Cinnabar Island: Formerly home to Cinnabar Town, this island is now but a gym and its residents after volcanic eruptions laid ruin to most of the place.
It's also home to beaches, and guess where Hogoki woke up? Not the shores he landed on... In fact, he woke up in a rather dark room, properly furnished with a bed, table and lamp.
He immediately scrambled for his Pokemon, and was to say the least relieved when the balls were still on his belt. He then proceeded to walk out... and found himself in a cave system of some kind?
Not like even Foccai would know where they were, so he just kept going... and going... and going...

And then he stumbled upon a battlefield, and an old man was sitting at the other end.

"I see you've woken up. Saw ya knocked out on the shore a few weeks ago."
"...Wait, it's been weeks?"
"Since you were last awake? Prolly."
He looked shocked for a few moments before immediately sending out his Pokemon. Foccai looked around in panic before noticing a conscious Hogoki and slapping the sense out of him and finally calming down, and Kwaru and Hanako just looked confused.
"Anyway, I'm Blaine, leader of the Cinnabar Gym. I noticed you had badges, so I reckon you're here to challenge me, right?"
He turned his attention to Blaine now. "That's right! We're gonna challenge you for this badge and then head to Viridian City."
"Well, then, I'll have to make this a tough one for ya! Let's begin..."
So, to summarize the battle, Kwaru made it easy. Too easy, in fact - each of Blaine's Pokemon got hit by water attacks once or twice, then fell.
That's how Hogoki earned his seventh badge... but then there was the matter of getting to the eighth gym, or anywhere off the island in the first place.
After leaving the Cinnabar Gym, he started wandering the island because of that. In terms of what was going on at Cinnabar... not a whole lot. There were a few people for the gym, and not much else, save for the Rocket hat on the ground.

So Hogoki found the hat, and he and Foccai proceeded to look at each other in concern. So he sent out Kwaru just in case of course, and then went on his way again, looking for a boat or a plane or whatever possibly existed that was getting people to and fro.

Over where some boats were, there happened to be more people wearing Rocket hats. There was also booming in the background... When Hogoki saw the boats and then noticed the Rockets, he immediately just... uh, tried to hide behind the volcano or something, then started going the other way after restraining Kwaru.

And then a submarine car crashed into the volcano while a speedboat arrived on the shores. Hogoki of course ran towards the car while Kwaru flew that way, and then the duck immediately changed his mind when the Rock's self-insert threw Hogoki to the other side of the island with a perfectly cut scream after getting out of the vehicle.

After Hogoki got his head out of the sand, he just started looking around with a bewildered face as Foccai flopped over to him too.

Then some guy staring at him proceeded to open his mouth and speak in Galarian while a younger guy ran off to where the Rockets were at. "Dafuckyadoin'ere, how'dyaevengetover'ere?"

Hogoki just kinda looked up at the guy and proceeded to reply in Galarian. "I got launched here by a cannon, and then some guy threw me this way–" Eyebrow boom. "...What was that?"

"A sign to run the other way... Wait who the fuck are you?" Gary proceeded to look around himself. "...And where's the other one?"

"...Other one? Anyway, I'm Hogoki Taki, just a traveling trainer from Cerulean..."

"...Ah yes, I think I might have worked with your mother. I also remember there were some... issues related to her as well."

Hogoki momentarily had a startled face before nodding overly calmly. "There were some... problems, yeah."

"There still are."

"...Anyway, do you know where to find a boat around here?"

"Your best bet is the other side of the island. We're kind of busy, and this definitely isn't the place for a child."

"I've already been on every side of the island, though... Wait, what're you talking about?" He blinked before turning around and then seeing the Rocket party again. "...Oh, those guys. I'll just have Kwaru take care of 'em, then..."

Guess which duck just readied an onslaught of Hydro Pumps, Hurricanes, and a Wing Attack slap to end it on a funny note...

"...This was Cornwall's doing, wasn't it?"

The funny breadfowl casually nuking half the Rockets:

"Those corn guys? They sent me over here, yep. Why?"

Al interrupted them by running back to find Gary. "What the fuck's going on with this island?!" He then turned to Hogoki. "...Is that duck thing yours?"

"Kwaru?" he asked casually. "Yep, he's mine! ...Also, don't worry about those guys anymore."

There went the other half of the Rockets after that Hurricane.

Al sighed. "...We had Hashira for that..."
The guy who was currently failing to reverse the submarine car out of the newly-formed cave?

"...Hashira? Guess they don't need to do it, then... Anyway, do you guys have a spare boat or somethin' like that? I've probably been around the island and still haven't found any..." Kwaru returned to his trainer with a quack.

"Wait, you don't know who Hashira is?" Gary asked, before being interrupted by the man himself showing up and doing an eyebrow boom while Hogoki had a face of ohshit.

"Whose Ducklett was that?"

"Yeah, that guy..."

"...The Ducklett is mine, actually." Quack.

Cue even Hashira being concerned after realizing exactly who this person was. "Wait, you're Izumi's– You know what, never mind. I'm not sure where you're going, but we'll try and sort you out."

He and Foccai just blinked in surprise before nodding. "I'm headin' for Viridian City, so that'd be..."

Foccai had a hopeful look for once.

"...south of here!"

The seal facefaulted. South was the Orange Islands.

"...That's north, isn't it?"

"Yeah, even Izumi's kid shouldn't know where those are."

"And this is his sense of direction?"

Foccai dying inside yet again during this exchange:

"...Whatever way Viridian is, then! Even if it's west or whatever."

"Hang on, why do you need a boat, then? You'll just get more lost!"

"That won't be a problem, Foccai'll lead me the right way!"

The aforementioned seal being unsure whether to be prideful or embarrassed:

Hashira suddenly nodded then. "...Maybe ensure you've put your Pokémon somewhere safe."

"Huh?" This narrator agrees with the Galarians.

This Kanto-Alolan wasn't exactly aware either, but he recalled Foccai and Kwaru and nodded. "All done..."

And before anyone could ask him what was going on, Hashira proceeded to yeet Hogoki northwards with a perfectly cut scream to boot.

"...So we're done here?" Gary asked.

"Yes. Take the boy back to Canalave — I suspect there will be further instructions."

With that, Gary took Al back to the boat, and Hashira went to do one of the few things he was hoping to never have to do.

Meanwhile with Hogoki... he just landed in a river and held his breath for a bit before frantically walking out of the water and gasping for air.

"...Where in the world did we get to...?"

He let out Foccai, who immediately slapped him again and snatched the map before looking around and pointing to...

"Route 1? So we're pretty close to Viridian... Huh. Guess we can just walk the rest of the way. ...Well, you know what to do."

With that, they started walking north. Onward to Viridian City... Hope that gym leader isn't on holiday anymore.