Ok, first off, I am so, so sorry this took so long. I was most of the way through this chapter when I abruptly lost inspiration. That, combined with a busy life, delayed updates to now. I'd like to take credit for getting this out, but I have to thank a reader who PMed me and begged me to continue. I'd like you all to know that I do know where I'm taking this, I was just stuck in a rut regarding this particular point, so expect a sooner update next time.

rylek196: The anime used to be good. It had problems, but it was good. It started going downhill at the end of Sinnoh, and it's been dropping like a rock since then. At most, I'm disappointed in it, but that's the most I'll say on the subject.

Hi, mom.

I'm in Petalburg right now, and I caught a new pokemon. He's a Zigzagoon, and I nicknamed him Robin. I'm going to look around to see if they have any bookstores here.

Love,

Brendan

Brendan closed his Pokedex on the menu showing his finances. It was one of the good things about being a trainer, he decided. Having a bank account where all the money he won was sent automatically was nice.

Brendan rose, and pocketed the Pokedex. He had been eating breakfast in the cafeteria the Center had, and now he took his tray and put it away before grabbing his backpack and going outside. It was a good day again. He couldn't help but smile. The weather here was much warmer than Johto.

Brendan turned, and looked around Petalburg City. He had been tired when he had arrived last night, so he didn't see that much. Now he looked, and saw that it was a small city. He would judge it to be a bit larger than Littleroot Town, and it had no bookstore, something he had somehow gathered the courage to ask Nurse Joy about. But she had mentioned rather unhelpfully that there was one in Rustboro City, just past Petalburg Woods.

He spent the next hour wandering around the city, before he noticed a boy a year or two younger than him sitting on a bench at the side of the road.

Knowing what it was to be lonely without anyone noticing, Brendan hesitantly moved up to him. He saw the frown on the boy's face, and unshed tears twinkling in his eyes.

"Hey, kid," Brendan called, then inwardly smacked himself. That was not a way to win over people.

But the boy just looked up, blinking back the tears. "Hello," he said, before looking down at his feet.

Brendan frowned, and took another look at the boy. He had green hair, which was uncommon, and wore a lavender shirt with tan pants. His eyes were brown, and he was pale, a paleness from seeing little of the sun. Brendan also noticed a certain… fragility in the boy's appearance.

"What's wrong?" Brendan asked.

The boy looked up, and wiped the tears off. "I'm leaving to go to Verdanturf Town to my aunt and uncle. Mom and dad think the air there will help with my health."

"Don't want to leave home?" Brendan guessed.

But the boy shook his head. "It's not that. I wanted to get a pokemon before I left, and because there's a Gym Leader to help with new trainers, Nurse Joy doesn't hand out pokemon."

Brendan nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach telling him where this was going.

"But the Gym Leader's not here," the boy continued, fresh tears welling up in his eyes, "and I have to leave after noon today."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Brendan said.

The boy drew in a shuddering breath, then slowly rose. "Thank you for talking to me, but I should probably go home and pack." He turned and started walking away.

Brendan was quiet, feeling the guilt rise up in his chest. Now, that guilt was illogical, and it was for something he had no control over, due to the fact that his father had decided to go to Littleroot on the spur of the moment. But that guilt made him do something he would never regret.

"Hey, kid! Stop!" … Well, as he had to interact with a stranger, he did at first.

The boy turned, and looked back at him. "Yes?"

Brendan took a deep breath, then gave a confident grin that he didn't feel. At all. "Listen, I'm a pretty experienced trainer, so why don't I help you catch yourself a pokemon?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he took a shocked inhalation of breath. "Really?"

Brendan nodded. "Yeah. So, how about it?"

Before Brendan could make another move, the boy rushed up and hugged him, squeezing him tightly. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

After a moment, Brendan extricated himself from the boy's grasp, then grinned again. "So, what's the name of the kid I'm making into a trainer?"

The boy blushed, and smiled. "I'm Wally."

Brendan grinned encouragingly, wondering if he would win an award for being such a good actor, as he was a bundle of nerves inside. "Nice to meet you, Wally. I'm Brendan. Now," he said as he turned towards the east, "let's go get you a pokemon."

Wally looked at the long grass at the edge of Route 102 with an unsure air. "Are you sure it'll be ok?"

Brendan kept the confident grin on his face, remembering reading that confidence was contagious. He hoped so. His face hurt. "Absolutely. Don't worry, if anything unusual happens, I'll be right beside you. Now," and his face became more brisk, "here's a pokeball. You'll be using this to catch your pokemon."

Wally nodded, taking the device from Brendan. "But the Trainer School said that it had to be weakened, first."

Brendan gestured to Robin, who was standing beside them. "And that's why you'll be borrowing Robin for this. He'll follow your commands to weaken the pokemon you're catching."

Wally nodded again, then licked his lips. "And I go into the longer grass to look for a pokemon?"

"That's right," Brendan confirmed. "Now, let's get started."

The three of them worked their way into the grass, walking through until Wally suddenly stumbled back as a form rose from the grass.

"What is it?!" Wally cried.

"It" was a white pokemon with green coating over its head, and a red spike protruding from its forehead. It floated slightly above the ground, and stared at Wally expectantly.

Brendan pulled out his Pokedex and examined the pokemon. "It's a Ralts. It's a Psychic type, and very rare, so definitely go for it."

Wally slowly rose from where he had been crouched from his stumble, and looked down at Robin. "O-ok, Robin. Um, Tackle!"

The Normal type, whom Brendan had briefed on the situation on the way, responded quickly, rushing towards the Ralts, and colliding with it head on before the Psychic type could react.

Ralts was immediately thrown backwards with a cry of pain, and it went skidding for a few feet, increasing the damage, where it lay prone. After a few moments, it slowly rose, and a green aura surrounded it, before it released the energy in a burst that hit Robin before the Normal type could dodge.

Robin was sent skidding backwards, but he retained his feet, and Brendan saw the slight chill to his fur.

"Be careful, Wally. That was Hidden Power, and it looks like it has an Ice type version," Brendan called, carefully keeping his voice calm.

Wally nodded, not taking his eyes from Ralts. The green and white pokemon was bruised and scraped all along its body. The single attack from the Zigzagoon had done massive damage to it. "Ok, Robin. Um, come back!"

At Wally's command, Robin turned and returned to Brendan, before turning back to watch.

Wally expanded the pokeball before pulling his arm back, and throwing. It wasn't a strong throw, as Wally's physical strength left much to be desired, but it got the job done.

The pokeball arced upwards, and then downwards, smacking right into the Ralts before opening up, and pulling it in in a flash of red light.

The pokeball, landed, and immediately began shaking. Both youths stared at it as it shook one, two, three… Ding!

Wally stood there for a long moment, then sagged to his knees, staring at the pokeball.

Brendan walked over, and picked the pokeball up before offering it to the boy. Wally slowly took it, and turned it over in his hands, staring down at the red and white surface.

"Good job," Brendan told him.

"I-I did it. I caught a pokemon." Wally said numbly.

"Yeah, you did. Now, how about we get our pokemon healed up? They could use it," Brendan suggested, smiling a genuine smile at the younger boy.

Wally slowly rose, still clutching his pokeball. "Ok."

"Your pokemon are all ok and your registration is complete," the nurse told them, directing her last words at Wally as she returned Ralts' pokeball to him. "Be safe while travelling."

The two youths walked out of the center, then Wally turned to see a woman that Brendan noticed had green hair somewhat darker than Wally's waving. "Your mom?" He asked.

Wally nodded, his face falling a bit. "I think it's time for me to go," he replied.

Brendan saw his face fall, but his curiosity rose from its place in his mind. "Where did you say you were going again?"

"Verdanturf Town," the younger boy replied. Then he blinked, and turned to Brendan. "Brendan, you're travelling through Hoenn, right?"

Brendan was about to reply in the negative when he saw the look in the boy's eyes. "Yeah, I am."

Wally nodded, some excitement returning to him. "Well, when you reach Verdanturf Town, could you come see me? I want to battle you to see how I've grown."

Brendan saw the hope in Wally's eyes, and knew his answer before he even spoke it. That false confident grin sprang up on his face as he replied, "well, you'd better be ready, because I won't hold back. I'll expect an awesome battle from you, alright?"

Wally's face brightened, and he smiled. "I will!" Then he turned and saw his mother again, and began walking towards her, before turning back to wave. "Bye, Brendan. See you in Verdanturf Town."

After Wally had gone out of sight the grin had fallen from Brendan's face. He slowly walked back into the Center to consult the map on the wall. There. Rustboro City was the next one, but notes on the map said it'd be an overnight trip at best. Then he looked for Verdanturf Town.

Brendan choked as he saw how far it was. It would take weeks, or months to get there! Then he shook his head, and turned away. Forget Verdanturf. He wasn't travelling across Hoenn, so there was no need to worry. He would keep his promise to May, though. At least, there was a bookstore in Rustboro.

Brendan purchased food for both him and his pokemon at the mart, and bought a pack of matches. He'd have to look for firewood on his own.

He had been about to leave the city when he heard a commotion at the other end. He turned, and paled as he saw his father walking up towards the gym.

Norman was a tall man, with black hair and gray eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a red short-sleeved jacket over it, as well as a pair of blue jeans and shoes to finish it off.

Brendan watched as a young trainer sitting by the gym stood up and walked over to Norman. He couldn't hear what the girl was saying, but he heard his father's reply loud and clear.

"You're still a young trainer, Eva. Go out and get three or four badges, then come to challenge me."

The girl sagged slightly, and Norman reached out and ruffled her hair. "It's alright, Eva. The closest gym is in Rustboro City. I'm sure you'll get through the gyms soon."

The girl brightened, and now Brendan could hear her. "Thanks, Norman! I'll go pack!"

Brendan watched as the girl ran out of sight, towards the residential area, and saw Norman turn and walk into the gym.

Brendan turned and ran as fast as he could. He kept running until he hit the beach on Route 104, where he collapsed to his knees at the edge of the water. A distant part of his mind noticed he was hyperventilating, but that was far from his thoughts.

'She's just some kid! Just some kid and he gives more attention to her than he has to me in years! Does he even care that I'm gone?'

Brendan stayed there for many minutes before finally rising. 'I need to get moving. I'll need as much of a start as I can get into the Petalburg Woods.'

There were a few trainers on the way to the forest, but Neptune and Robin took care of them easily.

There was one boy, a real rich kid, that caused some trouble, but it wasn't that hard.

After fighting his way through, and seeing a Wingull for the first time, Brendan looked up at the foreboding trees that parted in the middle of the road. It was a large forest, but according to the map, there was a path straight through. He licked his lips, and forged onwards.

The Petalburg Woods loomed ominous around Brendan as he walked through. It was nice, he supposed, but he did notice litter all over the ground. From that litter, Brendan discovered and took two pokeballs, a potion, and an antidote.

He did encounter a Bug type enthusiast, and battled his set of Wurmples, but he didn't see anyone else. Well, any other human at least.

Brendan observed and added to his Pokedex a Cascoon, a Silcoon, and a Slakoth over the course of the day. He considered catching the Slakoth, but negated that. He wouldn't become a copy of his father.

As the sun began to set, something caught his eye. It was fluttering in a tree. Brendan slowly walked over to it, where he could see it better. It was a purple pokemon, with green wings. He pulled out his Pokedex.

"Dustox, the Poison Moth Pokemon. When Dustox flaps its wings, a fine dust is scattered all over. This dust is actually a powerful poison that will even make a pro wrestler sick. This pokemon searches for food using its antennae like radar."

"Huh," Brendan mused as he put the Pokedex away, "sounds kind of like a Butterfree." As he thought that, he looked down at Neptune and Robin, who were roaming around in the grass. Neptune simply enjoyed the exercise, while Robin was looking for anything he could find, which Brendan knew by now was quite a bit. He had already had to take the several berries and the Great Ball (He was quite surprised when he had seen it, and had actually needed to identify it with his Pokedex's item ID function) and put them in his backpack, which was growing full.

'When we get to Rustboro, I'm going to get him a bag.'

Brendan shook his head, then looked back up at the Dustox. One of the few pokemon he had never been shy about wanting was Butterfree, and here was something quite close to it. A grin flashed on his face.

"Neptune, Water Gun!"

His starter looked at the pokemon Brendan was pointing at, and obeyed, opening his mouth to release a torrent of water. The Dustox was sent tumbling from the air with a cry of "Dust!"

It fell tumbling from the tree, before righting itself just a foot from the ground. It turned, spreading its wings, and twisting the wind into a powerful Gust attack.

Neptune was sent skidding back, scraping himself on the ground before he slowly rose. Brendan winced, before straightening, and pointing at the Poison Moth.

"Robin, Thief!" He called. He figured that using Thief would cause damage while getting rid of any item that Dustox had.

"Zag!" Robin leapt from where he had been in the grass, slamming into the bug type, and sending it flying, twisting, and rolling to the ground. Brendan pulled the pokeball out, and threw. It hit the Dustox, opening and absorbing the pokemon in a red light, before closing and falling to the ground. The pokeball shook… once… twice… crack!

The pokeball shattered as the Dustox rose up out, flapping its wings even faster than before. It opened its mouth, and purple needles shot out.

"Dodge it!" Brendan screamed, it was Poison Sting! Poison attacks were always deadly in the wild.

He needn't have worried. Both Neptune and Robin leapt to the side, dodging the attack, and rolling into the grass. The attack splashed harmlessly off the ground, dissipating into the air as it did so.

Brendan frowned, looking at Dustox. It was injured, clearly, but he would have to injure it more if he wanted to catch the bug type.

"Neptune, Robin, Tackle!" He called. The two pokemon each came from one side of the bug type, and lunged as it began to rise. Neither missed. WHUMP!

The Dustox fell from between them, slowly fluttering to the ground, where it struggled to rise. Brendan pulled another pokeball out of his pocket. He pulled back, and threw. It hit the Poison Moth, right on the head, and opened up, pulling it in. The pokeball shook... and shook… ding!

Brendan stared at the pokeball for several moments, before finally picking it up. "I… did it." He said numbly.

A while later, after finding some firewood, starting a fire, and getting ready for the night, Brendan mused on his new capture. Dustox had been highly disobedient, and generally ignored her trainer, much to his anguish. Even now, she slept on top of the tree by his hastily made campsite, facing away from him.

He sighed, before finishing the canned ravioli he had bought as food. Neptune and Robin had already finished, and had curled up to sleep, Robin by the fire, and Neptune snuggling into Brendan's side. He leaned back, pulling the sleeping bag up, and fell asleep.

He slept fitfully that night, tormented by dreams of his brokenhearted mother.

And I must say I'm surprised nobody even tried to guess what the new plot point is. Oh, well. Still, Brendan is back, we see more of him as a character, and we are beginning to take a left turn from canon. See you next chapter!