Welcome to Chapter 8! I hope the title doesn't spoil too much for y'all but I also couldn't find a definition for the wreck of a boat, (it apparently is still called a shipwreck?!) so I hope it still works for y'all. I'm just gonna let y'all read from here before I spoil anything else with my big mouth /
Rustboro City
June 5, 2016. 08:00
Morning sun seeps through the window as Conner's PokeNav's alarm rings, but he quickly reaches over and turns it off before it can beep twice.
"Alright guys, get up. We have a boat to catch." Conner said, sitting up and getting out of bed. The two Pokémon remain asleep in their respective Pokémon beds. "After breakfast." Conner sighed.
Nova immediately perked up and ran to Conner, begging to be held as Pyro silently woke, standing up and crossing its yellow arms.
"Good. We'll have to get it To-Go". Conner said, after putting on his boots before slinging his bag over his shoulder and scooping up Nova.
The three soon headed out and downstairs to the main lobby where Nurse Joy is busy dealing with a boy's sick Zigzagoon.
"See you around Conner!" Nurse Joy yelled as the trio walked out. Conner responded with a light wave as they strolled down the block.
"Cool, glad this PokeNav thing has a map". Conner said, scrolling through a digital map on the device. He then spotted a 5-star restaurant nearby on the map called Rustboro City Pasta. The restaurant is apparently well known for their breakfast pasta Carbonara, and Pokémon friendly Pasta dishes.
"Sounds interesting. Breakfast pasta guys?" Conner asked his two Pokémon.
"Ralts Ralts!" Nova sounded affirmatively.
"Comb- Comb!" Pyro sounded with enthusiasm, but then quickly went back to folding its arms and being stoic.
"I saw that tough guy". Conner joked, making Pyro blush, looking away even more frustrated."C'mon guys, let's go eat!" Conner said, picking up pace toward the block Rustboro City Pasta Restaurant.
While Nova clung to Conner's shirt, Conner soon began to notice Pyro keeping up quite easily. This gave Conner an idea as they arrived at the famous Restaurant. When they got there, Conner noticed a big Closing sign by the door of the rather small brown diner style restaurant, and the food was 50% off, as advertised just below the closing soon sign. A long line stretched all the way down the block, full of people and Pokémon desperate to get a final dish of the famous Rustboro City Pasta Restaurant. The line seemed to be moving quickly, as many seemed to walk out in droves with takeout bags.
"Maybe if we bring some for Mr. Briney, he won't mind if we're a tad late?" Conner shrugged, looking at Nova.
"Won't mind…?"
"What?"
"Ralts?" Nova chimed, looking at Conner.
Conner soon stepped in line behind a silver haired lady in yellow with a canine Pokémon that is mainly colored black with a long orange snout and an orange underbelly. It has small, red eyes and a black nose. Around its neck is a white band with a small skull-shaped pendant on its throat. There are two white bands on each of its ankles, as well as three rib-like ridges on its back.It also has a long, skinny tail with a triangular tip and three clawed toes on each paw. On top of its head is a pair of long, curved gray horns.
Conner then held Nova in his hands, holding her in line. She then began looking towards advertisers on the building wall next to them.
"…Get…Su…pp..er…Re….pel….tO..day…"
"Huh? Nova, are you reading that? You can read?!" Conner stammered, impressed by Nova's skill. "How?"
"Won't…mind…today." Nova tried to piece together, but failed to make sense.
"Well if you want to learn more, maybe I'll teach you whenever we have some free time." Conner said, placing her back on his shoulder.
"Ralts Ralts!" Nova chirped excitedly.
"But first we gotta get through this long line first…" Conner groaned.
"Yeah, tell me about it." The lady ahead muttered as well.
Rustboro City Outskirts (south)
June 5, 2016. 11:51
"Ugh, best Pasta ever. Much different than back on earth." Conner commented, holding his stomach. Nova and Pyro were also holding their stuffed bellies too as the trio walked away from the small picnic bench in a small plaza in South Rustboro.
Conner could easily see the exit sign to Route 104, about 6 blocks down. Conner could see and smell the hot steaming smell of Pasta coming from the takeout bag for Mr. Briney.
"Wanna race to Briney's, Pyro?" Conner asked, putting the food safely in a spacious compartment in his bag.
"Combusk?" Pyro sounded, looking back at Conner.
"Yeah. The PokeDex says you have powerful legs, so every day is gonna be leg day." Conner said, nudging the adamant Combusken.
"Busken." Pyro screeched quietly, folding its arms.
"Oh so you think you can beat me?"
"Combusken!" Pyro chirped affirmatively.
Nova began to hold on tighter, worried about falling off as Conner and Pyro began to pick up their pace gradually until the three finally reached the large rustic gates to Route 104. Ahead they could spot the massive forest of Petalburg Woods looming in the distance as the path before that mostly consisted of green grass and a long, low creaky fishing bridge stretched over the lake not far ahead.
"Alright so we race to th-"
"Ralts!" Nova sounded, full of anxiety.
Conner then grabbed her Pokeball. "Don't worry, you'll be safe in here. You can come back out once we're at Briney's." Conner assured Nova, who let out a small wispy sigh of relief as she transformed into red energy and was sucked into the ball capsule.
"Alright, you ready to race, Pyro!"
"Combusken!" Pyro screeched affirmatively, taking a stance.
"We race to Briney's. Ready?!" Conner said, taking a stance of his own.
"Combusken!" Pyro flared, as it's talons began to dig into the ground.
"Three!….Two!….One!. Go!" Conner yelled before taking off in an average human level sprint, as Pyro easily caught up, kicking up massive amounts of dust behind them as Pyro began to inch ahead in speed.
"Busken!" Pyro chirped confidently before taking off ahead of Conner, leaving him in the dust.
Conner then quickly picked up his pace, managing to catch up to Pyro just before they reached the fishing bridge. Pyro had a face of shock and surprise to see Conner easily catching up.
"You're fast, but I'm only getting started!" Conner said, now speeding past Pyro before taking off in a running leap at the edge of the lake, leaping high up and over it.
Pyro stopped running completely as it stood there in shock, mouth open in awe as Conner did something no other human could do, getting gasps of shock from nearby fishermen and the twins Conner once had a double battle with before.
Conner soon landed with a loud crash, shaking the ground a little before standing up and dusting himself off. He then looked to Pyro from across the narrow lake. "You coming?!!" Conner yelled, before taking off in an average human sprint again.
Pyro quickly shook itself out of shock, before quickly running across the bridge in a blazing rush, fire beginning to spark around its body.
By the time Pyro had crossed the bridge, Conner was already past the flower shop with the tasty berries outside. Pyro quickly began speeding up more, getting just behind Conner as they entered the massive opening to Petalburg Woods.
As the forested path became more narrow, the two racers were forced to slow down to maneuver around trees, small plants, stumps, and ledges all scattered about the forest floor. Many Pokémon could be heard nearby as Conner and Pyro ran side by side.
Suddenly, a familiar looking brown and green mushroom-like Pokémon jumped out of the tall grass near the racers, landing and clinging onto Conner's head.
"Gah! What's this?! Get off!" Conner said, swatting it off, sending it flying back into the tall grass.
Suddenly loud Pokémon cries sounded from the grass, but soon spread throughout the woods. "Shroooooooooooooommmmm!!!!!!"
"Shrooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmm!!!!"
"Shrooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmm!!!"
Soon many mushroom-like Pokémon began to appear all along the trail towards the exit. They then began to dance, shaking off a strange purple dust that soon began to spread into a dense fog, with only the light of the exit still shining through.
Conner quickly tried shielding his face from the smog, clutching his face with the front of his shirt.
Pyro kept running, before getting woozy and stumbling.
In a desperate attempt to stop the mushroom Pokémon, Conner caught up to Pyro.
"Pyro! Hit em with Ember!" Conner shouted from underneath the muffle of his shirt.
"Combusken!" Pyro chirped affirmatively, then blasting a large torrent of fire as it ran. Some of the fire began to blow back onto Pyro, soon becoming ablaze itself, creating a wall of flame as it charged forward. Conner then quickly picked up his pace, now going into super speed to avoid the wall of tire, easily escaping the noxious cloud and exiting the forest.
Pyro then broke through the wall of fire, blowing back all the Shroomish and breaking into super speed as well, leaving behind a trail of fire as it caught up to Conner.
They soon exited the woods, blazing down the trail so fast, they sent the rich boy standing nearby flying into the tall grass.
They soon see the hut just below over on the beach, but fail to see the short cliff overlooking the hut had a small bay in front. The two soon ran straight off said cliff, falling down into the water below with a big double splash.
Soon Conner and Pyro both surfaced, before Pyro began to panic, being in water.
"Calm down Pyro, I got you!" Conner said, scooping the Young Fowl Pokémon.
"Busken busk!" Pyro screeched, still very uncomfortable with the cold ocean water.
Conner managed to hold the squirming Pokémon until they got to shore, laying the drenched Combusken down, before plopping down right next to it on the beach.
"You okay buddy?" Conner asked, looking over at Pyro.
"Busk…ken…" Pyro groaned, as it's face began to look pale and sickly.
Conner quickly sprung up, holding his Pokémon in his arms.
"Just hang in there buddy. I'll see if Mr. Briney can help…" Conner said, grabbing Pyro's Pokeball, as Pyro weakly stared back at Conner. "You did great buddy, you won! That was a great race. You rest now, I'll have you better in no-time." Conner assured, recalling Pyro back to it's Pokeball, before rushing over across the beach to Briney's hut.
Conner soon arrives and knocks on the door, but there's no response except for a loud ruckus inside. Concerned, Conner opened the door, surprised that it wasn't locked. Inside, he saw Mr. Briney playfully chasing Peeko around.
"Excuse me, Mr. Briney?!" Conner said, getting closer.
"Hold on, lass! Belay that, Peeko!" Mr. Briney yelled to his Pokémon, causing it to stop hopping on the floor.
"Wing?" Peeko chirped.
"Oh, if it ain't Conner! You're the one who saved my Peeko! Aye, but we owe you for that day!" Mr. Briney cheered, smiling at Conner.
"I need medicine for my Pokémon, oh and that ride to Mossdeep, but some rich guy named Mr. Stone wanted me to take this to Dewford on the way." Conner said, pulling out the elegant scroll.
Mr. Briney blinked, his smile faded away as he quickly gathered himself after zoning out. "What's that? You want to sail with me? What's this all about, then? A letter bound for Dewford? Certainly that'd be no problem at all."
"Nice. Now what about my first request? Got anything to spare for my sick Pokémon?" Conner said, sending out Pyro, who instantly collapses onto the floor.
Mr. Briney immediately goes over to Pyro, inspecting the body of the ill Combusken. He then quickly runs over to a cabinet and grabs a yellow spray bottle, rushing back and spraying Pyro with it. Soon Pyro perked up, restored and back to normal.
"Combusken-ken!" Pyro roared with a fiery aura.
Conner sighed in relief, glad to see Pyro feeling well again. "Thanks."
"You've come to the right man!" Mr. Briney said, striking a pose with his thumb up. "Shall we hoist sail for Dewford at once?"
"Yeah. How long is the trip?" Conner asked.
"Oh well if the seas are calm today, we should be there by midnight!" Briney answered, before speeding over to the fridge to get a pack of cold Soda Pop for the voyage. "Dewford, we're a-coming! Anchors aweigh!" He cheered, after stuffing his arms with a few packaged sandwiches and fresh Berries. Peeko soon swooped in to catch a falling berry Mr. Briney dropped. "Wiinng" Peeko chirped, before eating it.
"Peeko, we're setting sail, my darling!" Mr.Briney yelled, pushing the back door to his boat dock open.
Peeko then flew out the door with him, then holding the door open by the top with its tiny yellow talons for Conner and Pyro, who quickly followed the seafaring duo outside.
"Wiingulll!" Peeko screeched, before perching onto the antenna to Mr. Briney's big silver and white boat nearby. Mr. Briney quickly went to untie the boat from the dock before rushing onboard and to the wheel inside the small glass cabin. "All aboard!"
Conner and Pyro boarded, although Pyro seemed hesitant at first, Conner reassured the Young Fowl Pokémon, holding out his hand for his Pokémon.
After the two climbed onboard, Pyro immediately clung to base of the antenna mast, trying its hardest to not panic from the rocking of the boat and being surrounded by water.
Mr.Briney then started the engine, lurching the boat forward and propelling over the waves.
"Combusken combusken ken ken!!" Pyro cried, holding on so tight that it began generating heat, warping the metal antenna as it began to glow.
"Pyro! It's gonna be okay! Calm down…" Conner said, trying to soothe Pyro with friendly pats, but Pyro continued to panic, melting the metal further.
"I'm gonna put you back in your ball, sorry buddy." Conner said, taking out the red and white ball capsule, recalling Pyro into red energy that was immediately sucked into the Pokeball.
Unfortunately, the damage was already critical, as the antenna tower soon crumpled over, but Conner managed to catch it, holding it up. Conner tried to place it back, but the problem became worse as the molten metal began to burn the wiring, rendering it useless.
"Young man?! What happened to my positioning system?!" Mr. Briney yelled from the cabin.
Conner then put the metal tower down. "My Pokémon may have melted it."
"Melted?!!!" Mr. Briney exclaimed, running down to Conner as Peeko took the wheel.
The cheery demeanor of Mr. Briney vanished completely, as he began to groan. "It's fine. That wasn't a gift from my good pal Mr. Stone who made the system for my boat…Welp, now we just go back to usin the stars and the position of the sun to get there." Mr. Briney said, going back to the cabin.
"I'm sorry Mr. Briney. I'll find a way to repay you." Conner swore.
"We'll have to get it fixed in Slateport City. There's no other way, and we'll be heading that way anyways." Mr. Briney said, bringing out the pack of Soda Pop to Conner, sitting down with him out on the deck of his boat. He passes a cold Soda Pop to Conner as Conner observes all the aquatic Pokémon below and around, and more flying Pokémon above, including more Wingull like Peeko.
As the two remarked on the beautiful surroundings, a strong gust of wind blew Mr. Briney's half drank Soda Pop into the sea, sinking rather quickly as the boat's jets forced it underwater. As it slowly sank into the depths, soda leached out, trailing from above. The can would soon hit the head of a small red and blue fish with large serrated jaws.
"Carvannnna!" It roared, before tearing into the can, ripping it to shreds as it became cloaked in a cloud of soda. It began to burn the big jawed fish's eyes, sending it into a frenzied panic, swimming away to a large cave of darkness.
"Vannaa!!!!" The fish roared, causing hundreds of similar eyes as well as large dark red eyes to wake.
The fish then pointed to the boat above moving fast ahead in the distance.
"Carvanna!!!" The small fishes sounded.
"Sharrrrpedoo!" The larger fishes roared.
Route 105
June 5, 2016. 16:02
As the afternoon sun lazily hung in the sky, Mr. Briney laid slump in his chair, holding his belly full of pasta Conner had brought for him.
Conner sat at the bow, looking over the water ahead seeing many rocks and small islands scattered about in the distance all around. Many seemed to be teeming with various Pokémon. Suddenly behind the boat, Conner could spot a massive school of Pokémon following, gaining speed rapidly.
"Hey Mr. Briney?! We have a problem." Conner yelled, gently shaking the Senior Seafarer. "Can this boat go any faster?!"
"Ooh! Oh! Oh my!! What's a matter with ya lad! Ya don't wak-"
Suddenly a red and blue fish jumped onboard, its eyes slightly fizzled and angry as it began to dance unusually.
"Oh no! We must hurry!" Mr. Briney stammered, fully awake and runs to the cabin as Conner watches in awe as this little fish does a carefully ornate dance with it's fins.
Suddenly dark clouds begin to form, winds beginning to quickly pick up speed as the waves begin to violently grow. As a loud crackle of thunder roared down, a torrential rain followed, dousing the boat.
"Young lad! Stop that thing!" Mr. Briney yelled, gunning the engine and pushing the boat into overdrive, speeding over the waves.
Conner had to hold on to the rail as the fish slammed into the short wall of the stern as the ship jolted into high speed. Once Conner had his balance, he quickly ran over to the fish, grabbing it, and tossing it far off into the distance. Conner could feel scratches on his hands from the Rough Skin on the dancer fish.
Suddenly from the dark massive waves, a big blue and white Shark-like fish with water jets shooting from it's rear launched itself into the boat, tearing a hole above the water as it flopped around inside, biting at everything.
"Young lad?! Can ya keep these fishes outta the boat?!" Mr. Briney yelled from the cabin, holding onto the wheel. Peeko quickly flies out and speedily uses Quick Attack to block incoming fish.
"Wiiinnnng!!!" She squeaks in pain, as the Rough Skin of the fish chip at her small body.
Conner slowly approaching the gnashing Sharpedo, attempting to grab it.
"Shaaaarrrrr!!!!" Sharpedo roared, chomping down on Conner's arm.
The bite shattered Sharpedo's teeth, causing it to flail aggressively as it continued to try and clamp down harder.
"Ow! I actually felt that!" Conner roared, smashing his Sharpedo-covered arm against the stern of the boat, knocking off the now injured Pokémon back into the water, soon lost in a swarm of more fishes, still chasing the boat. The waves continued to grow in size and ferocity as the storm only seemed to strengthen as the warm ocean water began to evaporate quickly, creating a dark, dense fog as torrential rain made it impossible to see anything past their shoulders while Sharpedo and Carvanha flew through the air.
"Conner! Get inside! It's not safe out here!" Mr. Briney yelled, slamming the door on a leaping Carvanha.
Conner quickly ran over to the cabin, swatting away the sharp toothed fish as they attacked from all sides. Conner could see them swarming at the hull, shredding it away rapidly. He managed to jump inside, swatting a large Sharpedo away before Mr. Briney slammed the door shut.
"My Peeko! Is she okay?!" Mr. Briney worried.
"I don't know, but we won't be if we don't get out of here!" Conner replied. "Those fish are eating through the boat. We're going to sink!"
"Not if I can't help it!" Mr. Briney said, determined suddenly. He grabs the wheel and begins to veer southwest, the boat now sloshing violently against the waves as Conner tries to balance. "Lad, I need you to buy me some time!"
"Alright. I might just have a plan." Conner said, pulling out Nova's Pokeball, releasing her out.
"Ralts?!" Nova sounded, sensing the urgency in the small room.
"Nova, it's you and me outside! I'm gonna need everything you've got to take out these fish!" Conner said, preparing to open the door.
"Got….you've!…"
The two then rushed out onto the sharp toothed fish covered deck, Nova taking a battle stance on Conner's shoulder as he took a fighting stance as well.
"Now Nova! Use Magical Leaf!" Conner yelled, before swatting away a speeding Sharpedo.
"Rrrrrrraaaallltts!" Nova sounded as her eyes began to glow, her psychic power charged up, reaching deep down into the sea floor and summoning up the leaves of seaweed and various other aquatic flora to create a massive Magical Leaf attack, swarming around the boat and slashing into all the fish Pokémon with Supereffective damage.
Nova continued the attack, beginning to strain as Conner continued to kick, punch and swat away the few aggressive fish that managed to break through the onslaught of magical leaves.
Suddenly the boat began to tilt, sinking rapidly from the damage the fish caused underwater.
"Hold on lad!!" Mr. Briney yelled.
Soon a massive wave swept up the boat, launching it high into the air, causing it to crash down on a large rock, smashing the boat into pieces. Conner and Nova were flung off the boat, out into the water as the fish began to aggressively swarm the area. As Conner resurfaced with Nova still clinging onto his shoulder, he swam aimlessly as the massive waves, rain and fog blocked all view as Conner kept kicking away the sharp toothed fish.
"Nova! Keep using your Magical Leaf!" Conner yelled, as the waves continued to grow, sweeping them around viciously.
Nova then summoned up the leaves again, this time using the ocean plant's qualities to hit from underwater, causing much of the swarm to retreat.
Suddenly a massive wave crashed down on the duo, plunging them deep underwater, as the current swept them chaotically along the waves. Nova desperately held her breath while maintaining the Magical Leaf, surrounding the two underwater, and causing all the fish to finally retreat.
Conner attempted to swim back up, but another wave crashed down from above, prompting Conner to cradle Nova in his arms as the force of the wave sent Conner smashing through a large rock, shattering it completely.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs, causing him to dart up to the surface as fast as he could, both Nova and Conner desperately gasping for air before another massive wave began cresting above them. Conner quickly cradled Nova once more, holding the Ralts tightly.
"I've got you! I won't let anything happen to you!"
"Ralts?" Nova sounded, moved by Conner's feelings.
The wave then crashed violently onto them, smashing Conner through a much larger rock, breaking it into many pieces with his head, fainting the Superboy.
Nova then quickly began using her Magical Leaf to create a makeshift raft, moulding it around Conner, keeping his face above the water as she made him appear as a floating plant. As Nova rode on top of her trainer covered in seaweed, the Ralts could only hope that they would survive as the Ralts tirelessly did everything it could to telekinetically steer the magical leaf raft through the storm…
Rustboro City
June 5, 2016. 20:21
"I missed the Pasta Restaurant before it closed, and now you're saying Roxanne isn't available to battle? Can one thing please just go right today?!" A girl in red with a red and white striped bow around her brown hair groaned in front of the staff member standing outside of the Rustboro Gym.
"Roxanne is in an important meeting, she will be accepting Gym Battles after." The man in dirt covered Gym Staff overalls replied.
"So how long will that take?" She asked.
"May, is it? Look I don't know, but I'm working here. You'll have to wait like everyone else." The worker said, pointing to a line of complaining youngsters and their Pokémon behind her.
"Ugh!" She groaned, folding her arms.
Meanwhile, at the top floor of the Gym, reserved only for Roxanne, she readied her projector and camera for a video meeting in her fossil covered room. 13 other faces appeared, each with varying backgrounds as well as individual features.
"Good evening everyone, I'm sure we are now all aware of the things Team Magma and Team Aqua are up to, but today I would like to bring to light someone of interest." Roxanne said, before loading up an image of Conner and Pyro from a security camera within her gym.
"What's so special about this guy?" A young boy who sits with his twin sister on camera.
"He's kinda cute… I mean challenging!" A red Haired Gym Leader girl stammered. "Cause um… he fought your Rock Pokémon with a Torchic!" She blushed.
"Calm down everyone, let me explain." Roxanne started, beginning a slideshow of her observations.
"So, his name is Conner. He's about 5'10 and 180lbs and most notably, has super strength." Roxanne mentions, showing footage of Conner lifting boulders off his Pokémon during their gym battle, getting gasps and looks of shock from everyone.
"So you're telling me that them evil teams out here giving people powers?!" An older chubby man dressed in yellow exclaimed.
"I'm not sure. When I talked to him, he said he came from another world… a place with its own history and evolution!" Roxanne replied.
"So what are his intentions then?" A pale blue eyed woman with light blonde hair asked.
"I'm honestly not sure. My guess is to get back home, but it seems he also wishes to participate in the Hoenn League Challenge." Roxanne replied sitting back in her chair, crossing her legs as she pondered.
"So is he a threat?! A man with a only a small tuft of red hair asked, seeming frustrated.
"I'm not sure, Sidney. I would consider him a person of interest. He's neutral now, and it's probably in our best interests he either joins us, or remains neutral. If he's recruited into a criminal gang, we'll be that much further from stopping whatever they're up to." Roxanne replied.
"He seems like a good trainer to me. I don't think he will be our enemy, but we should definitely work with him as we as gym leaders should be doing for everyone. If anything, we should motivate him to join our league once he and his Pokémon get stronger." Norman said.
"I like Norman's idea. He's a trainer with tons of potential, and we as the members of the Hoenn League should encourage trainers like this to battle for good, for the balance of the ecosystem and justice for all life." A silver haired young man said, holding a flashlight in a dark rocky place with his other hand.
"Oh my gosh! Steven! Are you fossil hunting without me?!" Roxanne pouted.
Steven scoffs, chuckling a bit. "What I'm looking for will make fossils look like grains of sand in comparison.
" Hi Roxanne!" A girl in green research gear waved from behind Steven.
"You took my sister Jade but not me!" Roxanne exclaimed, getting various stares as well as laughter from the pudgy man in yellow.
"Ugh, can we please go? I have more important things to do." A lavender haired woman donning a pair of blue and green flight goggles.
"Fine, meeting dismissed. Roxanne said, angrily pressing the hangup button.
And that's it for Chapter 8! A lot happened this Chapter so I'll try break stuff down here:
Breakfast Pasta. It's legit! Look it up! I had to literally try it, believe it! That and it perfectly ties into the anime exclusive location, the Rustboro City Pasta Restaurant, which May is, was and always late to arrive as it was seen closing down on episode "On a Wingull and a Prayer!" With Ash & Co.
Nova is (should be) capable of understanding reading, as she was able to identify certain items, words and memories. Nova is smart for a Ralts, and she'll only get smarter as she grows.
Maybe that was Karen? Who knows, we'll find out later
The Race between Pyro and Conner was interesting, especially doing all the research I could to make it realistic. Basically Conner can keep up with Kid Flash for a bit, and according to bios from various sites about him, he has metahuman speed. A Combusken has great speed as well, but after some reading, tons of watching and rewatching episodes where they both performed speed feats, it's clear that Conner would be leagues faster than Combusken at least at base speed due to mainly leg size and need for actual moves/abilities to increase speed, which is why Conner could pace himself to Pyro's level. All bets are off after Flame Charge speed boosts or when Pyro grows up some more.
The race probably could've been a bit more discreet, but if Conner had ran over the bridge, he would've caused damage and possibly had drawn bad attention to himself, and sometimes it's easier to leave people wondering than leaving people angry.
Pyro might have a fear of water? This'll be explored later, don't worry.
Technically Carvanha doesn't learn Rain Dance under normal circumstances, but considering that this Route doesn't have Carvanha/Sharpedo in its waters per games, (I used anime information from the episode "Sharpedo Attack" when Ash & Co were attacked by a school of Sharpedo with Mr. Briney funny enough) I figured I (and hopefully you my dear reader) could see it as reasonable, besides who doesn't love a horrible storm (just kidding nobody does but it's a bit hard to show sarcasm in a typed sentence) that tests the hero.
Normally Rain Dance doesn't cause a big storm like Primordial Sea, but we all know what happens when a storm develops over warm calm ocean water. Sure a tropical depression takes a little while to actually form, but I'm certain (based on recent environmental research) that a storm that "randomly" generated in the middle of what's considered favorable conditions for hurricane/typhoon development wouldn't just stay and become stable, but would evolve and intensify based on readily available evaporated water, which increases with heat. Also looking through drone data of what it's like inside a developing hurricane looks like an endless fog above the waves. As torrential rain comes down, the steam from the evaporating water rises up, making a rather blinding view of the world around, no matter how well your waterproof lenses are.
Conner would have major resistance to Rough Skin, and can probably handle a shark bite without lasting injury as long as it's not Kryptonite teeth.
Rocks on the other hand, probably would knock him out if done repeatedly, as Superboy has been knocked out with brute force before.
Oh and Mr. Briney and Peeko? Check the next Chapter lol
Hoenn League life: why not? It was actually an idea my dear friend Elemental Aura recommended to me a while back. I hope you're doing well my friend! If you really think about it, the All the league members from gym leaders to elite four and Champions you could easily think of as the Justice League of the Region. Without them, there would be chaos…
In more chapters to come, you'll read up on all the interesting backstories and hidden additions I've either researched or straight up created for the sake of adding a little extra flavor to this story.
Well that's it for this Chapter, although Part 2 is literally next so whatcha waiting for?! Get on over there!