Legal Disclaimer: This story follows the rules as "An Egg-citing Start". The masked coordinator and any characteristics associated with him are the properties of Multiple Personas. Penelope Fuller and any characteristics associated with her are the properties of Sarco the Legend. Monica Porterfield, Raphael Carter, Alicia Carpenter, Corey Jackson, Curtis Lopez, and Danielle Patterson and any characteristics associated with them are mine and can't be used without my permission.

A Vivid Journey

Chapter 3: Verdanturf Wars

Hours later, Gwen and Robert had arrived in Verdanturf Town. They continued through the town and arrived at the contest hall.

"What do you think of the place?" asked Gwen.

"It's awesome, " said Robert.

"Let's hurry inside so I register for this contest, " said Gwen.

Gwen and Robert immediately went inside. Robert saw lots of trainers either grooming their Pokémon or feeding them candy.

"Those Pokémon are being fed Pokéblock, right?" asked Robert.

"Correct, " said Gwen.

They quickly headed for the main deck where Nurse Joy was waiting.

"Excuse me, but I want to enter this contest, " said Gwen.

"That should be no problem. Do you have a contest pass?" asked Nurse Joy.

"Yes, I do, " said Gwen as she pulled out a card with a big picture of a contest ribbon and a golden holographic symbol in the corner and gave it to Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy immediately scanned it and gave it back to Gwen.

"You are contestant number 11. The contest will begin at 3 P. M. Good luck, " said Nurse Joy.

"Thanks, " said Gwen.

Gwen and Robert immediately headed to the Pokémon center to get some lunch and to give their Pokémon a full checkup. Within one hour, Robert and Gwen had returned to the contest hall. Gwen headed back stage while Robert found a seat in the audience. Suddenly, a brunette woman, who was wearing a red dress and was holding a microphone in her left hand, appeared onstage in front of a monitor.

"Welcome Pokémon fans to the Verdanturf Pokémon contest. I'm Vivian Meridian, your mistress of ceremonies and commentator for this event. The coordinator who wins today will receive this beautiful ribbon, " said Vivian as an orange and blue ribbon appeared on the screen. "Let's introduce our judges."

Vivian immediately pointed to three people sitting at monitor desks.

"First, we have Mr. Raoul Contesta, director of Pokémon contests, " said Vivian as she pointed to a black-haired man with a gray streak down the middle of his hair.

He was wearing a red business suit consisting of a red jacket, a white shirt, a black bowtie and a pink flower as a lapel.

"We are looking for excellent displays of skill and strength, " said Mr. Contesta.

"Next, we have Mr. Sukizo, president of the Pokémon Fan Club, " said Vivian as she pointed to a brown-haired man with slanted eyes next to Mr. Contesta.

He was wearing a gray business suit consisting of a gray jacket, a white shirt, and a red necktie.

"I'm sure that their performances will be remarkable, " said Mr. Sukizo.

"Last but certainly not least, Verdanturf Town's own Nurse Joy, " said Vivian as she pointed to Nurse Joy.

"I'm looking for the strong bond between humans and pokémon to come out in their performances, " said Nurse Joy.

"Now that our judges have been introduced, let's begin our appeal round, " said Vivian.

Many coordinators appeared onstage and released pokémon to entertain the audience and to impress the judges. Soon, it was Gwen's turn.

"Now, let's welcome to the stage, Gwen from Dewford Town, " said Vivian.

Gwen came out onstage with purple hair done in a ponytail.

"Loudred, showtime!" exclaimed Gwen as she threw its pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A medium-sized purple creature shaped somewhat like a box, which has a huge mouth with yellow lips and peg-like teeth on each corner, two spherical ears on the ends of stalks, and a yellow pattern resembling sound waves on its back, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to Gwen's hand.

"Loudred, use Double Team to copy yourself, " said Gwen.

Loudred suddenly created nine copies of itself that formed into a circle.

"Now, Loudred, use Hyper Voice!" exclaimed Gwen.

Each Loudred created a blue sphere in their mouths. Then, they launched at each other. The combination of their attacks created a huge sonic pulse that shook the entire contest hall. Afterwards, the audience began applauding.

"That was definitely an earthshaking appeal. Let's see what our judges think, " said Vivian.

"The combination of Double Team and Hyper Voice was truly amazing, " said Mr. Contesta.

"Remarkable, " said Mr. Sukizo.

"A unique combination, " said Nurse Joy.

"Let's see what Gwen's final score was, " said Vivian.

The number 27.5 appeared on the screen behind her.

"That's an impressive score, " said Vivian.

"Cool, " said Gwen as she left the stage.

"Let's welcome to the stage, the masked coordinator from Habaneraville, " said Vivian.

A young man wearing a dark cloak and a white mask that hid his facial features appeared onstage.

"Forretress, I choose you!" exclaimed the masked coordinator as he threw its pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A large round cocoon-like creature with two steel pinkish plates positioned on the top and bottom of his body shaped with uneven grooves, a red internal shell in which there is a smaller gap along its equator through which his eyes can be seen, and four tube-like spikes protruding out the four corners of his outer shell. Then, the pokéball returns to the masked coordinator's hands.

"Forretress, use Spikes!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

Forretress retracted his spikes, rotated himself, and fired several black spears into the stage floor.

"Now, Forretress, use Earthquake!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

Forretress rose higher into the sky and slammed into the ground, sending sonic waves through the ground and knocking the spikes loose and into the air.

"Forretress, finish up with Rapid Spin!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

Forretress rotated himself again, becoming a twister and spinning his spikes. Afterwards, the audience began applauding.

"Impressive appeal. Let's see what our judges thought, " said Vivian.

"He definitively showed off the strength and speed of his pokémon, " said Mr. Contesta.

"Truly remarkable, " said Mr. Sukizo.

"The bond between those two is impressive, " said Nurse Joy.

"Let's see what the masked coordinator's final score was, " said Vivian.

The number 28.5 appeared on the screen behind her.

"Nice, " said the masked coordinator as he left the stage.

When he arrived backstage, Gwen immediately went over to talk to him.

"Not bad out there, " said Gwen.

"Yours was ok. I guess, " said the masked coordinator.

Suddenly, Vivian reappeared on screen.

"The appeal round of this contest has come to an end. It is time to announce the eight coordinators moving to the next round, " said Vivian as she pointed toward the screen.

First, the masked coordinator's picture appeared. Next, six other pictures appeared on screen.

"I hope my appeal was good enough, " said Gwen.

Finally, Gwen's picture appeared on screen.

"All right, " said Gwen.

"Now, the computer will shuffle the pictures to determine the pairings for the battle round, " said Vivian.

The pictures on the screen became moving around for at least three minutes. Suddenly, the pictures stopped moving and paired up.

"Remember as each pokémon gets attacked or misses an attack, their coordinator loses points. The winner is determined when a pokémon is unable to battle, when a coordinator's points lowers to zero, or who has the most points after five minutes, " said Vivian. "Our first battle is between Penelope Fuller and Curtis Lopez."

A twelve-year-old woman with long blue hair and hazel eyes, who was wearing a gray and blue kimono, came out onstage followed by a thirteen-year-old man with yellow hair done in a fauxhawk and dark brown eyes. Once they positioned themselves opposite each other, their pictures reappeared on the screen with a yellow bar underneath each one.

"Kecleon, come on out!" exclaimed Penelope as she threw her pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A greenish reptilian creature with yellow rings around the eyes, yellow lips, yellow frills, small ridges on its shoulders, a red zigzag stripe around its midsection, and a long skinny tail usually curled in a helix shape appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to her hand.

"Illumise, onstage!" exclaimed Curtis as he threw his pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A firefly-like creature with a black and blue body with two vertical stripes going down the front, black arms and legs connected to the body by purple borders, a yellow bow on her front, large and slanted eyes with blue irises, a purple appendage with curls at the end that frame its face surrounding her head, small and yellow antennae, and small wings appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to her hand.

"Let's the battle begin, " said Vivian.

"Kecleon, use Psybeam!" exclaimed Penelope.

"Illumise, dodge and use Quick Attack!" exclaimed Curtis.

Kecleon's stripes glowed and fired a multicolored light beam at Illumise; however, Illumise flew higher and avoided it, decreasing Penelope's points by 5%. Illumise then dived down at a fast speed toward Kecleon with a white trail behind it and hit Kecleon, causing partial damage to Kecleon and decreasing Penelope's points by 10%.

"Illumise, use Bug Buzz!" exclaimed Curtis.

"Kecleon, counter that with Ancientpower!" exclaimed Penelope.

Illumise rapidly flapped her wings, releasing a powerful sonic wave toward Kecleon. Kecleon created and fired a large ball of white energy at Illumise with his paws. The combination of the two attacks created an explosion that engulfed the field in smoke. When the smoke cleared, both pokémon received significant damage and Curtis' and Penelope's points decreased by 25%.

"Illumise, use Zen Headbutt!" exclaimed Curtis.

"Kecleon, dodge and use Shadow Claw!" exclaimed Penelope.

Illumise came charging at Kecleon with her forehead giving off a blue-white glow; however, Kecleon avoided the attack, decreasing Curtis' points by 5%. Suddenly, Kecleon's left paw gave off a black glow. Kecleon swiped Illumise with his paw, causing significant damage to Illumise and decreasing Curtis' points by 25%.

"Can you continue, Illumise?" asked Curtis.

"Illumise, " said Illumise.

"Kecleon, use Ancientpower one more time!" exclaimed Penelope.

"Illumise, counter that with Zen Headbutt!" exclaimed Curtis.

Kecleon used his Ancientpower attack to blast Illumise; however, Illumise overpowered Ancientpower with her Zen Headbutt, causing extensive damage to Kecleon and decreasing Penelope's points by 20%.

"Time's up, " said Vivian as she turned toward the screen. "The person continuing on to the next round is Curtis Lopez from Celadon City."

Suddenly, Penelope's and Curtis' scoreboard was replaced by Curtis' picture, a picture of the Verdanturf ribbon, and the word WINNER.

"All right, " said Curtis.

"Good luck in the next round, " said Penelope as she shook Curtis' hand.

"Thanks, " said Curtis as he shook Penelope's hand.

Both coordinators left the stage.

"Our next coordinators are Monica Porterfield and the masked coordinator, " said Vivian.

The masked coordinator came out onstage followed by a fifteen-year-old woman with orange hair done in pigtails and hazel eyes. Once they positioned themselves opposite each other, their pictures reappeared on the screen with a yellow bar underneath each one.

"Marowak, come on out!" exclaimed the masked coordinator as he threw his pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A large brown dinosaur-like creature with a plump body and a small tail, whose head has grown into the skull it wears, and wields a long bone, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to his hand.

"Cradily, time to play!" exclaimed Monica as she threw a pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A green creature with yellow eyes, a body made of a lump with four tubes, yellow eyelike dots on the back of its head, and eight pink tentacles around its neck, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to her hand.

"Let the battle begin, " said Vivian.

"Marowak, use Headbutt!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

"Cradily, dodge and use Constrict!" exclaimed Monica.

Marowak came charging with his head lowered; however, Cradily avoided it, decreasing the masked coordinator's points by 5%. Cradily then used the tentacles around its neck to wrap up Marowak and slammed him into the ground, decreasing the masked coordinator's points by 15%.

"Cradily, use Energy Ball!" exclaimed Monica.

"Marowak, use Focus Energy followed by Bonemerang!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

Cradily created a ball of greenish-blue energy in front of its mouth and fired it at Marowak. Marowak surrounded himself with a blue aura and threw his bone club at Cradily. The bone overpowered Cradily's Energy Ball attack and hit Cradily, causing extensive damage to Cradily and decreasing Monica's points by 35%.

"Cradily, can you continue?" asked Monica.

"Cradily," said Cradily as she struggled to get up.

"Cradily, use Confuse Ray followed by Energy Ball!" exclaimed Monica.

First, Cradily used his Confuse Ray attack to make Marowak dizzy and confused, decreasing the masked coordinator's powers by 5%. Next, Cradily fired his Energy Ball attack at Marowak, causing significant damage to Marowak and decreasing the masked coordinator's points by 20%.

"Marowak, snap out of it and used Double-Edge!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

Marowak quickly recovered from his confusion and came charging at Cradily, causing significant damage to Cradily and partial damage to Marowak himself and decreasing Monica's points by 20% and the masked coordinator's points by 5%.

"Time's up, " said Vivian as she turned toward the screen. "The person continuing on to the next round is the masked coordinator from Habaneraville."

Suddenly, the masked coordinator's and Monica's scoreboard was replaced by the masked coordinator's picture, a picture of the Verdanturf ribbon, and the word WINNER.

"Cool, " said the masked coordinator.

"Good luck in the next round, " said Monica as she shook the masked coordinator's hand.

"Whatever, " said the masked coordinator as he shook Monica's hand.

Both coordinators left the stage.

"Our next coordinators are Gwen and Raphael Carter, " said Vivian.

"It's my turn now, " said Gwen.

Gwen came out onstage with pink hair followed by a fifteen-year-old man with black hair done in short dreads and green eyes. Once they positioned themselves opposite each other, their pictures reappeared on the screen with a yellow bar underneath each one.

"Wigglytuff, showtime!" exclaimed Gwen as she threw her pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up, revealing Wigglytuff. Then, the pokéball returned to Gwen's hand.

"Slowbro, onstage!" exclaimed Raphael.

The pokéball opened up. A light pink and bipedal creature, which has a spiral shell version of Shellder, a bivalve-like and purplish-blue creature, attached to its tail and a tan muzzle and resembled a cross between a salamander and a hippopotamus, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to Raphael's hand.

"Let the battle begin, " said Vivian.

"Wigglytuff, use Body Slam!" exclaimed Gwen.

"Slowbro, dodge and use Water Pulse!" exclaimed Raphael.

Wigglytuff use her Body Slam attack on Slowbro; however, Slowbro avoided it, decreasing Gwen's points by 5%. Slowbro then created and fired a ball of high-pressured water from her paws at Wigglytuff, causing partial damage to Wigglytuff and decreasing Gwen's points by 15%.

"Slowbro, use Psychic!" exclaimed Raphael.

"Wigglytuff, use Disable followed by Rollout!" exclaimed Gwen.

Slowbro used her Psychic attack on Wigglytuff; however, Wigglytuff used his paws to release blue rings of energy, paralyzing Slowbro and decreasing Raphael's points by 5%. Wigglytuff then curled up into a ball and came rolling into Slowbro, causing significant damage to Slowbro and decreasing Raphael's points by 20%.

"Slowbro, are you ok?" asked Raphael.

"Slowbro, " said Slowbro as he shook his head.

"Wigglytuff, use Rollout one more time!" exclaimed Gwen.

"Slowbro, counter that with Zen Headbutt!" exclaimed Raphael.

Wigglytuff used his Rollout attack at double its original strength on Slowbro. Slowbro used her Zen Headbutt on Wigglytuff. The combination of the two attacks caused an explosion that engulfed the field in smoke. When the smoke cleared, both pokémon received significant damage and both Gwen's and Raphael's points decreased by 10%.

"Slowbro, use Confusion!" exclaimed Raphael.

"Wigglytuff, counter that with Gyro Ball!" exclaimed Gwen.

Slowbro's eyes turn blue and fired a blue light toward Wigglytuff. Wigglytuff's arms gave off a white glow, and he spun himself toward Slowbro. Wigglytuff's Gyro Ball overpowered Slowbro's Confusion attack and hit Slowbro, causing extensive damage to Slowbro and decreasing Raphael's points by 25%.

"Can you continue, Slowbro?" asked Raphael.

Slowbro struggled to stand up, but she eventually fainted. Suddenly, red X's appeared on the judge's monitors.

"Based on that performance, the person continuing on to the next round is Gwen from Dewford Town, " said Vivian.

Suddenly, Gwen's and Raphael's scoreboard was replaced by Gwen's picture, a picture of the Verdanturf ribbon, and the word WINNER.

"Sweet, " said Gwen.

"Good luck in the next round, " said Raphael as he shook Gwen's hand.

"Thank you. Maybe we'll battle again, " said Gwen as she shook Raphael's hand.

Both coordinators left the stage.

"Our final two coordinators are Alicia Carpenter and Corey Jackson, " said Vivian.

A thirteen-year-old woman with red braided hair and blue eyes came out onstage followed by a fifteen-year-old man with red mullet-styled hair and hazel eyes. Once they positioned themselves opposite each other, their pictures reappeared on the screen with a yellow bar underneath each one.

"Staryu, I choose you!" exclaimed Alicia as she threw her pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A sea star-like creature with a tan colored body, a gold formation at the center of its front, an exterior organ resembling a red jewel called the core at the very center of its body, and a gold loop around its bottom-left point, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to Alicia's hand.

"Persian, come on out!" exclaimed Corey as he threw his pokéball on the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A cougar-like creature with pale tan fur, black ears, a red jewel in the middle of its forehead, and a whorl at the end of its tail, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to Corey's hand.

"Let the battle begin, " said Vivian.

"Staryu, use Swift!" exclaimed Alicia.

"Persian, dodge and use Fury Swipes!" exclaimed Corey.

Staryu fired its Swift attack at Persian; however, he avoided it, decreasing Alicia's points by 5%. Persian then repeatedly scratched Staryu with his claws, causing partial damage to Staryu and decreasing Alicia's points by 15%.

"Persian, use Slash!" exclaimed Corey.

"Staryu, use Minimize followed by Bubblebeam!" exclaimed Alicia.

Persian jumped up and swiped Staryu with his claw; however, Staryu temporarily shrank itself, avoiding Persian's attack and decreasing Corey's points by 10%. Staryu then fired light orange bubbles from its jewel at Persian, causing significant damage to Persian and decreasing Corey's points by 15%.

"Staryu, use Gyro Ball!" exclaimed Alicia.

"Persian, counter that with Power Gem!" exclaimed Corey.

Staryu used its Gyro Ball attack to hit Persian. Persian created a large ball of glowing yellow light from his head and fired it at Staryu. The combination of the two attacks caused an explosion that engulfed the field in smoke. When the smoke cleared, both pokémon received significant damage and both coordinators' points decreased by 15%.

"Persian, use Night Slash!" exclaimed Corey.

"Staryu, dodge and use Hydro Pump!" exclaimed Alicia.

Persian came charging at Staryu with his left paw glowing purple; however, Staryu avoided it, decreasing Corey's points by 10%. Staryu fired a powerful jet of water from the tip of its uppermost limb at Persian, causing extensive damage to Persian and decreasing Corey's points by 25%.

"Persian, are you ok?" asked Corey.

Persian struggled to stand up, but he eventually fainted. Suddenly, red X's appeared on the judge's monitors.

"Based on that performance, the person continuing on to the next round is Alicia Carpenter from Blackthorn City, " said Vivian.

Suddenly, Alicia's and Corey's scoreboard was replaced by Alicia's picture, a picture of the Verdanturf ribbon, and the word WINNER.

"Yes, " said Alicia

"Good luck in the next round, " said Corey as he shook Alicia's hand.

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to our next contest battle, " said Alicia as she shook Corey's hand.

Both coordinators left the stage. Fifteen minutes later, the semifinal battles began. First, the masked coordinator's Forretress battled Curtis' Kirlia, a white creature with skinny green legs, green bobbed hair, red eyes, and two red horns on the sides of its head. Then, Gwen's Loudred battled Alicia's Charmeleon, a crimson, reptilian, and bipedal creature with a flame on the tip of its tail. Eventually, only two coordinators remained.

"All right, everyone. It's time for the final round of the Verdanturf Contest, " said Vivian. "The masked coordinator and Gwen have battled long and hard to get to this point. So, let's welcome them back to the stage."

The masked coordinator came out onstage followed by Gwen, who had gray hair done in a ponytail.

"Magnemite, showtime!" exclaimed Gwen as she threw a pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A robotic creature with a gray, circular, and metallic body, a single big eye, horseshoe magnets on its left and right sides, two screws under its eye, and another screw on top of its head, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to Gwen's hand.

"Cloyster, come on out!" exclaimed the masked coordinator as he threw a pokéball onto the ground.

The pokéball opened up. A large bivalve creature with a spiky shell and a head and face resembling a black pearl, appeared on the field. Then, the pokéball returned to the masked coordinator's hand.

"Let the battle begin, " said Vivian.

"Magnemite, use Spark!" exclaimed Gwen.

"Cloyster, use Protect followed by Aurora Beam!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

Magnemite surrounded itself in blue electricity and came charging into Cloyster; however, Cloyster created a ball of yellow energy around himself, deflecting Magnemite's attack and decreasing Gwen's points by 10%. Cloyster fired a multicolored beam from his horn at Magnemite, causing partial damage to it and decreasing Gwen's points by 10%.

"Magnemite, can you continue?" asked Gwen.

"Magnemite, " said Magnemite.

"Cloyster, use Ice Beam!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

"Magnemite, dodge and use Mirror Shot!" exclaimed Gwen.

Cloyster fired two light blue beams from his horn at Magnemite; however, Magnemite avoided it, decreasing the masked coordinator's points by 15%. Magnemite then fired a green beam of light from its eye at Cloyster, causing significant damage to Cloyster and decreasing the masked coordinator's points by 15%.

"Magnemite, use Thundershock!" exclaimed Gwen.

"Cloyster, counter that with Ice Shard!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

Magnemite gave off a bright yellow glow and released electricity from its body. Cloyster created and fired a shard of ice from its horn at Magnemite. The combination of the two attacks created an explosion that engulfed the field in smoke. When the smoke cleared, both pokémon received significant damage and both coordinators' points decreased by 15%.

"Cloyster, use Aurora Beam one more time!" exclaimed the masked coordinator.

"Magnemite, use Thunder Wave followed by Discharge!" exclaimed Gwen.

Cloyster fired his Aurora Beam at Magnemite; however, Magnemite released blue bolts of electricity at Cloyster, paralyzing Cloyster and decreasing the masked coordinator's points by 15%. Magnemite then charges itself and fired more blue electricity at Cloyster, causing extensive damage to Cloyster and decreasing the masked coordinator's points by 15%.

"Time's up, " said Vivian as she turned toward the screen. "The winner of this contest is Gwen from Dewford Town."

Suddenly, the masked coordinator's and Gwen's scoreboard was replaced by the Gwen's picture, a picture of the Verdanturf ribbon, and the word WINNER.

Mr. Contesta immediately came onstage along with the rest of the coordinators.

"Gwen, here is proof of your win in the Verdanturf contest, " said Mr. Contesta as he placed a tray in front of Gwen with the ribbon on it.

Gwen immediately grabbed the ribbon.

"All right. The Verdanturf ribbon is mine, " said Gwen. "Thank you so very much."

Hours later, Gwen had rejoined Robert at the Pokémon center.

"That was an awesome contest. You were great, " said Robert.

"Thanks, Robert. I appreciate the support, " said Gwen.

"Ready to go to Rustboro City?" asked Robert.

"Hold on a minute, " said a voice.

Gwen and Robert immediately turned around and saw that a fourteen-year-old girl with marigold mop top hair and gray eyes was running toward them. She was wearing a green top, black wireframe glasses, khaki pants, and white sneakers with red shoelaces.

"Good to see you again, Danielle, " said Gwen.

"I'd hope to catch up with you, " said Danielle.

"How come?" asked Gwen.

"I was wondering if I could join your party, " said Danielle.

"Wait a minute. I remember you. You appealed with that very unique pokémon, " said Robert.

"Correct, but who are you?" asked Danielle.

"I'm Robert Williams for Mauville City,"

"I'm Danielle Patterson from Cinnabar Island, " asked Danielle

Robert and Danielle immediately shook hands.

"Where are you two heading?" asked Danielle.

"We're headed to Rustboro City so Robert can earn his first badge, " asked Gwen.

"While we are traveling, you can tell how you caught a unique pokémon like that one, " said Robert.

"That sounds like a great idea, " said Danielle.

Robert, Danielle, and Gwen left the pokémon center and continued toward Rustboro City.