Draco: I will freely admit to a disbalance between the displaced Warriors, and I have no intention of doing anything about it. Some of them are just having an easier time than others.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Mauville: Of Fire and Flirtations
"So, this is Mauville City."
Shingen sighed in amazement. "My word, but Trainers do make things extravagant, don't they?"
Rhyperior gave him a light slap on the shoulder.
"Yes, yes, I know," Shingen insisted. "He said the contact would meet us in the central plaza, correct?"
Most of the city was contained within a large structure, but the plaza was not - a small field of grass around a Poké Ball-shaped array of tiles, with a miniature tower standing in the center. A glance around the plaza revealed that no one was there who seemed to be waiting, rather than being on their way; a curious Shingen glanced around before turning to Rhyperior. "We must have made better time than they expected."
The Drill Pokémon crossed his arms contemplatively.
"I don't know about you," Shingen admitted, "but I smell something delicious, so I'm going to follow my nose and hope I find somewhere that'll sell me a meal."
Rhyperior rolled his eyes.
Shingen laughed. "Suit yourself. Just don't complain when I don't have any leftovers."
The smell seemed to be coming from a restaurant that had windows but not doors facing the plaza. The reason became clear when he found the entrance; it was a food court, not a standalone diner, with at least three different brands sharing a seating area. Not that many of the seats seemed to be occupied - a large crowd of people and Pokémon was gathered around one particular table, at which an older blonde woman in an icy dress was slurping ramen with great vigor and a glare across the table. As Shingen made to approach, she lifted her bowl to her face and drained it of the broth and any remaining noodle shards; someone sitting across from her was also finishing off a bowl of ramen, and there was a pile of empty bowls next to each of them.
The bowls were lowered, and silence fell across the food court. The woman was sweating, her eyes were tearing up, her nose seemed to be running, and Shingen noticed that the stacked bowls seemed to have progressively darker stains that suggested progressively more intense meals. After a moment, the woman got to her feet - as did a woman with burnt-red hair who was more covered by the cape than her clothes, her detached sleeves swinging about as she and the blonde woman both turned to one of the counters, both yelling in sync.
"Another bowl of Lavaridge Hot! And turn up the spice!"
Cheers erupted from the gathered crowd as the chefs at the ramen counter traded uncertain glances and then turned to the pots. Darmanitan beat his chest intimidatingly, causing the Froslass across the table to roll her eyes in disdain, setting a hand on the blonde woman's shoulder.
A baffled Shingen stepped forward as the two diners traded glances. "Kaihime?"
Kai turned around and was baffled to see the Terreran there. "Lord Shingen!?" she exclaimed. "How are you-? Why are you-? How are you-? Give me that!" She grabbed the war fan out of Shingen's hands before he could stop her, beating it towards her open mouth to alleviate some of the heat; a glance across the table revealed that the blonde woman was holding a chunk of ice against her teeth for the same effort.
"I imagine that you ended up here after some strange crystalline sounds and an unfamiliar light?" Shingen supposed.
"You too, huh?" Kai muttered. "Was in Avia on business for Lord Ujiyasu. Magoichi's the only host I've got, and I'm in the middle of telling him to put his rifle where the sun don't shine when the whole castle starts quaking. Next thing I know, me and Darmanitan and him and Sceptile are on a beach near some town they call Petalburg." She tossed the war fan back to him. "They don't take gold here, by the way."
Shingen sighed. "Learned that myself on my way here," he admitted. "They've got money-changers in the blue-roofed buildings. Or near enough, at least."
Kai nodded. "Anyways, I'm trying to figure out where to even find someone who knows what the hell Ransei is, I get hungry, and I learn this place has great ramen. I grab a seat across from Glacia here, and, well..."
"Things might have gotten out of hand," Glacia admitted, "but I'm not about to back down now."
Shingen laughed. "Well, far be it from me to dissuade you!" Then, more seriously; "I'm actually waiting on an associate of the man who found me in Lilycove - someone who might be our ticket home." Kai double-took at that. "Once you two have a victor, you and Darmanitan can wait in the plaza with Rhyperior."
"Sounds good to me," Kai agreed. "You'll want to find Magoichi after you eat, then. He might be a flirt, but whatever the hell is happening in Ransei, I'd rather have him there. Last I saw him was when the local electro drove him off."
"Local electro?" Shingen echoed.
"You must mean Gym Leader Wattson," Glacia explained. "Look for the building with a Poké Ball mounted on a triangle."
"Two bowls of Lavaridge Hot!" announced the girl at the counter of the ramen place.
Kai and Glacia both stormed towards the counter; Shingen sighed in exasperation, glanced across the storefronts, and decided to approach a counter that seemed to offer sandwiches.
+x+x+x+
The spicy ramen contest was still ongoing when Shingen finished a delicious sub-sandwich combo; he made his way out and checked the plaza first, finding Rhyperior was still alone with no sign of the contact they were waiting for. Instead he searched for the building Glacia had mentioned, finding the mentioned emblem on what looked like the canopy of a bright yellow storefront.
He was about to step inside when a voice approached him from the side. "Oh? Another strange visitor." Shingen turned to find a man of similar figure to himself, albeit shorter, wearing a floral shirt over a bright ensemble. His hair was white with age, sparse atop his head but forming a prominent beard, and the wrinkles on his face indicated it spent a lot of time smiling. "Can't say I was expecting anyone quite like you."
"Hello, there," Shingen greeted. "You must be Wattson."
The man laughed. "That's my name!" he confirmed. "Glacia mentioned someone would be coming to look for me." His gaze fell on Shingen's war fan. "And here you are, dressed like the Continent, and carrying something to defend yourself with. You must be another one of those Warriors."
Shingen nodded. "That I am. If you know of such things, you must have spoken to Magoichi far more than getting him to leave Kai alone."
"Magoichi, eh?" Wattson crossed his arms. "Aye, that young man and his Sceptile have been staying in my place at Mauville Hills. For a certain value of 'staying', at least. He's often going around town, flirting with every grown lady he can get his eyes on. And you know, his luck hasn't been nothing."
"Is that so," Shingen mused. "I take it he hasn't been staying with you when he rolls high."
"No, he'll stay with his paramour on those nights." Wattson crossed his arms. "The thing is, though... there's a certain difference in demeanour between when someone wants a companion for the companionship, and when he wants it to take his mind off of things. That Magoichi started off one way, but lately he looks like he's distracted. If he doesn't get lucky, he often heads to the rooftop and grabs a seat on one of the transmission towers."
"...Is that safe for a man to do?" Shingen asked.
Wattson laughed. "Not to worry," he assured the Warrior, "there's no inherent danger. Winona goes up there for herself sometimes."
His face fell as he realized what he'd said, and Shingen closed his eyes. "Right, then," he mused. "Let's hope I find the one and not the other."
+x+x+x+
"Oof... And here I thought I was going to regret the spice later."
Kai stepped out into the central plaza with an overly full belly, Darmanitan on her heels. As she tried to steady herself, a familiar cry drew her attention to find Rhyperior sitting against a nearby wall, one hand raised; a grin rose on the Craspurist's face as she stepped towards him. "Hey there, big guy," she greeted. "Your friend's associate not show up yet?"
Rhyperior shook his head.
"Figures." With a groan, Kai took a seat next to him, prompting Darmanitan to sit on her other side. "Damn, but Trainers aren't the softies I always thought they were. That's the last time I mock any of Nobunaga's stories."
The Drill Pokémon gave a baffled cry at her remark.
"Hey, don't take that the wrong way," Kai insisted. "The Pokémon decide the battle, I know that. I'm not stupid enough to think someone who's travelling with up to six Pokémon is gonna be easy to defeat, even with the type advantage." She shook her head. "But I always figured the Trainers themselves would be a lot weaker of body than Warriors are. Right up until a lady who looks like she's as old as Lord Ujiyasu matched me bowl-for-bowl on the spiciest ramen I've ever eaten."
Darmanitan crossed his arms contemplatively.
"You know, you kind of got a point," Kai admitted. "Ransei's got a lot of variety, but there's not really obstacles to overcome when you're going from point A to point B. Not like there are here in Hoenn." She crossed her arms as well. "A kingdom-conquering ambition isn't really an exploration - there's not much to apply your body to except for a battle between Warriors." Her head fell back. "I wonder..."
SMACK!
Kai sighed as the sound of palm against cheek echoed down into the plaza, in sharp contrast to the passersby who all looked up in surprise. "Well, I'd rather he be here for Shingen to find than us have to go looking for him."
Someone descended into the plaza - a woman in a pale ensemble that sported numerous wings, her lavender hair flowing behind her as a Skarmory brought her towards the Pokémon Center. A short while later, Shingen stepped into the plaza from the north access, with Sceptile and Magoichi following behind; the Forest Pokémon looked unimpressed with her Warrior, who was sporting a hand-shaped mark on his face.
"Looks like you made it," Shingen greeted. "How did your little clash settle?"
"They ran out of ramen before either of us called it quits," Kai bemoaned. "Your contact hasn't shown up yet, either."
Shingen took a seat at Rhyperior's side; with a sigh, Magoichi and Sceptile did the same. "So," the Avian mused, "I presume Kai mentioned we woke up near Petalburg, but what about you?"
"Me?" Shingen mused. "Funny you should ask..."
+x+x+x+
Shingen opened his eyes.
He was lying on an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. As he started to stir, a sultry "Good morning" drew his attention; there was a woman at his bedside, dressed in a midriff-baring blue ensemble with a skeletal motif, her waist-length black hair bearing streaks of blue. "Looks like you didn't drown."
"H-Hello," Shingen muttered. "Where am I?"
"Lilycove City, Hoenn," the woman replied. "Archie found you and that Rhyperior floating on Route 124, so he brought you in. At first we thought you might be a Magma... but then we realized there was something else going on." She picked up something from a nearby table and flipped it up - it was Shingen's war fan. "You're not from Hoenn at all, are you?"
"Not at all," Shingen confirmed. "I am a Warrior from Ransei." He grunted. "Pardon me, you said Rhyperior was alright, as well?"
"He's right here, big guy." The voice from the room's entrance drew both parties' attention to find a man in a blue longcoat that left his chest exposed; a charm that looked like an anchor was hanging around his neck, and his hair was wrapped in a bandanna, whose surface bore a skeletal emblem that might have been an A. Rhyperior was following behind him, and quickly approached the bed to lend Shingen a hand in getting to his feet.
Shingen turned to the man. "Archie, I presume?" he mused. "Seems I owe you thanks."
Archie crossed his arms. "Don't thank me yet, boyo," he insisted. "You're in deep sea right now. You said 'Ransei', right?"
"Yes," Shingen confirmed. "How in the world am I meant to find my way back from another region?" His gaze fell to the red-and-white orbs around both his hosts's waists. "And a region of Trainers, at that."
"Y'know, most folk think of Warriors as a story more than a piece of the world," Archie pointed out. "But the stories tell us enough to put two and two together when we run into the real deal. You don't catch Pokémon; you Link up with 'em and understand 'em." He started towards the table that Shelly had picked up the fan from. "And some Warriors dress like Pokémon for intimidation, but... they don't do that willy-nilly. They tend to stick with the ones they're connected to."
He grabbed something else off the table - it was Shingen's mask, with a bladed ridge atop and white spikes on either side.
"If that's true... I reckon this tells me somethin' about ya."
Shingen nodded. "You may have a point."
Archie tossed the mask to Shingen, who put it on as the man drew something out of his pocket. It was a small device that flipped open, and after he tapped at the buttons on the lower portion, a tune began to play. It only took a moment before the tune ended, and a voice spoke from the other end. "Magma."
"Maxie!" Archie called. "You're not busy, are you?"
The man on the other end groaned. "Why do you insist on using Match Call for such trivial conversations?"
"You haven't given me your phone number yet, Magma," Archie argued. "But this is about somethin' else." He glanced at Shingen. "I got someone who's washed up here from another region. A Warrior."
"A what?!"
Archie was about to say something when another voice emerged from the line - a girl's voice. "A Warrior?"
"Heya, scamp," Archie mused, "what're you doin' with the Magma? And how do you know about Warriors?"
"Both of those are long stories," the girl's voice insisted. "Look, if you've run into a Warrior, what the hell do you expect anyone to do about that?"
"Trust me," Archie insisted, "you'll understand when you see him."
+x+x+x+
"So some emblematic organization fished you out of the water," Magoichi observed, "and sent you here to meet with a representative of some other emblematic organization... because of a past Link?"
"Hey, now," Shingen argued. "Just because legendary Pokémon are fickle partners doesn't mean the Link is broken."
Kai crossed her arms. "What do they expect this associate of theirs to do to help you?"
"How about you let me answer that."
Shingen raised his gaze at the familiar girl's voice. Approaching them from the center of the plaza was a Trainer he hadn't seen before - dressed for warm weather in a tank top and short shorts, with a red bow on a headband nestled in her brown hair. "You must be that 'scamp' that Archie was talking to."
"And you're the Warrior," the girl mused. Her gaze focused on Shingen's mask as he got to his feet. "Yeah, I think I see what Team Aqua was getting at."
"You think you can help us?" Kai asked.
The girl hummed. "Maybe," she admitted, "but it's really more Team Magma's business. I can at least show you the way, though." She offered her hand. "I'm May."
Draco: At the Mauville Food Court, if someone wants the seat you're sitting in, and you don't want to give up your seat, you can battle them for it. The obvious corollary to that is that if you are willing to give up your seat, or nobody happens to want it, then you don't have to battle. Obviously, that never comes up in gameplay because the entire gameplay purpose of the Mauville Food Court is as a consecutive battle challenge, but it did get me thinking about "what sort of situation might nobody be wanting to take a prime seat from the person sitting in it?"
Well, one, if the person sitting it is an Elite Four member, it might just be that nobody's cocky enough to think they can win that fight. And two, if there's an eating contest going on, are you gonna be the jackass who interrupts it just so you can sit in a specific seat?