My Pokemon recently arrived from Four Island, someplace I've never heard of, and I'm quite ecstatic! Professor Birch managed to acquire a Lapras for me, whom was promptly nicknamed Lady. Plus, on her Pokeball, there was a note from Lorelei, one of Kanto's Elite Four!
"This Lapras is one of the last of her kind.
I am extremely displeased to see her leave Four Island,
but, from what Professor Birch tells me,
you're a prodigy in your own right.
She''s exceptionally smart for her age,
I hatched her a mere month ago."
You'll do well together,
Lorelei.
Tonight, we set out! I don't officially come of age until Midnight, so I'll wait 'till then. Lady is much larger than I imagined she would be, and quite a magnificent sight in her own right. For now, however, we're forced to train on the smaller Zigzagoon and Wurmple that litter the routes to Petalburg. My parents wouldn't understand me suddenly leaving like this, so I asked Birch to keep it a secret until I was noticed.
It took me an entire day but as the moon started to rise over Hoenn, Lady and I arrived in Oldale Town, stopped at the Center and Mart to purchase what we would need to continue, and to make sure Lady was up to the challenge. I've heard trainers from Petalburg frequent the route to Oldale's west, so it'll definitely be a challenge, but nothing we can't handle. When I retrieved Lady from Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center, I inspected her to see how much she had grown during the day.
Now, she was level 6, and had learned Mist, which is exceptionally helpful! Since there is no inn in this town,
Lady and I slept on the route to Oldale's north, right on the waterfront. I knew Lady was tired, since she curled up and went to sleep directly after I let her out of her ball. Since it was a brisk Spring night, I unfolded the blanket I brought from home, got as close to Lady as I could, and fell asleep.
When I woke up, I found a small child on Lady's back. She was wide awake, of course, but on edge over our visitor. I placed one hand on her neck, politely asked the boy to vacate Lady's shell, and returned her to her ball, much to her chagrin. The boy, however, beamed at me, said he thought my Pokemon was beautiful, and bolted.
We set out toward Petalburg, and the trainer battles were much easier than I thought they would be, just more Zigzagoons and the odd Tailow. Fortunately, we found some Oran berries to eat around noon, so we made quick work of those and kept moving, only stopping to rest to refill my canteen and allow Lady to drink.
It took us two days to make it all the way to Petalburg, and when we did, I allowed Lady into the pristine lakes of the city while I purchased a burger and fries, which I thoroughly enjoyed. When I emerged from the cafe I had been dining in, I saw Officer Jenny scowling at me for reasons I could only imagine. "You!" She screamed, at the top of her lungs. "This is your Lapras?" She asked rhetorically, as she already knew the answer. "You can't let it just wander around in Petalburg's lakes!" Still screaming. "Well," I asked with a gleam in my eye, "and exactly why can't the water pokemon enjoy a little water now and again?"
Fuming, and knowing she had nothing to fight me with, since she allowed other pokemon in the lakes, she stormed off, her fists clenched and the tiniest hint of a smile forming at the very edge of her mouth. She knew now what she wanted, and would get it when she saw the chance.
I talked to the Leader of the town, Norman, who informed me that he was actually the 4th Leader in Hoenn's league, and not the first, as I had previously imagined.
Now that I knew Roxanne, Rustboro's leader, was the first in this League, Lady and I moved through the Petalburg Woods, dodging the maniacal Bug Catchers and those Shrooms I'm sure those kids were getting high off of until we exited the Forest.
I allowed Lady into the lake that was conveniently outside the Petty Petals Flower Shop, and entered the store.
Inside, I was graced by the overwhelming aroma of Razz Berries, and, of course, the gorgeous waitresses.
Then, as if by magic, she appeared again, only this time, I saw four Pokeballs on her belt. "Call that Lapras back, boy!" Jenny declared with a gleam in her eye. As I gesture at the owner, I let her know we'll take this outside. "Fine," I retort, "just make sure you're prepared for this." I call upon Lady once again, and she doesn't fail me. Officer Jenny starts to look more and more exasperated as her Pokemon slowly faint, one by one, until she reaches for her last ball. "Boy!" her gaze piercing, "you won't like what's in here." "You're probably right," I stare back, "then again, I've been wrong before."
She opens the ball, and allows a Poliwhirl onto the field."
Knowing water gun would be useless due to its Water Absorb, and that the Poliwhirl would outspeed Lady, I ask her to use Body Slam and take that thing out of commision. Alas, Lady never got that chance, as Poliwhirl's Hypnosis landed and Lady was fast asleep as her turn past. Taking a Potion out of my bag to spritz on Lady, I noticed Jenny with a winner's smile twisting her otherwise unblemished face, and I knew then what she was up to. "Poliwhirl!" She screamed gleefully, "Use Dream Eater!"
As you may expect, I lost that fight, and, after paying Jenny her winnings, ran to Rustboro to heal Lady and continue on my journey. She won't get away with this, humiliating Lady and I like that.
As I explore Rustboro, I come across a curious gentlemen in a green business suit, asking people if they'd seen his briefcase; none of them had. Out of pity, I ask him where he lost his briefcase, and he replies with the solemn, but vague, "somewhere near the gym." I was heading that way already, so I told him I would look out for it, and, strangely enough, I found it propped up against the door of the gym, neatly sealed and in good condition.
I return to the man, who thanks me by awarding me with a great ball and a PokeNav, which, it's safe to say, will be inherently useful in our travels.
After resting for the night and allowing Lady to swim in the Lake just outside of Rustboro to warm up for Roxanne, I remember the Pokenav has a call feature, and dial up my parents to ensure they knew I would be okay. When I managed to calm them down, I let them know I was with Lady, and that I would be taking the Pokemon gym challenge. Surprisingly, they were actually supportive of my passion, and said that they wouldn't force me to come home if I kept them updated. Of course, I told them I would, hung up on them, and then moved in toward Roxanne's Rock-type gym.
After sweeping aside the gym trainers, I approached Roxanne, who was buried in a book entitled, "Loveless: Act I." When she noticed me, she immediately placed the book at her feet, and, silently, opened her ball to reveal a Geodude. Knowing Lady had the type advantage, she was not pleased at this, and wanted it over as quickly as possible. I obliged, and, after fainting her Nosepass, approached her for my Badge and my TM.
Feeling confident as I exited the Gym, I noticed the man in the green suit was standing outside the gym door, with a devilish grin covering his face. "Boy!" He spoke in a taunting tone. "How would you like to sell me that Lapras of yours?" "Lady's not for sale!" My voice like poison. "and I'm no Boy!" was my final remark to the man before I furiously stormed past him, knocking him down on my way by.Thankfully, Officer Jenny was nowhere in sight and I let the experience slide past me as Lady and I made our way down to Petalburg to look for transport to Dewford Town, and the next Gym...
