When Faye said she wanted to train my Pokémon, she really meant it. She first insisted on balancing my team's levels and said they should at the very least be in their high forties before I attempted to battle the seventh Gym. I took her advice and got to work.

   Through the training with all of my team members, I realized that Silvette had unwittingly become an issue, one that that was I was in the fault for creating.

She had evolved into a Lairon ages ago, but I hadn't ever thought to use her much since her participation in my fifth Gym battle and a couple of training battles. With River and Vinya's addition, my priority became integrating them into the team, leaving some of my other members in the dust. Because of that I made a personal promise to battle with Silvette as much as I could.

   When I had decided that my team's levels were adequately balanced, Faye moved on to specialized practice battles. I told her some of my strategies, and she took them into consideration when planning our battles, trying to work around them. With her team being mostly Special-based, she was able to play right into my concerns with my team's Special Defense.

   I made Wallace get in on the training as well, not letting him give up on battling. While he pretended to act indifferent I could tell he appreciated the gesture. I unfortunately understood why he wasn't too enthusiastic about training nowadays. Winona joined in as well, hoping to evolve the last of her teammates. In no time at all Combusken evolved into a six-foot, death-glare casting Blaziken.

   Faye didn't receive any more calls from her apparent coworker Helena, or anyone else. She also seemed to have a slight shift in attitude, in that she didn't force herself to act always-cheerful around me. I figured our conversation had contributed to this, and it felt good knowing that I'd managed to help someone.

   Days passed, though it didn't feel like it, and we made the unanimous decision to move on to Mossdeep City. I had mixed feelings about this. My memories of the city were vague at best. I hadn't been in Mossdeep since I was seven. Was everything like how I barely remembered it? If not, how much had things changed? I had no real way of knowing. My answers lay across the stretch of ocean that was loosely referred to as the second half of Route 121. Before we left I asked Faye if she could join us, and she agreed.

   Because none of my Pokémon could Surf across water, I improvised by flying on Maverick. Wallace and Winona had no problems at all since Finn and Sunny were made to Surf, being Water-types and all. And Faye, of course, had Stella. This couldn't have worked out more perfectly, in my opinion.

—~*~—

I closed my eyes and slowly took in a breath, appreciating the briny air. The breeze hung heavy with the scent of sea-salt, something that I would never grow tired of. Flying this close to the ground, or water in this case, felt very much different than having a bird's-eye view of things. There was nothing but deep blue water around us that glinted like diamond dust in the sunlight (though I was sure I was the only one in our group who knew what actual diamond dust looked like).

   "I don't think you should do that. It wouldn't be good if you fell off," I heard Faye tease. I barely cracked an eye open, making a point to look like they were still closed.

   "Maverick would make sure that didn't occur," I said confidently.

   "Are you sure about that?" She pretended to not act convinced.

   "I'm positive," I affirmed. In response, Maverick suddenly tilted to the side, letting her wing skim the water. My heart dropped and I let out an embarrassing squeak of a cry as I clung to Maverick's neck for dear life. I was fortunately able to save most of my right leg from being drenched. The water was startlingly cold, much unlike the air. Maverick smirked and squawked in a manner that could only be described as laughter while I huddled on her back, everything within me doing flips from the burst of panic.

   "You were saying?" Faye asked, amused by my crash-and-burn attempt at impressing her.

   "I-I'm sure she didn't mean it..." I stammered, slightly smoldering beneath my embarrassment. I roughly clenched my fingers tighter around the plating on Maverick's neck, letting her know I knew what she had done. Her response was to "laugh" louder, and I felt my cheeks burn. I did my best to not react any further to her teasing.

   "Maverick kind of had the right idea there. But I think only skimming one hand would be too boring." Faye's eyes glinted mischievously.

   I had somewhat of an inkling of what she was planning and I countered before she could do anything. "You're not doing that! Forget Maverick letting me fall off, you'd definitely end up in the water!"

   "Do you think I'd try anything really crazy now? I still have memories to make with my friends!" She smiled at me. "You don't to worry about me so much, okay? Now watch!"

She let go of Stella and maintaining her hold with only her legs, she easily bent at the waist, reaching down towards the water. She skimmed her hands across the surface, sending droplets flying. I didn't know how she wasn't afraid of losing her grip. Then again, this was Faye.

"I can't believe I never thought of trying this!" she laughed. She playfully flicked water at me and I didn't react in time to block the chilly spray. "Oops... I didn't expect to actually get you. Sorry!" she apologized.

   I shivered slightly, blotting my face with my sleeve. My first instinct, as always, was to retort with something negative. But I really didn't want to make her feel bad, along with me reminding myself to not act like a buzzkill. "You don't have to apologize," I said, smiling. Faye didn't say anything, her relieved then naturally sunny expression speaking for her.

   "I think I can see Mossdeep!" Winona then exclaimed from atop Sunny's back. She was pointing to a smudge of gray situated on a distant outcrop. I checked my PokéNav's map, seeing the dot representing my position close to the square-shaped symbol marked "Mossdeep City." I was going to confirm Winona's statement when Faye chimed in first.

  "You're right, Winona," she said as she righted herself, now sitting normally. "Not much longer until we get there. Maybe within the next hour?"

   And she was. We soon arrived on the shores of Mossdeep City. Most of the beach was submerged in several inches of water, making it more of a sandbar than an actual beach. Maverick landed on the only sand that was above the water, which was a foot-wide flat that ringed the rocky ledges on which Mossdeep was built.

   Setting foot on mostly solid ground after three and a half hours of flying without stopping wasn't the greatest of ideas. My legs almost immediately gave out, and Maverick had to catch me by my shirt collar so I wouldn't go toppling into the water. The numbness quickly faded from my limbs, and I was able to stand steadily. Looking at Maverick, I saw that her eyes held a reassuring glint. I knew she wouldn't have let me fall if she could help it.

   "What're these weird trees?" Winona asked. Sprinkled along the shore were oddly-proportioned trees that had a majority of their long, thin roots submerged in the water. "I didn't know they could grow in water."

   "They're called mangroves, I believe," I answered, randomly recalling the name. "I'm mostly sure they are they the only species that can thrive in salt water. But I'm positive this is the one urbanized place in the region they can grow." I was surprised that this fact was the one thing about Mossdeep I could remember off the top of my head.

   Winona's eyes grew in wonder. "That's pretty cool. This is my first time here, so I don't really know anything 'bout the city."

   "Then I guess you'll have to get the grand tour!" Wallace said, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Didn't you say you used to live here, Stevie?" he asked me.

   I nodded half-heartedly. "Yes, but only until I was seven. I hardly remember anything about this place. I'm honestly excited to see what it's like being back here, after I challenge the Gym, of course," I said. "Are you going to request battle as well, Wallace?" I asked, nervous to hear his response.

   "Sure. I have no reason not to," he answered casually, acting somewhat uninterested.

   "Are you sure? You don't—"

   "It's okay, Stevie. Really, it's fine," he snapped before I could finish. I could have been imagining it, but I thought I detected a hint of aloofness in his voice.

   "I can hang out with Winona while you two check out the Gym," Faye offered.

   "Would you?" Wallace smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Arietta. Since it's where we always regroup, let's meet at the Pokémon Center later."

   "Good luck! Don't either of you lose!" Winona called, waving good-bye to us.

   Mossdeep was pretty unique when it came to its structure. The city was constructed on several "shelves" of rock and grass building up to a singular, six-story building on the highest shelf.

Evidence of the building once being the headquarters for the Devon Corporation was still noticeable. I saw that the building showed signs of basic upkeep, and I was glad to see that it hadn't been torn down or left to rot.

   "Not that much has changed," I commented. "I thought at least something would have been different after nine years."

   Wallace looked about the street, frowning. "Well... the roads have been redone, if that satisfies you," he said uncertainly. I then asked him again if he wanted to challenge the Gym, but he gave another ambiguous response. His face lit up when he saw a particularly light-toned building on the next street corner. "I think that's the Gym!"

We approached the building, and from the familiar sign filled with names attached the wall beside the double-doors, his guess was correct. Unlike the majority of names on the sign, the name of the Gym Leader had been greatly worn away by age, not allowing challengers to not know who their opponent would be or what type they specialized in.

   While I was examining the plaque, an unsettling chill crept over me. It wasn't at all like the one I experienced before a premonition, but something more worrying. It was the feeling of being watched.

As to not cause alarm, I casually took a glance behind me. Pedestrians walking the sidewalks, Wingull and Pelipper flying overhead... and that was it. I was obviously puzzled by this. I swore there had been someone watching me. Why else would I have gotten that sensation? A second later I was startled by Wallace calling to me when I failed to enter the Gym with him, followed by him asking if anything was the matter.

   I blanked completely for a few moments before stuttering out, "I, um, I-I thought there was someone behind us but... N-never mind. Forget that I said anything." I said the last part quickly and dismissively.

   "Oh, okay. You sure you didn't see anyone?"

   "I-I'm not sure," I said, shrugging. The chill had gone away but I still felt nervous.

   Wallace's expression became one of concern when he saw how unsettled I was. "That's... fine, I guess. But if you feel that something isn't right go ahead and tell me, even if it's wrong. You of all people should trust your instincts." 

   "You know I would," I replied, glancing across the street again before turning my attention to the Gym. "Let's go inside. You also know I want to earn my next badge," I said with a slightly forced smile. Could you sense anything odd? I quickly asked Meteor.

   Nothing besides the thoughts of those people, he said. I wasn't exactly paying attention, so your guess is good as mine.

   My heart couldn't help but sink at that. Okay. Thank you, anyways.

   The interior of the Mossdeep Gym was in most part a replica of the rest of the others. It was unremarkable, yes, but there was something about it that made the ordinary building quite the opposite. It had a noticeable energy about it, not unlike the psyche-twisting air emitted by Psychic Pokémon or moves of the same type. No, that was exactly what it was. The place radiated psychic energy, leaving me with a pretty good idea of what type the Gym Leader specialized in.

   "Wallace, are you planning on actually challenging the Gym?" I asked him.

   "I might as well," he said, shrugging while not looking at me. "It'd be dumb to put all of that training to waste. And my team wouldn't be too pleased, either."

   I was fed up with his responses. His tone of voice clearly betrayed his words. "That isn't a good enough answer. A battle cannot truly be a real battle if the participants are unwilling to be engaged," I stated sternly. My shift in attitude caught his attention. I looked at him pleadingly, not because I wanted him to battle but because I wanted to hear his honest answer. "Please tell me the truth. I'm asking this as not only a dedicated battler but as your friend. Do you want to request the challenge?"

   Wallace clenched his fists before sighing and shoving them in his pockets. "I'm sorry, Stevie. I'm still torn up over what I want to do with myself. And Winnie deciding that she wants to become a Leader hasn't helped things." He smiled sheepishly.

   "That doesn't mean you should give up here. You've come this far already. Perhaps this specific battle could give you some idea of what you're looking to accomplish?" I knew that was a horrible answer. My shoulders slumped in defeat. "I wish I could reassure you with more concrete statements. Sadly, it doesn't appear that my prescience is working in my favor today." Like it ever really does...

   "You don't need to comfort me with premonitions or whatever, your words are doing that just fine!" Wallace said. I went from feeling down to hopeful in a matter of seconds. Did that mean..? "Yes, I want to challenge this Gym, but it's only because it might help me figure out what I should do," he said, sounding confident.

   "Hey, are you two here to make a request?" the clerk at the desk spoke in a monotone voice, appearing annoyed at our dismissal of her presence. I told her both Wallace and I wanted to request a battle, and she responded, "They're busy with another challenger at the moment, but I'm sure they won't be much longer."

   "Excuse me? They?" I questioned.

   The clerk nodded, then eyed the double doors across the room. "You'll see in a second, they've finished their battle." After she ended her sentence, the doors opened. A boy several years younger than me with a Mightyena at his side entered the lobby followed by two ebony-haired adults dressed in blue and black, one a man and the other a woman. The boy had a look of disappointment on his face, mirrored by his Pokémon.

   "I was so close this time. I only had one or two hits left, and I could have done it!" the boy exclaimed with a sigh, brushing his magenta bangs out of his eyes.

   The woman gave the apparent loser a sympathetic smile. "You're correct. You were close..."

   "But you once again let your guard down when it came to our strategies," the man finished.

   "Yeah, yeah, I know," the boy begrudgingly agreed. "Same time, next week?"

   The man nodded. "Of course..."

   "We'll see you then, Sidney," the woman finished this time. It was incredibly weird to me how they were completing each other's sentences. Sidney hurried past Wallace and me, giving me a passing glance before leaving the Gym.

   The woman turned to us. "Hello there. Kate informed us that we have two more challengers. Welcome to the Mossdeep City Gym. My name is Rachel, and this is my husband Jin." The man waved politely when Rachel said his name. "You are?"

   That confused me. I didn't ever see the clerk notify either of them. I brushed it off and began to answer. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm—"

   "Steven," Jin chimed in. "And your friend is Wallace."

   "How do you know our names?" Wallace gasped.

   "Mind reading!" Rachel said. "And as for how we informed Kate..."

   "We used telepathy," Jin finished. "It also helps that she has some limited telepathic abilities of her own. We think it's perfectly fitting that Hoenn's Psychic Gym is run by psychics."

   That explained why they continuously completed the other's sentence. They just read each other's minds. I briefly imagined Meteor and me doing the same with our own telepathy and dismissed it at how ridiculous it sounded. But it really wouldn't have been out of the realm of possibilities considering how he so rarely left my side.

   "But that's enough talking," Jin said. "I can tell you both want your battles. Because there's two of us, all Gym battles are mandatorily Double Battles. Do you want to battle together or separate?" Wallace and I shared a look. "Together it is, then," Jin confirmed. "Now onto the rules."

   Rachel started the explanation off. "First of all, neither of us will read your minds or each other's minds for an advantage. Second, telepathy is limited to Trainer-Pokémon interactions if you so choose to battle with a Psychic-type of your own. Third, while telepathy is limited, verbal human-to-human interactions between teammates aren't. Fourth, we have four Pokémon combined, so the two of you are allowed two Pokémon each. If either of you are to lose both of your Pokémon..."

   "That challenger is denied their badge, and the remaining challenger can choose to send out a different Pokémon to replace their teammate's depending on how many we have left. Does that make sense?" Jin asked. We didn't bother answering as we knew they would be reading our minds for the confirmation.

   "Then let us make our way to the arena." Rachel clapped her hands together, smiling in anticipation. "Jin and I have to heal our Pokémon, so we'll be a minute."

   The Gym arena was very different from the others I had seen thus far. It was twice the size as a normal arena, presumably to accommodate for the Double Battle aspect. The walls were dark-colored cobblestone inlaid with shards of glittering gemstones and the floor was black marble. The psychic energy was most concentrated here, resulting in an odd sensation that made me break out in goosebumps.

   "This place is weird," Wallace muttered. "I'm getting chills and it's not even cold in here."

   "You're sensing it, too?" I asked.

   "Yeah. I thought I wouldn't because I'm not psychic, but I guess energy doesn't discriminate," he said as he selected two Poké Balls from his belt.

   Since I had a bit of time before Rachel and Jin returned, I took out my strategy notebook and looked to see if I had wrote down how to counter a situation of this nature. It didn't seem like I had, so I would have to go off of what I already had until I could record my results depending on how well this battle ended. I came up with numerous ideas of what I could do, but some other factor would shoot them down a second later.

   Um, hello? Mega Evolution? Meteor exclaimed loudly.

   That would be cheating! I objected. Rachel and Jin were kind enough to refrain from mind-reading. I feel we should return the favor and battle fairly. Besides, I didn't see either of them with a Key Stone. I'm sorry, Meteor.

   Don't apologize, he huffed. Just don't lose, okay?

   I don't plan on it, I said. In the end I chose Silvette and River. It would all have to come down to sheer strength and type-advantages. Rachel and Jin then entered the arena and took their place on their side of the arena.

   Jin began. "Like we said..."

   "Four on four," Rachel finished. Together they let out a Solrock and Lunatone. The Solrock looked to belong to Jin and Lunatone to Rachel. I sent out Silvette while Wallace chose Starmie. I thought it was an odd decision that he wanted to use Starmie but figured he wanted to take advantage of her Water-Psychic typing. "And as League rule state..."

   "Challengers get the first move."

   "Silvette, use Metal Sound!" I started, covering my ears beforehand. Silvette released a roar that was both high-pitched and scratchy, like a knife being forcibly dragged across a plate. Solrock and Lunatone cowered at the horrendous noise. The de-buff didn't matter to me as much as finding out their moves. Wallace followed my lead with a defensive move and had Starmie use Light Screen, a move I didn't know she could learn.

   "Playing defensive?" Jin questioned. "We'll join in. Solrock, Rock Polish!"

   "Lunatone, do the same and use Rock Polish!" Both celestial-like Pokémon glowed white, and afterwards they seemed more twitchy. It wasn't easy hiding heightened Speed. Silvette was a slow Pokémon to begin with, so this next move was risky. But I needed to attack now or else they could raise their Speed again and it would be near impossible to get a hit in before Silvette fainted.

   "Silvette, use Iron Tail on Solrock!" I commanded. Silvette's stumpy tail shone silver and she began running at Solrock. As I thought, its raised Speed let it dodge her attack easily. I told her to come back over to me, and she did so as Wallace called out his move.

   "Starmie, Hydro Pump on Solrock, too!" Still having superior Speed, she rapidly pulled water vapor from the air, creating a swirling orb of water and firing it at the Rock-Psychic-type.

   "Lunatone, protect Solrock and use Moonblast!" Rachel interjected. Lunatone zipped in front of her teammate, not fully shielding it from the attack but taking the brunt of the Water move and keeping it from retaliating.

   "Now Solrock, use Earthquake!" Jin yelled over the din. Solrock smashed one of its dull points into the arena floor, splintering it and causing it to break apart. Everyone on the ground either stumbled or lost their footing entirely. I was one of the latter. By the time I got to my feet to assess the situation, Rachel and Jin were already making their next moves.

   "Solrock, Fire Spin on Lairon!"

   "And Lunatone, use Psychic on Lairon."

   Silvette was wrapped in a spiral of flames that seemingly appeared from nowhere, scorching the metal plating on her body and trapping her in place. She was further constricted by Lunatone's Psychic. Despite my thinking that I had gotten over my fear of fire, I was momentarily paralyzed by seeing the fiery ensnaring column so close to me. Wallace picked up the slack and blasted Lunatone into the wall with another Hydro Pump, knocking it out.

   That snapped me out of my stupor and I tried to have Silvette attack. "R-Rock Slide," I stuttered, cursing myself for freezing up. She couldn't move properly due to her being trapped by Fire Spin, so I had to improvise with her one Special-based move.

Chunks of marble were ripped from the ground and flung at Solrock. It dodged the barrage without breaking a sweat and responded with a move called Wonder Room which patterned the arena's walls and floors with a luminescent blue pattern.

   "Starmie, knock Solrock towards Silvette with Rapid Spin!"

   I was confused for but a moment when I realized what Wallace was trying to do. "Silvette, ready an Iron Tail!"

   "Solrock, try to—"

Starmie proved to be too fast and crashed into Solrock, her momentum flinging it forwards like an out-of-control frisbee. Solrock flew into the Fire Spin vortex where it was met by Silvette's Iron Tail, smashing it into the floor. The super-effective move was all it took to put Solrock down. The flames around Silvette lowered, freeing her from the effects of Fire Spin.

   "Improvisation and coordination between teammates are paramount when it comes to Double Battles," Jin said as he recalled Solrock. "But we still have two Pokémon left," he threw out a second Poké Ball. "Gallade!"

   Rachel also let out her next Pokémon. "Go, Gardevoir!" A Gallade with his normal coloring of emerald green and white materialized on the battlefield alongside his decidedly more feminine counterpart, the latter sporting a long white dress of sorts and no blades on its arms.

   I had done some research on Gallade and learned they were the duel-typing of Psychic-Fighting while unintentionally learning that Gardevoir was Psychic-Fairy. I wanted Silvette to take down Gardevoir with Iron Tail, but her additional Rock typing opened her up to a possible super-effective Fighting move from Gallade. The Psychic-Fighting-type was too big a problem. That was what River was for.

   I swapped Silvette with my Armaldo, wasting my turn. Starmie was able to do minimal damage against Gallade with Rapid Spin. It seemed that Wallace had the same thoughts as me. Gallade and Gardevoir attacked River, but he took the hits well. It seemed strange that Gallade's Physical move did more damage despite River having high Physical Defense.

   I looked over at Wallace, trying to catch his eye without Rachel and Jin noticing. He noticed me and I quickly glanced from each of our Pokémon to Gallade. If we ganged up on it, the biggest threat would be gone from the field.

   "River, use X-Scissor on Gallade!"

   "Gallade, use Leaf Blade on Armaldo!"

   I knew Gallade could learn that Grass move, so I was at a disadvantage regardless. Gallade rushed at River as he readied his attack. Blades trailing leaves made of energy slashed at River. He ducked and did his best to dodge the flurry, avoiding the Leaf Blade better than I thought he could. River held up his claws to block the move. Blades glowing emerald and claws shimmering light green clashed and shoved against each other harshly, trying to force the other away to deal a devastating super-effective blow.

   "Gardevoir, use Psychic on Armaldo," Rachel said.

   "Starmie, stop Gardevoir with your own Psychic and try to use Hydro Pump!" Gardevoir was frozen by Starmie's power before being thrown aside by a beam of concentrated water. I looked back to see Gallade knocking River down after he failed to hold up against Gallade's attack. Again, the Physical blow seemed stronger than it should have.

   "Gallade, Leaf Blade again!"

   "River, use Ancient Power!" Marble pieces shining purple jetted up from the ground around River and intercepted Gallade mid-Leaf Blade.

   "Starmie, again, Hydro Pump on Gardevoir!"

   "Gardevoir, use Moonblast on Starmie!" Gardevoir leapt out of the way of Starmie's move, attacking with a pink blast that came from its outstretched arm. It hit Starmie directly in her gem, resulting in cracks across its surface. She fell to the ground, fainted. I felt awful for not sending River to Wallace's aid, but I was having problems of my own with a Gallade that wouldn't give up on using Leaf Blade.

   "Gardevoir, use Dazzling Gleam on Armaldo!" Gardevoir's eyes emitted a brilliantly bright flash, blinding River and stunning him. Gallade got in yet another blow.

   I gritted my teeth in frustration. Gardevoir just wouldn't give up on attacking River! Acting without thinking I said, "River, shove Gallade away and use Brine on Gardevoir."

River lashed out at Gallade, forcing the Psychic-type to the ground. He then pelted Gardevoir with a torrent of water from his mouth, his low health boosting the move's damage output. This was a horrible idea because Gallade dealt a final Leaf Blade, knocking River out. But he wasn't the only one to faint as Gardevoir went down alongside him. Silvette was all that I had left now. I reluctantly sent her out while Wallace revealed that he had chosen Mantine as his second Pokémon.

   Jin didn't hesitate in calling out his next order, "Gallade, use Close Combat." Gallade's eyes glinted and he sprinted at Silvette, arm blades extending and glowing a burnt orange hue. Panic spiked fire into my bloodstream. Gallade was far too fast for Silvette to dodge and she couldn't attack before him.

   "Mantine, get in front of Silvette!" She threw herself between Silvette and Gallade, raising herself up to become a shield. Gallade relentlessly pummeled Mantine's body, each blow seemingly harder than the last.

I was shocked that Wallace had done something like that, but I got over it quickly. This wasn't the time for shock. I took the opportunity he had granted me and had Silvette use her newest move, Shadow Claw. Gallade executed one final punch, and as Mantine went down, Silvette jumped up and raked her black-hued claws down Gallade's front. The super-effective attack did Gallade in and ended the battle.

   Jin stood in his place, frozen in astonishment. He then nodded approvingly. "Congratulations..."

   "One of you has earned the Mind Badge," Rachel said.

   One? I looked over at Mantine and saw that she had fainted. My heart sank, an intense feeling of guilt washing over me. I had thought my team and I were ready enough for this battle, and my assumption had cost Wallace his badge.

   "Why do you look so down?" I tore my eyes away from Mantine and looked at Wallace. He was grinning, tossing Mantine's ball from hand to hand.

   "I made you lost!" I cried, gesturing to Mantine. "If I had been more prepared for this battle, then we both could have won."

   His expression faltered. "Oh, that's it?" He paused, his hand holding the Poké Ball falling to his side. "Then... what if I told you I never expected to win?"

   "Wait, really?" I asked hesitantly. My surprise must have been clear to him because his smile partially returned.

   "If only one of us could win, then it would be you no matter what. You have a reason to earn these badges, and I'm willing to sacrifice my chances of winning mine if it'll help you in some way." His mouth quirked up into his trademark smirk. "You've been nothing but concerned about me these days. I needed repay you for that."

   All of my thoughts about me repaying him, and he wanted to do the same. It came off as strangely humorous to me. My guilt faded and I laughed in spite of myself. "Then it seems we're on equal standing ground, doesn't it?"

   "As equal as you want it to be, Stevie," he replied.

————————~*~————————
I can't officially dedicate this chapter to anyone because I'm editing this on the mobile app, but this is dedicated to Annie, or as she was known by on this site, FieryVulpix. I know you're incapable of reading this, Annie, but I truly wish I could have talked with you more and gotten to know you better. I don't know what else I could say that wouldn't sound trite. May you Rest In Peace.