“C’mon! One last Tackle!”
“Zaaag!”
“Ski-Skitty!”
With one final push of effort, Zigzagoon crashes its body into the wild Skitty, both Pokémon already bruised and battered from the scuffle. Pushed back, and landing prone on the ground, the pink cat Pokémon lies unconscious for a moment, before swiftly awakening and springing away into the undergrowth lining the route.
“Zig! Zagoon!”
Rushing back to his trainers feet, Zigzagoon gives a quick bark, before diving back into the tall grass. Weaving back and forth through the grass, Zigzagoon’s nose is pressed snuffling to the ground, while his tail rises into the air like a flag.
Basil let out an amused chuckle, long since used to this behaviour from his partner. Zigzagoon were gatherer’s by nature, and would track down and collect anything that caught their interests. In the wild, this led them to gathering berries and roots, which they would often share with their packs. Along the more heavily travelled routes, where Pokémon trainers would be challenged by each other and wild Pokémon alike, Zigzagoon had developed a reputation for collecting lost items. In other words, they had developed the Pickup ability.
The tell-tale prickle of fur against ankles, drew Basil’s awareness back towards his feet, where Zigzagoon had rubbed alongside the walking trainer. A deep blue stain was hastily licked from Zigzagoon’s chops, as the Pokémon removed the evidence of its latest conquest.
Truly the Oran Berries of Route 116 trembled in fear.
Of the eight Gyms in the Hoenn region, four were easily accessible from Rustboro. Rustboro Gym, was the obvious choice for a first Gym, and also the first to be eliminated from the short list. Basil was under no illusions about his own skills as a trainer. Going up against a Rock Type specialist, with only a lightly trained Zigzagoon did not forecast great things.
To the south, through Petalburg woods, was the ferry connection to Dewford Town and further along from that Petalburg City itself.
Dewford Town was another easy write off. Fighting Types? In this Normal Type economy? No thanks. In addition to this type disadvantage, with no flying or surfing Pokémon on the team, there was a real risk of getting stranded out in Dewford territory. Sure he could pay for the ferry there, but an unlucky string of Gym losses could set him back to working odd jobs out of the Pokécenter.
Petalburg City was home to the Normal Type Gym and the Normal-Typed Master Norman Maple. A relatively quick, familiar journey and a relatively simple Gym to face. Not only would it provide a reasonable challenge, but surely the Normal Gym would be able to provide some insight on training and raising normal types?
But, Basil recalls, that sounded… boring.
Past Petalburg there wasn’t really anywhere else to go. He would have to back track back to Rustboro and be faced with the same dilemma on where to go next. Sure, maybe he could catch something that would open up his options, both Type wise and terrain wise, but wishful thinking would only get Basil so far. What he really wanted was options.
So here they were, nearly a day's travel along the sloping paths of Route 116. Aiming past Verdanturf, beyond Route 117 and to the beating electric heart of Hoenn, Mauville City.
Having been completely re-designed a few years prior, Mauville City had been developed into an icon for clean energy and eco-urbanism. With a ring-like structure modelled after Kalos’s Lumiose City and rooftop gardens for people and Pokémon alike, Mauville was a marvel of engineering and a sight to behold. Or at least, that’s what the travel brochure from the Pokémart said.
Mauville city was the central hub of Hoenn, and saw people from all walks of life pass through it. This meant trainers and their Pokémon, it meant department stores and novel items and it meant that there would be no shortage of work that needs doing. Basil, like many others before him, looked to Mauville and saw opportunity.
Of course he couldn’t actually see the city at the moment, due to the mountain in the way.
Basil had at least a day or two of walking ahead before reaching the entrance to Rusturf tunnel, the next leg on the trek to Mauville. Fiddling with the strap of his bag, Basil absently followed Zigzagoons chaotic trail, the afternoon sun against his back.
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The days travelling the route had passed without incident. The odd wild Pokémon had challenged them, vocalising loudly and stanced for combat. Zigzagoon was able to handle a majority of the challengers, though the duo would often need to stop for a rest afterwards before continuing.
Basil had encountered a handful of trainers along the route, all intently focused on training their new teams, adding to their existing ones or simply enjoying the pleasant weather. The only battle he had been challenged to was against a young man in his late teens with a hulking Swampert loyally at his side. Needless to say Basil responded by frantically denying and apologising to the trainer, Zigzagoon peering out from behind his ankles all the while.
The nights went smoothly as well. The one person tent had proven to be a sound investment and Zigzagoon proved to double as a great weighted blanket. There had been one memorable occasion where Basil had been woken up by the sounds of heavy footfalls and snuffling outside the heavy tarp of the tent. Though after a minute of breath holding and thinking quiet thoughts, the visitor ambled off back into the night. Zigzagoon slept through the whole thing, typical.
After two and a bit days of travel, Basil had arrived at the entrance to Rusturf tunnel. On the other side, a short 20 minute walk was Verdanturf.
Two things caught Basil’s attention as he approached the mouth of the tunnel. To the right, up against the mountain face stood an embossed stone plinth, which at a glance, detailed the history and development of the tunnel.
To the left of the tunnel was a man dressed in sensible dark blue outdoors gear, with a vivid red vest and hat. On the lapel of the vest was a small symbol, one that Basil recognised from a particularly dry lesson during his trainer school. The Pokémon Rangers.
The ranger caught his eye as he approached.
"Mornin'! How's your travel been treating you?" The ranger greeted.
"Pretty good, pretty good." Basil replied, slipping into the familiar small talk "It's a good day for it."
"Sure is! You looking to go through the tunnel?" Taking a few steps towards Basil the ranger gestured with an open palm "I'm going to need a badge check before letting you through"
"Oh, I -uh -don't have any? That's actually what we're aiming for this season." Sheepishly Basil gave a small shrug.
The ranger blinked before giving a large grin.
"That's all good man! Never too late to give it a go!" Saying this the ranger towards his belt, and grabbed the handheld radio off of it. "I can let you through the tunnel still, I'll just need to come along as you've got less than two badges. Give me a sec to make a call in and we can be on our way."
With a quick thumbs up from Basil, the ranger quickly called in through his radio. After a short discussion the ranger had apparently received the go ahead to be turned back to Basil.
"So, a quick debrief while we wait for one of my coworkers to relieve me." The ranger began clapping his hands together "I'm Ranger Zachary, please just call me Zack, and I'll be taking you through Rusturf tunnel. A level two badge restriction is in place for the moment as the local Exploud colonies had a late litter this year. The newly born Whismur are very sensitive to sound, and their parents are very sensitive to their kids being upset."
"Makes sense" Basil interjects "But, shouldn’t it be a bit higher than two badges?”
“Nah” Zack replies dismissively “The Exploud here are pretty docile. They’ll chase off anyone who’s making too much noise or upsetting the Whismur but they don’t want to hurt anyone. We’re just making sure any rookies or non-trainers don’t get in over their heads. Anyways…”
With a quick flick of his wrist, Zack grabs one of his Pokéballs, releasing it next to him. Out of the red light forms a bipedal, purple pig. The Grumping lets out a yawn, before stretching its arms out behind it.
“This is my partner, Grumpig. He’ll be with us while we’re in the tunnel. In the event of an emergency Grumping will be able to teleport us out, doing so takes a lot out of him so it’s not something we do unless absolutely necessary.” Turning his head slightly Zack looks back into the cave. “While we’re in there you need to follow mine and Grumpigs instructions at all times. If we tell you to do something you follow it swiftly and safely. No noise louder than a whisper, and no unnecessary talking. Keep your Pokémon in their balls and watch where you step. Travelling through the tunnel should only take 30 minutes at most, should we not radio back within this timeframe additional rangers will be dispatched to rescue us. Any questions?”
“How likely are we to actually run into anything?” Basil asked with growing trepidation.
“Oh, pretty unlikely.” Zack replied cheerily “They tend to stay off the main path unless looking for a trainer to challenge.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
A rustle of grass grabbed their attention, as a middle aged woman, dressed in the same ranger uniform as Zack, stepped into the conversation.
“Howdy, Zack.” The woman spoke, freckles crinkling as she smiled “I’ll take over the watch from here.”
“Hey Mary, anything I can grab from Verdanturf for the outpost while I’m over there?” Zack replied, patting down his pockets in a final check as Basil watched on.
“Nothing we really need, but I doubt anyone would say no to something sweet.”
“Sounds good.” Turning away from his fellow ranger with a wave, Zack and Grumpig start toward the tunnel motioning for Basil to follow. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road!”
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The Rusturf Mountain sits south of Mt.Chimney, and is part of the same mountain range as Hoenn’s dormant volcano. Separating Rustoboro in the west from the central Hoenn Plateau, for many years trainers and travellers were forced to either detour through Slateport in the south or Fallabor in the north. The mountain itself is steep and treacherous, making it difficult for the development of a route over the mountain. Attempts to do so in the past resulted in failure, as any paths over the mountain required extensive use of Pokémon in order to traverse.
While these paths remain in place to this day, and are frequented by advanced trainers who are able to rely on their teams, they are unable to be passed through without Pokémon assistance. In order to become a league sanctioned route, the terrain must be safely traversable without the use of Pokémon, with perhaps the only exception being sea based routes which see travel either by Pokémon or commercial transport vessels.
Eight years ago, the Rusturf Tunnel was designated as an official route, following extensive hand based work to avoid disturbing the existing population within the cave network below Rusturf Mountain. Ever since, the tunnel and adjacent routes have seen an increase in foot traffic as trainers make their way to and from Rustboro and Mauville. Thanks to this increase in foot traffic the trainer and tourism scene in Verdanturf itself has exploded in popularity, netting the city a tidy profit.
Carefully following the Pokémon Ranger, Basil cannot help but feel uneasy walking through the tunnel. Every footstep, every shuffle of dust on stone and every careful exhale still feel too loud, as the sound bounces and echoes off the worn stone walls of the tunnel.
Up ahead of Basil is Zack, an electric lantern in hand, who moves silently along the path. Behind Basil, and bringing up the rear, is Zack’s Grumpig who mirrors the ease that his trainer displays. As Basil makes eye contact with Grumpig it gives a little wave of its hoof-hand before gesturing Basil forward.
After walking for what feels like 15 minutes, Basil had to believe that they were nearing the exit. The confined space and lack of clear landmarks was beginning to disorient Basil, regardless of the fact they had been keeping in a straight path. Every couple of 100 metres they would pass by caves and other openings that branched out away from the tunnel proper and into the wider cave system. Plaques and simple fences, which wouldn’t stop a wild Pokémon but would hopefully stop a wild trainer, were put up along each of these openings, yet part of Basil was whispering that they had somehow slipped down a wrong turn somewhere, destined to be lost underground.
This growing fear only heightened as Basil found himself stumbling over a sudden rise in the floor, arms spiralling wildly as he tried to silently right himself. A sensation not unlike a tight blanket enveloped him, lifting him slightly and righting his position. As Basil was set down, the psychic energy disengaging, he turned to give Grumpig a grateful smile.
Behind Grumping, on the edge of the lantern’s light, a large shape lumbered towards them. A set of tubes crowned its head, its clawed legs slamming into the ground with a shake, yet with no sound. Grumpig spins around at the sight of Basil shocked into expression of distress, staring down the Exploud who continues to silently approach with its hands grasped together.
A hand on Basil’s shoulder made him jump, biting down on his tongue painfully to keep from yelling. Zack’s eyes were losing an eerie glow, as he pushed past Basil stepping between him and the Exploud, that now was only a few scant metres away.
Standing firm next to Grumpig, Zack only watches as Exploud completes their approach. Basil surreptitiously pulls an empty Pokéball from his bag. Basil was under no illusion that he could catch the Exploud, but even on a failed capture if the ball makes contact with the Pokéball it will be sucked in for a scant few moments while the ball attempts to capture it. A few moments of head start against a raging Exploud would be more than worth the 100 Poké cost of the ball.
Yet, the Exploud made no move to attack, or even chase them out, simply standing with its hands clasped in front of it. Still staring at Zack, in his bright recognisable ranger uniform, the Exploud let out a huff exhaling from its tubes. Suddenly the oppressive silence was gone, the breathing of the loud creature could be heard reverberating throughout the tunnel. A frantic high pitched and painful squeaking could be heard as well, muffled as it was by the Explouds leathery hands.
With a sharp motion that caused the three of them to tense up, Exploud shoved their arms forward. The squeaking noise that was coming from within their hands, being presented to the party. After another moment, Zack cautiously steps forward into the Exploud’s space, who opens their hands a fraction.
From between the gap formed in the hand, a blue fuzzy face with large ears popped out shrieking and squeaking. The remainder of the body remained firmly grasped, as Exploud once again made a shoving motion to the group. The Zubat in her hands squeaked in displeasure, and began to gnaw and bite at the unbothered Exploud’s hands.
Zack took a moment too long for Exploud’s patience, who’s eyes had landed on Basil and the Pokéball in his hands. Lightly shoving past the duo of Zack and Grumpig, who hastily moved to keep themselves in front of the Exploud, the black pearls on Grumpig’s body starting to shimmer with Psychic Type energy.
Standing in front of Basil, who was tightly flanked by the ranger and the Pokémon, Exploud once more shoved Zubat forward, making deliberate eye contact with Basil’s Pokéball. The Loud Noise Pokémon let out another huff, the force of the air rocking Basil back as the Pokémon narrowed its eyes in displeasure.
Acting quickly, with sweaty palms and a hope that he had interpreted the Explouds desires properly, Basil brought the Pokéball to the wriggling Zubat’s head. Clutching the ball tightly, Basil felt it jerk in his grip.
Once, twice and… Gotcha!
Still clutching the ball in his grip, Basil looks up to the towering Exploud. A satisfied look graces its oversized features, as it lets out another burst of air from its tubes, the sounds once again vanishing. Then, with little preamble, it turns and silently returns the way it came, with silent steps kicking up dust from the tunnel floor.
Basil watches its departure in a haze, only breaking from his stupor as Grumpig and Zack begin to support his shaky legs. With a quick shake of his head and finger to his lips, Zack makes it clear that it’s not wise to talk yet. With another set of hand signs, a point at himself with one hand, Basil with the other, then the Basil hand following the Zack hand the group start moving again.
Staggering out into the sunlight, Basil leans forward with one hand resting on his knee, taking deep breaths as Zack speaks into the radio. Grumpig approaches, poking at the Pokéball on his hip with a Psychic impulse.
As Zigzagoon bursts out it takes the little dog only a moment to see the traces of distress in Basil’s face. With a tackle, Basil is knocked over backwards as Zigzagoon whines and smothers Basil with attention. Zubat’s Pokémon remained clenched in his hand, even as his other arm was dedicated to lightly batting Zigzagoons sandpaper tongue away from his face.
“Augh, quit it! You’ve got dog breath!”
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“Then, that's everything. Thank you for your time today, everyone”
Five tired people sat around a long table, scattered with notes and paper. A whiteboard had been wheeled into the room at some point, and was covered in indecipherable writing. More than a few empty mugs lay discarded around the room, which had the AC set just a bit too low to be comfortable.
These were the five most deadly trainers in the Hoenn region.
At the head of the table stood Wallace, the reigning champion, his ever present smile dull and brittle.
“Ugh, finally…” The tall lanky man in a rumpled dress shirt spoke, running his hand across his mohawk-like patch of dark purple hair as he did “These damn meetings always fucking drag on…”
“Language, Sidney” Came the cold voice of the Ice Specialist, Glacia. Though her rebuke lacked the normal steel it did, undermined as it was by the way she had been staring off into the distance for the last fifteen minutes.
Opposite them, Elite Four Drake was as unyielding as always, his back straight and at attention as his coat hung over the back of his chair.
“Yes, well we’re done now Sidney.” Wallace replied with a tired chuckle. “By all means don’t let us keep you any longer”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Pushing his chair away from the table, and standing up with a groan, Sidney was already halfway out the door to the meeting room as he shouted back “I’ll let you know how my lead goes! If you need me, don’t!” The door slamming shut behind him, vibrating in its frame.
“As uncouth as dear Sidney can be, I believe I will follow his example.” Glacia declared, rising from the table and pushing Sidney’s discarded chair back into place. Glacia’s eyes flicker over the other half of the table, before resting on the final figure, half asleep with their head in their hands, even as her shadow writhes along the ground behind her.
“Come along dear Phoebe.” Glacia commanded, jolting the younger woman awake. “I wanted to discuss some ideas I had for Froslass with you, before you disappear to Mt.Pyre again.”
“Hmm…? Oh yeah, sounds great…” picking herself up, the tanned woman follows Glacia out of the room, the two of them falling into an easy conversation.
As the door clicks shut behind them the room is silent.
“Wallace.”
“Drake… Are you sure I can’t change your mind?”
“Hah. No, Wallace. I’m sure of my decision.”
“Then it's official. I'll leave it to you to make the announcement."
"Thank you, Wallace. I should've taken Moore's advice sooner…"
"But after Sootopolis and Steven stepped down… I'm not sure how we - how I would have managed without you."
"You would've been fine. For all your style you've got more than enough substance to back it up. Besides… the old guard needs to step aside at some point."
"Except for Wattson."
"Haha! Except for Wattson indeed! You'll have to pry the Gym from his cold, dead hands!"
"Ahaha…"
"Ha! Regardless, things will be fine. You've kept us afloat for this long after all."
"Then I guess I have no choice but to believe you. Speaking of the changing of the guard, what do you think? About the exhibition match. About Wally."
“Bah! I didn't watch the match, they all start to blur together after a few decades. No, I think that if he truly deserves to take the mantle of an Elite Four he’ll have to take it from me, retirement or no.”
“Haa… I don't know why I'm surprised. Should I schedule one of the League fields then?”
“And turn us into one of your shows? No, I’ll find the lad myself. See if he’s got what it takes to fill these old boots.”
“You’re not that old, Drake.”