Days after their training with the Sprout Tower Sages, James and Jen were beginning to make headway towards Azalea Town. They had moved through the small cutout near the southwestern edge of Violet and past the gatehouse for the Ruins of Alph. The two youngsters looked at the information board near the ruins for a minute, then continued on; they wanted to reach a good place to camp before it got too dark to travel anymore. James and Jen walked on in silence for a while, then Jen finally spoke.

"So, what kind of Pokémon does the Azalea Town Gym Leader use, James?" she asked, slowing a little. James thought for a minute, then responded.

"I'm pretty sure he uses Bug-types. If that's true, we'll both be in good shape, since each of us have Pokémon with an advantage over bugs. We shouldn't be too confident, though. Any Gym Leader is a cut above most trainers, especially beginners like us." After this exchange, the tired silence returned. The darkness was starting to close in, and the two youngsters picked up their pace. As they rounded a group of boulders, they noticed a small blue Pokémon with purple antenna-like protrusions on its large, round head. It looked like it was running from something, but neither James nor Jen could understand why. Jen drew her Pokédex and scanned the fleeing Pokémon as it looked around frantically.

"Wooper, the Water Fish Pokémon. This combination Water- and Ground-type lives in very cold water, and is coated in a slimy, toxic film. It ventures from the water when the air temperature drops."

"So that's a Wooper. I've never seen one before. Someone or something must be tracking it, if it's that spooked." Jen said quietly, watching the small Pokémon try to escape into the grass. No sooner had it turned around that a flurry of scything leaves cut through the air, slashing the Water Fish and knocking it to the ground, where it whimpered in pain. Out from behind a nearby boulder leaped a Bulbasaur, growling in triumph as it looked on its prey.

"Hey, what gives?” James shouted, all traces of fatigue gone for the moment as he searched for the source of the disturbance. “Wait, what's a Bulbasaur doing out here in the first place? Hold on..."

"Stop right there!" came a familiar voice, and following the Bulbasaur came Hunter, who had obviously been chasing the Wooper through the grass. "Bulbasaur, hold it down with Vine Whip!" As the vines caught Wooper near its antennae, it tried to fire a jet of water at Bulbasaur, but the Seed Pokémon stood firm.

"Hunter, what are you doing out here?" Jen cried, a little upset at seeing Wooper being held down, unable to defend itself; she couldn't bear to see a Pokémon suffer like that. "It's nearly dark, no-one in their right mind would be out this late! And what are you doing to that poor Wooper? Can't you see it's scared out of its mind?"

"I'm trying to catch this Wooper, if you must know!" Hunter shouted back, drawing a Pokéball and aiming carefully. "It's got strong defensive statistics, so it's a perfect addition to my team! Only problem is, I've been tracking it for two hours, and it won't stay still long enough for me to catch it. Alright, here we go!" He threw the ball and watched it hit the Water-type squarely in the forehead. The Wooper was converted to red energy and sucked into the ball, and all three kids watched as it shook several times and then stopped, the capture tone echoing through the night. As James and Jen watched, Hunter walked over to the ball and picked it up, retracting it before he stowed it on his belt. He turned to Bulbasaur and gave it a congratulatory scratch behind the ears. "Solid work, Bulbasaur. We've got a new teammate now, so you'll be able to share your workload. We're going to need to catch another one before we battle Falkner, though..." Hunter recalled Bulbasaur and then turned to the two Violet trainers.

"So, fancy running into you two again, huh?" he said, a grin finally crossing his face. "I'm trying to build up my team so I can take on the Violet Gym. Did you two battle there yet?"

"Yeah, we both beat Falkner and won a Zephyr Badge." Jen answered, opening her badge case so Hunter could see. "We were on our way to Azalea Town when you showed up."

"Well, it looks like I've got a bit of catching up to do," Hunter said with a laugh. The trio started walking along before he continued. "I will catch you guys, though, don't even think about doubting that. I just need one more Pokémon before I head back to Violet."

"Any particular Pokémon you're considering?" James asked, stifling a yawn as they neared an open spot near the side of the road. It looked like a perfect place to set up a campsite.

"Oh, I've got an idea," Hunter answered with a knowing smile. "I'm just not going to tell you. We may be friends, James, but we're rivals too. I'm not going to let you get the edge that easily."

"If you say so." James tried in vain to hold back another yawn, but fatigue had truly set in now. Cyndaquil was already asleep, but James shook him awake as they stopped to pitch their tents. As they did so, they saw two heavyset men wearing desert camoflauge pants and black shirts walk past. Jen stared after them as they left.

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"What's with those guys? They were dressed kind of funny." she asked the others. James shrugged, not really registering much due to sleepiness, and Hunter simply raised an eyebrow. The kids put up their tents and opened up some instant travel meals that James' mother had recommended they pack. Once they'd eaten, they each went into their own tent and went to sleep.

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The next morning, the three youngsters discussed their future plans over breakfast, then got ready to do some training. They released their Pokémon and watched as they ran around and got warmed up for the training session. About five minutes in, Hunter turned to James.

"Hey, James, why don't we have a battle? I want to see how much better I've gotten, and I also want to see how my rival stacks up. You up for it?"

"Of course!" James answered, and turned to pick one of his Pokémon. "Hey, Pidgey, come here! We're going to battle!" Pidgey flew over and landed on his hand, her gaze as stern as usual.

"Interesting." Hunter mused, looking at Pidgey thoughtfully. "Alright, then, I'll go with Wooper. I'd like to see how my new Pokémon fares in battle." The two walked to the small battlefield and sent their Pokémon out, readying themselves for battle.

"All right, I'll start! Pidgey, use Gust!" Pidgey flapped her wings hard, creating a miniature tornado. Wooper stood its ground, refusing to be blown away. Hunter looked impressed; his focus on defense would be well-served with this kind of endurance.

"Wooper, stand firm and use Water Gun!" The Water Fish Pokémon let fly with a stream of water that forced Pidgey to fly away and get out of range. "Don't let up! Keep up that Water Gun!"

"Pidgey, Sand-Attack!" James wanted to distract Wooper long enough to get a hit in. The strategy wasn't his style, but it would have to do. The resultant cloud of sand was quickly turned to mud, which flew back at Pidgey in sticky globs. The Tiny Bird tried to get out of the way, but she couldn't evade it all and was weighed down by several clumps that stuck to her wings.

"We've got that Pidgey right where we want it! Move closer, and don't stop that Water Gun!" Still firing the attack, Wooper moved in towards its target, ready to try and finish off the battle.

"Not so fast! Pidgey, use Gust one more time!" Pidgey struggled at first, but eventually blew the mud off her wings by concentrating the tornado around herself. She glared at Wooper, who was staring back with a fierce smile on its face. Neither opponent would go down without a fight. James noticed that Wooper was moving closer, therefore closing down any maneuvering space. It wanted to get in a close-range hit, but James intended to use this strategy to his advantage. "Now, Quick Attack! Let's knock it out!" Pidgey raced at Wooper at full speed, crashing into her target and causing Wooper to break off its attacks and recover its balance.

"Way to endure that, Wooper! Don't let Pidgey of your sight!" Hunter was becoming more and more impressed by the Water- and Ground-type's endurance and refusal to go down. Wooper as a species had strong vitality and defensive ability, and he had scanned it before tracking it, finding it to have higher than normal defensive statistics. The fact that it could stand up to a fast, agile Pokémon like Pidgey gave him hope that he could take down the Violet Gym later on.

"Pidgey, keep moving and get ready to finish Wooper off!" James was getting worried. Any attempt to disrupt Wooper's line of sight would surely be cancelled out, and a direct attack would be met with similar results. He opted for the latter, hoping that Wooper would go down. "Quick Attack!"

"Stay strong and take the hit!" Hunter called as Pidgey raced towards her opponent. The attack hit home, but Pidgey stalled after the strike; Wooper was standing like a brick wall, stopping the Quick Attack cold. "Now we've got Pidgey where we want her! Water Gun!"

"No!" James cried, realizing how vulnerable Pidgey actually was. "Get out of there, now!" It was no use. Wooper unleashed a fresh blast of water, sending Pidgey crashing to the ground. As she struggled to get back in the air, Wooper ran up to her and blasted her again, ensuring that she was beaten.

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"Looks like this one's over." Hunter said, a triumphant smile crossing his face. "Way to go, Wooper, you were terrific." After recalling the Water Fish, he walked over to where James was checking on his defeated Pidgey. "Is she alright?"

"She'll be okay," James told him, disappointment in his voice. "I'll give her some medicine, and that should get her back to full health. Your Wooper was something else. I've never seen a Pokémon take hits like that before."

"It certainly impressed me," Jen added, walking over to the two combatants. "You two are quite the pair of opposites. I guess this time, defense won the battle."

"Maybe," James mused. "So, that's that done. What're we going to do now?"

"Well, you should give your Pidgey treatment right away. You'll need her at full fitness to be effective." Hunter answered. "I'm going to keep going toward the Union Cave after I heal Wooper. There should be some good Pokémon in there, and that'll bring my team up to three. How about you guys?"

"I think we should go to the Ruins of Alph." Jen said, causing both James and Hunter to look at her in confusion. "Well, we might not get to see them again until we come back from the Pokémon League. This is a perfect time to go."

"Alright, the Ruins it is," James conceded. "Azalea Town won't run away before we get there, so we might as well."

"I've heard there's some pretty cool stuff there," Hunter added. "I've got to go back to Violet after I catch my third Pokémon, and I wouldn't mind seeing the Ruins either, so I'll visit them on my way back."

"How are you going to get there?” Jen asked. “The Union Cave's at least a day away from here if you don't stop, and Violet's nearly a week in the other direction.”

“I'll find a way. Maybe somebody can give me a lift back.”

“Good luck.” James told him, and the three of them continued to train and prepare for the days ahead.