It took a while but I managed to complete this chapter! With no help from you guys, I might add!

Sparky shocks KP Ow.

Sparky- Enjoy this chapter… If not, I'll shock him again! Free of charge!

Chapter 3: The Arrival of Brandon! Battle Team Aqua!

Our heroes are on their way to Rustboro City. But first, they have to get through Petalburg Forest!

"Are we there yet?" whined Tricia.

"Tricia, we just got to Petalburg Forest," replied Brendan.

"Who cares? I want to get to Rustboro!"

"You know, I could've left you in Petalburg if I knew you were going to whine the whole way. In fact, I might leave you now!"

"You wouldn't dare…"

Brendan turned on his Running Shoes and started to run away. "Brendan, don't leave me! Brendan!" By then, Brendan was out of her sight.

"He actually left me…"

"Maybe if you wasn't whining so much…" said Aqua. Tricia ignored her and kept walking. Just then, Tricia felt a small breeze against her neck. Tricia thought it was the wind until she turned around. She then saw what looked like a Duskull. She screamed at the top of her lungs. Aqua retaliated by fired a Water Gun at the Duskull.

This allowed Tricia to see that it was Brendan in a Duskull mask. "You should've seen the look on your face!" he laughed. Tricia still looked scared, though. "What? It was just a harmless prank."

"Look behind you…"

When he looked behind him, he saw a real Duskull. "AAAHHHH!!!" shouted Brendan.

Then, out from behind the trees jumped Brandon! "Ha! You should've seen the look on your face!" he laughed. "That wasn't funny, Brandon," gasped Brendan.

Brandon had a green headband on his head, snow-white hair (like Brendan), light blue jeans, a black vest, and a green Grovyle shirt under the vest. "So Brandon, what, exactly, are you doing here?" asked his little brother.

"Well, I'm here looking for a battle for my Duskull. He needs experience."

"But you won first place in the Sapphire Conference! And you beat the Elite Four! How can it not have experience?"

"Because, Brendan, I just caught it…"

"How about I battle you? By the way, I'm Tricia Nightingale," Tricia giggled.

"Okay. Are you ready, Duskull?" Duskull just nodded. "He doesn't talk much."

"I see that," said Brendan.

"Go Ruby!" shouted Tricia. With a flash of light, the little purple Dratini appeared. "Now what attacks does a Dratini know?" Everyone else anime fell.

"Duskull, use Night Shade!" said Brandon. Duskull shot dark energy from its eyes at Ruby.

"Uh-oh. Ruby, dodge it and use… Icy Wind!" Ruby flew out of the way of the Night Shade and unleashed an Icy Wind attack at Duskull. "Wow. I can't believe she knew that attack…"

"Duskull, use Shadow Ball!" Duskull created a ball of dark energy and fired it at Ruby.

"Ruby, look out!" But Tricia was too late.

The Shadow Ball hit its target, leaving Ruby pretty wounded. "Get up and use… Dragon Rage!" Ruby got up and started charging energy.

"Duskull, use another Shadow Ball!" Duskull started charging energy for the Shadow Ball attack. They both shot their attacks at the same time. When the attacks collided with one another, it caused an explosion.

When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were on the ground. "Ruby, please get up!" shouted Tricia.

"C'mon Duskull! Get up!" said Brandon. Both Pokémon managed to get up.

"Great! Use Icy Wind!" said Tricia.

Before she managed to use the attack, Ruby fainted. "NO! I was about to win…"

"Looks like we win! Are you okay, Duskull?" Duskull nodded quietly.

"And how Ruby's doing?" he asked.

Tricia picked up Ruby and stroked her head.

"She's doing okay," she replied.

"C'mon. I know where there's a spring where we can pitch camp," said Brandon.

He led them to a spring with a small waterfall. "This is it," said Brandon.

"So Brandon, I thought you were going to the Kanto region," said Brendan.

"I am, but I didn't catch the most of the Pokémon that were normally found in the Hoenn region. So I'm going on another journey in Hoenn so I can catch the Pokémon I didn't catch before."

"That sounds reasonable. Hey, how about you travel with us?"

"Hey, yeah! You guys need someone to watch over you! Of course I'll come along!"

"Great! Hold on. I need to call Mom and Dad to let them know." Brendan took out his PokéNav and called his parents. "Hey Mom! Guess what? We ran into Brandon, and he's going to travel with us!" he said.

"So what did she say?" "She said that she's glad you're back and that she approves. She also wants me to tell you that she's proud of you for winning first place at the Sapphire Conference."

He talked to her some more and finally hung up. "Well, I'm going to go and catch some more Pokémon," he said. "Okay. I'll stay here with Tricia and Ruby."

Meanwhile…

A man in a suit was looking for Pokémon. He was holding a suitcase in his hand. A man wearing in blue, however, was watching him through a pair of binoculars.

"Sir, I see the Devon executive. Shall I grab the goods?" asked the man in blue, talking into a walkie-talkie.

"You may proceed. Don't fail me. We need the Devon Goods," said someone at the other end of the walkie-talkie.

"Yes sir…"

Brendan was walking around looking for some Pokémon when suddenly a trainer appeared in front of him.

"Hey! Are you a trainer?" he asked.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Well, my name is Walker, and I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

"You're on! Go Tornado!" Brendan released his Pidgey from his PokéBall.

"Go Beedrill! Use Poison Sting!" Walker released his Beedrill. Beedrill fired the Poison Sting at Tornado.

"Tornado, dodge it and use your Gust attack!" Tornado flew up and flapped his wings to create a strong wind, causing Beedrill to take some damage.

"Beedrill, use Pin Missile!" Beedrill fired pins from its stinger at Tornado.

"Tornado, use Wing Attack!" Tornado flew up to dodge the attack and rammed Beedrill with his wings, causing Beedrill to faint.

"Aw, nuts! Beedrill, return! Go Venomoth!" Walker recalled his Beedrill and sent out his Venomoth.

"Venomoth, use Psybeam!" Venomoth fired psychic energy from its eyes, causing Tornado to take some damage and to become confused.

"Great… Tornado, concentrate and use Wing Attack!" Tornado tried to hit Venomoth, but he missed and ran into a nearby tree.

"Damn. Tornado, return! Go Torch!" He released Torch from his PokéBall.

"Torch, use Ember!" Torch exhausted embers from his mouth at Venomoth. The embers met their mark, causing Venomoth to faint.

"WHAT?! My Venomoth was stronger than that Torchic! How did it win?" asked Walker.

"Maybe it has low defense?" replied Brendan.

"Whatever… Hope we can battle again!"

"Sure thing…" Brendan shook Walker's hand before he walked off.

"Man, that kid needs to raise his Venomoth some more," stated Brendan.

"Yup," replied Torch.

"Wanna go look for some Pokémon now?"

"Yeah, let's go…" They came across a wide area where there was plenty of Shroomish and Bulbasaur.

"Wow! Look at 'em all!" Wanna help me catch 'em?" asked Brendan.

"Sure. You need more Pokémon, anyway," said Torch. They walked up behind a Shroomish.

"Be quiet…" He reached into his bag and got a PokéBall.

"Wait for it… now!" He threw the PokéBall at the Shroomish. The ball shook three times and then sealed.

"Yes!" whispered Brendan.

"Now for a Bulbasaur…" said Torch. Brendan reached in his bag and got another PokéBall.

"PokéBall, go!" He threw it at the unknowing Bulbasaur. The ball shook twice, but the Bulbasaur appeared with a flash of light.

"Nuts. Thought that was gonna work again…" The Bulbasaur turned around and angrily stared at Brendan.

"Oops…" The Bulbasaur started charging at Brendan.

"Oh no! Torch, help!" shouted Brendan.

Torch leapt in front of Brendan and scratched Bulbasaur with his claws. "Where would you be without me?" asked Torch.

"Whatever. Use Focus Energy and then Ember!" Torch started focusing his energy and fired his Ember attack. Bulbasaur was immediately damaged when the attack hit.

"Let's try this again. PokéBall, go!" The Bulbasaur was sucked inside the ball. The PokéBall shook three times, stopped, shook again, and then sealed.

"Odd, it shook four times."

Meanwhile…

Brandon was making some dinner for the group when he looked over at Tricia. She was watching Ruby who was having fun swimming in the spring. "Tricia, come here and taste this stew for me," he asked.

She walked over and tasted the stew. "This is… good!" she replied.

"Great. Glad you like it," he smiled. "I hope Brendan manages to make it to dinner…" she said, walked off towards the forest.

"Where we going?" asked Aqua.

"I'm going to look for Brendan."

"And some Pokémon too, huh?"

"Yes, Aqua…"

"I thought so…" That's when they came across a trainer treating his Vulpix.

"Hey, Aqua, you up for a battle?"

"I'm always up for one…"

Tricia and Aqua walked up to the trainer. He was a boy with short blue hair, red and white striped shirt, and black shorts. On his head, he wore a red headband. "Hmm… oh hi! I'm Junonchi. I'm just making my Vulpix look cute for the Pokémon Contest in Rustboro City," he said.

He was tying a small headband- like his- around the Vulpix's head. "You're trying to be a Pokémon Coordinator? I am too!" replied Tricia.

"Really? Well how about a mock contest battle?" he asked.

Tricia stared dumbly at Junonchi. "A mock contest battle? What's that?" "A mock contest battle is a one-on-one Pokémon battle that's like a contest battle. Don't worry, I didn't know what it was either…"

"Oh. Okay, let's do that, then," she said.

"Great! Are you ready, Firestar?"

"Yup," said Firestar.

"Okay, then. Go Aqua!" shouted Tricia.

"Firestar, use Flamethrower!" shouted Junonchi. Firestar shot a stream of fire from her mouth.

"Aqua, counter it with Water Gun!" said Tricia. Aqua shot a jet of water from her mouth, blasting through the Flamethrower and hitting Firestar into a nearby tree.

"Firestar, get up and use Quick Attack!" Firestar got up and quickly rammed Aqua.

"Aqua, use Scratch!" Aqua scratched Firestar in her face.

"Firestar!" said Junonchi.

"Finish it off with your Water Gun!" Aqua fired another Water Gun, knocking Firestar out.

"Aw, nuts…" said Junonchi.

"Better luck next time. Hope I see you at the Contest in Rustboro," said Tricia.

"I hope so, too," said Junonchi, heading off towards Rustboro City.

Brendan was on his way back to the campsite when he noticed a man looking for something. He was holding a silver suitcase that said 'DEVON' on it. He noticed Brendan off in the distance, so he started to run up to him.

"Excuse me," said the man, "but I am looking for some Shroomish. It happens to be my favorite Pokémon. Have you seen any?"

"Well, I-" Brendan was starting to speak, but he was cut off by the man in blue.

"Stop right there!" he shouted.

"We weren't moving," stated Brendan.

"Well, don't move! I'm Hans from Team Aqua, and I want the Devon Goods!"

"AIEEEEE!!! You're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you?" screamed the Devon executive. Brendan nodded.

"Then… HELP ME!!!"

"Okay, okay. I'll help you. Geez, what a wimp…"

"So a grown man is sending a little boy to help him, huh? No matter. The Devon Goods will be mine! Go Mightyena!" shouted Hans. He released a Pokémon that looked like a black wolf.

"A Mightyena? Well, go Bulbasaur!" said Brendan. In a flash of light, Brendan's unnamed Bulbasaur appeared.

"Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!" said Hans. The black wolf Pokémon released a ball of dark energy from its mouth at Bulbasaur.

"Jump out of the way and use Tackle!" shouted Brendan. Bulbasaur dodged the Shadow Ball and tackled Mightyena into a boulder.

"Mightyena, Iron Tail!" Mightyena's tail started glowing as it ran towards Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur dodged the Iron Tail and rammed it with two thick vines from the bulb on his back, leaving Mightyena pretty damaged.

"Mightyena, use Bite!" Mightyena ran up to Bulbasaur and bit one of his vines.

"Bulbasaur, finish it with Razor Leaf!" said Brendan. Bulbasaur jumped in the air and shot razor-sharp leaves from his bulbs, causing Mightyena to faint.

"Grr… return, Mightyena! Go Corphish!" said Hans, recalling his Mightyena. He then released a small red shellfish Pokémon with pincers.

"Corphish, use Bubblebeam!" he shouted. Corphish shot a beam of bubbles from its pincers at Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" said Brendan. Bulbasaur fired his Razor Leaf to counter the Bubblebeam.

"Corphish, Crabhammer!" Corphish's pincers started to glow as it ran towards Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, dodge it!" Bulbasaur tried to dodge the attack, but, instead, he got slammed into a nearby tree, causing him to get damaged.

"Bulbasaur, get up and use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur staggered onto his feet and shot a Vine Whip towards Corphish.

"Corphish, dodge it and use Crabhammer again!" Corphish quickly dodged it, and hit Bulbasaur on his head with its pincers, causing Bulbasaur to faint.

"Nuts. Torch, I choose you!" said Brendan. Torch leapt in front of Bulbasaur for the battle.

"Use Ember!" Torch exhausted tiny embers from his mouth at Corphish.

"Corphish, Bubblebeam!" said Hans. Corphish fired another Bubblebeam from its pincers towards Torch, colliding with the Ember attack.

"Torch, use Scratch!" Torch ran up to Corphish and scratched it with his claws.

"Corphish, use Crabhammer!" Corphish ran up to Torch and rammed him with its glowing pincers, causing Torch to receive a lot of damage.

"Torch, use Peck!" With every ounce of his strength left, Torch ran up to Corphish and furiously pecked at Corphish's head, surprisingly causing Corphish to faint.

"NOOOO!!! My boss will be furious!" said Hans, recalling Corphish to its PokéBall. He looked towards Brendan and the Devon executive.

"This isn't over! Next time I see you, you little brat, I will show no mercy!" he said, running off.

"Uh…that was awkward," said Brendan.

"Yes, it was. I should be heading back to Rustboro before someone else tries to steal the Devon Goods," said the Devon executive.

"Yeah, that would be best. Oh wait! Here, take this!" said Brendan.

He gave the Devon executive the Shroomish he caught earlier. "There's a Shroomish in there. You can have it."

"Gee thanks! And just for your generosity, take this!" The Devon executive handed Brendan a Great Ball.

"That there is a Great Ball. It can catch Pokémon better than a regular PokéBall."

"Thanks! This can be useful…" said Brendan, putting it in the Ball pocket on his bag.

"See ya later!" said the Devon executive, walking off.

"I really hope he raises that Shroomish. He needs it…" Torch and Bulbasaur nodded.

"So Bulbasaur, you wanna have a name?"

"If you want to name me," replied Bulbasaur.

"Hmm… I can't think of one," said Brendan.

"How about Bulba, Brendan?" asked Torch.

"It'll do for right now. C'mon, let's head back to the campsite…" he said.

Back at the campsite, Brendan told his brother what had happened earlier. "You beat his Corphish with a Torchic? That's amazing!" said Brandon.

"Yeah, I know, but what did he want with that suitcase the Devon executive had?" asked Brendan.

"Don't know… we'll find out when we get to Rustboro."

"Yeah, okay."

Meanwhile…

Tricia stopped in her tracks. She thought she heard a Pokémon near the bushes. When she walked over, she was knocked over by Hans. "Gee, thanks a lot! You got my favorite shirt dirty!" she shouted.

"So? I don't care!" Hans shouted back. This made Tricia angry.

"Well then let's battle!" she said furiously.

"Fine! One-on-one! You and me! Go Golduck!" he shouted.

"Go Blossom!" she said, releasing her Wurmple.

"Are you sure you wanna do that, Tricia?" asked Aqua.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

"Golduck, use Fury Swipes now!" he shouted. Golduck started to run up to Blossom with its claws extended.

"Blossom, use Tackle!" said Tricia. Blossom dodged the Fury Swipes and rammed into Golduck.

"Golduck, use Water Pulse!" Golduck shot the Water Pulse towards Blossom.

"Blossom, use Poison Sting!" Blossom shot poisonous needles from the horn on her head towards Golduck, colliding with the Water Pulse.

"Golduck, use Psychic!" Golduck shot waves of psychic energy at Blossom, picking her up and slamming her into the ground.

"Blossom, String Shot!" Blossom shot the silky thread at Golduck, covering him from head to toe.

"Oh no! He can't move!" shouted Hans.

"Great! Finish this with Tackle!" said Tricia. Blossom tackled Golduck, knocking him out.

"NOT AGAIN!!!" he shouted, recalling his Golduck. "That's twice I lost! But as a constellation prize, I'm taking your Wurmple!"

"I don't think so!" said Aqua. She shot a Water Gun at Hans, sending off into the sky.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!!" he shouted, flying off.

"That was great, Blossom!" shouted Tricia, picking her up.

"Thanks!" Blossom replied. Suddenly, she started to glow.

"What's going on, Aqua?"

"I think she's evolving!" Aqua replied.

Blossom started to change shape until she was finally a Silcoon! "She's a Silcoon now!" said Aqua.

"Alright! Just a few more battles until you evolve into a Beautifly!"

"Okay… Can we get back to camp? I'm famished!" said Aqua. "Okay, okay!" Tricia laughed.

Later that night…

"This is some good stew, bro! You sure can cook!" said Brendan.

"Thanks B-Boy, but I think it's time to get some shuteye, so I'm going to bed," said Brandon.

"Okay. Goodnight!" said Tricia.

"So, Tricia, you wanna go and look at the stars with me?" Brendan asked nervously.

"That would be great! C'mon!" she replied, smiling, as she grabbed his hand and ran toward a nearby hill.

Now that Brandon has joined Brendan and Tricia, there's bound to be even more exciting adventures on the road to the Hoenn League. But what did that Team Aqua grunt want with the Devon Goods that the Devon executive had? Only time will tell!

To be continued…

Sparky- To let everyone know, I wrote this chapter!

KP walks in room Uh-huh…

Sparky- Uh-oh! Gotta go! runs off

sweat-drops Okay… C-ya l8ter!