Hey everyone! It's been a while since the last one, I know. How are you? This next chapter of MSA is a little bit on the short side – about as long as Chapter 3: A Scarring Sight. I'll get to the reasonings at the end. For now, let's hop into this new chapter.

I'll see you at the bottom!


Maverick's Sinnoh Adventure
Arc 1: The Roar of Time & The Spacial Rend

Chapter 7: A Rough Encounter


The weight of Maverick's body was lifted off of his aching feet, finally sitting down for once. Following their first ever battle, the group packed up and made their way past the well-kept Route 201 and eventually made it to their next destination. With a relieved sigh, he took all the space he needed to stretch his legs and arms with tight, closed eyes. While his feet hated him, Maverick found the short trip worth it – the large amount of Pokémon he saw with Turtwig simply made him more eager to press on, and eventually, it led him to Sandgem Town.

Sandgem was a town of sand, the air scented with salt. The place was littered with tall pine trees, housing different types of bird Pokémon that were mostly unfamiliar to him. The town also held a lot of local delicacies- one such was the esteemed noodle shop, the rival to Twinleaf's own Luncheon Café, and Sandgem Beach, for where the town got its name. However, there was no greater landmark than the red roofed Pokémon Center, a statement every Trainer in the world could agree on.

The Pokémon Center took a bit of searching- the place where it was previously stationed became the noodle shop, unknown to Maverick who was leading the group at the time. After his sister angrily declared to never lead them anywhere again, the help of a kind enough Trainer pointed them in the right direction. In the end, Maverick found himself feeling relieved, irritated, emotionally bruised, and physically aching. Yep, all part of the training experience.

"...We're finally back to civilization," Rika groaned, practically flopping down on the vacant couch in front of him. Her brother offered the girl a roll of his eyes, trying to ignore the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Who knew walking could be such a chore?"

"You've got to get used to it," chuckled Alex from above her, he leaned against the head rest and looked around, finding a map of the region on the wall. To Maverick, it looked like Alex wasn't fazed at all, despite his still wet shirt. "We'll be walking everywhere across that map, rain or shine. I mean, it's not like this wasn't something we knew."

Rika groaned once again, this time a bit louder. "Thanks, Captain Obvious."

"All in a day's work. Hey, listen, I'll go get us checked in for the night," Alex said, thumb pointed towards a desk near the map. "Rika, can you call our parents, and Maverick, think you could heal our Pokémon? The sooner we get ourselves situated, we can go out and maybe roam for a bit." Rika looked up at him with a confused expression while he moved away to do just that.

"Wait, why are you suddenly calling the shots?"

He quickly turned and pointed a finger at Maverick accusingly. "Because he can't guide us through a straight path to save his life."

"Hey!" Maverick barked, face heating up out of embarrassment, "we weren't that lost!" His retort didn't seem to reach Alex as he already left, leaving Maverick to instead direct his glare towards his sister. Her hands raised, feigning innocence, before getting up and leaving herself. With nothing to scowl at, Maverick's shoulders slumped as he finally relished in much needed alone time. His starter was already returned to his Pokéball, so that left him to his thoughts as his feet began to come back to life, shuffling towards the main desk. It was at this moment that he realized just how packed the Center was.

Given the recent ceremony, there seemed to be an abundance of Trainers and local residents in the area, and admittedly, it was quite a struggle to push past some people. He now held three Pokéballs and tried not to drop them on the way there, muttering apologies along the way. He inched past someone with a large backpack, before finally popping out near the middle of the facility. It was at this moment he looked up, crestfallen, at the sight of a long line of people who waited to talk to the nurse. He sighed, defeated. It looked like he'd be here for a while.

Time ticked on slowly for the boy, rocking on both feet out of boredom. It wasn't until he heard a voice ahead of him that caused him look up.

"Wait…Nelson?" Maverick questioned, doing a double take. His friend was right in front of him the whole time? "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, Maverick," he breathed, surprised, "it's been a while! How are you?"

Maverick excused his alone time for a friendly face. "I've been better," he said, gesturing towards his feet. "I'm just here to heal our Pokémon before we might head back out for a bit. You?"

"I'm good," he replied rather happily. Nelson was one of Maverick's friends a couple years back. Nelson forgone the classic jacket and jean combo for an educated look, sporting the male uniform from the Trainer's School: a brown vest, gold collared shirt, blue jeans and brown hiking shoes. His blue glasses shined in front of his brown eyes, clean and new.

The two made small talk, reflecting on their short trek to Sandgem Town so far. Nelson stifled a laugh for Maverick's sake after he recounted his story, something the young teen appreciated. "I'm surprised your side was quite eventful. Though, I can't say the same for mine. I barely had time to use my Turtwig in a battle; I left Twinleaf a bit after receiving him from the Professor."

"...Why so soon?"

"I was with my father. He wants me to get to Jubilife City to show my new Pokémon to our old teacher, and attend a few more classes to really make sure I could defend myself from any wild Pokémon…a-and people," he stuttered. The line moved up a bit, and the two walked along, though, an awkward silence followed Nelson's statement.

People?

"I…thought it would be nice to maybe go back as a refresher to catch up on the lessons I missed after I moved," Nelson quickly added, before Maverick could conjure up a response. "I didn't refute my dad's decision. I like that idea, of learning more before I officially step out, I mean. So, I left with my dad to get to Sandgem quick enough to meet with the Professor."

"Ah…well, that's great," Maverick replied with an honest smile, though his tone lost a bit of warmth. The line moved up some more, with their location relatively close to the counter. Nelson caught his change of tone, not to mention the slight twitch of his hands, and the boy frowned a bit.

They stood in line with an air of awkwardness. At the thought of Nelson's statement, Maverick's eyebrows knitted together. He could only recall distastefully what happened two years ago. He never felt so weak in his life.

Thankfully, however, a bright and beautiful sound entered their ears and perked them straight up. "Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. I'm Nurse Joy, and this is Chansey. How may we help you, young Trainer?"

Maverick was mentally shaken out of his stupor by the kind sound of the nurse. He looked up, and blue eyes with a friendly, but concerned smile looked back at him. To her right, a large pink Pokémon gave him a closed eyed smile. They both wore a hat with what seemed to be a cross on it. Maverick mutely regarded the two with a confused look, before Nelson gently nudged him. "O-oh, um…I, uh, can you heal these Pokémon, please?" he pathetically asked. Nurse Joy took his predicament in stride, offering a hand, in which he placed the three Pokéballs with various colored tops.

Placing them on a healing machine, the pink Pokémon pressed a few buttons on it before the computer screen in front of the nurse brightened up. "Oh my," the nurse breathed, "are these three Pokémon yours?"

He replied by shaking his head, giving a wave of his hands. "Only Turtwig is. Piplup and Chimchar belong to the people I'm with. They just asked me to heal those two."

Nurse Joy nodded, pressing a button before a melodic chime was heard. "I see, I was almost led to believe that you owned three starter Pokémon, though, it's not terribly uncommon for the beginning Trainer to have more than one starter. That hasn't happened in many months. I believe Rowan only does that in special cases, though…"

"Special cases?" Nelson repeated, adjusting his glasses.

The pink Pokémon, which Maverick recalled was a Chansey, gave a curt nod, removing the three glowing devices from the machine. Handing them to the nurse, Joy held up one of them and looked at it. "Hm. Usually that's when a Trainer is in a situation that demands more than one Pokémon. For example, life at home, or if the region is in a really trying time. It's mostly used as a safety precaution, or research purposes. If a new Trainer were to receive more than one starter, it's usually because they have the experience needed to raise two at the same time, or they were on track to study directly under the Professor to become their aid.

"Sometimes, the regional Professors would give Pokémon that aren't even classified as starters to a new Trainer," she continued, giving the younger people a kind glance. "Professor Oak of the Kanto Region gave a rather problematic Pikachu to a boy a few years ago, just as I started working here. The boy went on catching or receiving other starter Pokémon from other regions. They recently made a stop here a few months ago, actually."

"Wait... Ash Ketchum, right?" Maverick guessed, surprising the nurse.

"You know of him?"

"Of course! He's only the coolest Trainer ever! His Pikachu and Infernape are really strong! Y'know, one day, I'm going to battle him, and when I do, it'll be totally awesome!" the boy practically gushed with what appeared to be stars in his eyes. Nelson just shook his head, a fond smile painted on his face while Nurse Joy gave a quiet laugh.

"Well, you certainly are a dreamer," Nurse Joy started, straightening up her hat. "In any case, it appears your group's Pokémon are healed up enough to not require any extensive care. You're good to go," she said handing them back to the boy, who carefully held them in his hand. "Pokémon Centers are free of charge, so you can help yourself to some food, room service and other nice stuff," the nurse offered.

Nelson looked up suddenly, giving Maverick a pensive gaze. "Which reminds me, are you already registered for the Pokémon League Challenge?"

"Registered?" Maverick asked with a tilted head. Nelson nodded.

"Right, Nurse Joy here can help you with that."

"Precisely. May you hand me your Pokédex?" she asked, extending her hand. Maverick's eyes grew wide, barely remembering he even had one in the first place. He took the device out of his pocket and gave it to the nurse, who put in a computer. It took a few seconds, before a negative sound emitted from the it. She frowned, her pigtails swaying with a shake of her head. "…It appears you need to format and update your Pokédex in order for me to register you for the League. Formatting the Pokédex is rather easy, but the updating part is a bit hard. But no worries, we're in Sandgem Town."

The brown-haired boy gave Maverick a small nod. "Professor Rowan is just down this road. I went to him earlier for a direct update to the 'Dex. While you're there, you can also register for the Pokémon League. It may be a good chance to ask him any questions you may have about the Pokédex, too. There's a lot that little thing can do; it's fascinating!" Nelson gushed.

"Well, I guess I'll do that, then. Thanks for your help Nelson, and thank you for healing my Pokémon, Nurse Joy!"

"Any time! Do you need a room to stay in?" she asked, her pink hair flying as she bowed.

Cradling the devices, Maverick gave a shake of his head. "Nah, my friend is already taking care of that."

"I see. Well, if there is anything you need, I'm always here to help. Good luck out there, and hopefully, you can beat Ash along the way!" she called after him, waving. He blushed. He certainly didn't think the nurse of all people would believe he could beat him, but he appreciated her support. He gave her a final thanks and walked away from the counter. Nelson followed him, catching up with the boy some more, before moving on ahead.

"I think this is where I depart, I'd love to stop and chat more, since it's been such a long time, but I really have to go. My father is waiting for me." He gave his friend a kind smile, and Maverick returned it, clutching the items tighter.

"It looks like me and the others will meet you in Jubilife City. By then, let's have a battle."

"It's a deal," Nelson said, gripping his backpack tighter. With that, Nelson made to depart, but not before Maverick called out to him.

"…Hey, wait. About Jubilife, if you see…him, don't feel threatened, alright? Or-!"

"No, I-" a quick sigh, "Maverick," Nelson started, "it was two years ago. I'm…better now, so, don't worry, 'kay?" he said, subdued. The boy in question simply nodded after a beat. "I'm thankful that you're still offering to stand by me, really. It's why we became friends in the first place." Nelson gave a quick shake of his head, exhaling a heavy breath. He looked to Maverick with eyes that looked nothing like the scared ones he'd seen growing up. "Again, I'll be waiting, so try and keep up!" And just like that, he was all smiles again, turning and leaving through the front doors of the Center. A frown crept up on the lingering boy's face.

He desperately hoped those words were true…

With one friend gone, he made the task of finding his annoying companions next on his to do list.

In order for that to happen, though, he'd have to wade through the sea of people to get to Rika. He clutched the items a bit tighter in his hands, black Pokédex included, and braced himself. While he was doing that, he took in his surroundings. The place felt nice, and inviting, because of the warm colors that decorated the Center. The walls were painted a light orange, rimmed with white along the ceiling; the maple wood floor complemented the reds of the counters, and the place had a lot of windows. It was well kept, considering the sheer amount of people that seem to use it daily.

Stepping over legs, bags, and other items was something Maverick could only concentrate on so much while apologizing. His trek made him gain some speed, and unfortunately trip over one of the last legs of the group. He lost his balance and immediately threw his hands outward, tossing his Pokédex, and the Pokéballs in the air. He quickly grasped on to a brown item for some form of balance, but unfortunately, his rocketing momentum dragged him towards the ground.

Everything literally went south after this.

With a yelp, his vision failed him. Like clothes in a dryer, he felt himself spinning, hitting sharp edges that cut into his sides and arms before an unimaginable pain exploded on the back of his head. He moaned bitterly. His arms eventually decided to function, elbows propping up his body to survey the area. Alex had been outdone by the floor, giving Maverick the biggest headache he ever had in his life.

It appeared he wound up in the Pokémon Center's dark basement.

He felt frantic nudges at his side. The boy almost mistook it for throbbing pain, before he felt something rub his head. He could barely see his starter's leaf swaying fervently. "Mgh, hey, Turtwig..." he painfully greeted. The starter kept prodding his Trainer, causing him to give a pained laugh. "...Don't worry about me, I'm fine… I wish I could say the same for the Pokédex, though," he winced. Looking up, his eyes landed on his ruined device. It was in pieces, surrounded by glass shards and the other two Pokéballs, heavily scratched and dented, and it…it even appeared as if some of the paint chipped off! "I didn't even get a chance to use it. So much for updating it..."

"Hey! Are you two alright down there?!" yelled a distant manly voice up the stairs.

"Uh…yeah!"

"Yeah, I'm—huh?" Maverick began to say, before being cut off by another voice. Turtwig stopped poking his Trainer's body and faced the direction of the sound, causing Maverick to do the same. Apparently, the brown item the teen vaguely remembered grabbing had a person attached to it. It was hard to see in the dark, though, so he called out to them. "Uh…hey, are you alright?"

"Um... M-my glasses! Can you help me find them?" the other person squeaked. His eyes widened. Those glass shards surrounding his broken Pokédex couldn't have been it, right? Upon closer inspection, barely making out a bent red frame with cracked and missing lens told him everything he needed to know.

"I...um, I think it's broken." It sounded like a question.

"Ugh, now I can't see…um, excuse me, can you help me up? My head is spinning," the person asked. Maverick, careful not to touch broken glass, crawled over and located an arm in the dark room with the help of Turtwig.

"I'm going to pull you up. Ready?" The person hummed in the affirmative, and the teen pulled them up after finding his footing. He made sure to hold their shoulder after feeling them wobble. Now that they were close, the dark-haired boy could see that the person was actually female, given by her long, dirty blonde hair and smaller frame. She was squinting hard through the dark room, and Maverick felt a pang of guilt well up inside him.

"Thanks, mister," she replied, dusting herself off.

Taken aback by her almost happy tone, he felt the guilt grow ten-fold. "...Sorry, I didn't mean to drag you down with me. I, uh, I kinda lost my balance back there. A-are you hurt?"

She shook her head, hair flying, and looked back at him, though he couldn't tell how well she could see. "Not much, just a pounding headache is all. Though, my glasses are trashed..." His face heated up at her remark, and he avoided her strained gaze as a result.

"I'm really sorry..."

"Oh, it's no biggie. Being blind for a bit may be fun! What's your name, anyway?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Her blonde hair spilled over her sleeveless red jacket, and a curious smile found its way on her lips. Surprised by her lack of animosity, the male looked at his ruined 'Dex for solace.

"It's, um, it's Maverick...O-oh! And this is Turtwig," he stuttered, reaching to pick up his silent starter. The girl hummed. Her right hand extended a bit, landing on Maverick's chest, before hitting his face, and then finally landing on his starter's head. He excused her touch (he guessed she had less then pleasurable eyesight). "And yours?"

She rubbed her hand over his Pokémon, and her smile grew. "My name is Sabrina. Nice to meet you, Maverick and Turtwig!"

Shockingly, his Pokémon seemed to melt to a puddle at her touch, surprising the boy about how quick Turtwig seemed to like it. Even though she said it wasn't a big deal, Maverick felt obligated to somehow help with the damages. Beyond her glasses, a few items spilled out of her backpack, most of which were art items. Clean up took a bit of time, but after help in the form of Nurse Joy and a few other Trainers came to their rescue, they painfully made their way up the evil, unforgiving stairs.

"I'm sorry for the situation," Nurse Joy apologized by the counter. "Our basement isn't exactly fixed up at the moment. I'll see to it that your glasses get replaced, dear. And Maverick, your Pokédex didn't seem to make it. I'll be sure to inform the professor and ask him to get a replacement for you. You'll have to stop by his lab in order to pick it up," she bowed, full of sorrow. Even though he was in pain, he thanked the nurse and others for their help.

Now he had more of a reason to see the professor.

"It's a good thing my art items didn't get messed up. My whole life would've been over if it did," Sabrina, through squinted eyes, breathed a sigh of relief. They both sat pathetically in the sunlight on the couch his sister lazed over previously, tending to their headaches. Now that he got a good look at her, he realized Sabrina was just a bit shorter than him. She wore a sleeveless red jacket, a green, long sleeved shirt, faded blue jeans, and brown sneakers. Turtwig lied coiled up on his lap, with Maverick's hand running over his moist shell. The other two Pokéballs were now located on his Trainers belt. "Sorry about your Pokédex."

"…Mm, I mean, it's not like I got to use it," he replied, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. "But that's not as important as being half blind. You have a handicap, thanks to me…"

She couldn't help but giggle. "Are you really going to keep worrying about that? I told you that it's okay. Maybe seeing the world like this may influence my art style, you know? So, it's not all bad, honest." The thirteen-year-old was still unsure about that, but if she said it was okay, he guessed he could let it go.

At least for a little.

"So, you're an artist?" he asked. Her passive aura shook him to the core.

"Yup! A Pokémon Watcher in the making!" Her eyes widened comically. "It's been my dream for a while now. All I have to do to make that a reality is meet up with Professor Rowan. All he has to do is approve me, after he sees my art. All the prerequisites of going to school and all that jazz has been done, so I'm home free!"

He leaned forward, considering her words. "Hmm, but don't you need a starter Pokémon?" he asked, glancing down at his turtle. She shook her head, patting at her side.

"I already have the perfect partner to help me out. I can consider one if he has a Growlithe, though. They're so cool…"

He chuckled at her peppy, somewhat flighty attitude. He looked at her golden eyes and scratched his cheek, considering his time spent with her. He still felt responsible for her condition and thought maybe being her guide to the lab is a good idea. "Well…wanna go together? I'm headed there with my sister and friend, anyway."

"...With me? Wait, are you sure?"

"Well, yeah. Guiding you there is the least I could do. I don't mind at all." He gave her a nervous smile, feeling a weird sensation run across his chest. She stared at him, eyes strained, before shooting him the brightest smile she could muster.

"I'd love to! Maybe it can give me an excuse to study your Turtwig some more," she giggled out, reaching a hand to rub over Turtwig's head. Both their hands ran over him and Turtwig sighed as a response. Maverick smiled. He didn't mind Sabrina touching his Pokémon at all, especially since Turtwig appeared to like it so much. "You know, when I felt him earlier, he seemed really healthy. How long have you been together?"

"We only just started training. It's been a day. I think he's still warming up to me, though."

Sabrina shook her head, squinting towards Maverick's face to consider her words. "I think he likes you enough. He's just a quiet Pokémon, it seems."

Maverick's hand slowed to a stop on his Pokémon's head, looking at his partner. Turtwig just gave him a blank stare, and Maverick couldn't read his expression. Could it be because of what happened to him in the past, maybe? He searched Turtwig's eyes for an answer, until the starter moved his gaze elsewhere, as if he read his mind. Maverick's lips tightened in dismay. Is that it?

He hadn't thought about Turtwig's past and how it could've been linked to his nature. His Pokémon seemed reserved, often quiet, and fairly obedient. After their battle, it finally dawned on him that Turtwig seemed scared, as if fearing his judgement. What exactly was his previous Trainer like? If it was bad enough to scare his Pokémon, he guessed they weren't pleasant in the slightest.

"…I wonder why."

It wasn't long before his childhood friend and twin sister located him. "There you are! We've been looking all over Sandgem for you!" his sister reported, walking up to him with a glare. She was stuffing her diary in her bag while Alex rolled up behind her, giving him a once-over.

"We thought you left the Center to train or something since we couldn't- what happened to your face?"

Perhaps Turtwig's blank stare was out of amusement and he just didn't notice. The boy in question wondered why his face still felt funny. Offering a shrug, he told them what happened…and how he dragged Sabrina into the story.

"Sabrina, right? I'm sorry for my brother's actions. He can be a bit of an airhead when he's by himself."

"Oh, it's no big deal, really," Sabrina replied, looking down to rest her tired eyes. Maverick knew for a fact she was suffering, her nice demeanor couldn't fool him anymore (it had him for a bit, though, he's not gonna lie). "He was nice enough to keep me company after it happened."

Rika nodded, casting her brother an accusatory look. Maverick, guilt ridden, just handed Piplup and Chimchar back to their Trainers without a word. "But anyway, my name is Rika, and this is my friend Alex. We're traveling with him."

"Nice to meet you both."

"You're gonna buy her glasses, right?" Alex whispered to Maverick's ear, to whom the boy reeled away from.

"I- what!? Yes! Why is everything out to get me?" he complained, feeling his poor Pokémon fall off his lap. He picked Turtwig up after showering him with apologies, fearing the Tiny Leaf Pokémon might get on his case too. "I feel bad enough as is, thanks!"

"In any case, feeling bad or not," Rika said, but not without injecting her tone with disdain which sent Maverick over the edge. "We need to head over to the professor's lab to get your Pokédex fixed, and to register you for the League. Maybe we can fit in a battle later today."

"Then I can get my title as the oldest sibling back," Maverick muttered under his breath. He shook his head, ridding himself of any negative emotions, before offering a hand to his new acquaintance.

"Listen, I'm sorry about your condition. Just know I'll be right next to you until you get a new pair of glasses," he nervously scratched his nose, "and... maybe a little bit after that. We kind of had a rough encounter, but hopefully we'll smooth things out along the way. So, Sabrina, ready to go?"

The girl in question looked up to him, straining eyes and all, and gave him a nod. Maverick saw her cheeks flush a bit, and his flushed when she took his hand and squeezed it gently. "Mmhm. Lead the way, Maverick!"

He felt her soft hands and squeezed back. "Awesome. Let's go!"

"...'Lead the way'? Sabrina, if only you knew..."

"Gah, I… Shut up, Alex!" Maverick barked at him. Rika and Alex laughed while Sabrina merely tilted her head. Did Alex really have to embarrass him further in front of his new companion of all people...?

.

.

.

To be continued.


Hey there! A bit of a shorter chapter than usual. I usually aim for chapters around 8k words or more, but this, I felt, was a better decision. I decided to split this chapter because narratively, with what I want to include around this time frame, it would fit better in a separate chapter, rather than be shoe horned in.

So, what did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you so much for sticking with this story through the slow updates, but we're finally on track to a more productive future. Don't forget to review and tell me what I could improve on.

Thank you for reading and supporting me. Live long and Shine on!
~XDiamondX90

P.S. I totally forgot to thank Epicocity, MisterLooneyTune, and LovingGinger30 for reviewing Chapter 6: A Hop and a Skip Away, and Jeff Excellence for reviewing Chapter 1: Tranquil Times. Your thoughts have really helped me, and caused me to think a little bit more about the direction of this story. I'd also like to thank MisterLooneyTune once again for favoriting, and PraetorFable for following. You guys mean a lot to me.