Chapter One: The Longest First Day
Ephrem's boat had just docked into the Slateport City port as he was on his way to visit his grandmother. Two years ago he would have never expected to be in the Hoenn region visiting his grandmother, but two years ago his grandfather was still there too. His grandparents were some of his biggest fans and he felt as if he had let them down when he lost in the first round of the Indigo Plateau Conference and with that loss he never wanted to face them because of it. Sighing deeply Ephrem tightened the straps to his backpack and headed off to the beaches along the outskirts of the city where he was meeting another sailor to take him on a ferry to Dewford Town, where his grandmother lived.
Making his way down the streets of Slateport City he watched as wingulls and pelippers filled the skies cawing and singing away as they flew around above him. It was refreshing to be in Hoenn compared to where he had stuck himself for the past two years in Viridian City, not leaving his house or hometown at all. The feeling of losing in the first round when you expected so much more for and of yourself damaged his self-confidence a lot, and then it didn't help that his grandfather passed away soon after too. Ephrem just needed a break from it all so he took an extended gap year, staying home and bumming around the city with no real expectations or goals for himself. It wasn't until he got a call from his grandmother a week ago asking him to visit her and that she would pay for all his expenses for the trip. All Ephrem had to do was show up and see her. He couldn't say no to her as she was now alone since his grandfather passed. So being the good grandson he was, he agreed.
"Hey, excuse me?" a voice chimed in, tapping Ephrem on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I have a question."
Ephrem stopped in his tracks, surprised that someone was actually talking to him. He did a quick one-eighty twirl and faced the mysterious person who had tapped his shoulder. To his surprise he was greeted by a small, maybe ten or eleven year old kid in an olive green baseball cap with a matching tee. His hair was black with a scar on his right cheek and noticeably large, green puppy dog eyes.
"I'm sorta lost." He muttered, with his cheeks beginning to redden from embarrassment of having to ask for help. "I need to get to Dewford Town… I don't know how to get there from here."
The older teen stood tall and stared blankly at the preteen before answering him. "I'm new here but I think there are some ferries and ships that take people from here to Dewford down by the beach."
The kid in the green cap returned a blank stare at Ephrem before squinting his eyes, questioning what Ephrem was saying. "Ferries, beach, Dewford… Ferries… Beach… Dewford." The boy chanted it a few more times as if he was trying to memorize it before asking another question. "Could you tell me where to get to the beach from here?"
"I don't know where it is either," Ephrem said, "I'm looking for it too actually. We can go together if you want."
"Really?" He replied. "Awesome! I'm Devlin by the way! You can call me Dev!"
"Ephrem."
Somehow Ephrem was joined by a young, new trainer who was also on his way to Dewford Town. His reasoning was probably different than Ephrem's, but it was nice to be able to help him out, even if it wasn't anything too crazy. Ephrem remembered his first journey through Kanto. It was rough, he had gotten lost so many times he lost count. But that is what adventuring and journeying was all about. It was the thrill of doing whatever you wanted, learning from your mistakes, and experiencing the world with an open mind.
"A farm," Donny said, catching Ephrem off guard. "Hey a farm."
Ephrem figured out what Donny was saying after the second a farm slipped out of his mouth. The boy was attempting to pronounce his name. "It's Eff-ram. EFF. RAM." The young adult sighed, knowing that he wasn't the first or last person to pronounce his name wrong. "But yeah, what is it?"
"Do you have any Pokémon?"
"I do, but I don't have any with me." Ephrem said, answering the young boy's question.
"Why not?" Dev asked.
"I decided not to bring any with me. I'm just here to see my grandma."
"But a trainer should always have at least one Pokémon with them! That's what my dad always says!" Donny shouted, reaching for a Poké Ball from his belt. "Here's mine!"
Ephrem could hear the excitement in his voice as he was able to show off his partner. The feelings were nostalgic as Ephrem had felt all of those feelings before too. "What is it?" Ephrem questioned, knowing the boy was ready to show it off.
"His name is Sunny," Dev said, throwing his Poké Ball into the air. A flash of crimson lightning shot out from the red and silver ball and out appeared the silhouette of a big-eared, bipedal Pokémon. From the silhouette came a cream colored Pokémon with red spots all over its body, one that Ephrem had never seen but knew exactly who it was.
"That's a pretty sweet Spinda."
"Thanks! Sunny was a gift from my dad! We've been together for a few months now, right buddy?" Dev said, raising his hand for a high-five. His little spotted panda cheerfully jumped into the air, giving his trainer a solid high-five.
Ephrem smiled, motioning for them to keep on moving through the city streets and to the beach. "We should probably try to get there before it gets too dark."
The pre-teen nodded in agreement as he trotted along after Ephrem with his spinda doing the same, trailing behind him.
The two young trainers and the spinda had made their way through the city without having to ask for much real help or directions. Ephrem used his trainer instincts and guided them through every nook and cranny, and every turn until they reached some large stairs that led them down towards the beaches. The city of Slateport was on a large hill or cliff and the beaches were at the bottom of it. As Ephrem stood at the top of the cliff, looking down the stairs and at the beaches he noticed two distinct buildings. One was a small shack that had a large sign with a picture of a surfer riding out a gigantic wave and alongside him was a sharpedo. The second building was closer to the water's edge, it was a larger building with what seemed to be two boat garages and docks to the left side of it. That was where they needed to go, the docks.
"We're almost there," Ephrem said to his new friend. "Dev, why are you going to Dewford Town anyways?"
"To start my journey to become a Pokémon Master. I need to see Professor Birch in Little Root Town if I want to become the best. I want to be the best so I can become a gym leader too!" Dev shouted, throwing his fist into the air. "I will be Fallarbor Town's first gym leader!" He struck a heroic pose and winked at Ephrem oozing with confidence as Sunny the Spinda did the same.
"It's good to have a goal." Ephrem said. The trainer took the first step down the stairs and took a deep breath, remembering all the goals he once had for himself. The memories of trying to become the best and failing the first time still stung, even after two years. He was feeling better though, the bitter taste in his mouth had disappeared and he wasn't wanting to sit at home anymore doing nothing. Ephrem wanted to go out more and see the world, which is another reason why he agreed to see his grandmother. He did want to see her too, but seeing the world again was another reason for his agreement in visiting.
The group made their way down the stairs, with Dev chatting away about his life in the small place of Fallarbor Town. It was a small town located in the northern part of Hoenn which was known to be covered in ashes from Mt. Chimney. He talked about how his father was a well-known glass maker who collected the ashes and soot that came from Mt. Chimney and created beautiful tools and ornaments for people all over the region, mentioning that his father owned a few Pokémon who assisted him in his shop, which was how Dev came to have Sunny.
"My dad had to use one of his Machoke's to get Sunny for me. Sunny came to town and was being bad. He was being naughty, rummaging through our neighbor's garbage. But he's changed now, he's a good Pokémon now." Dev said, patting his panda Pokémon on the head. His partner nodded in agreement, cheerfully smiling with his dopey face.
The group had neared the small beach shack as the sun was now beginning to descend. Ephrem wanted to get to the docks before sun down just in case the trip was going to be longer than a day, but it didn't seem as if they would make it in time at the pace they were going. As they passed the shack Ephrem was able to see the sign much clearer and the picture made sense with the name of the little shop.
"Surf Hero," Dev said, "that's a pretty cool name."
"I wanna be a surf hero!" Sunny said cheerfully, imitating riding a wave.
"Maybe later," Ephrem muttered, not wanting to bring down their spirits. "But we should hurry to the docks, we want to catch the next ferry out of here if we want to make it to Dewford sooner rather than later."
Arriving at the docks in about another ten minutes the trio walked inside the wooden building and was greeted with a grin from a large, plump man. "Welcome!"
"Hi, I was wonderi-"
"The last ferry had just left for the night," the man said interrupting Ephrem's question, but somehow the man already knew what Ephrem was going to ask. "The next ride to Dewford will be tomorrow mornin' though, bright and early."
"Oh," Ephrem sighed, "alright, thanks."
"The Surf Hero has some beds available where you can sleep for the night. Would be more convenient than going back into the city to find a place if you looking to leave tomorrow mornin'. Your little brother there looks a bit exhausted."
Ephrem looked at Dev, who just returned the stare with a smile. The older boy nodded, thanking the plump sailor and headed on out the door back towards the Surf Hero shack.
By the time they got to the shack the sun had gone down, catching Ephrem by surprise. It felt as if the day had gone by so fast, but he knew that most of his day was spent on the boat getting to Hoenn and walking around Slateport City. Nearing the building they had just passed not too long ago they were greeted by another youngster. He looked about Dev's age but was wearing a blue tank top with a blue wave design. He had a gigantic, cocky smirk on his face as the group approached the shack.
"If you want to come in for the night you gotta battle me!" He called out to the pair of trainers.
Another sigh escaped his lips as he muttered a curse to himself. Ephrem really just wanted to sleep as he couldn't leave to Dewford in the morning, so every other thing didn't really help him feel any better that he missed the ferry. He looked down towards Dev who was returning a cocky grin to the boy at the shacks door.
"Easy! I got this," Dev said reassuring his new friend. "Sunny and I can handle this guy since you didn't bring any of your Pokémon. It's probably the least I can do for you helping me all day."
That response brightened up Ephrem's mood. It was good to see that the kid was still as lively as ever, and it also gave Ephrem a chance to see what both Dev and Sunny were made of as a trainer.
As both the fresh trainers wandered to opposing sides a few feet away from the shack, Ephrem took a stance in the middle, between the two. "The match ends when either one of your Pokemon are knocked out. Everyone got it?"
The two nodded, understanding the one simple rule. They just had to best each other and their Pokémon just had to come out on top.
"We got this, Sunny!" Dev roared, pumping his fist into the air. "Let's show them what we've got!"
"Yeah!" The spinda cheered, jumping out into the battlefield. It threw a few punches at the direction of their opponent before throwing his own fists into the air gleefully.
"Makuhita, let's knock these guys outta here!" The boy in the blue tank shouted back. "This will be over in one punch, don't worry!"
The excitement in Ephrem's attitude shifted from none to half-way as he watched the two trainers introduce their Pokémon to the field. So far today, spending the time he did with Dev made him remember so much of his past and what he was missing out on when he took a break from training. The boy was fearless, he was taking chances, and he was not afraid of failing. Ephrem wanted to find that feeling again too, and watching how Dev was made him feel as if it was possible to find it again.
"We'll take the first move then," the little boy said. "Makuhita, let's show them how strong you are! Arm Thrust!" The little Guts Pokémon waddled his way towards the spinda swinging his arms in a circle before swinging it at Sunny. Sunny was able to dodge the first swing but was caught off-guard by the second left-hook that came his way. The spinda was hit square in the cheek before receiving another blow from the makuhita's right fist, sending him off his feet and flying back a few feet towards Dev.
"Sunny! Shake it off!" Dev said, trying to get his partner up off his feet. "Let's show him how our punches work! Give them a barrage of Power Up Punches!"
Sunny weakly picked himself up off the ground and charged in the direction of Makuhita. His fist began glowing as he neared the fighting Pokémon, swinging his own fists back at it. The opposing makuhita dodged two punches, moving side to side out of Sunny's reach before returning another punch of his own, knocking Sunny down yet again. Sunny fell down to the ground as the makuhita stood above him, readying the final blow.
"Told you we'd knock you out!" The opposing trainer taunted. "Makuhita, finish it with a Focus Punch!" The makuhita's fist rose into the air as he began shining brightly, charging up as much energy and focus as it could before striking down Sunny.
Ephrem turned to Dev whose eyes were glued onto Sunny. His face was different than what Ephrem usually noticed. From the day that he had spent with the boy he usually had a big smile on his face, being cheerful and fun, but now that smile was gone and out came a stern and serious face. Ephrem watched as the young trainer's eyes furrowed as he shouted out another command to his fallen Pokemon.
"We have more than one attack!" Dev roared. "Sunny, Rapid Spin! Knock him off his feet!"
Sunny let out a battle cry before he lifted himself off the ground again, this time using his hands to spin his whole body all around. His feet flailed around and knocked the makuhita's focus, the light and energy fading from his fist as he stumbled backwards. Sunny had spun himself so hard that he was now upright in the air as his fist began to glow.
"Power Up Punch!" Dev ordered. Feeling the adrenaline pump within his own body the trainer mimicked his Pokémon and punched the air with his right fist as Sunny did the same, but catching Makuhita square in the face. The makuhita stumbled backwards even more as the hit to his face was a strong and powerful blow. In a quick combination Dev shouted out another attack for his spinda. "Tackle, now!"
Sunny had just landed from his punch but threw himself straight at the makuhita head first, tackling the fighting Pokemon to the ground.
"No!" The opposing trainer shouted. He watched his makuhita take a direct tackle as he was still dazed from the Power Up Punch. The makuhita was knocked off his feet and laid on his back as the spinda rolled off his opponent.
Sunny stumbled backwards taking a few steps before falling back onto his butt, sitting down and watching his opponent would be getting back up. The little spotted panda Pokemon was looking exhausted and you could tell that he had no more energy left in his body. If the wind was blowing any harder Ephrem guessed that even that would knock the poor thing out.
As the acting referee, Ephrem rushed over to Makuhita and nodded, waving his hand in the direction of Dev and Sunny. "Makuhita is out! Dev and Sunny win!"
The opposing trainer rushed over to his makuhita and lifted it up to rest his back onto him. "You did good buddy! You were a beast. Rest up, okay?" He rose a Poké Ball as he returned it to the small, circular pod to rest. Smiling at Ephrem the trainer said, "I'm Nico by the way. My dad owns the Surf Hero."
"I'm Ephrem," he replied. "That kid over there is Dev. We're looking for a place to spend the night and we were told you guys have some beds?"
"Yeah, come on inside." Nico said, picking himself off of the ground. He brushed off some of the sand as he wandered over towards Dev with a friendly smile. As Ephrem and Nico were talking Dev had returned Sunny to his Poké Ball, meeting the two trainers at the shack. "Good battle, man. Your spinda has some crazy moves. I thought that spindas usually wobble around."
"They do," Dev said, "But Sunny's different I guess. He loves battling and is pretty good at it. Can help me out in a pinch."
"Yeah that Rapid Spin caught me off-guard. That was pretty sweet!"
"Thanks," the boy in the olive green cap grinned. The big grin that was usually plastered onto his face returned as he shined with confidence, cheerfully grinning at Ephrem.
The older trainer nodded in approval, chuckling and smiling back at his new friend. "You did a good job," Ephrem said, patting the boy on the back. "I can see you being a Pokémon Master."
One battle is what made Ephrem want to become a Pokemon Master and dream of something much bigger than himself. One battle is what also made Ephrem shatter like glass. But Ephrem knew that it wasn't really the battle that shattered him, it was himself. He let himself down and he didn't want to face the music, he didn't want to own up to his own mistakes that he wasn't as ready as he had first thought. Watching Dev battle alongside Sunny reminded him of what he was missing though, it made him feel as if maybe he could do it again. What else was there to lose?