Traveling: Undertaken by many, finished by few. Here in Kanto, most long-term travelers are Pokémon Trainers or those looking to fight Pokémon hand-to-hand, or rarely those who are neither but forced to go somewhere.

Hogoki, of course, was the first one. He also sympathized with the last group, but would have found it strange and worrying to fight a Pokémon without Pokémon.

Speaking of Pokémon... On the way to Saffron City, he found a building with a yard absolutely filled with all manner of them. Fully evolved Pokémon, new starter Pokémon, and many others that he didn't recognize at all coexisted in a single place, and the sight alone immediately filled him with energy as he ran to the yard, Foccai having to hold onto his shirt to not hit the ground.

Once he got to the fence, chaos instantly began to happen. A pair of green... bird things that looked like owls flew out to grab Foccai, pulling him into the fence, and because Hogoki was Hogoki, he immediately climbed the fence to address that, then ended up being dogpiled by about six friendly penguins at the same time.

Let's not even discuss the noise created by the Pokémon once a human climbed the fence. He was sure that both Vermilion and Saffron heard something from it.

The chaos did not stop at that. Once the penguins got off of him, a Nidoking saw him and thought the boy would make good juggling practice for some reason. Therefore, Hogoki found himself in the air yelling for the purple thing to stop as Foccai had a friendly conversation with the green birds.

Speaking of birds, Pidgeot midair catch. Now he was in the sky. Wonderful... He'd take a moment to calm down while the Pidgeot took him wherever... He could feel the bird going down and—

Why did it drop him into a tree of all places?! Now he was on a branch, his stomach having caught him... Did he just hear one of his Poké Balls open, too?

Quack. "...Why're you on my head?" Quack. "Get off before we—" . "Kwaru—"

He felt himself sliding off the branch as the duck flew off his head, and he flailed a bit midair until he landed on his back. ...Ow.

Kwaru was really laughing at that... Where could he find a replacement Ducklett from the manufacturer? This one was possibly lethal.

He sighed while getting back on his feet. He'd get this one to be at least a little reasonable someday.

Huh. He was never that far from the building and yard, it seemed. That and Foccai was getting out of the fence to check on him after that last happening.

"Kid. You mind tellin' me why you got my Pokémon all excited?" Guess someone else was checking on him. Specifically, an old man brandishing a shovel while staring at him.

He had to grab Foccai to make sure the seal didn't escalate things, then respond in as calm a tone as he could, which was very calm. "Mine jumped in, and I tried to get him..."

The old man's stare went blank before he facepalmed with the shovel. "You ever gotta do that again and you better knock for me to do it... They get real rowdy sometimes, though they don't mean no harm. You wanna come in for a drink? Somethin' refreshing in the cool weather." He waited until the boy stopped looking surprised before the nod. "Alrighty then. No need to rush, but don't you delay too much." He then walked into the building.

Hogoki let Foccai go, knowing he wouldn't go too far, and then looked at Kwaru who was still staring at them from the tree. He took the duck's ball, then got a slice of bread out of his backpack. He managed to release the recall beam in the same split-second where it would hit as Kwaru caught the bread.

There we go. Now to go in...

...

"These are all your Pokémon?"

The old man and Hogoki were sitting at a table inside the building, drinking something warm. A glass opening in the wall let the two see through it to watch the Pokémon go about their business. Foccai and Kwaru were with the humans, and thankfully Kwaru seemed calm enough to just watch through the glass.

"Nah, they ain't really mine. Trainers come an' give 'em to me so my wife and I make them stronger while they travel. Pays well, for both us and the trainer. Call it a 'Pokémon Day Care', though that ain't the best name for what happens in it..."

He considered giving the old man Kwaru to see if a few weeks with him would make the duck more agreeable, but decided against it. Sip. "How do you make them stronger?"

"Ah, fine question ya got there. We just care for 'em, give 'em plenty of room to run, fill the place with other Pokémon so they can train, maybe make friends—"

Foccai let out a low bark, causing Hogoki to redirect his attention to the seal as he was engrossed in the sight of a Nidorino and Nidorina doing... something. Kwaru was markedly staring deadpan at the bizarrely interested seal.

The boy of course wanted to know what the fuck, so he turned to the old man again and asked. "What're they doing out there? I haven't seen Pokémon do that before."

"...Kid, how old are ya?" He didn't notice the man's mortified face.

"Ten. Checked a few days ago."

The old man grumbled something before replying. "Best you wait to learn something along those lines in four, five years." Awkward silence after a confused Hogoki nodded. "Anyway! You want an egg, boy?"

"An egg? I already had lunch, but thank y—"

"No, no, not as food! I'm talkin' about a Pokémon egg! Thing baby Pokémon come from. I get loads of them things every day — I'm not telling you how, ain't my place to say — so I give anyone who stops by a free egg. Reckon it's good for business. Gimme a second." He used the back door to leave for about two minutes, and came back with a brown, striped egg and some sort of machine. "This brown thing's the egg, and this here contraption's an incubator. Put the egg in it an' take the thing out when it starts cracking. Brock's number's on the incubator, so just call him when it hatches and he'll help ya out. Give the incubator sun, else it'll take longer to hatch. Now, I'll be off — got to get my son from the milk shop over in Saffron. He's been there for a week..." The man gave Hogoki egg and machine, then walked off without waiting for the boy to respond.

...That was something. It happened. Guess this would be his third Pokémon.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Byron, a man giving the evening news felt as if some great spiritual ritual had been completed somewhere.

He was delighted.

Hogoki had been walking with the egg and Kwaru, who had decided to perch on the lid, for a few more hours. He thought Saffron would have been reached about an hour or two ago, and he didn't think forests were on the path.

Oh. He was getting a call. He laid the incubator down to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Saaaalllutations to this recipient of this directory number of cellular networking, and to the person thereby! This day, I call yourself for the completion of the objective towards survey of—"

Whoever that was, he hung up too soon to learn, and he was fine with that. While he was holding the phone, he supposed he'd call home.

One ring... two rings... three rings...

"Taki household." Seems mom answered again. He wished someone else could answer sometimes.

"It's Hogoki."

"...Ah. I suppose that your not returning home after our last call meant that you obtained Misty's gym badge, yes?"

"That's right. I also won in Vermilion."

"Oh! Three badges already? Quite impressive, with your party and sense of direction." That didn't sound impressed. "Which city is your next badge?"

"...I was going to go to Saffron, but—"

"There will be no second-guessing on the battlefield, Hogoki. I've honed your instincts to an extent such that you'll never make the wrong decision with them. Now, again, which city is your next badge...?" ...He meant to end what he said with something about being lost, but that happened.

"Saffron."

"Very good." A pause lingered until Izumi followed up on that. "By the way, the gym leaders you've fought... What sort of advice have they given you? Particularly regarding your travels."

Hogoki paused and noticeably had a less evenly-paced voice upon replying. "They... They've only said what you have, when they've said anything."

"I see." ...That did not sound satisfied. "All three gym leaders you have fought have called me afterwards. In particular, Misty and Surge have been the most... lacking in courtesy. They have demanded that I let you pursue your own path." Hogoki's face paled to an extent that Kwaru noticed, and then his eyes widened. "Have I told you to pursue your own path?"

"N-No."

"That will remain as it is. But it is... interesting that you believed I and other gym leaders might have told you to separate. Has that mistake caused you to consider it?" That cold voice that attempted to convey a twisted warmth despite itself. That was what he was hoping he would not hear.

He paused very obviously as he paled further. "...I... h-haven't considered that."

"That sounded quite unsure, dear. Could you repeat yourself with more confidence? Even if it requires honesty."

...She told him to be honest, but if he actually was... No. He couldn't be direct about it. He took a deep breath and color returned to his face somewhat. "I only know that Misty does her job well."

"Perhaps she does, but you will do it better when the time comes. I did before she unjustly won the title defense match."

"Maybe I don't need to do it so well."

"It will be natural to you. A Taki knows Cerulean better than a Waterflower by his heritage. But even so, why does that matter to you? Your task is to become strong enough to defeat her in a title defense. Nothing else should matter... unless you are considering abandoning that task. If you are, then we must talk. We must come to a consensus. Otherwise, the months that you might travel after this call may be less useful to both of us."

"Didn't Dad say he was fine with—"

"He did not. I assure you that he agreed with me, but the two people I am referring to are you and me. Now, I want you to state the matter clearly. What is your purpose for journeying, whether it is your true purpose or some other?"

More slow breaths, quiet enough to not be noticeable. "...Now? I plan to grow stronger, but I'm going to find out what else I want to do."

Izumi's voice went a bit tense. "What of the Cerulean Gym?"

"Misty's doing her job just fine."

"You knew what I was asking. Do you intend to become her successor or not? If you do, there is no time to have a playful romp across Kanto and explore anything."

"I got her badge, so I don't have to fight her again."

The ensuing pause felt like pressure building up. "...You... You must. I have sent you on this journey to become the next gym leader of Cerulean City, and that is the only reason why you are on it. You would not be traveling otherwise, so clearly you are going to challenge her."

"I'm traveling to travel—"

"You are traveling to correct the mistake I made in allowing myself to accept that title defense unprepared! The Taki lineage has been unbroken in its prestige for two hundred years, and it will not remain broken! If you do not fix it, disgrace will fall upon us and you—"

That did it. "There's been plenty of disgrace already, and we've been fine! Misty's been fine! I've been fine even after I made this decision! I'm going to explore this endless world, get to know everyone on it, and then maybe I'll decide what to do after that! It might even end in me challenging Misty, but... guess not how you want it."

He could hear her take a deep breath, then another, then another, then a chuckle. It wasn't a kind one. "Very well then. I suppose I can't stop you. Might I suggest that once you leave Saffron, you head for Celadon City? It has a lovely orphanage. You'll fit in perfectly there... I'll have our locks changed. Don't bother calling back." Beep.

...Wait. What did she...? Did she...?

He had a feeling something terrible had just happened.

He picked up the incubator with a concerned duck on it, then began walking again with a worried Foccai.

...

Celadon City. His sense of direction was off again.

...He didn't feel bad about it. Then again, he wasn't feeling much at all about anything right now.