E002: The First Training [Oldale Town & Route 103]

He was barely able to fathom the fact of how far he had come since setting off on his journey roughly four years ago, nearing the age of fourteen at the time. That was when Nico had hatched, and since then, he had traveled around from place to place, casually taking his leisurely time, summing up what exactly had happened in those four years that had caused him never to win a single Gym Badge.

What the heck am I doing?

And so that was what had brought him ultimately to Hoenn; a dedication forming inside him to take on the Gym Challenge here and become the Champion.  Well, as long as he beat each of the Gym Leader's, that was alright with him.  He didn't so much care to face the Elite Four or Champion, seeing as how it would be too much work to maintain that title or ranking.

And so he had come to Petalburg City to find himself standing paralyzed in front of the Gym doors.  Six Poke Balls hung on a belt tied tightly around his waist; his six loyal partners.  And one of them who he was taking on the Gym Challenge in the first place for.  His Larvitar, Grant, refused to obey him because he was his father's Pokemon.  Grant would become a loyal partner in time to John, but he would have to earn at least two Gym Badges before the Pokemon would obey him fully.

In the meantime, he was unaccustomed to facing such odds.  He had no idea what to expect if he did decide to walk through those Gym doors, and he certainly didn't know what to expect if he did happen to make it to the Gym Leader.

Norman.  He uses the Normal type.  Nico knows Double Kick, but is that enough on its own...?


Biting his knuckle, he slowly turned on his heel and walked to the entrance of Petaburg City.  Here, a magnificent sign read 'Welcome to Petalburg!  Home of Leader Norman, the Balance Master!'

Balance Master huh?  I heard he has strange and unusual tactics for battling.  Is this really right for me?

Something had led him slowly out of the city, and he now entered Route 103, feeling a slight and chilly breeze ruffle through him, jarring his thoughts back to reality.  He shrugged slightly.  If he didn't win a Gym Badge, two actually, Grant would never obey him.

Unless he could manage to get through to the stubborn Pokemon somehow through training.

Removing the Poke Ball from his belt, John held it out and clicked the button in the middle.  Moments later, a Larvitar materialized in front of him.  The Pokemon stood tall and fierce, despite its small size, and glanced up only once at John before firmly turning its head away in a pouting expression.  He only sighed and attempted to pick Grant up, but the Larvitar had other ideas.  It snapped once at his hands, and then twice, and a third time.  Finally John gave up and shrugged helplessly.

"You'll get over it eventually.  Everyone loves me in the end." he said with a casual smile, and then returned the Larvitar to its Poke Ball.

Smiling slightly to himself, he decided he might as well try and find someone to give him directions.  He was, after all, new to the region.  Petalburg had been the first Gym he had seen in Hoenn so far.

Grant had hardly been returned back to his Poke Ball when John felt the eyes watching him. He glanced up to see a kid obviously younger than him across a small stretch of grass. The kid waved to him, possibly out of friendship, and John smiled half awkwardly and waved back. Then, thinking it over more than once, he crossed the small stretch of grass to stand closer to the kid. He was definitely younger than John; that or he was just a midget. The former seemed more likely.

"Yo," he greeted casually, not sure where else to begin at. He ignored the entirety of the awkwardness and casually pulled a Poke Ball from his belt and twirled it deftly on one of his fingers before catching it and repeating the motion. Force of habit; a way to ease the nervousness of the situation at hand.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know directions around, would you? I'm kind of new to the region and looking for a Gym battle."

He's going to tell me to go to Petalburg. I should tell him not that one. But maybe he won't.

He realized how much more awkward the situation must be for the kid; John was staggeringly tall, and he probably didn't look the most friendly either. Then again, he was only trying to be open to everyone; and there were plenty of young kids on their adventures. He guessed this kid might be one of them.

Standing there in direct sunlight soon began to irritate him, and he shielded his eyes with an arm, waiting silently for a reply from this kid who hadn't introduced himself yet.

Neither have you.

Oh well. They could make small talk once John was sure this kid wasn't afraid of him.

It hadn't taken him long to notice the pair of Pokemon with the kid. Who still had yet to introduce himself. But when he saw those Pokemon, he became immediately mesmerized by the fact that this kid was also a Trainer. That meant a possible battle, and one John was not about to let slip through his fingers.

"Oh, umm, thanks. You aren't headed towards Rustboro Gym are you by chance? I'm not really comfortable without someone leading me the entire way," he shrugged helplessly, still feeling awkward, and then went on. The kid would just have to buy his excuse. "I'm horrible with directions unless I have a Map of sorts or whatever. Even then it's rough."

He scratched his head again, diverting his ocean blue eyes to the ground and kicking at a leaning tuft of grass.

"Oh, umm, I'm John, by the way." he finished, still mentally slamming himself for the embarrassing approach, but he couldn't help it.

Well, I need to make new friends anyway since Cass left for Sinnoh. Guess I might as well start here.

My god, did he just...wow.

He was entranced by the sight of Eba's capture, fascinated with his sudden urge to act, whereas John himself might have weakened the Wingull first. Then again, Eba was just starting out. And had fantastic potential as a Trainer. And all it had took was that one battle, short as it may have been, for John to realize that this kid was more than the ordinary youngster. He had a certain dedication, determination, and air of toughness about him. At least, that was how John summed him up. Whether it was wrong or right didn't matter; the real point was that Eba would become a great Trainer in time. He could already see him taking on Rustboro Gym, and all the other Hoenn Gyms after it, with extreme ease. He would just have to have the right partners by his side.

Much like you. You're both taking on the Gym Challenge. And you want to watch him grow and evolve as a Trainer...so why not travel with him? At least for a bit?

John smiled at Eba, a firm and warm one, not a false smile.

"You're a Trainer too." he blurted out, and mentally smacked himself for saying it so suddenly like that. That hadn't even been the phrasing he was going for.

"I, uhh, mean that was a great battle. Nice capture!" he finished, giving him a small thumbs up, and then dropping the gesture immediately.

"If you don't mind, I can tag along with you. At least until Rustboro Gym." John lied, hoping by that time Eba and him would be acquainted enough to continue travelling together. Sure, he might be younger than John, but John could easily see that if Eba was his age, he would be a notch above his own battling skills.

A faint grin touched his lips at the corners, but he stood up taller and smiled less awkwardly then he had before and waved his hand in a sweeping motion.

"Lead the way then?"