The boy awoke to the usual sound of waves accompanied by a crowd of passengers chatting on the upper deck. He blinked, raising his arm to shade his face from the sun. Careful not to move too fast, he sat up, looking around.
No longer was the boat surrounded by never-ending ocean. On the left side rose the massive landmass of Kanto. Or Johto. He wasn't sure yet, there were too many people talking for him to make out what any one individual was saying.
Well, the crowd itself said that the appearance of the land was something of interest. Judging by how it was so close, it wasn't the first sighting. And the sun sat in the middle of the sky, telling him it was about midday. So the land hadn't appeared in the middle of the night and had just now been noticed. So that meant...
Yup. Looking further down the shore, he noticed buildings and a white extension of the shoreline. They had reached their destination.
He stretched and shook his head, trying to rid himself of his grogginess before they landed. The sun was still a little too bright for him, so he squinted along the crowd that had formed during his sleep. There were several passengers he had seen before, several he hadn't. He noticed the minun from the night before excitedly bouncing on the girl's head. He grinned, reaching toward his belt.
Moments later, Berri was sitting next to him, shaking himself awake. "Sno…"
"Yea, I know," the boy agreed. "We must have been up longer than I thought last night; I normally can't sleep through the sunrise."
"Snorunt," Berri said irritably. He didn't get to sleep outside of his pokeball while they were on the ship. As tired as he felt, he thought that he would have woken up at sunrise.
"No, you wouldn't have," the boy said, correctly guessing his pokemon's thoughts. He turned away from the snorunt, looking at the city that was approaching rather quickly. The shore stretched on for a good distance in either direction of the dock, but he'd rather not start swimming until he really had to. He'd probably wait until the ship was docked so he wouldn't have much of a chance of getting his things wet.
He turned, pulling his bag up from where it had been used as a pillow. He pulled off his shirt, stuffing it into one of the bag's compartments. Following suit with his boots and gloves, he started scooting to the back of the boat. Berri followed behind, waddling slightly.
Once he felt like he was hidden, the boy stood up, slinging his bag around his shoulders as per usual. He picked up Berri, setting him down on top of his head. The ship had almost reached the harbor, and the crowd on deck had begun to disperse. "Ready to go?"
"Sno!" his pokemon nodded, gripping tightly onto the boy's hair.
"Alright then." He made his way toward the edge of the roof, glancing around quickly to make sure no one was around. He grabbed the edge of the roof, using it to swing himself down to the deck below. He swayed slightly thanks to the extra weight on his head, but not enough to make him lose his balance. Without looking around, he grabbed the railing at the edge of the deck, propelling himself over the side and curving back to the ship. His sleepiness had either vanished or had no effect on his climbing, so he quickly started scaling the side of the ship.
Thanks to it being daytime and the fact that the ship was just about to dock, a few people saw him as he passed by their window. He usually ducked out of the way or moved fast enough that they forget about him in favor of their luggage, but it was always nerve-wracking. He moved a little slower than he had the night before, careful to keep his head as straight as he could for Berri who was clinging to his head. As he reached the bottom level of windows, he stopped for a moment to think about how he was actually going to get off. The water was a few feet below the windows, but there was nowhere for Berri to wait while he got in the water. Besides that, the boat wasn't quite still yet.
He worked his fingers around one of the bottom windows, seeing if it would open. Nothing. He moved a little closer to the end of the boat, trying another window. Nothing. One more down, it clicked, opening up as he tugged on it. Smiling, he plucked Berri off of his head and in the open window. Plucking his bag off of his shoulder, he held it out, the pokemon biting it with its large mouth.
He couldn't see around the ship, but he knew they had to be fairly close to the harbor. His guess was confirmed when the boat slowly came to a stop, cheering resounding from the top of the boat. He chuckled, wondering how happy the other passengers must be to get off. He looked up, trying to look at Berri and failing. "Ready buddy?" The snorunt shivered, but he figured that meant yes. "Alright, give me a sec." The boy let go of the ship, falling into the water below.
No matter how warm the air above it was, the ocean always seemed cold. It wrapped around him as only water could when he hit it, the waves enveloping him as he sank. His descent came to a stop, and he pushed the water out of the way to break the surface. His lungs met fresh air seconds after, the boy shaking his head, excess water flying out of his hair. He looked up at Berri, who was waiting patiently in the window. He held a hand up, opening his palm upwards. "Alright, jump!"
Berri hesitated for a moment before leaping from the window, aiming for his hand. He didn't aim very well. The boy shifted quickly to catch the snorunt before he reached the water, straining slightly under his weight and his bag. Quickly moving him to his head, Berri grabbed onto his hair, still clenching on the bag with his teeth. "Good job," the boy said, starting to wade toward the end of the boat. "We'll be on dry land in no time." As he swam around the edge of the boat, he saw all of the passengers trying to file off. He grinned, amused that his improvised method would get him off faster.
The shore came faster than he thought. Before he knew it his feet were touching sand. He swam a little farther, standing up a foot above the water. As soon as he took a step, a wave came from behind him and hit him in the head. He sprung back up, laughing as he quickly made his way for shore. Berri, who had gotten soaked by the wave, mumbled around the bag.
The boy trudged out of the water, his jeans weighing far more now. Water clung to his scrawny yet toned body, creating trails in the sand as he walked. Berri tapped him on the head, the boy shaking his head slightly. "Nah, let's get out of the sand first." He walked up toward the edge of the sand, where the trees took over onward. The city was some distance to his right, the harbor being only a small indent in the forest he was now heading into. He noticed a small half circle of treeless dirt reaching onto the beach to his left; he headed for it, plucking Berri off of his head as he did so.
He set the pokemon down beside a rock as he plopped onto it himself. "Well now. That was an adventure, wasn't it?"
Berri dropped the bag, looking around. He had taken most of the wave while the bag remained mostly dry. "Snorunt…sno?"
The boy nodded, looking around the ring of trees. "Yea, this is Kanto. Or, it should be. I suppose we'll be seeing a lot of it from now on." He reached into his bag, grabbing a comb that was missing several teeth. He ran it through his hair, smoothing it back. Once his hair had flattened to his satisfaction, he slipped the comb back into his bag. He reached into the second pocket, pulling out a pair of flip flops that were in surprisingly good condition compared to the rest of his clothes. He brushed as much sand off of his feet as he could before slipping them on, working his toes into them. He considered putting on his gloves before dismissing the idea. He had a bit of a trek through the forest before he would want them. Plus, it gave him time to dry off. "Ready to go?"
Berri nodded, hopping up after the boy as he began walking into the forest, slinging his bag around his shoulder. It wasn't all that much different from Hoenn, but there was a feeling that pervaded the place, a sense of something different that neither of them could make out.
A rattata leapt between two bushes up ahead of them, causing Berri to leap in alarm. The boy laughed. "Don't worry. He won't hurt ya."
His laughter stifled as the rattata returned, glaring at the two fiercely. "…or he will." He hesitated, stopping about twenty feet from the now hostile pokemon. He glanced around, not seeing any others. He noticed a sort of pathway up to his right, the opposite way of the rattata. "Look, we'll head this way, alright? No need to get up in arms." He began heading toward the break in the trees, smiling in relief when the rattata headed warily back into the bushes.
"See? Nothing to worry about," he said, patting the worried Berri on the head. The pokemon shivered.
They travelled for another ten minutes or so, spotting the occasional bird pokemon or rattata. The boy thought that at one point he had seen a pikachu, but had passed it off as his imagination. The trees began to thin, as he saw buildings closing in. "Awesome, we made it!"
"Snorunt!" the pokemon cried happily. He bounced up and down as the boy grabbed his bag, pulling out his shirt and gloves. His jeans hadn't completely dried, but they weren't dripping anymore. He slid on his shirt and gloves, feeling pleasantly comfortable again. He began walking toward the city, finding himself on a dirt road. He saw the houses lining the street, with small yards in front of them. He glanced back down the street, noticing almost immediately the girl with the minun walking with her father along the road. He smiled as they passed each other, waving at the girl and nodding politely at the man. They both waved in turn, and he was pleased to see the minun imitate them. He continued walking, headed toward what he assumed was the center of town.
A noise caught his attention. Well, several noises. It sounded like voices, all talking at once. As he neared the end of the road, he saw a group of kids a little younger than him gathering together. He could hear one of them shouting over the others, but it wasn't until he got closer that he realized what he was saying. "Won't any of you challenge me?"
"You always beat us Mike!" another kid cried.
The one named Mike apparently ignored this comment. "Oh, come on. I'll give twenty poke to whoever challenges and beats me!"
The boy's attention pricked at that. He could use that money, but he wasn't sure he should challenge a younger kid. Didn't seem quite fair.
"Hey, you! I've never seen that pokemon before, what's it called?" a random kid in the crowd cried. The boy rolled his eyes as all of the adolescent's attentions were diverted to him.
"He. And he's a snorunt," the boy said slowly, yet not unkindly.
"A snorunt?" a girl asked. They started to move closer. "Ooo, I've never seen one in person! He's so cute!"
"His name's Berri." the boy said, waving a hand toward his friend. Berri was blushing, but thanks to his cloak the kids couldn't see it.
"Can he fight?" Mike cried, pushing past the other kids in order to get a better view.
The boy frowned. He didn't like this kid all that much. "Of course he can. Why?"
"I challenge you then!" Mike said, puffing his chest out in an attempt to appear bigger. As he still stood a half a foot shorter than his would-be opponent, it didn't amount to much. Glancing around, the boy realized he stood at least a half foot over almost all of them. They were a bit younger than he had thought.
"I don't know…" the boy said hesitantly. He wasn't worried that Berri couldn't win, but if there was no incentive-
"I'll give you fifty poke if you can win!" Mike cried, grabbing a pokeball at his belt. "Come on, I haven't had a pokemon battle all day!"
The boy's eyes widened. Fifty? That'd get him a room at the pokemon center. At least for a night. He sighed, waving at Berri. "Alright, you're on. Berri, you ready?"
The snorunt nodded, grinning slyly. Mike laughed. "Finally! See, now you'll all see how tough my pokemon is!"
"We already know you can beat all of us Mike…" one of the kids mumbled. He was ignored. Mike threw his pokeball, a flash of red light coming out of it as a pokemon came out.
The boy raised an eyebrow at the raticate, the evolved form of rattata. It looked strong enough to actually pose a challenge, but Mike didn't seem like much of a trainer. The boy shrugged. "Alright. Let's go."
"Quick attack!" Mike yelled out. Almost instantly, the raticate took off, dashing in a serpentine pattern toward Berri.
"Double team." The boy said calmly. Berri bolted to his left, an after image left in his place. As he moved, more and more copies began appearing behind him, all moving the same way. The raticate dashed toward the one in front, speeding through empty air as the copy disappeared. As the rat pokemon came to a stop, the snorunt copies surrounded it, dashing around with no indication of the real one. "Powder snow."
The kids gasped as all of the copies opened their mouths, spitting out breaths that froze the air as they flew towards the raticate. Not knowing which blasts were fake, the raticate guessed which ones to avoid, running straight into the real attack. Snow covered the poor pokemon, its movements slowing down noticeably as it was buried in snow.
"Raticate! Hyper fang on the one to your left!" Mike cried. Burrowing out of the snow, the raticate plowed through the mini blizzard (actually to the right) and bit.
By some stroke of luck, it managed to hit the real one. Berri cried out as its copies and powder snow attack vanished, being forced to the ground by the weight of the charge. The raticate shook its head back and forth, shaking Berri along with it before flinging him up into the air. "That's how you do it raticate!" Mike cheered triumphantly. The kids began to droop, their new hope already leaving them.
"Berri, that was just a nibble! Show him how it's done." The boy said, smiling at the snorunt that was still flying, looking more determined than hurt. The raticate looked up in surprise, just in time for Berri to lock his jaw on the mouse pokemon's head.
"Raticate!" Mike cried out, terrified at the seemingly unhurt snorunt. How many pokemon had lost to that very attack? And here this newcomer was, not only still able to fight but winning!
"Berri!" the boy called, "back off and use headbutt!" Berri did just that, letting the raticate go and bouncing back a few feet. With only a split second to gain his bearings, Berri launched himself toward the raticate, ramming into its lower jaw, sending it flying backward. He slammed into the ground, legs twitching slightly as Berri returned to the boy's side.
The crowd of kids cheered as Mike fell to his knees. "No way…raticate…" He looked at the boy with a mix of sadness and surprise. "Dang, you're good. Where are you from?"
"Hoenn," the boy replied. He patted Berri on his head, the snorunt nuzzling into his palm. "Just passing through."
"Hmmph," Mike grumbled. He reached into his pocket, pulling out three crisp bills. "That was all my allowance for two months. If I give it to you, you have to promise to come back sometime and challenge me again, alright?"
"Deal." the boy said, smiling as he took the money. It had been a while since he had an actual bed to sleep on. "Get stronger, alright?"
Mike pulled out his pokeball, turning his raticate into a mass of red energy that zoomed into the orb. "Will do."
One of the other kids spoke up. "What's your name?"
The boy smiled at him, shrugging. "My name? Eh… um…. Raven."
Some of the girls of the group giggled. "We'll see you around then, Raven!"
Raven waved as he walked away from the crowd. He turned his head to look at Berri. "Not hurt, are you?"
The snorunt looked at his cloak where the raticate had bitten, seeing a tear in it but nothing reaching the flesh. He shivered slightly, the cloak forming a patch out of what looked like snow, covering the hole before transforming into the same material as the cloak. Looking perfectly new, Berri nodded. "Sno!" He looked at the boy, tilting his head. "Snorunt, sno snorunt?"
He shrugged. "Yea, I know. But no one knows me here; why not get a little creative?"
The two walked in silence down the street, spotting the pokemon center on one of the corners. As they neared it, they saw another trainer walking out of it, a girl looking to be about his age. She had dirty blond hair handing down to her shoulders, a slight curl in her bangs. She wore average middle class trainer attire, a pink jacket over a plain white undershirt with blue jeans. He saw three pokeballs strapped to her belt. She noticed him as well, waving at him.
Taken aback, he waved; though a little slow to react. She laughed, beginning to walk in the opposite direction. Berri snickered as he stumbled over a crack in the road. "Oh, quiet. She was probably waving to you." Berri's laughter continued, though he did hesitate at the boy's statement.
The two walked through the sliding doors of the pokemon center, finding no one inside but Nurse Joy herself. He never really questioned why they all looked the same. Why bother when it doesn't hurt anything? "Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center!" She said cheerfully. He wondered for a moment how many times she said that in a day. "How can I help you?"
Raven smiled, walking toward her desk. Behind it was a chair where she was currently sitting, along with a healing machine with six slots atop it. Otherwise, there wasn't much in the way of furniture in the main floor, just a generic table and chairs on the right side and a decorative vase and end table on the left, next to some stairs. "Hello, I'd like to rent a room for the night."
"Of course, we have several available. Would you prefer the suite?" She asked, glancing down at her records of the center's guests.
"No, a regular room is fine," he assured her, pulling out the bill he had won from Mike, suddenly worried that prices would be a little steeper in Kanto than Hoenn.
"A regular room it is then," Joy said happily as she took the bill, handing back a twenty and a ten along with a room key. "Would you like me to show you to your room?"
"No thank you," Raven said, surprised at the fact that his worries had actually been reversed. In Hoenn a room was thirty to forty poke.
Joy nodded, gesturing to the stairs. "Your room is number six, upstairs to the left. Could I get a name, please?"
"Raven," he said after only a moment of hesitation. It still felt a little odd.
Joy nodded. "I'll let you know if you have any messages or deliveries. Have a wonderful stay Raven!"
"Thank you," he said as he turned toward the stairs, helping Berri up to his shoulder as he began to climb.
"Sno…" Berri said disdainfully, poking against the side of Raven's head.
He sighed. "Yea, I know. It can't hurt though, can it?"
"Snorunt sno snorunt..."
"Yea, I know." Having made it to the top of the stairs, Raven looked at his key again, having already forgotten his room number. He nodded, glancing around and seeing a one on the closest door on the right side. The door on the left had a two, so he headed down to the third door on the left. Satisfied, he slid the key into the lock and opened the door.
It wasn't much. The room had a queen sized bed with small end tables on either side, one having a lamp on it. There was a small indent in the room right next to the entrance, a door leading to what he assumed was a bathroom. A decent sized television stood atop a table in front of the bed, and an arm chair sat in the far corner of the room. Basic, but nicer than the woods. Raven smiled, placing his bag down in front of the TV.
"Perfect."