The sun was dipping below the horizon at this point, and the ship had been on the sea for at least two weeks already. It seemed that they planned on gathering everyone before Professor Fern would appear and finally and truly begin their journey. Yui thought it was strange, especially the things she heard about the Professor, that he was a war veteran, that he was very different from the other Professors and made sure you knew it. There were other more outlandish stories, but these were spread by the multitude of 10 year olds running amok on the ship.

Regarding the passengers, there were easily 200 people aboard, a mixture of children ages 10-17, with the younger ones being the most numerous. There were already a handfull who already had Pokemon, and out of the 200 who had found themselves aboard, somehow Yui was the only one cradling an egg in her arms. Her simple presence due to this fact, drew attention, children and even a few adults, be they parents who refused to let their children go alone or simply employees of the ship. They all had their guesses as to what would hatch from the egg.

Those who had Pokemon often gathered together to debate with each-other using their minimal knowledge, by either trying to battle or simply showing off their Pokemon. Yui kept to herself for the most part, hiding away at the edges of the crowds and only appearing at important events, though at this stage in the journey those were few and far inbetween until Fern arrived.

He arrived suddenly and silently, standing atop a small stage on the main deck of the ship. His simple presence drew the crowd without an announcement. " Hello, and welcome to the world of Pokemon. " He did not yell, he simply spoke evenly above the hushed whispers. He held no smile, only a face of sheer determination as he slid a poke-ball between his fingers from hand to hand. He was dressed in fine clothes, and had nearly pure white hair that was clearly well cared for. " My name as you should well know, is Fern. People call me a Pokemon Professor. This world is inhabited by creatures called Pokemon! At the final word, he casually tossed the poke-ball over his shoulder, releasing a rather large Noctowl that wore an eyepatch over it's left eye. " For some people, Pokemon are pets. Others use them for fights. Myself, I study Pokemon as a profession. " There was a short commotion in the crowd at the sight of the Noctowl, it looked old, and regarded the sea of infants as if it were debating on what it wanted for lunch.

After Professor Fern's short speech, he casually mentioned that, like on the advertisements for the cruise had said, that those without Pokemon would have a chance at one of the many caught by Professor Fern, if they wished such. Following Professor Fern were several other adults, who seemingly represented occupations that involve Pokemon. There was a Nurse Joy, a Police Officer, A Pokemon Breeder, A contest winner, a gym leader or two and many more. It seemed that at any time during this halfway point on the cruise, those interested could learn from the adults who have made a living working with pokemon. Yui sat silently at the far rear of the crowd, settled in a lounge chair with her egg nestled in her arms. She would wait for the crowds to go down before properly exploring and asking questions of the adults available.

The open sea! The fresh air! The beautiful blue skies! The huge... Crowd of people.

... He wasn't used to this at all.

Desmond stared out at the open sea. While he was uncomfortable being out of his safe zone, he did have to admit there were Pokemon around here he wouldn't normally see at the lab. He knew what a Wingull was, as they were common in Orre, but seeing them fly free over the open sea what something else. That's the same kind of freedom he had been locking himself away from, wasn't it? He could go anywhere: He could do anything. But he had chosen to sit inside and read.

He had boarded a few days ago, and honestly was enjoying the change, despite his discomforts. He had applied sunscreen, but his pale complexion wasn't good for the sun and left him a little red and burnt. It wasn't severe, but it was annoying. Dealing with the itchy sunburn was potentially the first trial of this journey: Aside from being almost too nervous to board the boat in the first place. Thankfully he managed to enter along with the small horde of rookie trainers wanting to make their big entrance.

Pokemon Trainers. Desmond didn't think poorly of them, but wasn't sure how much heart he had to put into battling. Was that going to be an issue in his journey? This was all more for research purposes rather than for glory: Gyms weren't his thing... Neither was the huge facility back in Orre known as Mt. Battle. Or the Colosseum's back home, either.

His father had said it might be dangerous in the wild, though... He'd probably have to figure out a way to avoid too much conflict.

Before he could get more lost in thought, it seemed that something big had started to gather the attention of everyone around the boat. It was that man; Professor Fern. A lot different than Desmond's father, for sure. His dad did field work, but mostly stayed in the lab until he was needed. This man was sailing across the regions, picking up trainers, and bringing them all together. Certainly broader and more expansive than anything Desmond had witnessed before.

" That Fern sure is something, isn't he? "

" Eh? " Desmond blinked, turning his head to notice someone was standing beside him; A young woman, shoulder-length red hair and around his height. He shifted somewhat to make a slight amount of extra distance as he hadn't expected such sudden social interaction.

" Y-Yeah, it's amazing he did all of this for the trainers around the world. "

" I know, right?! " The girl replied, nodding with enthusiasm. " He's thoughtful, just like your dad! "

There was a small, awkward pause as Desmond stared at the girl's huge, happy smile. Once what she said hit him, he recoiled out of surprise. " Wait, y-you know my father?! " Desmond questioned, the surprise in his voice as her comment seemingly came out of nowhere. His head tilted slightly as she giggled in response to his words.

" I should! I've been out in the field for him for years! " She spoke while holding back from laughing, holding out a hand to Desmond instead. " Ramona; Ace trainer, top field researcher, and occasionally daydreamer! "

Desmond was hesitant, but shakily held out his hand to shake with her. So this was the person he was intended to meet up with? She wasn't what he was expecting, but if his father trusted her, then she must've been talented. Their shake lasted a little longer than Desmond was comfortable with, and that was mostly because she was actually gripping his hand with more strength then she looked like she had.

Without warning, a Pokeball expanded between their hands, calling him to yelp in surprise.

Ramona laughed, pulling her hand back and observing the Pokeball. " Haha, sorry! It was just a joke. " She said, before holding the ball out to him. " This is a gift from me to you! I told your dad I wanted to gift you with your first Pokemon, I caught her just before boarding so she should be experienced enough for you! "

" W-Wait, really? " Desmond questioned, heart pounding somewhat from the prior event. Oh, god, he wasn't sure if he was ready for this. A partner Pokemon... He knew it was going to happen, but he thought it'd at least happen after they reached the mainland. Oh well, he'd just have to do it now... Despite his concerns.

" Yeah! Don't just stand there; take it and say hi, huh? " She insisted, shaking her hand a little to entice.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Desmond reached out and grabbed the Pokeball. He stared at it for a moment, hesitant to look inside. But after a short amount of contemplation, he turned and released the Pokemon within the ball: A bright flash of white signaled it's appearance as it took form, somewhat short and certainly fluffy. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen it before; It was blue with lots of yellow wool.

" Reep! " The Pokemon cried, staring up at Desmond and Ramona. Recalling being recently caught, it glared up at Ramona with a look of irritation, seeming almost ready to zap her for knocking her out before.

" Don't look at me, he's your trainer now! " Ramona said, pointing her towards the boy beside her.

Desmond knelt down, smiling at the small Pokemon. He wasn't terribly nervous now that he saw the little thing; It was actually really cute! He could get used to this. " You're a cute one, aren't you? " He complimented, reaching out to pet the Pokemon... But in response she trotted straight past his hand to him and planted her wool against his leg.

" Reep! Maaaarr! "

" Hah! I think she likes you! " Ramona commented, mere moments before the Pokemon discharged it's electricity and zapped him, causing him to fall over onto his ass. Ramona held back her laughter, simply adding a " Maybe not. "

" Aaaahh... " Desmond was still recovering from the shock, taking a moment to actually get out of his daze. He watched the Pokemon stand there proud of itself, turning away from him and Ramona, it's nose in the air. " S-She's got a shocking personality. " He commented, still not completely back in reality as he pulled himself to his feet.

" Yup! She's a Mareep; An electric type Pokemon! ... Though you already figured that out. " She brushed this fact off, shrugging. " I'm sure you two just need some time to get along! I've got questions for the people here, so I've got to get going. You two play nice! "

" Wait-- " Desmond attempted to stop her, but she was already gone; Skipping away happily. Didn't she care what he was being left with? Or did she really think this would be okay? She was kind of reckless in his opinion, but if his father trusted her to do this, then he had no choice but to go along with it. He looked down at the Mareep, and it looked up at him.

This awkward staredown began to last for several minutes...

It had been a couple weeks since Keala first set foot on this boat. Plenty of other aspiring trainers-to-be were on board, but unlike most of them, there was something Keala in particular lacked. A pokemon. The time between realizing Fern's boat was in the Alola Region and it then leaving was too short for her to stop and catch something, but being a professor, surely Fern would have plenty of pokemon to give to the newbie trainers. Was that part of their job description or something? And with any luck, he could get the Dhelmise behind Keala to stop stalking her. Every time she turned around to check if it was still there, it tried hiding, but as it turned out, 12-foot-tall anchor ghosts weren't exactly sneaky.

Even now, she could hear it creaking and groaning right behind her with every movement. This thing was distracting, but it wasn't really doing anything, so it wasn't like she could just throw it overboard for no reason. Unlike when it first crawled on board and nearly dragged some unlucky sap down for a one-way ticket to the ocean floor. Apparently, the best way to make an anchor ghost stop trying to drown someone was to just hit it. Just in case it was targeting her instead though, Keala had been careful not to get too close to the edges of the boat ever since this Dhelmise started following her around.

More importantly though, Professor Fern had finally shown himself! The crowd was already drawing itself toward him, and Keala followed suit. He introduced himself, explained that this world was inhabited by pokemon (hopefully everyone on-board already knew that though), and - in true professor spirit - was willing to provide anyone without a pokemon with one that he had caught. That was her opportunity. Along with a few others, seemingly younger than her, Keala sifted her way through the crowd, making for the good professor himself.

"Excuse me, Professor Fern. I'd like one of your pokemon."

Professor Fern was back in his lab, where he had been followed by several small children. He was tired, and if one was perceptive enough they would see it in his eyes, as he did nothing to hide it. He raised an eyebrow as the youth who had approached him directly, instead of waiting silently like the other children who were frozed in mixed awe and fear of the Noctowl that sat atop a table watching the small crowd. He also noticed the pokemon trying to hide itself in the background, though clearly it was not doing a very good job of that. "I can see that, as much as I would love to hand you a pokemon, it seems that you already have one interested in you." He said, waving at Noctowl who spread it's wings and leapt, half gliding over to where the Dhelmise was and immediately began pecking at the anchor, as if trying to draw it out. "You know, you don't always have to beat a pokemon into submission for it to join you, perhaps try simply asking this one." He handed Keala a pokeball, a clear indication that he was done talking for the moment as he turned his attention to the crowd of other children before him.

Yui meanwhile, was absentmindedly rubbing the egg she held, she was quickly becoming attached to the thing. If she had been paying any real attention however, she would have felt the soft shudders from the egg, though the sudden short flash of light in the quickly approaching darkness caught her attention. It seemed there was another young man who, like her was keeping away from the general crowd. Though unlike her, he seemed to be having a staring competition with a fluffy pokemon who seemed determined to win. Before she could properly stop herself, Yui was at the side of the young man, taking a short moment to join in on the staring competition before speaking. " You know, I seriously doubt that your pokemon has any intention of losing this little staring match you have going on here. My name is Yui Kaneko, this is errr, well it's an egg I guess. " The egg shuddered softly again, though Yui was distracted by the Mareep. " Does your pokemon have a name? "

---

It was an intense competition: Man vs Pokemon, Trainer vs Trainee, Friend.... Versus friend?

Desmond's head tilted as he was uncertain of why they were actually doing this. Did it look weird to anyone? He literally wasn't moving, and for some reason he felt like his feet were glued to the deck disallowing mobility: He just continued to blankly stare at the Mareep, and it glared back. " You could give up, " Desmond suggested, continuing with a sigh: " But that isn't your thing, is it? "

" Maaaarrr.... " She growled in response, seeming intent on continuing. It offered a small nod however, proving his assumption to be true.

" That's.. Great. " Desmond said, tone somewhat shallow.

This continued on, up until the Mareep noticed someone creeping up on Desmond: Rather than do anything, she ignored it and watched as the human took a place beside him. She continued staring at Desmond, smirking as she now had a winning strategy. The girl just didn't know it yet.

" You know, I seriously doubt that your pokemon has any intention of losing this little staring match you have going on here. "

" ?! " Desmond hadn't expected someone to suddenly be next to him, and the shock of her sudden appearance startled him into jumping from his spot, looking away from the Mareep to register who it was. And even after looking at her, he had no idea who it was at all. He thought he might be having a minor heart attack, but kept a straight face as he was sure he was just panicking. He needed to calm down.

" Y-Yeah, I don't think she intends to lose either... Wait... " Desmond's eyes widened at the audible laughter coming from his Pokemon; He looked down and realized he just lost because of this! She was rolling around on the ground practically bathing in her victory just to mock him. But at least it wasn't angry anymore; That was a benefit to this situation, wasn't it? Wasn't all bad.

He was more worried about this girl, anyhow: She just introduced herself... And he was panicking at the sudden requirement for social interaction again. " It's... Nice to meet you. " He responded, feeling successful at entering this conversation. It calmed him a little to speak back, actually. Chatting with strangers wasn't that horrible. " I'm Desmond, and we really haven't gotten to the name stage yet, hah... " He admitted, looking down at the Mareep. What should he name it? That was actually a good question she shot his way.

" What do you think? " He questioned, looking down at the Mareep again. " How about... Blue? "

Mareep shook her head. Too douchy.

" Uhm... Yellow! Like your wool. H-How about that? "

Mareep rolled her eyes. Too ditzy..

" ... W-Well, you might've shocked me, but your wool was pretty fluffy. " Desmond said, reaching down towards the Mareep slowly. She thought about backing away, but the compliment appealed to her ego. Desmond managed to scratch her on the head, fingers running through her fluffy wool. After a moment he retracted his hand, an idea coming to mind.

" Yeah... Fluff! How about that one? "

The Mareep looked at him, contemplating. It did point out her greatest asset; That wasn't such a bad thing. Desmond was looking at her hoping for some compromise, and sighed in relief as she nodded her head, seeming to like it.

Turning to look back at Yui, Desmond offered a small smile. " I... guess she's Fluff now. "

Fluff stretched, yawning as it looked up at Yui. It tilted it's head at the sight of the egg, uncertain of what was in it. It was natural to be able to tell it'd hatch within too long, though. So she glared at it anxiously wanting to see what would pop out.

" So where are you heading? " Desmond questioned, realizing it was sudden and maybe weird to ask that. Or was that normal smalltalk? He really didn't know, but hopefully it was normal. He was normal, yes.

God, he needed to get better at this.

"There we go, another one down. That makes us...5 to two, right?"

The melancholy tone of a young girls voice echoed out as she wrote tally marks on a blank piece of paper with a dulling number two pencil. She had turned to her bright orange pup, which sat patiently before her like a dog begging for a treat, avoid of sound like some soldier awaiting commands. Hara didn't know why she bothered to ask, he was a pokemon, he didn't speak! Besides, she knew she was right, what point was there is gloating to the person who had helped her in those pokemon battles.

Five wins, two losses, that was her record since she got on this boat. On its own it's almost impressive for a new trainer, but factoring in the age of her competition and she could barely get any gratification out of it. When her father brought this cruise to her attention it was like she had been given a ticket to glory, but when she boarded all she could find was ankle bitters demanding she engage in combat with them. In honesty, the fact that she had lost twice to some twerps only made her feel like this wasn't anything to be content with. She flopped back onto her cabin's bed with a loud groan and instinctively her pokemon jumped up and laid down on her gut where she would pet him.

"Man, I hope we dock soon" She grumbled, as she looked out the window into the cobalt waves of the sea.

As she lay there, almost falling asleep, she noticed something. At first, she couldn't put her finger on what had changed, but then she realized: everyone had grown silent. A curiosity took over her as she stood up, holding her sleeping dog-pokemon. From there she walked out of her room at a brisk pace, moving up the stairs onto the deck. There, an ocean of children stood between her and the stadium, and upon it was an older gentleman.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the speech, Hara was left dazzled. When she decided on the cruise, Hara had asked Blaine what he knew of Fern, and she got a ballad in response. Her preconceived notions about the man had proved true as she had watched, and she was left with a steady stream of conviction for battle flowing through her veins. She could hardly contain herself with this renewed vigor, she wanted nothing more than to battle. That was when she realized her pokemon was gone.

Hara jumped at this new found situation, how could she have not noticed? Only a few minutes prior, the pokemon was in her arms, she could still remember how the Growlthe's body was almost uncomfortably warm. Almost. Looking around, the crowd of children obscured her line of vision, though she saw a commotion yards away: Children jumping away from something that was creating an invisible barrier around it. She had to take a chance, it was her only lead after all, and so she started squeezing through the crowd.

She made her way through with an aggressive initiative. Like some hunting hound chasing a fox, she seemed to know which way the thing was turning before it did. Unfortunately in its wake where scared children: claiming the thing was feral and growling at their pokemon like it was ready to pounce. Hara began to wonder just how pumped up the thing was, when they had been fighting the younger children before it was only after their insistent nagging had droned on for too long that they'd agree but now her only pokemon was blind with aggression. Still, she followed the pokemon out of the crowd, where it stood perfectly still, pointing it's snout ahead, body flattened out and a paw up and curled in. Hara was about to pick the pokemon up when she turned to see what it was. There, before her stood something she thought she'd only ever find in her dreams: another teenager with a pokemon ripe for battle. It was a godsend, a worthy opponent, one she wouldn't feel nearly as bad fighting! His pokemon wasn't one she had seen; it was some wooly, yellow thing. But it looked like something her Growlithe could manage against. More so, she was interested in companionship, there were two teens there, possibly the only two teens she had gotten a chance to talk with yet. She decided to make her move.

Scooping up her rascal of a pet, which wiggled in excitement between her hands, she made an awkwardly paced sprint to the others, more like a jog, not a full-on dash, though she was too excited to walk. Soon, she was in speaking range. She had to think, and in all her excitement she was struggling to think of something normal to say. "Hey, how's it going" felt weird. She drifted off now, slowing rather quickly until she was at a complete stop a few yards from the two teens, dumbfounded as to how to be polite about this. Up until now the bravado of the younger kids had covered this distance. It had been so long since she had needed to make new friends, all the ones back home were made when she was a kid too, how did teenagers go about this? A soft lick from her Growlithe revitalized her, and she knew she wasn't going into this alone. And so, after a long breath to clear her mind, she charged in.

"So Fluff, huh? That's an appropriate name for a little fuzz ball like that. Are you a trainer? Maybe I could help you see just how well you two click in a battle" Hara let out boldly, her chest puffed out and her arms folded around her torso where her Growlithe sat, eagerly wacking its tail against her clavicle and arm rhythmically.

"You know, you don't always have to beat a pokemon into submission for it to join you, perhaps try simply asking this one."

"He started it," Keala muttered, taking the Poke Ball into her hands, and turning to look at the Dhelmise. It was interested in having her as a trainer? That seemed odd; their only interaction had been their meeting. Though when she thought about it that way, it kind of made sense? If she met someone and knew out the gates that they were were strong, and not afraid to step into a situation, she'd at least want to get to know them. Maybe it was something like that. Keala stepped up to the ghostly anchor, and pressed her pokeball against it as opposed to throwing it, causing the ball to open and capture the Dhelmise. The ball didn't even wiggle. It simply clicked shut.

She had her own Pokemon now. She had to think of a name for it. People generally did that, right? Some names ran through her head, but nothing solid just yet. Sending a thankful nod the good Professor's way, Keala left the crowd of kids and the old man to their own devices. In the rest of the crowd, she could spot three trainers all gathered together. Mostly because one of them stuck out above the others, between her height and her hair adding even more height. Maybe it would be good to get to know some trainers. As Keala stepped up to the group, she could hear the taller girl among them challenge a boy - he had a Mareep, and it was tempting not to pet the thing - to a battle.

"We could make it a double battle if..." Keala looked at the fourth person. That wasn't a pokemon. That was an egg. "...nevermind. Thought that was a pokemon, but it's just an egg. I guess I could battle it out with the winner then? I only just now caught my pokemon so..."

Something seemed amiss. What could it have been?

...

Oh, of course!

"Name's Keala by the way. The rest of you?"

"Yui Kaneko, and yes, this is an egg." One could almost see the annoyance radiating off Yui. After all it's not like there was a Pokemon that looked EXACTLY like a Pokemon egg, How could anybody get the two confused? Yui turned, angling her head around Desmond to see the new arrival, a girl with a Growlithe that seemed somehow more aggressive than Fluff for a moment. " Well, my name is Yui. " She said for the third time in the last 5 minutes, her previous poorly hidden annoyance now completely risen to the surface. She understood that people were meant to battle here, but without even an introduction? Yui was raised as a proper young woman, and challenging somebody to a battle without even asking a name, that was just rude.

Meanwhile, from across the crowd, a set of eyes that had been watching silently, now began to approach. The much taller figure gently, and gracefully pushed his way through the crowd of children, some who knew him gawking for a moment. "Why hello there Yui, long time no see! I can see that you made some friends already!" Teal hair and a white almost skintight outfit graced his elegant form, and the man smiled in such a way that let you know just how important and beautiful he knew he was. "Oh, hello Mr. Wallace! I just met these three." "And yet already they are ready to battle? No no this will never do! You three are quite old enough to be learning a few proper rules for Pokemon battling. There will be no ugly little fistfights between Pokemon if I have any say in it! Before any of that though, Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Wallace. The Gym Leader of Sootopolis, in the Hoenn region."

What?

Desmond turned his head as he heard another new voice; Blinking at the sight of the girl and her Pokemon. Oh, man... He hadn't mentally prepared himself for this much; First Ramona, then Yui appearing out of nowhere, and now someone was challenging him to a battle moments after he just named his Pokemon? He laughed nervously, sweat on his brow as he contemplated a response. Thankfully Yui was introducing herself, giving him a moment to think.

" A b-battle? With me? " He questioned meekly, not getting time to continue processing it as another trainer approached. She wanted to battle, too?! Well, at the very least, Desmond wasn't going to have to worry about a double battle: Yui made it clear she had nothing more than an egg, meaning that he was still stuck in this situation of battling one on one. He wasn't ready for this; How could he be? He just managed to pet Fluff for the first time, how were they supposed to battle together?

Awh, Arceus, I don't know what I'm doing. There's so many people, I feel boxed in... Desmond thought to himself, having simply kept a smile through the conversation with eyes that made him look like he might've been dying inside. He was internally screaming at the whole situation, but externally he was perfectly quiet until he realized names were being thrown around again.

_{" Oh, I-I'm Desmond. Hello. "}

His voice was quiet, he sunk into his jacket somewhat, obviously closing what cool he had to begin with.

That's when yet. another. person. showed. up.

The man was taller; An adult compared to him, for sure. He seemed to be attracting the attention for the moment, so Desmond took an opportunity to look away and deeply inhale, then exhale, before he ended up stress vomiting off the side of the ship. Fluff glared up at him, and shook her head with disappointment, knowing her trainer wasn't going to get her anywhere.

Maybe this man; Wallace, a Gym Leader, was just talking to Yui and be on his way? Desmond got a breather, he could survive a little longer. Just... Battle this girl and her dog, and then maybe things would calm down?

"And yet already they are ready to battle?"

_Nooo....

"No no this will never do! You three are quite old enough to be learning a few proper rules for Pokemon battling."

No, no, nooo....

"There will be no ugly little fistfights between Pokemon if I have any say in it!"

Thank arceus--

"Before any of that though--"



Desmond offered a small bow of respect once he heard the man was a Gym Leader: They were highly competent trainers, especially compared to most of the people on this boat. " I-It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. " He said, trying to keep his composure. Meanwhile Fluff was glaring up at the Growlithe, waving a paw at the Fire-Type as if telling it to bring it on.

Hara was stricken with a surprise as another teen entered the fray. She quickly spun her neck to view behind her and there stood another girl who gave her name and was met with egg girl's similar response and a final pathetic whimper from the boy who looked like he wished to be anywhere but here. Hara was a nice girl, and as astute as she was with her emotional perceptions she would have gladly taken back her offer no matter how much grief she may have trying to find an appropriate challenge elsewhere. Unfortunately for Desmond, however, she was busy fumbling over her own lack of procedure. Silently she muttered a reminder to give her name before a demand and to demand a bit kinder. As she did so, she was quickly taken from the center of this archaic attempt at conversation by a new figure. One, admittedly, more flashy than her own. Hara herself could hardly keep herself from ogling the man who came walking in. He was a man, something she hadn't seen for a while being stuck with all these adolescents and so she could hardly help herself, and his words where just what she wanted to here, how else would she get better without proper training? The icing on the cake was his name.

Hara was practically bouncing with excitement, her grin as wide as it could stretch, baring that missing tooth she didn't think was coming back. Usually, she tried not to show the black void in her mouth -the fact she lost it getting headbutt by a Koffing made her all the more embarrassed. But for her first good battle since she'd been on this boat, one with hands-on guidance from a trainer at that? She could care less if she was showing off a less than pretty part of herself. It left her so excited that she almost forgot to introduce herself as she put a hand out to Wallace for a handshake.

"My word, a genuine Gym leader? It's mighty kind of you to offer to help us with our first match!" She let out with a loud and jolly tone before she continued.

"My name is Hara, Hara Kokula. And this is my trusty partner in crime: Growlithe!" She continued bobbing her head towards her pokemon still wedged between her arm.

The fire-type had little interest in the others, too busy looking at the Mareep with a stare of blissful ignorance: open mouth panting with excitement, eyes like marbles that seemed to lack any emotion but joy, and a tail that only whipped around harder at the acknowledgement it was given by the feisty sheep on the ground. Hara quickly readjusted the small dog and cleared her throat as she turned to Desmond.

"Now, I was hoping to have a nice little battle with this kind man, but I don't want to make this a fight, you can turn down my offer Mister, uh....." She began, only to pause as she realized how little of his name she had gotten. The boy had been mumbling when he told her. She took a shot in the dark.

"Dareth?" She asked: tilted head and furrowed eyebrows ensued.

_{" It's... D-Desmond, miss."} Desmond tried to explain, though Hara probably couldn't pick up on it still.

Wallace's expression never faltered, though he took note of the nervousness of the boy in the group. For a new trainer, he looked absolutely terrified! Most trainers were more confident like the Hara-gal, but he was practically quivering at the idea of having to battle. He was certain it'd be okay, however; As if he never got a learning experience, he'd never break out of that shell, now would he? Wallace was actually entertained by the amount of potential in this battle, not just performance: But for development of these children still finding their way in life.

" It's always a pleasure to meet trainers starting out like yourselves! " Wallace spoke, passion in his voice. Though things seemed to be going a bit awry; The girl was polite, seeming to not want to disturb the boy much further as he was obviously distressed. Knowing it was for his own good, Wallace did what he did best; Pose fashionably in the middle of the group, gaining the attention of all those around him.

" A first challenge should never be refused! " Wallace stated, pointing at Dareth with a smirk on his face. " This is your chance to show one of the best what you can do, Dareth! "

_{" It's Desmond, sir... "} Desmond attempted to explain, but his meek voice didn't allow him to do so.

" So stand proud! Team with your partner, and face your first ever battle! It's your first step as a trainer, and a step towards becoming... A man! "

Desmond was sweating, unsure of what to do. He could say no, but maybe Wallace was right? Maybe it'd be good for him to experience a battle; Since Fluff seemed so raring to go. He wasn't sure if that aggression would come back to bite him if she didn't fight, so maybe it was just... Less risky to hide this time. He couldn't just stuff himself back in the lab anymore, he'd have to face things like this. Even if he didn't like it.

" ........ Okay. " Desmond answered, feeling uneasy. His stomach was aching; Was that a good enough excuse to leave? Could he leave? He really didn't want to upset a respectable person like a Gym Leader, this was all so conflicting. He looked down at his Pokemon, noting it's eagerness. He wished he shared it's vigor and mentality somewhat, as it'd really help in this situation.

" Excellent! " Wallace exclaimed, clapping his hands together. " Now before we get this started, I noted before that there were only three of you eager to battle. We can't just have a three-way, that's uncouth and rowdy! A foursome is what we need! " Wallace clapped again, this time calling out a name; One that even Yui was unfamiliar with. " Oh, Maaaaarkus?! "



A young blond man, not looking much older than the group at hand, rushed down from a small crowd and skidded to a halt right beside Wallace. He nearly lost his balance, but Wallace tilted him upright and kept him from falling on his face.

" You need me, Wallace?! " The blond questioned eagerly, glancing about at the trainers Wallace had surrounded himself with.

" My little friends, this is Markus; A breeder from Sootopolis, whose family are all great friends of mine! Yui, I do not believe the two of you need introductions, however. "

" It's good to see Yui! Heh heh! " Markus joked, that same joke that annoyed Yui, probably. He never got tired of it. " You got that egg safely delivered to you, I see. I promise it'll be a powerful Pokemon once it hatches! "

Wallace brushed a hand in front of Markus, keeping him from getting too excited. " There's always time for talk later. I require you to aide my friend Dareth in a double battle. "

" D-Double Battle? " Desmond repeated, blinking.

" Yes! Girls versus Boys! It's perfect, don't you think? " Wallace seemed satisfied with himself and his idea, beginning to march over to the center of the boat. " Take a moment to associate with your partner, then come on! We've a battle to start! "

" I've never battled with another trainer at my side before! " Markus spoke, enthusiastic about the ordeal. " Wallace already said it, but I'm Markus! It's a pleasure to meet you Dareth; And you ladies, too! "

_{"It's. Desmond."} Desmond muttered, slight spite. After a deep breath, Desmond spoke louder. " I-It's Desmond. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Markus. " He offered the taller boy a smile, suppressing his momentary irritation.

Markus smiled back, grinning joyfully. " My bad, Desmundo! Let's work together and win this, yeah? " Markus turned, looking at the Girl Team, a sly look on his face. " That is, if you girls are ready! "

Yui watched the horror show from her place standing just behind and to the left of Desmond, who seemed ready to keel over at the very mention of battling. It was kind of funny though, how the girl, and then Wallace misheard his name. She was distracted by Wallace actually introducing, or rather reintroducing somebody.

Markus was not that bad of a guy, to be honest Yui actually had a crush on him when she was younger, but she was over it. She did however envy his status as a Pokemon breeder.

" Yea, I remember you Markus. And I would hope it's strong, after all my dad gave it to me. Plus, what could have happened to the egg while my dad had it? "

Yui rolled her eyes, he was really not that bad of a guy, but sometimes it seemed like everything he said was meant to piss somebody off. At any rate Yui stepped back to watch from a distance, it seemed Wallace was hellbent on actually setting up a double-battle between the two groups and Yui was happy to watch. After all she really wanted to see what these guys were made of, she couldn't reasonably be expected to explore the world alone after all, and having a few decently skilled friends by her side would be a good thing.

"No no this will never do! You three are quite old enough to be learning a few proper rules for Pokemon battling. There will be no ugly little fistfights between Pokemon if I have any say in it! Before any of that though, Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Wallace. The Gym Leader of Sootopolis, in the Hoenn region."

There were rules? You'd say hi to each other then battle, right? Maybe things were a bit different in Hoenn. However they were, something in Keala's gut told her that it was probably better back in a different time than right now. That said, Keala had heard a thing or two about Gym Leaders. They weren't quite the Trial Captains she was used to, but they served just about the same role. And it seemed that this one - Wallace, from Sootopolis City (what kind of name was that?) - had an idea. An idea of a double battle! Girls vs. boys, Keala and the girl who had introduced herself as Hara, up against Dareth and some guy called Markus.

"Take a moment to associate with your partner, then come on! We've a battle to start!"

"...mkay." Stepping up to Hara's side, Keala reached for her Pokeball, and said "Again, my name's Keala. And my partner is..." Keala pressed the button, and out from the Pokeball emerged her pokemon. In a stark contrast to the other baby pokemon around here, Dhelmise wasn't a small thing, and while she was no expert, she'd never heard of one evolving before. It felt a bit odd, comparing the sizes of Mareep and Growlithe to this thing. "It's a Dhelmise. I caught him just a minute ago, but it's been following me around for... maybe a week?"

The words of Wallace ignited a blaring flame of ardor within Hara's heart. Her luck had been great today as not only would she finally get to battle teens her age, but in a tag team battle with tips and cues from a professional. She could hardly contain herself as she waited to see what Keala had in her Pokeball. As it Emerged, Hara was not disappointed. Before she stood a towering black monolith of a spectral anchor. She was a bit overwhelmed by it, obviously, the thing was way more intimidating than her own welp of a dog. The whole thing was almost foreboding. It was a silent, still, and cryptic creature that sent a chill down her spine just wondering what it could do. Regardless, she had it on her team, so she didn't mind it much. Letting her Growlithe plop to the floor she turned to give her full and undivided attention to Keala as she spoke.

"As I said, my name's Hara. So you're also a new trainer? Growlithe and I have been fighting since we got on, but it's been almost all bugs" She spoke, regarding her own companion with a nod in its direction to which it yelped out its name.

"So what's the strategy? I'm thinking we focus our fire on the other guy. The new guy doesn't look like he knows what he's doing so I'd say he's easy pickings. Save him for when we're done" She spoke once more as she stroked her chin.

Hara's building fervor for violence was coming to a slow and steady descent as she spoke. Something about calling someone 'easy pickings' made her feel like she was substituting her own moral code for victory. Adding to that the reminder of a ghastly pokemon's shadow overhead and she was no longer in the same vehemence for combat as before.

"I suppose I can't really be using fire on a boat, so I have a handy-cap in this situation. Growlithe is strong but without fire, he can't properly dish out as much as he usually could. We'll do my best to ward off attacks. You just focus on knocking those two down" She finally stated, a bit sad about the whole thing.

Growlithe had just learned a fiery attack, Ember, and she was giddy to see him use it. Patience was never much of a strong point for Hara, but she knew it was better to wait than to sink a ship. Growlithe was a stout lad, she had seen him take a good deal of punishment in a battle and get right back up. Even if he was small she was sure he could stand up to whatever the other trainer intended to bring out.

Markus snapped his fingers, raising up a hand and pointing at Yui with amusement. " You never know, eggs can be tricky things! One minute it's in your arms, the next minute it's -- " Markus paused, realizing that bringing up some old mistakes was not good for business. " Well, it got to you safe; That's what matters. "

Desmond couldn't help but feel a sense of dread when he saw Keala release her Pokemon. He hadn't seen anything like it before; it looked like something off a pirate ship, not like a Pokemon. It gave off an presence that he didn't like, but surely if it was a Pokemon it wasn't going to hurt him, right? But, if they were going to battle, then that meant Fluff had to fight it. And it could hurt her quite a lot, by the look of things.

The Mareep had decided to stay by Desmond's side, but was glaring over at the girls and their Pokemon. She saw a challenge; Something big, and though she wouldn't express fear towards it, kinda scary. She hopped in place, eager for the fighting to start.

" No worries, Desmundo! " Markus assured, patting Desmond on the back. " A breeder isn't to be underestimated! I might not be a hardened battler, but my Pokemon are raised well! "

Desmond smiled at this, not exactly feeling confident, but he did feel better about the situation as a whole. He nodded to Markus, figuring if they were going to do this, he was about as ready as he'd ever be.

---

Meanwhile, Wallace clapped his hands together; Having waltzed over to make plenty of space for the upcoming bout. " Alright, everybody to the sides; We have a bit of a show for you younger trainers today! " He shouted, acting as a sort of hype man; To his own little match, no less. A crowd is a great way to help Trainers perform under pressure, and Wallace figured testing the confidence of the group would be entertaining and healthy. He knew one was lacking confidence, but maybe he'd be able to find some through this battle?

Wallace could only hope.

While not centered around Wallace, there was a crowd building at his words; Kids talking of the Gym Leader and whatever he wanted was probably important, or cool. With his cheerful attitude intact, Wallace pulled out one of his pokeballs, tossing it into the air and letting it pop open; The white beam forming his Pokemon, Milotic, right beside him. He caught the pokeball without issue, his partner swerving around him and making him quite the star for the moment.

" Some of you may know what a Double Battle is, " Wallace spoke, the crowd quieting down somewhat as he continued: " For those of you who don't, a Double Battle is where four trainers in pairs of two battle eachother with four total Pokemon on the battlefield! Though there are also variants of two trainers using two Pokemon each, it is uncommon in most regions. " His explanation seemed to amuse and pull the crowd into the event; Which was exactly what he wanted.

" Now, for all of you new, wonderful trainers that are about to set out on your own adventures with your first Pokemon! I have arranged a double battle for you! " He cheered his words with enthusiasm, causing the crowd to cheer and celebrate the idea. A smirk crossed his face as he half-turned, gesturing an arm towards Dareth and Markus.

" In the first team, we have a breeder from my hometown of Sootopolis, Markus! And a new trainer like you all, though he may be a bit further in age... Dareth! "

Markus, hyped up by Wallace himself, whooped his own entrance as he dragged the slinking Desmond along; Who was trying to block out the crowd and repress a slowly building annoyance at being called the wrong name. He really wasn't made for these types of encounters, but here he was. Fluff strutted along with the boys, head held high and proud, ready for battle.

" The second team! " Wallace shouted, turning again to gesture at the female duo. " The opposite team! Two more new trainers, ready to show their worth on the stage! Presenting Hara and her adorable pup, Growlithe! And... "

beat

Wallace's eyes lost color as he realized he didn't know the other girl's name. After a brief, awkward moment of thought, he did a dramatic turn, lifting up his hand to try and hype it up more anyways.

" A mysterious lass, and her scary sea-abyss Dhelmiseeeeee! " Wallace shouted out, gaining the cheer back from the crowd.

Fluff took point, hopping in front of the duo of trainers behind her, momentarily sparking up and flickering electricity through her wool. The crowd seemed to like it, and she took pride in being applauded.

Snatching a greatball from his belt, Markus couldn't help but grin at the excitement. " She thinks she's a show-stopper, huh? Well let's see how people react to this! "

Markus tossed his ball, the item popping open in the air and light shot down onto the deck of the boat, taking a somewhat large snake form, before flashing away and revealing the Pokemon, which cried out:

" Ssssseviper! "

" Markus has chosen a Seviper for the battle! It would seem the Gal Team aren't the only ones with a menacing Pokemon! "

Markus snatched his greatball back as it fell towards the ground, thrusting it in the air as he was pumped to get this started. " I raised this Pokemon from an egg! It's been personally cared for and is my best friend! It's been awhile since we've had a battle! "

The Seviper swung it's tail, hissing at the girls as it expressed an eagerness to fight. Probably from being pent up in a daycare for awhile.

" Well, with all Pokemon currently out and on the field... " Wallace and his Milotic retreated somewhat, making sure the trainers had plenty of battle space. " I can countdown! "

" Three! "

" Two! "

" One! "

" And... "

" Begin! "

"So what's the strategy? I'm thinking we focus our fire on the other guy. The new guy doesn't look like he knows what he's doing so I'd say he's easy pickings. Save him for when we're done."

Keala liked that strategy. For all sorts of reasons, really. It let Keala get right into seeing what her Dhelmise was made of, and once the non-Dareth guy was out of the picture, it would bring her fellow newbie to the crossroads that Keala lived by. Fight, move forward, and improve... or fail. Unfortunately, Hara's Pokemon wouldn't be able to use its fire attacks, as she stated. It sounded like Keala would be doing most of the heavy lifting for this battle. No problem. As Wallace announced this fight and its contestants - apparently either forgetting Keala's name or simply not having heard it at all - Markus sent out his Pokemon. It was a Seviper. Keala had never actually seen one for herself before, and it certainly looked like a tough snake.

Tougher than an anchor though? She certainly didn't think so.

"Well, with all Pokemon currently out and on the field... I can countdown!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"And..."

"Begin!"

"Dhelmise, hit that snake with, uh..." What was her Pokemon even capable of? Come to think of it, it might have been a good idea to figure that out before the battle. "With something!" The Dhelmise rolled its eye (or at least, about as well as one could hope when one's eye is a compass), then started spinning itself in place like a wheel. Then, along the floor, it began spinning rapidly toward the Seviper.

At the sound of her entrance, Hara raised her fist in the air and took in the appreciation of the crowd. A crowd! She was hardly even starting as a trainer and here she was getting cheered on by fellow trainers. The thought of being an idol, nay a hero, to these smaller boys and girls as they continue to train and thrive sent a surge of dopamine into her brain. Growlithe had long since attuned to the way his trainer felt about battles and with his upper half lowered and his bushy tail pointed up as if ready to pounce. The dopey eyes of the oafish dog glazed over with a cool, collected focus as it gauged it's foes and sized them up. In a matter of seconds the two of them had gone from foolhardy fighters-to-be into a well-oiled machine working in perfect tandem.



Hara looked to her partner as she fumbled to get them started. Luckily they where on the offensive, exactly where she wanted to be. The anchor had begun to spin at a surprising speed, one that was perhaps easily evoided but none-the-less astonishing. Hara nodded to her pokemon and he kept up with the ghastly sea-pokemon, hoping and skipping along just behind him, ready to counteract any attacks that might come in with a feirce roar. Hara took the initiative from here.

"Now, bite that sucker!" The blaring command boomed from Hara's chest and flared out into an echo from the intensity of it's commanding presence, her finger pointed directly at the Serviper and a sinister smile matching her ruthless intentions as she did.

Growlithe took no time at all to accept her orders, and as soon as he heard the words the tiny dog picked up speed and flew in with it's mouth wide open. Unfortunately, it's eyes were closed and it missed it's mark by a longshot which Hara cursed at. The dog's mouth snapped shut with a loud snap as he now stood directly infront of a towering beast.

" What're you ladies doing, ganging up on me?! " Markus questioned, his tone marking a bit of flattery but also surprise as the two Pokemon approached his Seviper. Did they see Desmundo as the weaker link? He felt kind of bad about that, but noted that it was probably correct: Seviper was quite the powerful Pokemon, after all. Especially when raised from when it was hatched. Before Markus' eyes, one of the opposing trainers had their Pokemon leap forward to try and bite his Seviper: But it seemed to fall short, chomping at the air.

Markus wouldn't waste the chance. He called out to his Seviper to give it a command: " Seviper! Swat it back with your Poison Tail! "

Hissing at the words of it's trainer, the Seviper's tail began glowing a distinctive, bright purple as it swerved it's body, forcefully swinging it's tail with the intention of knocking it backwards at the approaching Dhelmise.

_{" O-Oh, I should... T-Tell Fluff to do something... "} Desmond muttered to himself, witnessing the battle starting. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know her attacks; Well, except one. She had thundershock for sure... He'd just use that, yeah! That'd work and make her take a move, right?

Though, before Desmond could say much of anything, Fluff was already dashing towards the battle. With what force the small Pokemon could muster, it launched itself up above the Seviper's height, eyes not on that Growlithe now; Instead she wanted to take down the bigger target. Electricity trickling through her wool, she fired off a Thundershock attack towards the Dhelmise: Fully seeking it's demise.

_{" G-Guess she did it on her own... "} Desmond remarked under his breath, feeling somewhat useless as the crowd's cheering made him shrink away somewhat, knees shaking at all the commotion.