In order to get to Hoenn, I had two options to choose from - a ferry from Canalave City to the bustling port town of Slateport on the southern coast of Hoenn, or a plane from the commercial district of Jubilife City to the Devon Corporation Airport in Rustboro city. Each option had its benefits, but I went with the ferry simply because Canalave was a bit closer to the school than Jubilife. The school was located on the western end of Route 18, so it was only an hours journey from Canalave compared to the day trip I'd have to take to get to Jubilife.
Bryant had left the day before me, he had a further journey than me - they sent him off to Kanto, but I knew that wasn't gonna be the last time I would see him, and like always, I was right.
Ok. Maybe not always
I had thoroughly packed my bag for the trip, maybe a little too thoroughly. I had my dad buy me a deluxe traveler's pack so I could store all the stuff that I wouldn't even need. I had three water bottle holders, but only had one water bottle, twenty pockets filled with an array of toiletries, potions, food supplies, two survival kits, five first aid kits, and four extra pockets for books I wanted to read while traveling. You could never have too much literature right?
The ferry was set to leave the dock at eight that morning, so I took my leave around six, but not without company. Nathan had also been assigned Hoenn, so the Hoenn native would be coming with me much to my benefit. Sadly, Alex was staying in Sinnoh, her assignment keeping her close to home, though she didn't mind too much. Like me she had been raised in the industrialized nation and was used to its customs.
Much to my disappointment, Scott had also been assigned to Hoenn, but hopefully with luck and skill I could avoid him.
I had no such luck.
The hour walk was uneventful, it was early in the morning so nocturnal pokemon were starting to rest up and diurnal pokemon were still asleep, saving energy for the busy day ahead of them. The egg case was nice and secure, tied to my bag with a buckle system that my backpack had come with. Nathan was fiddling with his new toy that I had the pleasure of receiving myself - a pokédex. His was a matte gray with a black stripe on the back, the black ending in circle around the flashlight on the cover on the encyclopedia.
The pokédex was a god send tool to have. Not only did it tell you basic information about your own pokemon's strengths and weaknesses, but it also provided information on they best way to take care of different pokemon species, had a map function, and acted as a phone if needed.
It could be a hindrance at some points too, though. Don't get me wrong, it's a great tool and I still use it to this day, but sometimes things needed to be experienced rather than just read.
"You're gonna love it there man. Hoenn is so much better than stuffy Sinnoh, the skies are clearer, the food fresher, the ladies finer," he slyly smirked at me and laughed, his faint Primaldian, the language of Hoenn, accent almost undetectable.
"Ladies aren't our main concern and our food is just fine," I indignantly remarked.
"If I ever have to eat another rancher's pie I may have to kill myself."
"You could use some more rancher's, you're getting a little noodle-y," I replied, poking at his arms.
Our banter continued for a few more moments before we fell back into our comfortable silence, finally reaching Canalave in what seemed like five minutes. The sun was finally starting to emerge brighter, rays of sunshine warming my skin. Canalave was a small port town, not known for a lot except being the former base of our Floatzle regime during the war twenty years ago. It was a shell of what it used to be, the city formatted in a very structured and rigid manor. The layout spoke volumes of its military past.
We made our way to the docks with about thirty minutes to spare before our ferry would be setting off. It was a small water vessel, appropriately sized for our two day journey to Hoenn. An old, dingy little ship that probably could have used some remodeling and renovations. The line wasn't long so we made our way onto the ship with no problems with the help of the crew which comprised of sailors and their pokemon - typically machop, meditates, and a few ambipoms here and there . After showing our tickets and a quick inspection of our bags we headed onto the boat.
"How about we head to our lodging first and then meet in the dining hall for some breakfast," Nathan suggested and I nodded in agreement.
The cabins were small to say to the least. There was really only room for a small twin bed, a really small desk, and an awkwardly placed toilet and sink placed right next to the bed. The bathrooms were located down the hall, so I guess this was a bit more convenient for any late night shit trips. I carefully placed my bag down on the floor and removed the egg case, placing it on the desk. I plopped down on the bed, my back protesting in pain as the mattress left much to be desired. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone.
'TO: Alex
Made it on the ferry, the boat leaves in like fifteen minutes. I'll call later tonight if I have service :p'
I waited a few moments, rolling Pillar's pokeball in my hands before I got a response.
'From: Alex
Coolio, I set off tomorrow night, don't do anything too stupid on the boat, I'll be expecting the call… service or not so make it happen.
P.S. Tell Pillar I said hi and keep Nathan in line. Love you. 3'
I rose up, smiling to myself and pulling out Pillar's pokéball. Pokémon were allowed out as long as they weren't too big or dangerous and, thankfully, Pillar was neither - whether I was thankful for this or not was still being determined. In a flash of light Pillar appeared from his ball and immediately took to curiously checking his surroundings. He bolted around, sniffing the air and rubbing against everything to acquaint himself with the quaint room.
"Hey, enough of that, it's time to eat." His ears and countenance perked up at the mention of food and he twirled up my leg and stomach and perched himself on my shoulder, licking me much to my annoyance.
Breakfast consisted of pancakes, bacon, eggs, grits, cheese toast, jellied toast, a breakfast rancher's pie, and orange juice to wash it all down. I thought I didn't know when my next good meal was gonna be so why squander any moment - even though the ferry ride lasted until the next afternoon. Nathan and I passed through the meal with idle chit chat, nothing too important on our minds. We discussed travel plans and were happy with what we had come up with at the time - we would stay together until our separate paths, that led to two very different ends, diverged. I had every intention to take on the gym circuit and the eventual league while Nathan had his eyes set on pursuing a career as a scientist.
"Hoenn's circuit is nothing to play with, my family was telling me about the new champion who shook the training world over there, so don't think it's gonna be easy."
"Your confidence in me is inspiring Nate, I thank you," I sarcastically replied with a dramatic bow.
"That's not what I'm saying, all I'm saying is that you're gonna be out of your element sometimes, and you take things hard sometimes when they don't go your way."
"What? I am the complete embodiment of composure and the pure essence of calm."
"Yeah, sure, whatever. All I'm saying is that it's gonna be a hard road for both of us," he said with a smile and a chuckle.
The meal continued in general silence afterwards as I thought about what he had said. I knew things were gonna be hard, the circumstance of my starter already put me leagues behind everyone, but I thought he was exaggerating the extent of the difficulties I would face - and I wish he had been.
I miss Nathan, if I could see him again, I would tell him about all the things he was right about.
After breakfast we went out on the deck of the ferry and ventured around. It wasn't a large vessel by any means, but there was enough to keep the passengers entertained for the trip. A game room was on the same floor as the bedrooms, the cafeteria was right off the main deck, and on a lofted area above the deck was a pool and a training field for trainers who wanted to keep their pokemon limber. It was a nice ferry for how small it was.
Pillar loved the open air, relishing in the sea breeze and salty air. He terrified me when he jumped off my shoulder and onto a railing where the only thing keeping him from falling into the ocean was air and good luck. Nathan's vulpix on the other hand was having a less than grand time on the boat, constantly putting itself back into its pokéball.
"You need to get a handle on him."
"What can I say, he's a diva."
The first part of the day passed without a hitch. We looked around a bit more, ate lunch, and then hit the training area to hone in on some skills. I must say I was getting more and more impressed with Pillar as I trained with him more. His electric impulse control was getting better. The pokédex said with the proper training, minun could make balls of lightning, pom-poms kind of, and use them in battle, and Pillar could now maintain a ball of electricity for about fifteen seconds now with concentration. Not only that he was getting quicker and smarter too. We still needed to work on him listening to me when it came to the clutch moments, but other than that Pillar's progress gave me hope for the future.
Dinner was nice, nothing too special - hot dogs and burgers were on the menu. I piled my plate full with fries, and Pillar took full advantage, stealing fries whenever I wasn't paying attention. Our meal was going on in a normal fashion until:
"Nathan? Gerand? Hey guys."
"Please tell that isn't who I think it is?" I whispered harshly through my teeth.
"Scott, hey man, how ya doing?" Nate's eyes flashed toward me with a look that said 'play nice.'
"I heard you guys were going to Hoenn, but I didn't know we would choose the same means of transportation. Cool huh?"
'Who even talks like that?' I thought to myself.
"Yeah crazy, out of the two options we chose the same one that was probably the most convenient to us." I rolled my eyes until it felt like my eyes were going to pop out, while I replied.
"That wit of yours, I love it Gerand." Scott chuckled and wiped a blonde strand of hair from his eyes. "Well I've got to get going, Princess gets nervous in the room when I'm not there. I'd be surprised if she hasn't torn up the room by now."
"Yeah wouldn't want that, it would be best if you got going." I replied
"We'll see you later Scott. Try to meet up with us when we dock tomorrow afternoon." I shot Nate a look of annoyance.
"Alright, see you guys in the morning." Scott walked away to go off and feed 'Princess,' his Eletrike.
"Subtle dude, real subtle." Nathan said, rolling his eyes, and I just shrugged my shoulders.
The next morning I woke up with a ball of excitement in my heart and butterfrees in my stomach. We would be arriving at Slateport City approximately at three according the itinerary. A quick breakfast, a training session, and packing a later, the ferry let out a mighty roar, signaling the approaching port of our presence. It would be nice to get rid of my sea legs for now, even though I'd only been on the boat for a short amount of time.
Nathan and I stood on the deck of the boat taking in the nearing horizon of Slateport city. The air smelled of salt and industry, the skies were filled with wingulls, tailows, duckletts, braver souls landing on the deck and antagonizing pokemon and people alike. Hovering over the seas, matine and their mantykes flew close to the boat, while magikarp and luvdisc jumped in and out of the water adding to the salty spray in the air.
"Ah there she is, my home!" Nathan's eyes were tearing up as his smile added to the sunshine.
"Our home now buddy," I replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.
The ferry arrived promptly at 2:59 pm, the sun beating down upon our heads with a vengeance. Even on the boat, I could hear the shouts of vendors right on the ocean selling the catch of the day, fresh fruits and vegetables, and trinkets and souvenirs. The lively voices, coated thick with the Primaldian accent, mixed into a cacophony, a cauldron of shouts, laughter, and response that spoke miles of the genial nature of the people of Hoenn.
Check out was fairly easy and the my first step onto Hoenn soil was complete.
Hoenn was so, IS so…lively. The famous Slateport open air market was filled to the brim with people - vendors and customers alike. There were booths for freshly caught seafood - tentacool caught that morning, their tentacles still moving in the sweltering heat. Corphish -colored a red so ferocious it was no wonder that they were known as the demons of the sea and their evolution, Lucifer himself - were piled upon each other in a giant tank, their dangerous claws, that could snap with enough force to rip through human flesh with ease, were taped together. There were vendors for fruits, vegetables, grains, cheeses, candies, even furniture.
Walking through the giant throng of people proved to be harder than I'd imagined. Every step I took I had to follow up with an "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me" because there was no to not knock into people. I had just apologized for bumping into a person when I felt a tug on my arm. A vendor, a woman who couldn't be any younger than sixty, smiled brightly as I turned around and looked at her.
"Look here, the freshest pecha berries this side of Hoenn. For you, a discount." With her Primaldian dialect here "r's" sounding weird to me.
"No thank you," I replied sheepishly, slowly starting to turn around.
"You sure?" A nod confirmed my decision and she continued, "Then what about that egg, are you looking to sell, I'll exchange nicely for it."
The thought of selling the egg hadn't even crossed my mind. Selling this to a non-breeder could bring me a pretty penny, but I had not interest.
"Not interested," I said with a tone of finality and turned around; I could hear her mumbiling under her breath.
I pushed forward, moving faster eventually catching up to Nate, who had his Vulpix on top of his head.
"Get lost yet?" He asked with a touch of a chuckle. I rolled my eyes and kept pace next to him. "He should be at the front of the market. I'm telling you, you're gonna love Nort, he's kind of serious like you."
"I am not serious," I said with a tone of resentment, but he waved me off with a flick of his wrist.
The giant crowd of people started to dissipate as we got further and further away from the docks, as were the booths. Now, one could see more of the scenery. Slateport was a flat town, with only a few rolling hills that sparsely surrounded the town. Most of it was grass and ash roads, speaking miles of the composition of Hoenn, being formed from volcanic activity - activity rumored to be the influence of some legendary beast called Groundon, but rumors were just that to me at the time - rumors.
"Nort!" I heard Nathan yell as he took off in a sprint. His backpack bounced awkwardly against his back, dragging down his speed, but still the naturally muscular kid was still as swift as the wind. His body crashed into his cousin's with a mighty 'umph;' Nathan held on tightly to his brother while his Nort's arms flailed lamely to the sides.
"Lots of contact, Natey, gon' soft on me," his brother said sarcastically, with a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Ahh fuck off; it's been a long time."
"Four years isn't that long," Nort replied.
They continued on in this fashion, with light talk, catching each other up with things that happened in each other's lives during these four years. I stood awkwardly to the side, waiting for the right moment to interject myself into the conversation. I gently cleared my throat to get Nathan's attention.
"Oh yeah, Nort this is my friend Gerand Yates; Gerand this is my brother Norton. He's a little lame at first, just give him some time." Nort responded with a healthy slap on Nathan's neck.
"Nice to meet you Nort," I extended my hand for a handshake.
"Pleasantries are all mine Yates," Nort replied, slapping my hand instead of shaking it. I drew it back with some confusion that Nate just laughed off.
"Let's just get home. Gerand, you're gonna love my sis' cookin'; my momma taught her everything she knows." Nathan grabbed my arm, and, with a smile, started running in the direction of his home.
Nathan's family lived right outside Slateport city's beach. It was a cute little home, painted a sea-foam green - an appropriate color for its setting. The music of wind chimes filled the air as we stepped on the front porch, the sea breeze bringing a salty freshness to our noses. Before Nathan could even get the door open, it burst open. A lithe figure with copper skin and dyed red hair crushed Nathan in a hug, ladle swinging widly in the air.
"Natty! Oh Natty, you're home!"
"Nara, please, you're embarrassing me."
His protests were met with an even tighter hug and kisses all over his face.
"I've you missed you too Nara." Nathan finally said, settling into the hug, his arms wrapping around her back. Nara finally pulled back with a soft smile and a sigh.
"Look at how much you've grown," she said rubbing his hair with childish glee. "I'm gonna have to start lookin' up at ya' soon Natty." She played with his hair some more before finally looking over his shoulder. "And you must be Gerand," extending her hand.
"Nice to meet you Nara," I replied shaking her hand.
"Leave that hand shakin' outside, Gerry, we're all family here." I nervously rubbed the back of my hand with a sheepish smile. "Now, dinner's almost ready, you guys get all cleaned up before it's finished."
Dinner was amazing. Nara, Nate's sister had a whipped up a meal a few dishes sort of a feast, but there was still so much to eat. Glazed wings with a tangy dipping sauce, grilled asparagus, fried magikarp, baked wiscash, steamed tentacool, the list was endless and I indulged myself on every piece of it.
"Not missing Rancher's right now huh Gerand?"
"Oh shut up."
Dinner passed in a nice fashion. There was loads of talk, Nate's family was huge. He had a five brothers in total and two sisters. His father was out of town for work and expressed his condolences on missing his son's homecoming.
"Pop's hardly ever home, so it's no biggie," Nate said when I threw him a concerned look.
Sadly, their mother had passed away some years back, right before Nate had left for school, but the family had this optimistic look that I found inspiring.
The meal continued in a cacophony of conversation, laughter, and the sound of forks scraping any remaining food off of everyone's plates.
It was the best meal I was gonna have for a while. After that night, we would head North and start our way towards Mauville city. Eventually, the meal ended, dishes were cleaned, and it was time to head to bed to prepare for the next day - the official start of my trek across next morning passed in a blur of tears, hugs, and kisses. Nate's younger brothers and sisters barely paid us any attention, but his sister Nara toted over us so much I thought we would never leave. She was all over Nathan with a flurry of embraces and kisses; she even laid a big one on my cheek.
"Be safe boys! Don't talk to strangers, don't eat anything strange, oh! and if you ever get to Fortree city say hi to Winona for me," Nara yelled as we headed down the road to route 110.
Once again, we decided to hit the pavement before the sun had reached it's apex in the sky. The road was illuminated by the circular movement and rhythm of the Oceanic lighthouse. It's motion soothed my preliminary nerves. Rumor had it that if you went deep enough and walked long enough in the oceanic beacon , you'd find yourself in the lighthouse of Johto, powered by the energy of the soul of an old ampharos. Even more farfetched, it was said that Slateport's lighthouse wasn't just a safeguard for ships and their crews, but also a beacon for the unknown legendary beasts residing in the ocean, calling them forth when the time was needed. These legendary pokemon would protect Slateport and its inhabitants with every last ounce of strength they possessed.
I don't know how farfetched I think that is now.
Route 110 was right next to the famed biking road. Hoenn was famous for being the starting point of legendary bike races that happened trans-regionally. Trainers and regulars alike would all take to their cycles to prove their endurance, but I had no time to fantasize about bike racing, I was much too focused on my goal to becoming champion to even consider that. The route was about a two days trek until Mauville, so we would need to camp for the night. I was nervous about my first camping trip, but I knew with both of our heads put together too much couldn't go wrong.
Right?
Route 110 was a large strip of land, bordered by two rivers - The Grand Twins - on either side of it. It was a large, long, and broad piece of route that seemed to bridge Lilycove to the rest of the region as the region floated in the middle of the two rivers. Mauville city was on the other side of it, and we were gonna spend a good three days in the wilderness in order to get there. I was excited to finally put everything I had learned to the test, not even once doubting if I was really ready.
"Ok, according to the map on the dex, we should be heading northwest in order to get to Mauville, anywhere else ends with us just hitting water on the eastern twin," I said, fixedly looking at my green pokedex. I closed by dex with my eyes closed and a sigh of satisfaction. "Nothing too hard right?"
"Shouldn't be. I checked and this route has a threat level of only three; with our biggest fear being packs of elektrike." Threat levels were a classification system used by trainers to determine the danger of areas around the world. They were periodically updated every month or so, with new news of invasive species or flare ups in pokemon populations, and with that reassurance of safety, we set foot onto route 110, heads filled with excitement and wonderment of our first trek on our journey.
Let me tell you something, that first night was shit and wonderment was a complete lie.
The walking was incessant, never ending, tedious, and tiring. By the time we had made for camp in an area pretty close to the smooth running water of the western Twin, I could feel the cramps in my muscles starting to form their own cramps. Sitting down offered little bliss because the only thing my ass could find more comfortable than the ground was my sleeping bag which provided only minimal solace.
And if we're being honest, I was scared shitless of almost everything. A rustle in a bush could be a manetric waiting to strike its next victim with lightning, a buzz could be a colony of combee and beedrill, ready to bore holes into my body, and a breeze easily could have been a skarmory ready to swoop down and make minced meat out of me with it's sharp talons and metallic beak. Despite these imagined dangers, I managed to keep my nerves under wrap with the ample interactions with pokemon we actually had- oddish, elektrike, and a few zigzagoon had been all that we had seen, providing great training for our pokemon, but they said the deeper you went into Route 110, the more dangerous the pokemon became. We had decided to stick to the edge, keeping only a thin veil of trees between us and the western Twin. The part of the route we were on was the area that most trainers took, so the makeshift road was pretty smooth, the grass stamped into the earth, making an evergreen impression. However, to the east of us was a dense, almost jungle like environment holding dangers and skulking creatures looking for their next meal.
We had a nice campfire going, credit going to Nathan's vulpix Coal. The fire's purpose was to keep our area lit, the moon barely providing enough light for us before we needed to sleep. I wiped some sweat from my forehead, the humidity of the air soaking through my clothing. I wanted to get rid of the fire honestly, but I understood why we needed it. I had a book curled in my lap and without the fire I wouldn't be able to read. We didn't see the need for tents, it didn't look like it was going to rain and the stars were so beautiful that night
Pillar was curled in front of the fire. The heat didn't seem to bother him and I remembered the Minun and their counterpart, Plusle, thrived in Hoenn, their populations being higher here than in any other region.
"Not too bad for a first day, eh?" Nathan said unexpectedly. He was fiddling with his pokédex some more, trying to figure out anything else about it that could be useful for us.
"I guess not, not as lavish as I thought it was gonna be though," I replied, flicking my finger over the corner of a page in my book. "I say we get up early tomorrow, so we can cover more ground." Nathan agreed and went back to his pokédex. I closed my book, dog earring the top corner of the page I was on, and flipped over putting my back on the ground and my eyes towards the night sky. Maybe because I had grown up there, but the stars in Sinnoh never seemed to shine that brightly as the stars did in Hoenn that night. This sky in Hoenn was...lustrous, unsullied by the light pollution of the city. The blanket of dark violet was dotted by millions and millions of celestial, fiery gems that offered an insight into the past. According to research we were 4.24 light years away from our closest star, 114,500 years, back into time if we took the fastest spacecraft we now possessed. Was space so unreachable? Would the unknown forever not be known?
Could I now reach for a star and go back to the past to fix all my mistakes?
Thoughts like these plagued my mind before I closed my eyes, reaching for sleep that was well deserved.
"See you in the morning Pillar."
I woke up with a jolt and to the sound of a guttural, heavy scream. The air smelled of acid and sulphur; the stench so rancid and present, I could bite it, the taste leaving my mouth dry and yearning for water. My mind could only process a few thoughts initially; I was still groggy and could barely see through the blur in my eyes.
Another jolt widened my eyes and I saw Pillar above me, pressed to my chest. He was growling menacingly, tossing out bolts of electricity here and there, lighting up the night in a bright yellow, swirled with the orange from the now dying fire.
"Pillar what the fuck?" I yelled, tossing him off of me. "Nate, what the fuck is going on he-" I looked across the embers of the fire and my heart skipped a beat.
"AHHHHHHH," I screamed, the shrillness of my voice piercing through the black night like a knife. What I saw still haunts me to this day, and I don't think that demon will ever leave me in peace.
Across from me, next to the waning light of the campfire, Nathan Tiddle, my best friend, was foaming at the mouth, the froth dripping down his face, toward his forward, his eyes expressionless and lifeless as the lower half of his body was being devoured by a purple, blobbed behemoth. I could barely hear Pillar's squeaks as he fired off more electricity, my ears filled with a roar as powerful as a waterfall.
"Stop that!" I shouted, desperately hoping that the beast would listen. "Spit him out now!" I reached for my bag without looking, looking for the hunters knife I had packed away. My left hand brushed up against something smooth and bulbous.
"Gul." I turned my head and saw a round, green globbed figure slithering over my backpack, leaving a trail of slime in its wake.
"Gulpin." I whispered, trying to rack my mind for any facts I could remember on these pokemon. There were prevalent there in Hoenn and the fuckers had the appetite of an army after a battle. "But if this small one is a gulpin, what is..that?" I whispered furiously to myself, turning back to Nathan. His body hadn't seemed to move, the behemoth of a pokemon taking its sweet time eating my friend. I couldn't remember at the time, but the pokemon was a swalot, known for their ferocious appetites and territorial nature. The gulpin had to be part of its all male pack, the males of the species catering to the needs of one or two queens.
Two more gulpin were in front of me trying to reach me with their stubby arms, their toothless mouth opened, lips dripping with a thick green ooze - the numbing agent they use to make their prey unresponsive. Thankfully, Pillar was keeping them at bay with electricity, but I couldn't see a clear way out of this situation.
"Pillar," my voice, laid thick with agony. First day on the job and I was already going to die. "Pillar, what are we gonna do?" I reached my arm out to him before I heard another yell, this one unlike the one I had heard before. This one was deeper, belonging to someone older than me. Unexpectedly, a green claw ripped through the body on the purple giant, it's hand covered in purple ooze. The hand glowed a violent red, and the gulpin around me seized up. Next to the green claw, a a teenager older than me ran up and sliced through the gulpin making their way to their queen with a sickle that sliced clean through the gelatinous bodies like paper.
"Bella, Psychic." The adolescent said, waving his curved blade towards the ground, shaking off the emerald blood of the gulpin. The swalot, whose body was trying to repair the hole ripped into its stomach by the claw, let out a blood curdling screech, a sound so foreign and painful, I can still hear the scream today. Its blind eyes popped out of their sockets and the body shrank as it began collapsing on itself, her mouth heaving out Nathan. My eyes were widened in horror at the spectacle and I couldn't move to check on my best friend.
"Hey buddy, you ok?" The last thing I saw was the figure reaching his arm towards me before I sank to the ground unconscious.