Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Welcome to the first chapter of Pokémon Journey: Hoenn!

If this is your first time reading one of my stories, this chapter is an adequate point for you to get into the series and I've tried to make things as accommodating for new readers as possible. This is actually the third story in the series and, while you'd undoubtedly gain from reading the previous stories beforehand, it isn't a requirement. Pokémon Journey's theme is that of the life of ordinary pokémon trainers, focusing on what it would actually be like to live in the Pokémon world as the average person, rather than as a world-saving hero. It makes for a more interesting story than you'd think.

If you are a returning Pokémon Journey reader, congratulations on making it this far and thank you for your continued support! You may notice a few subtle changes in style compared to previous stories, both in this chapter and in Pokémon Journey: Hoenn as a whole.

Anyway, I've held you up long enough. I present to you the first chapter of Pokémon Journey: Hoenn!

Upload Date: 17th February 2017

Chapter 1: Sunrise on the Hoenn Region

8:49am, 31st March 2006

A strong, cold breeze blew across the deck of the white ferry as it cruised through the waves. Despite the cold, there was scarcely a cloud in the sky and the sun shone down gently. The sea sparkled in the sunshine, the only sounds being the cries of wild pokémon flying overhead and those from the ship itself – the distant rumbling of the engines, the splash as it moved through the water. The salty scent of the sea hung in the air, not oppressively, but enough to be clearly noticeable.

For most people, today was a pleasant spring day like any other. After a long, cold winter, it was starting to warm up once again. However, the return of spring also meant something more exciting for the countless pokémon trainers living across the world: after the autumn and winter off (for most of them) it was finally time for them to set off on their new adventures.

This was the case for James Burton, an eleven-year-old boy from Pallet Town in the Kanto region. Having spent his first year as a trainer travelling around both his home region and the nearby Sevii Islands, competing in the Kanto League along the way, he'd now set his sights on the distant Hoenn region.

The wind ruffled his short, slightly scruffy, brown hair as he lent on the railings at the side of the deck. He'd been on board since the ship left Vermilion City the previous morning and, after a restless night of trying to get some sleep, he'd woken up early and decided to head up on deck to wait for Hoenn to come into view. However, just his light blue jeans and mid-green T-shirt hadn't been enough to keep him warm in the chilly early morning air and he'd had to briefly return to his cabin to pull on his regal blue zip-up hoodie. Of course, it was still pretty cold. He tugged the zip on his hoodie all the way up to the top and buried his chin in it.

"Ah!" He leaned forwards, straining his blue eyes as he caught sight of something on the horizon. Slowly but surely, the green of distant trees became clearer. As he watched the land get closer, James noticed a flock of small birds covered with white feathers soaring above the sea, calling out to one another and occasionally diving down towards the water's surface in search of food. He instinctively pulled out his Pokédex and attempted to scan the pokémon, but they were well out of range. Still, the mere fact that he was looking at pokémon which he'd never seen before was enough to excite him. They'd finally reached the Hoenn region!

Pulling back from the railings, James turned and started walking back towards the interior of the ship. They might be passing by Hoenn right now, but they were still quite a way from their destination. He reckoned that it would be another couple of hours before they arrived. Before then, he had to have breakfast and make sure all of his things were packed up. And, of course…

"…You still haven't gotten up?" James let out a sigh as he opened the door to his cabin and caught sight of his distinctly not-active companion.

"Just five more minutes…" his companion mumbled in reply. He'd bundled himself up in his duvet so effectively that only the top of his blondish brown hair could be seen peeking out.

"It's nine o'clock now!" James insisted. "They're going to start serving breakfast!"

"We can eat later…"

"We've already reached Hoenn! We only have a couple of hours before we land!"

"Uggh!"

"Come on, don't just lie there!" James walked over and started prodding him.

"…Alright! I get it!" There was a rustling sound as his companion pulled back the duvet and forced himself to sit up. He stared blearily into space for a couple of seconds before letting out a big yawn.

"I don't know how you were able to get to sleep so easily, Richard," James sighed. "It's like you're not excited at all!"

"I am excited," Richard Winter replied. "Just not this early in the morning."

A couple of months older than his companion and already twelve years old, Richard had met James when the latter had arrived in Pewter City the previous year and had subsequently joined him on his journey.

"You're probably not as bothered since it hasn't been as long since you took the gym challenge," James said.

"Not true. I'm definitely looking forward to it." Richard pulled himself up and stretched his arms above his head. "I may have taken part in the Sevii League last summer, but I didn't get to participate in the Kanto League."

"I guess the Kanto League is a bigger event…" James conceded that he had a point.

Richard looked around the room and sighed. "It already feels really weird," he said. "You know, travelling without Livvi."

"Yeah," James replied quietly.

A sombre mood descended on the cabin. Their friend, Livvi Weston, had been travelling with them in Kanto and the Sevii Islands and was James' classmate at school in Viridian City. She'd initially planned to come with them to Hoenn, but had ended up deciding to travel to the Johto region in pursuit of her rival and older sister, Tessa, instead.

"Well, I remember her saying that she didn't want to end up depending on us," James said. "And beating Tessa is kind of her main goal at the moment anyway…"

"You don't need to remind me," Richard sighed. "I'm just a little worried that we'll constantly be getting lost without her and her town map."

"We'll think of something." James grinned reassuringly. "Anyway, the three of us were never going to travel together forever. We'll get to see her again when we get home again!"

"That's why I'm going to try my hardest to win the league here in Hoenn!" Richard replied. "We've got to show her that we're not dependent on her either!"

"Yeah." James nodded. He glanced at his watch. "Anyway, you should get dressed – we need to head to the restaurant as soon as possible!"

"Got it!"

Littleroot Town, Hoenn

11:12am, 31st March 2006

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now successfully finished docking here in Littleroot Town. If you'd like to make your way to the exits, we'll be beginning disembarkation shortly. I'd like to thank you for travelling with…"

"Come on, let's go!" James called. He and Richard, having had breakfast and finished gathering their things, were already on their way to the nearest exit. It had been a long boat trip and both of them were eager to get their feet back onto dry land.

"I'm right behind you!" Richard grinned as he ran after his friend.

They quickly reached the closest exit, arriving just as it was being opened. The bright sunlight flooding into the darker interior of the ship momentarily blinded them. Following the people in front of them, they made their way down the gangplank before finally setting foot on the solid concrete of the quay. They really had arrived now.

"We're actually in Hoenn!" James grinned, looking at Richard.

"Yeah!" Richard nodded. "Our new adventure is finally starting!"

Walking along the quay, they reached the road leading from the docks towards the centre of town. A public park was on their left, while a car park for the ferry terminal was on their right. Littleroot Town itself was built on the shore of a small bay on the west coast of Hoenn, with tall hills and mountains enclosing its northern side. Despite the name, it was actually quite a large place and seemed much more lively compared to what James had been expecting. Still, he supposed that it needed to be since it was able to attract ferry traffic which would have otherwise gone to the much-closer eastern coast of Hoenn.

"So, pokémon centre first?" Richard asked, turning to him.

"That's what I was thinking," James replied. A pokémon centre was the best place to go first. They needed to get their bearings and work out a plan. Though he'd spent plenty of time studying maps and pictures of Hoenn, James had to admit that he hadn't paid much attention to actually planning where they were going to go and how they were going to get there. It wasn't that he and Richard had no navigational skills, it was just that they'd never really needed to use them before now.

Of course, Richard had a different idea in mind – pokémon centres were the easiest places to register for the local Pokémon League competitions. The sooner they registered for the Hoenn League, the sooner they could start collecting the badges that would allow them to compete. They didn't necessarily have to register today, nor did they specifically have to do it in Littleroot Town, but it meant that they wouldn't have to worry about it later.

Reaching the main road running along the coast, the two of them looked around, hoping to find a sign pointing them to their destination. Unable to see any indication of where they needed to go next, they were able to grab a passer-by to ask for help.

"Ah! The pokémon centre?" The smartly-dressed man pondered for a second. "The nearest one is actually very close to here." He pointed to the road leading further inland. "Follow that road there until you reach a T-junction. Then turn right and follow that road down. The pokémon centre will be on your right – you can't miss it!"

After thanking the man, James and Richard set off again, following his directions. It didn't take them long to spot their destination.

"I feel a little stupid for asking," Richard sighed. "I mean, it was so close all of this time!"

"It can't be helped." James shrugged. "We're not from around here and I'm fairly confident that there weren't any signs."

They approached the pokémon centre, a small, two-storey building nestled between two apartment blocks. It wasn't the largest they'd ever seen, but that made sense given Littleroot Town wasn't a major city. From what the man who'd helped them had been saying, James got the feeling that there was more than one pokémon centre here anyway.

Inside, James was surprised by how few people there were. He and Richard had deliberately set off before 1st April, the day when new trainers received their first pokémon, but he'd thought that most other experienced trainers would have had the same idea. A couple of trainers were sat in the trainers' lounge on the left of the entrance, while another was using one of the videophones on the right. At the opposite end of the lobby was the reception desk, beyond which were the medical facilities that served the centre's principal function. A corridor to the left of the desk led to the indoor practise arena, while another on the right led to the staircase up to the accommodation for trainers staying overnight. Directly to their right was the centre's canteen. Not exactly a gourmet restaurant, but good enough that a trainer rarely left unsatisfied.

"That's interesting," Richard remarked, looking through the door into the canteen. "In Kanto, they had the canteen at the back, behind the trainers' lounge."

"Yeah." James nodded. "I suppose it's so that we get a better view while eating." He imagined that he was looking at the fairly typical set-up for a pokémon centre in Hoenn, though the specifics and size would vary from place to place. Snapping out of his thoughts, he followed Richard over to the desk.

"How can I help?" the receptionist asked, smiling up at them.

"We'd like to register for the Hoenn League," Richard replied. He looked over at James. "Are we booking a room as well?"

"That's what I was going to suggest." James nodded. "We need time to prepare before we can set off."

"A room as well, then." Richard turned back to the receptionist, holding up his index finger.

"Certainly." The receptionist took his trainer card and scanned it quickly. She then handed a card key to him. "Room 5. Head upstairs and it's straight across the corridor."

"Thanks," Richard replied as he took the card key.

"As for your registration…" The receptionist returned to tapping keys on her computer. She picked up Richard's trainer card and swiped it again. Another couple of taps. "You're all registered." She placed his trainer card on the counter. "Do you have a badge case?"

"No, I don't." Richard shook his head.

"I'll give you this as well then." She placed a crimson-coloured case with the words 'Hoenn Pokémon League 2006' on the front on the counter as well.

"Thanks!" Richard grinned as he scooped both up.

"I'm registering as well." James handed over his trainer card.

"I'm getting excited just looking at this badge case!" Richard said enthusiastically while the receptionist repeated the process for James.

"This is the first time that we'll both be competing in the same league, isn't it?" James sighed. "It'd really suck if we ended up having to battle each other at the league."

"I won't hold back if it comes to it!" Richard grinned. "I'm going for total victory!"

"Don't think that I'll just roll over and let you win!" James grinned back. As the receptionist put his trainer card and a badge case on the counter. He thanked her as he picked them up.

"Right! Let's go up and check out our room first!" Richard declared. "Then we can decide what we're going to do next!"

"Just what I was going to suggest." James nodded.

12:06pm, 31st March 2006

Despite their talk of 'deciding' what to do next, both of them had already known what they needed to do. They'd just arrived in a new region, with little idea about where they were going and without any substantial supplies. James' insistence that they buy food and other necessities once they arrived had probably been well-placed since it meant that they hadn't needed to worry about taking it on the ferry, but it meant that they needed to handle it all now. Aside from that, the two of them also had other pressing concerns.

"What are we going to do about lunch?" Richard asked as the two of them left the pokémon centre and started walking along the street in search of a supermarket.

"Oh, yeah. It's about time we had something to eat, isn't it?" James checked his watch. "Well, I think we should get our shopping done first. Then we can get something to eat afterwards."

"You sure?" Richard asked with a grin. "You know how bad it is to go food shopping on an empty stomach."

"Are you suggesting that there's a chance we'll buy more than several months' worth of food this afternoon?" James raised an eyebrow. "You just want to eat as soon as possible."

"And is there anything wrong with that?" Richard continued grinning.

"Well, I guess not." James shrugged. "Ah! I forgot!"

"Hmm? What?" Richard asked curiously.

"Now that we're here in Hoenn, I wanted to give my team a pep talk."

"Ah, fair enough. I should probably do the same."

The two of them ducked into a small side street so that they wouldn't be in the way and pulled out the poké balls they had at hand. There was a burst of light as the three pokémon emerged from the balls and materialised opposite their trainers.

"Sorry for keeping you guys cooped up for so long!" James grinned guiltily. "How are you feeling?"

Charka, a charmeleon covered in deep red scales and sporting a pair of sharp claws, gave his head a shake and snorted. The sudden emergence into the cool air had caught him off-guard. The flame on the tip of his tail was burning brightly though – he didn't seem upset at all.

Kacha, a pikachu with yellow fur, red cheek pouches and a lightning-bolt-shaped tail, grinned up at James reassuringly. Curious about his new surroundings, he started sniffing around.

"How about you, Naro?" Richard asked.

The nidoking let out a low growl in response. Though it would have sounded intimidating to a stranger (especially given the poison-ground type's large frame, tough body and fearsome poisonous barbs), Richard could tell that he was in a good mood. He too seemed curious about his surroundings, but was unable to explore as effectively as Kacha, given his large size.

"Alright, Charka, Kacha, listen up!" James called. The two pokémon immediately stood to attention. "It's been a long time, but we're finally going to be competing in a pokémon league again!" He held out his new badge case.

The two pokémon cheered enthusiastically in response.

"As you know, I decided to limit the team members I'd bring here to so that I'd have the opportunity to catch and train new pokémon. I hope you're both looking forward to making new friends as well!"

As James' pokémon let out another cheer in agreement, Richard turned to Naro. "Pretty much the same goes for you and me. You did a great job at the Sevii League, so I'm hoping you'll do your best to help me train the new pokémon we're going to catch."

Naro nodded, giving Richard a grin. They'd known each other for a long time now. Richard knew that he could trust Naro when the going got tough. He was feeling pretty optimistic about his chances in the Hoenn League.

"Anyway, we need to get back to shopping for supplies." James held up his two poké balls. "Charka, Kacha, return!"

"Naro, return." Richard recalled Naro to his poké ball as James did the same with Charka and Kacha.

The two trainers left the side street and resumed their walk along the main road. Now that it was lunchtime, there were far more people walking around, heading out for something to eat or going back to work after their meals. James and Richard quickly found a street lined with shops that they were looking for. Countless other trainers were milling about as well, making sure that they were prepared for the starts of their own journeys.

"So, what do we need to get?" Richard asked, turning to James.

"Food is the biggest thing," James replied. "But we also need to buy some poké balls if we want to catch more pokémon. Then we need to get more medicine, possibly some repel…"

"Sounds like we're going to be at it for a while," Richard sighed. "So, where do we start?"

"I was going to deal with smaller things like poké balls and medicine first." James looked around as they walked down the street, attempting to identify the shops they needed. "Ah! I wanted to try and find a map or guidebook or something, so that we can actually find our way across Hoenn."

"That's kind of important." Richard nodded.

"Anyway, can I leave you to get medicine and poké balls?" James asked. "I'll try and find a guidebook, repel and batteries for our Pokédexes… Actually, I'll give you this." He pulled out a list, gently ripped it into two halves and gave one to Richard. "Once you've everything on there that isn't food, meet me in the supermarket." He pointed to the large supermarket built into the base of an apartment block further up the street.

"Got it! See you in a bit!" Richard grinned as he wandered off.

James turned back to face up the street. "Right! I guess I'd better get to work as well!" Shopping may not have been the most thrilling activity, but he was excited nonetheless. It meant that their new journey was finally about to begin!

So, this chapter was predominantly about laying the groundwork for the story and breaking the bad news to returning readers: No, Livvi isn't travelling with James and Richard on this particular adventure. However, I'm pleased to announce a short(ish) side-story entitled Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook for those of you who are interested in following her travels in the Johto region. The first chapter of this side story will be uploaded on 20th February.

One thing that I should probably point out at this point is that, unlike previous Pokémon Journey stories, Pokémon Journey: Hoenn's setting and locations have all been largely based off of the Hoenn region's real-world counterpart (hence extensive use of Google Maps to plot exactly where the protagonists are going to be walking). You probably noticed that Littleroot seemed a lot bigger in this chapter than it does in the games, which is because its real-world counterpart is the fairly large port of Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, rather than a small village in the middle of nowhere. The other main effect this has is that compass direction will be using the real-world rather than the in-game Hoenn map (Rustboro City is on the northern end of the island, Ever Grande City to the south, Fallarbor Town in the east and Littleroot Town in the west).

For the avoidance of doubt, Pokémon Journey: Hoenn is based on Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, rather than Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. The main effect of this is that I use the Gen III Pokédex for movesets rather than the Gen VI one. It also means I'll have looked at the old games for inspiration regarding characters, locations and events.

If you've read this far, thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I'm very welcoming of any feedback that will help me improve the story, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Chapter 2 will be uploaded on 19th February.

Until next time!

Team Listings:

James Burton:

Active:

Charka (Charmeleon): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.

Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, knows Thunderbolt, Agility, Slam and Thunder Wave.

Richard Winter:

Active:

Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, knows Horn Attack, Megahorn, Poison Sting and Double Kick.