense, but she was careful to keep the tone of her voice casual and self-assured.

The older man eyed her critically, as if he found something about her unpleasant, but then he crossed his wired arms against his chest and inclined his head. "Yeah kid, there is. I know you were eavesdropping just now, so you know I've lost something important out here in the desert somewhere – something that belongs to me. Perhaps you've seen it?"

Busted. At least she hadn't done it on purpose.

Rosa licked her parched lips and shifted back on her heels, unsure what kind of 'important something' he meant. The Desert Resort temples were rumored to hold rare items and Pokémon, but she hadn't ventured into any of them to find out. If he'd dropped a valuable item somewhere in the sand, he could pretty well forget finding it. The desert was too huge. "Depends on what it is."

"A Mandibuzz."

Rosa's eyebrows drew together. Seriously? "You've lost your Pokémon?"

The man's desert-worn face remained solemn as he nodded. "She was startled while outside her pokeball last night and took off. My gang and I scouted the resort all night for her, but even with our bikes, we couldn't find her anywhere. Flying types in an open environment, 'yah know. But that Pokémon means a lot to me, and if you have any information as to where I could find her, I would be grateful."

She eyed him skeptically, waiting for the punchline. The leader of a biker gang was tearing the desert apart searching for a vulture? She supposed she understood, since she cared so deeply for her own team members, but the man in front of her didn't scream 'warm and fuzzy' type. He reminded her of an agitated Ursaring.

But evidently he wasn't joking. In fact, the longer Rosa watched him, the more she recognized the scrunched lines wrinkling his forehead as worry.

Resting her hands on her hips, Rosa tilted her head towards the sandy earth and combed her memory for a hideous, vulture-like Pokémon. The shape of it seemed familiar. As if she'd seen one just that day . . .

"I saw a Mandibuzz earlier this morning on my run," she said suddenly. "It was near the pinnacles, where the river briefly divides into two sections."

A spark of hope ignited the burly man's ocean eyes, so genuine it was almost childlike. It caught her off-guard. "She was near the pinnacles?" he asked.

"I don't know if it was your Mandibuzz specifically, but I did see one."

"Will you show me?"

Rosa scanned over his rugged appearance again, but her hesitation only lasted a moment. Stranger or not, if her Pokémon went missing, she would do anything in the world to get them back.

"Okay."

***

The morning sun was already nearing its peak by the time Rosa and her companion (whose name she'd learned was Sal) made it to the spiraled pinnacles. Sunshine poured down from the sky, scorching the desert sand and Rosa's skin along with it. Her hair was pulled up into a tight ponytail to keep her face from growing too hot, but she was already regretting not layering on another layer of sunscreen. The bottle was stowed away at the bottom of her bag, and she didn't want to force Sal to stop so she could retrieve it.

In the distance, she could hear the river burbling cheerfully as it gently curved through the weathered rock. A rocky tower in the middle of the bed sliced the stream into two segments before they looped and rejoined, and as they approached it, Rosa tipped her head back to search the blue-tinted sky for Sal's nightmarish friend.

"This is where you saw her?" Sal grunted, sweeping his sweat-drenched hair back from his eyes with the tips of his fingers.

She nodded. "She was flying overhead, eyeing my Growlithe and I like we would make a nice dinner. I didn't see where she went off too after that."

"To the top of one of the pinnacles, most likely," he replied, quickening his pace. The tanned leather boots he wore sunk into the sand as he stepped down, but Sal didn't seem to mind. "Mandibuzz like to gather bones from their prey and make a nest out of them. I wouldn't be surprised if Gwyneth already started hers."

Rosa dropped her gaze from the sky to shoot him a puzzled look. "Your Mandibuzz is named Gwyneth?"

"You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all. I'm just glad I'm not the only one who gives their Pokémon human names."

Sal shrugged indifferently, apparently uninterested in conversation outside that of his Mandibuzz's wellbeing. "No one's as unique as they think, kid. Now come down here to the riverbank and take your shoes off. If you saw Gwyneth near this pillar," he pointed towards the slab of rock separating the stream, "it's likely her nest is at the top. Mandibuzz don't like to hunt far from their chosen location, see, since some bones are too heavy to carry long distances. She's a tough old bird for sure, but she's as lazy as they come."

Her otter could probably compete for that title as well, but Rosa didn't mention it. Instead, she hesitantly slipped down onto the riverbank and did as she was told. Why Sal needed her to cross the river with him she wasn't sure, but she'd agreed to help, so she dutifully yanked her shoes off her feet.

Sand poured from her trainer shoes as they came off, and more drifted out of her socks. The skin between her toes was crusted with dirt, but as she stepped across the bank and dipped her feet into the river's soothing stream, the grit washed away.

"This way kid," Sal called after he'd removed his own boots and joined her in the water. He stepped with surety as he strode into the deeper areas near the river's center, and when the water grew too deep, he plunged into it with ease.

If I'd known he was taking me swimming, I would have worn something a little more appropriate. She thought dully, gazing down at her cream-colored t-shirt and denim shorts. Still, she followed him. Her pace was much slower than his had been, as she was careful to use the tips of her feet to feel the slimy bottom for serrated rocks, but Sal managed to keep his patience until the river bottom fell away and she was forced to swim.

The water's bite was more vicious than she was expecting. Its chill rushed over her like a silent curtain, leeching the heat from her skin and completely stealing her breath. She felt it seep through her toes and spread gleefully through her feet, and as Rosa gasped, she heard Sal's throaty chuckle in the distance.

"It's cold by the way," he stated, flicking water out of his eyes.

"Thanks for the heads up."

It didn't take long to swim the remaining distance to the pillar. The pinnacle appeared even higher up close, and as they reached its rocky surface, Rosa realized there was no bank for them to dry off on. It was just a solid rock stretching out of the riverbed and ascending to the sky.

"How are you at rock climbing, Sal?" she asked, shooting a skeptical look at the biker. His drenched hair was slicked back against his head, and as his eyes followed the length of the obstacle, his expression etched into a frown.

"Not great, but I've got an Ivysaur that can help us out. Someone's going to have to hold onto him though, since he can't very well cling to the cliff. Can you hold a Pokémon and still tread water, kid?"

She briefly eyed her stick-figure arms before shaking her head. "I really don't think so."

"You'll be climbing the cliff then. Here's Gwyneth's pokeball."

"What?!"

Sal tossed a pokeball to her, but as she lunged to catch it before it could float away, she inhaled a mouthful of sandy water. It tasted bitter, like saline and grit, and her stomach heaved. Rosa choked and spat the foul liquid back up, but it scorched her throat and left her coughing.

"Watch it now, you're going to lose her ball."

Still sputtering, she pulled herself together long enough to reach her arm out and snag the pokeball from the current's grasp.

"Nice catch, kid. Attach it to your belt, and we'll get this show going."

"I thought I agreed to show you where I saw her, not swim through freezing water and scale a cliff."

"You really want me to try climbing this thing myself?"

Her eyes flickered to the peak of the pinnacle again, and she exhaled and shook her head. "Fine, whatever. Let's just do this before I change my mind."

Sal removed another pokeball from his belt, but this time it expanded in his hand and he released an Ivysaur. The Pokémon momentarily panicked when it realized it was suspended over water, but even being held in one arm, its trainer's strong grip allowed the creature to quickly relax.

"Alright Sage, vine whip."

Long vines extended from the flower blooming on the Pokemon's back, curling carefully as they stretched towards Rosa. She heaved herself up onto the cliff so they could wrap around her waist, but even as they secured tightly around her, the feeling of slick rock under her wet fingers sent butterflies swarming through her stomach.

"Sal," she rasped, failing to keep the tremor from her voice, "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Don't worry about it, kid. Sage is more reliable than anyone I know. He'll get 'ya to the top okay."

That didn't make her feel better, but Rosa tilted her head away from the water and started to climb. She'd never scaled anything outside of trees and an indoor rock wall, but assuring herself it wasn't much different and narrowing her thoughts on the task before her was the only strategy she had to keep her heartbeat at a reasonable rhythm. Ivysaur would not drop her. Everything was fine.

She ascended slowly and cautiously, taking the time to test each hold before forcing it to support her weight. The sedimentary rock that crumpled under her grip sent her heart into a frenzy, but Sage's grip on her never loosened. A fall will most likely not be fatal. There's water below you. You're okay. A broken bone at worst. You're okay.

Dust and sand clung like magnets to her wet clothes, but the uncomfortable sensation was nothing compared to her muscles that screamed every time she pulled herself higher. Twenty-five more feet. Twenty more. Fifteen.

Why was she doing this? She didn't even know this man! Ten more feet. Rosa paused briefly to rest her head against the Cliffside and catch her breath.

"You can't stop now, kid! Your muscles will freeze up, and everything will come to a rock-solid halt. You won't be able to go any further."

"Thanks for the advice Sal," Rosa puffed against the stone. But she didn't want to be stuck there, so she forced her limbs to keep going, dug her aching fingers into the brittle rock, dragged herself up the cliff face. Her lungs burned worse than they had on her run that morning, but Rosa didn't stop again until she finally reached the top.

Never had she been more excited to see a surface that was flat. With trembling arms, Rosa heaved herself over the cliff and collapsed into the dirt of the pinnacle's peak. Her pulsing heart against her chest felt like a hammer trying to break her open, but she was so relieved she didn't care. She'd made it.

She'd made it.

"Is she up there?"

Sal's distant voice forced Rosa into a sitting position. The joy of not dying had made her forget why she'd climbed the cursed cliff in the first place.

The stony area was only about twenty feet long, and her eyes instantly fell on the small pile of bones resting on the opposite side of the structure. They were layered in a ring-like structure, and in the center of the makeshift nest was an enormous, bareheaded bird. Its eyes were closed, and as Rosa tentatively crawled closer, she noticed the peaceful rise and fall of the creature's chest.

Gwyneth was sleeping.

"Please let this be the right bird," Rosa whispered, removing the empty pokeball from her belt. She really didn't want to try and battle the thing if it turned out to be a stray - she was simply too tired.

Still on her hands and knees, Rosa expanded the item and held it out towards the sleeping Mandibuzz. "Time to go home. Gwyneth, return."

***

"You got her?"

As Rosa was gently lowered by Ivysaur back into the river water, she nodded and offered the pokeball back to Sal. He'd been kind enough not to pester her with questions as she'd descended the pinnacle, but the anxious expression he wore now almost made the trip worth it.

Sal returned Sage and accepted the ball with trembling fingers. For a long moment, he just stared at it as if he couldn't believe it was there, as if clutching it too tight would cause it to disappear. It was strange to see such a rugged man look so vulnerable, but when his eyes began to water and a salty tear fell down his cheek, Rosa smiled.

Okay, it was worth it.

"Thanks kid," he said gruffly, dipping the ball into the water to replace it on his belt. The light in his blue eyes made him seem far less intimidating than he'd been before – or maybe it was because all his muscles were hidden below the murky water. Either way, biker Sal hardly seemed frightening now.

"I was ha-" She was cut off when he suddenly swam to her and threw an arm around her shoulder in a tight, one-armed hug. His skin still felt warm despite having been in the chilly water, and after her heart cleared the thought that it was about to drown, Rosa found she was willing to kind of hug him back. She pressed her cheek into his wet shoulder and smiled warmly. Despite his body being hard as stone, there was something soothing about him. It stirred memories long forgotten, where a man would rock her slowly and sing songs about summertime.

When Sal pulled away, she saw that both his eyes had turned a blotchy shade of red. "Sorry," he said, swiping at the streaks of water rolling down his face. "I've just been in a frenzy all night worrying about Gwyneth, and now that she's back, I feel like the world's off my shoulders. She's not even mine, really, I've just been caring for her for my wife since she passed two years ago. Sara loves that stupid bird, and I just know she's been screaming at me from the other side for losing her. She was probably nagging me all night that I'd be joining her if Gwyneth wasn't found."

His statement hit her like a punch to the stomach, and suddenly, there was nothing in the world that would have stopped her from scaling the cliff over and over to retrieve that Pokémon. Aching muscles and a newly developed fear of heights seemed a small price to pay for his happiness.

"I'm glad I could help you out," She said earnestly. "Honestly, it was no trouble at all."

He smiled. "You're alright, you know that Rosa? For a frilly Pokémon trainer, I actually don't mind you. And hey, you've been spending all your time in the desert by yourself, right? Just you and your Pokémon?"

Flattering. "Um, yeah?"

"This desert can be pretty dangerous, what with treasure hunters and other gang members lurking about. But no one would bother you with us around. You'd best stick close to me and my gang while you're here, we'll take care of 'ya."