Strange to think that we're at the beginning of the penultimate arc in Pokémon Journey: Sevii Islands. Guess I should probably get back to writing the last arc sometime soon…
Anyway, last chapter saw James, Livvi and Richard complete their quest to get the Sapphire to Bill and Celio on Knot Island, though not without a final appearance from the jewel thieves from before. With their job done, the group now head on to Quest Island to prepare for the upcoming Sevii League.
Upload Date: 17th July 2016
Chapter 25: Training Expedition
Tyslan City, Sevii Islands
11:02am, 31st July 2005
There was a cold edge in the sea breeze as the ferry cruised through the water towards Tyslan City, the largest on Quest Island. Yet the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky – it was going to be another fine day over the southern Sevii Islands.
Tyslan City itself sat on the relatively flat northern section of Quest Island. Unlike Carlona City, which was a bustling commercial centre as well as a popular beach resort, Tyslan City felt much more down to earth. Though buildings stretched out inland, there were very few which were more than three storeys high. There was also a lot more foliage than in Carlona City. It seems that almost every cluster of buildings was interspersed with tall deciduous trees, their green leaves making the city seem more alive as they swayed gently in the wind.
In contrast to the relative flatness of the northern part of the island, the southern and central parts were marked with rugged, rocky hills and mountains. Tough-looking pine forests clung stubbornly to the slopes and gave off the impression of an untamed wilderness beyond. It couldn't have looked any more different to the gentle terrain and appearance of Tyslan City.
The ferry pulled into the port, which was protected from the open sea by a long harbour wall, and drew alongside a large stone pier. For a few minutes, the dockworkers and the ferry crew worked frantically, making sure that the ship was tied securely in place and that the gangplanks were set up quickly so that the passengers wouldn't be kept waiting for too long.
"So this is Quest Island?" Richard said as he and the others walked down the gangplank and onto the pier.
"Yep," Livvi replied, pulling out her town map. "It's the southernmost of the main islands in the Sevii Islands."
"If it's further south, then why is it cooler than Fortune Island?" Richard asked.
"The cold water current that makes Floe Island so cold flows past Quest Island as well, so it has a more temperate climate," Livvi explained.
"Do you know where the pokémon centre is in this city?" James asked, looking at the buildings which stretched out in all directions from the seafront. "I think it'll be easy to get lost in this city."
"Don't worry about it!" Livvi grinned. She held up the map so that the others could see it. "The pokémon centre is in a part of the city just behind the seafront, so it shouldn't take us too long to find."
"Awesome!" Richard grinned. "Let's head to the pokémon centre and talk about what we're going to do to prepare for the Sevii League!"
"You mean what you are going to do to prepare for the Sevii League," Livvi reminded him. "James and I don't need to prepare."
"Ah, but you guys will help me, right?" Richard gave them a winning grin. "We both helped out James before the Kanto League after all!"
"Don't worry, we'll train with you," James assured him as they reached the street running along the seafront. "Which way now, Livvi?"
"Umm," Livvi glanced at the map to get her bearings. "This way!" She led them to a road leading into the city itself. They followed it for about 50 metres before emerging into a circular plaza in the centre of which stood a large oak tree which kept the whole area in the shade. Buildings were arranged in a circle around the edge of the plaza.
Livvi led them to the right, where they found the pokémon centre facing away from the direction they'd come.
"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be," said James as they walked through the automatic doors and into the lobby.
"Should I book a room for the night?" Livvi asked.
Richard nodded. "I think so," he replied. "You were saying that we're running low on supplies, weren't you?"
"Yeah," Livvi said, nodding. "We can spend today working out a plan and buying more supplies and then head off somewhere for training tomorrow."
"We'll go with that then!" James grinned.
"I'll leave the map with you so that you can start thinking about what we're going to do next," said Livvi, handing them her town map. "Back in a sec!"
"Let's go to the trainers' lounge," Richard said to James as Livvi walked off to the reception desk.
"You go on ahead," James replied. "I've got something I need to do as well."
"Huh?" Richard gave him a confused look before shrugging. "Alright, see you in a bit."
He walked into the trainers' lounge and sat down on one of the sofas. He spread the town map out on the coffee table in front of him. Leaning forwards, he located Quest Island, with the far smaller Quest's End Island just to the north, close to the bottom of the map. Similar to Knot Island, Quest Island was a long and thin shape. The rest of the northern portion of the island beyond Tyslan City seemed largely flat and agricultural.
The southern portion was completely covered by the mountains and rocky hills they'd seen while coming in on the ferry. However, there were countless small valleys running through the mountains and even a fairly large canyon running down the length of the island from the bottom left of the northern portion all the way to a small fishing village on the southern tip of the island. According to the map, it was known as 'Sevault Canyon'.
Beyond Sevault Canyon lay a series of small islands off the southern tip. The map labelled them as the 'Tanoby Islands', and a description box described a series of mysterious, ruined chambers which were located on them.
"What do you think?"
Richard looked up upon hearing James' voice.
"You're back?" he said. "Did you get done what you needed to get done?"
"Yep!" James nodded. He pulled out a poké ball and held it out. "I sent Leytor back to Pallet Town and brought Saeloc back!"
"Ah, cool," Richard replied, though without much enthusiasm. "What brought this on?"
"I thought that Saeloc would make for a better training opponent than Leytor because she has more experience," James explained.
"That's fair, I guess," Richard replied. He turned back to look at the map.
"So what do you think?" James asked again. "Got anything in mind for the pre-league training?"
"Hmm." Richard studied the map of the south again. "I was thinking that we could go and explore Sevault Canyon. It seems like an ideal place to train."
"So you're thinking of going on a training expedition?" James grinned. "Sounds exciting. Let me see."
Richard passed the map to him. James started studying the map of Sevault Canyon and the description box next to it.
"It says that a lot of tough pokémon inhabit Sevault Canyon," he said. "And apparently lots of trainers use it to prepare for the Sevii League, so I don't think there'd be any problems with us going there."
"We'd need to be careful though – there are a lot fewer people living in the canyon," Richard said.
"It should be fine," James replied. "There are a couple of pokémon centres dotted along the canyon and some of the other valleys, and there's another one in Renia Town at the southern tip of the island."
"Looks like we've settled on it then!" Richard grinned. "Now we just need to restock our supplies and rest up for tomorrow!"
12:23pm, 31st July 2005
"Thank you for your patronage!" the shopkeeper called after James, Livvi and Richard as they left the shop.
"Alright, that sorts out food then!" said James. "Do we need anything else?"
"Hmm." Livvi thought for a couple of seconds. "How are we for medicine?"
"We've still got quite a bit," Richard replied. "But it's worth stocking up again before we head off to Sevault Canyon tomorrow."
"There'll be a Poké Mart around here, won't there?" James asked, looking around as they started walking along the street.
"I'd be surprised if there isn't," Richard replied.
"Do you think there's a local medicine shop we could stop by at instead?" Livvi asked.
"Don't know," Richard replied. "Why would you want to though – we can get a discount if we shop at Poké Mart."
"I know!" Livvi sighed. "I just thought it would be nicer to see what the local shops have."
"How about we look out for one and see how we feel," James said.
"Fine by me!" Livvi nodded.
"Yeah, it doesn't bother me that much," Richard replied.
"Great! Let's get moving then!" James led the way as they continued walking down one of the streets near the centre of town.
The weather had warmed up now that they were moving into the afternoon. It was an almost perfect balance between hot and cold, marred only slightly by the continuing chill in the breeze which occasionally blew down the street, causing the leaves on trees lining the road to rustle loudly. It was a relaxing sound when it was audible over the everyday noises of the city.
"What do you think this shop is?" Livvi asked as they stopped outside another one.
"I don't know." James walked up to the window and peered through. It looked more like a place that sold beauty products than the sort of place that would sell medicine. "I think we'll need to look elsewhere," he said, turning back to the others. "How big is the market district?"
"Fairly big," Livvi replied. "We've still got a lot left to look at."
"Let's keep searching then," said Richard. "We've got the rest of the day and we can fall back on the Poké Mart if we need to."
"Livvviiiiii!"
The three of them looked round upon hearing someone shout Livvi's name. Lostelle, the little girl from Atla Town on Kin Island, was running down the street towards them, a big grin on her face.
"Lostelle?" Livvi cried. "What are you doing here?"
"We came here on holiday!" Lostelle replied as she flung her arms around Livvi's waist.
"Don't run off, Lostelle!" Lostelle's father, a man in his mid-thirties with short, smart hair and grey eyes, called out as he hurried down the street towards them. "Ah! James, Livvi, Richard! It's good to see you again!"
"It's good to see you again as well!" Livvi quickly replied.
"I'm sorry that Lostelle seems to be causing you trouble again."
"Don't worry, she's not annoying me!" Livvi assured him.
"So I imagine you've come to Tyslan City on the way to Coloena Town for the Sevii League," Lostelle's father said, turning to Richard.
"That's right," Richard replied. "Though we've still got quite a while before it starts!"
"We're thinking of going into Sevault Canyon for a few days to train," James added.
"Sevault Canyon, eh?" Lostelle's father pondered for a couple of seconds. "I hear that it can be pretty rough in there sometimes – make sure that you take care of yourselves."
"We will!" Richard assured him.
"Richard! Richard! When the Sevii League starts, we're going to come and watch!" Lostelle called to him, finally releasing Livvi from her grip.
"You are?" Richard grinned. "Awesome! I'm counting on you to cheer for me then!"
"Uh-huh!" Lostelle nodded eagerly.
"If you've come to watch the Sevii League, then why did you get here so early?" James asked.
"We actually own a beach hut on one of the beaches on the northern shore of Quest Island," Lostelle's father explained. "So we decided to head there for a quick holiday before heading on to Coloena Town."
"Hey, hey, Livvi!" Lostelle tugged on her arm. "Come with us and play with me!"
"Huh?" Livvi gave her a surprised look.
"Lostelle!" Her father gave her a disapproving look. "Sorry about her, Livvi. You're more than welcome to come with us if you want though."
"How come we don't get an invitation?" Richard muttered to James.
"No idea," James whispered back. "I guess we're not as popular as Livvi is."
"It's okay." Livvi smiled at Lostelle. "I'd love to go!"
"Huh?!" James and Richard cried in unison.
"You're abandoning us?" Richard demanded.
"What about all those ruins on the Tanoby Islands you were so hyped up for?" James cried.
"Here." Livvi pulled out her camera and placed it in James' hands. "Make sure you get some great pictures for me!"
"Unbelievable." James shook his head, putting her camera into his backpack.
"We're going to be heading off tomorrow, so we'll meet up with you outside the pokémon centre," Lostelle's father told them.
"Alright." Livvi nodded. "I'm going to help James and Richard get supplies from their training expedition. See you tomorrow!"
"Bye, Livvi!" Lostelle hugged her again before tearing off down the street again, her father immediately setting off after her after a quick nod of farewell.
"Sorry, guys," Livvi said, turning to James and Richard. "But the beach is calling me!"
"Whatever." Richard shrugged. "Let's just get on with finding a medicine shop."
8:57am, 1st August 2005
"There isn't anything else we forgot to buy yesterday is there?" Livvi asked as the three of them left the pokémon centre
"We've got everything," James assured her. "You can stop worrying."
"You didn't get this anxious when we went to Berry Forest by ourselves that one time," Richard added.
"That was only for a couple of days though," Livvi replied. "You'll be in Sevault Canyon for much longer!"
"Livvi! Morning!" Lostelle called to them from the further down the street as she and her father approached them.
"Morning, Lostelle!" Livvi called back. "How are you?"
"I'm great, thanks!" Lostelle grinned.
"Looks like you two are all ready to go," Lostelle's father said to James and Richard as he reached them. "Make sure you take care of yourselves in Sevault Canyon."
"We will," James replied.
"We're sorry that you'll have to put up with Livvi for the next few days," Richard added.
"What was that, Richard?" Livvi snapped sharply.
"Nothing!" Richard replied quickly.
Livvi turned to look at James.
"You're absolutely sure that you've got everything?" she asked again.
"We've got a full stock of medicine, we've got plenty of food for both ourselves and our pokémon, and we've got the tent as a shelter," James replied, listing everything that they had which they needed. "If we get out there and find that we need something, then I'm sure we can buy something in one of the villages or towns along the way."
"I don't think you need to worry about them quite that much, Livvi!" Lostelle's father laughed. "They're both capable trainers and they've both been travelling for a while!"
"Alright." Livvi stepped forward and hugged both her friends. "Don't die, okay?"
"We're not going to die!" Richard cried in exasperation as he and James hugged her back.
"Come on, Livvi! Let's go!" Lostelle called.
"Okay." Livvi pulled back from the others. "See you guys in a few days!"
"Will do!" James replied.
"Take care of yourself, Livvi!" Richard added as they started walking away.
Canyon Entrance, Sevii Islands
10:31am, 1st August 2005
"I don't get why Livvi was suddenly being so clingy before we left," Richard grumbled as he and James walked along a rough, rugged path through the largely open terrain leading up to the main pass into Sevault Canyon. Quest Island's western coast lay to their right, the deep blue sea glittering in the sunlight. The imposing mountains that encased the southern portion of the island lay both ahead and to the left of them.
In order to enter Sevault Canyon, they'd needed to leave Tyslan City via the western side and follow a path across to the western side of the island. Once there, they'd turned south to head towards the valley that would lead them to Sevault Canyon beyond. The strip of open land nestled between the mountains and the western coast was known as 'Canyon Entrance' since it marked the easiest and safest route into the canyon.
"Don't be so hard on her," James replied to Richard. "She's probably still a bit shaken up over the whole thief gang thing from Fortune Island."
"I guess that's a possibility." Richard shrugged. "But we managed to defeat them easily when we actually fought them."
"You weren't there when we encountered them in Dotted Hole though," James said. "Livvi and I had briefly separated when the thieves captured me, so I imagine that's what was going through her mind."
"And yet she was perfectly willing to abandon us so she could head off to the beach," Richard sighed.
"I think you should give up on any hope of fully understanding, Livvi!" James laughed. "I have no idea what she's thinking most of the time!"
"That's probably true," Richard replied. "Oh well, even if we don't understand each other, we're still the best of friends!"
"Exactly!" James nodded, a satisfied look on his face. "Anyway, what should we do when we reach Sevault Canyon?"
"That's a tough question," Richard replied, frowning as he thought about it. "I don't really have a plan to be honest. Just 'training'."
"Well I think it would be a good idea to aim for Renia Town on the south coast," said James. "We can stop to train every now and again as we head down the canyon."
"And then we can head on to the Tanoby Islands once we reach Renia Town and get some photos of the Tanoby Ruins for Livvi," Richard concluded. "I like the sound of that plan!"
"I wonder what kind of pokémon live in Sevault Canyon," James said as they continued walking. The path was starting to lead them closer to the mountains. They could just about make out the entrance to the valley which would lead them into Sevault Canyon in the distance.
"I'm hoping that there'll be some tough ones for us to train against!" Richard replied with a grin. "I want to toughen up my team as much as possible before the Sevii League!"
"I hope that there isn't anything that's too tough for us to take down." James frowned.
"Don't worry!" Richard grinned reassuringly. "Even if there is, we've got enough pokémon between us to see them off!"
"Fair enough!" James replied, returning the grin. "It's probably worthwhile stopping off in one of the villages in the canyon to find out more about the place though."
"We can do that while we're passing through the valley into Sevault Canyon," Richard replied. "I'd be surprised if there weren't any there."
James nodded.
"We'll do that then," he said.
They continued walking for another hour, finally reaching the valley and starting to walk along a path on the northern side. The valley itself curled to the south-east slightly as it passed between two large peaks. Beyond that point lay Sevault Canyon.
Just as Richard had predicted, there were a number of small villages in the densely forested valley, though the first two they passed had been on the far side of the valley or down at the bottom. It took them another half an hour of walking before they finally walked into a small village of primarily wooden huts nestled amongst the trees lining the side of the valley.
"More travellers, eh?" An aging farmer looked up from working his field by the side of the path as James and Richard walked past.
"Excuse me!" James called. "What kind of pokémon live in Sevault Canyon?"
"All kinds," the farmer replied with a grin, putting down the hoe he was using and walking over to the edge of the field. "You'll find that there are some really rare pokémon out there that you can't find in any other part of the Sevii Islands."
"Are they strong?" Richard asked.
"If you want to know if they're good practice for the Sevii League, then I'd say so," the farmer replied. "You aren't the first trainers to pass through here to train for the league."
"That's a relief!" Richard grinned. "I was worried that it would be a wasted trip!"
"Now, now!" The farmer gave him an affronted look. "There's plenty more appeal in Sevault Canyon than just its wildlife!"
"Yeah, Richard!" James turned to him. "Don't forget about the Tanoby Ruins!"
"Well, that's not technically in Sevault Canyon, but…" the farmer muttered.
"How safe is the canyon?" James asked, turning back to the farmer.
"Hmm." The farmer pondered the question. "I'd say it's a fairly safe place as long as you're careful. Obviously, you're more out in the wilderness in the canyon than you would be in the north of the island, but there are many villages dotted around where you could find help if you needed it."
"Alright, thanks for the information!" James replied.
"You're more than welcome, young trainers!" The farmer grinned. "Good luck with all your training!"
"Thanks!" Richard grinned back as he and James started walking along the path again.
And so begins the Sevault Canyon arc!
Now, I know what you're probably thinking: 'Talarc, after all the fuss about the group getting back together last chapter, why on Earth have you split them up again?' which is a good question. I don't actually know myself – the plan said that they were to split up, so I split them up. But at least we get a slightly different dynamic this time (James and Richard as opposed to James and Livvi).
Anyway, that's all for this week. As ever, your thoughts on this chapter would be greatly appreciated. Oh, before I forget, I'm visiting friends next weekend, so I'm going to push Chapter 26's upload date back to next Monday (25th July) instead. There is a chance that I might be back in time to upload next Sunday, but assume that I won't.
Until next time!
Team Listings:
James' Team:
Active:
Charka (Charmeleon): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): mal, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thunderbolt, Agility, Slam and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Rock Slide, Screech, Cross Chop and Brick Break.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Aerial Ace, Leech Life, Giga Drain and Spore.
Cuba (Marowak): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Bone Club, Double-Edge, Bonemerang and Bone Rush.
Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Slash, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.
In Pallet Town:
Leytor (Seel): male, careful, good perseverance, likes bitter food, water type, Thick Fat ability, known moves are Water Pulse, Take Down, Safeguard and Ice Beam.
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.
Dorru (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.
Cylune (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, known moves are Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.
Evoro (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, known moves are Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.
Salea (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, known moves are Softboiled, Refresh, Double Slap and Egg Bomb.
Tavro (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, known moves are Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.
Richard's Team:
Active:
Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Horn Attack, Megahorn, Poison Sting and Double Kick.
Sting (Beedrill): male, hardy, often dozes off, eats anything, bug-poison type, Swarm ability, known moves are Focus Energy, Poison Sting, Twineedle and String Shot.
Spear (Fearow): male, mild, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal-flying type, Keen Eye ability, known moves are Drill Peck, Double Team, Aerial Ace and Agility.
Helix (Omastar): male, naïve, somewhat stubborn, likes sweet food, rock-water type, Shell Armour ability, known moves are Spike Cannon, Water Gun, Ancient Power and Tickle.
Flare (Ponyta): male, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, fire type, Flash Fire ability, known moves are Take Down, Agility, Bounce and Ember.
Tory (Exeggutor): male, brave, strong willed, likes spicy food, grass-psychic type, Chlorophyll ability, known moves are Leech Seed, Confusion, Solar Beam (in progress) and Egg Bomb.