Roxanne, one of the eight gym leaders of Hoenn, had an important duty. That is, to battle against any and all challengers, and upon defeat, gift to them the Stone Badge. Every day, every week, every day until she decided to devote herself entirely to her own dream.
That dream? It was already set in motion. Roxanne loved battling, but she loved to teach the schoolchildren about Pokémon even more. She had already set up an academy called "The Pokémon Trainer's School." It was a simple name, but a befitting one.
Roxanne smiled in anticipation. Today, her good friend, Steven Stone was coming over to visit. He had mentioned that he had a surprise for the kids. She wondered what it could be.
She stepped out of the gym, enjoying the warm breeze filtering through the urban city. It brought the spicy and tangible scents of the sea, nature, and moist soil. All sorts of scents just waiting to be tracked to their source. Roxanne closed her eyes.
The esteemed schoolteacher and gym leader relaxed, letting down her guard. It wasn't often that Roxanne let go of her strict demeanor, but there were times like this where it seemed like the best thing to do.
She drank in the tantalizing smells, and in her brain, she worked out where they had come from. The smell of dense vegetation had most likely blown in from Fortree City, where there was so much jungle that even the people lived in the trees. The smell of seawater had blown in from the southwest, so it must have come from Dewford Town's area.
A tall, shadowed figure stepped up behind Roxanne. Soft footsteps pounded against the pavement, but the gym leader didn't notice. Her eyes were still closed, lips pursed as she put her imagination to test.
The man chuckled softly and slid his slender fingers over her eyes. "Guess who," Steven Stone whispered into her ear.
"S-S-Steven!" Roxanne jumped. "She opened her eyes and glared accusingly at Steven. "Don't ever let me catch you assaulting me again, you uneducated pig!"
"Oink oink." Steven replied, letting out a helpless smile.
She sighed, and pressed two fingers to her temple, concentrating. "Very Well, Mr. Stone. Care to tell me about that little surprise you have in store?"
"I'm afraid not, but you won't have to wait long to see it," Steven promised. "Let's go see the children, shall we?"
Roxanne sighed again, and linked her arm with Steven's. "Let's," she answered, grinning.
The two walked off in the direction of TPTS, chatting happily.
"Lizabeth's son is in my class," Roxanne mentioned. "He's under so much pressure from the other kids to be more like his mother, but I'm afraid that competitive battling isn't his strong suit."
"I think I can help him a little," Steven said. He patted his suitcase.
"Is that your little surprise?"
"Perhaps," Steven chirped, and then looked away.
The scented breezes blew throughout the urban town, reminding it of the world beyond.