A long steam whistle echoed through Littleroot Town's port. The ocean-crossing cruise ship docked, and Natsui and Erika followed the stream of people down the gangway, stepping onto a continent they had never visited.
Hoenn region, here we come!
This was Littleroot Town, the traditional starting point for Hoenn's new Trainers. After parting with Ash's group in Johto, Natsui and Erika had taken this ship from the nearest port.
Littleroot Town, true to its name, was a rural town surrounded by fresh nature, untouched by urban sprawl.
Despite its rural feel, it boasted a small port and even a few tall buildings nearby, a model of urban-rural integration.
On the far side of town lay Professor Birch's home and laboratory. Like Professor Oak in Kanto and Professor Elm in Johto, Professor Birch was the region's authority on starter Pokémon.
As a 'rookie' in Hoenn, Natsui planned to start his new journey here.
However, they didn't want to disturb Professor Birch. They had no reason to visit, had never met, and had no introduction. They decided to wait for a future opportunity.
Their first task was registering for the Hoenn League to challenge the gyms. After asking around, they learned there was no Pokémon Center in Littleroot. They would have to register in the next town, Oldale Town.
"What a hassle." Natsui shook his head. "This is the starting town for so many Trainers, but the League doesn't even put a Pokémon Center here. They're so inflexible."
Erika said, "They must have their reasons. The Pokémon League is huge, but their funds are limited. They can't be everywhere."
After several days on the ship, both felt energetic. They didn't linger in Littleroot and headed north toward Oldale Town.
Geographically, Hoenn lies southwest of Johto, separated by an ocean. Despite being different continents, the customs and styles weren't drastically different.
Hoenn featured diverse environments, from rainforests to deserts, and was surrounded by islands. Overall, its climate and vegetation were much warmer than Kanto's or Johto's.
Natsui recalled that Hoenn was based on Japan's Kyushu island, just rotated. The name meant a place of "abundant bonds," though he wasn't sure if that was true.
Leaving Littleroot, they meandered along the country road, enjoying the scenery.
They saw many Pokémon. Most were familiar from Kanto and Johto, but some, like Poochyena and Zigzagoon, were new to them.
For Natsui, while he knew these Pokémon from games and the anime, this was his first time seeing them as living creatures, not just data. In that sense, it was truly a first encounter.
Approaching Oldale, they spotted ancient ruins in the distance.
The ruins stood on a barren plain, encircled by a dozen huge, oval-shaped stones, half-buried in the earth, guarding the crumbling walls within.
Curious, they walked over.
The ruins had no protective barriers; anyone could visit. The structures inside were low, stone-built houses, their age impossible to guess. Many parts were weathered by time.
A few researchers were busy working. One looked up, saw them, and walked over.
"Hello." The speaker was a man in his twenties with fair skin and a small braid, who resembled Brock with wide eyes.
He looked them over and smiled. "Are you two here to visit the Oldale Ruins?"
"Oldale Ruins?"
The man nodded. "That's right. The nearby town is even named after it. Oh, I'm Alden, a researcher studying these ruins."
"Hello, I'm Natsui, a Trainer."
"I'm Erika."
"Would you like a look inside?" Alden asked. Seeing their hesitation, he said, "It's archaeological work, but public knowledge about this place is so limited, it gets no attention. I'm dedicated to helping more people learn about it."
"I see."
Natsui understood Alden's eagerness. He and Erika exchanged a glance and followed the researcher into the ruins.
Alden gave them a general overview. Natsui noticed that despite the ruins appearing ordinary, the researchers were actively scanning with equipment.
"Mr. Alden," Natsui asked, "is there some undiscovered secret here?"
Alden nodded. "We believe these ruins hide a gateway connecting the ancient Pokémon world with the modern one."
"A gateway?"
"Exactly, a door," Alden said. "It leads to a stone chamber, but it's sealed by a peculiar mechanism we can't open. Forcing it would trigger a trap and destroy the structure. So, the world behind the door remains a mystery."
Natsui held his tongue.
It seemed obvious they could just use a Ghost-type Pokémon to phase through the wall and at least see what was inside, even if humans couldn't pass.
Then again, if the door was some kind of magical portal, that would be a different story.
Erika also asked, "What did you mean by the 'connection' you mentioned?"
"I mean those ancient Pokémon," Alden said passionately. "I suspect that behind the chamber door, there might be extinct Pokémon like Aerodactyl and Kabutops, or perhaps species we've never discovered."
He looked at Natsui. "I guessed you were Trainers when I saw you. I've invited several Trainers here before, hoping they could help me unlock the door's secret without destroying it."
Natsui didn't need him to finish; he knew they had all failed.
They soon arrived at the stone chamber.
Unlike the rest of the ruins, this chamber was built of an unknown, sturdy stone and was perfectly preserved. It looked as if it could stand for thousands more years.
The wisdom of the ancients was impressive.
Natsui and Erika examined the door. It was a single, heavy slab, cold to the touch. It had no handle or keyhole, only a few indentations, clearly requiring specific items to be inserted.
Natsui pushed it. The door didn't budge.
Alden was right; they needed to find the proper way to open it.
Looking at the door, Natsui suddenly remembered. This was the first thing Ash encountered when he arrived in Hoenn and met May.
He recalled that the chamber led to an underground lake inhabited by an ancient fish Pokémon. Other than that, there were only a few murals of research value.
What was that fish... let me think...
Right, Relicanth. An ugly Pokémon that people knew little about, with no known evolution.
More importantly, Relicanth wasn't unique to this place; they could be found in deep-sea caves.
With that realization, Natsui's interest in opening the door vanished.
Forget it. I'll leave this for Ash. It'll only be a few days. I don't need to waste my effort on this.
He and Erika pretended to examine the door for a while longer before shaking their heads at Alden. The researcher, used to disappointment, wasn't too disheartened.
After looking around a bit more, they saw it was getting late. They bid Alden farewell and continued to Oldale Town.
Oldale Town, "the town where things start small," was a beautiful town where colorful flowers and green trees thrived.
It was located in southern Hoenn. To the west lay Petalburg City; to the north, the roads led to Mauville City and Slateport City. It was a crossroads, a vital stop for many journeys.
New Trainers from Littleroot often passed through here, choosing their direction to begin their adventures.
By the time Natsui and Erika arrived, it was dusk.
They went straight to the Pokémon Center. Just like in Kanto and Johto, a Nurse Joy was on duty, healing Pokémon and managing lodging for Trainers.
"Welcome."
Joy offered them a sweet smile.
"Hello, Nurse Joy. I'm here to register for the Hoenn League."
Natsui said, handing over his Pokédex.
"Please wait a moment."
Joy took the Pokédex and accessed his data. Her eyes widened as she read the entries: Champion of the Indigo Plateau Conference, Champion of the Silver Conference, and winner of the Orange Islands and Whirl Islands competitions.
Such... incredible achievements!
She gave Natsui a surprised glance but maintained her professional composure. After completing the registration, she returned the Pokédex.
"Registration complete. Well, Mr. Natsui, I wish you success in your Hoenn challenge!"
Natsui took the Pokédex and walked to the transfer machine to contact Koharu at the Sakuragi Institute.
Having arrived in a new region, it was time to adjust his lineup.
After exchanging pleasantries, Natsui transferred his Blastoise, Venusaur, Jolteon, and Crystal Steelix. They had performed exceptionally in the Silver Conference and needed no further training.
Their strength was already more than enough for the league. They just needed to maintain it.
This left him with nine Pokémon: Gardevoir, Gengar, Dragonite, Scizor, Tyranitar, Eevee, Raikou, Suicune, and Celebi.
Gardevoir and Gengar were his unshakable core; they would never leave his side.
Celebi was newly caught. He needed to strengthen their bond and keep his promise to show it delicious food.
(He had already told Erika about catching Celebi back on the ship. She wasn't surprised at all, only genuinely happy for him.)
Raikou and Suicune, like the Legendary Birds before them, were his trump cards for this journey.
That left Dragonite, Scizor, Tyranitar, and Eevee. These four would be his focus for training in Hoenn, aiming to bring them to the same level as his Jolteon and Crystal Steelix.
Of course, four Pokémon weren't enough to challenge the Ever Grande Conference. He would need to catch several more.
After leaving the Pokémon Center, the sky was dark. They found a hotel in Oldale Town for the night.
Following dinner, they walked hand-in-hand through the quiet town, absorbing the feel of this new continent, trying to pinpoint what made it different from Kanto and Johto.
Unfortunately, the wind felt the same, and the forests looked just as dense.
If not for the town's name, Natsui wasn't sure he could tell the difference at all.
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