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 Seventeen:

A New Friend

I was sitting, flipping through a magazine in the room about the Hoenn region. I had found a map and had ripped it out of the pages, feeling only slightly bad about my decision. I had woken hours before, with a slight headache and mild dehydration, and found Doug still snoring peacefully, and thankfully fully covered in bed.

Luma was tucked in a tight circle at the far end of the sofa, her tail flicked over her nose. She was miffed that she hadn't been able to partake in the hot springs, but me telling her what I remembered about mine and Doug's drunken interactions seemed to make up for it.

It wasn't long before Doug started to stir. He started grumbling to himself and at one point threw a pillow over his head. Finally, seemingly too uncomfortable to sleep, he sat up, flinging the pillow that had been covering his head in my direction. He swore loudly as he winced in the sunlight barely streaming in through the closed blinds.

He blinked several times, trying to take in his surroundings. His eyes finally landed on me, calmly watching him, and his expression became completely panic stricken.

"Morning," he finally murmured.

"How do you feel?" I asked. His hair was a mess atop of his head and he looked exhausted even though he had just woken up.

"Uhhh," he groaned, looking around the room, obviously trying to figure out where he was. "Headache."

"I'll bet," I laughed, returning my attention to the magazine.

I could see out of my peripheral vision that Doug was staring at his lap and playing with the blankets that were covering him. "I am not wearing clothes," he finally muttered.

"No, you are not."

"I am really glad that you are," he added.

"Thanks, Doug."

"I remember very little of last night."

I pursed my lips and glanced in his direction. Luma had roused herself from her nap and was watching us silently. She remained unmoving at the foot of the couch. I bent my arm, propping it up on my knees, and leaned into my hand as I stared at Doug. "That's because you were taking shots of champagne. And it was more like double or triple shots at a time."

He groaned loudly. "I hate champagne."

"You said the same thing last night," I chuckled, looking away from him again. "Didn't stop you though."

He was quiet for several more moments. "Uh, Rowan?"

"Yes, Doug?" I flipped the page and started reading an article about Pacifidlog Town, the town built on the surface of the water in southern Hoenn. When he didn't respond, I slowly lifted my attention from the pages and back to his face. He was staring expectantly at me. "Yes Doug?" I said again.

"Did anything happen," he began to ask, then gestured between himself and me.

I offered him a smile and shook my head. "No, Doug, we were both drunk enough to want to, but too far gone to follow through."

He nodded. "Good," he grumbled.

My eyes were back on the magazine. "That's what I thought too."

"Can I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure."

"Toss my clothes over here, and then turn away from me and close your eyes until you hear the bathroom door shut."

I agreed silently by reaching out and grabbing his bag and tossing it toward the bed. I then twisted on the sofa, safely putting my back to Doug and closed my eyes. As an extra layer of security, I covered my eyes with my hands too.

After a moment the mattress squeaked and I heard Doug shift out of bed. And everything would have been fine, except we both forgot about Luma.

"Wow."

"Luma!" Doug shouted.

I felt my entire face grow red.

"What? I am just saying, it doesn't look like you have anything to be modest about."

Doug released a string of harsh swear words as he stomped across the room and slammed the bathroom door shut.

I glanced behind me as soon as it shut and at my Pokémon. She was shaking her head. "Luma," I hissed.

She met my stare and offered me a toothy smile. "Wow," she repeated.

"Turn around Luma," Doug growled. We were back out on Route 111, having found a shorter route out of Lavaridge Town. According to the woman we had spoken too, and the map that I had found in the hot springs lodge, we had to return to Mauville City and then continue onto Route 118 to head to our next stop, Fortree City.

"I am looking at you with all new eyes, Doug," she chortled, trotting ahead of us.

"You're not funny."

"It's okay, Doug," I tried to reassure him. "She's just being obnoxious."

"It's not okay, because I know how you two communicate."

"Doug, I could have seen anything I wanted last night if I had been so inclined, so trust me Luma has not shared anything with me."

He mumbled several swear words, but didn't say anything else for several moments. "Where are we going?"

"Fortree." I handed off the map to him. "City built in a giant species of trees."

"Right, the one that we are apparently setting on fire," he mentioned our fake Team Magma plan. "And what are we doing there?"

"Next gym leader until we hear something further from Cornelia, or find out more about Team Magma," I guessed with a shrug. "What else do we have?"

"I guess nothing."

We passed uneventfully through Mauville by late morning and by early afternoon were on the path to Fortree. Our walkway was lined on both sides by thick, high grass and a tree line began to form and steadily grew thicker and taller. I could hear the skittering of Pokémon off in the woods, but I had to admit, I didn't have interest in trying to catch them.

My mind was elsewhere.

Surprisingly, not on Douglas Evergreen, but rather on our plan. Or lack thereof one.

Team Magma was quiet, extremely quiet. We had heard nothing further since their failed gathering in Slateport City. And I tried to convince myself internally that that was a good thing, that their influence was waning, but we didn't know who was rivaling them. For all Doug and I knew, Team Magma was the lesser of two evils and we were helping the wrong side.

I couldn't help when a loud sigh escaped me, revealing the frustration I was feeling.

"Wanna talk about it?" Doug offered. He too had been silent, I had to assume he was lost in his own thoughts.

Another frustrated breath escaped me. "I just hope something comes up in Fortree, otherwise we have three more gym battles before we leave the region."

"Yeah," he softly groaned. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Maybe we should contact Cornelia when we get to Fortree," I suggested, even though it pained me to do so. "Maybe she has some idea of next steps. Maybe the gym leaders are discussing the problems with her and she can give us some guidance."

"We don't know how to contact her," he reminded me, earning another grumble out of me. "But you made another good point."

"I did?"

He chuckled softly before answering. "The gym leaders. I don't think Flannery would have been very helpful, but maybe we should talk to Fortree's leader after we are done with the battle. Maybe she or he has an idea on what Team Magma's effect has been out here."

"She," I told him. "Winona, she utilizes mostly flying types. She feels a great attachment to bird Pokémon and loves feeling the wind in her hair, apparently."

"Why do you know all that?"

"I read a lot of articles this morning waiting for you to wake up."

"Did you sleep at all?"

I shrugged. "Some, the couch wasn't all that comfortable and the room was spinning quite a bit for me."

"Half of that is my fault, I'm sorry."

"I think we both needed the relaxation of last night," I waved off his apology. "It's been a stressful few days."

"That's an understatement," Doug agreed.

I watched as Luma suddenly trotted off to the side of the path and peered off into the thick underbrush. Phantom hurried to her side and I could hear them speaking softly, about what I wasn't sure. "Everything okay?" I called to her.

Something is keeping pace with us. Instead of shouting to me, Luma spoke to me via thoughts.

Something, like a Pokémon or a person? I was immediately concerned, but hopeful that maybe Doug and I had a new lead.

Pokémon, sorry.

Luma leapt into the underbrush and out of my field of view. She was gone a few moments, I heard the sounds of her, and something else, scampering about. She exploded out of the bushes and dropped into a crouch. I would have been worried, but the playful lashing of her tail told me she was having fun. After a few seconds, another Pokémon darted out of the woods and scurried over to Luma. This Pokémon was very similar in appearance to Luma.

She had long, pointed ears and a feline appearance. Her ears, tip of her tail, and the thick collar around her neck were mauve in color. The rest of her body was a light yellow. She crouched in front of Luma and then Luma tore away from her. The Pokémon gave chase.

"What is that?" I asked, caught off-guard by the interaction between my Pokémon and the wild Pokémon.

Before Doug could respond, a computer voice spoke from his backpack. "Delcatty, the prim Pokémon. Delcatty prefers to live an unfettered existence in which it can do as it pleases at its own pace. Because this Pokémon eats and sleeps whenever it decides, its daily routines are completely random." I watched Doug's expression darken.

"Was that your Pokédex?" I asked him.

"Yup, it's turned off right now," he snapped, his eyes were narrowed in irritation.

"It seems to be working well."

"I'm going to break it."

I couldn't help but to laugh, grateful for the distraction from my own frustration. I watched as Luma continued to dance around the path with the Delcatty, seemingly amused by the new Pokémon. Phantom had sidled up beside Doug, nearly clinging to his leg, and complaining about the annoying behavior of the two pink Pokémon.

Can we keep her? Luma asked me as she and the Delcatty ducked back into the thicket of grass and trees off the path. I could hear them chasing each other.

I guess it depends on if she wants to come with us or if you want to battle her so I can catch her.

She wants to come with us. Well, with me.

The cat-like Pokémon shot out of the grass again, across the path, and into the plants on the other side. Now Luma was chasing the Delcatty.

Whenever you guys are tired, I will throw a pokéball out to catch her.

And then rearrange your party so you can have her out all the time!

Of course, Luma.

The two Pokémon played all the way up Route 119, never losing stamina. In fact, Phantom got sick of complaining before they got tired of playing. Finally, panting and walking quite slowly, the two collapsed near my feet.

"Ok, I am ready to go into my pokéball too," Luma sighed loudly. She chattered something to the Delcatty, who chortled in response. I tossed out two spheres once they quieted, one empty for the Delcatty and the other Luma's. Both dinged after a moment, and the Delcatty was transferred off to storage.

I glanced up to Doug as I retrieved Luma's ball, offering him a proud smirk. "We are tied again."

"You shouldn't be proud of a tie, Rowan, you should be trying to beat me."

I dismissed his snark. "I'm going to, don't worry."

The grove of trees we were passing through were towering so high that the entire path was covered in shade. Phantom, still walking beside Doug, was purring loudly. It was the first time I had ever heard such a noise emanate from the dark Pokémon.

"You must really like these trees, huh Phantom?" I commented.

The purring stopped and I could feel his red eyes glued to the side of my face. "Thanks for ruining it."

"How did I ruin it!"

"He hates people pointing out when he's not being all somber and morose," Doug answered for him. "Just let him sulk in peace and he's happy."

"I'm sorry, now I know," I snickered.

"These trees are impressive though. I have never seen trunks so damn thick or branches so wide. Understandable now how an entire city could be built in them."

"The closer we get, the more and more curious I get about Fortree."

"You're not actually going to immolate it, right?" Doug joked, laughing when I pushed against his arm. "You were so damn believable, I am never gonna let that go."

"Maybe I should have been a Rocket too."

"Nah, you're not dumb enough to have done that."

"Oh?" I arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you remembering some of last night?"

He shook his head. "Small bits and pieces."

"Let me know as you remember more, so that I know how embarrassed to be."

"From what I am remembering, Rowan, it's joint embarrassment."

"Yeah, you remember dropping me yet?"

"Dropping you?" He echoed. "Why was I holding you?"

I shook my head, laughing. "No reason."

"Rowan."

"Look," I interrupted him, pointing ahead of us as I spotted the first sign the city in the trees. There was a tight staircase, spiraling up the trunk of a tree out in front of us. It seemed, based on how thick the grove of trees was becoming, there was no other way to go, but up.

Approaching the tree, the staircase was too narrow for Doug and I to walk side-by-side. He waved me ahead of him and we ascended the massive tree, circling back and forth around the trunk as we climbed what seemed like hundreds of feet into the air. As we came to the top of the staircase, I found a pathway built out of lumber slats with a rustic banister encircling the edges of the path. The pathway looped back and forth through the dense forest, and extended up and out, to each of the buildings nestled in the branches.

"It's beautiful," I murmured breathlessly, taking in the amazing city as I paused at the top of the staircase. Doug had stopped behind me.

"How many bug Pokémon do you think these people have to deal with?"

I glanced over my shoulder, giving him an impatient glare. "You are very poignant, did you know that?"

He offered me a tight smile. "I'll leave that to you."

"PokéCenter there," I pointed out ahead of us and at a structure built fairly low on one of the largest trees in the area. Though the façade was not a typical exterior for a PokéCenter, it was built from dark wood, there was a red and white sphere painted onto the wood above the solid door. I followed the pathway, circling around the trunk of the tree and crossing swinging walkways, until we arrived at the PokéCenter.

The interior of the structure was just as rustic, with rough wooden floors and walls made of logs. However, it had every amenity that every other PokéCenter I had ever been in. Sofas filled a majority of the floor space, for trainers waiting on their Pokémon. There was a counter top with an employee sitting behind it, typing away on a computer until a patron approached her. In the corner by the counter, there was a small computer set up.

I utilized it quickly, swapping out my Beautifly for the Delcatty I had just caught, for Luma. I then gave both the Delcatty and Luma to the employee to tend to. I found Doug seated at one of the sofas in the room, his Pokédex in his hands. He was ripping out the power components from the back of the unit.

"Think that will make it better or worse?" I chuckled.

"I just want it to stop going off," he grumbled.

"You didn't happen to spot the gym on our way to the center, did you?"

He was shaking his head. "I think its further out, or maybe higher up. Ask the employee when you get your Pokémon back, I'm sure she knows."

"Good idea."

It only took a few moments for Luma and Delcatty to be ready, and when they were returned to me, I asked about the location of the gym. The employee did her best to explain, but she assured me that there were plenty of signs posted on the trunks of the trees pointing the way. I thanked her and returned to Doug.

"Ready?"

"She says follow the signs on the trunks," I told him as I nodded.

There was a learning curve for us to understand the positioning of the signs, but once we figured it out, we easily navigated to the gym. It was located in the higher branches and overlooked most of Fortree City.

Doug and I stood outside the doors for a moment. "Ready?"

I pursed my lips. "I'm ready for the battle, sure, but I'm not ready for her to tell us that she has no information on Team Magma."

"Well," he said, pushing the door in and waving me in. "One step at a time."

"Why are you the patient one?" I asked as I stepped through the door and into the gym. We immediately found ourselves in the battle arena, as there was room for nothing else in the building. A short distance from us was a woman, clad in a light blue jumpsuit and long, lavender-colored hair that was pulled back and away from her face. She was squatting in the middle of the arena, feeding several small, cheeping birds.

She glanced up as we entered and then slowly stood. She was tall and lanky, and she eyed us with caution. "Trainers?" She asked.

"Douglas Evergreen, Rowan Eden," Doug introduced us both. "You're Winona?"

"I am, I have heard of you Champion, and of you Ms. Eden."

"From Cornelia Rowe?"

"No, from Norman. He told me to be on the look-out for you. It didn't take you long to make it to me. You want a battle?"

"To start with," I agreed.

Winona brought her hand to her mouth and whistled loudly. A larger bird flew from the rafters of the building, and as I looked up I realized that there wasn't a roof on the building. The larger bird Pokémon chirped with the smaller ones that had been sitting with Winona, and then the entire flock returned back into the rafters. I was able to spot numerous nests nestled in the logs and boards above us.

"Well, two on two I assume." Winona was already taking her position across the room from us and gesturing to the trainer box we were not standing far from. Doug and I positioned ourselves inside the area and waited for the leader to call out her Pokémon.

"Pelipper, Altaria, let's go!"

Her Pokémon formed in the air. Pelipper was a chubby Pokémon with a large mouth that barely hovered about the ground. Altaria was a graceful avian Pokémon with thick, cloud-like wings and an elongated, blue feathered form. It was perched on the ground and stared at Doug and I with an intelligent gaze.

"Flying, I know what I am going with." Doug tossed out his pokéball and his Electrike formed.

"You're going to have to drag me through this one, I want to use Kira again."

"She can hold her own," he assured me.

I called my Kirlia out onto the field. She executed a flawless pirouette as she formed, holding her arms out from her side to maintain her balance as she stopped spinning.

"Pelipper, Supersonic on the Electrike. Altaria, Sing on the same target." Winona's commands were calm, and almost melodic.

"They know who is going to be the most devastating," I commented.

"Let her focus on me, your Pokémon can get off several strong attacks," Doug assured me.

"Altaria first?"

"Yes, Electrike dodge. Try and use Thunder on the Altaria."

Kira. I opted to give commands to my psychic Pokémon via thought, that way Winona, who seemed very capable, didn't know what to be on the lookout for.

Yes, Rowan?

We want to take out the Altaria first. As soon as it tries to attack Electrike, use Confusion on it.

Will do.

Electrike was doing his best to get out of the way of two attacks, but his short, little legs only moved so fast. He easily tucked and rolled out of the way of the waves formed from the Supersonic attack, but as the Altaria swooped down in front of him and began a mesmerizing song, he froze.

Now, Kira!

Kira pulled her arms across her chest, summoning all her power before releasing barely visible, undulating rings across the space between herself and the Altaria. The attack struck the avian creature head-on, knocking it out of its song. Electrike was suddenly shaking his head, trying to free its mind from the hold Altaria had had on it. At Doug's command, he darted away and shot off a quick Thunder into Pelipper.

Pelipper took the attack in full and dropped slightly out of the air as paralysis momentarily took a hold of its wings.

"Altaria, change of plans," Winona's voice was still calm when she spoke again. "Dragonbreath, on the Kirlia."

"Electrike, Thunder."

Electrike charged up quickly again and discharged a quick zap of energy into the blue Pokémon. The attack distracted her from her own attack, though it didn't do much damage to the strong Pokémon. I gave Kirlia the order to finish Pelipper off with a quick Psychic, so that we only had to worry about one Pokémon.

She immediately followed the order, sending the Pelipper up into the air and then down into the dirt. Before I could confirm if the bird Pokémon had been knocked unconscious from the attack, Winona thoughtfully recalled it. She seemed undeterred by the defeat.

"Altaria, let's try the Dragonbreath again."

Don't let it hit you. I warned my Pokémon and she readied herself to dodge. Doug tried to get his Pokémon into a position to attack the bird again, but the short-legged Pokémon wasn't quick enough. Altaria was able to summon a mighty blast and send it spiraling toward my Pokémon. Kira ducked and danced out of the way of the attack, however she wasn't prepared for Altaria to follow her, still utilizing the same fire. She was eventually knocked out of her sprint and took the remaining power of the attack.

That hurt, but I'm okay. She assured me as soon as I started to worry about the damage of the attack.

"Electrike," Doug took the opportunity to position his Electrike behind the bird Pokémon. He was in prime attacking position. "Charge, followed by Spark!"

The small dog charged forward, throwing its full weight, along with a bright blast of electrical energy, into the posterior of Altaria. Both went sprawling across the ground, but Electrike was on his feet first, barking incessantly at the injured bird.

Quickly, Psychic!

Kira immediately reacted and a blue aura formed around Altaria. Like Pelipper, she flew up into the air and then came crashing downward toward the earth. Before her body made contact with the ground, Winona recalled her, saving her Pokémon the unnecessary pain.

Electrike threw his head back, howling happily at his victory. As we watched, he began to glow white as he evolved. When the light faded, Doug's Pokémon had changed completely. His body was now a light blue and yellow, his body was longer, his legs were longer, and electrical zaps danced across his fur at his control.

"Congratulations," Winona spoke first. She closed the space between us, offering the newly evolved Pokémon her open palm. He pressed his face in her palm, discharging a small amount of harmless energy into her as a happy greeting. "On your victory and on your new Manectric."

"Thanks," Doug and I said in unison.

"I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that the Champion of the Kanto and Johto region travels with such gifted Pokémon trainers, but your skills were quite surprising to me, Ms. Eden? Was it?" Winona's attention was on my face.

"Rowan, please."

"Rowan," Winona tipped her head respectfully in my direction. "Well, was there something else I could help you with? You had said that the battle was what you wanted to start with. What else can I do?"

Doug and I exchanged glances. "We had questions," Doug spoke finally.

"About Team Magma," I finished.

Winona watched us carefully, then waved us toward the exit of the building. "Come, we must talk elsewhere."