Olivine City is bustling with people and Pokémon. The rumbling sound of conversation, footsteps, luggage carts being pushed around, and various Pokémon chatter fills the air. The sky is clear and the breeze is cool. Despite the agitation of my backpack rubbing against my burn, I feel pretty good. Jaws looks happy as well. Ever since the incident, he has been exceptionally friendly with me, more so than usual. Perhaps I left an impression on him back in Ecruteak.

I find an information stand with maps of the city and various other tourist items. I ask for a map and the guy in the stand hands me one. He tries to sell me some stuff, but I politely refuse. All I want it to find where they sell the boat tickets. As I am looking at the map, my phone starts ringing. I glance at the number. It is Mother.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Crono!" my mother shouts. I pull the phone away from my ear. "Are you out of the hospital yet?!"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I say half-heartedly. I am still focusing on the map. "I should have called."

"You take care of yourself," she says all mother-like. "I've been worried about you ever since you told me what happened. Why don't you come home until you're better?"

"Moooom," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," she says sternly. I look at the phone. The heck?

"I promise, I'm fine," I insist. "It's just a minor burn, nothing serious." However, as I think about how badly damaged my jacket was, my injury should have been worse. Curious…

"Well, just so you know, you can come home anytime," she says with a worried tone.

"I know," I ensure. "I'll come home as soon as Jaws gets home."

"All right," she says, sounding not convinced. "By the way, I didn't know you were involved with that Liz girl next door!"

"Uh, what?" I stammer. "We're not exactly involved…"

"She is quite lovely, isn't she?" Mother rambles. "I was thinking of setting you two up myself, but it looks like that won't be necessary. I think you two make a great couple! I can't wait to see you two together, you'll both look so cute…"

"MOM!" I shout. "That's enough. I gotta go, okay? The boat's about to leave."

"Oh, all right," she says, clearly with a huge stupid grin. "Have a safe trip!"

"Yes, Mother," I say. "I love you."

"I love you too!" she says. "Oh right! Check the Pidgey Post Office. Craig sent something for you when he heard you were in the hospital. I think you'll like it!"

"Oh? I'll check before I go," I say. I wonder what it is.

"Okay! Bye!" She hangs up.

I look back at the map and find the port is just south of the hospital. The Pidgey Post Office is located in the north-west section of the city. I decide it would be best to check the departure times and buy my ticket first, then get the package if there is time. As I wander south toward the port, I noticed a large group gathered. The group encircled two trainers that were locked in battle. I decide to stop and take a look.

Two boys faced off, one with a Scyther, the other with a majestic orange and black bird I have never seen before. I immediately recognize the boy with the Scyther as Bruce. The boy with the bird looks maybe eighteen or nineteen, has short brown hair that was slightly longer in the front, stopping just short of his jade eyes. He wore a leather jacket and denim pants. He stood with his arms crossed, looking confident.

"Scyther, use Slash!" the younger boy shouted, pointing his finger.

The older boy kept his arms crossed. "Talonflame, Flame Charge."

The bird rose into the air, doing a backflip. Scyther leaped into the air, claws drawn. Fire swirled around the bird as it started to spin. It slammed hard into the Scyther, knocking it to the ground. Scyther struggles to its feet, but stays up. The older boy looks surprised.

"Still kicking?" he asks, surprised. "Hmm… we need more training. Talonflame, finish it with Steel Wing!"

Talonflame's wings shimmer as it flaps them hard. Numerous steel-like feathers shoot out, pelting Scyther viciously. Scyther falls to the ground and does not move.

"The hell?!" Bruce shouts angrily. "That's Tauros crap!"

The other boy just smirks. "You should know bugs are weak to fire," he says. "It's common knowledge. Got any more Pokémon?"

Bruce growls as he pulls his Scyther back into its ball. "Man, whatever, that one was pretty weak anyway. Wait until you see my next one!" He pulls out another ball and throws it. "Go, Parasect!"

The other boy looks dumbfounded. "Is this guy for real?" he says to himself.

"Parasect, put that bird to sleep! Spore!" Parasect points its mushroom at Talonflame.

The boy with the Talonflame face-palms. "Is this what it'll be like after I'm Champion?" He sighs. "Flame Charge."

Talonflame flips through the air, then spins rapidly, engulfing itself in flames. It slams into the Parasect before it could shoot off its spores. Parasect drops instantly, unconscious.

Bruce rages. "Damn piece of crap Pokémon!" He runs up to Parasect and kicks it. "Wake up!"

The other boy's eyes go wide. He charges toward Bruce. Bruce looks over, but before he could react, the boy launches his fist into Bruce's face. Blood erupts from Bruce's nose and he hits the ground hard. The boy walks up to Bruce and looks down.

"Don't you DARE touch your Pokémon again," he growls. "I do not tolerate abusive trainers." He kneels beside Parasect and pulls out a salt-rock. He crushes it in his hand and waves it in front of Parasect's face. The Parasect suddenly wakes up. It looks at the boy, then starts to eat the crushed rock. When it finishes, it looks at the boy happily. The boy pats it.

He turns back to Bruce, who was slowly getting back on his feet, holding his nose. "Take your Parasect and get out of here," he says sternly. "And don't let me catch you mistreating your Pokémon again."

Bruce pulls Parasect back into its Pokéball. He glares hard at the boy, then stomps away. He pushes his way through the crowd, dripping blood. As he walks past me, he pauses for a moment, recognizing me. I look back and say "You had it coming." He does not say anything and keeps walking.

As the crowd clears, I approach the boy. He was stroking the feathers of Talonflame. "You did such a good job," he says softly to the bird.

I smile. I watch him for a few more seconds, then I speak. "Thank you," I say.

The boy looks over his shoulder. "For what?"

I point over my shoulder. "That," I say. "He's been needing a good punch to the face for quite some time."

The boy shakes his head. "I don't condone violence," he says, "but when I see an abusive trainer, I lose it. I can't STAND to see Pokémon mistreated."

"Same here," I say, "but I don't think I've ever exploded on anyone like that."

The boy looks back at me. "Hmm, what's your name?"

"I'm Crono," I announce. "And this is Jaws." I pat Jaws on the head.

The boy looks down and smiles. "Nice to meet you, Jaws." He looks at me and extends his hand. "I'm Darius. I'm from Kalos."

"Wow, Kalos?!" I say surprisingly. "You sure are far from home."

Darius smirks. "Well, I just came from Unova looking for awesome Pokémon for my team. I only found one, but decided to challenge the League there."

"Whoa," I say, shocked. "You challenged the Pokémon League?!"

"The Unova League, yeah," Darius says. "I almost became champion too, had it not been for Alder's Druddigon…" He trails off.

I watch him space out, stroking the feathers of his Talonflame. He sounded pretty disappointed at the mention of his loss, but the bird seems to be soothing him. He almost looks like he is completely at peace.

"So what are your plans now?" I ask.

He looks over at me and closes his eyes. "I had planned on going to Hoenn next," he says. "I heard of a Pokémon native there that is said to leave disaster in its wake. I want to find it and make it my own."

I smile. "That's where Jaws and I are headed," I say. "We could always head there together."

Darius smiles back. "I'd like that."

He pulls Talonflame back into his Pokéball. He then looks at Jaws, and then my belt. He furrows his brow. "Where is your Mawile's ball?"

"Huh?" I cock my head. "Oh, right. I actually don't have one for him."

"Wait, what?" Darius looks surprised. "You mean you caught a Pokémon without a ball?"

I laugh. "How do you suppose I do that, with my shirt? No, he kind of chose me on his own."

Darius chuckles. "Yeah, that would be pretty stupid! Let's go get our tickets!"

The three of us walk down toward the pier. As we walked, I ask "So what are your plans after you become Champion?"

Darius stops. "Huh…" he ponders. "I never really thought about that. Hmm…" He thinks on it for a minutes, then finally answer. "I suppose I would teach other trainers how to battle. You know, pass on my knowledge to aspiring would-be Champions." He nods. "Yeah, that is what I will do! I could call it the 'School of Champions'!"

I beam. "That's a great idea!" I say enthusiastically. Then I joke with him, "Perhaps I could be your first student!"

Darius stops. "Do you not know how to battle?"

I stop as well and scratch my head. "Well, no, not exactly, but I'm not really a trainer…"

"Then it is done!" he shouts. "I officially declare you the first student of 'The School of Champions'!"

I stammer. "Wait, I didn't mean… I mean, I was only joking…"

"Come!" Darius puts his arm over my shoulders and we keep walking toward the dock. "Let's get you started! I have a feeling this will be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

I laugh to myself. He was so enthusiastic about his newfound goal in life, I did not want to let him down by telling him I have no interest in battling. I will learn, for his sake, and after the incident in Ecruteak City, I figure it would be a useful skill to have anyway. Besides, I have a feeling he is right; it is the start of a beautiful friendship.

Darius, Jaws, and I walk through the door of the dock house. The place is relatively small, compared to the rest of the city. The wall to our left was lined with windows where people were purchasing tickets, and at the far end of the dock house was a small noodle stand. The place was pretty packed. I looked at the schedule postings and noticed that the next ship leaving for Slateport City in Hoenn departs an hour from now. That should give us enough time to pick up some supplies and get something to eat. I also remember that I need to pick up that package from the Pidgey Post Office. Darius and I get in line for our tickets, but Jaws wanders toward the noodle stand. He watches the lady at the stand cook the noodles, stir the broth, add the toppings, and serve customers. I watch him watch her and could not help notice him drooling a little. I chuckle, and let Darius know I am heading over there. He nods and continues waiting in line. I approach Jaws, who looks up at me, then points to the noodles.

"Are you hungry?" I ask. He nods and rubs his stomach. I smile.

I ask the lady for three bowls of noodles. She whips them up quickly and hands them to me. "That will be six hundred Pokédollars, please."

I hand her the cash and take the bowls. I hand one to Jaws, who receives it with the biggest grin yet. I chuckle and we walk back the line. Darius met us halfway, tickets in hand.

"You owe me two thousand," he says. "Pokémon are free only if they are inside their balls."

I check my wallet. I am running pretty short on cash, with only three thousand left after the tickets. I will have to figure out how to earn some more. I hand Darius the money and take the tickets. He then takes his bowl. "Thanks, buddy! How much do I owe you?"

"Nah, don't worry about it, it was cheap," I say, smiling. We sit at a table and eat our meals.

After we finish, we head out of the dock house. The wind has picked up some, feeling good against my skin. Darius stretches, then looks at me. "We have about an hour before the ship starts boarding," he says. "We have time for some training."

"Hmm, okay," I say. "What did you have in mind?"

"First things first," he says. "How many Pokémon do you have with you?"

I scratch the back of my head and smile awkwardly. "Well, I have three, if you include the two back home…"

Darius' eyes go wide. "So you only have one with you?"

I shrug. "And Jaws technically isn't mine…"

Darius grabs my arm. "Let's go," he says, dragging me along.

"Hey, where are we going?" I shout.

"You need more than just one, especially if that one is not even yours," he says. "So let's go get you a Pokémon of your own."

He pulls me along to the city's main gate. We head out and walk around for a bit. After a few minutes, I spot a Rattata creeping through the grass. "Hey, there's one," I say, pointing.

Darius frowns. "Certainly, there are better ones around here. Keep looking."

After a few more minutes, another Rattata appears. I suspect it is the same one, but who knows. Darius frowns. "All right, it's okay. We can work with this one." He tosses me a Pokéball. "Go catch that. The first thing you want to do is…"

I pull back and throw the ball at the Rattata. I hit it and it gets pulled into the ball. The ball wobbles a couple times, then break apart, releasing the Pokémon. I frown. "That stinks, almost had it."

"Yeeeaaahhh…" Darius says. "You kind of want to weaken it first…" He them mutters under his breath. "Though it is pretty weak already."

"Oh, right," I say. "It's been a while. Jaws, go get it!" Jaws runs off and starts chasing the Rattata. Rattata tries to run away, diving into the taller grass. Jaws dives in after it. I heard the sounds of a tussle, then finally, Jaws emerges, the Rattata clutched within its massive jaw. He walks out proudly, head held high, obviously pleased with himself. He drops the Rattata at my feet. It does not move.

"Good job, Jaws!" I say, patting his head. He does his little excited hop.

"Uh…" Darius stammers. "I think he killed it…"

"Oh." I lean down and closely inspect it. It is still breathing, just unconscious. I grimace. "Sorry, little guy." I pick up Rattata and carry him over to the grass. I place it gently in the grass, then take out an Oran berry and leave it next to the Pokémon, for when it wakes up.

Darius rubs his chin. "I think your Mawile is too strong for the Pokémon in this area," he says. "I have an idea." He grabs a ball from his belt and tosses it to me. I catch it. The ball is blue with yellow stripes. I have not seen this type of ball before.

"That is my Pachirisu," he explains. "It's a small electric rodent. I haven't used her much, so she should be weak enough to not obliterate everything you try to catch."

"Hmm, all right, thanks," I say. I throw the ball and a small blue and white Pokémon with a large fluffy tail pops out. She looks at me, confused.

Darius kneels down. "Hey, Pachi, help Crono out here catching a Pokémon, okay?" Pachirisu squeaks and nods in understanding. Darius stands back up.

"Okay, stick with using Thundershock and you should be good," he says. I nod.

We walk around a bit. Jaws keeps eyeing Pachirisu with looks of envy. I pat him on the head, wordlessly assuring him he is not being replaced. Eventually, we find another Rattata sniffing around a tree. Darius groans, obviously disappointed at the lack of variety in this area. He tosses me another ball. "This time, weaken it first, then throw the ball."

"I got this!" I shout. "Pachi, use Thundershock!"

Pachirisu ran toward the Rattata. Her yellow cheeks began to spark. Small electric bolts shot forth and hit Rattata in the tail. Rattata yelps in surprise and turns toward its attacker. It charges forward and tries to bite Pachirisu. Pachirisu jumps over it, avoiding the attack, then zaps its tail again. Rattata spasms, unable to move.

"Oh, now!" Darius shouts. "Catch it now!"

I hurl the ball at Rattata. It bounces off its face and pulls the creature inside. The ball wobbles a few times, then I hear an audible click. The ball stops moving. Darius walks over and picks it up. "Nice job!" he says and tosses the ball to me. I look at it, fairly pleased with myself.

"All right," Darius says. "Now that you have a Pokémon, let's head back to town and I'll show you a neat trick to get a better one."

I look at Darius, brow furrowed. "You mean I'm not keeping it?" I ask.

"Pfft, no," Darius scoffs. "Rattata is for children. You want a manly Pokémon!"

I shrug. "All right, you're the Champion." I snicker as Darius glares daggers at me.

We head back to town. Darius leads us to the Pokémon Center. In the corner of the center are several computer terminals. Darius walks up to an available terminal and starts tapping away.

"This is the storage system," he says. "You can store all your captured Pokémon here."

"Cool," I say. "How does it work?"

"No idea," Darius admits. "I just use it."

He finishes tapping away and steps back. The terminal buzzes for a few seconds, then chimes, and a small door opens up underneath the keyboard to reveal a Pokéball. Darius takes it and the door closes. He turns to me and holds up the ball. "This is the first Pokémon I caught," he explains. "It's a Pidgey, which I used twice. Then I found a Fletchling, and never went back. Poor little guy has been sitting in storage for a long time. How about we find him a new home?"

I watch as Darius brings up a menu. He clicks a button labeled "Wonder Trade" and another screen pops up. A message reads "Please insert Pokémon for trade." Darius turns to me as the compartment under the keyboard opens up.

"They just installed this feature a couple days ago," he explains. "It's really neat. You put in a Pokémon you don't want into here, and it will find another person doing the same thing and automatically trade with them! You never know what you will get in return, hence the name 'Wonder Trade'. Let's see what I get."

He places the ball inside the compartment and the door shuts. The machine buzzes, whirs, and rattles. Finally, it chimes and the door opens up. A light blue ball with some white detailing on it appears. Darius grabs it and looks at it. "Now the fun part," he says with a grin. He tosses the ball on the floor. It pops open and in a flash of light, a small blue Pokémon with a yellow beak, small body, and ridiculously large head pops out. "Hey, cool! I got a Piplup! Score!"

Darius pats it on the head. "I'm Darius, and I'll be your new trainer," he says happily. "I'm going to help you grow to be big and strong!"

I smile. The Piplup does seem pleased to meet Darius and Darius is clearly ecstatic. I look down at Jaws, who is watching the exchange with piqued interest. Darius finally stands up and turns to me. "Okay, your turn!" he says excitedly.

I approach the terminal. The screen is asking if I would like to conduct another Wonder Trade. I click "Yes" and the compartment opens. I take the Pokéball containing Rattata out of my pocket, look at it for a moment, and then gently place it in the slot. The door closes, the machine makes its noises, and finally, the final chime rings out. The door opens and a Pokéball is revealed. Darius looks over my shoulder with great interest.

"Come on, dude," he says enthusiastically. "Let's see what you got!"

"All right, here it goes." I take a deep breath and toss the ball. In a flash of light, the ball pops open and reveals…

"What the heck?" Darius exclaims.

The Pokémon was yellow with blue stripes. Its tail was cone-shaped and looked too big for its body. It had two eyes that looked closed, with no signs of a mouth, and two little appendages on its back that looked like really small, pathetic-looking wings. It was a strange sight.

"The crap is that?!" Darius exclaims again.

I kneel down next to it and look down. "Um… hello," I say, unsure of what the heck this thing was. The blue and yellow pattern on its face splits to reveal a mouth as it makes some kind of clicking noise. It is kind of ugly, but in a cute sort of way.

Darius sticks his tongue out. "Ew, throw it back," he says.

"Aww," I say. The creature nuzzles my hand. "I kind of like him!"

"It's weird," Darius blurts.

I just shrug. I pick up the creature and hold it in front of me. "Aww, it's unique!" I say. The creature makes a face that I will just assume is a smile. "I'm keeping him."

Darius raises an eyebrow. "Suit yourself."

I put the Pokémon back in its ball. Then I turn to Darius. "I have a package at the Pidgey Post Office," I state. "I'll pick that up, then we'll go get on our ship."

We head out and walk across the city to the Pidgey Post Office. I approach the counter and request for my package. After some rummaging, the clerk finds my package and hands it to me. We go outside, then I tear it open and find an envelope alongside a Great Ball. Darius peers over my shoulder as I open the envelope.

"Dear Crono," the letter reads. "I am glad you are well. Please stay safe and try not to get hurt anymore. Craig said he wanted you to have this gift."

"A Great Ball?" Darius chimes in. "Big spender, this guy."

I ignore him and keep reading. "He said he was depressed and not working as well as usual. I think he missed you. Also, I got my first paycheck, so here's some money to keep you going. I'll send you some money every now and then, just call me once in a while. Take care, my grown man."

I groan, but appreciate the sentiment. I also appreciated the ten thousand she sent me, which will definitely help with supplies. As for the Great Ball, there is no way it is what I think it is. I inspect it closely, and notice a couple small dents in it. No way, did he really?

Darius watches me closely. "So what do you plan on doing with that?" he asks.

I smile, knowing what is inside. "This!" I shout and throw the ball to the floor. The ball pops open and a bright flash of light bursts out. When the light clears, right before me, stands Brawny. He flexes his arms and smiles big at me.

"Brawny!" The big lug charges me and scoops me up in a monstrous hug. I feel the pain in my back from the burn, but I grit my teeth and bear with it. "I can't believe you're here!"

Brawny drops me and flexes his arms. "Ma-CHOKE!" he cries happily.

Suddenly, Brawny begins to shudder. I step back and almost trip over Jaws, who was hiding behind my legs. Darius steps back too as Brawny's skin starts to ripple. The thick red veins on his arms begin to vanish as Brawny flexes even harder. His muscles bulge and grow. Two large lumps appear above his shoulders. Brawny closes his eyes, face wrenched in what looks like pain. The lumps grow larger, when finally, two more arms sprout forth. Brawny roars and flexes all four arms and stomps the ground. "MA-CHAMP!" he bellows.

I stand in awe. Brawny just changed before my eyes and he looks bigger and stronger than ever. Jaws gapes in awe at the mighty Pokémon standing before us. The new Machamp looks at me, grinning a mighty grin as he stretches his newly grown arms. A smile spreads across my face as I rush up to him and embrace him. He wraps all four arms around me, picking me up off the ground. "I missed you, buddy," I say.

"Ma-Champ!" Brawny says.

Darius just stands there, standing in awe. "Now THAT is a manly Pokémon…"

Being reunited with Brawny is the happiest moment in my life. I have known him for over a year and to find out he missed me as much as I missed him makes me shed a manly tear. I owe Craig big, for I do not know how he convinced the store manager to let Brawny go. I stare at his Great Ball as I pull him in, my thumb tracing the dents on it as I drift along Memory Lane. Brawny was the biggest and strongest Machoke at the Goldenrod Department Store. When I started working there over a year ago, he had been captured only a week prior and was still in training. He was capable of doing the same workload as two other Machokes combined, but he was also much more aggressive. Craig was considering releasing him because he was resisting the training and it was taking much longer than the other Machokes. I offered to help, and somehow, I managed to get him to settle down. His aggressiveness waned, he became much friendlier and much more helpful. Once his training was complete, productivity soared in the basement. That was when I learned to understand the Machokes, particularly Brawny. For the most part, the Machokes did not have much to say, but Brawny was especially chatty, for a Pokémon. Craig told me when Brawny was captured, he had given them the most trouble. He knocked out their Hypno, which should have made the fight easy, and they went through two more Pokémon before finally weakening him enough for capture. Even then, he punched the Great Ball away, leaving the dents that are in his ball now.

"Yo, Earth to Crono!" Darius shouted, snapping me out of my haze. "The boat leaves soon!"

"Ah, right," I say. I grip Brawny's ball tightly, then place it in my jacket pocket, alongside my newly acquired Dunsparce. The three of us head to the dock, where a long line of people are waiting to board a non-existent ship. I check the time on my Pokégear and noticed it is close to departure time. I guess the ship is running a little behind.

"Hey dude," Darius says, gently elbowing me. "Check her out."

"Huh?" I look in the direction he is looking. A couple people ahead of us is a skinny young woman dressed in blue. She wore a blue and white striped tank top, tattered grey shorts, thigh-high blue and white striped stockings, and a black bandana. "She looks like a pirate."

"Nah," Darius snorts. "She's a pirate's worst nightmare. She has a sunken chest with no booty!"

"Hey, that's mean," I say, chuckling.

We stand in silence for a minute, then I say "Have you seen the new pirate movie? It is rated RRRRRRRR!" We both laugh.

After several minutes of cracking cheesy pirate jokes, a woman in a pristine white uniform walks up to the crowd, followed by two men in black suits. She clears her throat and speaks in a loud, authoritative voice. "I am Captain Diaz. I regret to inform you that the trip to Slateport City has been cancelled." The crowd grumbles, and some random guy boos her. "We are having serious engine trouble with both of our international ships. It will be several weeks before the engines will be repaired, so all departures until then have been cancelled."

The crowd begins to grumble louder. The people get restless and start verbally expressing their irritation towards the Captain, some people even spitting some very uncouth language. The Captain furrows her brow and clears her voice again.

"SILENCE!" she bellows. The crowd quiets down. "I understand many of you are upset. We have our best mechanics working on repairs as we speak, but it takes time. I have already coordinated to have each of your tickets refunded. Please head to the dock house in an orderly fashion to receive your refund."

The crowd starts grumbling again. Darius frowns. "That's a bummer," he says, arms crossed.

I look around and notice Pirate Girl is missing. I look back at Captain Diaz, who was currently talking to the black suits. I look down at Jaws, who is looking at Captain Diaz intently. I pat his head, and he looks up at me. I nod, then nudge Darius.

"Hey, something's fishy here," I tell him.

Darius looks at me. "What do you mean?"

I direct his attention to the Captain. "Why would the Captain herself come out to make that announcement?" I suggest. "That kind of thing is typically handled by someone at the dock house. Also, what are the chances of BOTH ships being out of commission, at the same time?" I frown. "This reeks of sabotage."

"What makes you say sabotage?" Darius asks.

I watch the Captain intently. "Back in Ecruteak City, I had an encounter with a group of mysterious thugs known as Team Rocket. Supposedly, they caused quite some trouble a couple years ago in Kanto, then a couple days ago, they attacked the Ecruteak Pokémon Center. I wonder if they are involved with this…"

We head to the dock house to get our refund. As we walk there, I notice something familiar about the men in black suits. On their lapels, they had little red R pins. My eyes widen. "Hey, wait a minute…" I try to move toward them, but the crowd thickens as they rush to the dock house. I try to push my way through, but the crowd pushes back. Finally, I emerge from the crowd, but when I get through, the Captain and the men are gone. I narrow my eyes, looking around for them. Suddenly, a hand grabs my collar and I am pulled back into the crowd.

"Come on, dude," Darius says. "I don't want to wait all day for my refund!" I take a deep breath, then we head to the dock house.

After an hour of waiting in line, we finally get our tickets refunded. Darius leans against the wall and starts spinning a Pokéball on his finger. Jaws starts running laps around the benches. I sit, my mind wandering. I think about how we will get to Hoenn, about the attack in Ecruteak City, the black suits with the Captain, Liz, going back home...

"So what are we going to do now?" Darius asks.

Jaws finishes his laps and stops in front of me, panting. I pat him on the head and toss him a Sitrus berry. "I'm not sure now," I say. "I'm not sure how we can get to Hoenn with the ships out of commission."

Darius pops his spinning ball into the air and captures it. "Well, what do you say we go to Sinnoh?" he suggests. "It's up north, we can get there by land..."

"No!" I interrupt. "We are NOT going to Sinnoh."

"Dude, here me out," Darius implores.

"Okay, then," I insist. "I am not going to Sinnoh. Ever."

Darius furrows his brow angrily. "What's your problem?"

I take a deep breath. It has been ages since I thought about it. Remembering it makes me angry, but I remain calm. I do not like talking about it, but I suppose he should know why I refuse to go to Sinnoh. Jaws looks at me, obviously worried. I pat his head and speak.

"There was a war about twelve years ago," I begin. "A war between Sinnoh and Kanto."

"Oh yeah," Darius says. "I read about that."

"Kanto was hit pretty hard," I continue. "The Sinnoh government saw Kanto as a bunch of heathens who had turned their back on their god and was creating abominations through genetic experimentation. Kanto was filled with Pokémon they considered 'artificial' and 'unnatural'. They threatened action if the Kanto government did not cease in their experiments. Kanto, of course, refused. That's when war broke out…"

Darius sat down next to me. Jaws sat on the floor, listening intently.

"The Sinnoh army came through the mountains," I say. "They attacked Cerulean City, crushing it between their might. They were headed for the Kanto capitol of Saffron, where the research company Silph, Co. resided. They demanded for Kanto's surrender or Saffron would be leveled. That is when we came in…"

I closed my eyes, forcing back tears. The memory of it all hit me hard. The pain, the sorrow, the devastation. So many lives lost in that war, both man and Pokémon alike. I take a deep breath and continue. "The Johto government was close with Sinnoh. We followed similar beliefs. The Johto government implored Sinnoh to cease its actions, that this was not the way to go about it. The war went against Sinnoh's core beliefs, but they insisted it was for the sake of all Pokémon created by their god, Arceus."

"That name…" Darius says. "I read about that as well. Sinnoh legend says Arceus hatched from an egg that came from the void, before anything existed. It created the entire universe, they say, both humans and Pokémon."

I nod. "That is what the legends say," I confirm. "Sinnoh was wrong about Kanto, and wrong about us. They thought because we share similar beliefs, that we would help them. The Johto government insisted that if they did not halt their attack, we would step in and help defend Kanto. My father…" I choke up. "… he fought and died in that war. The Sinnoh government killed my father over their stupid religion, and I will never forgive them!" I slam my fist into the bench.

"Oh wow…" Darius sympathizes. "I'm sorry, man."

"That is why Johto and Kanto share the Indigo League," I say. "We created it together to symbolize our unity. Never again will we be tyrannized. Never again will we be oppressed. Our league here is the best, and our Champion is the best. Other regions can have their own leagues and train all they want. They will NEVER beat us."

Darius looks at the ground solemnly. Jaws pulls at my shorts, trying to cheer me up. I pat his head, trying with all my might to hold back the tears. The memory of seeing my mother at the table, crying into a tear-soaked letter from the military. I was six years old at the time. When I asked what was wrong, she sat me down and told me that my father would not be coming home. I was six at the time, and it was hard for me to understand, but I knew that it meant he was dead. I just could not understand why. Why did he have to die? Why did Sinnoh hate us so much? It was too much for my six-year-old mind to bear. I shut myself out from my friends, staying home to help my mother as much as possible. My mother would sometimes look at me, then start crying out of nowhere. She would always tell me how much I look like my father. When I was old enough to participate in the Pokémon League and got my own Pokémon, I tried to partake, but the violence of it all just reminded me of that war and my father's death. I could not bring myself to inflict that kind of pain on anyone. That is why I quit.

"Hey," Darius says after a long silence. "That war was fought with Pokémon. If you don't mind me asking, what Pokémon did your father use?"

I stare off into the distance. As the memories flow through my mind, I subconsciously pull out Brawny's ball. I look down at it and run my thumb over the dents. Darius looks down at the ball and his eyes go wide. "No way…"

I nod. "Yeah, he used…" I say. "…a Machamp."

Darius does not say anything, solemn after hearing my story. I continue to stare at Brawny's ball, the tragic memories lingering at the front of my mind. Even Jaws remains still, just looking at me with a worried face. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Darius breaks the silence. "So I take it you grew up with a Machamp?"

I nod my head. "That Machamp lived with us since I was two," I explain. "I don't remember much back then, but I remember Dad teaching it to hug me every night before bed. Machamp was so strong, Mother was worried it would crush me, but Dad wasn't. He wanted Machamp to be a family Pokémon after he got out of the military. I looked up to Dad. He was my hero." I smile as I grip Brawny's ball tightly. "I promise to take good care of you, Brawny. For Dad."

Darius places a hand on my shoulder. I look back at him and stand up. "So, we can still make it to Hoenn," I say.

"How?" Darius asks. "Both the ships are out of commission."

I grin. "We go home. To Goldenrod City. The Johto and Kanto governments worked together to install a rail system that goes between the two regions. Before, you had to travel around the base of Mt. Silver to cross over. However, that was not very practical because the wild Pokémon in the area are really dangerous. So now we have a rail system!"

Darius raises an eyebrow. "Okay, but that doesn't get us to Hoenn," he says, skeptical.

I continue. "The rail system will take us from Goldenrod City to Saffron City. From there, we can head south to Vermillion City and hop on a ship there!"

"Huh!" Darius says, surprised. "Well, Kanto was next on my list anyway. Let's go!"

We walk out of the dock house. The crowds of people have dispersed. I guess since nobody can go anywhere, they went to find alternate methods of transportation. I turn to head toward the gate, but Jaws pulls on my shorts. I look and he is pointing at Darius, who has stopped to stare at the ocean. I walk over to him. "What's up?"

"How far is Goldenrod from here?" he asks.

"Um… I'm not sure," I respond. "but it took us nearly a week to get here, so we need to get going."

Darius ponders this for a moment, then pulls out a map. He looks it over, nods, then puts it away. "Yeah, we can make it."

"Of course we'll make it," I say. "but we need to leave now if we're going to get to Ecruteak before dark."

Darius shakes his head. "Oh no, we're not walking," he says arrogantly.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, annoyed.

"See, normally, I would fly on my Talonflame," Darius explains with a smirk. "But as strong as she is, she can only fly one person. However…" He pulls out a Dive Ball and tosses it in the air. The ball pops open and a beautiful blue Pokémon with a large grey shell pops out. "I have a Lapras! She's strong enough to ferry the two of us there!"

Lapras lets out a siren-like cry. I admire the shimmering hide of the water Pokémon, but I am not convinced. I gesture toward Jaws. "I think you're forgetting someone," I say.

Darius looks at me, confused. "Who? It's just us… oh." Darius looks at Jaws, clearly remembering that he does not have a ball. "Well, you're just going to have to get him one."

I look at Jaws, who looks up at me. "That's up to him," I say. "I'm not forcing him inside one if he doesn't want to be. Remember, he's not mine."

Darius grumbles something that sounded awfully like "Just stuff him in one anyway," but I pretend not to hear it. I kneel down and look Jaws in the eyes. "Hey buddy," I say, patting him on the head. "Would you be okay being inside a Pokéball for a while? Just until we get home, then you can come back out."

Jaws looks at me and does his little hop routine. I look up at Darius and shrug. "He seems to be okay with it."

"Good," Darius says. "I really didn't want to walk. So, you have two options; we go to the Pokémart and buy him a cheap Pokéball, which I recommend since it will only be for a short while, or we can hit up the Olivine Market and find some custom Pokéballs, which will end up being more expensive, but they have some unique qualities. Your choice."

I rub my chin (hey, I am finally getting some stubble!) and ponder it. "Let's hit the Olivine Market," I say. "If he's going to be stuck inside one for a while, might as well make him comfortable."

We head toward the Olivine Market, where several stands filled with goods line the dock. From Pokédolls to exotic berries, the Olivine Market had all sorts of unique items for every trainer's needs. Jaws' eyes widen when we pass a food tent filled with the aroma of delicious eats. Even I start to drool a little when the scents hit my nostrils. Darius points ahead of us at a stand with a sign that reads "Custom Pokéballs". We head over and are greeted by an elderly man.

"Good afternoon!" he bellows. "Welcome to the Pokéball Emporium! My name is Kurt and I made custom Pokéballs!"

Darius waves. "Good afternoon, sir," he says. "My friend here needs a good Pokéball for his Mawile here."

Kurt looks curiously over the stand at Jaws. "Hmm…" he says. "Quite the unusual creature. Not one you see in these parts, that's for sure."

"He's from Hoenn," I explain. "I would like to get him a good comfortable ball for traveling. What do you recommend?"

Kurt studies me over. "Hmm…" he ponders. "We have many to choose from. For him, I would recommend a Quick Ball or a Heal Ball, or, if you have any pink apricorns, I could craft you a Love Ball. We are also having a promotion! Buy any ten Pokéballs and you get a special Premier Ball free!"

Darius furrows his brow. "What's so special about it?" he asks.

Kurt leans over the counter and looks Darius right in the eye. "It sparkles."

I snicker when I see the look on Darius' face. Kurt leans back and looks back at me. "So which will it be, son?"

I look over his selection of balls. There were so many to choose from. I am not even sure how a Pokéball works. What is it like inside for them? Do the different balls perform differently or are they just purely for aesthetics? I shake my head in confusion. "I don't know," I say. Then I have an idea. "Hey Jaws, you're the one that has to go inside. Which one do YOU want?"

I pick him up and he looks at all the balls. After a moment, he points to one on a shelf behind Kurt. It is a black ball with a red circle on top and gold trim. It is in a glass case and quite shiny. I point to it and ask "How much for that one?"

"Hmm?" Kurt looks behind him. "Oh that?" He shakes his head. "That one is out of your price range. How about one of these up front? They are more appropriately priced for children."

I furrow my brow at the children comment, but let it go. "How much?" I ask again.

Kurt leans forward and looks me square in the eye. "Ten thousand."

I look at the ball grimly. Ten thousand is practically everything I have. I really did not want to spend my entire wallet on a single Pokéball, especially when a regular ball runs only two hundred. As I ponder this, Darius chimes in. "That's a ripoff!" he shouts. "What makes it so expensive?! And DON'T say it's because it sparkles!"

Kurt looks sternly at us. "Young man, you don't know how a Pokéball works, do you?"

"Of course I do," Darius says confidently.

"Then by all means, explain it to me," Kurt says.

"Uh, well…" Darius stammers.

"Hmph," Kurt says. "Kids these days. Allow the Pokéball Master teach you a thing or two. A Pokéball is a device that converts living biological matter into energy. While in the energy state, Pokémon are put into a dream-like stasis. When it makes contact with a Pokémon, the ball opens, converts the creature into energy, and pulls that energy inside. It takes three seconds for the ball to induce the stasis and create a proper seal to prevent escape. During that time, the Pokémon has a chance to get free, which is it must be weakened first. Exceptionally strong Pokémon can resist the energy conversion and break free. That is where many of these specialty balls come into play. For example…" Kurt holds up a blue ball. "…this one is designed for capturing Water-types, and this one…" He holds up a grey ball with blue nubs. "…this one is for exceptionally heavy Pokémon, since they have more matter to convert. Once the ball makes the seal and the Pokémon slumbers, the ball induces dreams that make the Pokémon believe it is somewhere comfortable, such as a natural habitat. The better the ball, the more realistic and more comfortable the dream. That ball you have asked about is the best of the best. That ball will make your Pokémon believe it belongs to a millionaire trainer with the most fanciful luxuries imaginable. It uses the best technology available, and therefore, it is expensive. Does THAT answer your question, son?" He looks at Darius as he says that last sentence.

I contemplate the decision before me. I look down at Jaws, who just patiently stares back. I do not know how long he will have to be cooped up in there. I reach for my wallet, open it, and look inside. I look back at Jaws and smile. I take out the money and hand it to Kurt. "I'll take it."

Kurt furrows his brow. He looks at me for a moment, then slowly takes the money. He reaches up, gently retrieves the ball, and hands it to me. I take it, holding it in my palm, then thank Kurt. I kneel down and hold it in front of Jaws. He looks at the ball and smiles. Darius looks at me, bewildered. "Seriously dude?" he asks.

I simply smile and say "He's worth it."