So, this is what I like to call a story… Sorry about how on the nose this is… I've never really been good with openings. So, where to start?
Well, I suppose an introduction would be quite good. Hello there, whoever it is I'm speaking to, my name's John. John Gravy. You better not be snickering back there. I may have a last name that shares its name with part of your average Thanksgiving course, but I wear that name with pride, especially after all that's happened…
But I promised a story, didn't I? And that story happens to be my own, one that happened oh so long ago. To anyone else, it was a minor hiccup in history, but to me, it was my own earth shattering adventure… one that I hadn't dared to think of ever before.
Well, I suppose it all began on that nice autumn day… It was the day that my life changed forever. This is the story… of how I changed forever.
It's days like these when I wish I could go outside.
The semester had just started, and I was already getting absolutely hammered with work. Who knew that taking up a spot at a university in a city as big as Rustboro was going to give so much work?... Oh well, there was admittedly a good deal more to be frustrated about. It was a nice day out, there was a nice breeze rolling and everything, but here I was, making sure I completed my math homework on time. And unfortunately for me, math is not a strong suit of mine. You could ask anyone I know, and they'd all say the same thing. Or maybe not, depends on who you talk to. There's one guy who… wait, I'm getting off track again.
I've just been absentmindedly surveying my dorm room for ages now. This math homework was like a deterrent to my eyes, and my brain was taking every excuse in the book to avoid it.
Well, at least I had the window to my right. Anything going on out there was much more exciting than what was going on in here. Not to mention that the breeze was nice and cool, it certainly made everything that much more relaxing. It may be the only window in the room, but at least it was right next to my desk.
The breeze rustled the jacket I left hanging on the side of my bed. That bunk bed still needed to be made, but even though my brain was seeking escapes from the dread of math, that was a task that I've taken the liberty of labeling as "later." At least I don't need to make the top bunk, given I don't have a roommate. Lucky me, as whoever got put into this dorm alongside me chose to drop out so soon to the school year that they just left me here as was, with no alterations whatsoever, much to my chagrin. Because, let me tell you, bunk beds weren't fun. You either slept on the top where it was disorienting to be so high up, with a serious danger of toppling off the side, or at the bottom staring upwards at a looming wooden panel lying directly above you. All that did was activate a latent claustrophobia I never knew I had, not to mention a fear that the top bunk would collapse on top of me one day. So, I sleep on the top, because at least if it toppled over, I wouldn't be nearly as concerned then if I were on the bottom. Though it doesn't help that I have a slight fear of heights… ah, but I'm getting off track. What was I thinking of… oh yeah, this whole room. Very nice place. Pretty lucky to get such a big space to myself.
….
This big space that was of absolutely no help to me at all right now. Alright John, focus. There may be an ever so slightly large amount of work here… actually scratch that, there was a lot of work here. There was an essay I needed to finish about The Life and Times of a Lost Magcargo, (I wouldn't recommend it, it's not very good), several pages of math homework that needed finishing, (Boy do I hate math), and some history work about whatever random legend of Hoenn we learned about earlier, I've forgotten already.
May as well bang out the history work first, it's short and easy to figure out. The power of the internet is absolutely a gift from the heavens when it comes to things like this. And of course, that meant pulling out this laptop that I've absolutely drowned under all sorts of things. Let's see… old reading assignments, pack of trading cards, not sure why I even have those… oh hey, I forgot about this little guy. A little Lombre statuette that I misplaced a while ago… well, less misplaced, and more, as I said, forgotten about. Pretty well done, honestly, it's got all the surrounding environment details really well done, and the paint job on Lombre in his little pond is incredible. Despite the fact that he's just a statue, I still gotta love the little dude. He looks really happy doing what he's doing, dancing in his little pool of water. Makes me wish I could be so carefree with what I'm doing right now.
Oh well, no time like the present. Now I've just got to find that darned computer.
It has been nearly half an hour and this is still the most mind-numbingly boring thing I have ever had to sit through. That may be a phrase I've said twenty times in the past month alone, but such is the way of school.
I've gotten my history work and most of the essay touch ups done at least, but I really cannot bring myself to do anymore right now, as otherwise my head will quite literally explode. Thus, it's time for my favorite thing to do: take a break, except phrasing it in such a way that I don't have a guilty conscience afterwards. So… let's see here….
Aha! I did say I wanted to go outside earlier, enjoy the breeze a little bit… So that's what I'll do. I have taken a few hikes in the nearby woods before… I think I'll take a walk there. Nothing like a nice walk just before sunset rolls around to kick back and relax with.
Just have to grab a sweatshirt, even in Hoenn it gets a bit chilly during the winter… though, I feel as though I'm forgetting something….
Ah, no matter. I'm sure it won't be a big deal.
I took great care in making sure the door to my dorm was closed behind me. There's been some incidents of theft recently… sticky stuff, but not entirely unprecedented in a place like this. Students are students. Though, it's not like anything was worth stealing in my place anyways, at least, nothing you couldn't get elsewhere with ease, unless of course you were after that Lombre figurine. Ha!
My dorm was on the third floor of our dorm building, pretty swanky spot all things considered. High up, excellent view, though unfortunately it meant getting down took a bit longer. Stairs were always an option, but who's going to use those when a perfectly good elevator exists?
Still, as I was waiting for the elevator, I could tell that it was awfully quiet… far more than usual. Perhaps they were all at Abas' dorm? Probably, honestly. That place gets real rowdy when I'm trying to sleep. They're probably all gearing up for later. Fun.
Still, soon enough, the elevator arrived, and after a short descent, I wound up in the front lobby. This place, like a lot of places in this school, honestly, could do with a remodel. Pretty sure some Taillow were living in the ceiling, and the floor was chipped in all sorts of spots. And there was also the question of why a reception desk was needed when literally no one ever manned it. It isn't really my place to judge, but I judge anyways, mainly because these things start getting annoying after a while.
Though, while that place was kind of on the shoddier side, the main courtyard was really well done. There was this big fountain in the center, with a really ornate Gyarados and Magikarp display in the center, and all sorts of shrubbery surrounding the really well paved paths. It honestly looked really nice. I'd love to walk around here at night sometime. If I were a photo kind of person, I'd take a picture, but of course, I'm not, so I'll leave that to any would be Todds around these parts.
They often say you get good luck by throwing a coin into a fountain. I briefly considered it, but I thought against it. A coin could wait for when I have some more time on my hands than the limited amount I have now. Besides, it's not that I needed any luck right now, things were going pretty swell all things considered. And I doubt that was going to change anytime soon… actually, maybe I should stop right there before I jinx it. Oh well, now time to dwell on it. Best thing to do is go, quick in and out, and finish those math problems.
The trek through Rustboro was rather uneventful, all things considered. Despite being Hoenn's biggest city (And boy is it packed), it really can't be considered a cluttered and compressed stretch of buildings like the big cities of other regions, such as Castelia or Wyndon. It had a sort of home-town feel to it, as if the people there still worked together like a village instead of being torn apart by the big urban sprawl. It was rather unique, something I never thought I'd see after all the rumors I heard back home about this place.
This was most easily expressed just by wandering about the place. Market stalls dotted the sidewalks, manned by friendly old ladies or excited young salesmen, ready to get their start in the world. I envy those people. Children and Pokemon roamed the streets in playful fervor, and I could see some adults watching from afar, I'd assume parents or trainers. There was a nary a car in Rustboro, for despite the sheer size of this place, travel between locations was relatively simple, and getting from one place to another was often just a short walk from one point to the next. Thus, most of the time, no one really needed one. I definitely like it a lot. It reminds me of the peace and quiet we'd get back home. It was a modest little city, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of one of the most peaceful places in the world right now…
"John Gravy, you impudent whelp! Get over here, NOW!" Well, outside of that, anyways. If my groans weren't being heard from afar, they were certainly welling up in me. I know that voice better than anyone. That was the shrieking Loudred screech of Ms. LeFitz, one of the market stall owners. Remember when I said the stalls were manned by friendly old ladies? Ms. LeFitz was if you got one of those but removed the sugar and spice and replaced it with salt and the malignant stench of heavily expired Moomoo Milk. When I first visited this city way back when, when I was scouting out schools, I had made the mistake of accidentally knocking over her cart of berries. She went off on me about how "she spent many a moon working on that harvest" and how as a young lad it was my job to "help pay her back", and she hasn't let me go since. Typically I take care in making sure I walk through the city whenever Ms. LeFitz isn't around, but with the work clogging my brain and my haste to get out, that thought had slipped my mind completely. She had a voice like a Mandibuzz and the demeanor of a Salamence, and those two went hand in hand to create the most terrifying person I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
"Get over here, chop chop! A Slowpoke would be more useful right about now compared to the speed you're working at! I'm not getting any older over here! …I swear, kids these days…" She continued droning on as I continued inching closer. I was dreading what she had to say to me. Step by step, I was making it. Slowly and slowly. In my mind, I know I should probably have just gone and gotten this over with, but at the same time… well, I'd rather delay this inevitability as long as I can.
Unfortunately for me, this just made her angrier, which, being honest, I probably should've seen coming. She was glaring at me like a lost Zigzagoon hiding under her patio. And if I know anything about Ms. LeFitz, that meant a storm was brewing.
Her Pokemon, a Seedot, who was sitting on a nearby box, eyed me with a look of melancholy. He looked like he felt bad for me. I feel just as bad for the little guy having to endure all of Ms. LeFitz 24/7.
"John Gravy, if you keep moving at that pace, I'll be 110 by the time you get back from Petalburg Woods!" She paused for a moment, and grumbled a little bit. "...Got a bit ahead of myself there... But as I was saying… ah yes. I need you to go into Petalburg Woods and get me some Petaya Berries, I'm all out of them right now, and I'd appreciate having them on demand if some customers come. I'd get them myself, but oh… my back just isn't what it used to be." She took a moment to stretch her back, seemingly just to make me feel some kind of guilt for her. I'm used to this kind of stuff, and while I'm not necessarily falling for it… it's not like I have a choice when it comes to saying no, either. Especially so given my predetermined destination.
"Ah… how… convenient, actually… I was just about to take a quick… trek, through there myself…" Before I could finish, Ms. LeFitz cut me off.
"You still don't have a Pokemon partner, do you? Bah, I tell you, young people these days, always with a partner, but I have to get stuck knowing the one boy who doesn't. Curse me…" She began to grumble to herself a bit more. Seems she's already decided I'm going before I could confirm or deny, as usual.
Still, she didn't have to treat my lack of a partner thing as a plague. Bit rude if you ask me. I just never really had the need for one. I had some family Pokemon growing up, but they were always just that: family, more than a permanent partner. I never had a particular bond with one of them. I never felt the urge to become a trainer as well, so I had no need for a Starter Pokemon, either. Everyone I knew always asked me about it, if I were to get one in the near future, or if I'd want them to try catching a Pokemon for me, but I always declined. I was busy with my life right now, and a new Pokemon partner was the least of my concerns. Passing Math was much more important to me anyways… Oh great, it seems she's picked up steam again.
"John Gravy, I'll let you use Seedot to help you in gathering the berries. I understand those woods are safe so long as you're alert, but I wouldn't want to be losing my prime handyman, now would I?" She chuckled slightly, in a sort of half hearted creaky way. It was sort of creepy. She swapped back to her usual demeanor almost instantly though, much to my disappointment. "Seedot, go with him, make sure he doesn't get himself killed." Seedot got up, and simply nodded at Ms. LeFitz before jumping off his little crate, as he began waddling over to me. "Here, boy, take the crate to your right, put any Petaya Berries you find into there and come back with a full crate. I won't take any less than that. Do I make myself clear?" I do not want this conversation to continue any longer, so I just nodded a bunch. I could physically feel the tension in the air as Ms. LeFitz continued staring me down. "Good, then get going. Be back before sundown Gravy. You know as well as I do that the Woods aren't friendly when it's that late." I nodded again, and took my leave. I quickened my pace to get out of there as quickly as I could. I know full well that she'll get back to her usual if I stick around too long.
As I continued my trek to Petalburg Woods, I began to realize the gravitas of the situation I had accidentally gotten myself into. I kind of sidetracked that bit a fair bit in my rush to get out of there. A whole crate of Petayas… that was hard work, especially when Seedot and I only had about two hours till sundown, and I had my truckload of work back at my dorm to come back to. That bit doesn't really affect the berries, but that's going to be horrible to get back to once this is all said and done. Note to self: Make sure to double check stall times more thoroughly before choosing to take a break.
As I walked, I realized Seedot was still sprinting after me. Poor guy. I went and picked him up, putting him inside the Petaya crate. It wasn't meant to be long term, but for now, Seedot could recoup a bit before we had to do the heavy lifting. Seedot seemed grateful for the rest, and immediately nodded off in the crate as I continued south towards the Petalburg Woods.
I was thinking about the little guy a fair bit right now. Walking is a bit boring, so might as well. I don't really know too much about him, but he was far nicer than Ms. LeFitz, at least. He always attempted to help me against Ms. LeFitz's orders, and in my opinion, seemed to ever so slightly enjoy the change of face when it came to company. Though, If I'm being frank, if I had to spend hours a day with that screeching Mandibuzz, I'd be happy to be with just about anyone else too.
Still, all else I knew about him was that he was apparently a rather old one for his species, but despite his age, he was full of vitality. He's always very serious when it's needed though. He's saved my butt more times than I can count on these expeditions. Regardless of my lack of close contact with him, I still enjoyed being with the little fellow. Just having the thought of someone helping me out reassured me, especially in a place like this. Ah, there it is. A sudden darkness. Trees covered the sky above me, and the path ahead was covered in a similar gloom. That meant only one thing. We had arrived in Petalburg Woods.
