After we were done with the preparations, my sister cooked up a mouth-watering dinner for us to enjoy.

I was going to start eating, but my sister asked, "Mind waiting for someone to come, Lows?"

Although confused, I nodded, "Sure! No worries."

Eventually, someone entered the dining room, with me recognizing the person immediately through his green hair, "Wally!"

He gently waved his right hand as he took a seat beside my sister, "Thank you for inviting me, Charmaine."

"No need to be so formal!" She patted Wally's shoulder, "Now, let's dig in."

As we enjoyed the good meal, I asked, "Does Wally always come here for dinner, sis?"

My sister smiled, "Yeah, he does. I did get lonely eating on my own when I first started as a Gym Leader, after all."

"It's okay, now that I'm here for a while, you can always call me to eat together next time." I suggested.

"Good idea, but you still need to collect your badges. I don't want to hold you back!" My sister replied, "It's alright, I'm used to it now."

"It does take a while... I don't get how some people..." She said as she looked towards Wally, "...manage to collect all the badges in such a short time."

"How long did it take for Wally to get them?"

"...Three months." Wally rubbed the back of his head.

"That's fast!" I was impressed, "You must have worked hard."

"Of course I did. Becoming a trainer is my dream, after all." Wally smiled, "I think what pushed me the most was having a rival in heart."

"Who's the rival you're talking about?"

My sister was going to answer, but Wally stopped her, "Let him figure it out himself, Charmaine."

My sister half-jokingly grumbled as Wally chuckled, "But yeah, the rival I had helped me push myself further. My condition wasn't the best back then, but I decided to leave my uncle's home and participated in the Ever Grande League. I wanted to surpass my rival, so I kept training and got all the badges rather quickly, that's all there was."

"I suppose having a rival does help in a trainer's journey." I nodded.

"I didn't really have anyone I know to compete against back then, so I hadn't thought of it that way." My sister said.

"That's okay." Wally smiled, "Lows, do you have any rivals along your journey so far?"

"Well... someone comes to mind." I replied.

It was not someone I knew for a long time, like Cassie or Disc. Instead, when it came to the term "rival", the trainer from Dewford came to my mind.

Harry Waves.

In a way, he made me want to become as good as him... perhaps, even better than him as a trainer.

This was so... I can make him realize caring about Pokémon does not ruin a trainer's progress.

But thinking about it made me sigh.

...When will that day ever come?

Will it ever come?

The next day...

After bidding farewell with my sister, I took her suggestion to board the S.S. Tidal to travel from Slateport to Dewford. It was an early trip, so I took the time to take a short rest in my room.

But the dream... was not pleasant in the slightest.

My vision was blurry in the dream, but it was enough to make me feel scared.

In the dream, my condition seemed weak as I struggled to talk. Suddenly, a light feeling surrounded me as I felt like floating in the air. Then, a sudden force launched me into the sky before gravity pulled me back down.

Then, I fell into what seemed to be water and kept sanking. My vision eventually turned back.

I quickly opened my eyes and woke up from the dream, feeling shocked. It felt way too real, but I decided not to think too much about it as the P.A. system announced, [The S.S. Tidal will be arriving at our next destination, Dewford Town. Please make sure your personal belongings are with you before leaving. We hope you enjoy your stay at S.S. Tidal.]

I left the ship and walked into the dock which led me to Dewford Town.

Dewford Town

"A tiny island in the blue sea."

The town consisted of a tiny island with basic buildings, but it definitely did not fail in giving visitors a comfortable and cozy feeling.

Feeling the sea breeze made me feel nostalgia as it took me back to the days where we would head to the beach areas in Kanto for a picnic when I was still young. I walked towards the seaside and enjoyed the warm sand along with the small waves of sea water hitting my legs rhythmically.

Suddenly, out in the distance, I noticed a male adult with blue spiky hair and a black and orange surfing outfit wearing a pair of orange goggles as he surfed along the waves. He definitely seemed to be a veteran at the area as he comfortably rode the waves with ease, adding a few impressive moves during his surfing show.

I kept watching the man until he finished as he took a breather and carried his surfboard with his right arm. He walked towards a person who was also watching at another place away from me, which surprised me when the person was revealed to be Harry.

It suddenly clicked in my head as everything made sense, The surfer's Brawly, the Dewford Gym Leader.

However, Harry seemed to be acting slightly awkward towards his father during their conversation, which made me feel that they did not seem as close as I originally thought. I also could tell Brawly was not much older than Harry based on their appearances, which made me question a little about Brawly's status as a father.

Eventually, Brawly and Harry took notice of me as Brawly greeted, "Hello! You seem to be a first-timer in Dewford."

I nodded politely, "Yeah, I just arrived here. I'm Lows, a new trainer from Pallet Town."

"I know you! Welcome to Dewford." He smiled, "Harry talked to me about you a few times now."

"Really?" I looked at Harry, then back at Brawly before jokingly said, "He probably told you that I didn't give him the best time in Hoenn."

"Not exactly! He actually talked about you just like any other trainer that caught his attention." Brawly chuckled.

"Oh, I see…" I looked towards Harry, who still remained expressionless, but at least he was not throwing hateful looks at me. I was relieved.

"But yeah, you getting Harry's attention must mean you're someone I should look forward to battling. Are you challenging me anytime soon?"

"I'm actually planning to register for a match soon today."

"That's great! Can't wait to see you later, then." Brawly smiled and patted Harry's shoulder, "I'll give you two some time to chat. I'll head back to the Gym to take care of some stuff."

"See you later, Dad." Harry sent him goodbye as we watched Brawly entering his Gym. Then, the atmosphere turned awkward for quite a while until Harry spoke.

"...I still haven't properly thanked you for last time." Harry looked away.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it. It was a combined effort, after all." I quickly replied. I was surprised, but I gladly accepted his thanks nevertheless.

I then scratched the back of my head, "...Wow, when we actually get a chance for a proper conversation, I can't come up with anything to talk about at all."

"Then I'll just get straight to the point." He suddenly became serious.

"Hmm?"

"There's one thing I'm always questioning about you." He stared at me, "...Why are you being so persistent around me?"

"Persistent?"

"You keep on butting into my ways of training Pokémon. People talked about them here and there, but never all the time, unlike you."

"...I guess you hate me for that, huh?" I sheepishly lowered my head. I knew I was not exactly in the wrong for doing so, but what he said made me feel somewhat inferior.

"...At this point, not really. Your efforts made me realize something, so I guess it's not that big of a deal in the end."

"Really? I'm surprised."

"So, you haven't answered my question. Why the persistence when you can just let me continue on?"

Knowing he would not be satisfied without an answer, I sighed, "...I admit, I'm a little jealous of your skills as a trainer. But this is why it sucks to see you mistreating your team and potentially wasting your potential. If your Pokémon can feel your sincerity and cooperate with you in battles, wouldn't that be much better than what you have right now?"

"..." He remained silent.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want to spend time with someone mistreating you all the time too, right?" I stopped for a moment, "...Unless you're a masochist."

"I'll say this right now, I'm not a masochist."

"Good."

"But yes, I kinda get what you mean just a little better from before." Harry said, "Change is hard to make, though. There are always reasons behind one's doings, after all."

"...I understand." I nodded, understanding his statement. Events in the past also caused my inability to make friends easily as well.

I noticed Harry looking towards the sea. Eventually, he closed his eyes and confessed, "...This was where I lost him."

"What?" I was clueless about what he said, but he did not seem like he was going to explain further.

Instead, he asked back, "Lows, mind sending out Woody for me?"

"Sure... But why is that?"

"...I just want to make sure of something."

I sent out my Grovyle, who seemed hesitant towards Harry, which I assumed was due to his previous behavior. I patted Woody, ensuring he would be fine. Woody was slightly reassured as he locked eyes with Harry. I thought I noticed a hint of pain was shown in Harry's expression, but he quickly returned expressionless and nodded.

"I knew it... It's okay."

I thought of asking Harry again, but I ended up not doing so as I had a gut feeling that he would not answer anyway. Harry smiled before looking at me, "You know what, Lows? I will try to change... under one condition."

"Anything!" I was happy to hear that.

"...Take good care of this guy from here onwards." He gave a light pat to Woody, which the Lonely nature Grovyle felt slightly awkward about.

"I always have been, Harry!"

"...I'm aware of that." Harry nodded before starting to walk away, "I'm going to another place to chill."

"A-Alright then." I saw his figure becoming smaller and smaller in my sight, before finally disappearing.

...I'm looking forward to a slowly changing Harry on the battlefield soon.

I can feel it.

I smiled.

My efforts were not completely a waste, after all.

Harry stopped at the dock before heaving a sigh of mixed emotions. Sadness, relief, content, acceptance.

Thank you for your time with me... Even if you don't remember me anymore.

Please be happy from now on...

Now that I know that you're okay...

Perhaps it would give me the final push for me to start changing.

After getting a room in the PokéCentre, I decided to head towards the Dewford Gym for the match registration.

The lobby was decorated like the middle of an ocean. There were glass display cases showcasing martial arts and surfing awards obtained by Brawly along with framed photographs, some which included Harry at a young age. Brawly was already at the lobby, seemingly welcoming my arrival.

"Glad to see you here, Lows!" Brawly said. I nodded as we discussed a suitable date for the match, to which he noted it down and informed the receptionist at the lobby.

After all of that was over, Brawly was still enthusiastic to have a conversation with me, "How did your chat with Harry go?"

"...It was surprisingly pleasant." I replied honestly.

"I know he can be quite cranky towards trainers with different opinions with him."

"I think I'm aware of that." I nodded.

"I didn't want to say that in front of Harry, but over time, Harry actually told me that he envied you."

"Envied me? There's nothing about me to envy, though. He's definitely on a higher level than me when it comes to being a trainer." His behavior aside, his knowledge and strategies definitely made him a potential winner for the Ever Grande League.

"Harry actually was a little jealous about how you have the ability to befriend his Pokémon easily. He can't do that." Brawly said.

"It didn't feel like he was trying back then until recently, though." I replied.

"He would definitely try harder... no, he wouldn't even treat his Pokémon this way... if that incident didn't happen." Brawly sighed.

The words Harry said rung through my head.

"Change is hard to make, though. There are always reasons behind one's doings, after all."

"What happened?"

"That day was a stormy day." Brawly started, "Harry and his Treecko were taking a walk around town, but the impact of the heavy storm was too much to handle for the two. Then... a large gust of wind blew his Treecko away into the sea."

"Oh, my..." I was shocked.

"Treecko was Harry's best friend and partner. Losing him was a punch in the face for him."

"Have you all not found Treecko yet?"

"We tried our hardest, but he was still nowhere to be seen." Brawly sighed, "That definitely left a mark on Harry."

"I guess Harry mistreated his Pokémon to not have any close bonds with them." Everything made more sense to me after hearing Brawly's story.

Brawly nodded, "Most likely. It definitely wasn't a good way to do so, but Harry is actually more fragile than you think. He doesn't want to get hurt again."

"Separation does suck." After saying that, I felt a vigorous shake from one of my Pokéballs. I took out the Pokéball and sent out the Pokémon inside, who was Woody. He was trembling slightly, as if he just received the biggest shocker of his life.

"W-Woody?" I asked.

"You have a Grovyle, too? What a coincidence." Brawly said.

Instead of responding, he turned away from me and immediately ran out of the Gym.

"Woody!" I tried calling him back but to no avail.

"What's up with your Grovyle?" Brawly was slightly confused, but after recalling everything that happened prior to this conversation, a thought came to me.

...Oh.

"I'm going to look for Woody, Brawly. Sorry to cut this conversation short."

"No worries! The safety of your Pokémon is more important. See you soon!"

I nodded and left the Gym. Brawly stood there, looking towards the entrance door which was already closed.

He sighed to himself, "I wonder what's with me and stormy days sometimes.

Not only Harry's Treecko went missing in a storm...

It was also a storm that brought him here too."

Woody ran away from the Dewford Gym and went back to the spot Lows and Harry were at.

The location... where he was separated from Harry.

He was fully aware at that point... that Harry was his previous partner, and his former best friend.

It did not seem like Harry forgot about him at all. In fact, his missing made Harry a completely different person.

...Why would you do that?

Before he could sulk further in his thoughts, he sensed someone nearing him. He looked back and saw a familiar Kirlia, "Grace?"

"Lows and the others searched the other places for you, Woody. I'm glad I was the one to find you, though." Grace stood beside him, "...I know it must be hard for you."

"You know what happened?"

"My psychic abilities, remember? Besides, based on your reaction to the story, it wasn't hard to guess." Grave explained.

"...I'm more upset at how Harry turned out this way. He used to be so positive, so caring..." Woody expressed.

"That incident probably took a toll on him."

"Was it my fault that Harry is now acting this way?" Woody asked.

"Of course not..." Grace reassured him, "You definitely didn't want that to happen. Unfortunately, it did happen, and you can't go back in time to prevent that."

"I-I guess."

"He did say he's going to try and change, right? That's a step in the right direction." Grave smiled, "What you can do for him right now... is to keep trying hard and be the best you can for both of you and Harry."

"M-Maybe you're right." Woody replied, but it seemed that he was still in distraught.

Grace knew there were still negative emotions remaining in his heart. Understandingly so; it was a lot to take in at once. Instead of saying anything else, Grace turned towards him, leaned forward and gave him a hug.

Woody was surprised, but at that point, any comfort would definitely help him more than enough. He hugged Grace back, and after they broke from the hug, his face was bright red. Grace was slightly blushing as well, but she shook the shyness off with another smile, "Does that make you feel slightly better?"

"...I-It helped a lot. Thank you." Woody said sincerely.

"That's good. Now, let's go back to Lows and the team." Grace waited for Woody to nod as they walked back to the PokéCentre to meet with the others.

*I-I'll keep going... for the both of us.

Promise me... you'll do your best to return to who you used to be, alright?

Woody's past memories with Harry flashed through his mind.

Thank you for everything...

I'll definitely see you again soon.

Lows' Pokémon Team:

Surfer (Wartortle, Male) Jolly Nature, Moves: Bite, Water Gun, Water Pulse, Sand Tomb

Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, Moves: Dig, Headbutt, Swift, Facade

Grace (Kirlia, Female) Calm Nature, Moves: Teleport, Magical Leaf, Shadow Ball, Psybeam

Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, Moves: Pursuit, Leaf Blade, Bullet Seed, Rock Throw

Power (Machop, Male) Timid Nature, Moves: Fling, Karate Chop, Low Kick, Seismic Toss