Pokémon: Hoenn Travels.
-The Important Stuff:-
1) I am not at all affiliated with Game Freak nor Nintendo, or any other companies that write/produce Pokémon.
2) I do not own any part of Pokémon.
-A Waiver:-
1) This is not a direct steal from anything already Pokémon-related that exists, not the show or a game or a novel/book. It is my own creation, therefore I may bend the rules a little bit to fit my needs.
2) The names of Professors, Gym Leaders, and Cities were taken from Ruby Version.
Chapter Four:
Hoenn-Bound
Returning to my house, I greeted Luma and Phantom, who were sitting silently when Doug and I walked in. I passed off the meatballs to Luma, she gratefully thanked me. Doug advised that we would likely leave in the early morning, to make it to Goldenrod by the late morning, to catch a plane in the early afternoon. He assured me that by Friday evening, we would be landing in the Hoenn region. He then gathered an obviously miffed Phantom and disappeared out into the night.
"We're going?" Luma asked me as the door shut and I could hear footsteps receding down my porch.
"I couldn't say no," I told her with a shrug. She was seated at a chair at my dining table chomping up the meatballs happily. "It's only for the weekend, what's the harm?"
"Good, I'm glad you agreed." She returned her attention to her food. After eating another, her eyes were on my face again. "What do we have to do to get ready?"
"I'm going to get clothes and such ready for the trip," I answered, already heading to my bedroom. "And I am going to call my mom, to see how quickly she can get here to take care of everyone."
"I'll come help when I am done!" She called after me.
In my bedroom, I found a satchel that I felt was an appropriate size for a weekend long trip. I found clothing, deciding on maintaining my business casual attire. Jeans and a t-shirt seemed unprofessional and also made me look about five years younger. As I grabbed clothing and carefully packed them into the bag, I grabbed my personal phone from a table beside my bed and called my mother. She picked up on the second ring.
I explained to her the situation, decidedly leaving out that it was the same man that I had nearly fallen in love with five years before. I instead told her that it was a colleague who was requesting my help in a Hoenn lecture series. She bought it and congratulated me on my advances in my career. She was proud of me. After asking a few more questions about the trip, resulting in vague answers or outright lies from myself, she agreed to leave Kanto in the morning and be in Ecruteak by the next evening.
As I hung up with her and finished selecting the few outfits I would bring with me, I went into my bathroom to gather the necessary toiletries. As I scooted around the small room, Luma padded down the hallway and dropped to her butt in the doorway behind me.
"What Pokémon are you bringing?" She asked.
"Well, Doug said that when traveling across regions by plane it's easier to bring less Pokémon," I answered her, my attention still on my task at hand as I gathered my shampoo and conditioner bottles. "Apparently customs can be a real pain in the ass."
"And he is the most impatient man," she snickered in response.
"That too." I smiled at my Pokémon as I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste. "So, I am thinking two will be sufficient."
"Me and Ty?" Luma guessed and I nodded.
"I thought you and Vapor, since he has gotten so strong recently," I explained my thought process, "but he loves staying at home, and Ty trains incessantly. He loves adventures."
"He does, his feelings would be very hurt if you didn't bring him," Luma agreed with me, standing and moving out of my way as I left the bathroom with the zipped baggie containing my toiletries. "Are you going to bring empty pokéballs?"
"I don't think we are going to be there long enough for me to go exploring and catch stuff," I admitted to her as I finagled the very full bag into the side pocket of the satchel I was bringing. "Though, a few Hoenn Pokémon would be great for my students to see."
"I am sure we can find an afternoon to catch a Pokémon or two," Luma assured me. She jumped up onto the top of my bed and sat down beside my bag. I was staring at it, considering a thought over and over in my mind. "Yes, a suitcase would be ridiculous for just a weekend," she answered the question I was posing myself in my head.
"I knew it was," I fired back at her, trying not to feel ever so mildly embarrassed. She gave me a look that proved she knew I was lying. "I wasn't going to do it anyways," I mumbled, then sighed loudly. "Well, we will try and find time to go find a Pokémon or two, but I am sure I can just buy some pokéballs there. No need to stuff even more into this bag."
"Probably a good idea." She jumped off the bed and started heading out of the room. "I am going to go get Ty hyped up."
"Tomorrow we leave," I muttered after her, staring across my room and out the window on the front of my house. I could see the lights of Ecruteak's downtown area illuminating the darkness out ahead of me. "For Hoenn."
"I really hope it's warmer there," Luma shouted from the hallway, successfully ruining the poignant moment I had been having.
Doug arrived bright and early the next morning. Though I was up, and ready, I had still been sipping on orange juice and nibbling my way through breakfast as I read over notes on a recent Pokémon study from New Bark Town. I hadn't expected him to actually be as early as he had mentioned the night before. I had let him in, cleaned up my breakfast dishes, and then went about securing my house. My mother had a key, but I returned all my Pokémon, with the exception of Luma, to their pokéballs and securely locked all the doors. After gathering my travelling bag, I followed Doug and Phantom out of the house, locking my front door behind me.
We had left Ecruteak silently. Though Doug had been on time, it was obvious he hadn't been up for very long. He was quiet and his eyelids still seemed heavy. Every few minutes, he'd release a huge yawn, occasionally causing me to do the same thing.
The sun was barely peaking over the horizon as we put Ecruteak to our backs and headed south toward Goldenrod. The four of us stayed quiet for the first hour or so of our early morning walk. We navigated easily to and through the National Park without any incidents, and as we came out the other side and the sun was high in the sky, Doug finally seemed to wake up.
The heels of my shoes sounded with muffled clicks on the well-worn path that led toward Goldenrod City. Doug, beside me, suddenly grunted loudly and stretched his arms over his head. As he dropped his arms, he pulled the black, leather jacket forward and straightened it out across his shoulders. "I hate mornings," he finally mumbled at me.
I laughed. "Good morning to you too."
"Not a morning person."
"That, I knew Doug, from our previous adventures together," I told him, still chuckling softly. I slowly let out a quiet breath, watching my breath hang in the air for a moment. "Looks like it's going to snow again."
"Thank goodness we are leaving then," he replied and I could hear Luma chirp in agreement with him.
"Hopefully it doesn't affect our flight."
"Nah," he shook his head. "I doubt it'll be that bad."
I fell silent again, just watching the path unfold in front of me. Though I travelled the road to Goldenrod quite often, this time it felt much differently. I had to imagine it was because of the man I was walking besides, but I didn't want to give him that much credit. I chuckled to myself, shaking my head subtly.
"What?" Doug asked me, seemingly picking up on either the shake of my head or my chuckle, perhaps both.
"Oh, I was just thinking," I told him, deciding to be honest. "It doesn't feel like it's been five years since we did this before."
"No, it doesn't," he agreed with a sharp nod of his head. I felt him look over at me and I could see the smile on his face out of my peripheral vision. "Wanna battle?"
"What?" I stopped and faced him. He stopped too. "Battle?"
"Yea, come on," he grinned at me.
"Per your request, Doug, I have two Pokémon on me, one of which is Luma," I reminded him. "The other is Typhlosion."
"Are you saying you'd beat me?" He asked with a chuckle.
"No, I am asking if a two-on-two battle is really a fair comparison of our current battling skills?" I emphasized my point that he had missed. We were still standing facing each other.
"I won't battle Luma anyways," Phantom commented.
"Who said you wouldn't be battling Typhlosion?" Doug shot at him, his eyes dropping to his Pokémon as well. Luma and Phantom both had stopped just ahead of us, Luma was sitting on the ground and Phantom had stepped back toward Doug and I.
"Part of your strategies when you battle Doug, are messing with people's minds. You like to pick deliberate weaknesses, hard fought battles, and under-trained Pokémon and beat trainers that way," Phantom commented and my eyebrow raised. I noticed Doug throw a quick and possibly concerned expression in my direction. "Of course, you would put me against Luma and I will not battle her."
"Why not?" Luma finally spoke, asking from behind Phantom. She was still sitting, her tail wrapped around her feet and her head cocked slightly to the side as she regarded him.
"Because, my darling, I would never do that to my lady," he remarked and I had to swallow back a wretch.
He is trying a bit hard, isn't he? I asked her in my head, making eye contact with Luma. Her head straightened out as she met my eyes.
He is very much stumped by my behavior, it's more fun than I would have thought.
"You think you would beat me." She did not phrase it as a question, glaring daggers into Phantom as he turned away from Doug and I and began to saunter back towards her.
"I think you would put up a very good fight, darling."
Her eyes narrowed in irritation as he sat down in front of her. She leaned toward him, her expression still obvious annoyance. "I would beat you in a fight, Phantom," she spat at him. She stood and whipped around, taking several steps from him after her tail slapped across his face. "And I am neither your darling nor your lady."
I bit down on my lip as I stared at Phantom, Doug was making no attempt to conceal the chuckles emanating from him. Phantom released a low growl before standing and heading after Luma. "Oh man," Doug laughed, clearing his throat as he did so. "You definitely would have beaten me," he commented. "Luma can kick Phantom's ass and my other Pokémon is a Steelix."
"Steelix?" I echoed, never remembering Doug using such a Pokémon in the past.
"Yea." I watched a perturbed expression momentarily cross his features. "He's a great Pokémon, takes really great direction, and has incredible agility for being you know, a massive, metal, snake, but I never would have picked him as a go-to option for myself."
"So, why have him?"
We had started walking again, carrying on towards Goldenrod at a comfortable pace as we conversed.
Doug was scoffed. "You're gonna make fun of me."
"Oh, absolutely, every chance I get," I assured him, giving him a smile when he threw a glare in my direction. "But still, tell me."
"My manager," Doug hissed.
"Who the hell is this person?" I laughed out loud. "He picks your schedules, your battles, where you are going to live at any time, and he picks your Pokémon? Did he pick your clothes for you today too?"
"No, he hates the leather jacket."
"Is it your small rebellion?" I asked, snickering as I did so.
"You're a real pain in my ass, Rowan," Doug snapped at me, though his tone was still playful. He shook his head though before explaining his Pokémon choice further. "He really just has a specific image in mind, you know? And while I would default to my usual Pokémon choices, Phantom, Kangaskhan, Togetic," he explained, and I remembered battling the Pokémon he mentioned. They were strong. "He didn't think it was in line with the image he had for me."
"Which was?"
"He picked the phrasing," Doug quickly informed me, "don't laugh."
"You know I am going to."
"Tall, dark, and intimidating," Doug muttered and his arms dropped limply by his sides as I exploded in laughter. "Yea, yea, thanks Rowan."
"I'm sorry, I am so sorry, that is so ridiculous," I finally apologized as my laughter came back under control. "He sounds so preposterous."
"He's a ridiculous, little man."
"Little?"
"Oh yea, he's shorter than you without the heels," Doug mentioned and I started laughing again. "So, he prefers if at least once a battle I use Gyarados, or Onix, or Feraligatr. They gave me a Poliwrath and a Exeggutor to use, but I don't see the appeal," he continued. "And I am legally required by my contract to use Steelix in every battle."
"Phantom is a dark Pokémon and he is pretty damn intimidating to everyone but Luma," I commented and I heard the dark evolution hiss.
"He's not tall," Doug shrugged. "He isn't allowed to be my 'representational' Pokémon. We all argued about it, Phantom the loudest."
"And he still lost? Shocking." I laughed when Phantom hissed again. "So, did your manager choose for you to bring Steelix too?"
"Yea, said since I was giving a speech about what it is to be a Pokémon trainer and Master and Champion, I needed to have my number one Pokémon with me."
"Interesting."
"I can guarantee you that I won't even summon him."
"Fair enough."
We continued toward Goldenrod, maintaining comfortable conversation as we went. It wasn't long before I could see the tops of the buildings poking over the tree line. It took only a short time longer for us to round the final bend and enter the large city. Even though it was late morning, the city was already bustling. Large crowds of people flocked to and from buildings, eating, talking on the phone, discussing business with the other people they walked with. The pathway was packed with hurrying people and as we entered, we got swallowed up by the horde.
"What time is the flight?" I called up to Doug. I had to raise my voice slightly to be heard over the hundreds of other conversations going on around us.
He lifted his arm to his face and pushed back his sleeve. "Right after one," he told me.
"And what time is it now?"
"Just after eleven." His hand was on the back of my shoulder, keeping me close as he managed to cut his way through the throng of people. "I am thinking we grab a quick sandwich while I place a call to the car service."
"Car service?" I was able to drop my voice to a normal speaking volume as we pushed our way off to the side of the main thoroughfare and to a small, roadside food truck. Though the line was long, it seemed it was moving quickly. The smells radiating from the truck were enticing and my stomach immediately started grumbling.
Doug was nodding. "Yea, the League is having a car drive us to the airport and another one will pick us up in Hoenn."
"Oh," I said. "Ok, do I need to help pay?" I suddenly remembered Luma and Phantom and worried that we may have lost them in the Goldenrod chaos. I glanced around at my feet, relieved when I found both Pokémon sitting in the line with us.
He hurriedly shook his head. "No, you're helping me out Rowan. I am not gonna ask you to pay for any of this shit."
"Hey! You're Doug Evergreen! The Champion!"
The argument to help pay that I was forming in my head was interrupted by an excited scream of a young boy. I glanced around and found a small group of children in the line behind us. There were two boys and two girls, none of them could be much older than twelve or thirteen. The girls were obviously lovestruck over being so close to Doug and one boy, I had to imagine the one that had shouted, was standing directly behind Doug, looking particularly confident.
Doug glanced over his shoulder and down toward the kid. His expression was immediate irritation, though he quickly hid that underneath an expression of stoicism. "Yea," he finally agreed. "I am."
"Can we take a picture with you?" One of the girls sheepishly asked, lifting a phone from her pocket.
Doug looked to me and though it wasn't on his face, I could feel how bothered he was by the children's request. "Sure," he said, returning his attention to the girls.
"Why don't you let me take it?" I offered, holding my hand out and the girl excitedly handed it off to me as she and her friend huddled on either side of Doug. They both wrapped an arm around Doug's waist, but I noticed he kept his hands firmly behind his back. The girls had huge grins plastered across their faces, but Doug remained as serious as ever. I snapped a couple of pictures, before handing it back to the girls. "There you go."
They were squealing as they looked through them and Doug returned to my side.
"Now you have to battle me!" The confident boy called to Doug, producing a Pokémon ball from his belt.
"No, I am not doing that." Doug shook his head.
"You have to!" The kid was immediately screaming and I found myself to be annoyed.
"I am just trying to get lunch," Doug waved ahead of us and toward the food truck. We were only one or two people back from the start of the line now.
"Oh, you're scared?" The boy's anger left his voice, but he was still shouting up at Doug. "I am really good, I will definitely beat you."
"Great, kid." Doug turned his back to him.
"Come on!" The kid was still shouting and I heard a pokéball break open. I glanced back, spotting a Gloom on the ground. "Battle me."
"Some other time," Doug muttered.
"You're scared, you big, stupid chicken!" I was ready to battle the boy just to shut up him. "Dumb, idiot, chicken!" He started making bawking and clucking noises as though he were a chicken. I glanced up at Doug. Aside from the fact that the veins on his neck were bulging, I couldn't tell that he was angry. His expression was shockingly calm.
The kid continued to make chicken noises at Doug as we placed our order for food, earning a sympathetic expression from the person we were ordering from. We paid and stepped off to the side, expecting the kids to be distracted by their own orders and therefore leave us alone. However, the one boy followed us over to the side and continued making noises at Doug, his Pokémon standing beside him.
"Battle me, you stupid moron!" The boy finally reached the cap he had on his patience for Doug ignoring him. It surprised and irritated me both, when the boy reared back and kicked into Doug's shin with as much force as he could manage. The squeak I released was entirely involuntary and I reached out toward the kid, to pull him back from Doug.
Doug reacted in no other way except for closing his eyes and taking a long, deep breath through his nose. He slowly opened his eyes, they landed on me. He ushered me away from the boy and glanced down at him.
"Battle me!" The boy screamed once more.
Doug's eyes narrowed, though he remained silent for a few seconds more. Finally, he spoke a single word. "Phantom?"
His Pokémon shot out in front of him in a high leap. As he landed on all four paws, he shot a large sphere of purple and black power from his jaws. The orb collided with the boy's Gloom, throwing it backwards and knocking it out in a single blow. The boy finally fell quiet as he stared down at his Pokémon.
"Did you have more Pokémon, or was that the only one?" Doug asked, still surprising me when his voice sounded calm and collected.
"That was my only one," the boy mumbled, still staring down at his Gloom.
"Great, thanks for the battle," Doug commented, glancing up as our food was finally ready. He took it and handed it off to me. "See ya around, Kid."
He stormed off, Phantom following behind him. I stared at the defeated kid for a moment, then looked over to Luma, who seemed as shellshocked as I was. We then hurried after Doug and Phantom, who had nearly disappeared into the crowd.
I had never been on a plane before. The take-off had been terrifying and I hadn't expected my ears to plug. I had kept checking on Doug and he hadn't seemed concerned so I had to assume it was normal. That didn't mean I liked it though.
Getting to the airport had been easy with the help of Doug's car service. The car had picked us up near the western edge of Goldenrod City. It had been a luxury sedan, sleek black in color and spacious on the inside. We had been offered snacks and drinks once we sat down, though I refused, afraid it would cost extra. I already didn't like knowing how much the service itself cost; I assumed expensive just based on how nice the car had been.
The vehicle had driven us less than fifteen minutes outside of Goldenrod and to the airport. The building housing the ticket counters and the gates was rather airy, with huge windows, white floors, and air conditioning absolutely blasting regardless of the light dusting of snow on the ground in Goldenrod. I had followed Doug from the doors to the ticket counter where he gave his name and they happily greeted him and then we were personally escorted to our gate.
We had boarded first onto the plane, once it was ready. I didn't really understand what was required to get a plane ready, but it took a considerable amount of time given how long it was parked outside the gate before we boarded. Our seats were at the front of the surprisingly large plane.
It also surprised me how comfortable the seats were and how much leg room I had, as all of my friends and acquaintances that had flown had always complained about leg room. Doug had reclined his seat and seemingly had fallen asleep. I remained awake, interested in an experience I had never had and probably never would have again.
The flight supposedly was less than seven hours. We had already been on the plane for more than half of that. I had spent the flight staring out the window. Doug had told me that the best part of flying was watching the landscape below and insisted on letting me have the window seat.
When we had taken off, and I got over my first initial anxiety, it had been beautiful to watch the landscape blur beneath me. Trees had become tiny in appearance, vehicles and buildings mere specks in my vision. The patchwork of greens and browns had been mesmerizing when we reached cruising altitude.
However, now that we were flying above ocean, I found myself a little nervous. Supposedly, survival was far greater if a plane crashed into water, however I felt like people had failed to remember the terrifying Pokémon that inhabited the seas.
Craning my neck and staring out ahead of the plane however, I could make out an impending land mass. And as the flight continued, and that landmass neared, I was once again captivated by the mismatching pieces of natural hues of the landscape we passed over. The different pieces of colors were square and rectangular in shape from the height we were flying at, which I wasn't expecting. As I watched, I was sad that Luma couldn't experience it with me. We had been explicitly ordered to keep our Pokémon in their pokéballs at all times.
It wasn't too much longer after we flew over the landmass that we were advised we were lowering our altitude to land. Doug roused himself from his nap, I wasn't sure how he had managed to sleep. The turbulence alone would have kept me awake.
"Enjoy your first flight?" He asked me as he stretched in his seat and clipped the seatbelt across his waist.
"I did."
He shrugged. "Gets old fast."
I pursed my lips and returned my attention to the window. We were barely above the ground and I could tell that we were flying over a long, asphalt runway. It took only minutes to land, but then taxing to the gate and parking was an ordeal. By the time we parked, most people were standing, as though it were a race to get off the plane. Doug stood too, blocking the aisle so that I could stand as well. We retrieved our luggage and headed off of the plane.
Doug had been right, which pained me to admit, even internally. Getting through customs was a royal pain, as they had to catalog a lot of details about each of the Pokémon Doug and I carried with us. Just cataloging Luma took over fifteen minutes alone. It was nearly an hour later when we finally left the Hoenn airport and stood out in the sunshine.
"Oh," I breathed, blinking in the bright light. Hoenn was several hours behind Johto, so it was still early afternoon here, although my body was telling me it was late evening. Standing in the warm beams, it felt like I was worlds away from my real life. "It is so much warmer here!"
"Isn't it great?" Doug smiled at me as he walked past me, releasing Phantom as he did so. His Pokémon appeared and was instantly stretching in the sunshine. I followed suit, releasing Luma from her pokéball as well.
She was purring almost immediately as she slinked across the ground and rolled onto her back. "Oh," she cooed, her eyes narrowed in happy, little slits. "This is divine."
I laughed, glancing around. Doug and Phantom were bee-lining for another luxury sedan parked at the curb not far from where I was standing. "Well, we have a whole weekend to enjoy it." I had to reach up and undo a couple of buttons on the blouse I wore. I was already sweating. "Let's not get left behind at the airport."
Luma shot to her feet and trotted over to the car. I followed, handing my satchel off to a serious looking man in a suit. He set it gently in the trunk and waved me into the backseat, closing the door behind me. I settled down in the comfortable back bench and went about unbuttoning and rolling up the long sleeves I wore.
"Where are we going to?" I asked Doug. He was staring out the window as the driver got back into the car and pulled away from the airport.
"Professor Birch's lab," he answered, pulling his eyes from the window to tell me.
"Where is that? And how far are we from it?"
Doug seemed stumped by the question, luckily though the driver cleared his throat. "If you don't mind my intrusion," he said, "Professor Birch's laboratory is in Littleroot Town, we are approximately two hours from there."
"Get comfortable," Doug muttered, returning his attention out the window.
I did the same, looking out the window closest to me. Luma sat in my lap, her front paws resting on the ledge of the door. Her chin was resting on her paws as she stared out the glass, her quiet breaths fogging up a small area on the pane.
I got lost in my thoughts as we drove. I felt an overwhelming sense of concern. I wasn't sure that it was appropriate for me to be here and give advice on being a Pokémon trainer. It had been years since I had done my own travels. I hadn't even made a career move that was similar to Pokémon training. I didn't want to make a fool of myself.
I glanced down to Luma. She felt my stare and looked up at me, chirping happily as she did so. I smiled at her as I gently stroked her head. She gave me a sense of confidence. She was a strong, capable Pokémon, impressive to everyone who had met her. She proved that I had done something right and was still doing something right to have a Pokémon as incredible as her.
I looked from her and to Doug. Being around him made me feel comfortable, though I would never tell him. It was like no time had passed, sitting beside one of the best people I had ever met. I couldn't imagine he would have steered me wrong, bringing me along for his own personal gains. He clearly thought highly of me.
I deserved to be here.
I returned my attention to the window, quelling my internal worries for the moment. I mindlessly watched the rest of the drive pass by. The landscape turned from the cleared out, almost industrial setting of the airport and the busy city nearby to winding, tree-line roads. The smooth asphalt we were driving on changed to bumpy gravel and eventually to a dirt road. A cloud of dust kicked up behind our vehicle.
Finally, we pulled into a small, smaller than New Bark, town. There was but a single road, and it was the dirt road we were on. It pulled up to a large building that was clearly a laboratory and then circled back around the way we had come. Behind the laboratory building I could see quaint houses lining a modest, paved walkway.
The car pulled up to the front of the laboratory doors and stopped. The driver got out, opening Doug's door as Doug was sitting on the driver side. I slowly pushed my door open, staring up at the building as I kicked my feet out the side of the car. Luma hopped out ahead of me as Doug walked around to my side.
He offered his hand out to me and I set my hand in it, allowing him to help me to my feet. I was still staring at the lab. It was a modern building, with a sleek, silver exterior and wide windows. The doors to the building were glass and electric, whirring open as Luma neared them.
"Your bags." The driver spoke again, holding my satchel and Doug's backpack each in a hand. Doug took both, thanked the man, and handed off what looked like a wad of cash. I decided not to question it as I knew Doug wouldn't answer. He handed me my bag, which I settled over my chest, and we walked to the doors of the lab.
Entering, we were greeted by a cool blast of air. However, given the heat and humidity of Hoenn, I found it refreshing. Just inside the doors, we were in a lobby area. There were seats to our left and our right and a large desk in front of us. Behind the desk, there was a pair of doors that obviously led further into the lab.
"Hello! And welcome to Littleroot Laboratory!" A cheery, blonde woman greeted us from behind the counter. She had a bright smile on her face and wore her almost white, blonde hair in a high ponytail. "How can I help you?"
"I'm Douglas Evergreen," Doug stepped forward and introduced himself. "It was requested I come here by your Champion, I think?"
"Give me just one moment!" The girl grinned brightly. She started typing away furiously on the computer in front of her. "Oh yes, here you are. You are meeting with Professor Birch's aide, Ms. Dogwood."
"Dogwood?" I echoed.
Doug and the receptionist looked back at me. "Yes, ma'am," the receptionist answered, she started typing again.
Doug's eyebrow arched. "Something wrong?"
I shook my head. "I just know the name."
"Right this way, you two." The young woman was standing now. She had pushed open a gate on the desk area for us and was now standing at the double doors, holding them open.
I followed Doug to and through the doors the receptionist was holding open. After we stepped through, she cleared her throat. "Straight down to the end, take the elevator to the third floor. Ms. Dogwood will meet you there."
Following the directions we were given, we made it to the elevator and silently rode it up. Phantom and Luma jumped off as soon as the doors were barely opened. As Doug and I came out onto the floor behind them, I had to blink several times in the brightness of the setting sun. The beams were streaming into the massive panes of glass that were ahead of the elevator. The entire floor seemed to be an open area of tables and desks, each cluttered with different scientific tools and research.
"Mr. Evergreen?" A short, plump woman with dark hair styled at her chin stood just outside the elevator. She had to be my age, perhaps younger, and as she regarded us, she pushed a pair of thick, dark-rimmed glasses higher up on her nose.
"Uh, Ms. Dogwood?" Doug guessed, holding his hand out to shake her hand.
"Yes," she agreed, shaking his hand. Her eyes fell on me. "And you are?"
"Rowan Eden, from Ecruteak City." I answered, then couldn't help to add. "I know your cousin, Pointer? I believe his last name is. His first name escapes me."
"Brendan," she told me, then frowned. "I am so sorry, he's a difficult man to deal with." I nodded, she wasn't wrong. "Please, you two, come with me."
"You know, my manager wasn't really clear on what you needed from me," Doug said as we followed the short woman. She took small steps, so we both had to slow our pace. "Perhaps you could clarify?"
"There has been an incredible influx of criminal gang activity in the Hoenn region," she began to explain as we walked. The room became a confusing corridor of see-through panes.
"I don't think dealing with gangs is something that falls within my purview," Doug commented.
"I heard about your dealings with Team Rocket several years ago in Kanto, Mr. Evergreen," Dogwood replied and I frowned. They had been my dealings too, but I opted against speaking. They hadn't requested me here, I had just showed up uninvited. "However, you are not here to deal with the directly."
"No?"
"No, because they have become so prevalent, we are having issues getting children to be interested in becoming Pokémon trainers." She took a quick turn, heading toward a room now that had solid walls. The door was locked with a card swipe and a keypad. "There is a massive deficit and it is becoming concerning to all our professors and gym leaders across the region."
"So, why me?" Doug asked.
We stopped at the door, however instead of opening it, Dogwood turned around to face us and speak. "Well, I reached out to our Champion, she's relatively new, and she didn't respond to me at all. Therefore, since Professor Birch told me to be proactive about it, I reached out to Johto and Kanto's champions. I didn't realize that there was only one Champion for both regions."
"Yea," Doug agreed. "They just combine both regions into one League."
"I see that now," she replied. "Once your manager replied to me and said you would be available to help, Hoenn's Champion finally got back to me. She readily agreed to help, but since you were already on your way, I told her it wasn't necessary."
"Well, I am sure she has a lot of responsibilities to tend to," Doug muttered, "my first year as Champion was hectic."
"I'm sure," the aide gave Doug a tight smile and finally turned back to the keypad. She starting typing in a lengthy passcode. "Regardless, she showed up this afternoon, so we will be meeting with her too."
The door beeped and opened and I found us in a large, well-lit conference room. I stepped in behind Doug, Luma and Phantom on either side of me. There was a long, wooden table in the center with about a dozen chairs surrounding it. The decoration in the room was sparse, with only a projector screen on one wall and a potted plant in the far corner. On the opposite side of the table, facing the door, there was a woman seated. She stood as we came in the doorway.
She had light, candy pink hair that she wore in a pair of massive buns on the top of her head. She was tall and slender, with sharp features and a rather unamused expression across her face. Her outfit was, immodest, as I could best describe it. She wore a shirt and jacket, both of which stopped above her navel, and a pair of very tight, very short shorts. I couldn't see her shoes, but I doubted they added anything to her overall appearance.
"Mr. Evergreen," Dogwood spoke and seemingly forgot about me. "This is Ms. Cornelia Rowe, Hoenn's new Champion."
"Mr. Evergreen." The woman came around the table and stopped in front of Doug, resting her butt on the front edge of the table. She didn't offer a handshake or a smile. "I really am so sorry that you were asked here unnecessarily."
"Unnecessarily?" Doug echoed.
"Little Miss Dogwood here jumped the gun over really an insignificant issue," Cornelia explained, throwing the aide an unfriendly and forced smile. Dogwood rolled her eyes as she moved to the table and sat down, spreading out an armful of paperwork she had been carrying.
"It doesn't sound insignificant," Doug commented. "If you don't have trainers, you specifically are going to hurt from that. No one is going to challenge you or the Elite Four and your League will lose a great deal of funding."
"Not a problem we are worried about, we have plenty of funding from private sources." Cornelia looked to Doug again, smiling brightly now. It seemed like a genuine smile.
"Regardless of Ms. Rowe's beliefs," Dogwood spoke again and from the expression that came over Cornelia's features, it was obvious just the woman's voice annoyed her, "Professor Birch agreed with me and we set up a special lecture just for you, Mr. Evergreen."
"I can do it, Dogwood," Cornelia spat at her. She straightened up from the table and stepped in the aide's direction.
"You have been Champion for four months, Cornelia," she reminded her, clearly not intimidated by the pink-haired woman. "Mr. Evergreen has held the title for five years. He will make a far better impression on the children."
"Children?" Doug echoed.
Dogwood's eyes landed on him. "In Petalburg City, the gym leader there has assisted me in setting up a weekend event for children from all over Hoenn. You're going to give a talk on your journey as a trainer and becoming the most prolific champion we have ever seen."
"Children." Doug said again.
"You'll be fine," I assured him. "They're easy to deal with."
"And who are you?" Cornelia finally seemed to notice me. She waved an extended finger between me and Doug. "His overbearing wife?"
I heard Phantom snicker and then Luma hissed. I managed to paste a smile across my face. "No, I am a teacher from Ecruteak City in Johto."
"A teacher?" The woman repeated.
"Cornelia," Dogwood snapped. "We're good. I can take care of Mr. Evergreen from here. Perhaps it's time you got back to Ever Grande?"
The champion glared back at her for several seconds before she exited the room without any further words. Dogwood let her breath out and shook her head. "I am sorry about her; she is very young and still learning the politics of her position."
"Yes, we can't all be as diplomatic as Douglas Evergreen," I commented and though the aide didn't know it was a joke, Doug knew it was. He threw a glare over his shoulder and at me. I grinned in return.
"She was a bit of an underdog, no one really expected her to win," the aide continued, seemingly ignoring my statement. "She's still learning, she'll get there. I hope."
"You mentioned Petalburg?" Doug echoed.
"Yes, Petalburg City," Dogwood seemed to get back on track at Doug's question. "I can request a car to drive you guys there, or it's a short walk from Oldale Town."
"We're in Littleroot," I reminded her.
"Yes, you could get to Oldale in a few hours tonight, walking," she explained. "Rest there overnight and then leave early and make it to Petalburg to give your talk in the afternoon. Or again, I can get a car."
"That's a lot of walking, I vote car." I heard Phantom grumble. Dogwood missed his statement.
"I am going to place a call to the gym leader of Petalburg to let him know you made it here, when I come back just let me know your decision on the car," she stated and walked out of the room.
Doug and I stood silently for several seconds before he finally spoke up. "What do you think?" He asked me.
I chewed on my lower lip. I knew the car was the better choice and the easier option. It was also the faster choice, it ended all of this so much faster.
Doug is thinking the same thing, Luma assured me and I glanced down at her. She shrugged her little shoulders at me. Just thought you would want to know.
"I did want to try and catch a couple Pokémon before leaving the region," I finally said to him, slowly raising my eyes to his face.
He was nodding. "So, we walk?"
"All the way to Petalburg," I agreed.
