Professor Birch's lab was as cluttered as ever. Brendan wondered how Birch ever got anything done in here as he walked unhurriedly deeper into the building. Houndoom followed more slowly, sniffing curiously at the array of items on the floor. There was evidence of cleaning here and there; a pile of notebooks neatly filed away alphabetically on a sturdy looking bookshelf, a broom leaning casually against a chair- its job only just begun, charts and maps that Brendan had last seen covering the majority of Birch's desk were now once more plastered on the wall. Obviously Cyril had gone on one of his OCD-fuelled cleaning rampages, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen. Cyril, Professor Birch's assistant, often complained about the state of the lab, but Birch insisted that there was an order to the mess. An order that neither Cyril nor Brendan could comprehend.
Brendan walked into Birch's study at the end of the room. Compared to this room, the rest of the lab was pristine. To Brendan's untrained eyes it appeared as if a bomb had gone off in the center of the study. Papers and books littered the floor leaving only enough space for Brendan to carefully pick his path to the only available chair. A long, twisting plant cascaded out of its pot on top of a bookshelf, its vines hiding the contents of the shelves below from sight. An enormous map of the Hoenn region took up most of the far wall, notes on Pokémon habitats were written on it in Birch's sprawling handwriting.
"Ah, Brendan," Professor Birch said as he entered the study. His hair was tussled and his shirt crumpled. He must have slept in his lab, which would explain why he had missed dinner at the Birch household the night before. "What can I do for you?"
Brendan hastily got up, wiping his sweaty hands discreetly on his jeans. "Professor, I was hoping you could lend me a hand with an idea I have." Something in the way Brendan spoke caught Birch's attention, as he stopped groggily rubbing his eyes, and turned to face the young trainer. "I want to catch a legendary Pokémon."
Birch didn't respond immediately. His face dropped slightly, making him look older. Brendan hadn't expected the professor to jump with joy at his idea, but neither had he expected this reaction. "Which Pokémon do you have in mind?" Birch asked in a low voice.
"One of the titan Pokémon," Brendan replied readily. "Regice."
A curious expression crossed Birch's face, and Brendan heard him mutter: "Like father like son." Then, he straightened slowly "Does May know?" He asked thoughtfully.
"Yes."
Birch visibly relaxed at Brendan's answer. May was a formidable trainer; if she had approved the mission, then Birch was ready to approve it too. His daughter had always been the better judge of strength out of the duo.
"And what if it isn't in its cave? If it already has a trainer?" Birch asked. His tone had changed from worry to open curiosity.
Brendan shifted uncomfortably under the professor's intent eyes. The truth was he hadn't really thought about it. Failure hadn't crossed his mind. "I guess I return empty-handed." The young trainer replied gloomily. "Or I could target one of the others. Registeel. No, Regirock." Brendan's face lit up with hope, but Birch was already shaking his head.
"Your battle strategy will be based around Regice. If you switch targets without planning sufficiently beforehand, the consequences could be terrible," Birch said, his words tinged with worry. "You do have a battle plan, right?"
This question proved no difficulty to Brendan. "Yes!"
"Good," Birch said readily. He had known the answer before he had even asked. "Well then you have my blessing, Brendan, if it means anything to you."
"Thank you, professor. It does," Brendan replied honestly. Birch had a goofy reputation, but his quiet wisdom and immense knowledge had kindled a fiery respect in Brendan's heart.
Slightly shocked by the boy's sincere compliment, Birch started shuffling off towards the main room. "Think nothing of it, my boy."
"Wait, professor!" Brendan called out as Birch reached the doorway. Puzzled, the older man stopped and turned back to the budding trainer. "There's one more thing," Brendan hesitated, winced, and said: "I need to borrow your Sharpedo."
Brendan stood on the banks of Route 103's winding river. The walk over hadn't taken long, and his talk with the professor less, so the sun was still climbing steadily from the East. It's rays warmed Brendan's back as he contemplated the first step of his plan. After crossing the river, it was a simple walk down to Slateport City.
'Its now or never.' Brendan thought as he started unbuttoning his shirt. The wetsuit was too tight despite May assuring him it'd fit. Brendan had pointed out that he was pretty sure he was larger than she was, but May had retorted blatantly "Beggars can't be choosers." And since May was the only person Brendan knew with a wetsuit, he couldn't be a chooser.
The river was cold, but not unpleasantly so. The current, however, had a nasty tug to it that the slow-moving surface hid heinously. Brendan waded in up to his waist, his bag strapped snuggly to his back in its waterproof cover. All his pokeballs save one were safely stashed in his bag, wrapped in clothes. He gripped the professor's diveball in his hand. At a touch of Brendan's finger to the pokeball's centre-piece, there was a flash, and Sharpedo appeared in front of him.
The Brutal Pokémon's appearance lived up to its name. It had a huge mouth, filled with razor-like teeth. Its short body allowed it to move gracefully in the water; its three fins gave it incredible bursts of speed. A large yellow X marked its nose, and it was there Brendan was looking.
Sharpedo's skin was rough, and Brendan hoped the wetsuit would be thick enough to stop chaffing between his thighs as he sat awkwardly on the Pokemon's back. If they do chaff maybe May will feel sorry for me and rub some cream on them. The thought of May rubbing anything on him was enough to finally urge Sharpedo out into deeper water.
As Sharpedo picked up speed, water spray near blinded Brendan, the howling of the wind deafening him. It was then that Brendan was finally glad about leaving Houndoom back with the professor. There was no way in hell it would have made the crossing, as Birch had misplaced all his temporary pokeballs. When Sharpedo stopped accelerating, and settled into a steady speed, Brendan began to enjoy the ride. It was a lovely sunny day, scarcely a cloud to be seen. The constant movement through the water had warmed him up, and the sheer enjoyment of Sharpedo zooming through the water beneath him was contagious. Soon, the opposite bank was only a matter of feet away, and Brendan felt something close to disappointment. Sharpedo dumped Brendan unceremoniously in the shallow water, and immediately set off back the way they had come.
"Not so fast," Brendan said quickly, calling Sharpedo back into its pokeball. "Our journey has only just begun."
Once Brendan had changed out of the wetsuit, and done his best to dry himself off, he followed the only path straight ahead. The trail was surrounded on either side by thick trees, their leaves catching the sunlight prettily.
As Brendan walked he worried. Sharpedo was more of a handful than he had thought. It was very probable it wouldn't listen to him at all during the upcoming battle. That was a problem.
Shrill screeches distracted him from his thoughts. He followed the sound until it brought him directly under one of the large trees dotting the path. There, on the ground, was the source of the commotion. A young taillow was caught in a bush. Brendan squinted up at the branches above until he caught sight of the nest. Evidently it had fallen out, and was now trapped in the bush's grip. Brendan did a quick scan of the sky, but the mother swellow was nowhere in sight. Brilliant, now I need to look after a baby Pokémon. The Tiny Swallow Pokémon was caught deep in the bush, and after briefly attempting to push through, Brendan reached down to his belt. Vigoroth cut through the thin branches with one swipe from its long claws, then it swooped up the small bird with surprising care.
The taillow's wings were scratched, and it only stopped screeching to take huge gulps of air. There was no choice in the matter, Brendan couldn't just leave it there, so he grabbed a free pokeball from his belt and firmly pressed it against the small Pokémon nestled in Vigoroth's hands. With the taillow safely stored in its pokeball, Brendan and Vigoroth continued along the path.
Slateport City was the largest city Brendan had ever seen. What struck him the most was the sheer noise of it all, which contrasted with the soothing walk down to Slateport. The city itself was spread out over a considerable area, and even stuck out over the sea. There was a museum, a research center, a contest hall, and even a market all within the confines of the city. Almost overwhelmed by it all, Brendan headed towards the distinct red roof of the Pokémon center.
Once he had handed over his pokeballs to the nurse, he moved to the waiting area. The pokecenter was mostly empty, the steady hum of the air conditioning the only distinct noise. A blonde young man was talking to a woman. Brendan looked away as a man walked up to the counter.
"Hello there," A voice said in a friendly tone. Brendan turned back, and the blonde boy was standing in front of him. "I was wondering if I could take a moment of your time?" The boy was roughly Brendan's age, but he was a good inch or two taller. He had a warm face, and blue eyes. His accent was posh, and Brendan knew he wasn't from Hoenn.
He better not ask for money. "Sure,"
"Excellent!" The boy said with unfeigned delight. He reached into his jacket and produced a pokeball. "I was hoping to tempt you to trade Pokémon. You see, I've brought this machoke all the way from Kanto and it still hasn't warmed to me. I figured I would try my luck with a Pokémon from Hoenn; They're awfully rare back home."
Brendan smiled sadly. He didn't have any Pokémon in his team he could spare. "I'm sorr-" Brendan began to say, when a thought sprang to mind. He did have a Pokémon he could spare. Brendan had already accepted that he would have to return the taillow to its nest once healed, but this blonde, foreign trainer presented him with an alternative. "I do have a Pokémon I would trade," Brendan said slowly. "But it's only a baby."
"Excellent!" The boy said again. "The chance to train a baby Pokémon would be amazing."
Brendan couldn't help but smile at the boy's positivity. "Excellent," He found himself saying too. "I didn't catch your name, mines Brendan."
"Rob," The boy replied as he shook Brendan's outstretched hand. "Lovely to meet you."
At that moment the nurse called out Brendan's name. His Pokémon were healed. The two boys moved towards the counter, chatting as they went.
"So, what brings you to Slateport City?" Rob asked amiably.
"This is my last stop before I head out," Brendan paused for effect, almost unintentionally. "I'm going to catch a legendary Pokémon."
"Really?!" Rob replied. "A legendary Pokémon from Hoenn, that's wonderful." The boys had reached the counter and retrieved Brendan's Pokémon, when Brendan noticed another blonde boy had entered the pokecenter. Rob noticed the boy too. "Ah! Speaking of legendary Pokémon… Zach, come over here and meet the nice fellow who wants to trade with me."
Zach joined them at the counter. The two blonde boys were very similar looking. So similar they could have passed for brothers. Zach's hair was shorter, however, and he had a long, thin, nose that he seemed fond of looking down. Brendan noticed with some annoyance that Zach was even taller than Rob, which meant they both loomed over him.
Brendan shook Zach's hand. "Are you two brothers?" He asked pleasantly.
Zach scoffed. "No, no," Replied Rob. "We grew up together in Saffron City."
"Have you finished your business here yet, Robert" Zach cut in sharply.
Brendan frowned at the boy's tone, but Rob turned back to him. "Ah yes, of course." Brendan and Rob switched pokeballs. Brendan quickly made sure he hadn't traded the wrong Pokémon by accident, he had heard about someone who had done that, and that was that. Brendan looked at the new pokeball briefly before turning to Zach.
"Would you like to battle? I could test out this machoke."
"Ooh yes," Rob said enthusiastically. "He must be a good trainer Zach, he's going to catch a legendary Pokémon."
That caught Zach's attention. His disinterested expression disappeared for a moment, before returning. Zach looked Brendan up and down. "You're going to catch a legendary?" Brendan didn't like how he stressed the word 'you're'.
"Yes."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Zach replied. "Then, and only then, are you worth my time."
"Well, we better be off," Rob said hastily, as he noticed the expression on Brendan's face. "We're staying in the city for a couple more days, so hopefully we'll see you around. Good luck with your quest!"
Rob grabbed Zach by the arm and almost escorted him outside. "What the hell was that," Rob was saying. "How are you expecting to make friends if you keep acting like-" The two Kanto boys left the pokecenter into the warm afternoon.
What an odd pair. Brendan examined his new pokeball, his brief flash of anger already faded. Now his plan was really coming together.