Steven grinned.

"I've heard Eevees are like that," he said. He glanced at Ithica and blinked. "That's new."

"Yeah, hatched last night," Ithica said, nodding.

"Well, in that case..." Pulling his pack around, Steven reached in and pulled out a pokeball, holding it out to her. "From one Champion to another, I think this will be good for you to have. Especially if people come at you with fairy-types."

Ithica blinked and reached out to take the pokeball.

"A Beldum?" she asked, turning the ball over in her hand. Steven looked a little surprised.

"How did you know?" he asked. Ithica shrugged.

"Of all the steel-types you would give me, and I know it's a steel-type because you mentioned countering fairy-types and you wouldn't give me a poison type, it would end up being a Beldum because you're known for your Metagross," she said. Steven just looked a little baffled.

Mel grinned at that. Ah yes. She knew that was going to happen at some point. Ithica baffling him, anyway.

"Now you have your own," she said to Ithica with a grin. "And I know you've been wanting one, don't even try to bluff me."

"I have," Ithica admitted, grinning. She put the pokeball with the Beldum in it onto her belt. "I'll get this properly registered to me once we're on the ferry. Get to know it and all."

"If you need any help with it..." Steven started. Ithica nodded.

"I'll give a shout, promise," she said.

Mel grinned. Aw, how cute. They were getting along so well.

"Alright, come on, onto the ferry. It'll be leaving soon."

"Yes, right!" Ithica grinned and got onto the ferry. Steven lingered a bit, staying with Mel.

Mel smiled at him and tucked her free arm through his, still holding Eevee under the other arm. Because she didn't trust the little scamp to not run off.

Steven smiled back.

"May as well get on board," he said. "It'll be a few days before we reach Kanto."

Mel nodded. "Should be fun. Come on, then." She headed up the ramp onto the ship, looking around as she did.

Ithica was already getting settled into her room. She appreciated that trainers were given rather large rooms, and she had already let her pokemon out to relax and was busy getting to know her new Beldum.

Steven stayed with Mel until they reached her room.

"Should I let you get settled?" he asked her.

"I was just going to drop my backpack and then take a look around the ship," Mel said after a moment with a shrug. "Ithica's distracted, she won't come looking for me for a bit, and I've never been on a ship like this before."

"Well, then, I may do the same," Steven said. He smiled. "As long as you don't mind a tag-along?"

"Not at all." Mel grinned at him. "Let me just drop my stuff off, and then we can stop by your room so you can drop your stuff if you want."

"Sounds good," Steven said, nodding. He gestured for her to go first.

Mel dumped her stuff in her room before she shut the door again and nodded to him.

Steven walked with her back to his room. All he did was open the door and put his bag just inside the door, and then turned to her once he made sure his pokeballs were on his belt.

"Ready to go explore?" he asked, grinning and offering his arm.

"Definitely." Mel grinned and took his arm, settling in to walk next to him easily. She did occasionally pause and coo over a new to her Pokemon, though.

Steven smiled at that and just let her do her thing.

A week later, they were disembarking in Vermilion City in Kanto. Ithica stretched a bit as they stepped out onto the pier, her pack on her shoulders and her pokemon all on her belt for the time being.

"This is going to be so great," she said, grinning. "So, I know it's traditional to start in Pewter for the gym challenge, but I mean, Surge's gym is right here, and I have at least two challenge-worthy pokemon not weak to electric types, and doesn't he like super-favor his Raichu and a Magnemite or something? That would be a decent two-on-two, right?" She had her pokegear map open already, tracing a couple of traveling routes with one finger as she rambled.

Mel snickered at her. "I'm pretty sure you can break tradition at this point, it's fine. Start here." She shook her head, amused.

"I might," Ithica admitted, still mulling over the possibilities. "Or I might start at Pewter and work my way around because I really do need to work with Togepi and Beldum, and rock-types are easier to take down."

"You deal with this all the time?" Steven murmured to Mel. "This... single-minded intensity?"

"Yep," Mel murmured to Steven. "It can be pretty intense, and also pretty funny."

"So start at Pewter," she said to Ithica.

"She reminds me of one of the other champions," Steven said, glancing from Ithica to Mel. "Just that drive to be the best."

"Okay, so then we went to go through Digglet's Cave," Ithica said, barely even glancing at the map. "Or else we would need to go all the way north through Saffron and Cerulean and then cross over through Mount Moon, and that's just not efficient."

Mel snorted quietly. "Not efficient but we will be getting there eventually, let's be real," she said to Ithica. "Why don't you go ahead and lead the way? You know where you're going already." She grinned a bit.

That made Ithica pause.

"You sure?" she said. "I thought you would want to come with me."

"I said lead the way," Mel pointed out. "As in I'll be following behind you because you have way too much energy right now and I'm lazy." She grinned.

Ithica laughed a bit.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Then onward to Digglet's Cave!"

Steven rolled his eyes a bit and offered Mel his arm.