"Shroom?"
Shroomish tilted upwards to look up at the casting shadow.
Frobert hopped off his Hariyama's shoulder and leaned down to Shroomish's eye level. He placed his hands on his knees as he reassured the small Pokemon.
"It's alright, little dude." he asked. "Now, where'd your trainer go?"
"Shroomish, shroom!"
Shroomish turned around to face the Pokemon Center, bouncing up and down in his spot.
"The Pokemon Center, huh?"
Frobert faced his Hariyama and nodded.
"Don't worry, little dude, we'll make sure you get back to them"
Frobert hoisted Shroomish up over his shoulder, and walked towards the Pokemon Center.
Fortunately for him, the door was wide enough for Hoji to go through.
The frog saw several visitors inside— some animals playing with their Pokemon while others playing on their Rotom Phones or fixing their appearance in the mirror.
"Hellooooooo"
he hollered inside the Pokemon Center.
Some animals turned around and glared, while others minded their own business.
"Anyone got a runaway Shroomish?!"
Frobert called out.
"Tree, tree!"
Frobert looked down. He saw a Treecko standing on his tiptoes and wagging his tail.
"Cko?"
"Is this your little buddy, dude?" the frog asked him.
Treecko clasped his hands together and nodded.
"I gotcha, buddy"
Frobert kneeled down and set Shroomish down on the floor. He watched in amusement as the two grass types sniffed each other. Both Pokemon chirped and cooed as they ran around in a circle.
"Hey, there you two are!"
An energetic voice called out.
Frobert looked over at the stairs.
He saw the same rhino from earlier storming down the stairs, his hair and skin slightly damp while he had a towel on his shoulders.
"Oh, hey man!" Tank flashed a reassured grin.
"I was looking for this little guy! Thanks for bringing him back, dude!"
"Hey, it's no prob, bro" Frobert put one hand in his pocket. He glanced down at the two Pokemon in front of him and asked the other animal
"So, uh, you train Grass-types?"
Tank shook his head as he picked Treecko up and placed him on his shoulder
"Nah. I'm doing research for Professor Nook, so I just catch whatever Pokemon I can"
"Sounds gnarly, bro"
Frobert patted his Hariyama on the arm.
"I like my Fighting types. They work out with me, both in AND outta the sea. But if you ask me, dude, I think Grass types fit you a lot"
"You really think so?"
Tank asked. He reached behind his head to pull a twig from his hair. Now how'd that twig get there, he thought.
"I don't really see it"
"For sure, dude"
Frobert glanced up and down the taller animal. His eyes wandered down to the row of abs, then back up to his horn
"I mean, your hair does look like a leaf, and you already caught a few Grass types. But that's just me, bro"
Kidd walked up to the duo and pointed at Frobert's outfit
"I don't mean to interrupt, but is that a real Gracie design?"
The frog's cheeks burned red, his eyes lighting up in excitement.
"Sure is, bro! It's from her summer line. I met her once in Lilycove, she's a total babe."
Tank glanced to the right
"Hey, wait a minute. Did any of you guys see Benedict?"
He asked the rest of the group
Kidd pointed at the door
"He told me he was going to take on the gym, whatever that's supposed to mean"
Frobert's eyes widened as his body tensed up. A challenger already?!
"Oh, man! I- I gotta get back there!"
Hariyama leaned down, picked his trainer up in its arms, and stomped back to the gym.
Tank and Kidd looked at each other, trying to think of what to do next.
"Wanna go fishing again?"
Tank pointed at the door. "I wanna see if I can catch anything this time!"
"Sure"
Kidd shrugged. Being at the beach would feel better than being inside somewhere that reeks of sweat, he thought.
Tank and Kidd walked towards the dock, then spent around two hours trying to catch any Pokemon.
Meanwhile, inside the gym….
Benedict walked in the gym lobby. He tied his hair back in a tight low ponytail, not a single strand flying out of his hair tie. His heart raced as he walked to the vending machine in the corner. The drink options looked limited compared to what he saw throughout Castelia City— only three types of water. He settled on a bottle of Fresh Water.
He carried the water bottle in one hand as he headed into the locker room. His body tensed up just thinking about being in a gym. The place smelled like energy drinks and cheap body spray. The lockers were light blue while the benches in the middle were a bright shade of orange.
Oh great, this was that kind of gym. It reminded him all too well of middle school. His throat tightened and he felt light headed as he remembered an incident in the locker room from last year.
It was just before gym class in Sonata Junior High. Benedict was one of the first students there. He saw another one of his classmates in the locker room— a pale yellow sheep wearing a black and grey baja-print hoodie and brown joggers. The ram laughed to himself as he looked at something on his phone.
Benedict stomped towards his classmate and yanked on his hood.
"Chad, would y'all explaining why I saw Trish crying in the hallway?" Benedict hollered at the sheep. Spittle flew into the ram's face.
"Why do you care what Trish does?" Chad shrugged. "But if you really wanna know?"
He snickered before showing him a picture on his phone; a lavender wolf running into the girls' bathroom, a thick sweater wrapped around her waist even though it was the middle of winter. Tears were running down her face, and she looked away from the camera.
Benedict facepalmed.
"What's so funny 'bout that?"
Chad tried to resist the urge to laugh
"She started bleeding in the middle of the class, it was hilarious!"
Benedict cringed in disgust. Why would Chad and his friends take pictures of THAT?!
"Ew!"
"I know, right?" Chad laughed, then shrugged. "For some reason, most of the girls got mad that we were laughing. Well, except Beatrice. She's the only girl with a sense of humor"
"Well, YEAH?!" Benedict snapped. "Trish is probably humiliated 'cause it's Sharpedo week and you guys were laughing at her!"
Chad rolled his eyes
"Geez, lighten up already Benedict!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Benedict hollered, wanting to explode like a volcano. That was no way to treat a girl!
He yelled before punching Chad in the face. He grabbed the sheep, turned him around and repeatedly slammed his face against the metallic lockers, drops of blood flying in the air.
Several more male students walked into the gym lockers, watching Benedict mercilessly beating Chad to a pulp. Their faces were horrified as they saw the slaughter in front of them. Some of the other boys whispered
"...Remind me not to mess with Benedict again"
"No shit dude, look. Chad's missing a tooth"
"Several teeth, actually"
"...I think I'm gonna delete that pic now"
After one last punch, Benedict threw the sheep onto the ground and glared at the other guys
"If y'all motherfuckers don't wanna be next" he snarled. "Then you better 'pologize to Trish for laughing at her!"
The rest of that afternoon felt like a blur to him. His parents argued with each other while he sat in the principal's office, understanding why he was getting suspended. He got out-of-school suspension for a week over assaulting another classmate, while Chad got off scot-free even after he and Bruno made Trish the laughingstock of their grade. It didn't feel RIGHT. At least give Chad some detention, or Bruno too. But no, Sonata Junior High was so backwards on its 'zero tolerance' policies.
Well, actually, everything felt like a blur right now.
"You okay broski?!"
A voice shouted from the end of the locker room.
Benedict stood still as another animal, a white chicken with thick eyebrows and a red comb, ran up to him. The other bird waved his wing in his face, making him jolt up slightly.
"Yeah, I'm fine bro"
Benedict took a deep breath. He felt a little stupid saying that, but brushed it off quickly.
"Just had some bad memories"
"Dude, that sucks"
the other chicken reassured him.
"Hey, you still wanna battle or what?"
"Yeah, I'm down!"
Benedict's demeanor changed on a dime. He grabbed one of his Poke Balls and held it out in front of him.
"Ralts! Let's go!"
Ralts bowed as it landed on the vinyl floor.
"Oh, so that's how you wanna go down, bro!"
Goose leaned back on his left foot.
"Meditite, let's brawl!"
He grabbed a Great Ball and threw it in the air like a volleyball. A humanoid blue and white Pokemon popped out and hovered in the air in front of its trainer.
"Meditite, Endure!"
Meditite stood upright and tightened the core of its body, its arms firmly blocking its chest.
"Ralts, use Disarming Voice!"
Ralts took a deep breath in and cried out at its opponent. Meditite flinched as the scream hit its entire body.
"Shake it off, dude"
Goose hollered at his Pokemon. "And use Confusion!"
Meditite's eyes glowed white as it shot a thick white beam at Ralts. The fairy type leaped to the right, swiftly avoiding the attack.
"Dodge it and use another Disarming Voice!"
Ralts twirled in its spot and let out another cry. Meditite flinched as it covered its ears from the high pitch.
"Meditite, don't give up! Use Confusion again!"
"Now, Ralts, Shadow Sneak!"
Ralts flipped its helmet up and darted its shadow across the wooden floor. Meditite's eyes glowed white again, but flashed as the black shadow ambushed it.
The meditate Pokemon sharply gasped. Meditite stood still for a few seconds. Its body tensed up as it stopped hovering. The fighting type landed onto the ground with a groan and thud, its pupils now swirled.
"Damn bro!"
Goose exclaimed. He kneeled down and returned Meditite to its ball.
"That was a good battle!"
The white bird walked up to Benedict and fistbumped him.
"Heh. Thanks y'all!"
Benedict confidently nodded after the fistbump, not bothering returning Ralts to its ball, letting him hover by his head. He walked through the rest of the gym, noticing how the rest of the gym looked slightly chaotic compared to the locker room— several dumbbells not put away, treadmills running despite nobody using them, sweaty towels thrown across some of the equipment. Must be a personal state of mind, he thought to himself.
Benedict glanced over at one of the treadmills. He saw a brown duck running on a treadmill, panting like a maniac.
"Hey! You wanna GO, bro?!"
Bill shouted from the treadmill.
Benedict puffed up his chest and hollered back.
"Yeah, I wanna go, bro!"
The duck leaped off the treadmill with a backflip and posed.
"Then let's go, bro!"
He threw a Poke Ball in the air
"Machop, let's work out!"
A grey humanoid Pokemon popped out of the ball and flexed in the same manner as its trainer.
Ralts jumped in front of Benedict, already deciding its fate to battle.
"Machop, use Focus Energy"
Machop took a deep breath in and tightly focused its body and soul.
"Ralts! Use Disarming Voice!"
Ralts hovered above its' opponent and yelled out a sharp cry, forcing Machop to wince and stumble backwards on its own footing.
"Machop! Stay up bro! Fight back with Karate Chop!"
The fighting type's right arm glowed white as it charged its opponent. Machop swung its arm back and nearly struck Ralts with its forearm, but got stopped by a white limb grabbing around it.
Ralts had fiery determination glow from his eyes. He stopped Machop in its tracks and gently moved its arm back to its body.
"That's it, Ralts! Use Confusion!"
The feeling Pokemon's eyes glowed from his helmet. He screamed as he launched a pink telekinetic force around Machop. Ralts stretched his arms from his body and threw Machop across the gym floor, causing a small explosion of dirt and dust.
The air cleared slowly, showing Ralts still standing up and glowing slightly. Machop, however, was knocked out cold on the ground.
Bill felt stunned. Usually, he was the last obstacle for trainers ready to face Frobert. But this, this almost never happened in his few years as a gym trainer.
"That was something else, bro!" he quacked out.
The duck leaned down and returned Machop to safety.
"I gotta hand it to you"
he fistbumped Benedict. "You're quite the trainer, dude"
Benedict got flustered
"Aw, shucks dude! My Ralts was the one who did all the fightin'. Right, buddy?"
"Ral, ralts!"
Ralts smiled and bowed. He glowed a bright blue color. His body was engulfed in light and began to change form— he grew taller, his horns and helmet got wider, and his arms lengthened outwards.
The white light dissolved as the new Pokemon gracefully curtsied in front of his trainer. His white skirt was longer and flared out sharply, exposing long green legs. His pink horns were now on each side of his head, while his green helmet was now shaped into flowing hair.
"Kirrrrr-LIAAAAAA!"
he cried out after curtsying.
Benedict grabbed his Rotom phone and scanned his new Pokemon.
"Kirlia, the Emotion Pokemon, and the evolved form of Ralts. A psychic and fairy type. Kirlia uses the horns on its head to amplify its psychokinetic power. When the Pokémon uses its power, the air around it becomes distorted, creating mirages of nonexistent scenery."
"Looks like someone's been using brains over brawn, bro!"
The two trainers turned around. Frobert stood in front of the group, slowly clapping four times.
Hariyama stood diligently behind its trainer, its orange hands folded together.
"You're totally ready to take me on, dude!"
"Hari!"
Hariyama grunted loudly, its voice echoing through the gym.
Goose came running up to the group.
"Frobert! You missed it, dude!"
"Missed what, broski?" Frobert asked him.
"This guy SWEPT me!" Goose exclaimed. He waved his hands around in the air "I was all like, yeah I got this, just throw some punches around, maybe a raging kick or two, but then I got CRUSHED!"
"He's kinda hammy for a chicken"
Benedict whispered to Bill.
"Yeah, he is" Bill reassured him with a pat to the shoulder. "But he livens up the gym scene at least. Most of the time it's just us working out"
"Sounds like a gnarly time, Goose!" Frobert was amused by Goose's antics. "Oh, by the way Benedict, wanna go battle me on the beach? I think it'd be fun for both of us!"
"The beach? Sure, bro!" Benedict nodded in agreement.
"I ain't been one to one of 'em in a while!"
He reached his wing back and undid his ponytail, keeping the hair tie on his wrist.
"I call dibs on the referee stuff!"
Goose hollered excitedly.
"And I'll let the neighbors know too"
Bill gave Frobert a thumbs up.
"Then it's on, my dudes"
Frobert pumped a fist into the air while the other dudes hollered in excitement.
While Benedict and Frobert headed to the Pokemon Center before battle, Bill zipped and zoomed back and forth between houses.
He hollered at every animal who opened their doors
"We got a gym battle! We got a gym battle!"
The duck stopped in his tracks. He saw two animals, a light blue rhino and a lilac goat. They must be travelers, he thought to himself.
"Hey, you guys gonna watch the gym battle?" he asked them.
"No, we're gonna wander around the beach all day"
Kidd snarked.
"Dude, of course we are!" Tank snorted in laughter.
"Our friend's taking on the Hoenn League!"
"Hey, that's awesome!" Bill exclaimed. He stormed off to another house
"Gym battle in ten! Gym battle in ten!"
A crowd gathered on the beach nearby the Dewazon Market. Some animals sat on unfolded beach chairs while others relaxed on colorful towels. A few of the animals whispered to each other in excitement.
Tank and Kidd saw the crowd forming. They decided to join the audience and sit together on the sand. Their hooves brushed up close.
"I really hope he knows what he's doing"
Kidd worried, frowning slightly in concern. He cringed from the sand scattered all over his boots.
"Of course he knows"
Tank playfully nudged him.
"He wouldn't be out here if he didn't!"
Kidd shrugged and brushed it off.
"Yeah. I'm just not sure what Pokemon he's using"
The crowd turned to their right side. Benedict and Frobert walked down the sandy shores, with confidence storming around both trainers like a hurricane.
Frobert walked to the left side of the beach while Benedict took to the right. The sun shined brightly in the sky as both trainers glared at each other with determination.
Goose stood knee-deep in the water and triumphantly waved a red and green flag around. He held his left wing out to the shore
"Alright party animals, whoooooo's ready to RUMBLE?!
Today's matchup?
You know him, and you love him, it's the ever so handsome Frobert Grenounille of Dewford Town!"
Several animals in the crowd cheered and whistled.
"And his challenger? Fresh outta Unova! A battler who could burn the sky! Iiiiiiit's Benedict Sussex of Castelia City!"
Other animals hooted and hollered, ready to see the gym battle begin. Tank jumped up and down excitedly, while Kidd sunk into his spot from how loud his friend was.
"Go Benedict, wooooo!"
Tank waved his arms around.
"Will the brave and challenging trainers bring out their mighty and powerful Pokemon?"
Goose held a fist up to the air.
"Saitou! Let's hang ten!"
Frobert tossed a blue and orange ball into the air, releasing a Machop. The fighting type Pokemon flexed its arms twice for the audience.
"Hm….Kirlia, give it what y'all got!"
Benedict held a Poke Ball in front of him. Kirlia popped out and twirled in the air. The psychic type gracefully landed on the points of his feet, daintily bowing before the audience.
"Brains over brawn? Interesting strategy…"
Kidd noted.
"Yeah" Tank nodded.
"But I heard that Frobert trains his mind too, not just his muscles!"
Frobert held a hand out
"Saitou use Bulk Up!"
The Machop looked to the crowd and winked as it confidently flexed its muscles for everyone to awe at. Its muscles grew slightly bigger.
"Kirlia, use Confusion to break up its' flexing!"
Kirlia leaped up in the air.
"Kirrrrrrr-"
His eyes glowed bright pink and shot a telekinetic force at the superpower Pokemon.
"Liaaaaaa!"
Machop looked up from its feat of flexing. Its eyes grew smaller as the pink waves slammed into its body like a freight train.
The fighting type skidded against the grainy sand before falling onto its back with a thud. Machop couldn't move its body up.
"Choooop" it weakly groaned.
"Aaaand what an unbelievable knockout!"
Goose hollered to the gasping audience.
"Saitou the Machop is unable to battle, leaving this pretty Kirlia the winner!"
Frobert returned Saitou to its ball
"Not bad, Saitou!"
He pulled out another Poke Ball and kicked it into the air to release his second Pokemon.
"Hah! I was JUST getting warmed up, Benedict!"
Frobert hollered to his opponent
"Now! Keira! Surf's up!"
A Meditite popped out, this one standing gracefully on one foot instead of hovering in the air.
"Let's take a break for now"
Benedict returned Kirlia to his ball. He leaped in the air as he threw a different ball in the air
"Combusken! Let's go!"
Combusken cried out before landing on the sand. The young fowl Pokemon struck a dynamic pose, fired up and ready to fight.
"Keira, use Reflect!"
The Meditite quickly posed its hands around and formed a white barrier surrounding the front of its body.
"Combusken! Jump behind Meditite and use Ember!"
Combusken sprinted through the sand and turned around to shoot several flames at Meditite's back.
Meditite tried to stop the flames but failed. Some of the flames surrounded its body, causing it to flinch.
"Now that makes sense!"
Tank pointed out.
"What does?" Kidd asked him.
Tank pointed at the Meditite
"He used Combusken to burn Meditite, weakening it!"
"Keira, Calm Mind and then Confusion"
"Medititeeeee….."
The Meditite closed its eyes and calmly relaxed. Its body glowed a faint shade of pink. It opened its eyes and reached its hands to the sky. A large ball of pink energy formed between its palms.
"Combusken! Stop its Confusion with y'alls best Peck!"
Combusken's beak glowed white as he dashed across the sand. He ducked his head lower and jabbed Meditite in the chest with his beak.
The meditate Pokemon cried out from the hit, its mental focus shattered like glass. Combusken did a backflip behind his foe.
"Keira! Don't let it distract you! Fight it off with a Focus Punch, bro!"
"Medi!"
Meditite nodded. It pulled its fist back, ready to sock a punch. Meditite glanced left and right, looking for Combusken but failing.
"Peck again!"
Combusken threw its head back and attacked Meditite with his beak again, landing a hit against the middle of its forehead.
"TITE!"
Meditite yelped after the attack. It fell onto its stomach, its body stiff like wood and spiraled eyes looking up at the sky.
Goose held the red flag out
"TWO knockouts, everybody! Keira the Meditite is unable to battle! But THIS time, Combusken is our winner! But does he stand a chance against the unstoppable king of Dewford?!"
The crowd whispered in excitement.
Frobert frowned slightly as he returned his Meditite to its ball
"Not bad work for today, Keira"
The frog grabbed his final Poke Ball. Without any more words, he calmly tossed it in the air.
Hariyama landed against the beach with a thud that echoed through the rest of the town. Its face was cold and calculated, like it had expected its fellow Pokemon to be knocked out so easily before its time to shine.
Goose flexed his arms twice and did a backflip before he hollered to the audience
"With a Force Palm that can crush mountains, enough bulk to withstand the largest Heavy Slam, and the powerful bond of his trainer…..This Pokemon is the unstoppable king of Dewford Town! Give it UP for Hoji the Hariyama!"
The crowd roared in excitement.
Benedict thought to himself. Tank's Pokedex was NOT exaggerating about this Pokemon being an absolute unit, he thought. Any attempt at burning it would be useless. Might as well go with physical force for this round…
"Hoji, Force Palm!"
Hariyama neatly turned its body to the left. It slowly pulled its left palm to the side and landed a powerful hit against its opponent. Combusken yelped from the impact, its feet dragging into the sand.
"Combusken, use Peck and aim for its feet"
The fire type ducked his body below Hariyama's hands and swiftly pecked twice at its lower body. Hariyama didn't move a muscle despite the attacks against its footing. If anything, all it did was plant its feet deeper in the sand
"Hoji, double Force Palm!"
Hariyama's hands glowed white. Its face remained stoic as it smacked Combusken twice with each hand. The first hand made Combusken flinch its head back, while the second hand slammed so hard it caused Combusken to fly backwards through the air.
Benedict ran towards his Pokemon in distress. He got knocked back as his Pokemon collided against him, making both of them fall onto the sand.
Combusken weakly cried out before he passed out in his trainer's arms.
"Well well well, look at THAT, broskis!" Goose hollered to a stunned crowd. "Combusken just got SWEPT! What does it mean? It means… Hoji the Hariyama wins this round! BUT, can the challenger even stand a chance after this defeat?!"
"I…I'm so sorry, y'all" Benedict looked down in embarrassment as he returned Combusken to his ball.
He stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes before throwing another Poke Ball in the air
"Come on, Kirlia! We're finishin' what Combusken started!"
Kirlia cried out as he floated onto the sand with a twirl.
"Hoji, use Sand Attack!"
"HARI!"
Hariyama grunted as it let out a flurry of several light palm thrusts. Sand started to fly through the air.
"Jump above it and use Magical Leaf!"
"Kirl!"
Kirlia gracefully leaped above all the sand heading his way. He did a pirouette in the air as he shot a dozen colorful leaves down at his opponent. The small sandstorm blew away, causing Hoji to skid through the sand.
"Hoji! Arm Thrust!"
"Hariiiiiiii-" The arm thrust Pokemon widened its hands and attacked the air in a flurry, trying to nail a hit against Kirlia.
"YAMA!"
"Kirlia, use Confusion on his guts"
Kirlia quickly dodged every attack heading his way. He lightly tapped Hariyama with his feet before shooting a strong pink telekinetic force at Hariyama's core.
Hariyama was blown away by the mental force knocking him away. He swayed back and forth
"Hari…."
The fighting type weakly groaned as he flopped backwards in defeat. Sand blew away from the beach as his body landed with a massive thud.
"Ya-yama…."
The crowd went silent.
A few animals whispered to each other.
"Aww, dude, weak!"
Frobert exclaimed as he held his last Poke Ball out and returned Hariyama safely.
"Alright Hoji, let's relax for tomorrow"
he sighed before putting the ball away.
Goose held a flag up
"Man, Hoji just got wiped out, bro! Yes, you heard me! Wiped the hell out, swept away like nothing! That means... that means Kirlia here won, leaving our winner….. Benedict of Castelia City! Give it UP for him!"
The crowd roared into excitement.
Benedict gasped in happiness.
"Y'all, we did it!"
He exclaimed as he picked Kirlia up and gave him a tight hug.
Frobert walked up to Benedict.
He frowned menacingly before smiling happily.
"That was the GNARLIEST battle I've had all week, bro!"
The crowd dissolved after the battle was officially over. Some animals headed back inside while others went to different areas of the town.
"Seriously, that was awesome!"
Tank winked and wrapped his arm around Benedict's shoulders.
"The way you used Kirlia's speed blew me away!"
"It was pretty amazing" Kidd blushed faintly. He grabbed both of Benedict's wings with his hooves
"You've got to show me Kirlia's moves later"
Frobert reached into his right pocket. He pulled out a round blue badge with an orange gem embedded in the lower half.
"Here you go, bro! One radical Knuckle Badge"
Benedict held his wing out so Frobert could neatly place the badge in his palm.
"Thanks so much, bro!"
Benedict grinned as he put his new badge next to his Stone Badge.
"Hey, it's what bros do!" Frobert laughed. "And if you excuse me, I gotta head to the Pokemon Center"
"Heh, I should go there too" Benedict chuckled slightly.
The group made their way to the Pokemon Center. While Benedict and Frobert got their Pokemon healed up, Tank and Kidd looked together at a map.
"Granite Cave, huh?" Kidd asked as he zoomed in on the screen.
"Yeah!"
Tank pointed at it
"I heard there's a really rare Pokemon that lives nearby there"
Benedict walked to the group after saying goodbye to Frobert.
"What are y'all lookin at?"
"Just this cave with a rare Pokemon"
Tank moved his map around to look at the cave in the middle of the ocean.
"And I wanna catch it!"
It was settled. They would travel together to Granite Cave and see what oh-so-rare Pokemon was there.
The boys walked down the short route. The sand was slightly warm and the air felt refreshing.
While Benedict and Tank raced to the entrance of a cave, Kidd stopped in the middle of the beach. He kneeled down and pulled a pastel holographic scale from the sand. It shined in the sun and looked like it would bring good luck.
"Hey! Kidd, are you coming?"
Tank hollered from the cave.
"Yeah, I'll be right there!"
Kidd waved to him. The goat brushed the sand off the scale and put it inside his bag's front pocket.
He dashed to his friends and followed them inside the cavern.
The cave felt a lot wider than the Rusturf Tunnel did. Several large rocks scattered across the ground. Dozens of blue bat Pokemon pressed against the roof, soundly sleeping.
Tank looked up at the walls and saw countless prehistoric drawings— primitive stick figures fighting alongside what looked to be several older Pokemon from the Kanto region.
They walked together into a huge room. A small yellow cat Pokemon followed them inside.
Apollo stood in front of a large mural, his wing gently brushing the surface. The mural depicted two creatures, one reptilian and the other aquatic, facing off in war. One half of the mural showed a scorching sun in the sky while the other had endless tidal waves sweeping away humanoid figures.
"Mmm-hmmm….."
The eagle turned around to face the younger boys.
"Have you three ever wondered why there's no humans in this world?"
Apollo asked them.
The boys stayed silent and shook their heads no.
"Centuries ago, humans once existed. They were related to us animals. Some humans even dated animals. But, they were wiped from existence. But why is this? Two lovers, a human man and a wolf woman, thought they had everything they wanted, and then more. But…. He wanted humanity to progress, while she believed in expanding the world for Pokemon. But their love was tore to shreds by jealousy, deceit, betrayal and a crisis for the world"
Apollo cleared his throat
"In their wake of chaos, they summoned two ancient Pokemon and awakened their potential. It wasn't quite Mega Evolution, but the awakening destroyed and recreated Hoenn in just seven days. The world was almost the same, except all humans wiped away, their existence only surviving in documentation. It's said that it took three trainers to start the rebuild of Hoenn. A sheep and his Swampert, an elephant and his Sceptile, and a penguin and her Blaziken"
The cave stayed silent except for dripping water.
"It's sad really" Apollo held a wing to his chest and shook his head. "It's all in the past, unless some fool tries to repeat history again. Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Apollo Hawkian"
"The Hoenn champion?!"
Benedict gasped in excitement.
"Well, yes, but"
Apollo's stoic demeanor didn't change.
"I'm also a world renowned collector, an esteemed researcher, and a well versed traveler, Benedict"
The chicken crossed his arms and slightly tilted his head
"Hey! How did y'all know my name?"
"That's easy" Apollo chuckled. "My father told me about you three"
He smiled fondly
"He got the package you gave me earlier, and he wanted me to thank you personally. Anyways, I've got to head out"
"Head out? For what?"
Kidd asked the older man.
"Slateport City. It's up north" Apollo bluntly explained to the younger boys
"In fact, how'd you three like to come with me?"
The boys whispered to each other
"Of course I'll go with him, it's freaking Champion Apollo!"
"Are you sure about that? What if something bad happens in Slateport?"
"We'll be fine, we got the freakin' champion on our side"
"Hmm….I guess…"
The trio looked back at Apollo
"We'll go!" Tank nodded.
"Excellent"
Apollo stuffed his hands in his trenchcoat pockets.
The boys followed Apollo through the cave. They stopped in the middle of the cave due to a major problem.
Countless furious Pokemon swooped down and surrounded the group. All the Pokemon were blue bats with wide mouths, huge triangular ears and no eyes. Some screeched into the air while others flew headfirst into the animals. The guys faced back-to-back in a circle with each other. They all knew what they had to do; fight the Pokemon off for their own safety. They each grabbed a Poke Ball and released one of their Pokemon.
"Crow. Help us out. Now"
"Alright, Mudkip, let's go!"
"Treecko, I choose you!"
"Combusken, let's get dangerous!"
The group looked around at the horde. Nobody had a clue on how many there were, but that they had to fight together.
"Now. Crow, Air Cutter!"
Apollo hollered as he glared at the horde.
"Shrkarrrrrr!"
The Skarmory screeched as it launched several sharp winds at the Pokemon. The sharp winds knocked out eight bat Pokemon effortlessly.
"Treecko, Quick Attack!"
Treecko climbed on top of Tank's head. He jumped off and sprinted through the air, knocking out at least three of the bats.
"Combusken! Ember!"
Combusken cried out as it leaped up and shot several flames at the horde, making four of them fly away.
Kidd tried to command his Mudkip, but was stuck swatting away seven bats. He winced as he got bit all over his arms.
"Guys, a little help?"
A floating yellow cat Pokemon popped out from behind Kidd.
"Abra!" it cried out.
The group turned around to face the commotion.
Abra's eyes lit up as it put itself between Kidd and the bats.
"Aaaaabraaaaaa!"
It screamed as it threw several bright purple psychic waves at each bat. Six of the seven bats flew away after taking damage, but one stayed behind in confusion. The bat Pokemon headbutted the wall and squealed to itself.
Tank grabbed a Poke Ball and chucked it at the last bat Pokemon.
"Booyah!"
The Poke Ball circled twice before clicking with a ding.
"Zubat has been registered to your dex!"
Tank grabbed the Poke Ball and shoved it in his backpack. He grinned as he checked his dex.
"Zubat, the Bat Pokemon. A poison and flying type. Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned."
"I thought y'all said y'all wanted a rare Pokemon"
Benedict pointed out.
Tank brushed him off
"Yeah, I know, but I still caught something!"
The two boys laughed in amusement.
Abra gently landed its feet against the earth, its hands relaxed at its side.
"Thank you so much for saving me!" Kidd gently smiled at the psi Pokemon.
He had his hooves on his knees and bent down slightly.
"Would you like to join us?"
The psychic type nodded.
It used telekinesis to pull a Poke Ball out of Kidd's messenger bag, then moved the ball into Kidd's hooves.
"Ohhh you meant to join me. You know what? I'd love that"
The goat softly smiled. He tossed the Poke Ball in the air. The group intently watched as Abra was absorbed into the ball with a bright red light.
The Poke Ball softly landed on the ground. It slowly rotated three times before dinging with a click.
Kidd blinked before picking the Poke Ball up and holding it to his chest, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
Everyone else stayed silent.
"And you said you weren't ready to catch another one!" Tank nudged him with his elbow.
"S-shut up!" Kidd laughed as he swatted his friend. "I can change in two days, you know!"
Nobody noticed that a small grey Pokemon furiously glared at them from the rocks. The group headed out of the cave without a problem. Until…
"Oww!"
Benedict flinched from something attacking his back. He turned around with a furious glare
"Hey, watch it, will ya?!"
The silver Pokemon growled at him as it clawed into the sand.
"Seriously, did y'all wanna battle me?!"
Benedict hollered.
"Because I'll go!"
Kidd grabbed Benedict by the arm and tried to pull him away, but got stopped in his tracks by a flash of light from his pocket.
Abra popped out on her own and hovered between both trainer and Pokemon. The lads looked on, watching what looked like the two Pokemon arguing.
"Hey! Aron, what's your problem?!"
"Abra, you got captured before I did!"
"Yeah, so?"
"SO! I want a trainer too! I can't get stronger in Granite Cave! Everyone there's a wimpy little wimp"
"Well attacking random trainers doesn't get you captured!"
"Then how come YOU got caught before I did?!"
"Because I didn't just go up and attack them! I joined them to fight first against all those Zubat"
"Well if you're soooo smart then you tell that bird guy to catch me"
"The bird guy? There's two of them!"
"You know which bird guy! The one with the hoodie! I wanna be strong like his Combusken! Tell him to catch me!"
"Fine! I will!"
Abra turned around and pointed at Benedict's backpack.
"Huh?" Benedict looked confused.
The psi Pokemon facepalmed in both hands. She hovered over, zipped open his backpack, and pulled a poke ball out for him. After zipping the bag back shut, Abra placed the ball in the palms of his wings and pointed at Aron.
"Ohhhhh"
Benedict felt like he got hit by a bus.
NOW she was making sense! Sure, what the heck, let's catch this one.
He tossed the Poke Ball in the air and watched as Aron leaped upwards to get captured. The ball didn't even shake once before it dinged.
"Aron has been caught!"
Benedict grabbed the Poke Ball. He checked his phone for information on his new catch— and there it was! Aron had an Impish nature, the Rock Head ability, and is capable of taking hits.
Apollo smiled fondly as he remembered the excitement he had when he caught other Pokemon aside from his starter.
The group headed back to Dewford Town.
They stopped in their tracks and noticed that the dock was now occupied by a familiar white boat.
"Oh! Hello boys!"
Cousteau waved from the boat.
"And greetings, Apollo!"
"Greetings to you too, Cousteau"
Apollo bowed.
"Say. You wouldn't mind doing us a small favor and taking us to Slateport, would you?"
"Well I'd be honored to! What's the occasion?"
The frog asked as he tinkered with the mechanical parts of the boat.
"My father asked that I meet with Kapp'n there for some goods"
Apollo explained.
"And I'm letting Crow take a break for the day. Him and Servo have been working hard"
"Ah, of course"
Cousteau calmly nodded.
"So, Benedict, how'd your gym battle go?"
"It went awesome!"
Benedict exclaimed as he pulled his Knuckle Badge out and showed it to him.
"I got a Kirlia now, an' I caught some more teammates!"
"I'm pleased to hear that"
Cousteau said as he eyed up the shiny badge.
Apollo and the boys boarded the boat.
They talked with each other as Cousteau started the boat up.
"Now remind me again, how'd you guys end up at my father's place again?"
Apollo asked. He stretched before sitting down on a beach chair.
"Frank took us there!" Tank explained. He sat on the floor while gripping one of the chair legs
"He just wanted to make sure we'd be safe for the night"
Apollo sighed. He curled his wing into a fist and looked away
"You guys are lucky. Frank hasn't said a word to me in weeks"
"Weeks? What happened?"
Kidd tilted his head.
The eagle closed his eyes and shook his head
"...I know Frank will kill me if I tell them" he muttered under his breath.
"Screw it. He's twenty one, he can deal with the consequences on his own"
"Well" Apollo cleared his throat. "You boys ever know somebody who just refuses to move on past someone's death?"
The boys nodded.
"That...that's Frank. He lost one of his Pokemon pretty recently" the eagle sighed as he crossed his arms and shook his head.
"I try to reach out to him but he cut me off like some sort of infected finger. I know I should give him time, but it's been weeks for Arceus' sake"
The younger boys stayed silent, not sure what else to say without taking over the conversation for themselves.
Peeko-chan took to the skies and flew besides the speeding boat.
The group relaxed together on the boat as it dashed through the seas of Routes 108 and 109. Kidd had a newfound sense of confidence rush over him as he saw a city appear on the skyline. The skies slowly faded from vivid blue to soft pink and orange shades. What adventures will await the boys at Slateport City?