This last journey around Hoenn would probably be the last one I would ever have to make and I was going to do it in the right order.
Rustboro, Dewford, Mauville, Lavaridge, Petalburgh, Fortree, Mossdeep and finally Sootopolis. Disregarding the games, it was also the route trainers typically did the Gyms these days. That was according to the fledgling internet that wasn’t quite as entrenched in society as it had been in mine but still was pretty useful.
It was a lot of travelling, but then I’d had practice at finding my way through the wilderness and there were areas that were connected enough via other means that I wouldn’t feel the need to travel by foot. I probably would where I could, if only for the enjoyment of it, but there were advantages to settling down somewhere properly.
A proper home. Somewhere I could sit down in a quiet room on a comfy chair with either a laptop to write in or something good to read and I'd be happy. Don’t get me wrong, travelling had been interesting but I’d always had a yearning for somewhere to call mine. I wanted to settle down and I was finally giving in to that urge.
Dewford obviously wouldn’t be it. For one they already had a Gym and otherwise I could already tell that the environment didn’t agree with me.
I watched over the railing as the ship carrying myself and the rest of its cargo of passengers came to rest in the port. This was my second destination on my journey to be recognised and accepted by the Gym Leaders, to getting that home I wanted.
Dewford was a very sunny, semi-tropical island and I grimaced again at the intense sunshine, shielding my eyes as I walked down the ramp into the little island. The boat had been hot inside without much air conditioning and outside hadn’t been much better. A breeze ran past, doing little to cool me down. I spotted a sand devil spinning around on one corner of the pier.
I didn’t like sand, to be honest. It was coarse and itchy and really did get everywhere if you let it, especially shoes. I preferred lush forests, open fields and the more urban areas to the intense heat of this sun beating down on me. It was why I’d avoided visiting Dewford before.
I should’ve really thought about putting on more weather suitable clothes but most of the rest of Hoenn was pretty temperate, or just wet, north of Slateport. Instead I had my usual smart pants, a jacket and shirt with no tie and leather boots suitable for travelling and I knew that whatever I did they were going to be full of sand by the time I was done here.
Gardevoir skipped ahead of me, spinning on her feet and looking around the place with a cheerfully interested trill of noise.
Dewford was a fairly small little island settlement. There were some paved streets leading from the docks into the town proper. Dewford was also a holiday destination and I spotted people who had to be from other regions based on their appearances, holiday goers here for the sun and surf who probably found Slateport a bit too commercial and busy.
I wasn’t here for either the saltwater or the sand, but I knew Brawly was a surfer. So I anticipated I might find him if I found a beach somewhere. I could head straight to the Gym of course but to be truthful I just wanted to get some shade and a cold drink. I didn’t fancy trying to be social or impress anyone right now and it wasn’t like I couldn’t choose to take my time.
Sensing my intent, Leah rejoined me, holding onto my arm as she tended to do and looking around at the sights. There were plenty of touristy spots and just like in my last lifetime Galarians liked the taste of home when on holiday too. The Blue Pyroar offered plenty of Galarian fare, including the shade and cold, fizzy drink that I had been craving.
Leah wasn’t going to just let me go hide in a dark corner in the back where it was cooler though, she was too social for that and liked people watching. So we wound up compromising by sitting outside under an umbrella, a good spot to look over at the path running between the beach and the fronts of the restaurants, cafes and little shops that overlooked the ocean.
I decided to pull out my laptop. Now was as good a time as any to try and plot out whatever I was going to write next. Maybe a sequel to something?
Well I had ideas for another sequel to Trainers Colliding and that was what made me most of my money. But I really wanted to write something actually worth thinking about. Something with a bit of gravitas to it.
Poke-Gone had been the working title of a concept I'd had for a long time and I'd fleshed it out a bit here over the last few years but never taken the time to start it.
Drawing on my last life, I'd decided to write a reversal of some of the fanfiction stories I once remembered. Those had been a what-if, where Pokemon appeared in the real world and people had to survive and I'd started writing one of those myself once upon a time. Poke-Gone would be the reverse. What if all the Pokemon disappeared to be replaced with regular wild animals?
It was going to be a great work of fiction, I was sure of it. I could make some real commentary on the importance of Pokemon to this world and the natural ecosystems. Nothing groundbreaking in terms of themes but it'd definitely be a new take on the ideas I'd be talking about.
Currently the plot was planned to be three trainers in the wild, who have to find their way back to civilization when the Pokemon disappear, replaced by regular wild animals that didn’t have any Pokemon attacks or anything, but which were wild and dangerous in their own ways and the trainers wouldn’t have their teams to protect them in a suddenly harsher world.
I went through some notes about environments and natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides or tidal waves. Shamouti Island could be a good setting too. As without the local Legendary Pokemon there was a good chance the region would undergo some fairly calamitous weather, but I didn't necessarily want people calling to ask uncomfortable questions if or when that prophecy came true. It hadn’t happened yet but I wasn’t ruling it out.
I’d checked for the events I knew from the anime and manga and hadn’t had any luck. So I knew either I had arrived pre-canon or I’d arrived in a Pokemon World devoid of protagonists. Professor Oak existed of course, but it was quite a bit harder to find publicly available records of say May Maple, Norman Maple’s daughter, and I didn’t necessarily want the attention from doing so either.
I made a few notes on the first few chapters of the original idea I’d had for Poke-Gone. It was annoying but as usual I was struggling to get past the first few chapters. I kept having ideas for changes and never got around to the later parts. I knew I just needed to settle for a plot, but I’d never managed to do so yet. The need to make it perfect was holding me back from progressing.
Absent-mindedly I took a swig of the deliciously cold drink that must have been put beside me when I wasn’t paying attention. I’d been running myself around in circles over this story for literal years at this point. It was probably best to think about something else.
I had plenty of other ideas and plenty of stories from my past life to shamelessly borrow notes from. A Game of Thrones take with Pokemon was something I’d contemplated. Have different regions with different elemental affinities like some sort of pseudo Gyms, or maybe like what Roxanne had been describing to me the other day. Warlord kings or queens of their respective domains, perhaps beholden to a Dragon type King. It fit if nothing else and I could see some use for the types of respective Pokemon in terms of foreshadowing, etcetera.
I started a new tab and started writing things down before I forgot them. I didn’t have to follow Game of Thrones in its entirety, or even follow the same plot, but it was a good starting point for a new fantasy setting.
“Sir?” someone said, making me jump and I turned to look at the waitress who’d spoken to me.
“Oh, you surprised me,” I said apologetically. She was holding a plate of food, probably for me. I pushed my laptop away and she set down the food before leaving myself and Leah to our food.
I hadn’t ordered food before, just the drinks, but Leah must have gone ahead and done so for us when I wasn’t looking. I offered her a smile which was returned by my partner before she started eating some salady looking thing she’d ordered for herself. Honestly I’d probably forget to eat if it wasn’t for my Gardevoir making sure I did.
We didn’t see any surfers or anything so after our bite to eat we headed over to book a hotel for the night and once that was sorted we could make our way to the Gym. At that point it was getting dark, but it wasn’t too late. I got directions from the hotel and then we started to make our way there.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
The air was cooler now, bordering on chilly but my outfit was better suited for this kind of weather. I was also kept warm by the steady buildup of anticipation that was running through my veins.
I could sense it, a thrill of danger on the horizon. When I met Brawly we were going to battle, I was certain of it.
The Dewford Gym was built near the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. The lights were still on and the doors opened automatically as I entered.
There was the faint smell of chlorine, or some other cleaning product which partially covered up the odour of sweat and exertion. I spotted a desk with a guy in a martial arts outfit sat behind it.
“Hi!” The guy said. “You here to register? Exercise or battling?”
“Probably battling,” I replied. “I’m Harry Hemming. I’m supposed to meet Brawly but I don’t have an appointment or anything. He should have been told I was on my way,” I said politely. I was effectively in someone else’s house, after all.
“Oh great!” The Martial Artist said enthusiastically. “ I'm Hideki, the Bossman's told us to keep an eye out for you.” He quickly typed something on his computer then stood up.
“Come on, he said to take you to the stadium.”
I and Leah followed after the man, who set a brisk pace through the building. Along the way we passed a couple of other rooms with people in martial arts or exercise gear and it looked like they were either practising martial arts or doing exercise lessons.
“Gotta say I haven't seen Brawly this excited since he battled for the eighth badge last year. It was a good battle, let me tell ya,” Hideki told me.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, feeling myself tense as we continued through the building. “Do you not get many challengers at that level?”
“Generally, no,” was the answer. “Even sixth tier is hard enough to reach for most trainers at the best of times. Usually it's second through fourth we get in Dewford. I don't know how many Sootopolis or Mossdeep get though. They probably get more high badge challenges, being the later Gyms in the usual circuit.”
“That's a pity,” I said. “It might be better if it was spread out a bit more evenly amongst the Gyms.”
“Yeah I guess,” Hideki replied, but then his expression turned to amusement. “But it’s kinda funny to see people get stomped when they assume Brawly's only as strong a second badge trainer and he pulls out one of his tougher teams.”
I could picture it easily. Someone having thought they were going to steamroll a badge challenge after managing other Gyms that were supposed to be tougher. Then only to wind up short after underestimating the Gym Leader. I chuckled at the satisfying mental image and couldn't help but imagine what it might be like to be the Gym Leader in that scenario.
Maybe soon, I thought to myself. I was going to have to prove myself once I had my Gym and I would probably find some cockier people trying their luck against me.
Something to look forward to.
We came to some broad double doors.
“He’s through there,” Hideki said. “Good luck man. I dunno what about you’s got Brawly so excited but make it a good one for him, yeah? Like I said he doesn’t often get a challenger on his level.”
“I’ll certainly try my best,” I replied.
The doors opened in front of me and I strode forward confidently. It was time to prove myself to the second of my future fellow Gym Leaders.
***
At first when he’d heard the news he’d been chilled out, relaxed. He’d gone to bed like normal. But then Brawly had woken up this morning and things had felt different. He’d gone through his usual routine with a bit of cardio to wake up, a healthy breakfast and then he’d done some paperwork before going to see his team with an odd feeling of anticipation ever so slowly building.
By lunchtime that anticipation had become something a bit more. To Brawly it kind of felt like there was a big wave somewhere in the distance, daring him to try and tackle it.
Any other day he’d probably have made time for a bit of surfing, something to chill him out and maybe unwind a bit with some of his team. Brawly hadn’t wanted to leave the Gym though. He felt a need to be there at his Gym when Harry Hemming finally arrived.
To cope with the excess energy he’d instead burnt off some extra steam in the gym. Machamp had been happy to spot him for a bit and working out had helped him cool off for a little while before he’d elected to do some light training with his team. Brawly wanted to be at his best so he didn’t want any of his squad to be overworked but a warmup was always good.
At first he’d just been excited for something a bit different to the usual challengers. He’d planned on a 1v1 battle just to get an impression of Harry Hemming’s strength and honestly that was all he felt he needed to do at this point. After he’d finished with his team he’d felt a lot more relaxed and returned to his office. Paperwork was there but half an hour later he was distracted again by the returning anticipation. Brawly was now thinking of a 2v2, barely holding himself back on making it a 3v3 battle.
Then a little notification came up on his computer.
The Gym challenger was here.
“Alright!” Brawly declared. He snatched up the Pokeballs of his team and quickly headed over to the stadium.
The stadium was dark, just the way he liked it, all dramatic. The entrance doors opened to allow what had to be this Hemming dude in and then closed behind him. Brawly quickly pressed a button on his podium, activating the lights and bathing the relatively small stadium in light.
“Welcome challenger!” Brawly declared and it was then that he got a look at his opponent.
He looked a bit awkward, stiff, like someone who spent too much time in an office but he held himself up straight at least. Hemming was dressed kind of smartly and wore glasses and the Gardevoir Brawly had been told about was on the new trainer’s arm and looking around with just as much interest as its trainer.
“Hello!” Shouted back Herry Hemming, walking forward onto the grounds of the stadium and Brawly copied him. Both men met at the centre. “It’s good to meet you, Brawly,” he offered his hand.
“Same to you!” Brawly said, eagerly clasping his hand with the other guy’s. Hemming didn’t look particularly strong physically, but he had a decently firm grip. Brawly saw his eyes were a deep dark blue behind his glasses as their eyes met for just a moment before Hemming looked away. Now they were closer Brawly could see there was a slight awkwardness about him, something slightly off. Not that it mattered to him or anything.
“I have to say I like your setup,” Hemming complimented. “The location of the gym too is pretty scenic.”
“Thanks,” Brawly said. “It’s always been here since before I took over. I think back in the day it was so they could keep an eye on things around town and the water, but the views are pretty awesome come sundown.”
“I should've come earlier,” Harry replied. “Maybe another time after all this Gym business is done.”
“Definitely,” Brawly agreed, nodding.
The time for hellos was over.
“So!” you gotta get most of us to agree before we’ll let you go and build a new Gym,” Brawly said. “I think you can guess what I want from you.”
“A battle,” Harry replied. “What do you have in mind?”
“We’re not making this an official match or anything, we’ll keep it as just a friendly two on two,” Brawly told him, resisting the urge to make it a 3v3 at the last moment. “Two separate battles to knockout. No switching, each of us use a different Pokemon for each battle. I don’t care how it ends, I just wanna see if you’ve got the skills to ride the wave with the rest of us.”
“Sounds good,” Harry said.
At unspoken agreement they both turned to head towards their respective sides of the stadium. There was a small podium for each battler, overlooking the arena.
Brawly fingered the ball for his Hitmonchan, who he intended to use first. But if Harry pulled out that Gardevoir then a Hitmonchan would probably have a bad time. Psychic types that could learn Teleport were killer on Pokemon that relied on getting in close.
On the other side of the field the Gardevoir had disappeared from Hemming’s side. Brawly quickly spotted it in the stands, having sat down to watch. Harry had another ball in his hand too so he definitely wasn’t planning on using the Gardevoir.
“Alright then, that’s less of a problem,” Brawly muttered, More loudly he shouted over to Harry.
“On three let's release our Pokemon!”
“Okay!” Harry shouted back.
“One, two, three!”
Brawly threw the ball forward, intending to get Hitmonchan as close to the centre of the arena as he could. You weren’t supposed to call out a Pokemon into the opponent's side, it was bad manners even if it wasn’t against the official battle rules set out by the League.
Hitmonchan materialised, knocking his gloves together and on the other end of the arena, much closer to its trainer there appeared a…
“Mawile!” The small yellow and black Pokemon declared itself, spotting her opponent.
“I should’ve expected you to pull out one of those!” Brawly said with a laugh, recognising the Pokemon immediately.
The Mawile took stock of Hitmonchan, looking him up and down.
“Mawile, Maa wile,” she said, cocking her hip to the side.
“Hit hitmon mon,” Hitmonchan replied firmly, but with his cheeks beginning to go slightly red.
There was a bit more back and forth between the two Pokemon before Hitmonchan knocked his gloves together and the Mawile pouted, tossing her hair around and back behind her like it was actual hair.
There were Mawile in the caves, but they were fairly uncommon and not many people used them in battles on account of their steel typing. Mawile were reported to cause a bit of trouble for weaker lone trainers but were a bit further down the list of dangers in comparison to the more prevalent Aron population and their aggressively territorial evolved forms. Brawly was used to seeing and battling both species, but he’d never battled a Mawile beyond a third badge tier before.
“I’ll start us off!” Brawly shouted eagerly, feeling like a little kid as he pointed forwards towards their opponent. “Hitmonchan use Mach Punch!”
Brawly’s Hitmonchan burst forward towards the Mawile, just as eager as his trainer.
The battle was on.