Only an hour and a half after Rose's tearful goodbye, Dawn and May found themselves in a Cafe opposite the bustling markets of Slateport, discussing what they should do first on their travels. They hadn't properly planned what they were going to do, but Dawn, being the organised girl she is, bought a map of the Hoenn Region from the PokeCenter and had it laid out on the table. She was furiously writing down their plans on the corner of the map, and drawing lines where they were going to go. The plan went a little something like this; spend the first night in Slateport by watching a Pokemon contest, go to the markets the next morning, then get a boat to the small island town of Dewford, to stay and explore the island. Right now, they were planning on going back to the PokeCenter to get changed and head to the beach. In their bikini's (May in red and Dawn in white) they strolled down the beautifully tiled pavement to the beach. This was their first swim of the summer, and they couldn't wait. The warm sand of Slateport beach was a brilliant bright gold. The warm Hoenn sun beat down on the crowds. It was a beautiful day. The two girls lay tanning on their towels in the sand, chatting more about the things they could get up to on their summer adventure. The subject reached boys, and almost by command, May spotted a familiar pair of wayfarer sunglasses. "Oh my Arceus.." She whispered, nudging Dawn and pointing. "Look who it is!" Wandering along by the bar was the cute boy they had seen on the ship. He was shirtless with a pair red swim shorts. His body wasn't bulky, he was actually quite thin, but every part of him was toned from his well defined chest, muscly arms and a spectacular six pack. Walking beside him was a hulking Scizor, the biggest one either of them had ever seen. It looked weirdly out of place at the beach. They pair of girls gaped at him as he strolled away.

"Hey kid, lets battle!" Came a little high pitched squeak. Brandon glanced down at a young boy of maybe 11, a smirk on his face and a pokeball tightly clenched in his fist. "Thanks kid but i'll pass" he said politely and kept walking towards the bar. The kid looked taken aback, and went to chase him until Scizor stepped in behind. The kid eyed Scizor with awe and fear, and went back to the beach. Brandon sat down on an empty stool. Scizor stood behind him with his arms crossed, preferring not to sit. The barman was only a few years older than Brandon, but something about him felt very mature. His blonde hair was long and pulled back by a thin headband. He had a very warm smile and eyes of a much older and more experienced man. "What can I do for ya?" He grinned. "A bottle of cider please" Brandon smiled back an equally warm smile. The guy nodded and got busy. Noticing a belt full of pokeballs under his open Hawaiian shirt, Brandon said "Are you a trainer?" The guy stood up, handed him his cider and nodded

"Yeah dude, i'm here for the summer, i just got this job here to save up some money. Did you just get here on the ship?"

"Yeah, i did" said Brandon, surprised.

"Yeah i guessed" the guy smiled. "You must be going to Porto Vista next month right?"

"Well i was thinking about it but i'm here on my own, i don't think i'll enjoy myself."

"Every teen in Hoenn is gonna be there dude, you have to go!"

"Well..."

Brendon was struggling to decide what he should do when the guy spoke up.

"Hey man, you should come with me! I'm going by myself as well!"

Brendon was taken aback.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I traveled here from Kalos, i got no friends either buddy"

They both laughed, and thats when Brandon made up his mind.

"Alright sure." He held out his hand "I'm Brandon, Brandon Birch."

The guy reached over the bar and firmly shook with two hands. "Nice to meet ya man, i'm Cas"

The next day was just as bright and sunny as ever. Dawn and May were wondering around the markets, after May's daily call to her mother, still buzzing about the incredible pokemon contest spectacular they had watched last night. Both of the girls were instantly drawn to the idea of competing, and decided to stock up on all sorts of pokeballs and food and training gear. As they both only had one pokemon (May had a cute little torchic, while Dawn had a dashing little Piplup), they agreed that when they got to Dewford town they would explore the island for new pokemon to catch. After a morning of vigorous shopping, the girls headed to the pier to hire a boat. As they walked along the boardwalk in their sundresses, a group of boys playing volleyball waved and shouted and catcalled at them. They giggled and waved back, and the boys cheered. May couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She hadn't hadn't experienced romance yet, and she was secretly eager to this summer. The girls carried on along the pier until they saw a sign outside a small building: Mr Brinney's Ferry. "After you" said May as she pushed open the door for her friend. They entered on a bizarre scene; an old man, presumably Mr Brinney, was cursing and chasing a small Wingull in a circle around the room. As the two girls made themselves aware to the old sailor, the commotion screeched to a holt. "Oh, hello ladies!" Smiled the the sheepish old man, as the Pokemon floated down and landed on his shoulder. "I'm Mr Brinney. He stroked its head "and this is Peeko. What can we do for you?" May smiled politely "We were wondering if we could get your ferry to Dewford town?" Mr Brinney nodded eagerly. "Of course dear, i'm setting sail at 3:00pm with a few others, how does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Beamed the two girls, and they held out fistfuls of money.

At 5:00pm after Cas' shift was over, Brandon met up with him on the pier. After discovering they were both keen Pokemon trainers, the pair agreed to head across the channel to nearby Dewford Town to train at the Gym there. Brandon's father was a very strong trainer, and had taught Brandon from a young age. Not one to brag, he hadn't told Cas that he had already had plenty of battle experience. As the two boys reached the end of the pier, Cas pulled a pokeball out of his hidden belt. He grinned "Come on out buddy!" and threw it. In a flash of light and a monstrous roar that scared off several nearby Wingull, as well as some other people on the pier, a Sharpedo splashed into the water. Brandon was impressed, it certainly was an intimidating Pokemon. He grinned at Cas, and Cas grinned back. "Sharpedo, this is our new friend Brandon." Sharpedo roared, and Brandon sheepishly grinned. Scizor simply nodded at it. Cas then leapt down onto Sharpedo's back, gripping its jagged fin. "You want a ride?" Smirked Cas "Or can you make your own way across? I thought you were an experienced trainer!" He taunted. Brandon laughed "I've got my own way across thank you, and I am an experienced trainer for your information." Cas had a strange look on his face. "How about you show me when we get to Dewford? His eyes lit up. A challenge. "Alright" said Brandon as he reached into his pocket. "I will." He pulled out a pokeball. "Lets go Lapras!" A melodic cry echoed as the bright light of the pokeball produced Lapras. Cas' expression did not change. "Sorry buddy.." Brandon held up a pokeball to Scizor. He simply nodded his understanding, and allowed his young trainer to put him back into his pokeball. Brandon then jumped off the pier onto Lapras' back, and followed Cas as they set off for Dewford.