In this chapter, Brendan and May encounter a variety of cities, routes, people, and pokemon on their path to reach the next accessible gym.
Disclaimer: Spoiler alert, I don't own Pokemon or any of its characters.
"Hmm..." Brendan examined his map. "It doesn't look like we can get to Fortree without Surf."
"I guess we head West into Verdanturf Town, huh?" suggested May, peeking behind him. The two of them had back-tracked to Mauville to figure out where to go next. Eventually, the two of them settled on crossing through Verdanturf, back into Rustboro, and then heading South until reaching Dewford Town and its gym.
Route 117 was fairly straightforward, literally. The short route was a straight line from Mauville to Verdanturf, though May liked all of the different flower varieties found there as she and Brendan zipped through the path on the Mach Bike. Fortunately for them, the trainer battles and wild pokemon in the area were pretty weak, so it was a breeze for the experienced pair. Brendan took the opportunity to evolve his under-leveled Seedot along the way, and he successfully evolved it into a Nuzleaf.
Verdanturf Town was even smaller and more peaceful than Lavaridge Town, though there were no delights quite like the hot springs. The clean air and nice breeze provided another nice break spot for Brendan and May, so they decided to have a picnic there for lunch.
"It would be terrible if another bug were to show up and eat your sandwich again," teased Brendan, recalling a much earlier part of their journey.
"Oh, shut up," replied May, "I'll be fine now. I've got strong teammates that can keep me safe from any surprises, right Combusken?" The girl patted her fire- and fighting-type starter to its delight. "Plus, I've seen you use Thorn [A/N: the nickname of Brendan's Dustox, if you remember] in battle so many times that I think I'm over bugs now."
"You say that," Brendan began, feeding Thorn, "but I hear there's a huge centipede pokemon over in Galar, and that it can transform to be the size of a stadium." The boy nonchalantly continued eating his sandwich and tried to rile up his rival across from him.
"Ugh, Brendan, I'm trying to eat here!" she whined in disgust, trying to finish her meal. After the trainers and their pokemon were filled, they packed up and headed North into Rusturf Tunnel, which connected Verdanturf and Rustboro City.
However, when they entered the incomplete tunnel, they recognized some familiar blue stripes and a bony insignia. Sure enough, a pair of Team Aqua Grunts was attempting to steal an old man's Wingull on the other side of the tunnel. May's Combusken made quick work of the rocks that split the ends of the tunnel apart, and the two trainers rushed in to help.
"Hold it right there, you incompetent pirates," insulted Brendan as he sent out his Nuzleaf.
"Wh- Oh snap, it's the brats, dude!" one of the the grunts shouted, releasing the old man.
"We're just low-level grunts, man! Let's get out of here!" the other responded. The grunt could at least realize how low-leveled his Poochyena was compared to Brendan and May's pokemon; with this realization, the pair of henchmen bailed without a successful theft.
"Are you alright, sir?" May asked, helping the elderly man up.
"Y-yes, I'll be okay, thank you. What's important is that my darling Peeko is okay!" he hugged his Wingull companion. "You two must be pokemon trainers, yes? The way you scared those fools away gives me the indication." May and Brendan introduced themselves. "Ah, I see, a young pair of gym challengers, eh? Well, my name is Mr. Briney, and I just so happen to be an experienced sailor! I can provide you two passage to Dewford and Slateport on my boat, as a way to show my thanks."
"Really? Thank you, Mr. Briney! We'll take you up on your offer," May responded with a grin.
The two trainers headed out with the wise sailor and his companion westward to Rustboro City; along the way, Brendan managed to capture a calm and peaceful Swablu, finally adding a flying-type to his party. May also caught a rare Eevee in the bushes! After a brief break at Rustboro's Pokemon Center, the group traveled south through Petalburg Woods, wherein Briney shared tales of him and Peeko travelling the seas and May reminded Brendan of their time going through these woods before. Before long, they arrived at Mr. Briney's port on Route 104.
Naturally, the curious and adventurous trainers opted to stand at the front of the boat as Mr. Briney sailed. They felt the breeze in their faces, smelled the salty seas of Hoenn, spotted flocks of Wingull, and identified schools of Goldeen, Magikarp, Carvanha, and even Wailmer!
"There are so many great things to see in Hoenn," Brendan remarked. "It's got a whole different feel to it compared to Johto," he added, recalling his former region of residence. "You know, at first, I wasn't really sure about travelling everywhere with you, but it's turned out pretty fun. It's nice to have more than pokemon to talk to."
"Despite how annoying you can be sometimes, I feel the same way!" May shouted over the sound of the boat and the waves with a smile. "This whole adventure has been really fun, even in spite of all the scary and dangerous things we've been through. And I can't wait to see what will come next!"
"Well, here we are, trainers!" Mr. Briney shouted from behind the boat's wheel. The small boat slowed to a stop by the shore of Dewford Town. "Peeko and I will wait here for you for when you want to sail to another place, just say the word!" explained the sailor, saluting his two passengers. Brendan and May gave their thanks again and headed into the seaside town to progress their adventure.