Yoni stood on one knee the backpack that had been provided to him, alongside pretty much everything else open. He knew many other kids would be complaining, that they would be just shoving all the stuff they had inside the backpack and forcing it to close, struggling with the zipper despite the uneven pointy mess inside but Yoni didn't particularly mind. On the one hand he had never had much, not really. On the other…it might have not made any sense but just holding the things, folding the clothes and making sure the food he had gotten at some point didn't get squished and mushed…it relaxed him.

It had been time, rather than monetary issues that had made it so he had barely ate while on the boat that had transported him to where he currently stood. The stipend given to him by Steven Stone, or perhaps Devon was fairly generous and even the money he had gotten from beating Brawly had been more than he had ever seen. Sure it hadn't been enough to dine comfortably on the ship, and Yoni figured that they could probably afford to hike up the prices because it wasn't as if the people who had forgotten to bring food could go anywhere but it was enough to eat comfortably. Though Yoni had headed towards the Pokémon center and not the markets he had become familiar with another one of Hoenn's conveniences that just didn't exist in the middle of nowhere Johto. Convenience Stores!

It was overwhelming in a way. All bright lights overhead, huge lines towards the register and anything he could have ever wanted at just a hand's reach. Sure Yoni knew about Pokemarts but they mostly focused on…well essentials, for trainers. They didn't tend to sell much in the way of food.

Not so with convenience stores, just a couple aisles from Pokéballs he could see puffins, and close to that there was food prone to human consumption and even dry berries, already seasoned. Yoni thought it good that he hadn't released Ventisca though, now that he thought about it it made sense that they had a "No pokémon outside the Pokéball" sign at the entrance. With how berry obsessed Ventisca could be he could see it going poorly.

It was all a bit overwhelming, and it had left him with a bit of a headache but Yoni had known to, even when faced with the possibility to buy pretty much anything to save up his money. Sure the booster pack of Pokémon Cards he had seen near the checkout had been tempting but…Maybe it had to do with his upbringing, or maybe it had to do with always growing up without much in the way of money. Sure he had the money but it was better to save it up for an emergency, just get things he needed, not things he wanted.

Though he had earned some of the money himself, with a victory over Brawly he still thought that splurging it was the wrong move. It was one thing to do it to help others, or pokémon, but himself? Well he'd maybe consider it if he beat the next Gym leader. Wattson he had thought him to be called? Yoni thanked Hoenn's level of technology because with a simple look at his Pokénav and a couple taps he had the man's page on the Hoenn Pokémon League website opened.

Still if he wanted to reach Wattson he had to first get past the trainer with the Grovyle. Yoni felt a mix of excitement and unease when it came to her. Sure the way she had been described she was an enormous obstacle in the way, but at the same time…that was kind of exciting, wasn't it? Yoni thought that thought he would never have thought it now that he had been given a chance to become a trainer he had fallen in love with training and battling Pokémon. He could see how most trainers took being looked at as a challenge. They were just looking for excuses.

And sure he DIDN'T have to fight that female trainer, but the truth was, he kinda wanted to. It was something that lit a fire inside him, and that made him giddy even as he finally managed to close down the zipper. Having everything ready for tomorrow, including some new clothes for after he showered in the morning he turned into bed. He had time to think about it tomorrow.

The sight of the cycling road brought to Yoni's mind some words that he had very rarely uttered. "Awesome". It was, he thought, perhaps the best descriptor that he could ever apply to the sight. Rising slightly in a slope, only to then completely engulf in shadow the grassy path underneath it was, at least to him, just as grandiose and big as the one in Castelia. It was probably an exaggeration, of course but Yoni still thought it was an apt descriptor. Big, tall, he'd go so far as to say that it towered over him.

It made the trainer with the Grovyle, the girl that had been ambushing trainers (if it could be called that, he was still unsure on why a look meant a battle in Hoenn) reveal itself in a completely different light. No longer an act of an overly enthusiastic girl, because that seemed to be the Hoenn default and more something straight out of a slasher flick. The kind he had never been allowed to watch - not that there had been cinemas nearby.

It would all look all sorts of shady and creepy were it not for the fact that it was still Hoenn. Even in a city so close to the sea as Slateport the early fog from when he had risen (and he had risen early - old habits died hard after all) had given way to a bright sun that he could feel in his back and shoulders. Yoni had had enough and had finally had the strength of mind to decide not to just wear his jacket and place his pokeballs in the pockets. It was an act of comfort for him, something that had been his default for so long but the sweaty face and threat of heat exhaustion told him something he had realised pretty early, early enough that he still hadn't reached Rustboro in fact. Hoenn was hot. And how could it not be with how South relative to Johto it sat? It was one of the great big trues alongside the fact Hoenn was mostly water.

While his empty balls were in his bag, a detail more liable to make him miss a catch than most his filled Pokeballs sat at his belt. Yoni was quickly realising why most trainers wore them. It was very useful to have them available at a moment's notice- at least if he were to quick to drop his arm. It felt weird to not have any of his Pokémon at his side, his shoulders already missed the fluff of the Swablu but Ventisca had been sniffing in the direction of the market and the Munna still didn't want to leave the pokeball. Yoni hadn't really worried too much about it. They certainly deserved a rest as they had trained hard even as the events with the crew that had taken him and let him sail with them had kinda distracted him from the fact.

A path clear from tall grass had been kept, walked by thousands of feet before him and Yoni had been thankful for it. Never step into tall grass without a Pokémon had been something he had been warned about over a thousand times - and though Yoni now had Pokémon, something he could hardly get to grips with the familiar urge to avoid stepping on tall grass had followed him even as he considered Ventisca his loyal friend and companion.

Avoiding grass however would be impossible in the snaking path that the cycling road stood over. Without a bike of his own Yoni was forced into the path where the grass was allowed to grow free and where, he was sure there would be Pokémon. The shade wasn't thick to the point of being oppressive- he could still make out most things. It wasn't even really dark but Yoni's mind still thought that some bug Pokémon probably lurked there.

Without thinking too hard about it Yoni stepped forward. Though the grass covered most of the pathway he now walked there were several "bald spots" where people had walked the path behind him. It reminded him of the same thing that had happened back in Route 116. It seemed people really were willing to brave tall grass to get where they needed - or wanted to go. Somehow, knowing that he wasn't the first to do the path made him feel better.

Not that there was a lot to it. He could feel the sea breeze on his face and arms, now that he didn't wear a jacket and he could even see the water reflecting the sun, as the Cycling Road did not entirely cover it. It was nice and Yoni had always found walking therapeutic in a way. He could feel the balls on his belt pressing against his hips everytime he took a step and, knowing that they were just a quick movement of his arms away Yoni walked.

(Plateau)

Yoni walked at a slow, but steady pace. There was no reason for him to run through the grass, grass that he was mostly avoiding either way and tire himself out. Really though his pokeballs were a gesture away Yoni still thought it best to be cautious with the way he moved. Though he hadn't been someone who got to watch much television growing up, and though he had rarely read newspapers even in his very limited experience he had heard the tale of "pokemon that appeared out of nowhere" more than once. It was something parents dutifully told their children but, Yoni could already tell it was more than just myths and legends. Even if some of the pokemon were more scared of him than he was of them it'd still do to be cautious. Some of them shot lightning after all!

Yoni was reminded of the books that Roxanne had let him borrow and which told him exactly which pokemon could be found in which regions of Hoenn. Subdivided by East and Western Hoenn, with a whole lot of information on water Pokémon Yoni had done his best to read and memorise the information but still, he had to admit, he found himself struggling to remember some of it. It wasn't that he hadn't studied, he had been so invested and grateful to Roxanne for providing him an education and a way to get informed about the world that he had devoured the book, even reading through the more technical and foreign sounding words. He hadn't really been able to understand all of it but he had understood a fair bit. Enough to marvel at the sheer variety of Pokemon in Hoenn in any case. Yoni's word had expanded, it had expanded a lot beyond what he could have ever have imagined and even as he thought of the books and the sheer giddiness he felt every single time he thought about the fact he had been given the chance to become a trainer he felt that it would expand that much more.

Really, though it didn't feel that way to Yoni who had walked a lot and sailed even more, the total amount of Hoenn he had explored was still relatively small. Though he had taken to consider an adventure and a journey of sorts he had spent more time out on the open sea and towns than really exploring. Partly that suited Yoni just fine, for he had had a warm bed through most of it and been comfortable but there was a part of him that felt like exploring and going off the beaten path. It was a part of him that remembered the exploration he did back in Johto when there was little else to do (though he did collect Pokémon Cards - and even now he felt tempted by them), turning over rocks and finding pokemon while giving them a wide berth. - Yoni hadn't had his own pokemon then but he didn't need to look down to see that he had some now. He could feel them, touching his legs whenever he walked.

It was something that Yoni had liked. Exploring and making sure that he knew just what, exactly surrounded him. It was something that had gotten him into some trouble in the past - it turns out Pokemon didn't always appreciate getting bothered as they slept. - But Yoni always ended up feeling satisfied at night even as he was so tired that sleep came easy to him. He hadn't had his own pokemon then, Ventisca still hadn't joined him but even then he had been careful to not put himself in danger or do anything (too) dumb.

The trainer with the Grovyle had been described as ambushing others but Yoni saw her before she saw him. That was, at least what it appeared like to Yoni.

Perhaps it was that he was so observant and aware of his surroundings, that, through a shin of sweat he kept an eye on everything ready to throw his pokeballs at the first sign of trouble. He had been given a wide berth by wild Pokemon so far, something he was grateful for but he knew exactly how fast that could change. No, it was better to be prepared.

There were trainers that, perhaps confident in the strength of their pokemon walked through the routes with earbuds or headphones. Unwilling to pay attention, unable to prepare for what was coming. Yoni wasn't like that. His mother's warnings still played in his mind, and even as he knew safety to be relatively close, after all he had the pokeballs at the tip of his fingers should need arise he still thought it best to not tempt fate. No, Yoni kept a perked ear and a careful look on what lay ahead. Even through the fog, trying its best to make things creepy despite the Hoenn heat things weren't really draped in it to the point they were hidden from view. Yoni wondered whether or not he was lucky to catch her resting or whether she was perhaps not as scary as she had been made to be. He could believe she could be intense. Wasn't that the main characteristic of every girl he had met in Hoenn so far?

He was prepared to hear the excited blabbering of someone with too much to say and all the energy to say it. It had been what his journey (if he could call what he had gone through so far a journey) had prepared him too. So aware that by calling out to her he was dooming himself to a pokemon battle, that familiar fire in his belly ready to rise in heat like a furnace he made himself known.

"Hello" He said, only to do a kind of double take. The girl was wearing some sort of antenna, a vision so odd as to give Yoni pause. What was that about? "My name is Yoni. I'm a trainer."

It still felt weird to introduce himself as a trainer even as he technically fit the description. He had pokemon, he trained them. He went on journeys for badges, and whatever knowledge he could find. Sure, part of him was to be seen wearing Devon logos but even so…he was grateful to Steven for the chance.

She turned towards him and for a second Yoni had the ridiculous vision of a bug looking at him with thousands of little mirrors, instead of a pair of eyeballs. Refocusing he could see that she was wearing some kind of weird glasses, attached to the antenna he had seen earlier.

Yoni did not know what that was about. He did not understand what exactly was happening or why she chose to wear that. Other trainers had been so awed by her Grovyle that they hadn't mentioned any of this to him. However Yoni figured that it didn't really matter. As odd as it was to him, it wasn't his place to judge or make comments about it. Perhaps she would explain it, perhaps not, but that really wasn't up to him. Other feelings made themselves familiar to him, his desire to fight being prime amidst them.

"Oh hello!" She said. She got close, offering a hand. "I'm May!"

Yoni took it automatically, shaking it. That was just manners wasn't it? If someone offered their hand to him of course he would take it. Perhaps he was as polite as a well trained growlithe, offering his paw but he did not see it that way.

The whole situation was bizarre. He had no idea what exactly was happening. They had locked eyes hadn't they? Perhaps it was Hoenn influencing him, or perhaps his own expectations but he was surprised them not to be having a fight yet. What was happening?

"Oh!" May said, pushing the glasses askew, revealing a bright set of eyes that complimented the smile she then threw at item. "Sorry, you're probably wondering what I'm doing with this." She pointed to the strange device. So strange was the apparel that the need to point had been null but Yoni did his best to appear not to intrude or wonder. After all, whatever the reason, she must have one, no? "It's a dowsing machine. It finds lost and forgotten items, just left in the path."

Yoni couldn't believe what he was hearing. Perhaps it was because he had grown poor, working class in a way. He hadn't starved but he had never had much but the thought that trainers just lost their items and didn't come back to look for them was a bit foreign to him. How did that even happen? Did they have a hole in their bags? Things slowly trickling out?

"That happens a lot?" Yoni wondered. Not trying to make conversation but legit wondering. It was such a foreign idea to him that he just had to double check.

"Oh all the time! Bags get full and well…things slip." May looked a bit upset at the thought. "I always thought it was a bit sad myself, and this…hey a freebie is a freebie right?" she suddenly looked self-conscious. "You don't think it's weird, do you?"

"Not at all" He was quick to reassure her. Not that he knew what else to say after that. They stared at each other for a bit, both waiting for the other to talk. "Hmmm…I see your bags are pretty full as well." May mentioned. "Are you carrying a whole tent in there or something? Survival gear? Or just so many pokeballs you'll want to catch them all?" She joked. It was clearly meant to lighten the mood. Make both of them more comfortable.

"Mostly it's books." He confided in her. Opening up his backpack he showed some of them to her. "It's a long story. But this journey of mine? Kinda of a field trip sort of thing." There was no bitterness in his life. He was enjoying what he had explored of Hoenn so far. "There's some by Doctor Oak and some by Elm…and I think some by Birch?" He tried showing them to her, placing the bag on the floor. How he had closed it with how full it was before he didn't know, but he would have to do it again.

"Wait Birch?" She squeaked. "That's my dad!" She paused, a bit embarrassed. It seemed as if she, much like Yoni wasn't really used to talking a lot and she regretted the squeaky, shrill way her voice had come out. Yoni staring at her waiting for new words from her probably did not help. "Sorry I-"

"It's alright" Yoni said only for him to immediately shut up afterwards. "So your dad's a professor? That's…pretty cool. My dad always had an eye for science but no studies or anything. He was a farmer."

Yoni felt, not for the first time since arriving in Hoenn that he was a bit of a country bumpkin. He was suddenly supremely aware of his accent and how he just didn't quite fit in. May did not seem to care too much though.

"Hey. Farming is pretty essential to the sustenance of all life." She assured him. "It's a noble job and the effects that it has on the local environment…if done sustainably they are positive, no doubt about it."

Yoni snorted. He didn't mean to be mean. He really didn't but something about the way was talking reminded him of Roxanne. It was weird, seeing someone as young as him talking in such a formal and distinctive tone.

But May didn't seem to take it the right way. She seemed to withdraw into herself.

"What?" She demanded. She sounded self-conscious. Hesitant. Almost ready to be made fun of.

"Nothing. You just reminded me of someone I know." He paused, noticing immediately how she felt. "It's not a bad thing. Roxanne is probably one of the smartest people I know."

A childish grin showed up in May's face. "But she's got nothing on my dad! Sure she's smart…but my dad is brilliant."

Yoni nodded.

"I don't doubt it. I can hardly count him amongst the smartest I've met if I haven't met him though right?"

May shook her head. "Guess I'll have to introduce you to him. But first…I noticed your pokeballs. And you are on tall grass…" Yoni hadn't even realised he had walked into the grass until it was pointed out to him. "What do you say? Want a battle?"

Oh. So this was it. Yoni had to admit it was hardly the "stop you mid step and absolutely destroy your team" that had been described to him by other trainers. It didn't matter, not really. Not when his fighting spirits was already rising up and he wanted nothing more than to fight.

"Sure. But before we start…what do you know of a Johto boy who recently moved to Littleroot?"

The battle was on.

A/N ; This was a long time coming, I swear this "write a chapter every two years" thing (last one was on the 27th of August of 2022, we're on the 18th of April 2024) has to I've already started on the new chapter. So hopefully...?
We'll see!