The town of Dewford, though small, was a popular tourist destination in Hoenn, famous for its pristine waters, easy-going life, and the mysterious Granite Cave, where spelunkers could find ancient murals and rare Pokemon deep within its caverns. The beach was much smaller than the famous Slateport beach, but it offered cleaner water and shallow banks that directed rolling waves for surfers, and created small ponds where corals grew in the stagnant water, and Pokemon such as Tentacool and Luvdisc could be seen swimming through the sponges and anemones.
Indeed, Dewford offered quite a lot to anyone who enjoyed a slower pace, which was curious, considering the town's gym leader, Brawly, was anything but calm and slow. He spent most of his time surfing, jogging along the beach, or exercising in his gym. He often challenged tourists, hoping for an interesting battle, but the vast majority of people passing through Dewford were there for the scenery rather than the gym, and the few trainers who came looking for a badge were no match for his Makuhita. There was one trainer, however, who truly impressed Brawly with his skillful command of his Pokemon. Brendan, the new arrival from Littleroot. He was only a kid, sure, but he showed enormous potential. It was only a short time after his thrilling battle with the young trainer that he heard the news. Some kid, who had also becalmed the legendary Pokemon in Sootopolis, had defeated the Champion Steven. After that, Brawly had longed to battle him again, knowing that he didn't have much of a chance of beating Brendan, but the opportunity alone got his adrenaline pumping.
And so he waited, hoping he'd drop by Dewford again, at least to visit. Weeks turned into months, and then a year had passed since Brendan's victory in Ever Grande. Brawly eventually lost interest, and simply resumed his job as gym leader, waiting for trainers to come and challenge him. But fewer and fewer were coming, and the Hoenn Pokemon League had begun to consider moving Brawly's gym to somewhere less isolated, like Fallarbor. The thought of being in the shadow of Mt. Chimney, far from the ocean, made Brawly despondent. But if he wasn't getting enough challengers, he didn't have much of a choice.
One day, as Brawly was bringing his board to the beach, a small boat pulled up to the dock. He paused only for a moment of brief curiosity, wondering who was coming. He supposed it won't be anyone he knew, but as Briney stepped off, he watched someone else follow behind him, and a grin spread across his face.
Brendan didn't look much different, save for being a bit taller, and with a more defined jaw. He shook the old man's hand, who replied with an exuberant "Anytime lad, anytime!", and he returned to his boat, speeding off towards Slateport.
Forgetting his plans to go surfing, Brawly eagerly ran to meet the trainer, his dream of battling him again resurfacing. Such was his enthusiasm that he forgot his manners, and by the time Brendan turned around, he just saw a figure running towards him on the dock, and he jerked back in surprise.
Brawly screeched to a halt, feeling embarrassed. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said, trying to laugh it off while he silently cursed himself. Brendan, having collected himself, waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, it's not a problem! How've you been Brawly? How's the gym?" Brawly sighed, hoping the conversation could have been about anything else.
"Well, it's…it's not going too good. We don't get a whole lot of trainers in Dewford anymore, and the League is talking about moving the gym."
Brendan bit his lip. "Sorry to hear that. I take it you really love it here, huh?"
Brawly nodded. "More than any place else. I don't want to leave, but I don't want to stop being a gym leader either." Though he didn't want to sound like he was trying to guilt Brendan into battling him, he said, "Hey, want to challenge my gym again? You could help draw more attention to this place, and maybe more people will come."
Brendan sighed. "Sorry, but I don't have my Pokemon with me. My mom's taking care of them back at Littleroot."
Again, Brawly's hopes were dashed. "Oh, that's okay then, no worries." Brendan could read his disappointment all too plainly though, and he wondered if there was anything else he could do.
"I-I could tell more people about your gym though," Brendan went on. "I could advertise it across Hoenn."
At this, Brawly looked a little more hopeful. "Really dude? You'd do that for me?"
"Of course, it's no trouble." Brendan smiled encouragingly, and Brawly smiled back.
"Thank you so much! Hey, if you're here for Granite Cave, I could take you there. I'm on the way to the beach myself."
Brendan shook his head. "Actually, I'm just here on some downtime, revisiting the old places, you know. I might just head down to the beach myself."
Brawly looked thrilled. "Really? That would be great! I'd love the company!" He rarely had anyone with him when he went to the beach. It was mostly either young families or older people. He was grinning as he walked with Brendan, glad of his company, and his promise to bring business to the Dewford gym.
When they finally arrived at the beach, Brawly brought his board to the water while Brendan kicked off his shoes and unzipped his tee. He removed his hat as well, setting those neatly in the sand as he turned to Brawly, who waved to him from the smooth, wet sand at the water's edge.
"You ready to go swimming?" he called. "I could show you how to surf too!" Brendan was initially going to point out how he didn't have a board, until Brawly pointed to a rack of rental boards sitting up by a shack. Realizing he's never gone surfing before, Brendan figured it would be an interesting experience, and decided to go for it. Brawly picked the sturdiest board he could find and led him down to the water, dropping both boards into the shallow foam.
"Alright," he began, "what you're going to want to do is lay on your belly and paddle out." He did so slowly, giving Brendan time to replicate his movements, taking to it rather easily. The swam out to where the waves were a bit rougher, but Brendan managed to say afloat. "Now we watch and wait, see, here comes a rolling wave." Brendan turned while Brawly watched it eagerly. The water rose as it came towards them. "Now quick, jump up on your board, try to balance. Now stand up yet, take it slow, that's right, now let the water push—"
With a yelp, Brendan lost balance and fell over into the water with a splash. Brawly laughed as he surfed alongside him, stopping just a few feet away.
"Well, that was a good start," Brawly commended. Brendan swam up to his board again, and Brawly's hand extended. He took it, letting the gym leader help him back up onto the board. "You did good, you just need practice."
Eager to try again, Brendan swam back out on his board, waiting for a wave to come. When he could see a hump of water moving towards him, he got momentum on his board and jumped up, trying to stay upright. Eventually, he was able to hold out his arms and keep the board steady as he surfed, Brawly cheering him on.
"Way to go Brendan! That's amazing!" He sat on his board while Brendan continued that way for several more seconds before wiping out and falling into the water again. Brawly paddled after him, excited to finally have someone else to surf with.
They continued for a few more hours, Brendan improving with each successive attempt. When he finally managed to stay upright all the way, Brawly felt an enormous sense of pride. Brendan let himself drift to shore, collapsing in the sand, staring up at the orange and violet sky. Brawly sat down next to him, watching the horizon and smiling.
"Thanks for this," Brendan said suddenly. Brawly turned around, tilting his head.
"You're thanking me? Oh no, no, it doesn't work like that. This is the best day I've had in a long time. I need to be thanking you."
Brendan sat up. "Well then, you're welcome." He looked at him for a moment, his eyes shimmering, and then he quickly turned away. "I ought to get back to the Pokemon Center, get ready for bed." He stood back up, picking up his board. He noticed Brawly's somber look, and grinned. "I'm staying for a while though, we can hang out tomorrow too."
Brawly's eyes lit up. "That would be awesome. It's not every day I get to spend time with a Hoenn Champion." He extended his hand again, this time as a greeting, and Brendan shook it firmly. "See you tomorrow?"
Brendan nodded. "Sure thing." With that, he picked up his shoes and clothes, returned the board, and with a final wave to Dewford's gym leader, went off into the twilight.