Stepping out of the western gate of Petalburg City with Apollo on my shoulder and all my worldly possessions in my backpack, I stopped and turned back to take a good look at my hometown before leaving it behind.

Although Petalburg had felt like a prison for the last two years, for far longer it had been my home. This is where I had been born and raised, gone to school, and grown into an adult. I was reminded of my mother pushing me on the swing at the park, playing with kids I had once called friends, and countless other memories I would always cherish. There were lots of memories here I was very fond of, they had just been overshadowed by my last two years being stuck at the orphanage.

I'd be back someday, if for nothing else than to challenge Norman when I felt like I had a fighting chance against his true team at full strength, but it would likely be a long time until that happened. I could only hope that he hadn't retired by then, since I really wanted the chance to show him just how far I'd come. I also wanted to visit the little forest clearing I'd spent nearly the last week at and met the Ralts who would become my starter, as it would surely serve as a reminder of how far we'd come and the bond we built.

As I spared the city one last look, I realized that although this was my hometown, it was no longer my home. There weren't any places or people here that gave me the feeling of comfort I had once attributed to the term, so Apollo and I would just have to make it ourselves.

Determination. Hope.

I turned to my shoulder and gave my Ralts an affectionate rub of the helmet before finally turning my back on the city, now completely focused on the future. I couldn't wait to see what new experiences lay before me, and after years of waiting it was finally within grasp.

As we traveled down the path towards the ocean, I was taken by not only how picturesque it was, but also what kind of manpower must have gone into creating it. We were on a well-maintained and wide dirt path that was straight as an arrow and surrounded on both sides by a wall of trees. While Petalburg itself was on the outskirts of the Petalburg Woods, it had always struck me as being very well integrated with the natural landscape. I wasn't sure how this path was made specifically, but it was as though somebody had carved a straight line from Petalburg to the ocean, and although there wasn't a man-made thing in sight it still struck me as being extremely artificial and out of place.

It was still fairly early in the morning and I couldn't see anybody on the path ahead of me. I didn't really expect to see people coming towards me; I imagined that anyone I found would likely be Petalburg residents going for a day on the beach, but to my surprise nobody seemed to be doing that.

Now that I had my license, I'd be able to have official Pokémon battles with other trainers I encountered. A small part of me doubted that anybody would actually want to battle me; I had nearly no money to put up for a bet and only one Pokémon that barely had a grasp on its basic moves. It hurt a bit to admit, but I probably wouldn't be worth most trainers' time. I wanted to try avoiding any trainer battles I could, since I was already short on supplies and had no intentions of turning back to return to the Pokécenter, however a part of me wasn't sure I'd have the willpower to resist if the opportunity arose.

Based on the research I've done on Route 104, it would take about an hour of walking until the trees gave way to an open field, at which point you should be able to see the ocean. From there the path would curve right, following the treeline north until you hit the entrance to Petalburg Woods. There was said to be a large variety of Pokémon you could find at the ocean, and I was going to keep my eyes open for a suitable water-type.

The gym in Rustboro City was a rock-type gym known for its strong defenses. There was no way Apollo was going to be able to solo that gym, especially at his current skill. It would likely take me three or four days until I got there, and considering we had been training for longer than that I knew I couldn't expect exponential progress. I really doubted he was anywhere near evolving due to his age and complete lack of battle experience, and even if he did it was highly likely we would be fighting multiple Pokémon once facing the gym leader. It felt unreasonable for me to put the weight of an entire gym on Apollo.

If I was going to try tackling the gym a good water or grass-type Pokémon was something that would surely help. If I could choose between the two, water was the clear winner in my mind. They were extremely versatile, and I had no doubt that it would be much more handy during our travels. They could put out fires, rinse us off if we got covered in something like mud, sand or spores, and were a water source when in dire situations. Grass-types definitely had their uses, but I was no gardener or farmer and knew a water-type would prove far more useful in my travels.

Unlike many trainers I hadn't made a list of Pokémon that I planned on catching. It was actually the opposite; I had a rough mental list of what I didn't want to catch, many of which were either extremely common or boasted a low intelligence that made training them difficult. An example I was bound to encounter soon was Wingull; they fell into both of these categories and their double weakness to electric-types was just the nail in the coffin. Another thing I wanted to avoid was bug-types; they had a hard time keeping up in elite-level battles and typically had very short life spans. I knew that sooner or later I was going to have to deal with the death of a Pokémon, but that was just asking for heartbreak.

I was hoping to somehow come across a water Pokémon that I would not only be able to use in battles, but could also ferry me across water if needed. The problem was that the ones capable of battling on land were few and far between. Unless you spent a ton of time in the water or were a water-type specialist, it didn't do a lot of good to have a Pokémon that couldn't handle being on land.

I still had to travel through the Petalburg Woods, and there was a chance that I could find a grass-type there that caught my interest, but I found it just as unlikely. The only commonly spotted one that had really interested me during my research was Shroomish, however that was far less appealing now that I was going to have a Gallade someday. Unlike many trainers who liked to hone their skills by specializing in a type or two, I wanted to build a well-rounded team suitable for all kinds of situations we might run into across our travels. There wasn't anything exactly wrong with having two fighting types on the team, especially when they had such different primary types, but I wanted to try avoiding it.

I was beginning to accept the fact that I might need to skip the Rustboro gym. It would be unfortunate, but it wasn't like there was a set order that you needed to complete the gyms in. There was a 'recommended' order; the traditional route through the region that many travelers followed, but I didn't really care about things like that. Although I wanted to eventually complete the circuit, I was in no particular rush and wouldn't lose sleep over skipping a few gyms if I didn't feel ready.

I idly noted yet another slight tingle in my head; something that Apollo had done periodically during our silent march down the tree-lined path. I glanced to my shoulder to find him staring at me with a confused expression, clearly doing his best to decipher the complex string of thoughts I'd been thinking ever since leaving Petalburg.

"Have any ideas on possible teammates?" I asked, not really expecting any sort of response. I did it more to help him understand what I had been thinking, unsure of how much he had actually been able to pick up on.

Uncertainty.

I chuckled lightly, "You and me both, buddy."

Soon enough, I noticed a change in the air. The further down this path we went, the more I could taste a hint of salt clinging to the breeze. I was beginning to realize that this was something that had always been slightly present in Petalburg City, some days more than others, but I'd never given much thought that it was due to the close proximity of the ocean.

Despite living so close to it, I actually had no memories of ever visiting the beach, although it wouldn't surprise me if I had been brought there when I was much younger. My mother was usually busy working to keep our food and housing paid for, and was often too tired to take me out to do much during her down time. We had spent most of our time together playing board games, talking, or watching TV; although occasionally she'd feel up to taking me to the park.

I didn't fault her for it. I vividly remembered the tired look in her eyes, and how she would often doze off sitting on a park bench while I played on the playground. Still, it was just now hitting me how odd it was that we had never once made a trip to the beach. It could have been due to the fact that we didn't have a Pokémon to keep us safe, something that was disallowed in our cheap apartment complex, or it could have just been that she didn't want to walk that far after a long day of work, but I still found it a bit strange.

What I wouldn't give to have a conversation with her today; to show her how far I'd come already, and to be given the chance to make her proud of where I would be in a year or two.

Empathy. Compassion.

I forced a smile, looking at my shoulder. I wasn't sure if Apollo had picked up on my specific thoughts or just my overall emotions, but I wanted to keep reinforcing what I was thinking to help him hone his telepathy. "I was lucky to have a mom like her, all things considered. I never even knew my dad… I suspect the same is true for your parents? Do you remember them at all?"

A shake of the head. Loneliness.

"Yeah, maybe that's why we get along so well. Don't worry, we'll make our own family of loners just like us." I said with a bit of a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "By the way, you're getting better at reading my thoughts aren't you? I've felt you trying all day, and you seemed to pick up that I was thinking of my mom just now. Keep it up partner, you're doing great." I praised, this time with a much more genuine smile.

It was true; I'd felt him touching my mind on and off all morning. It hadn't even been a day, but I was already getting to a point where I couldn't even notice it unless I really paid attention. I wasn't sure if this was him just getting better, or me just getting so used to it, but I found it interesting how fast things were moving. This was further reinforced by the fact that he was getting better at holding the connection for longer periods. I was still anxiously awaiting when we would be able to have full conversations, although I suspected that wasn't likely until he evolved at least once, perhaps even twice. I still needed to do more research into telepathy to get a better idea of what to expect, something I planned on doing in Rustboro.

We continued down the path, keeping an eye on the local wildlife to make sure none of them got too close. It was mostly Taillow, Wurmple and Zigzagoon, but I didn't feel like picking a fight since they left us alone, only giving us curious looks as we passed.

Suddenly, I noticed a curly-headed boy roughly my age approaching me from ahead, maintaining a steady jog with a Zigzagoon by his side. My heart began to race at the prospect of being challenged to a battle, and my mind raced as I tried to think of excuses that would get me out of it. Although I was excited at the idea of having my first real Pokémon battle, I didn't have many potions and Apollo was still very early in his training. I tried to maintain my calm, keeping a steady pace forward as I looked at my shoulder to my partner.

"Pick up anything from him?" I whispered as he approached, and I could tell he had a wide grin on his face and was looking at me, which only caused my nerves to escalate further.

Excitement. Curiosity.

He waved as he approached, which I replied a bit lamely as he came to a stop a few paces ahead of me, leaning forward to put his hands on his knees and catch his breath for a brief moment before standing up right and looking me over. "Is that a friggin RALTS on your shoulder?! That's SO COOL! Ziggy and I searched for one forever, but never had any luck. You're a trainer right? Let's battle!" He said excitedly, and I couldn't help but gulp.

"Uh yeah, just got my license about an hour ago actually. I'll be honest, we haven't ever had a real battle, and I don't really have any money to put up…" I said as I rubbed the back of my head in a bit of embarrassment. It wasn't the best excuse I could have come up with, but I figured honesty might be the best policy to get me out of this.

"REALLY?! I get to be your first? That's AWESOME!" He said far too excitedly for my liking as his Zigzagoon barked happily, bouncing with energy despite having just been running.

"Like I said, I really can't afford it. I'm dead broke, I spent all my money on supplies." I said awkwardly, although a bit more firmly. I really didn't want to be baited into a battle I had a good chance of losing after just starting my journey, especially when money and supplies were a serious issue for me. It was considered a bit rude to turn down challenges unless you had a very good reason, but I felt like mine fell into that category.

"Hey, it's your birthday right? How about I put up 500 credits that you can have no matter who wins? Consider it an investment into your training career, and a birthday gift. We've never battled a Ralts before, pleeeeease?" He all but begged, clasping his hands together and giving me pleading eyes.

Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better deal for my first battle. I nodded in agreement, and he let loose a cheer in celebration. This boy was a bundle of energy, and it was almost a bit too much to handle for an introvert like me, but I could tell he was a good kid and I had no excuse not to take him up on this offer.

Since the path was clear of people and trees were so dense around us, we decided to just hold the battle right on the path. I gave Apollo a quick rundown on what to expect; not to start until given the go-ahead, and to stop when the opponent is incapacitated. He seemed cautiously eager to be in a fight that wasn't a matter of life or death once I assured him that this was just a friendly spar. I set him down on the ground, not wanting him to expend any energy teleporting down.

"Ready?!" The curly-headed boy asked, vibrating with excitement. The Zigzagoon, apparently nicknamed Ziggy, had just as much energy as its trainer and was hopping from side to side, its tongue out and looking like it was about to get to play a game rather than battle.

I nodded slowly in response to the question, my heart pounding in excitement. This was it; my first real trainer battle.

And I intended on winning.

"When the coin hits the ground, we start. Here we go!" He pulled a coin out of his pocket and tossed it into the air. I could swear that time slowed as I watched it with apprehension, thinking of what my strategy and first callout should be. I quickly decided that Growl would probably be the best start, considering our opponent was almost sure to do all physical attacks, and that we should just try to keep distance and chip him down. This would be the first test to see if our training had paid off, and if Apollo's offensive moves were actually battle-ready.

As the coin hit the ground, we both yelled out our orders.

"Growl!" We both commanded in unison, and I couldn't help but give a confused look. Why would he be using Growl against a Ralts? He seemed at least somewhat familiar with the species, so surely he knew that we weren't going to be getting into a brawl. Did he not know Growl wouldn't do anything against Ralts?

Both of the small Pokémon let loose their own versions of the move, and I had to suppress a giggle. It frankly looked a bit absurd to see two small, cute Pokémon attempt to be threatening, but I was suddenly feeling much more calm and confident due to my opponent's blunder of a call.

"Confusion!"

"Headbutt!"

As the Zigzagoon took off into a sprint towards my partner, Apollo's horn began to glow. The Confusion clearly landed, causing the Zigzagoon to stumble on the approach and lose its footing and faceplant into the ground, skidding to a stop just short of Apollo.

"Teleport back for distance!"

"Get up Zippy!"

Apollo focused before teleporting away, putting itself roughly where Zigzagoon had started the fight. The Zigzagoon shakily stood up, and I grinned as victory was in sight, declaring the next attack once I saw that our opponent was now facing Apollo and had resumed a fighting stance.

"Disarming Voice!"

"Sand Attack!"

Once I heard the opponent's call, I knew it was over. My grin was feral as I saw Apollo suck in a deep breath as the opponent began to push its paws into the dirt, spraying it towards my partner. Apollo released his attack, and the dirt was flung back into the Zigzagoon with far more force than it was initially sent. The dirt peppered the Zigzagoon as the pulsating pink waves of the Disarming Voice washed over him, knocking him back off of his feet and covering him in dirt.

"Come on Ziggy! Don't give up!" Our opponent tried to coax his partner into continuing the battle, and to his credit the Zigzagoon did try.

With vision currently obscured and no fight left, the Zigzagoon collapsed back onto the ground, and it was clear the match was over.

"Ziggy!" The curly-headed boy shouted worriedly, running over and kneeling next to his fallen comrade.

While he was doing that, I jogged over to Apollo and kneeled next to him, rubbing his helmet as I praised him. "Great job buddy. You practiced hard, and you did great. I'm proud of you."

Satisfaction.

Honestly, I couldn't say I agreed. Although I was happy we won so handily, it didn't feel very fulfilling. The battle was fun and the results could be seen as a reflection of our hard work, but it had been too easy. I had gotten a bit lucky that both of our offensive moves had acted as counters to what the enemy was trying to do; both the Confusion tripping the incoming Headbutt and the Disarming Voice deflecting the Sand Attack back, but the initial Growl rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps I was being too hard on myself or overly critical of my opponent, but the only satisfaction I could feel now was that I was 500 credits richer and that Apollo was unharmed.

"Dude, you sure that was your first battle? That was really good!" A strangely cheery voice sounded from behind me.

I scooped Apollo up and set him on my shoulder, walking over to the boy who was currently spraying a potion on his downed Pokémon.

I shrugged, "Yup. We've been training hard, but I think we had a lot of luck in that fight."

"Ziggy can do pretty good in a head-on battle, but doesn't do great against ranged opponents." The boy explained as his Zigzagoon began to stand up, the potion seeming to take effect. He got to his feet and shook the dirt off its fur as the boy stood up and faced me.

"Well, a deal's a deal," he said while reaching into his pocket, pulling out a pokédex. He punched a few things into it before holding it out toward me, and I pulled mine out of my pocket and tapped it against his. I felt a slight vibration in confirmation, and knew that I had just gotten 500 credits richer.

"Man, you're so lucky! You have a Ralts and you get to go on a journey?! I got my license last month, but my parents need me back in Petalburg to help run the shop. Only time I get to train and battle is early in the mornings."

I nodded, not really sure what to say to that. "Well we gotta get going, but I appreciate the battle."

"Wait! What's your name? I wanna keep an eye out for you, I could see you making it to the big leagues, and I'll get to gloat to everyone I was your very first battle." He declared with a proud grin.

"Daniel Ingram, you?" I answered, reaching out a hand.

"Derek Andersen. I'll remember you Daniel, good luck out there!" He said while clasping my hand and shaking it firmly.

"Zig!" His partner barked, seemingly feeling much better than a moment ago. Potions really were an incredible thing, and I idly wondered what kind of effect something like a super or hyper potion would have in comparison.

Apollo and I bid the boy farewell and waved goodbye before Derek and his companion continued their jog back toward Petalburg. Say what you want about the boy, but he took his loss with grace and seemed to be ever the optimist, something I could admire.

"Well that was eventful," I said as I looked at Apollo, who simply shrugged. I gave a light chuckle; he'd really been picking up on human expressions like waving and shrugging more, and it was equal parts funny and cute to see something so small do things that were so human.

After a bit of walking and light conversation with Apollo where we also practiced his telepathy, the trees surrounding us began to thin before eventually I was able to see the ocean on the horizon. Soon I found myself back out in the open; a huge grassy hill that slowly curved down towards the ocean. I couldn't see the beach itself yet, but it was clear that we were now at the heart or Route 104.

I took a deep breath, taking in the ocean air and fully appreciating this new environment for a moment before I took off into a sprint towards the water, excited to experience the beach and see what kinds of Pokémon it may hold as Apollo clung to my neck for dear life.

Running to the shore as fast as I could, I ignored the looks a few scattered beachgoers gave me, most of whom seemed to be either on a jog or doing some sort of workout. I didn't care how childish I looked; I was fully immersed in the novelty of reaching my first scenic location since beginning my journey. Quickly taking off my shoes and socks, I stood at the ocean's edge and enjoyed the feeling of the rhythmic waves gently washing sand across my feet. Apollo teleported off of my shoulder back to the shore and stood a fair distance from where the waves reached, seemingly a bit intimidated by the vastness of the sea.

"Isn't it great? It's all water, and it goes much further than you can see." I explained excitedly, to which Ralts hesitantly nodded as he stared out at huge waves crashing into each other far off in the distance.

Hesitance. Omnipotence.

"I know it's a bit daunting, but it's also pretty amazing."

Anxiety.

I packed my shoes and socks in my backpack, deciding to enjoy the sand between my toes as I began heading north along the beach. There were lots of Wingull and Taillow flying overhead, and although Apollo wasn't outright nervous he was definitely keeping a wary eye on them.

"It'll be fine, they won't mess with us as long as we don't mess with them." I reassured him, knowing it to be mostly true. The chances of being randomly attacked by either of the species was quite low, especially in an area so frequently visited by people.

We walked along the beach as I kept my eyes peeled, searching along the water's edge and looking around rocks for any water Pokémon that caught my eye. I spotted a pair of Wailmer playing out in the ocean, as well as the tell-tale blue and red top of some Tentacool bobbing in the water, but not much else besides lots of Wingull. I wasn't prepared to go swimming to look for a Pokémon; we'd need to battle on land and I didn't like the prospect of accidentally brushing against a Tentacool's tendrils. I could always do a bit of fishing, but I was far too eager for my first day of journeying to sit still.

Tranquility.

Glancing at Apollo, I noticed that he had relaxed quite a bit and was now seemingly enjoying the area.

I grinned and nodded in agreement, "Told ya. The beach is great. I'd stay here a day or two, but I really want to get to Rustboro. There should be beaches there we can spend more time at."

We soon came across a beach house; a humble and quaint little shack that had its own personal dock with a modest-sized boat. It wasn't something between a fishing boat and a jet boat; probably able to hold roughly five people if I had to guess. As it got closer, I noticed that it had a hand-painted sign hung out on the wall. "Ferry services to Dewford and Slateport. Inquire within."

I remembered reading about this online; there was supposedly an old man who lived here and could ferry people, for a fee of course. Supposedly the prices were very reasonable and he was even known to sometimes do it for free; the man was said to be extremely friendly and sailed more out of a love of the ocean and helping others than for profit.

I hadn't really looked much into it, as I had no intention of using it. I was going to be heading to Rustboro, and from there I planned on taking Rusturf Tunnel all the way to Mauville. I wanted to do Hoenn's mainland before I started to do any of the islands, and by then I would hopefully have a Pokémon that I could either fly on or that would be able to ferry me across the water.

In the past, Rusturf tunnel didn't fully connect all the way through the mountain, and many would go to Dewford and then Slateport, going north to Mauville. This was still considered the 'traditional route ', but Devon had long since cleared out the tunnel and made a path straight through in order to improve trade and tourism for Hoenn. There had been other efforts like this, including the creation of a bridge to the east of Mauville across the river.

"Excuse me young man. Are you here for a ride?"

It was then that I noticed there was an old man sitting on a chair on the shady side of the building alongside a sleeping Wingull at his feet, easily the largest I had ever seen, as the two seemingly enjoyed the day. I waved in greeting and approached him.

"Nah, just passing by. I'm actually headed to Rustboro, I just started my journey and want to tackle the mainland first."

"Ah, a journey. To be young again… Well keep me in mind if you ever need a ferry, I'm happy for any excuse to get out on the seas."

I nodded, "Will do. Say, can I ask you a question? Know of any interesting water Pokémon around here? Something that can handle dry land?"

He gave a hearty laugh, looking down at his sleeping partner fondly. "Well you can't go wrong with a Wingull, my old lady Peeko here is as good a companion as you could ask for."

I shook my head, "Was hoping for something a bit more… Unique." I said delicately, not wanting to upset the man. Luckily, he seemed to take no offense as he brought his hand to his chin, stroking his white beard as he hummed in thought.

"Well… On rare occasions you might be able to find a Krabby, but can't say I've heard of one being seen around here for years. There's also a runoff stream that dumps rainwater from the forest into a small pond just next to the ocean if you keep heading north that used to have some Marill living there, but I haven't seen or heard of them lately. Sounds to me like you're looking for a freshwater Pokémon; the ocean might not be the best place to look for something amphibious. I'd check rivers, lakes and ponds for something like that."

"Thank you sir, I'll keep that in mind. I won't keep you; have a nice day." I bowed in thanks and waved goodbye, continuing my march north.

"You as well young man! Good luck on your journey! Stop by if you need a ferry!" He said cheerfully, bidding me farewell.

As I continued walking, I considered the man's words. The last part about looking for a freshwater Pokémon was surprisingly useful, so I was going to look for that pond he mentioned, although I wasn't really sold on Marill. An Azumarill wasn't big enough to ferry me, but they were pretty impressive Pokémon and I had seen more than one hold their own during elite-level matches.

There was still a chance that I could find something else there. Many Pokémon would find a habitat they liked and stay there, eventually being recognized as a 'common sighting' in the area and being documented online by other trainers. The man's recommendation for a freshwater Pokémon had been more than interesting enough for me to want to find the pond he had mentioned.

"Let's hope our streak of good luck holds up…" I muttered to Apollo, trying to imagine what kind of water Pokémon I could find that would entice me enough to want to capture it, but coming up largely short. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Hoenn just didn't have a great selection of water Pokémon that would fit what I was looking for. Maybe I should have just gotten a Lotad while I was still near Petalburg; it hadn't even crossed my mind since I had my hands full with Apollo.

If I was going to get a water Pokémon anytime soon, I'd just have to hope that I got lucky at this pond the old man had mentioned.

TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 0
Account: 656 credits

POKÉMON
Ralts (Apollo) - Male

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