Chapter 5: Doing Dewford

"AH, LADDIE!" Briney yelled, "BACK AGAIN FER A SEAFARIN' ADVENTURE!"

"Listen, I just need you to take me to Dewford, then Slateport," Jake said, "But first, I forgot to get a Pokémon in Rusturf Tunnel."

"You didn't forget," Cami said, "The writer just looked over it in his notes."

"Fine," Jake said, "What did we catch?"

Harvey the Whismur joined the party!

"'Sup?" Harvey asked, "Name's Harvey. Have I ever said I have a thing for Poochyena?"

"Get this puffball away from me," Shenzi said, backing away.

"Well, how about you, Ziggy?" Harvey asked Cami.

"No," Cami sternly told him.

"Dang," Harvey scoffed.

"SET SAIL FER DEWFORD LADS AN' LASSES!" Briney yelled.

"AWWK!" Peeko skwaked, "SETTIN' SAIL, CAP'N!"

Briney and Peeko hopped onto a white motorboat, making preparations for travel.

"Well, team," Jake said, "All aboard!"

Once the boat had set sail, Harrison was flying alongside the boat.

"Hey, Harry!" Eren yelled out, "Why aren't you on the boat? Everyone's partying without you!" He gestured toward Jake, who was dancing to techno music in front of multicolored stage lights, Milo holding on for dear life on his head.

"I'm good," Harrison said, "And DON'T call me Harry."

"Suit yourself!" Eren yelled back, "I'm gonna stuff my face with berries and try to pry Harvey off the girls."

Soon enough, the boat had weighed anchor in the port of Dewford. "LAND HO!" Briney yelled out.

"Aw, already?" Jake whined. He sadly stepped off the boat, Milo hanging onto the back of his shirt.

"The fun is just beginning," Harvey said, looking suggestively at Cami, who proceeded to use Sand Attack, causing Harvey to stumble back, rubbing his eyes. "AAHH! I'M BLIND!"

"SO WHERE BE THIS STEVEN FELLOW?" Briney asked.

"Why do you care?" Jake inquired.

"I BE GOIN' WITH YE," Briney said, "CAN'T HAVE YE ROAMIN' AROUND HOENN WITHOUT AN ADULT!"

"It hasn't stopped me before," Jake reasoned.

"I BE GOIN' WITH YE, AN' THAT'S THAT!" Briney demanded.

"Fine, just stop yelling," Jake relented, "Mr. Stone said that Steven was in Granite Cave. We'll look there first."

They walked along the coast until they found a cave. "ONLY CAVE THAT BE IN OUR SIGHTS, LADDIE," Briney observed, "THIS 'UN MUST BE THAT GRANITE CAVE."

"Hello?" Jake yelled, walking in, "Steven?"

"Are you looking for Steven?" a voice said. Jake looked up and saw a Zubat flying above him. "He's not here right now," she said, "But he'll be back."

"Do you know where he is now?" Jake asked.

"No," the Zubat said, "But he said something about… what was it? Prancing everstones?"

"Crap," Jake said, "Well, do you want to join my team?"

"Sure," the Zubat said, "My name's Doris." She swooped down, tapping the Pokéball Jake was holding, which caused her to evaporate inside. The ball then disappeared in a blue light.

"Wait, what?" Jake asked.

Doris the Zubat was sent to the PC!

"YER CAVEDWELLIN' AVIATOR WAS SENT OUT TO THE PC BOX, LADDIE!" Briney told him.

"Crap, guess it's time to switch," Jake said. They trekked over to the Pokémon center, where Jake booted up the PC.

"Well," Harvey said, grabbing Shenzi's paw, "We'll all miss you, but I shall miss you most of all."

"Actually," Jake interrupted, "I'm boxing you, Harvey."

"WHAT!?" Harvey objected, "Why me? I'm obviously the best one on the team."

"That would be Milo," Jake said.

"Wait, not me?" Eren asked.

"Besides," Jake said, "I already have a normal type, and Cami's a living encyclopedia. So, see you later, Harvey."

"Wait, no," Harvey objected, getting sucked into his Pokéball, "No no no no no NO NO NOOOOO!"

And just like that, he was trapped in the PC.

"And now," Jake said, typing in some more commands. A Pokéball rolled out of the port, and out popped Doris.

"Hey, it's you guys!" Doris said happily, "I thought you abandoned me."

"What? No," Jake said, reassuring her, "You're a much better catch than any Whismur. Well, let's do some grinding, then we'll hit the gym."

During grinding around Granite Cave, a backpacker walked up to Jake.

"Hey, man," the backpacker said, "You gonna battle my Tentacool or what?"

"Sure, I'll battle your EXP giver," Jake said, "I mean, Pokémon."

The Backpacker sent out his Tentacool, who just kind of wriggled around.

"Pfft, easy," Eren said. He slapped the Tentacool with his tail, sending it into the ocean. "That's how it's done… urk…" He started stumbling around.

"Eren?" Jake asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm not… feeling too… good…" Eren stammered. Suddenly, he was enveloped in a golden light, and when it faded…

Congratulations! Eren evolved into Grovyle!

"HOLY CRAP THAT'S COOL!" Jake squealed.

"Yeah," Eren said, checking his new body out, "I even have an awesome ponytail."

"Yeah, cool, whatever," Harrison said, annoyed, "Can we just take on the gym now?"

"Alright, game plan," Jake said, gathering everyone, "Harrison, you're my front man…er, bird. If things get hairy, that's where Doris comes in."

"Oh, okay," Doris said nervously.

As they entered the Dewford Gym, they were greeted with the sight of weights, treadmills, and other workout equipment.

"Ah, welcome, little dude," a man in blue hair and orange surfer clothes said, "Name's Brawly. I'm the gym leader here in Dewford, dig?"

"So your gym," Jake pointed out, "Is a gym."

"Yeah," Brawly said, "I'm not a very original guy. Let's rock, little dude! Go, Machop!"

He threw a Pokéball, releasing his first Pokémon, Machop.

"GO GET 'EM, LADDIE!" Briney cheered.

"Let's go, Harrison!" Jake yelled. Harrison swooped in, ready to attack. "Harrison, Wing Attack!" Harrison flew around, slapping the Machop with his wing, knocking it out.

"Huh, that went worse than I thought it would," Brawly remarked, scratching his head, "Well, let's finish this! Go, Makuhita!"

He threw another Pokéball, and his ace, Makuhita, popped out from it.

"We got this," Jake said, "Harrison, Wing Attack!"

As Harrison flew forward, Brawly yelled out, "Makuhita! Arm Thrust!" Right as Harrison was directly in front of Makuhita, it thrust its palm forward, causing Harrison to hit it head-on and fly back into a wall.

"Harrison!" Jake yelled, running over to him.

"I'm… I'm fine…" Harrison said, struggling to get back in the air. As he tried to take flight, he felt a searing pain in his left wing, causing him to fall back down.

"Your wing's twisted," Jake said, "You need to rest. Let Doris handle this."

"I'm fine," Harrison said stubbornly, "I just need to fly it off, then beat this Makuhita to a pulp."

"Harrison, stop!" Jake yelled, "I didn't want to do this, but…" He pulled out Harrison's Pokéball and pressed the button, calling him back into it.

"Alright, Doris, you're up!" Jake said.

"M-me?" Doris asked.

"Yes, you," Jake replied, "Now get out there and win that badge!"

"Makuhita!" Brawly yelled, "Bulk Up!" Makuhita tensed its body, breathing in and out slowly, causing its Attack and Defense to rise.

"Doris, Supersonic!" Jake ordered.

"Um, okay!" Doris said. She started to emit a supersonic wave, which hit the Makuhita, sending it into a bout of confusion.

"Makuhita! Arm Thrust!" Brawly yelled. Makuhita tried to attack Doris, but it stumbled over, falling flat on its face.

"Now, Doris, Wing Attack!" Jake called. Doris flew into Makuhita, knocking it down with her wing. Makuhita tried to get up, but it fainted.

"Well, crap," Brawly said, "Guess you beat me. Good job, little dude. Here you go: an official Hoenn League-issued Knuckle Badge."

Knuckle Badge obtained!

"Sorry about your Tailow," Brawly said, "the Pokémon Center should be able to fix that right up."

"Thanks, Brawly," Jake said, taking the badge.

"I KNEW YE'D BEST 'EM, LADDIE!" Briney cheered.

"Yes, that was quite the battle," Said a man behind them. Jake whirled around, and there stood a man with silvery-blue hair, a black-and-purple suit, and many rings on his fingers.

"Uh, who are you?" Jake asked.

"Are you serious?" Brawly asked, "That's Steven Stone, the Pokémon League Champion."