With a few days to kill before his freshly-booked ship to Cianwood City departs, Ran spends his remaining time in Goldenrod City productively.

To start, he gets in touch with Grady and spends another day with the younger trainer in the Goldenrod City Tunnel. They both get in a few more battles, with Ran garnering two wins and a single loss. The wins are earned by Caesar the Arbok in a singles effort and by the pair of Aria the Ariados and Golbat in an impressive doubles battle. The loss is Skorupi’s, as the surprise factor his rarity offers him doesn’t end up fully compensating for his lack of experience and raw power against another three-badge-trainer’s Raichu.

The next day, he takes his team towards the Goldenrod City Gym once more. Though the Plain Badge sits snugly in place next to his Zephyr and Hive Badges, the Gym does have more to offer than just its Gym Leader after all. Splurging on a pass to use the Gym’s training facilities for a few days isn’t exactly fun, but with his team’s movesets in a very solid place for now, Ran is eager to have them focus on their raw physical abilities once more. Especially with the comforting thought that his finances are in a comfortable enough place to bear the expense. He’ll make the money back over his next few matches anyways, so it’s about time he actually used a Gym for training, rather than just to challenge the local Leader.

Buying training equipment with his money is also possible of course, but for a journeying trainer like himself, it’s hardly ideal. Plus, with the expenses involved and the expected growth his pokémon should still experience in the weeks, months and years to come… It’s just the same reasoning that led to him capturing Spinarak and Zubat all those years ago, rather than investing in training equipment for Ekans. So he invests in a training pass for Whitney’s Gym.

The facility is probably the finest one in all of Johto, owing to Goldenrod City’s prominence and size. Its reputation and size translate into painfully high prices, but just a brief glimpse at the sheer array of machines and training aids that are available has Ran more than happy to make the investment. From that point on, it’s just about getting as much value for his money as possible.

Which is why, for the remaining three days before they’re due to board for Cianwood CIty, they’re in the Gym’s training hall at eight in the morning every day for a morning workout. Ran joins his team for their warm-ups every morning as he works out alongside them, before becoming their trainer once more as he sets each of them up with individualized programs.

Though he’s always had a fair few ideas of his own, it’s still nice to discover that Goldenrod City’s Gym’s training facilities offer a wide selection of suggested training schedules and approaches for all kinds of pokémon. For example, he’s been having Golbat working on obstacle courses whilst having to dodge attacks for ages, something the available training schedules also mention. But the facility adds onto that basis by offering multiple weighted and resizable ‘vests’, as well as ball machines that take over the dodging portion of the workout.

The workout Golbat gets put through is significantly more intense as a consequence, but the results speak for themselves as even over the span of the few days of training, he improves noticeably. He isn’t the only one either, as Caesar finally gets an opportunity to get some properly reliable indications of his grip strength, thanks to the facility offering multiple machines for exactly that purpose. After three days, his final maximum effort show a three percent increase over his ‘starting’ value, which to Ran is all the justification he needs to confirm that working out in the facility rather than out in the wild was worth it.

Grip strength isn’t the only thing Caesar works on either, as both he and Skorupi continue to lack badly in mobility. Which is why they get to do a lot of laps and sprints over their three day training stint. It’s hard to argue with results of course, but that doesn’t do anything to improve the mood of either of his most physically affectionate pokémon.

Aria also lacks mobility to a degree, but between Agility, Shadow Sneak and her growing familiarity with Sucker Punch, closing speed and endurance aren’t the major concerns for her that they are for the others. Instead, Ran has her working on her nimbleness and ability to dodge, as rather than sprints or laps, she too gets to contend with obstacle courses and dodging the salvos of ball machines. Unlike the pair of Caesar and Skorupi however, Aria is ecstatic to be working on training that’s entirely geared towards letting her avoid pain in the future. Especially as the ball machines, though absolutely efficient, are also even less painful than the already muted Poison Stings she’d ordinarily be dealing with if Ran had to put her through the same training regimen out on the road.

Finally, the one exercise all four of his pokémon get put through equally, is the one they all seem to enjoy the most. Because all of them get to go ham on an array of chew toys specifically engineered to withstand and improve the bite force of every possible pokémon. It rapidly becomes a game between the four of them to see if any of them can actually damage their assigned toys, only for all of them to ultimately fail as, whenever any one chew toy starts letting out particularly distressed sounds, Ran happily switches it out for the next, even tougher, model of the same line.

All in all, with a few brief breaks to drink and rest, their daily morning workout lasts about three hours. At that point, Ran recalls his team, leaves the training facility, shops for lunch, prepares his lunch, eats it and does some light reading. By two in the afternoon, he’s back in the facility, for another two hour training session, to his team’s daily horror.

Every day, by four in the afternoon, they’re all well and truly exhausted, at which point they get to the most popular part of the day by far. Because after working out, Ran is more than happy to let his team relax and recover in the large spa-area of the training facility. There, a wide range of surfaces, temperatures and light sources are on offer, letting each pokémon rest up in ideal conditions.

Caesar finds a daily home on the large heated rocks, letting him bask in the indirect light of the large sunlamp that beams down on the adjacent pool and sandy coast. Said sand always draws Skorupi, as he burrows into the sand as far away from the water as he can get, before happily letting the sun beat down on his sheltered form for as long as Ran will leave him there.

Whilst those two seek out sunlight and heat, Golbat and Aria are the opposite, as they retreat into the shade. For Aria, that amounts to seeking out a comfortable perch amongst the small wooded area of the large room, whilst Golbat retreats into the dark, humid ‘cave’ structure all the way at the back of the room.

Of course they’re never the only pokémon in either the training facility or the spa-area, as Ran is by no means the only trainer in Goldenrod City who wants the best for his pokémon. But the training facility’s rules on battling are very clear. As in, there is none allowed.

Which is for the best, as ‘just’ battling whilst in possession of an access pass would be a complete waste of the money he’s invested to gain the access pass in the first place. Fortunately, none of the other trainers seem to be of a different mindset, as everyone just minds their own business and works out privately, with the occasional exception of a pair or threesome of trainers grouping up to chat as their pokémon work out or relax in different places.

On their final day in the training facility, the brief routine Ran established for his team and himself briefly gets thrown off-kilter, as a familiar figure catches his attention.

It’s only a few minutes before four, just as his team is winding down and mere minutes after Caesar sets his new, final (for now) record on the grip strength tester, that Ran catches a glimpse of a familiar dark pink. Looking properly in that direction, he’s unpleasantly surprised to see the trainer of the Politoed and Ampharos that pushed Golbat and him around back on Route 34.

The other trainer is just entering the facility, not noticing Ran and his own team as he moves over to a large weightlifting station. It seems somewhat ill-suited to both Politoed and Ampharos, but that mystery is easily answered when he ends up releasing a Sudowoodo. There’s some anxiousness to Ran’s movements as he actually decides to recall Golbat for a moment, calling his other pokémon to him as he cuts their training short by a few minutes.

None of them mind, of course, though Caesar seems to catch on to his unease at least, as he looks around the large hall before rapidly focusing in on the older thug.

“Leave off, Caesar, we’re going to the spa.” Ran insists, leading the way there swiftly.

Skorupi and Aria follow along enthusiastically, leaving Caesar to glare menacingly at the unaware bully in the distance, but as Ran continues to lead the way, his starter eventually yields, following after his trainer reluctantly. Ran’s shoulders sag in relief as he hears the distinct sound of Caesar’s scales slithering after him.

Then, as he leads his team to the spa, his attention is caught by a sliver of conversation between two local female trainers, who are clearly watching the newly-arrived trainer as well.

“-back to the Conference.” The first girl, who looks to be around eighteen, finishes saying. Her words are already enough to draw Ran’s interest, but nowhere near as much as the reply of the second trainer.

“He’s strong, but he does kind of pale in comparison to Whitney, doesn’t he?” The second girl, who looks closer to Ran’s age, seems to admit, before posing a question heavy with implications.

“It’s not Morton’s fault that his sister’s a freak of nature!” The first girl snaps back, clearly flustered by the apparent critique of the now-named Morton. Then, without paying her junior companion any further mind, she boldly strides towards Morton, clearly intent on making conversation.

Ran doesn’t pay that any mind however, as he instead makes sure to be out of the training hall and into the spa, to make sure that ‘Morton’ can’t spot him once he gets pulled out of his focus by the chatty girl. Only then, once he’s sure that there’s no risk of an altercation occurring, does he let his pokémon set out towards their preferred resting spots - with Golbat getting released with only an apologetic smile for an explanation - and turn his own attention fully to what he just heard.

So he’s Whitney’s older brother. That would explain him hanging around Goldenrod City and having such a strong team. But why can’t Ran remember him from any Conference matches then? Did that team of his, with that terrifyingly strong Ampharos, never make it into the later stages of the tournament?

The thought seems insane. Yet… What other explanation is there?

It’s deeply worrying to consider that a team consisting of pokémon that can oneshot Ran’s own team isn’t even strong enough to go on a run at the Conference-level. Because, although his own team’s made remarkable progress even in the brief span of time since his ‘match’ against Morton, the idea that Morton himself isn’t even the bar he has to clear completely undermines the value he’d mentally ascribed to their progress over the past few days.

Progress is still good of course, but it’s like running a mile only to then discover that you’re not supposed to run ten, but twenty miles. Then again, maybe Ampharos is actually Morton’s strongest pokémon by a comfortable margin?

If that’s the case… payback becomes a lot more achievable, a lot sooner than he was expecting. Which is a deeply intriguing thought. Ran makes a mental note to look up Morton’s known team on the pokécenter’s computers that evening. Though the Conference is still a long way off, it’d be especially delicious to humble the ‘man’ that hurt Golbat on the biggest stage of them all, at the end of the season.

He puts the idea out of mind for the moment, instead wandering over towards Caesar, to offer his starter some insight into just who Morton is. It’s a brief explanation, at the end of which Caesar sulkily knocks Ran’s legs out from under him, making sure that his trainer lands right in the middle of his coils, forcing him to snuggle.

Lying on top of Caesar is a bit warm for Ran’s tastes, but it isn’t the most uncomfortable perch in the world either. Or so he feels initially, at least.

When Caesar wakes him up with some insistent hisses almost two hours later, he’s forced to admit to himself that perhaps the temperature was just right after all. The long, late nap throws his evening routine slightly out of whack, but Ran still finds the time to look into Morton’s trainer profile briefly at least, his unusual first name proving enough to find just the guy he’s looking for.

Morton Hancock is twenty-five and went to two Conferences in back-to-back seasons, the most recent of those being a decade ago. That comfortably explains why Ran didn’t recognize him or ever hear of him, as Morton’s trainer profile makes it very clear that he hasn’t done a proper circuit ever since. Instead, there’s a few mentions on his profile of accredited work as a freelancer with organizations like the Rangers and the police.

As for his known team, Ran can only conclude that Ampharos might very well be the ace indeed, as his other known pokémon are Bellossom, Sudowoodo, Politoed, Xatu and Umbreon. There’s potential there of course, with Umbreon in particular having the potential to be a real menace, but Bellossom and Xatu are hardly particularly awe inspiring threats.

There’s still no doubt that Morton is a professional trainer, but making it to only two Conferences, only to flame out in the early rounds before settling for freelancing and, probably, mooching off of his more successful sister? No wonder the guy is a thug who pushes around less experienced trainers.

Silently vowing to himself not to end up like Morton Hancock, Ran mentally adds the other trainer to his mental checklist of trainers to overcome. There’d been a gaping chasm between Spencer and Bugsy. Morton slots in there perfectly.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The gap between Golbat and Ampharos was far too big when they first battled to easily catch up in just a few weeks, but in the many months they’ve got left before the Conference? That sounds a lot more achievable. It’s a motivating thought that inspires him to keep giving his best for the rest of the day.

The next morning, Ran heads to Goldenrod’s port bright and early, eager to take ship to Cianwood City and start on the path to achieving the next milestone on his path. The dock he needs is easily found, at which point he happily settles on a free bench with one of his books, looking to spend the time until he can board in a productive way. Which means he finally gets to delve into Sinnoh Safari, the Great Marsh.

It’s been at the top of his reading list from the moment his study of Sinnoh’s geography taught him that it serves as the Skorupi-line’s natural habitat, but with his days productively filled in other ways, he hasn’t gotten around to it just yet. Now, however, with over half an hour to wait before he’s even supposed to be able to get on board of his chosen transport, is the perfect moment to start changing that.

He easily delves into the book, this one written far more interestingly than the earlier fare, as it is written as if the reader is being taken along on an actual safari trip. This translates in the book actually starting with an immediate tangent about appropriate clothing, but that only makes the tale more immersive, as only after ensuring that ample warning about proper shoes and sufficiently long sleeves and pant legs have been given, does the narrator enter the Marsh itself.

Once inside, after an overall description of the general wetness of the area and the smooth intermingling of wilderness and human ingenuity, the book finally turns to the pokémon that can be found in the Great Marsh. Some of them Ran is surprised to find he knows very well, as pokémon commonly found in Johto, like Wooper, Hoothoot and Paras, are mentioned as native to the region.

There’s also a moment of genuine excitement when the book mentions the presence of a few Ekans and Arbok. Ran’s hand instinctively dips to Caesar’s pokéball in order to bring out his starter and share the discovery with him, only to think better of it as he notices the dock has already filled up significantly with other trainers. As they are also largely keeping their pokémon in their balls, barring a few smaller pokémon like a Starmie and a Tyrogue, it’d probably be a bit awkward to unleash a massive Arbok all of a sudden.

Especially as it’s pretty clear that not everybody on the dock is a professional trainer, with some clear tourists of varying ages mixed throughout the slowly growing crowd as well. Realizing that there’s a fair few older people milling about, Ran looks around for a moment that he isn’t keeping any of them from a seat, only to find that there’s still more than a few empty benches left. With that worry dismissed for the moment, he returns to his book.

There’s an interesting mention of the Arbok in the Great Swamp natively tending to pick up on the basics of Dig, which is a fascinating finding, as all of Ran’s previous research indicated the need for a TM if he wanted Caesar to learn the move. It’s a neat tidbit he files away for later consideration, but not one he lets himself get distracted with for too long, as he returns his attention to the remainder of the book.

Before he can make any real further progress however, the ship’s horn is sounded, as a large gangplank is lowered from the ship onto the dock, two employees swiftly moving to stand at the ready to receive passengers and check everyone’s tickets. Glancing at his pokégear, Ran is somewhat surprised to find that the ship should be departing in just ten minutes, time apparently having passed swiftly while he was reading.

He hurriedly stows away his book, before joining the milling crowd around the gangplank, as he waits patiently for his turn to board.

A few minutes later, ticket in hand and directions given to him by the younger of the two employees responsible for checking the tickets, he walks up the gangplank and onto the ship.

The ship he’s booked transport on is no grand luxurious cruise ship, but rather a simple ferry. There were cabins available for reservation of course, but as the trip is only supposed to take about four hours, Ran hasn’t booked one of those. Instead, he traipses about the deck for a while as everyone finishes boarding, before descending into the boat’s innards to have a proper look at his chosen means of transport.

The ship isn’t particularly impressive despite its significant size, but it’s comfortable enough, with a nice restaurant, a reading lounge and a large number of deck chairs out in the open to while away the hours in. There is very clear signage posted in every area to demonstrate what is and isn’t allowed, with most things, like smoking, being highly expected.

The severe restrictions on pokémon are a major disappointment though, as Caesar, Aria and Golbat are all too large to be let out of their balls anywhere except for the absolute belly of the ship, where a specific deck has been prepared for ‘larger’ pokémon. Though the idea is nice and he does go and have a look there, there is no natural light whatsoever and simply looks like a large hangar, with no real effort having been put in to make it seem more appealing.

Even then, the promise of an available referee could still have convinced him to lurk around on the pokémon-deck in hopes of having a fun match, but the other trainers on board have also clearly opted to spend their time elsewhere, rather than under the sterile artificial lighting of the pokémon-deck. So, mind made up, he heads to the ferry’s restaurant, where he has to wrestle down the instinctive urge to leave upon spotting the outrageous prices, to have a proper breakfast.

With that sorted, it’s just a matter of seeking out one of the few still unoccupied seats on the busy sun deck, flagging down a waiter to order a drink, and cracking open his book.

It’s not a particularly warm morning, with plenty of wispy gray clouds and the cold air stopping the sun’s full effects from being felt. Still, with his thick purple jacket on, it’s comfortable enough, as Ran is happy to at least let Skorupi out of his ball, for some company.

The excitable poison-bug-type energetically skitters over to the deck’s railing, peeking down to see the ship cleaving through the water, before swiftly rushing back to Ran’s chair, where he anxiously tries to crawl under his trainer’s chair. In a deck chair, that has the unpleasant effect of Skorupi’s many hard and sharp parts digging uncomfortably into his seat, at which point Ran spends at least two minutes struggling with his fourth team member, as he tries his best to extricate Skorupi from underneath the chair.

An endeavor that is made significantly more challenging by Skorupi’s insistence on not being pulled out into the open, as he wraps his tail through the chair’s legs before tightly clamping on to them with his tail claws. What follows is clearly of great entertainment to the rest of the sun deck’s occupants, as Ran can hear more than one snicker and muted laugh, all while he does his best to liberate Skorupi from the bottom of his seat.

He’s completely unsuccessful of course, as Skorupi’s general clinginess clearly translates into an excellent ability to resist attempts at removal from whatever he’s clinging to. Ordinarily, Ran himself is the ‘thing’ Skorupi is clinging to, which means actually needing or wanting to remove the blue-purple menace is an issue he hasn’t really encountered before. However, Skorupi’s choice to attach to a light deck chair of all things, ultimately proves to be his undoing.

Because after a few minutes of pulling and cajoling and shaking his pokémon, Ran doesn’t even try to get Skorupi out from under the seat any more. Instead, he simply lifts up the deck chair as a whole and starts shaking it. After just a few seconds, with a plaintive yowl, Skorupi lets go and drops onto the deck.

Triumphant, Ran puts down his chair, ready to get back to his book, only to have to deal with Skorupi immediately crawling up his back and attempting to cling onto his back. Which, again, ordinarily he’s fine with. In a deck chair however, it really does not work.

So he has to spend another five minutes bargaining, threatening and cajoling Skorupi, until eventually his pokémon consents to clinging onto the back of the chair, rather than onto Ran’s own back. Finally, he gets around to opening his book once more, enthusiastically delving back into the tale of the Great Marsh.

Picking up where he left off, which was the part that mentioned Arbok being native to the region, he swiftly moves through the next few sections on a number of pokémon both exotic and common. In this way, the next hour passess swiftly, including an interesting section on the Croagunk-line, which is apparently a poison-fighting type. The implications for his team’s potential match-ups against the generally immune steel-types are immense, but he forces himself to carry on, focusing on the pokémon that’s actually on his team rather than a foreign one he’ll likely never get his hands on.

Thus, he carries on reading, until, finally, he reaches the section he was looking for. Because, with a clear picture of both Skorupi and his evolved form, Drapion, taking up the entirety of the right page, he finally gets to what he was looking for, as the narrator turns to the description of the next two pokémon he ‘encountered’ on the book’s imaginary safari.

Skorupi, the Scorpion Pokémon, and Drapion, the Ogre Scorpion Pokémon.

Found lurking just under the surface, the highly dangerous Skorupi lies in wait of prey. Capable of surviving without food for incredible amounts of time, this venomous predator sinks into the Great Marsh’s swampy soil, only to snap forwards with devastating speed when an unaware victim stumbles into its killing range.

Skorupi combines sharp and strong claws with lethal poison into a compact and distressingly durable package. As a poison-bug-type, it deviates significantly from more common base stage pokémon of the bug-typing, like Kricketot and Wurmple. Unlike those more ‘typical’ bug-types, Skorupi is generally slow to evolve, though it does compensate for this to a degree in its greater battle prowess.

Its naturally strong armor and well-honed instincts for ambush predation make it an incredible battler on the professional circuits. Because of this, the Skorupi-line is one that’s well-sought after by Sinnoh’s many talented trainers, with many considering the effort one needs to invest to truly get the most out of Skorupi well worth it.

For those trainers that persist and show the willingness and ability to give Skorupi all the time, attention and experience it requires, the reward is significant. Because upon evolution, Skorupi becomes the feared Drapion.

Unlike its earlier form, Drapion is no patient ambush predator. Instead, it is a highly territorial roving beast that will attack any pokémon that dares enter its claimed territory. Unlike Skorupi, Drapion tends to be highly active when awake, constantly patrolling its territory and hunting for prey. Drapion also loses Skorupi’s vulnerability to cold weather, though it maintains a preference for warm temperatures.

The largest shift upon evolution is in its typing, for it loses the bug-typing and gains a secondary dark-typing instead. This makes Drapion extremely sought-after by many, as it only has a single true type weakness, whilst being very strong and versatile at the same time. Successfully defeating and capturing a wild Drapion isn’t for the faint of heart however, so trainers with such ambitions should make sure that they don’t bite off more than they can chew!

In the Great Marsh, only a few Drapion are present at any given time, to ensure that the remaining wild pokémon population isn’t damaged uncontrollably. Though it is technically allowed to attempt to capture a Drapion during a Safari-outing, many ultimately opt to go for a Skorupi instead, due to Drapion’s rarity, aggression and renowned resistance to capture.

We will ignore the clear signs of a lurking Skorupi for now, allowing it to remain lying in wait for its eventual next meal, and instead carry on to-

Ran closes the book with a decisive snap, looking out over the waters which the ship is still cutting through, as the sheer impact of what he’s just read finally fully sinks in.

Bugsy really did give him a pokémon with a ton of potential. One desired by hordes of trainers. A pokémon with enough raw potential to be ‘extremely sought-after’. Not only for its poison-dark-typing, which itself remains an enormous coup, but for its overall power and ability as well! So Bugsy didn’t just give him a complete and total answer to his team’s current main defensive weakness to the psychic-typing, but one of considerable might in his own regard at that. A pokémon renowned for its battle prowess and strength…

Worst of all… Bugsy must know. Because he gifted it to Ran partially because Drapion doesn’t retain the bug-typing. So either Bugsy thinks Ran can’t get Skorupi to evolve, that he won’t be able to handle Drapion’s temper post-evolution, or… Bugsy genuinely gave him an astonishing reward that forces Ran to completely re-evaluate everything he’s ever thought of Azalea Town’s Gym Leader.

Which is just not an option.

In what has to be a moment of the universe actively working against him, his pokégear chooses that exact moment to vibrate with an incoming message. Somehow, it isn’t even that surprising to see Bugsy’s name glaring up at him from the small screen.

Opening the message reluctantly, Ran’s conflicted feelings only worsen further, as reads what Bugsy sent him.

Bugsy: Hi Ran!

Bugsy: I had some business with Whitney and she mentioned that you put on an impressive performance against her! Congratulations on winning your third badge!

Bugsy: From what she told me, it must have been quite the sight to see. I look forward to watching some of your matches later in the season, when you reach the higher badge tiers and your performances start to get recorded.

Bugsy: Feel free not to tell me, but I admit to some curiosity on your plans for the immediate future. Are you planning to challenge Chuck or Morty next? Alternatively, if you’re still in the area, I’m also happy to hear that your Spinarak evolved. If you’re interested, I’d be more than happy for you to swing by Azalea Town again to see if I can’t offer you a few pointers on really getting the most out of her, now that she’s an Ariados!

Bugsy: If that’s something you’re interested in, please do get in touch and I’ll make sure to try and clear some room in my schedule. Good luck with your journey!

Now even more conflicted than before, Ran closes his pokégear in frustration, the brusqueness of his motions startling Skorupi for a moment, as the deck chair shakes in place.

Why would Whitney and Bugsy discuss him? What else did they talk about? What’s with the interest in his next challenge? Is Bugsy keeping an eye on him? Is he going to reach out to Chuck and/or Morty in advance of Ran’s arrival? To what end?

Ran was never particularly close to the old Gym Leader, but surely Walter never kept such close track of the unsponsored trainers hailing from Azalea Town? For that matter, he’d be surprised if Walter even used to keep close track of his actually sponsored trainers. Well, with the exception of Clarence, of course. The other water-specialist was always Walter’s favorite.

But is this going to be the norm for Bugsy’s tenure? Is he contacting Spencer in the same way? Is he tracking his progress as well? What about whoever Bugsy’s sponsored trainer is? Is Bugsy keeping in touch with them as well? Maybe he’s trying to figure out Ran’s route so that he can send his sponsored trainer after him, to try and humiliate Ran by letting him get beaten by another Azalea Town native, in the same way as Bugsy himself once did?

That has to be it.

He’s trying to lure him into a false sense of comfort and security, by awarding him a pokémon with exceptional potential, but which Bugsy wrongly assumes Ran to be incapable of fostering. How dare he!

This won’t stand. He’s not going to fall for such tricks. He’ll just ignore Bugsy’s messages and prove just how good of a trainer he is by not only evolving Skorupi, but by using Drapion to defeat Bugsy, when Ran eventually returns in triumph, to challenge the Gym Leader’s Elite team. Yes, that sounds perfect.

His jaw, which he hadn’t noticed the tensing of as he tried to puzzle through Bugsy’s intentions, slowly unclenches. He gets up out of his seat and, after hurriedly putting his book, previously still lying in his lap, in his backpack, wanders over to the railing. Behind him, Skorupi tentatively follows, clearly less than enthusiastic about approaching the edge but also wanting to stay close to his trainer.

With an explosive sigh, Ran leans on the railing, looking out over the water as, in the distance, Cianwood City gradually becomes visible on the horizon. He can feel a pulling on his pant leg, as Skorupi tentatively crawls his way upwards, letting out a pleased chitter when he manages to properly settle on Ran’s back again. Clearly, from his usual perch, Skorupi’s earlier aversion to the proximity of the water below is forgotten.

It’s that comforting presence on his back, along with the familiar weight of the rest of his team’s pokéballs on his belt, which slowly eases his mood, his raised temper falling once more. The sun shines overhead, the smell of salt in the air is still novel and he’s traveling by boat for the first time in his life. No matter what Bugsy is plotting or planning, he’ll find a way to overcome those challenges in time. For now, he’s happy to enjoy the journey.