Slateport City. The bustling centre of sea-based trade and the odd Pokémon Contest. Many people came through the city day in, day out, carrying loads of goods along with the help of several strong Pokémon. Some had a Vigoroth to do their heavy lifting while others would have a Hariyama or a Machoke. Nonetheless, people and Pokémon in Slateport always worked together and it seemed that that was not going to change.
Or perhaps it was. One particular Pokémon visiting the city seemed to stay out of everyone's way, showing little interest in the social aspects even as people turned to stare. It wasn't every day one saw a lone Kadabra wandering without a Trainer.
But it was something that Mindwarp had grown used to. He'd always been wary of humans, even when Ellie became his first Trainer some three years ago. She had been a fairly decent Trainer... right up until she decided that a Magikarp was more deserving of her attention than he was, even after he had evolved. The only real positive memory he had of her was the time she spent teaching him to speak and understand human language, but that was of little comfort to him. For some reason, even though it had been several months since he had voluntarily left her, he sometimes missed the security it brought. To have someone to turn to when he needed it, to have somewhere safe to sleep and to have regular meals. It proably didn't help that he was not a particularly social Pokémon, and so had few acquaintances and even fewer friends.
He'd teleported up to the roof of the Pokémon centre for some peace and quiet and that was when he felt a tear fall from one eye. Rubbing it away, he huffed to himself. Since when did he ever cry about anything? Scratching at his snout as he usually did when pondering an important matter, he watched the world go by from his vantage point, thinking about what could possibly cause him to let out any emotion at all when he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. Frowning briefly, he moved towards the edge of the roof, peering at the figure emerging through the light. At first the silhouette was hard to make out but eventually he saw a vaguely human-like shape, a woman dressed in what looked like armour that covered most of her body. Her hair was a shade of light pink, much like the fur of a Skitty, and she stood tall and proud despite the fact that she appeared lost.
Slowly jumping down from the roof, Mindwarp continued to watch the new arrival to the Hoenn region, sharp eyes watching her as she looked around with a confused yet composed gaze, seemingly in her element. He watched her as she walked down towards the city's edge before he followed her, curiosity getting the better of him. Who was she and what was her purpose here in Hoenn? Staunching his wariness, he stepped up to the strange woman and glanced up at her. She didn't seem to pay much heed until she looked down and saw him, causing the both of them to jump.
"Who-?" The pink-haired woman had a voice that sounded militant and commanding, though the psychic-type did detect the faint hint of confusion laced within it. "Wh-What are you?" It took her a moment to find the correct words.
"I presume this is your first time in Hoenn?" Obviously. The woman looked completely lost. "I'm a Pokémon native to this region. Specifically, a psychic type."
"There seems to be a lot to take in here, but I cannot stay here in Hoenn. My own world is in danger and I must return there as soon as possible."
Mindwarp could easily pick up on the urgency in the woman's tone, scratching at his snout with a claw while he thought of a way to return her to her own world. "Which world?" She explained that it was called Nova Chrysalia, and that it was what remained of Gran Pulse and Cocoon, also telling him that she only had thirteen days in which to save this world. The psychic-type nodded on occasion, listening to what she had to say. "Thinking about it... there is a rumour of a portal hidden beneath the desert sands past Route 111." She prompted him to carry on, hoping that this could lead her back to her world. "We would have to travel out of Slateport City and go along Route 110 to reach Mauville City. Then, we'll need to head north from there via Route 111 and cross into the desert."
"We?" The woman cocked her head to the side, crossing her arms over her armoured chest. Mindwarp let out a breath, his bushy tail dropping against the ground with a muffled, gentle thud.
"I assumed you wanted a guide. If you think you can find your own way to the desert, then I won't stop you..." She shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder just as he was about to leave. The contact made him bristle a little but he turned to face her. "Alright then. I'll help you get to the desert." He hesitated just momentarily. "Though if we are going to be working together... we should at least know each others' names..."
"Lightning. Just Lightning." Her introduction was short and sharp, showing that she really wasn't planning on sticking around. "And what about you?"
"It's Mindwarp." His introduction was just as brief, though his stemmed more from the fact that he distrusted humans, but after hearing Lightning's story, he was in a different mindset. If he didn't at least try to get her home, she would have no home to return to. Such a burden did weigh on the psychic-type's mind but he had already resolved that he was going to get Lightning back home. If he didn't, the potential destruction of an entire world would rest on his shoulders, and he did not wish for that. "Anyway, we'll begin by leaving Slateport City." Rummaging through the thick fur of his tail, which he'd managed to find a few uses for, he pulled out a Pokénav. Activating the device, he projected a map of the entire Hoenn region in front of them.
"Is this Hoenn?" Lightning felt as if she were asking the most obvious question but she simply wanted to be sure. Mindwarp nodded and pointed out a floating, flashing red dot on the map.
"That is our current position." Using the tip of his claw to trace a path in the hologram, he pointed out Route 110, Mauville City and Route 111 to the pinkette. "It looks like a straight path on here, but we'll have to be careful on the routes between cities. Hoenn convention states that if two Pokémon Trainers lock eyes, they must battle." At the look of confusion on the warrior's face, he quickly explained what Pokémon Trainers were and the basics of the battles. She nodded as he turned off the map projection, switching the Pokénav off and stashing it in his tail.
"Lead the way then," and so the newly-formed duo headed out of Slateport City and along Route 110.