The pair of young trainers set out just after dawn back onto the last leg of route 204. There were a handful of trainers that Arthur used to give Zangoose some training, but Seedot ended up getting the most out of the fights. The lack of healing items meant that Seedot's Absorb and Leech Seed were the only healing factors available. Brendan offered a few potions, but Arthur turned them down. It was his own negligence that put him in this situation, so it would be unfair to burden his new friend with his problems. Plus the battles ended up pushing Seedot over the edge into evolution. He was disappointed it didn't happen in an epic battle, giving Seedot, now Nuzleaf, just enough power to overcome their foe and eek out a victory.

The Acorn Pokemon had just defeated some rich kid's Zigzagoon and begun to shine a bright white. Their body slowly transformed from an Acron shape to a humanoid shape, though much shorter than an actual human. Seedot had evolved into Nuzleaf and learned a ridiculous amount of new moves. Arthur was once again thankful for Brendan being here, as the boy's Pokedex allowed Arthur to learn all of Nuzleaf's new moves. They were most interested in the move Synthesis, as it allowed for a lot of healing in a short amount of time, perhaps while the opponent is swapping pokemon or if they get stunned.

The pair were soon however at the gates of Rustboro city. It loomed ahead of them, the mark of the end of their travels together. Arthur felt a mix of emotions. Nervousness at the idea of facing a Gym Leader, excitement at meeting May again, and sorrow at potentially never getting to travel with Brendan again. His research would take a lot of time, anywhere from days to weeks in the same route, observing pokemon. While he wasn't against staying in one place for a period of time, the Gym Badges were valid for two years, the constant fighting and training that he did would disturb the wild Pokemon.

"Well, this is it then," Arthur said, holding his hand out to his new friend. Brendan looked at it for a second, before grasping his hand in a firm shake. The two boys shook hands, their spark of friendship burning brightly.

"You know we will probably both be staying at the Pokemon Center, right? You're surely not going to challenge the Gym without giving Zangoose a few days of training, at least until it learns Metal Claw." Brendan said, a cheeky smile playing on his lips. Arthur quickly realized that his friend was entirely correct. His face turned slightly red, entirely out of embarrassment. The young trainer took his hand back and coughed into it.

"Yes well, lead the way, Professor," Arthur said, trying his best to recover from his stumble.

"That's Mr. Proffessor to you." Brendan joked, now laughing openly at Arthur's stumble. The younger Trainer leads the way, all the while poking at Arthur's wound. The pair followed the main road, past the Pokemart, Arthur made a mental note to stop in there after getting a room, and up to the Pokemon Center. Its bright red roof stood out amongst the grey stone that the city seemed to be almost entirely built out of. Entering the building, they found it crowded with all kinds of people. Trainers and people who owned a Pokemon as a pet were the vast majority, but there was also a small group of Rangers in one corner playing with a Breloom that was missing half its tail. Gym Trainers were also here, likely having just finished their shifts and were getting their partners checked out. They were noticeable by the badges they wore, a simple metal plate with their names engraved on it, and their Gym name.

The pair of young trainers pushed their way to the reception desk, just off to the side of the main healing area run by Nurse Joy. "We would like two rooms please," Brendan asked, pulling out his Trainer card. Arthur did the same, following his friend's lead.

The receptionist took the two cards and slotted them into a machine. "Any Pokemon with special needs?" The girl asked, her voice even and professional as she tapped away at the machine.

"I have a Slugma that needs its body fluids replenished," Brendan answered with ease, his hand unconsciously touching the third Pokeball on his belt.

"Of course, the charge will be added to your account." The receptionist clicked on a few keys and turned to face Arthur. When he gestured that his Pokemon had no special requirements, she handed them both back their trainer cards and a pair of keys. "306 and 307."

The rooms were simple affairs, a large open room with a queen bed against the wall and a room in the far corner with a large spa, more likely for larger pokemon's comfort than the trainers, and a toilet. Arthur knew from when he signed up to become a trainer and put in his application that he could pay off the room at his own pace, as well as any amenities. However, if he refused to pay, debtors with powerful psychic Pokemon would come and track him down. Basically, so long as he was at least putting in the token effort to pay, that was fine. It wasn't uncommon for many trainers to be rich one week and broke the next. However, Arthur planned on paying in full this time. He had the money, even if it would burn a hole in his funds.

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With his room acquired and checked out, Arthur asked Brendan if he wanted to go to the Pokemart. The young trainer declined the offer, citing that he wanted to prepare his stuff for some study out on route 115, checking up on the Tympole colony that had been introduced there. If the ecology was still stable, another colony of Clauncher may be added soon. So Arthur ended up heading out alone, the sun overhead beginning its downward trend.

Inside the shop was a tiled floor with rows of shelves. It wasn't very big, but it held everything a Pokemon would need. Generic Pokemon food alongside some more specialized foods, a massive selection of berries and Pokeballs, and healing items. Luckily, the generic Pokemon food was very dense, so a single large bag would last a few weeks between Zangoose and Nuzleaf, who still only needed a little amount of food and persisted mainly off of sunlight. Though once more team members were acquired Arthur knew he would need to look into getting a proper Devan backpack. His Pokemart brand one was good and all, but its space and weight reduction technology was very basic. With the shopping done, it was heavy. The Pokemon food, two more Pokeballs, four Super Potions, two of each status heal, a single Repel, and some new socks. His had a hole in them from all the hiking, and Arthur only had three pairs to his name when he set out.

With the shopping done, the young Trainer decided he would spend the day exploring the city with his Pokemon. They deserved a day off before training for the Gym. Plenty of people were walking around with their Pokemon, so why couldn't he? Releasing the pair, they both looked ready for a fight.

"Alright, team! We are having a fun day!" Arthur called out. Nuzleaf nodded, having had plenty of them back in Petalburg. Zangoose, however, looked a little confused. Fun was not something that a grown Zangoose had very often, and even for the young cubs, their version of 'fun' would be attacking a stick pretending it was a Seviper. The young trainer pulled out a map of the city he had gotten from the Mart.

"There are three things I want to check out before the day is out, so we gotta be quick!" Arthur declared, excitement leaking from his voice and infecting his Pokemon. "First is the docks. There is said to be a magician who performs down there with his Chatot, if we hurry we can still catch his last act for the day. Second is Devon Corp's museum. Not the most interesting of places, but it explains the progress of Pokeball Technology from the old wood and stone handcrafted design to the modern sleek and cool metal balls. They even sell replicas of the old Pokeballs, and I want one. Lastly is the Pokepark. It's a little on the small side, but some interaction with other Pokemon not on our team or battling will do you both well."

With the afternoon's plans laid out, the three began their run around the city. Arthur took the lead, though Zangoose and Nuzleaf stayed close on his heels, their speed and stamina much greater than their trainers. Soon the trio arrived at the docks, just as the magician was beginning his last act. A fair-sized crow had formed, and there was even a sign that held the times of the performances.

The act started simple, playing card tricks and hoops connecting and disconnecting, then came out Chatot and things went up a notch. One of the pair would often distract the crowd, while the other did the 'magic'. Chatot pulling coin appears behind someone's ear, the magician suddenly having someone's wallet. There was even a part where Chatot disappeared into the magician's cloak, then reappeared from behind the crowd. Once the show was over, the young trainer heard someone who looked to be an experienced traveller say something about there being two Chatots, but he chose to ignore this person and keep the wonder alive. Nuzleaf seemed to have enjoyed the show a lot, but Zangoose looked like they just wanted to fight the Chatot the entire time.

Next was the museum. There was a small entry fee of twenty Pokedollars, but Arthur paid it gladly. The exhibit started off with how the island chain of Hoenn was settled by nomadic people who used water-type Pokemon to travel the oceans as partners. Upon discovering Hoenn, the group split into two. One group controlled the main island and adapted to using mainly Fire Types, while the nomadic people settled on the surrounding islands and kept mostly to their watery roots. It would take almost four hundred years before these two groups were once again unified into what was now Hoenn and became one people again. This was mainly thanks to the introduction of the Pokeball, brought in from the Johto region.

After the infodump came the recreations of the old Pokeballs. The master craftsmanship of the original Apricorn balls into the easier-crafted Apricorn and Tumblestone balls. Then the metal was slowly added to the mix, first just being used for the clasp to make catching and storage easier, then reinforcing the ball, all the way until the modern Pokeball. There were more than a few steps backward, such as a picture of a giant stone Pokeball said to hold a powerful Pokemon that the exhibit dismissed as a myth.

With the exhibit looked at, Arthur and his Pokemon went to the gift shop. He wished he had more time to explore the rest of the museum, but it was clear that neither of his Pokemon was enjoying the museum, even if he was reading the exhibits out to them. Throwing away some more money, the young trainer brought a functional Hisui Pokeball. For almost a thousand Pokedollars. He was now broke. Arthur never planned on using it, but it was cool to have it nonetheless.

Finally, the trio went to the Pokepark where they stayed until dark, roughly an hour. This is where the two Pokemon had the most fun. Nuzlock ended up amassing a small army of pet Pokemon and having them 'attack' Zangoose, who fended them off without actually using its claws. Since most of them were on the smaller side, they just got lightly thrown away. That was until a Graveler decided it wanted to play and crash-tackled Zangoose. The Trainer apologized profusely, but all was well in the end.

Finally, the trio returned to the Pokecenter, ate some dinner with Brendan's team, and went to bed.