The Pokémon Center's healing machine hummed softly as Nurse Joy placed both Pokéballs into the restoration cradle.

  "They'll need about an hour," she said, her professional demeanor softened by genuine warmth. "Your Ralts especially—she pushed herself to exhaustion. It's not dangerous, but she'll need rest even after the healing completes."

  "Thank you." Jason watched the machine's indicator lights pulse gently. "She was incredible in there."

  "I heard." Nurse Joy smiled. "News travels fast on the island. A Paldean starter and a Ralts that refused to stay down—Brawly's already telling everyone about it."

  Jason felt heat rise to his cheeks. He wasn't used to being talked about, even in small ways.

  "The café next door makes excellent malasadas," Nurse Joy continued, apparently taking pity on his discomfort. "Good for celebrating. I'll send someone to find you when your Pokémon are ready."

  "Thanks. I appreciate it."

  He found Hana waiting in the lobby, Ren perched on her shoulder. She'd changed out of her travel clothes into something lighter—the island heat apparently getting to even the Fortree native.

  "Still processing?" Hana asked, a hint of warmth in her usually reserved expression.

  "It doesn't feel real yet." Jason looked at the Knuckle Badge in his hand, turning it over to catch the light. "Two down, six to go."

  "The first two are always the hardest. You're still learning the fundamentals, still figuring out your team's capabilities." She paused. "It gets easier from here—not because the gyms are weaker, but because you'll be stronger."

  The door to the Pokémon Center opened, and Marcus walked in, his sun-weathered face breaking into a grin when he spotted them.

  "There's the champion! Well, badge-winner anyway." He crossed the lobby with easy confidence. "Watched the whole thing from the stands. That Ralts of yours has more guts than trainers twice your experience."

  Hana's posture shifted subtly—not hostile, but assessing. Jason realized with a start that while he'd spent time with both of them separately, they'd never actually been properly introduced.

  "Marcus, this is Hana Miyamoto—Ranger candidate from Fortree. She's been traveling with me since Littleroot." Jason gestured between them. "Hana, Marcus Delano. He's a local sailor, helped drive off the Aqua grunts who attacked those trainers at Granite Cave."

  Marcus extended a hand. "Ranger candidate, huh? That explains the 'constantly scanning for threats' vibe you've got going."

  Hana took his hand, her grip firm and brief. "Sailor explains the 'too comfortable in dangerous situations' energy you're projecting."

  "Guilty as charged." Marcus's grin didn't waver. "Three years on the water teaches you that panicking doesn't help anything. You either handle the problem or you don't."

  "Pragmatic."

  "I prefer 'experienced.'" He glanced at Jason. "Your friend here has good instincts for someone so new. Noticed it when we talked yesterday—he thinks before he acts, considers angles most rookies miss."

  "I've noticed that too." Hana's eyes met Jason's for a moment, something unreadable in her expression. "Among other unusual qualities."

  Jason felt a flicker of unease. Hana had been noticing things about him since they met—the strange gaps in his knowledge, the music that didn't match any regional style, the way he sometimes seemed to know things he shouldn't. She hadn't pressed, but he knew the questions were accumulating.

  "So," Marcus said, either oblivious to the undercurrent or choosing to ignore it, "celebration lunch? I know a place that does the best grilled fish on the island, and the malasadas at the café next door are worth the trip alone."

  "Nurse Joy recommended the malasadas too," Jason said, grateful for the subject change.

  "Smart woman. Come on—my treat. It's not every day I get to buy lunch for a gym badge winner and a future Ranger."

  The café was a small establishment near the harbor, its outdoor seating offering a view of the ocean and the afternoon bustle of Dewford's fishing fleet. The malasadas were everything promised—warm, sweet, dusted with sugar that got everywhere—and Jason found himself relaxing for the first time since he'd woken up that morning.

  Marcus and Hana had settled into a cautious but functional rapport. They were different in almost every way—Marcus loud and easy where Hana was quiet and guarded, Marcus quick to joke where Hana preferred silence—but they shared a practical competence that seemed to create mutual respect.

  "So how'd you two end up traveling together?" Marcus asked, working through his second malasada. "Littleroot's not exactly on the Ranger candidate circuit."

  "I was returning from a solo training trip," Hana said. "Found Jason wandering near Route 101, looking like he'd been through something rough. He had an injured Sprigatito and no supplies."

  "And you just... decided to help?"

  "He needed help. That's reason enough." Hana's tone didn't invite further questions on that particular topic. "We've been traveling together since. He learns fast."

  "High praise from a Ranger candidate." Marcus turned to Jason. "What's the plan from here? Straight to Slateport?"

  "I want to check out Granite Cave first," Jason said. "You mentioned Team Aqua's been using it. If there's information that could help the Rangers—"

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "That's not a casual exploration," Hana interrupted, her expression sharpening. "The cave system is extensive, and if Aqua's using it as a base of operations—"

  "I'm not planning to confront anyone. Just look around, see what's there." Jason met her gaze steadily. "Besides, Steven Stone is supposed to spend time in those caves. If the Champion's investigating, maybe we can learn something useful."

  Both Hana and Marcus went still.

  "Steven Stone?" Marcus's easy demeanor shifted into something more serious. "The Champion? You think he's in there?"

  "I've heard rumors. He's interested in rare stones and geological formations—Granite Cave has both." Jason shrugged, trying to appear casual despite his foreknowledge. "Might be nothing. But it seems worth checking."

  Hana studied him with that assessing look she got when she was trying to figure out how he knew things. "Where did you hear rumors about the Champion's movements?"

  "Trainer gossip in Rustboro. Someone mentioned he visits the caves occasionally." Not a complete lie—it was the kind of thing trainers might discuss. Just not something Jason had actually heard from anyone in this world.

  "I know those caves," Marcus offered, either accepting the explanation or choosing not to push. "Used to explore them as a kid before I got into sailing. We won't go deep, just check the accessible areas."

  Hana looked between them, clearly weighing options. Finally, she nodded. "Tomorrow morning. I'll come too—I need to file a report on the Rusturf situation anyway, and firsthand observation of the Granite Cave activity would be valuable." She fixed Jason with a stern look. "But we leave at the first sign of serious trouble. No heroics."

  "No heroics," Jason agreed. "Just information gathering."

  Sprigatito and Ralts were released from healing an hour later, both looking significantly better than they had after the battle.

  Sprigatito emerged from her ball with typical feline dignity, immediately grooming a paw as if the whole gym battle had been a minor inconvenience rather than an exhausting fight. But she pressed against Jason's leg when he knelt to check on her, and her purr was louder than usual.

  "You were amazing in there," he told her, scratching behind her ears. "That Magical Leaf—you really came through when it mattered."

  She made a sound that clearly meant of course I did and continued her grooming.

  Ralts was more subdued. She materialized looking tired despite the healing, her psychic presence muted compared to normal. When Jason reached for her, she practically collapsed into his arms, pressing her face against his chest.

  Tired, she sent through their bond. But happy. We won.

  "You won," Jason corrected gently. "That last Confusion—you did that. Not me. You found the strength when it mattered most."

  Because you believed in me. A pulse of warmth through their connection. Even when I was scared. Even when I wanted to give up. You believed.

  "I always will."

  They stayed like that for a long moment, Ralts drawing comfort from his presence while Sprigatito maintained her dignified distance—which happened to be close enough to lean against his other side.

  Dinner that evening was at a harbor-side restaurant Marcus recommended, the three trainers settling into a corner booth with a view of the sunset over the water.

  "So what's your story?" Marcus asked Hana directly, apparently having decided that bluntness was the best approach. "Ranger candidate, traveling with a rookie trainer, clearly skilled enough to handle yourself. Why not just do the gym circuit yourself?"

  Hana was quiet for a moment, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass. "My father was a Ranger. Active duty for twenty years before an incident left him unable to continue fieldwork." She didn't elaborate on the incident. "He trains candidates now. I grew up around Rangers, around the work they do. It's what I've always wanted."

  "But?"

  "No but. I'm on track for certification. This—" she gestured vaguely at Jason, at the journey "—is practical experience. Learning to work with trainers, understanding how they think and operate. Rangers interface with the trainer community constantly. It helps to understand them from the inside."

  Marcus nodded slowly. "And Jason here is your case study?"

  "Jason is..." Hana paused, choosing her words carefully. "Unusual. In ways that make him interesting to observe."

  "There's that word again." Marcus grinned at Jason. "People keep calling you unusual. Interesting. Different. You're building quite a reputation for a guy with two badges."

  "I'm just trying to get by," Jason said. "Train my Pokémon, earn badges, figure out my life. Same as anyone."

  "Sure." Marcus's tone suggested he didn't entirely believe that. "And the Paldean starter, the amnesia, the weird gaps in your knowledge, the way you sometimes look at things like you're seeing them for the first time—all just coincidence?"

  The table went quiet. Even Sprigatito stopped eating to look up, sensing the shift in atmosphere.

  "I don't remember my past," Jason said carefully. "Whatever happened to me before I woke up near Littleroot, it's gone. I'm working with what I have, learning what I need to learn. If that makes me unusual—" he shrugged "—I can't help that."

  Marcus held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded. "Fair enough. We've all got our secrets." He raised his glass. "To unusual people, then. May they keep things interesting."

  Hana raised her glass after a moment's hesitation. "To the journey."

  Jason clinked his glass against theirs. "To the journey."

  Whatever suspicions they had, whatever questions were building behind their eyes, they were willing to wait. To trust him, at least for now.

  He just hoped that trust would survive the truth, when the time came to share it.

  That night, Jason sat on the small balcony of his Pokémon Center room, watching the stars emerge over the ocean.

  His phone was in his hand, battery at 82%. He'd been careful about charging—the Pokémon Center had outlets that worked with his charger, thankfully—but he was always aware that this connection to his old life may be finite.

  He scrolled through his music library, looking for something to match his mood. Victorious but tired. Proud but uncertain. Hopeful but aware of the challenges ahead.

  He settled on Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up."

  The song filled the small space, soft enough not to disturb other guests but loud enough to wrap around him like a blanket. He let the familiar melody wash over him, thinking about everyone who had raised him up when he was struggling. His grandmother, teaching him to be kind. His grandfather, showing him what quiet strength looked like. His brother, sharing the burden of caregiving without complaint.

  And now Sprigatito and Ralts, who trusted him completely. Hana and Marcus, who'd chosen to help despite their questions. Even Birch, who'd taken a chance on a confused stranger with an impossible story.

  I'm not alone, Jason thought. Even here, even in a world I never expected to inhabit, I'm not alone.

  The song ended, and he sat in the quiet that followed, letting peace settle into his bones.

  Tomorrow would bring new challenges. Granite Cave, maybe Steven Stone, the ongoing mystery of Team Aqua. But tonight, he'd won a battle and proven something to himself and his Pokémon.

  Tonight was for rest.

  Sprigatito found him on the balcony sometime later, padding silently through the open door to sit beside his chair. She didn't demand attention or make noise—just settled there, her presence a quiet statement of companionship.

  "Can't sleep either?" Jason asked.

  A soft chirp, neither agreement nor disagreement. Just acknowledgment.

  "We're going into the caves tomorrow. Where Team Aqua's been operating." He wasn't sure why he was telling her this—she couldn't understand the details, not really. But it felt right to share. "It might be dangerous. I want you to be ready."

  Her tail flicked, and her posture shifted into something more alert. Ready. Of course she'd be ready. That was what partners did.

  "I'm proud of you, Sprig. Today, and every day since we met." He reached down to stroke her fur, and she leaned into his touch. "Whatever happens tomorrow, we face it together."

  She purred—a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through his hand. Agreement. Trust. The wordless communication they'd developed over weeks of partnership.

  Tomorrow would bring what it brought.

  Tonight, they rested.