Chapter 2

The Path to the Hoenn League!

Mark and Ekans ran for Vermilion Dock. They were stopped by a Sailor standing near the entrance of the dock. "Ticket please," he asked. Mark flashed his ticket, the Sailor stepped out of the way. Mark continued to walk on the Dock. They found themselves at the entrance to the St. Anne. He entered the door, which led into a hallway. Mark walked through it and made it to the lobby. I'll need to get my key first, He decided. He walked over to the reception desk.

"May I help you?" a woman asked, sitting behind the desk. Mark saw she was wearing a green and gold uniform. She must be the receptionist, Mark thought.

"I just got here and I need the key to my room," Mark said. The Receptionist nodded.

"What's the number one your ticket?" she asked.

Mark got out his ticket and looked at it. At the bottom of it there were four numbers. Mark read the numbers 4,8,2,2 aloud. The receptionist nodded. She opened a book and checked the number. She gave him the key to his room. "You'll be staying in Room 28."

"Thanks," Mark said. The Receptionist looked at a stack of papers on her desk. She grabbed one and handed it to Mark.

"There's a Pokemon Party being held right now if you're interested," she said. Mark looked at the paper, the Party started at 3:00 PM and ended at 5:00 PM. He looked at a clock on the wall behind the desk. It was 3:45.

"Where is it being held?' Mark asked.

"On the Sky Deck," The Receptionist replied. She pointed to a spiral staircase. "Through there."

"Thanks,' Mark said. He walked over to the stair case.

The Receptionist watched him leave. "He was nice. I'm not sure what's going on with the Ekans though," she said to herself. She looked at a microphone on her desk. It was the intercom, she grabbed it. She pressed and held down a button on it. "Attention. We are no longer docked and are now starting our voyage to the Hoenn Region. Thanks you for choosing the St. Anne," she said into the intercom.

Mark was already walking up the staircase as he heard the intercom. No turning back. Not that I would, He thought excitedly. He went up to the Sky Deck and saw an ocean of people mingling with each other and each other's Pokemon. He walked over to a table that had snacks for Pokemon. He grabbed one and gave it to Ekans, who ate it and smile with delight at the taste. Mark walked over to a different table that had tons of food on it. He grabbed a tiny sandwich and began eating it.

"That was good," he said to himself as he finished it. Suddenly, a person bumped into him from the left. Mark turned to see the Girl from the Pokemon Center. She was wearing what she wore when Mark last saw her, but this time she was also sporting a red backpack that sparkled, reminding Mark of a ruby. She looked at him puzzled eyes, then her gaze softened.

''Oh it's you," The Girl said.

"How is it we can never meet without bumping into each other," Mark joked.

The Girl blushed. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm starting my journey in Hoenn," Mark replied.

"Really? So am I!" The Girl said.

"Cool," Mark said. "Hey. You think you can tell me your name?"

The Girl nodded. "Lily."

Mark looked at her. He thought she was so pretty. Whoa. Back up. You met her yesterday and this is the second time you met. So back up the train a little, Mark's conscience told him. "That's a nice name," Mark replied awkwardly.

"I'll see you later," Lily said. She walked away.

Mark watched her leave and then went on the go enjoy the rest of the Party. He saw a huge crowd surrounding an area. He walked over and made his way through the crowd. He saw two people standing in the middle of the crowd. One of them was a boy wearing a bright green t-shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. The other person was a man wearing a plain blue shirt with black jeans. "Who here wants to have a battle?" The Boy asked. He must be a Pokemon Trainer. Cool, I'm up for one. It will be me and Ekans' first time, Mark thought. He approached the bold trainer.

"I challenge you to a battle," Mark said. The trainer looked at him and nodded. The Man standing near the trainer walked over to Mark.

"What's you name kid?" he asked.

Must be the referee, Mark thought. "Mark," he answered.

The referee nodded and stood in between the two Pokemon Trainers. "The battle will between Mark, the Challenger, and Isaac, the Defender. Each trainer will use one Pokemon. Begin!" The Ref. said.

"Croconaw! I choose you!" Isaac shouted as he threw his Pokeball, revealing a blue and cream colored Pokemon. It looked like a bipedal Crocodile.

"Let's go Ekans!" Mark said. Ekans slithered down his body and approached his opponent on the battlefield.

"Croconaw use Bubblebeam!" Isaac ordered quickly. The Croconaw opened its mouth, unveiling a swarm of bubbles that headed for Ekans. They popped all over his body, dealing much damage. The crowd stared at Mark, wondering what his first move would be.

"Stay strong and use Poison Sting!" Mark said. Ekans slithered forward and opened his mouth very wide, and shot poisonous needles at Croconaw. They stabbed into the Crocodile like Pokemon's skin and badly poisoned him.

"Use Bite," Isaac said. Croconaw went jumped into the air and landed behind Ekans. It leaped at the snake like Pokemon and sank its teeth into Ekans' skin. Ekans let out a loud hiss in pain. Then, Croconaw all of a sudden stumbled back and looked a little tired.

It's the effects of the Poison Sting, Mark thought to himself. "Use Bind," he commanded. Ekans looked at him and nodded. He wrapped his slender body around Croconaw. He tightened his grip around the Water type Pokemon, it roared in pain.

"Use Bite!" Isaac ordered, worry in his voice. Croconaw couldn't move from the pain of the bind. Isaac sighed. "Return," he said, grabbing his Pokeball. It shot a red beam and sucked Croconaw inside. Ekans was now coiled on the floor, he retreated to Mark's neck.

The Referee walked over to Mark. "And the winner is Mark," he announced. The crowd cheered for the victorious Pokemon trainer. Mark smiled at the attention he was receiving.

"You're pretty good," Isaac praised.

"Thanks," Mark said with delight. I sure am glad to have Ekans, he thought. He began to walk out of the crowd. The crowd looked at him with confused eyes.

"Aren't you gonna battle some more?" somebody asked.

Mark turned around. "No thank you. That battle was fun, but Ekans is tired out. Thanks for the battle Isaac." And with that he walked out.

About an hour passed before the intercom was turned on and informed everyone that the party was over and the ship would continue with normal activities. Mark watched as everyone flooded out of the Sky Deck. Mark left as well and went to a set of halls that held the rooms in them. He read the number on each door. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6 ,7... 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19... 26, 27. Finally, he made it to Room 28. He got out his key and unlocked the door. It was an amazing room. The walls were painted with bright colors that were sure to put someone in a good mood. There were a few paintings on the wall with interesting portraits of Pokemon. There was a king size bed and a few smaller beds that could fit Pokemon that were around Ekans' size. There was a bathroom to the side of the room and a mini fridge near the door. Then, Mark yawned loudly. "I'm gonna take a small nap Ekans," he said. Ekans nodded and slithered down his body and went to one of the Pokemon beds. He coiled himself in the cozy bed.

Mark climbed into his bed and closed his eyes. It's nearly time to start my journey, he thought excitedly before dozing off.