After only four hours of sleep, Cory was awoken when something hit him in the head. He was jolted awake to see Sandile in front of him. "What is your problem?" Cory asked angrily. He then rubbed his head, and rolled over to the other side to see Alexa crouching next to him.
"Morning sleepy head!" she beamed. Cory then rolled onto his back, and rubbed his waking eyes. "Sorry, I asked Sandile to wake you up. I didn't think he would headbutt you to do so."
"It's fine." Cory replied while getting out of his sleeping bag. "What time is it?" he then asked. "It's a bit past ten." she replies. Alexa then tosses Cory a bit of bread. "I figured it was about time to start moving." Cory takes a bite from the piece of bread.
"Yeah, if we start now we should be there at about one thirty." Cory explains. "Gives me plenty of time before my ship comes in." Cory rolls up his sleeping bag, and puts it in his duffle bag. He then turns to Sandile. "Alright Sandile, it's time for you to go back to your ball." Sandile nods, and Cory returns Sandile to his pokeball. "Alright, let's get going." he then says to Alexa. Alexa nods to him, and signals him to lead the way. They then both set off on their way to Bocaroot City.
The time was now 12:34pm. Only about a half an hour until they reach the city. "Hey Cody, what do you plan on doing once you get to Hoenn?" Alexa asks. Cory thinks for a moment, but he couldn't think of anything. He hadn't actually thought about what he was gonna do when he got to Hoenn.
"I don't know" he then responds. "I'll most likely settle down somewhere quiet, and stay there."
"You're telling me that you're going to a whole new region, and you just want to stay in one place?" Alexa asks. "I mean have you ever gone on a regional journey before?"
"N-no." Cory responds, lying through his teeth. "I've never really been one for journeying."
"You should try it one day." Alexa replies. "I bet you wouldn't regret it."
"Maybe one day." he says quietly. "What are you gonna do in Bocaroot?" he then asks Alexa.
"I'm gonna spend the day seeing what the city has to offer." she replies enthusiastically. "I read that Bocaroot has some of the best food in the entire region, so getting something to eat is the first thing I'm gonna do. I'm probably gonna spend the night, and then head to Bonita Town." Cory 's eyes widened as he heard that. The routes between Bocaroot City and Bonita Town were dangerous for someone without a pokemon.
"Hey Alexa," Cory asks. "Do you by chance have any more pokeballs?"
"Yeah why?" she responds.
"Come with me." Cory then walks away from the road, and into the forest. Alexa nervously follows him. "If you want to continue your journey then you gotta learn how to catch a pokemon." They continue through the forest until they find a lone Oddish hoping about. "Alright since you don't have a pokemon, it's best to catch one that's unevolved." Cory whispered. "You gotta hit it directly otherwise it won't work. Try and catch that Oddish. Alexa pulls out an empty pokeball. She throws it at the Oddish, but it misses. The Oddish gets scared, and runs off.
"Aw, dang it." Alexa mumbles.
"It's ok, we can look for another." Cory reassures her. Alexa goes to pick up her pokeball when suddenly a Venonat pops out from a bush. Alexa stares at it for a moment, but the Venonat jumps at Alexa which causes her to fall over. The Venonat then quickly jumps off, and snatches her bag before running off.
"My bag!" Alexa yells before running after the Venonat. Cory quickly follows suit. Alexa runs through the forest looking for the Venonat, but she quickly runs out of stamina. She stops running, and collapses to her knees. She is absolutely flabbergasted. "This journey was a mistake." She whimpered. It felt as if her dreams were over before they started. Suddenly, the Venonat pops up behind her holding her now open bag in its mouth, and places it in front of her. Alexa looks through her bag to find that the Venonat only took a small chunk of bread. The Venonat is about to scuttle away, but Alexa calls out to it. "Wait." she says to Venonat, holding out the last of the bread. "You can have the rest if you want." She then tosses it to Venonat. Venonat takes the bread, but does not run away, but instead goes up to Alexa and starts to nuzzle her leg.
Cory then catches up to them. "Man, you are fast." Cory says, out of breath. He then sees the Venonat. "Hey, you stupid bug! What do you think—"
"Wait Cody!" she interrupts him. "Venonat is not a threat. It was just hungry." she tells Cory. She then turns to Venonat. "Hey little one, do you wanna come with me? If you do, you will never have to steal food again." Venonat hops happily. Alexa then takes out a pokeball, and Venonat excitedly jumps headfirst into it. The ball shakes a couple times, and Venonat is caught.
Cory is standing beside her absolutely dumbfounded. He has never seen a pokemon caught in such a friendly manner. "I guess that's one way to catch a pokemon." he says shocked. Alexa has a huge smile on her face after catching her first pokemon. She then stands up, and turns to Cory.
"We should probably head back to the road." she tells Cory. Cory nods, and Alexa gestures to him to lead the way. They then walk back to the road together. As they walk back Cory is still shocked that she was able to catch a pokemon so easily without having to battle it. Surely it was just a one in a million encounter, he thought. She just got lucky. They then make it back to the road.
"Alright final stretch." Cory comments. "Just a bit longer, and we will finally reach Bocaroot City."
"I can't wait." Alexa responds enthusiastically. They continue forward for twenty minutes before finally reaching their destination. After almost a whole day spent in Ocala Forest. Cory and Alexa finally make it to Bocaroot City. Cory looks at his watch. The time is 2:11pm. He turns to Alexa who is excited to explore the city.
"Well Alexa, my ship comes in at six thirty, so I guess this is goodbye." Cory goes to walk away, but Alexa suddenly grabs him by the shoulder.
"Wait a minute!" she yells at him. "You still got about four hours. How about I treat you to lunch before you leave."
"Nah, you don't have to." Cory says. He knows that almost everyone in Bocaroot knows who he is, so it would be better if he left Alexa before she finds out who he actually is.
"Come on." Alexa continues. "It's the least I can do after everything you've done to help me." Cory can clearly see that she is not gonna take no for an answer, so reluctantly, Cory agrees to Alexa's offer. Might as well take the offer, Cory thought. If this all blows up in my face then at least I won't have to deal with it after I leave for Hoenn. "I read about this great place called Spruzzo, so I thought we could go there." Alexa tells Cory as they begin to walk through the city. "They even serve pokemon, so Venonat, and Sandile can get something to eat as well."
They continue to walk through the streets of the city. The city is as busy as Cory remembers. People are up and about. Some with pokemon, some without. Cory keeps his head down to try and avoid people getting a good look at him. Suddenly the voice of a man rings out behind them. "IS THAT CORY BANKS!" Cory doesn't look back to see who yelled at him, but he instead looks at Alexa who is completely oblivious since she believe's Cory's real name is Cody. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU DISGRACEFUL PIECE OF CRAP!" the voice yells out again.
"That guy sounds pretty angry." Alexa tells Cory. "I wonder what he's yelling at Cory for?"
"M-must be something pretty bad to get him that worked up." Cory says nervously. They then round a corner away from the guy yelling at Cory. Cory takes a deep breath. Bullet dodged, he thought. Alexa then points out Spruzzo which is just down the street. She then begins to walk faster clearly out of excitement. Cory is glad to move a bit faster. Less of a chance for someone to notice him. They quickly walk down the street, and reach the entrance of Spruzzo. They both enter.
The place is busy, but not overly busy. Cory and Alexa walk over to the greeter. "Hello there." Alexa greets. "A table for two with pokemon please." Cory is standing directly behind Alexa with his head down hoping the greeter does not notice him.
"How many pokemon are we serving today?" the greeter then asks. Alexa holds up two fingers. "Alright, right this way." the greeter says. He then walks them through the restaurant, and leads them to a table. Thankfully, everyone is busy eating or talking with others to notice the disgraced trainer walking among them. They then reach their table next to a window. They both sit down. Cory is looking out the window to avoid facing the greeter. "A waiter will be with you shortly." says the greeter before they head back to the front.
Alexa brings out Venonat who sits next to her. Cory follows suit, and brings out Sandile. Sandile and Venonat drop down to the floor, and greet each other. They prance around the table playfully. "Looks like they get along well." Alexa tells Cory. She then speaks to the pokemon. "I want you two back in your seats once we get food." They both nod to Alexa, and continue playing. Cory has been looking out the window since they sat down. Thinking about how he would change the past if he could.
"Something on your mind?" Alexa asks Cory. Cory quickly turns to Alexa, caught a bit off guard.
"N-no, I was just watching the people go by." Cory replied. Alexa then also looks out the window.
"I can't wait to meet more people on my journey." says Alexa. "I can only hope that they will be as helpful and nice as you." A wave of guilt washes over Cory. If only she knew who I actually am, he thought.
"I'm sure you'll meet nicer people than me." Cory replies. "This region is full of friendly folk."
"Maybe." she says. "But I will never forget the person who helped me survive Ocala Forest. I would have been a goner without you." "Don't mention it." Cory responded.
"You know, I think you should take on the Hoenn Pokemon League when you get there." Alexa tells Cory. Cory looks at her confused.
"Why should I?" Cory responded.
"You and Sandile took down three angry Beedrill all on your own, and you ran the other one off. Alexa explains. "You seem to be such a natural when it comes to battling, and you know quite a bit on how to catch pokemon. You have almost everything you need to be an amazing trainer."
"Almost?" Cory asks.
"Yeah, almost." she responds. "Being a good trainer requires you to love pokemon, but I don't see the same love for pokemon in you compared to pokemon trainers from my town. You seem more distant and cold."
"Oh, sorry I never really thought about that." Cory replies
"Don't worry, I can tell you're not much of a pokemon trainer, and I do think you will grow to love your pokemon. Alexa explains. "You know what they say, Love is a long journey in itself." Cory sits in silence thinking about what Alexa just said. Can I really love pokemon after what I did, he thought.
"I guess you're right." Cory then responds quietly. Suddenly, the waiter finally shows up at their table.
"Hello, sorry for taking so long." the waiter says. "Can I start you off with some drinks?"
"Yeah, can I have a lemonade?" Alexa asks. The waiter nods, and turns to Cory.
"And for you sir?" the waiter asks Cory.
"Just water please." says Cory.
"Alright, I'll be right—" The waiter stops for a second looking at Cory. "back with your drinks." The waiter says before quickly walking away. Cory can tell that the gig is up. Things are probably gonna get ugly when the waiter comes back, and most likely kicks him out. Suddenly, a man comes running into the restaurant.
"EVERYONE COME OUTSIDE!" the man yells. "THE CHAMPION MALOSI IS IN TOWN, AND HE'S GONNA MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT." Suddenly, everyone in the restaurant pours out to see what the champion has to say. Alexa turns to Cory.
"Hey, you wanna check that out?" Alexa asks excitedly.
"No, I'm not interested, but you can go if you want." Cory tells her. "I'll still be here when you come back."
"Alright, I'll be back soon." she says. She then gets up. "Come on Venonat, let's go outside." Both Alexa and Venonat go outside leaving Cory and Sandile in the restaurant. It's quiet now that the restaurant is empty. The waiter then comes up to the table.
"Hello Cory Banks." says the waiter. "I am here to inform you that you are not allowed in our restaurant, so I will ask you kindly that you leave the premises immediately." Cory slowly nods.
"I understand, just give me a minute." Cory replies.
"If you are not out of here in five minutes, I will be contacting the police." the waiter explains.
"No problem." Cory responds. The waiter then walks away. Cory gets up and crouches down to Sandile who is laying on the floor. "Hey Sandile, I need to talk to you quickly." Sandile stands up to listen. Cory brings out Sandile's pokeball, and places it in front of Sandile. "I'm gonna have to leave, and I want you to stay with Alexa." Cory explains. Sandile frowns. "She will treat you much better than I ever could, so please stay here." Cory then begins to walk away. Sandile tries to follow, but Cory turns to Sandile. "Don't follow me." He then walks out of the restaurant leaving Sandile behind.
Cory makes his way to the dock. He doesn't bother with trying to hide himself anymore. It didn't matter anymore. As he walked to the dock, many of the people noticed who he was. Most gave him dirty looks, but some decided to hurl insults his way. Cory didn't care. His time in the region was almost up. Soon the people of the region will never have to see him again.
Cory finally makes it to the dock. He looks at his watch. It's 5:35pm. Only one hour until his ship comes in. Cory rests on a bench next to the dock. Watching the waves of the ocean go up and down. Feeling the cool breeze in the air. If only I could change the past, he thought. Cory closed his eyes imagining how his life could be if he didn't mess up. Suddenly, a voice is heard right behind him. "Hey prodigy."
Cory opens his eyes, and looks behind. A young samoan man around the same age as Cory is standing there. "Hey champ." Cory says to him. Cory then sees the red beaded necklace around the neck of the man. "Or should I say chief?" Cory stands up to face the young man. "What do you want, Malosi?" Cory asks.
"Well, I heard from some very angry residents that the disgraced Cory Banks was back in town." Malosi replied. I didn't believe them at first, but here you are in living color right in front of my eyes." He then gets more serious. "So I wanna ask. Who do you think you are showing your disgraceful face around here again?"
"I'm just about to leave." Cory replies. "I'll be on my way to Hoenn in about forty five minutes."
"So you're just gonna run away after all these years?" Malosi asks him. "I figured you would have done that a lot sooner."
"It's not like I have a choice." Cory responded. "The people of Lenova are never gonna forgive me for what I did."
"You're right, you don't have a choice, not anymore." Malosi explained. "You made your choice six years ago when you decided to disappoint everyone, but you wanna know something?" Malosi asks angrily.
"What?" Cory replies.
"Out of everyone you disappointed, you didn't disappoint anyone more than me." Malosi explains. "I looked up to you. You made me strive to be better each and every time you beat me down. You were everything I thought a good pokemon trainer was, but then it turns out everything I thought about you was completely wrong. You were not a good trainer. In fact, you were the worst kind of pokemon trainer. So please, by all means, run away. Run away and never come back, but just so you know. You may forget about Lenova, but Lenova will never forget about you. They will always remember you for what you are." Malosi gets right in Cory's face. "A disgraceful, disgusting, bottom of the barrel, pokemon abuser."
Malosi then turns to the ocean, and sees a boat in the distance. He then turns back to Cory. "Enjoy the rest of your pathetic life." Malosi then walks back toward the city leaving Cory alone. Cory collapses into the bench with tears running down his face. It pained him because everything that Malosi said was true. He was the worst kind of trainer, he did hurt pokemon, and he was pathetic. As Cory stares up at the sky all he can feel is the overwhelming regret of his past. Cory closes his eyes, but then something hits his leg.
Cory slowly looks down to see Sandile by his leg. Sandile looks up, and drops his pokeball next to Cory. "SANDILE!" Cory yelled. "I TOLD YOU TO STAY WITH ALEXA!" Sandile headbutts Cory's leg again. Cory has tears in his face. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT ALEXA SAID ABOUT ME? Cory yells. "SHE SAID I DON'T LOVE POKEMON! DID YOU BY CHANCE OVERHEAR WHAT MALOSI SAID? I'M A POKEMON ABUSER, SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU STILL WANT TO STAY WITH ME! WHAT DO YOU SEE IN ME?" Sandile nuzzles Cory's leg. Then runs to a nearby trash can, and grabs a piece of paper from behind it. He brings it back to Cory, and gives it to him.
It's a flyer, and it reads. "All Lenova trainers! The Lenova Gym Challenge is under way. If you want a shot at the Pokemon League Championship then you must collect all eight badges, and battle your way through the Lenova Championship Tournament. The winner of the tournament will get a chance to face Malosi Helarii in the main event of our biggest show of the year. Sign up now in any of our eight gym arenas."
Cory looks at it for a bit. He then looks out to the ocean to see the boat to Hoenn almost at the dock. Can I really love pokemon after what I did? he thinks to himself. Cory then crouches down to Sandile. "Do you wanna take on the Pokemon League?" He asks Sandile. Sandile nods happily, and headbutts his leg. "Alright, we're gonna prove to everyone that I have changed, and I'm gonna prove to myself that I can love pokemon." Cory then grabs Sandile's pokeball. "Together, we're gonna be unstoppable." Sandile smiles and nods. Cory then returns Sandile back to his pokeball.
As the ship for Hoenn arrives at the dock. Cory crumples up his ticket, and throws it in the trash. He then leaves the dock, and begins his trip to the city of the nearest gym. Bonita Town. Home of the flying type gym.