With Marlene by my side and willing to help, I headed back to Briney's home and hitched a lift back to Dewford- I only just remembered that I had a letter to deliver, and Marlene's home was where he was likely to be. Making my was through the pitch dark caves would be really difficult, I think, if Marlene hadn't lived in them her whole life. With her guiding me- and occasionally forcing a roadblock (I think those may have been pokemon, actually, but it's too dark to tell) out of the way- we made it through the caves fairly quickly and found the person the letter was supposed to go to. He seemed rather engrossed with the rocks, but thankfully confirmed that he was the 'Steven' that the letter was addressed to. He Thanked us for our trouble after he read it, handed me a TM disc, and left before I could ask him to also keep an eye out for Echo. Pity.
No time to stop, though. If Echo isn't here, he's got to be somewhere else. So back to request another trip from Briney and Peeko. Off to Slateport to look for Echo. Oh, and deliver the package. But that can wait, if Suit-Boss could afford to entrust it to me. Echo is always first priority.
-
North is apparently not an option, because there is an entire squad of Pajama-people blocking the road. Extremely rude ones too.
So Marlene and I set down to eat food and glare at the roadblock brigade.
A shuffling caught my attention, though apparently Marlene noticed it a while before me, and that is how we met the next individual to be willing to help. Him paralysed out of terror, too afraid and too curious to run. Marlene, just offered him food and went back to watching our roadblock. I got the hint and also did so.
Lucas, as it turns out, is an incredibly inquisitive individual, but also one who in incredibly easy to scare. His timidity is through the roof, you might say, but his curiosity sets the whole house on fire.
The factor of his curiosity is probably the major reason that he wants to come, but... I sort of get the feeling... that he, more than anything, wants to push his bounds. It's not like I can ask, with the language barrier, the deep reasons, but that's how I'm interpreting it.
So I took him to show him a bit of the world, and he's not run yet, and he's willing to help me. And that is awesome.
He and Marlene are really hitting it off too. Her lax nature seems to somewhat put him at ease.
-
Pajama-Squad still hasn't moved. So I still can't look for Echo.
Might as well deliver this package to whoever it was.
-
Cue running around because apparently nobody likes to deliver things on their own when they can use me as a delivery service. Ho-oh help us.
Only to run into a crowd of Pajama People inside the museum. One of whom looks rather familiar.
Apparently I was familiar to HIM too, because he jumped upon seeing me, acted more nervous than Lucas, shoved something into my hands, shouted... something that
I didn't catch, and bolted for the door.
That was a bit odd, though I suppose I appreciate the TM?
Ignoring the other members of Pajama Brigade- though from glancing around at the displays I'll have to look around later, because it seems really interesting- I headed up to the second floor trying to find ... what was his name? Recipient of the package, at any rate.
He seemed thrilled to get it, but anything further was interrupted by Pajama Brigade attacking. Lucas, however, was more than a match for their pokemon.
Then, with them taken down, their boss appeared, berating them. His plans... I...
My uncle loves the water- he's the one who gave Echo to me, who suggested my name to my parents when I was born, and taught me, too, to love water- rivers and lakes, oceans and seas, creeks and ponds.
The idea that someone would want to destroy the thing that all life relies on like that, the blatant disregard of how the ecosystem works...
I don't think I like this guy much.
After Lord Numbskull dragged his Pajama Squad off, Captain Stern thanked me and also left. Marlene, Lucas and I spent a while looking at exhibits- this place is pretty awesome.
-
We headed north again, only to run into a really shiny oddish. 'It must take really good care of itself', I thought. Yeah. He's a primping twit, more like. He's kind of haughty, and I'm not even sure how he ended up coming with us. The fact is, he did. I have no clue what Lucas and Marlene said or did that could have convinced our primping princess to come with, but Nani is... just a bit odd, he is.
They also managed to convince him to get a bit stronger, but so far he's stuck by my side and not gone far.
-
Ran into Ruby whilst looking for Echo in the Slate-Mauv estuary- still no luck in locating Echo- and he forced a fight. It was short, and even Nani put in a bit of effort. I get the impression that one of his pokemon may have said something insulting about them.
-
Echo wasn't in the ponds to the west of Mauville, the north has had a minor rockslide, so it's blocked right now, and the beach to the east is taped off at the moment for some reason.
Whilst we returned to searching for Echo back in the estuary, we spread out a bit- though Nani seemingly gluing himself to my ankle- and each of them (with Nani as an exception, as he's too busy looking pretty, I think) deals with things on their own.
At one point when we met up, Marlene started to glow, but almost instantaneously stopped. From the way she glanced at Lucas, and the way Lucas was staring at her, I think she was being considerate for how he would react. I might have never witnessed it myself, but I know perfectly well what evolution is.
Pretty accurately to my guess, at a later point, when Lucas started to glow he freaked out and it stopped.
-
I think Lucas is getting more confident, slowly breaking out of his shell.
He wanted to test himself in the Mauville gym. He did pretty well, but didn't feel up to the Leader (I think the sign said he was called Wattson?)
We went back to looking for Echo, and trying to think of ways around the rockslide.
-
Lucas against Wattson, huh? He's way more confident, even in such a short time- hard to believe it's been only about two weeks since I got here. Since Echo went missing.
So Lucas faced against a man renowned as a user of electric types... and changed. Literally. I've seen him glow a few times whilst we were searching for Echo from a distance, jumping or flinching every time, but... this time... he went with it. He's bigger now, way bigger, and the very fact that he didn't even twitch...
And the battle was over, just like that.
Marlene is about as thrilled as I've ever seen her.
-
I decided to ask people about the blocked paths, and one man- I think he might have been a researcher?- gave us the disc for rock smash... which my unseen tagalong (I will never understand how a bright orange zigzagoon learned to hide so well in a week and a half) promptly grabbed when my attention was diverted when I was about to ask about the east exit.
After a mad chase we detained her and retrieved the disc, only to notice we were near Verdanturf. Thinking on it, and remembering that there was also a rockslide in the connecting tunnel, I decided to get the Coon to prove her power. By smashing rocks.
A couple who apparently live on separate ends of the tunnel were thrilled by the help. We received a new disc... which I managed to put away before the Coon could take it. I don't put it past her to try again though.
-
Clearing the northern rockslide with her, though, at least distracted her attention.
-
I don't think we'll be finding Echo in this cave.
-
Marlene fought a... strange... I don't even know, but the pokedex says it's called spinda, and finally evolved, as Lucas had been willing. She's big enough to carry him again.
She then noticed a cable up the mountain, and suggested we go back a bit and check it out.
-
Pajama Brigade again. Blocking a path. Again. I do not understand these people.
-
We headed back though the cave, only to be stopped by an adorable tortoise. She seemed to like me, so how could I resist.
Teacup is almost as adorable as Echo. Almost. But not quite.
...
Who am I kidding, Echo is way cuter.
But Teacup is cute anyway.
-
Back in spinda territory, and we're jumped by a sandshrew. Finally another pokemon I can recognise, like Nani.
I'm not sure she was clear on our goals, but she was willing to come anyway once they were explained.
Micah's really quite forward, and implied that she knew where there was water around here.
Hang on, Echo. I don't know where you are, but I'm getting closer.
-
Well, Echo doesn't seem to be here, either, but we've spent a good while searching, and Micah's a sandslash now, and apparently got her hands on a bright orange spiky rock. I used to collect rocks. This one is quite pretty. I feel like I know what type of rick it is, but it's eluding me right now...
-
Another cave, and guess what? Pajama Brigade again. These guys are EVERYWHERE.
And they're bullying a scientist. AGAIN.
Great Lugia what is it with these people. Pajamas is the only one of them who seemed slightly tolerable.
I would have stepped in, but they were chased off by some guys dressed as sailors- identified as "Team Aqua" by Pajama Brigade.
And then the guy with the goatee introduced himself.
Archie.
Archie.
This guy is my Uncle's boss.
My Uncle has told me about him.
I don't I what I sdfsdgsg eeeeeeeeeeee.
-
I'm not too clear, I sort of fazed out with what I suppose would probably be called fangirling, but... Pajama Brigade is doing something... involving the volcano?
Whatever their plan is, I'm getting the idea that it's stupid enough to entirely warrant my calling their boss 'Lord Numbskull'.
In whatever case, this scientist seems entirely devastated by the loss of his... meteor?
Echo doesn't seem to be in this cave, either.
-
Or on the outside of it.
-
Pajama Brigade versus my Uncle's team. I am rather obviously rooting for the blue team.
Which is why I let Micah charge in and kick their arses.
It was pretty impressive to watch, in all honesty. Sandslash are small, but Micah's got huge personality. It's quite something to see a sandslash take a cam... camerupt? Is that what the pokedex called it? so many times its size down in a single hit.
Lord Numbskull's plans were, remarkably, even stupider than I had expected, but he unfortunately had a bat to spare and escaped.
Archie thanked us for our help.
Archie!
I took the meteor to return later.
-
I don't think Echo would be in a hotspring.
It seems we're here for a bit longer, though, because Teacup's gone and disappeared in an act entirely unusual for her.
-
Apparently she had gone and started smashing their gym up. I caught up by asking the various people who had had their pokemon body slammed by the usually docile torkoal.
Note to self, don't run around in the sauna gym.
We caught up just as she was heading for the gym leader, only to be forced to watch in wonder as the battle went in rather one-sided favour to Teacup.
She seems rather pleased with herself.
-
Leaving the gym got us accosted by Ruby, who this time vanished without a fight.
He's a bit odd.
-
Apparently there's a pokemon problem at the Mauville beach, so they aren't letting anyone except those who can use surf to actually ride a pokemon across through.
I suppose that explains something?
Isn't Dad's badge the one that...?
-
I'm not sure, but I think I might just hate my Dad a liiitle bit. No, I'm not a good enough trainer? I think he's only being a jerk sometimes. My team is strong.
We'll add the Dewford badge to our collection- with four badges, there's no way he could turn us down.
-
Marlene made easy work of all the trainers in the gym, including Brawdy (wait... was that his name? It was too dark when I came in to read the plaque...), and another badge down.
No was Dad can turn us away this time.
