As I started down Route 101, Mudkip and I battled a few Pokémon, and raised Mudkip's level. Once I reached Oldale Town, I was ready to start heading out west to Petalburg City, where my dad's gym was situated. However, a scientist had other ideas.

"Hey!" I called out. "Could you please move? I'm trying to head to Petalburg City!"

"I'm sorry,", he responded. "But I have to study these footprints. Can't you just walk on either side of me?"

I looked to either side of him. The trees were so thick that I couldn't even make a dent in walking through them. Seriously, why does Hoenn have such hard trees?

"No, I can't. They're too thick. You're blocking all the commuters between Oldale Town and Petalburg City." I said.

"You don't understand. They can just head north, head east, head south, head west, head north, and then head east. There is, in fact, another way to Petalburg from here. Why don't you go that way and leave me alone?", the scientist said.

"Fine. I guess I'll have to." I stormed off in a hurry north, after taking a quick stop to heal my Pokémon at the Pokémon Centre, and then I walked onto Route 103.

When I arrive at Route 103, I walked through some tall grass, and then I saw May.

"May!", I called out.

"Oh! Hi, Orlando!", she responded. "Let's have a Pokémon battle!"

She sent out Treecko, and I used Mudkip.

"Seriously? Why'd you pick the starter good against mine?", I wondered out loud.

"Well, sorry. I happened to get my Pokémon years before you got yours, isn't that right, Treecko?"

While she was talking, she hadn't realized that I had been constantly telling Mudkip to use Tackle under my breath. I won, and she never even used a Grass-type move.

"The distraction worked.", I whispered to Mudkip.

"All right, I guess I'll also give you some Poké Balls. If you find a wild Pokémon, you can catch it in one.", May told me.

"Give me a break,", I thought. "Everyone knows that."

"Also, if you move slowly, you can sneak up on a Pokémon! Try sneaking up on that one over there."

"No, I'm not interested in sneaking up. I'll catch my Pokémon the old-fashioned way.", I told Mudkip as I walked away. Unfortunately, because I was walking slowly while talking to Mudkip, a Pokémon had popped up in front of me. As I talked to Mudkip, I snuck up on it without wanting to.

"Alright! It's a Water type.", I told Mudkip. "Let's build a team of all Water types, because the best Trainers only ever use one type." The wild Wingull circled and stared at me.

"Mudkip, attack the Wingull!"

Somehow, Mudkip had jumped high enough to attack Wingull in the air. As Wingull spiralled down, I threw my Poké Ball. The Poké Ball wriggled a few times, and then Wingull was caught.

"Cool! I caught a Wingull!". I then hurried to the Pokémon Centre in Oldale Town to heal it.

I started walking to the north, with my Pokémon beside me, but then I thought I'd check in with Footprint Guy.

"Hey! Which Pokémon was the footprint of?", I asked.

"Erm... It turns out it was actually... my own.", he replied.

I laughed at him as I walked down the path to Route 102, my Mudkip next to me and my Wingull flying above me.

Thank you to my reviewer, damsainx, who only had kind words to say. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will soon come up with the next chapter.