A/N: Hi! JetStreamGamma here. This week's chapter is a bit longer than the first three, so I hope you enjoy the extra content!

Poké Balls and Fresh Waters in most games cost 200 Pokédollars each, which gives us a good sense of the value of the currency. For this story, 100 Pokédollars = 1 USD.

Chapter 4: Independence

Hayate awoke on the couch to the songs of chirping Swablu perched outside the Undella Pokémon Center. He checked his Pokétch, which he had adjusted for the new time zone yesterday. 7:00. As much as he wanted to sleep in, Hayate knew he'd have to be ready early. It was his first official day as a Trainer, and he and Jane had places to be.

After brushing his teeth in the bathroom, Hayate went to wake Jane. The teen Trainer had already risen, massaging her Scolipede.

"Ready to get going?" she asked. Her bag was packed beside the bed, prepared to head out.

"Not quite." Hayate still had to change his clothing and use the restroom. He hadn't gotten the Trainer routine down just yet.

"I'll get some breakfast for both of us and wait downstairs," offered Jane. Hayate appeared deep in thought. Some of those Galarian words were completely lost on him.

Rotom filled him in. "She said she'll get breakfast for both of you and wait downstairs, cookie."

Rotom can translate for us! Hayate realized. Although the Plasma Pokémon's nicknames irritated the novice, he'd gladly accept them if it meant having such an easy access to translation.

Jane continued, "There's usually scrambled eggs in the morning. If you want, I'll get you a plate." Rotom repeated in Indigo.

"Sure," said Hayate, taking out the extra shirt, pants, and socks he packed from his bag.

Hayate did, in fact, accept those scrambled eggs, and as the two Trainers stood in front of the entrance to the Marine Tube, those eggs were not agreeing with his stomach. Drifloon, who had decided to travel out of his ball to look at the marine wildlife through the tube's thick glass, consoled his Trainer, offering his limb for Hayate to squeeze on.

The elevator ride down below the ocean level took longer than Hayate realized it would, and a video played on a large screen, instructing wayfarers to avoid battling in the Tube and keep camera flashes off to respect the wild Pokémon. (Rotom, whose Pokédex housing included a camera, made sure to disable that setting.)

When the elevator opened up to a world of blue, Hayate was awestruck. All these aquatic Pokémon swimming around- it was like a reverse-aquarium! He spotted many green fish with red or blue stripes- Basculin, as Jane called them. They seemed to be quite common. A few pink fish showed up as well- Alolomola. He thought he saw a Staryu as well, camouflaged into the seafloor.

"You'll usually get to see certain Pokémon more frequently at different times of day," Jane informed, and Rotom relayed. Jane carried a guide sheet in her hands. "The most common Pokémon here are Basculin, Frillish, Mantine, Alomomola, and Wailord." Rotom paused her picture-taking to translate, annoyed that she lost a good shot of an Alolomola.

Four young boys, maybe nine or ten years old, approached the pair, running up behind them. One of them shouted, "Can you take a picture of us with the Pokémon?" They nodded with wide grins and begging eyes.

Jane accepted a camera from one of the other boys. They stationed themselves by the glass wall, smiling in an disordered pose. "We'll have to wait until a Pokémon passes by."

Of course, like most kids their age, they couldn't stand still for long. Soon, their position decayed into chaos, with the boys changing spots and trying to outdo one another. Despite Jane's warning that their chance was about to go- an Alolomola was swimming by- the kids didn't have the patience to get back in line.

Finally, the boys reformed their arrangement, and Jane was able to snap a photo of the boys with a Basculin to their left. They took their camera back, and after congregating, pointed out something reflected in the glass behind them- colored silhouettes of Jane and Hayate.

"Why'd you have to get in our picture?" one accused. Jane wasn't surprised that the kids were picky about how their picture looked, but what she heard next took her aback. Another one of the kids looked at Hayate and inculpated, "Why do you Eastern people have to come to Unova anyways?"

Jane did not want to translate that to the impressionable boy by her side. She was 15, not that much older than Hayate, but she knew that a fair amount of Unovans- even kids, who must've learned it from their parents- were fairly prejudiced against foreigners, especially from the Eastern regions.

"Let's walk away, she instructed, taking Hayate with her. The boys had moved on to tapping the glass in futile hopes of attracting the marine Pokémon to come over to them, but Jane didn't want a confrontation, even though her team would stare down any naïve threats they could make. "What they said isn't important." The Sinnohan didn't catch every word, but he understood the implicit truth: the tone the kid had used with him wasn't exactly pleasant.

The Sinnohan rookie was rattled. Hayate had no idea why the younger boy had reprimanded him- they'd just met! Hayate thought about what about him was unsatisfactory. Was his hair too long? The fact that he didn't say anything?

Could they tell that he wasn't from Unova?

Could anybody tell?

The young boys had been harmless. They couldn't have been Trainers- they didn't have any bag, or belt, or any of the standard equipment, and they were a bit young to train Pokémon. Most likely, they were school kids who lived in Undella Town; the way they acted about their "tainted" picture suggested silver spoons.

What if they met others who derided non-Unovans? They wouldn't be quite as benign as the kids. Hayate shuddered at the thought of a tattooed vigilante, who'd decided Hayate overstayed his welcome. He shook his head. No, that's unrealistic. No one would single me out like that. But the fear still lingered.

From there, the walk through the Marine Tube was morose. Despite the beautiful marine life outside, Hayate could only look down. A few more people, Trainers or tourists, passed by, but Jane and Hayate just walked forward, not saying a word. Rotom had abstained from taking photographs, instead choosing to sleep in Hayate's bag.

The Tube was longer than Jane had remembered. Almost two hours had gone by, and still no sign of getting close to Humilau. Unlike the forested routes, it was practically a straight line through the Marine Tube, and it was impossible to get lost. That meant that it took significantly less time to commute- if they went through the Undella Bay and the Seaside Cave, it could take from dawn to dusk, and they'd even have to camp for a night if they got unlucky.

Hayate's stomach growled. "Can we stop for a sneak?" he asked Jane.

"If you mean snack, we don't have any," Jane answered. "We're having lunch when we get to Humilau."

We should've packed something, thought Hayate. He decided: next time they traveled, he'd pack excess rations.

Jane was growing impatient. Neither of them wanted to walk another hour down the tube. She sighed, "You know what, let's not waste any more time." She plucked two Poké Balls from her belt and let out the Pokémon inside. Zebstrika and Scolipede appeared on the Marine Tube's metal floor, the noise of their landings amplified by the echo.

She climbed onto Zebstrika's back, holding on around the base of his strong neck. "Climb onto Scolipede's back."

Hayate carefully avoided Scolipede's horns and wrapped his arms around the Megapede Pokémon's neck. "I'm ready," he signaled.

"Let's get to the end of the tunnel quickly," instructed Jane to her Pokémon. "When you're ready."

Scolipede nodded at his Trainer, waiting for his teammate. Zebstrika whickered, stretching his legs. He started to trot forward, and Scolipede followed.

Hayate held close to the Bug-Poison-type Pokémon, who surprised the boy with how fast he ran, catching up with the Thunderbolt Pokémon in seconds. Zebstrika and Scolipede, in coordination, ran side by side.

"Isn't this fun?" Jane shouted over the echoes of Zebstrika hooves. Hayate was afraid to speak, for he thought he might fall off the speeding bug, but he managed to yell out a "Yeah," holding tighter to Scolipede. He just hoped that the noise wouldn't annoy the other travelers, but he was having too much fun to care.

In ten minutes, the elevator to the exit was in sight. The two hopped off Jane's Pokémon, and she returned them to their Balls.

When they exited into the daylight of Humilau City, Hayate could smell the ocean right away. Humilau City was built on a small island in the northeast of Unova, divided from the mainland by a small strait. A small commercial section filled the island, with the beachfront on the south end visible from the Marine Tube's entrance. Straight ahead, the Pokémon Center stood, nested between the trees, and the glass building that was the Humilau Gym was situated nearby. Although Humilau Island had its character, the quirks of the city didn't end there. Astonishingly, there were wooden houses built on bridges over the water! Hayate was glad that he didn't have to sleep in one of those- how did people manage living right above the ocean? He'd have to worry of disaster every storm.

Jane ran towards a face board nearby. "Let's take a picture in this! We can have Rotom take it!" Two Pokémon that Hayate noticed looked like a smaller Jellicent, blue and pink, were painted onto a wooden board, with holes for people's faces cut out.

Rotom emerged out of Hayate's bag. "Okie dokie!" She flew over in front of the face board, searching for the right spot to take the photo from.

Hayate was inquisitive about the figures on the board. "What kind of Pokémon are these?"

Rotom instantly responded: "Frillish, the Floating Pokémon, male and female dimorphisms. They're Water-Ghost-types native to Unova. They have stingers on their arms that they use to immobilize their enemies."

"This is what my Jellicent was before she evolved," Jane cut in.

Hayate walked over and stuck his face through the hole of the blue Frillish, as Jane stuck hers through the pink one. Rotom proceeded to snap dozens of pictures, until she finally said, "This one's good."

Jane let out her Jellicent. She floated in front of the face board between the faces of the two Trainers, and Rotom decided that ten takes wasn't enough again.

"Okay, Rotom, I think we're good." Jane's face muscles were weary from holding a smile. "Let's book a room at the Pokémon Center."

"Book? Like reading?" asked Hayate. He was having trouble getting expressions down.

"Booking a room means you're getting it for a set time." Jane tried using more common words. "We're asking them to give us a room for a while."

As they walked, they got a good look of the Gym to their right. One could see through the large, glass hangar-shaped building and find Trainers and Pokémon swimming in the water that connected to the Humilau Sound. It seemed that a Gym battle was going on, judging by the figures moving in the air, but the identities of the challenger and Pokémon were impossible to make out. "While we're here," Jane decided, "let's schedule our Gym battles."

They opened the glass doors, stunned by the humidity in the Gym. Jane stepped up to the receptionist. "We'd each like to schedule a battle with Marlon."

"How many badges?" the man asked.

"Three for me. And my friend here is just starting out."

"Can I see your Trainer Cards?"

"Here you go." Jane presented hers to the receptionist, and he swiped it through a machine. Hayate unzipped his bag, and after a while, his hand emerged with the new Trainer Card that the Professor had given him. Silently, he handed it over, and it, too, was confirmed.

The receptionist gave the two their cards back. "Jane and Hay-ate." Even though the man completely butchered the Sinnohan's name, Hayate resisted correcting him. "When would you like to challenge the Gym Leader?"

Jane answered. "How many slots are open a week from today?"

"February 16... we have slots open at 9, 10, and 11 in the morning; and 2 and 4 in the afternoon."

Jane turned to Hayate. "A week should be enough time to get you Gym-ready. Should we take 11:00 and 2:00? That leaves us time for lunch in-between"

He nodded. One week, and he'd battle his first gym! "You should go first. I want to know what to expect."

The experienced Trainer asked the receptionist, "Can I take the 11:00 slot and can my friend take the 2:00 slot?"

A few clicks later, he looked up smiled. "You're all set."

"Thank you," Hayate pronounced.

The two exited the Gym into the breezy air and began to walk. "We've got a week to train, prepare, and enjoy the city," Jane briefed. "You'll probably want to catch another teammate. Marlon won't go easy on you just because you have only one Pokémon."

"Yeah," Hayate affirmed.

They approached the Pokémon Center. While Jane booked them a room- since Hayate had his license, they could get a shared room with two beds- Hayate logged onto his new PC account. He placed Drifloon's ball onto the stand and slid the TM into the slot. He clicked the disc icon, and once the PC dinged, he retrieved his TM and Poké Ball.

Even though Thunder Wave was an Electric-type move, it didn't do damage, so Hayate knew that there wasn't a type advantage in play. Still, Drifloon's other moves; Constrict, Astonish, and Gust; weren't that strong, so he'd have to rely on paralysis.

"We're set for our room," Jane came over and alerted Hayate. "Why don't we get some lunch and then look around the city?"

Hayate wouldn't turn down lunch.

The two Trainers walked over a wooden platform past several wooden bungalows. Drifloon sat in Hayate's arms, enjoying the sea breeze. He was eager to show his trainer his new move, but he'd have to wait. Tomorrow, Jane would start helping Hayate and Drifloon train- today was just for exploring.

It didn't take long until they reached the beach of the Unovan mainland- ahead of them was Unova Route 22, leading to the treacherous Giant Chasm. This was the end of the city; there was more in the opposite direction from where they started, so they turned back. The bridges and houses didn't seem as familiar, and the fastest path to the island became unclear. Simply put, Jane and Hayate were lost.

"If we make a right here, we'll..." Jane started. To their right, there was another line of huts, with a dead end. "Never mind."

Hayate took out the Pokédex, from which Rotom awoke. "Rotom, can you help us find our way back to the Pokémon Center?" the boy asked.

"Okie dokie, sweetheart!" On the Pokédex's screen, a map popped up, showing their location with a smiley-face icon and the Pokémon Center with a flag icon. Hayate traced the path with his finger. A left, then straight, then two rights, and then the island would be straight ahead along the platform.

"Good thinking," complimented Jane.

The island portion of Humilau City was small. A few shops, the Gym, and the Pokémon Center were on stable ground, as they would need to be in the event of a catastrophe.

"There's a few apparel shops that you might like. They're not as expensive as the ones in Undella," Jane informed. "I'll buy you some things... as long as you let me teach my Duosion Thunder Wave as well." Of course, Hayate had no objections.

Wind chimes clinked as they walked through the door of one such shop, titled "Jardine Apparel." Gear and supplies hastily filled the shelves; the walls were covered in bags and clothing. Hayate found a white baseball cap he liked and pulled the brim low, covering his face. Recognition was unfavorable when there were dangerous people that knew your mug. It was unlikely that they were anywhere near Unova...

Better to be safe than sorry.

"That hat looks good on you!" Jane had paused checking out the small TM selection behind the counter. Lines of discs for Toxic, Ice Beam, and Psyshock were displayed in a locked glass display. Those moves were in such high demand that they had to be secured. Jane already had an Ice Beam TM, so she was contemplating putting down the staggering 60,000-Pokédollar price for the other two. Thankfully, there was a fair bit of prize money from placing well in the League, and she hadn't spent so much lately.

Psyshock was a strong move. A Psychic-type special attack, it was convenient not only for its power but due to the fact that it damages the target based on physical bulk- allowing a specially-offensive user to avoid being walled by a specially-defensive opponent.

But the real kicker was Toxic. It costed five times as much as Psyshock, for good reason. Toxic badly poisons the target, so it takes damage quicker the more the battle goes on. When used by a Poison-type, it never misses, unless the target is immune. That alone makes it a great move. But what makes it such a demanded TM is that nearly every Pokémon can learn it. Jane's entire team (except Scolipede, who already knew it) would benefit greatly from such a move in their arsenal.

Hayate picked out a badge case, a Poké Ball belt, and a plastic casing that could hold twenty TMs. Jane was glad that Hayate hadn't picked out anything too pricey like an Experience Share, as her wallet was about to take a fair beating.

They checked out at the counter. Hayate placed his items down, and Jane made her request. "We'd like to purchase these things, as well as a TM for Toxic and Psyshock."

The cashier scanned each one, and cited the total. "That will be 64,696 Pokédollars."

Jane didn't have the bills on hand to pay such a huge fee, so she had to swipe her Trainer card to transfer the funds. Upon receiving her TMs, she hastily stowed them away in the bottom of the bag. No way anyone was going to steal them on her watch!

Hayate gathered his new equipment. He clipped the belt around his waist, fit his cap over his brown mess of hair, and put the rest in his bag. Once again, he checked the mirror in the back of the store. The boy was a Trainer, and now he looked the part.

Jane suggested that they check out the rocky beach on the south end of Humilau that led to the aquatic Route 21.

"How come?" asked Hayate. He needed Rotom to translate the next part. "It's way too cold to swim. And we just went to the beach at Undella Bay yesterday. If this one's not as nice, why are we going?"

"It's a secret. I'll show you when we get there."

The pair walked southward, approaching the shore. Drifloon sat on Hayate's shoulder, and the boy was thrilled to have Drifloon's ball on his new belt. The Balloon Pokémon was delighted when Jane's Jellicent emerged from her Poké Ball.

Jellicent let out an elated call. From seemingly nowhere, a mass of blue and pink assembled in the shallow water. Dozens of Frillish and Jellicent were floating in the water, waiting for Jane's Jellient to join them. She mingled into the crowd, greeting each of the Floating Pokémon.

Her Trainer explained to her astonished companion, "This is where I caught Jellicent when she was a Frillish. All these Pokémon are her family."

For Hayate, it was a touching scene. The young Trainer knew that for many caught Pokémon, journeying with a Trainer was a special opportunity with many perks, but the incredible sight in front of him showed that Pokémon who elected to become domestic were sacrificed the world they knew.

A thought arose. Did Drifloon have a family? When they'd met, Drifloon was all alone, even though Drifloon and Drifblim tended to fly in groups. Had Drifloon gotten lost? Hayate had much to learn about his Pokémon. Hopefully Rotom would be able to relay conversation with Drifloon like she already did between him and Jane.

Hayate decided to contact his own family that night as well. Even though it had only been a day since they had said their goodbyes in the Undella Town Pokémon Center, he should keep in touch. Besides, he was in a new city and had so much to share!

A little blue Pokémon swam in the ankle-deep water. It jumped out of the water and Tackled Drifloon, who was floating close to the Trainers captivated by the family reunion, to no effect.

Hayate noticed the Mantyke hopping on the rough sand. Drifloon was cross at the instigator and decided that with his Trainer's permission, he would teach the rascal a lesson. The Balloon Pokémon's rubbery epidermis sparked with static electricity, preparing his new technique.

This was his opportunity to catch a Pokémon, and the Mantyke that presented itself was a great candidate. "Jane, do you have any empty Poké Balls?" Hayate asked.

"Here's three." Jane handed Hayate three empty Poké Balls, and Hayate held his thumbprint on each of them, registering them to his Trainer ID. "Good luck!" Jane returned to watching her Jellicent and the wild ones splash each other with the seawater, as they did in years past.

The boy was ready to instruct Drifloon in battle for the first time. Of course, he knew the basics of catching a wild Pokémon. They'd taught him in school that it was much easier to catch a Pokémon if they were tired from battle or inflicted with a status condition. He called out, "Okay Drifloon, use Thunder Wave!"

Drifloon didn't know what that meant.

Hayate facepalmed. Of course! They hadn't gone over any move commands. Blushing, he called out, "Use something!" Drifloon got the idea when Hayate pointed to the Mantyke in the air. It released a Thunder Wave, and the Mantyke, who tried to fly up but wasn't fast enough to dodge, was still eager to fight, but it began to cramp periodically as yellow flickers of electricity dispersed.

The Balloon Pokémon continued the offensive. He floated closer to the struggling Mantyke, sucking in the salty air. Mantyke prepared an attack, but was paralyzed midway, allowing Drifloon to release a mighty Gust from its little mouth, knocking the Kite Pokémon down.

Hayate threw a Poké Ball at the Mantyke... and he missed high: the ball sailed over the Kite Pokémon's head and into the ocean water. His target got up and sprayed a Bubble Beam at Drifloon, knocking the Balloon Pokémon back, the froth inhibiting his movements. Hayate threw his second Poké Ball, which sucked Mantyke in. He waited for the click that signified a successful capture.

One wobble, two wobbles...

Suddenly, the Ball broke open. Mantyke was free again, ascending into the air. Its mouth emitted a harsh noise, evoking Hayate to cover his ears and prompting Jane and the Jellicent and Frillish family to look at the scene unfolding farther down the beach.

Drifloon blew another Gust- at the ocean beside him, in the completely wrong direction. Supersonic, realized Hayate.

While the confused Drifloon searched for his target, Mantyke tried another Bubble Beam. Before it could move, paralysis took effect. The Mantyke twitched, and dropped to the sand, unable to sustain its flight. Hayate carefully tossed his third Poké Ball.

The ball encapsulated the Kite Pokémon once again. One wobble, two wobbles, three wobbles...

Click. Success! Hayate picked up the ball and held it in his hand. He'd captured a Pokémon!

Hayate turned his attention to Drifloon, who had regained a sense of his surroundings, a bit shaken up from the battle. Drifloon gave an assured chirp: he'd make sure his feisty new teammate didn't misbehave.

The young Trainer let out his new Pokémon onto the beach. Still sparking a bit from the Thunder Wave, Mantyke looked up at its Trainer- but he had already kneeled down.

"Welcome to the team, Mantyke." Hayate extended his hand, and Mantyke met it with its wing.

The Kite Pokémon warbled into the air. The sea before them began to bubble, and four Pokémon emerged from the waves. Two Mantine, an Octillery, and a Remoraid floated on the surface, and Mantyke flew out to them.

Hayate understood what was going on, but Drifloon was suspicious of the his new teammate. Rotom, who had zipped out of Hayate's backpack in order to give the scoop on his new Pokémon, explained what the Mantyke was up to. "Mantyke's saying farewell to its folks." The little Kite Pokémon warmed from the embrace of the two Mantine's wings and the Octillery's arms. (Remoraid cosied in, unable to hug its cousin with its short fins.)

Jane and Hayate watched as their aquatic Pokémon spent a little more time with their families before they left their homes. It made them think: a journey is a special thing. Each traveler, under the most strange and unfamiliar, ever-changing circumstances, finds themselves a changing individual, competent in adapting to new situations: soaring in the unpredictable wind, swimming through the powerful waves. But as change comes across and inside of oneself, it becomes ever so important to hold an anchor to the community that prepared you for life.

As Jellicent and Mantyke departed their families with drawn out goodbyes, Hayate contemplated the planning he'd made for his Pokémon team. Before he'd escaped to Unova, he uncharacteristically hadn't really put much thought to his team- pick a starter, maybe a Bug-type in Eterna Forest, and see which Pokémon came up. Since that idea was completely out the window, he'd have to put some thought into Pokémon to look for.

But meeting Drifloon and soaring above the ocean put a new thought into his head. He'd mulled it over during the last day and a half, but upon encountering his Mantyke on the shore, the decision was done.

Hayate determined that he'd assemble a team of Flying-types. And even though type-specialists faced an uphill battle compared for other Trainers, that only made his goal more grand.

No how many tries he took, Hayate was going to win the League Tournament with only Flying-type Pokémon. Drifloon and Mantyke were a part of his makeshift family now, and they deserved nothing less than Hayate's best.

A/N: Something that surprised me is how high Scolipede's speed stat is. It doesn't look like it should be a fast Pokémon, but its speed is 112- just slower than Zebstrika (116), and for context, faster than Latios and Latias (both 110)!

Yes, TMs in-game are quite expensive. Although you can't buy Toxic or Psyshock in any games, I based their prices around some of the other TMs that are available to purchase.

I hope you liked this chapter, and more should be on the way soon! Please leave a review if you'd like.

Thanks for reading,
JetStreamGamma

Translations:
none

Hayate's Party:
Drifloon (lv. 9)
Mantyke (lv. 7)

Jane's Party:
Zebstrika (lv. 52)
Jellicent (lv. 51)
Scolipede (lv. 47)
Magmar (lv. 46)
Ferrothorn (lv. 43)
Vullaby (lv. 37)