Xander seems to be in a rush, for whatever reason. Even against my growing headache, I'm grateful. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I get to lay down.

  He gets us back to the main path in record 10 minutes. Then it's almost a sprint from that point on.

  It would be a sprint, if Xander and I were the only ones deciding.

  Unfortunately, Leo has his head burried in his pokedex again, typing away his report. Cassie is skipping around, checking every pore in the walls, stating that she wants to catch a pokemon as well.

  I try to make small talk, asking her which one she wants to catch. She brushes it off, saying that she'll know what pokemon she wants when she sees it. She then goes on to rattle a long list of requerments for her future partner, most of the points revolving around being cute, magical or showstopping.

  "Cas, Leo, speed up", Xander scoffs, rushing his steps.

  "Hey, guy, is this e-mail well crafted", Leo seems too immersed in his pokedex to hear anyone, "Respected Professor, during our trip through Rusturf tunnel we have uncovered..."

  "Just hit send on it, I'm sure it's splendind", Xander waves him off. He seems to be getting jumpier by the second.

  "Fine, but then I have to go on to think about my next team memeber", Leo sighs, tapping the send button. "Fine, let's see", he goes on, still head deep in the pokedex, "so, I have a water and a ground type now...".

  "Put that thing down already", Xander says sharply, "I'm sure you can do the reasearch in your head anyways".

  "Whatever", Leo sighs, putting his device away, "so, uh, water and ground, I'm incredibly vulnerable to grass types, so I probably should get a flying type next".

  "Why not a fire type", Cassie adds absentmindedly.

  "There are a few reason, actually", Leo states. I'm quickly learning this is his staple phrase. "For one, flying types are always good to have, as they can take up the air, then, Empoleon will be vulnerable to fighting types, so a flying type covers for that as well, not to mention that we're heading to Dewford after we're done in Rustboro, so I'm preparing for that gym as well, and lastly, Donphan is already weak to water types, and Piplup will always struggle to deal damage to them, so a flying type settles that much better than a fire type".

  If my head weren't already dizzy, it would quickly become that way after Leo's monologue.

  "Alright, less talking, more walking", Xander announces, and although I'm happy that he wants us to get going, it bothers me that he's being such a jerk about it.

  "Why are you in such a rush anyways?", I question, trying to put just the right amount of poison in my voice.

  "He wants to train", Cassie sighs.

  "Exactly", Xander states firmly, "the earlier we get to the pokemon center, the more time we'll have for training".

  "Ugh, there's a whole journey ahead of us, you know", Cassie sighs, "you'll have time to train".

  "Hey, hey, you had your sentimental moment, and Leo had his research moment, so it's only fair I get to do my thing as soon as possible", Xander claps his hand.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  "Well, maybe Rory want to have his moment", Cassie retorts.

  "Frankly, my moment would be getting dinner and going to sleep, so I'm kind of with Xander this time", I admit unwillingly.

  "Great, then let's go", Xander takes this as a victory.

  "Dude, I can't walk this fast", Leo pants, "slow down just a little bit, an hour doesn't make that much of a difference".

  "It absolutely does", Xander counters, "that's an extra hour of training lost because you're out of shape".

  "I'm sure you can make up for it", Leo says defeatedly.

  "Hey", I stop in my tracks, an idea crossing my mind. The three of them turn around, with Xander giving me a dirty look. He's really in a hurry. But I have an opportunity here, if I can get them to agree.

  "Why don't we just stay in the pokemon center for a bit?", I make my case, "you'll have more time to train if we don't make the trip to Rustboro immediately".

  More importantly, I'll get to rest up, since my body is still aching after that Loudred encounter, and I doubt it will stop soon. Not to mention, I'll get to stock up on food, and and I have an idea on how to get my clothes washed.

  Xander seems to think about my proposal. "Well, I guess it's still 8 days until the gym is open for challenges", he says mostly to himself.

  "I actually think that's a good idea", Leo steps forwards, "it gives me time to actually search the surroundings and look for my next team member".

  "Oh, that's why you want to stay, huh", Xander says judgingly.

  "Hey, the fact we ran into Phanpy was a lucky accident, and knowing you, we'd speedrun past Route 116, and I wouldn't have time to look for anything good", Leo rests his case.

  "I'm in as well", Cassie perks up, "maybe I'll get through to Fennekin and Sprigatito if we take some time to rest".

  "Eh", Xander sighs, "well, I did plan on arriving to Rustboro early, and training there, but I guess making a stop along the way has the same effect". He scratches his head: "alright, if all of you want to rest there, then I guess we can stay in the pokemon center past the tunnel for a bit".

  "Great then", Cassie exclaims, "how long are we staying?".

  "Three days, I guess", Leo shrugs, "that gives us time to train, and look for new team members, but also leaves enough time to reach Rustboro before the season starts, so we can place our challenges".

  "Sounds about right", Xander agrees, "but if anyone requests any stops after that, I will kill them".

  "Fair enough", I say, happy to know that what awaits me at the end of the tunnel are three days of rest. I can almost taste the heaven known as bed.

  "Let's get going then", Xander decides, stepping forward, still keeping his pace up. Leo's still not too happy about it, but I am perfectly content to leave this tunnel as soon as possible.

  "So, uh, just one question", I fail to contain my newfound happiness, "what's the whole deal with this season thing, and do you guys already have your whole journey planned?".

  "Season? You really don't know?", Xander says, as if he's about to call me out. "It's simple really", he says instead, "the league year is split in two parts, you have 10 months to gather all 8 badges, then the conference takes place in August, and then there is a month and a half off". I'm content with the short form explanation.

  "As for the plan, we really only planned ahead up to Dewford", Cassie admits, "most kids from Verdanturf go to challenge Mauville gym first".

  "Well why are you not doing that?", I question.

  "Well, because of Leo, first and foremost", Xander chimmes in, "he wanted to have a Piplup, so taking on an electric gym would be tough for him, so we decided to do the gym where we all have an advantage first".

  "Yeah, but also Dewford is an island, and it gets crowded during the season, so it's tough finding a room and registering for a challenge", Cassie adds, "so we wanted to get there as soon as possible, and Rustboro is along the way".

  "Oh, you guys really thought this through", I say, kind of impressed with their foresight.

  "Of course we did", Leo says proudly.

  Suddenly, the three of them seem so free to me.

  I know it's a big thing, going out into the world, but they got to make that decision for themselves and it makes my head pulse in pain.

  "Why are you even doing this?", I question quietly, as we keep making rapid leaps forwards.

  "You know about me already", Cassie shrugs her shoulders, and she seems so careless to me. "I want to be a magician".

  Whatever that means to her.

  "I really just want to be strong", Xander admits, "I think battles are fun".

  A twisted sentiment.

  "I want to learn more about the world, discover new things", Leo says it so lightly, "and I guess I have to become strong enough to do it".

  Walking around with your pets isn't how you become strong.

  "Sounds great", I say instead of all of that.