Yoni touched the badge at his pocket for what felt like the millionth time. His fingers roamed around it feeling its texture and shape, assessing every detail of its form through the use of touch. What could he possibly say except that he had never dreamed of owning one? That if he didn't keep touching it would become less and less real?

As he walked Yoni did not care about how tired he was, or even how bureaucracy, ever so slow, had made it so he had lost most of the afternoon to the process. As Yoni stepped through the sand, feeling so happy he could almost hop he did not care about it.

The late afternoon sun felt hot, and it made him sweat, but Yoni did not mind it. His smell was barely offensive compared to the enormous amount of regulars at Brawly's Gym and their training. Awaiting the forms to be treated, Brawly having stepped of shortly after handing the badge to do some personal training, exercising kind, he had been left to his own devices. Yoni had kept himself busy, he had chatted with the person handling his form, who had called him Johto rustic, something he had chosen to take as a compliment, and he had watched the people exercise. Yoni had watched in fascination as people paid to tire themselves out. Punching, kicking, running and cycling, Yoni could in his candid interest ignore the smell.

Back in Johto no one would have done so! After all, though Yoni wouldn't dare call it laziness, out of such hard work came an appreciation for rest He had never experienced it himself, as he did not work, but his father had often said that the moment he dropped his tools, arrived home and sat at his favorite recliner, a recliner that had followed them all the way from Johto to Hoenn… That was heavenly. Yoni couldn't relate, but he did wonder if that dive into his duvet and bed after a long day of exploring, the smell of home, was similar.

The walk was not a long one, and he did not think it was particularly demanding, but still, he walked with his head held high. Though he didn't seek fame, and he thought it very unlikely to be something that he would gain, or claim, he still foresaw the possibility of being recognised. While the handing of the badge and the casual shake of hands, which Brawly had morphed into a fist bump, had been mostly private, an after-effect of the process taking so long to be finalised was that his photograph was taken with lots of people present. He could still see the one or two flashes, hear the polite and not at all enthusiastic claps.

Yoni understood. Dewford was a town. A small town, but a town nonetheless. It had a Gym, and surely it received challengers every other week. Him winning was the biggest thing that had happened in his life, something that made him smile in satisfaction, with a 20 feet wide smile capable of blinding anyone who looked, as if they'd glared at the sun, but still it was just an average everyday event to them.

Yoni touched the badge once more. He had it! How could he not be satisfied at that? And sure, the truth was it hadn't brought him anything, except a hefty sum in victory money and the signing of a contract allowing the use of his image on Hoenn Elite match tv screenings, but it had brought him the most important thing he could ask for, happiness.

Having a badge seemed to have affected his Pokemon as well. He guessed the old saying about how badges increase a Pokemon's respect for someone was true- The differences were subtle but for someone who cared as much about his Pokemon as he did, they were there. Small and insignificant but they were still progress.

Had they not been so tired, as if ready to collapse Yoni thought it likely that he would pick them up to hug and hold. He felt so proud of his Pokemon! Though he was happy for himself, and he was the one who had earned the respect, truly the work had been done by them. Yoni felt like his chest could burst, as he felt a warm feeling. It wasn't only happiness that sat there, but also a sense of closeness with them.

Battling with his Pokemon had allowed him to come closer than ever to them, to understand that Ventisca was more than a desire for berries or Prim a overly ungroomed bag of arrogance. To be totally in synchrony with them, had been one of the, if not the best parts of the battle.

For the first time since the moment where it had become clear he had done it and won the badge, Yoni stopped. Thinking about his Pokemon had, once more, given him pause. While they had been tired, far too tired to do much celebrating, Yoni thought it appropriate to show his appreciation. The Pokemon Center was already visible up ahead, as Dewford was not a big town and everything sat near but Yoni's steps found themselves not in the direction of it, though it sat so close he could practically touch it, but rather to his right..

Yoni did not know where he was moving towards, nor did he know what he planned on doing. Though his Pokemon were ready to rest he himself wasn't. An itching sort of energy had seemed to made itself known, and even if Yoni's mind had settled into a slower speed his body hadn't. He felt the need to move, and spend all that energy the adrenaline of the battle had given him.

Doing so wasn't exactly fair to his Pokemon though. Yoni felt the same hesitation he so often felt when it came to making decisions. Yoni wasn't someone that made snap decision, not usually and that was clear to him.

Was it the fact he wanted to get fish and juicy berries for Ventisca and Prim that made it so he walked now in another direction? Yoni had started walking and though he pursed his lips in thought and wrinkled his brow in doubt, he still questioned it. Was it a desire to reward his Pokemon, the ones that had done so well, or was it something else?

Yoni had to admit that he felt pride on his badge, and, with it in hand, wanted as many people to know about his achievement as possible. It was the same childish excitement that he had when he had a rare Pokemon Card randomly placed amidst his packs, and wanted everyone to know. Only this one was intensified a thousand fold because he hadn't won the badge he now circled in his hands and felt the texture of almost religiously due to luck, but due to skill. That was what he tried to tell himself, though Yoni was aware that a lot of luck had been involved. There had been a series of ifs and chances that had allowed him to earn the badge, and he knew it.

Still, and at that Yoni tightened his grip on the badge, he had gotten it. Whether it had been through luck, skill, surprises or determination didn't matter, he held it. Any doubts about his worth could be swiftly silenced and squashed by the good words Brawly had said about him, and his Pokemon.

His partnership and friendship with those two was something he appreciated more than anyone could possibly know as he himself did not know the full extent of his love for them. Prim and Ventisca's bond with him was something that had been growing and that he very much wished to nurture.

And then there was Munna.

Yoni sighed as he thought about the little pink Pokemon. While his bond with Ventisca and Prim could be thought of as more solid than any Geodude his father had ever dug from the fields, his relationship with Munna was considerably shakier. While she had allowed him to approach him, eventually, it was clear that their truce was only that, a truce. Munna had no love for him, he felt, and him ignoring her by focusing his thoughts on Ventisca and Prim was not helping matters.

That sure was a way to put a damper on his excitement over getting the badge. Somehow Yoni did not think the Munna would respect him any more for having won the badge. What Munna needed, Yoni thought, was time. She needed to come to trust him and that would take effort of his part. It would certainly take more than letting her stay in her Pokeball.

Much like with his situation with Munna Yoni realised he was lost. He had no idea where he was going. While he had walked in the direction of the water, maybe attracted by the smell, maybe in an unconscious decision to fish, he hadn't found a store. That did not mean that any did not exist, but as he approached the beach, past the point where he had first seen Wallace, and closer still to the edge of the water, the buildings grew scarcer and scarcer leading to a wide open sandy beach.

Yoni was not surprised by the beach, or even the vas expanse on ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see but he wasn't exactly thrilled. He supposed he could fish here, or ask someone where the closest store was but he did not feel like that would be a good idea.

Back in Johto Yoni's neighbors and family had a close relation. It was the kind of place where doors were left unlocked, and people were close. Homely, small, cozy. Yoni quite liked it. Though visits from other members of the small community were rare, they all had their own flocks, livestock and plants to deal with, when they came those were some of Yoni's favorite moments. Being awake after the regular hour, firewood cracking, home made meals and drinks being passed around. It was a rare enough event that whenever it happened it held that aura of specialness. Pokemon cuddled by the fire, it was a chance for Yoni to show off his rarest Pokemon cards.

Not quite in Hoenn, though. It might have been a city thing rather than a region thing, because if Yoni were honest even in Olivine people had been colder and more abrupt, but people in Hoenn didn't really inspire much confidence. They were nice and polite and could be talked to - assuming that Yoni could be understood with his accent, but they seemed to be in a rush and didn't quite appreciate being stopped on their way.

Dewford wasn't exactly Rustboro and the atmosphere was more relaxed, he had to admit, but still that gave Yoni pause. Maybe he was just, as he had been called Johto Rustic, but he hesitated in asking for directions. The only person that had been even remotely close to as open about his life as someone from his little community had been-

Yoni paused, as if struck by something. He had completely forgotten to tell Wally about his victories! Wally who had been there for him and to whom he talked to pretty much every day. Wally who cheered his victories, and cried his defeats. He had to tell him.

His knowledge, shared by Brawly that Moo Moo milk could be bought in Slateport at the market, where Yoni could find other Johto treats, did nothing to help him then. Still, he thought it probably wise to wait to reward Prim and Ventisca then. A slight tint came to his ears, as he recalled that Prim did enjoy Moo Moo milk.

Dewford wasn't exactly big, not compared to Rustboro, but it was bigger than what Yoni had known most of his life. He thought it best to retrace his steps, and wait until Slateport and the market to give them a reward.

Thinking about Wally and his reaction to his victory gave him the drive to continue forward. He had to get to a Pokemon Center so that he could phone Wally in good quality, even if his Pokenav could theoretically call from anywhere.

It was a road, the long road, but that was for the future. His happiness obscured any doubts or worries, but it also made making plans a dangerous prospect. It might have been the long road, but for now he had a trek to made, and this was just a short walk.

( ... )

Yoni played with a frayed edge of a flyer as he awaited for the call to connect. He had gotten very adept at using the Pokenav one handed, as it seemed that it could be fitted in a groove between his shoulder blades and cheeks, using the neck as leverage. Yoni read the flyer as he wondered about whether the Pokenav was designed that way. He thought it probable, he'd like to believe those engineers and scientists at Devon were smart, for his own sake. He DID carry their name in most of the clothing, so…

As a third beep came, Yoni's attention was pushed from wondering and questioning the Hoenn Region and it's amazing technology to the words on the Flyer. A deep, grooved "M" with lines inside it took center stage, over a black background with what appeared to be a volcano in it. Yoni instinctively tried to see if he recognised the volcano. He didn't seem to, but then he was only really familiar with the Cinnabar one, due to the news on that spotty TV with bad reception his family had had back in Johto, apparently it was in danger of erupting. The volcano provided a nice base for the "M", supporting it, and while Yoni did not recognise the volcano it still provided a nice framing. As the phone beeped once more Yoni read the text in yellow at the bottom, which was printed in a bombastic and impactful font.

Do you consider the land a valuable asset? Walk, explore, use it for sustenance! If you have an appreciation for land, assess the possibility of joining Team Magma today!

For whatever reason as he read the words his thoughts went into a dozen different directions. From the pompous, overly elaborate way it was spelled, Yoni wondered if this was a science club, or maybe even a fan group. From the words he could decipher, though he had to pause briefly to remember the meaning of assess, it seemed that this group loved the land as much as his pirate friends had loved the sea. Yoni wondered where they were, had they gone to the caves yet? If they were still around he could use the ride…

As a farmer, or, well, the son of some, he could see why Team Magma would enjoy the land, as he could see why his pirate friends would enjoy the water so much. Of course his parents had relied on both, in a balance to sustain new life, but still.

Before he could get lost in his memories of childhood, and his ties to Johto, which he still missed if the face he was making was any indication, Yoni thought it best to focus on his call with Wally. He had already shown weakness and vulnerability to Wally several times, as they had become friends, but he thought it best not to sound wishful. It wasn't like he was feeling a severe sense of unhappiness, despite the slight frown in his face, he had just won a badge!

A fourth beep and Yoni wondered whether or not Wally would pick up. He should have had his Pokenav with him, shouldn't he? Yoni certainly put his on his pockets, and he had noticed a screw for what he assumed was a hook to put it in a belt. Yoni had never played much with screws as his father had kept the tools safely stored, but still he could recognise it A fifth ring and Yoni thought to hang up. In his mind it was clear that Wally wasn't available.

Yoni's desire to talk with Wally did not extend as far as repeated calls so as to force Wally to pick up. If Wally couldn't, Wally couldn't, he'd call back whenever he was available. Though there were times where Wally had taken a few rings to pick up, due to the lack of breath and slowness at picking up, he had never taken this long. Having figured out how to call and disconnect even with no buttons, only a smooth screen, Yoni was about to do that when he heard a click and Wally's voice rang...

"Hey Yoni. It's nice to hear from you!", Yoni's voice came as light as Yoni felt, as Wally seemed, from his voice at least, genuinely glad to hear from him. Wally's voice in fact seemed charged with happiness as he talked. "Me and Ralts have just been training…".

"Still bugs?", Yoni's lightheartedness at having won the badge, mixed with a genuine interest on the progress of his friend, made it so Yoni couldn't wait to hear the answer to his slight tease. He was enjoying himself ,as he always did when he talked with Wally.

"We've moved on", and Yoni could hear and deduce through his voice that he was smiling. Yoni felt a warm feeling his chest as he realised that Wally hadn't yet coughed during the conversation. He guessed Verdantruf air really was doing wonders for the boy.

There was rustling as cracking as Wally moved and Yoni thought it to be likely that he was now moving on with his ralts. Though Yoni had never seen one, as they were kind of rare, he could image the big goofy grin on his face as Wally showered with love and praise. He didn't even need to say it, as Ralts could feel it.

"Oh?", Yoni inquired.

"Yes, from bugs to plants!", Wally's voice got a little bit affected, bordering on shrill, even despite his quietness, and Yoni understood that there was more to it than that. 10 seconds turned into 30 and then Wally finally talked. "Ralts is getting stronger, even beat up some Eletrikes that had wandered super far West….-"

Yoni could clearly see Wally too had been progressing and training, and needed complimenting on doing that.

"In Johto we had Mareep. Sheeps with static fur that when you rub give out sparks!", Yoni remembered being told not to bother the Mareep on several ocasions at it could be dangerous for him, and them, Mareep were off the wall fluffy and always eager for a pet, but his dad was right in that the static shocks kinda hurt.

Though his family hadn't owned Mareep, the sense of community was so great he could move through other's fields and play with their Pokemon. Yoni usually stuck to behind the ear cuddles, the Mareep actually turning ther head so as to make it easy. They had a lot of potencial. It would ruin the wool exports, but they could one day turn into Ampharos! Yoni really wanted one, above all, he remembered the plushie on top his bedroom bed. It was a good thing Mareep didn't evolve out of happiness, because those were given daily pets.

"Oh they're more of a dog like thing…",Wally said by way of the Pokenav. Yoni, still smiling only nodded, before realising what the problem with that was. He simply hummed in agreement instead.

"I like to hear you happy, Yoni. You always are, it's incredible!", Wally seemed genuinely happy for Yoni and Yoni couldn't help but enjoy the candidness on Wally's voice.

"Me too, it's hard not to be happy when...you and Ralts are going to love this!", Yoni thought to include Ralts too as he would feel the no doubt excitement Wally would feel at his announcement. Without giving Wally time to prepare or sit himself, something he hadn't asked him to do anyhow Yoni simply stated what had happened. "I won a badge!"

Yoni had thought Wally on the path to recovery, sure, but he wouldn't deny that he was still sickly so Yoni did not expect the high pitched scream that assaulted his ears. It was such a long one that even the nurse looked at him. Yoni felt silly, hadn't he wanted to scream earlier? It was hardly the time or place, but his smile grew.

For someone with respiratory problems, it was crazy the amount of air Wally had managed to conjure for he screamed like 20 seconds. When the air ended however, it was followed by the nastiest most deep coughs and wheezing Yoni had ever heard. It was like they came straight from deep within Wally's chest, and for the first time Yoni thought not of how amazing the speaker and microphone were, but rather cursed it. Wally seemed to be in pain, and the only time Yoni had ever even even coughed up that much had been when he had had pneunomia. A time Yoni still remembered with dread.

Yoni wished more than anything that he could be at Wally's side, doing little taps to his back, helping him breath, but he was far too far away to be able to help. Yoni hoped that Wally's Ralts, the one that had been battling at his side could help.

Minutes passed or at least that what it felt like to Yoni. He found himself unable to help and unsure of what to do, tell Wally to breathe and try to calm him down? Stay quiet? And let Wally recover? In the end he ended up not really doing any, preferring instead to stand there biting his lip and occasionally opening his mouth to let out an utter that was soon silenced.

At last the coughing stopped, or at least reduced itself to such a level where Yoni thought Wally was probably getting regular air intake. Yoni imagined that Wally was red, but it was not like he could see it. Sure he had spied a little camera icon on the Pokenav, and the screen was great, but it wasn't like they had joined the calls and the camera, to make some kind of futuristic face to face television like chat, was there?

Yoni's apology caught Wally's attempt at saying something and they both shut up, only for both of them to try talking at the same time. Finally Wally, whose scream had seem to drain much of his energy, though not his excitement at Yoni having won the match. Wally seemed to be as happy if not more than Yoni was, even to the point of jeopardising his help.

"I'm sorry", Yoni said earnestly. He really did feel as if he had endangered Wally. Wally who was stuck in all of one route due to his illness. Yoni was beginning to realise what he had done might have come out as insensitive. "I'm rubbing it in."

"You are not.", Wally declared and as if sensing that Yoni was opening his mouth to protest, Wally cut him off before he had a chance to start. "It's normal to share victories with friends, so that they can be glad together." there was an hesitation, a pause, and Wally asked the question that clearly had been on his mind.

"We...we are friends right? I know I said we are rivals but that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?", the doubt and worry that had crept into Wally's voice did nothing to assuage his guilt, either. It seemed to Yoni that whenever he called Wally it was to talk about himself and his victories and achievements, how tone deaf could he get?

"You are. You are probably my best friend.", Yoni thought that assuring Wally felt good about their relationship and friendship was his number one priority."Like, kids my age? At least I assume you are my age, I never asked? It doesn't matter, now!", Yoni was drifting away from the topic so he saw fit to get himself back on track. "Besides you, I've got one other friend, maybe. Izzie, she's uh - and she's nowhere near as close as you are, in fact I hadn't thought about her since leaving Rustboro."

Yoni heard Wally sigh in what he hoped was relief. Yoni's words were truthful and he truly meant them and he hoped Wally could see that. While Yoni was polite enough to engage in respectful conversation, and accent notwithstanding he was perfectly understandable, he had never had many children to hang around with. Even at trainer school, other than Izzie, who made sure Yoni was avaliable by chatting even if he wasn't until the time he was, he hadn't really interacted with anyone his age. He had fought Joey who seemed not much younger, bu, other than that nothing.

"I'm surprised!", Wally said and Yoni shrugged his shoulders. "You're so nice! How come you don't have that many friends?"

Yoni shrugged though Wally couldn't see it and answered it one word "Geography". It was a concise clear, simple answer that, somehow, completely eluded Wally."

Yoni fiddled with the Pokenav in his ear while thinking of another way to put it. The device was surprisingly comfortable in its grip, but still, Yoni had to do something to fill the silence, just as Brawly was always doing something to combat stillness.

Wally's voice had grown in strength and he seemed to be composing quite well after his outset of coughing. Yoni did not comment on that, for doing so would be rude, but still he took note of

It. Using his memories as a point of reference and his first conversation with Wally as a finish marker on his tale of friendships, which was so far a two picture scrapbook if one didn't count authority figures.

""Whoah", that was all that Wally said after Yoni finished his story.

"Yes, so don't think I'm some big friendship expert, because I'm not. We're kind of in the same boat, and this being Hoenn and all -." Yoni didn't have to explain the joke. Everyone knew about it and some even said that it had too much water. Yoni looked again at the poster for the so called Magma group, as if to confirm it.

"I'm not really one either", and if Wally had sounded happy, and filled with energy, so much that he had almost coughed a lung out, now he seemed more deliberate with his words, as if they were barbed and he didn't want to cut himself too deeply with them.

"It's not like the other kids were mean to me, I mean…", Wally sniffed, or at least Yoni thought it to be what he heard, though it could have easily been a quick breath intake. "Nobody beats the sick kid, but...yeah, I was sick", there was a rustling as if Wally were pushing a plastic bag or something, and then Yoni realised it was him moving through grass. "Nobody really wanted to come too close with me…"

Yoni mmmed in appreciation for his words. Though his situation was different he was all too familiar with the solitude. He couldn't very well claim to have been lonely, not when he had his community, but amidst Pokemon cards and lots of exploring he had somehow convinced himself he hadn't missed out. Wally hadn't even had that chance, though his Ralts kept him company it wasn't as if that replaced friends entirely.

"Well you have me and that other Johto kid, what did you say his name was again?", it was an attempt to try and make Wally feel better rather than a need to know more about the other boy that made it so he asked, and Wally seemed to perk up.

"Brendan, he was really nice, and so are you, I figure it's a Johto thing…", and before Yoni had a chance to thank him, Wally dropped a real bomb. "I'm kinda lowkey hoping you two meet, you'd like each other I feel."

Yoni had entertained the thought briefly before, how could he not? A dash of familiarity in this brand new land, but he had figured all he could possibly do would be kill his homesickness through those Johto treats. The same ones Prim apparently enjoyed so much.

"Make a friendship group? Have our own secret base?", Yoni did not chide himself for his childness, because Wally managed to get him to talk like that. He managed to push past his Johto facade and make him feel comfortable.

"There's actually a way to do them with Pokemon here…" Wally said, and Yoni took note of that for later. "But I'm serious. You promised we'd meet right?"

"Of course", Yoni said, though he had to admit something "Though I have no idea how you look…"

"It's more fun to wonder…" Wally said jokingly before adding he would be wearing a green scarf that day. "What about we change our meeting place? Mauville has some nice little parks and restaurants, and we can split the bill.", Wally paused for like 10 seconds. "It's not a date, just a friends meeting!"

Lower, so low that Yoni had to push the Pokenav to his ear despite the good speakers and speakers in the device Wally confessed something.

"I was thinking of challenging the Mauville Gym and your victory is like a sign to me…", Wally's voice was light and friendly again. "Uncle thinks it's a bad idea, but if you're there for me, I'm sure he'll give in to peer pressure. You are enjoying your journey aren't you?"

Yoni had to admit that he was. It had seemed a far fetched dream that he had a long time ago, but now that he had it he had to admit it lived to everything he had thought it would be. The bond with his Pokemon had only increased too, and Yoni couldn't think of much to complain.

"When I'm not attacked by bugs", he said, also jokingly, before admitting how much he was enjoying it." ... More than you can imagine. I think it'd be good for you!"

And it would, Yoni was certain of it. It wasn't that Wally was imature, or poorly taken care of, but he was lonely. He seemed to be finding some confidence at last and Yoni thought that a journey could only increase it.

By the sound of his voice Wally was not only smiling, he was beaming.

"Thank you! I hope it works out!" there was a pause as Yoni heard the little mutterings of a Ralts, or at least he assumed it to be a Ralts through the speaker, and then Wally talked. "Hey, I got to go, talk soon?"

Yoni couldn't help but smile.

"Talk soon. Take care."

Wally hung up and just then, after the call had been dropped, did Yoni realise he had not asked Wally's age, shaking his head at himself he realised how happy he was. Wally had done wonders to his mood, and all that talk about loneliness seemed to give him ideas. He looked at the Pokemon where Munna was guiltily. Soon.