Fandom Pokemon Frontier

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Pokemon Frontier casts you as participants in the newly opened Mesaea Frontier Challenge, inviting trainers from all over the pokemon world to test themselves in a grueling test of strength, skill, and exploration. Based on the rules of the fan-favorite Nuzlocke challenge, Pokemon Frontier is a sandbox rp that aims to combine narrative freedom with the mechanical restrictions of a semi-randomized game challenge. Both starters and initial pokemon encounters are drawn from pre-formed pools specific to each new area your characters arrive in. However, with 48 separate areas (including towns and dungeons, some of which are divided into yet further areas) you won't be lacking for choice.

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Wingull and Mantine followed in the wake of the ferry as it sailed through the cold sea south of Mesaea, dancing in the waves off its bow. Glittering white in the sun, the bright red icon of the Frontier Challenge League on the prow was like a spotlight on the ship as it drew closer to its destination, the crew already rushing to and fro in preparation for docking while its passengers lounged on deck. The chill breeze off the sea was pleasant for some, less so for others, but the pleasant warmth of the late morning sun made it bearable.

Fireworks lit up in the sky as the ferry drew close to shore, drawing all eyes toward the city looming on the horizon, close enough to hear faint echoes of the same livestream playing on their phones being presented on a big screen in the middle of the city center.


“I’m Hudah.”



“We’re just a few hours away from the opening ceremony, and the first wave of trainers is set to arrive at Challenger Dock any moment now.”


“I’m still surprised that Kanto guy didn’t join.”


“What can the first challengers expect once they arrive, Muirne?”


“That’s right, Muirne. Even though the Challenge won’t officially begin until they arrive here in Cullis City for the opening ceremony, the rules for the Challenge are put in place from the moment they step off the boat.”


“Well, why not? It’s kinda like a celebration of their arrival!”

“Besides, it’ll give them the chance to see just who they’re up against.”

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The livestream’s audio faded out as Maria closed out of her phone, standing and stuffing it back in her bag as the ferry drew alongside the dock. She stayed out of the way of the crewmen as they ran about, leaning against the railing and watching the shoreline. The beach gave rise to low cliffs, and she could already see pokemon on the ridge. Maria gripped the railing tight, hopping up and down on the deck as her heart buzzed in her chest.

Not long now.

As if on cue Maria’s attention was drawn by the high pitched whistle of the bosun’s general call. “Trainers to the fore!!” his voice boomed over the deck, carrying the distance of the ferry as easily as his whistle had. Maria gave a quick glance to check if the other trainers were responding, then bounced off the railing and ran to see what the fuss was about.

They were a small crowd, Maria thought; a little over a dozen challengers in all, which had surprised her when she first boarded the ferry. She had thought there would have been easily twice this number, if not more. That being said, they were only the first ferry of what the livestream had referred to as only the first wave, so no doubt there would be a small army of competitors by the time the opening ceremony started. Still, she was a little put off by the demographics present - Maria had really thought there would be more newbies like her about, even if it was a little embarrassing to still be a novice at her age.

“Captain speaking!” the bosun announced, immediately reasserting himself in Maria’s attention. The bosun was a thin, austere man, but the captain seemed almost his direct opposite - big and round, with a sparkle in his eyes and an absolutely massive beard that, when one looked closely, seemed to have a burmy hiding in it.

“Good morning, everyone!” the captain greeted, offering them a wide, toothy smile. “How are you all doing today? Feeling excited?” There seemed to be an electricity in the air as various trainers murmured their agreement. “I’m glad, I’m glad!” he continued, reaching up to pat the bug pokemon in his magnificent facial hair.

“Now I’m sure you’re all eager to get going, but we’ve got a few things to go over before anyone grabs a pokeball.” The captain cleared his throat, gesturing to a pair of mates on the side, each holding a large box - one huge, sleek and red, the other a simple metal briefcase. “To start, no battling amongst each other until after the opening ceremony - I’m sure a few of you might be keen to knock out some of your competitors early, but everyone gets a fair shake to make their start. No exceptions. Trading is still allowed, however.

“Second, the rules of the challenge are in effect the moment you step off this boat. There are a lot of pokemon between here and the gate, and while it might be tempting to go catch as many as you can before the game starts for real, that just isn’t gonna happen. Anyone caught violating the catch restrictions is disqualified, no exceptions.”

A boy with a Kalosian accent raised his hand. “How do we know when we’re allowed to catch and when we aren’t? I doubt different areas are going to have lines drawn around them, right?”

The captain responded with a wide grin. “I’m glad you asked!”

Immediately the mate with the briefcase stepped forward, undoing the latches and opening it for everyone present to see. Inside were several rows of what appeared to be blocky blue and red wrist watches, set carefully into the foam interior of the briefcase.

“These little gizmos are your pory-vices!” the captain explained as the mate walked around to pass them out to the trainers gathered on deck. “Each one’s got a porygon inside it. The little fella will track when you’re in a new area, what your initial encounters are, and will even let you access your storage boxes without the need for a computer! They’re gonna be your best friends during the Challenge, so make sure you take good care of ‘em!”

Maria took hers gingerly when the mate with the briefcase came over to her, looking at the front and back before slipping it onto her wrist. Immediately the screen on the watch’s face lit up, and the big blocky eyes of a porygon stared back at her before flickering out and being replaced by the current time. “Oh! Hel- Oh.” Maybe it was shy.

“I think that should be everything,” the captain said, clapping his hands together. “Any questions? Yes? No? Well then, if everyone’s ready to move on, I guess we can get to what you’re all really waiting for!”

He gestured to the mate holding the red case, who stepped up beside him before turning to face the gathered trainers. “Single file line, please,” he requested, setting the case on the deck of the ship. He pressed a button on the back of the case, causing a light to blink on on the top. There was a momentary pause, then with astonishing quickness the case began to unfold itself, growing in size until what sat on the deck of the ship was-

“A capsule machine?” Maria asked under her breath, craning her neck around the trainer in front of her to get a look at it. There was a crank on the side, and three circular divots sitting on a shelf in the middle of its face. She stepped closer to try and see it better, only to instantly feel regret when a flurry of footsteps behind her caused her to look back and see that she had someone become the front of the line.

Ah.

Weren’t pokemon trainers supposed to be brave?! Why were they all letting the newbie go first?!

“Alrighty, young lady!” The captain’s giant hand hit her shoulder like he’d used the move Guillotine. “Go ahead and give her a go!”

Maria tried to swallow the lump in her throat, walking stiff-legged up to the Machine of Fate while trying to ignore the eyes burning holes into her back. She reached a nervous hand toward the crank on the side of the machine, feeling its cold, unforgiving metal under her fingertips before turning it once… twice… thrice…

A trio of pokeballs rolled down from a hole in its face, settling into each of the three divots. Small screens over each lit up, revealing each ball’s contents - a weird looking stunfisk, poochyena, and whismur? So they got three pokemon to start? Huh. She slowly picked up the ball with the whismur, and immediately the screens over the other two pokeballs shut off, the divots opening up and dropping the stunfisk and poochyena back into the machine.

“Eh?! Wait-!”

“Sorry, little lady!” the captain apologized with a laugh, patting his burmy. “One pokemon each. It’s tradition.”

“Oh…” Maria stepped aside numbly, holding her pokeball in both hands. Still… she looked down at the ball, faintly making out the shape of the pokemon inside through its red top. A whismur… her whismur. Her first pokemon…! She couldn’t contain the smile pulling itself across her face, her shoulders beginning to shake with excitement. Her first pokemon!! She was a real trainer now! A real trainer, in a real league challenge!

She looked up, toward the railing and the shoreline beyond. The ship had docked, and they were already extending the ramp to let people disembark.

It was time to go.

It was impossible for Damon to hold back the grin spreading across his face as he stood at the bow of the ferry, his smile steadfast as he braced himself against the cold sea wind whipping by. He’d set up shop here the moment he’d boarded the vessel, considering it prime real estate for the views the journey to Mesaea had to offer. Mostly just miles upon miles of seawater as it turned out. Still he’d taken in each and every wave with the hungry eye of a newly-blooded tourist, looking out for any small details that might set them apart from those he knew back home. Boats were nothing new to him, but this was his first time outside of Galarian waters, and the thought of missing out on something interesting rising from the depths was enough to keep him on a keen lookout for the entire duration of the journey.

Although not a new species to Damon the Wingull and Mantine that trailed alongside and behind the boat were a welcome sight, reminding him that even all the way out here on the cusp of a new region there were aspects of home to keep him company. Not the most important one though. Damon’s smile shrunk a few millimetres. It had stung to have to leave Valtyr behind, he and that great metal beast had been inseparable for over a decade now and there was no denying that having his partner with him would have only sweetened this experience. Damon has briefly considered sneaking Valtyr into Mesaea but had ultimately dismissed the thought. If he was going to take part in the frontier challenge he was going to do it right, and there would be no sense of sportsmanship if he didn’t follow the same rules as everybody else. That and where was he meant to hide a 7ft monster like Valtyr? Pokeballs were invaluable for that sort of thing of course but Valtyr only abided his for short periods of time so it wouldn’t be long before he got caught chowing down on some local infrastructure. No, best to leave the Aggron safe and sound at home. He would probably be getting spoilt rotten at the forge right now anyway, despite strict instructions from Damon he knew his mother would be treating Valtyr to liberal amounts of scrap metal snacks.

Thoughts of picking up some sort of souvenir for his family were brought to an abrupt halt by a powerful whistle coming from somewhere behind him, and upon turning his back on the dock they were pulling in alongside he could see two men he could only assume to be the bosun and Captain. Other members of the crew rushed around in a literal all-hands-on-deck moment as they prepared the ferry for docking, but those two waited expectantly for the other frontier challengers to gather in front of them, Damon included. Circling round them he was one of the first trainers to reach the fore, an easy task considering he’d already been on it when the call had gone out. It was easier to appreciate the stark contrast between the Captain and his bosun now. Physically they were diametric opposites, the bosun a lanky beansprout of a man and the Captain as round as a Golem. And that beard! It was so large and impressive that for a moment the excitement of the frontier challenge was pushed aside by the sheer might of bushy beast. Damon stared at the beard. The beard stared back.

Uhhh…

It took a few very confusing seconds for Damon’s brain to do the mental gymnastics necessary for his eyes to confirm that there was indeed a Burmy nestled within the Captain’s beard, apparently very content with it’s mobile home. Cute, in a bizarre kind of way. Like the Burmy was captaining the Captain?

It didn’t take long for the rest of the challengers to emerge from their various positions around the ferry and Damon couldn’t help but discreetly checkout the competition, his inner competitive battler never quite sated. After sternly reminding himself that he was here to enjoy the experience and not to get ahead of himself Damon did note that most of his fellow challengers also seemed to be at least semi-experienced battlers. That wasn’t surprising really, he didn’t expect many greenhorns to jump into something as unorthodox as the frontier challenge for their first taste of being a trainer. Still there was one lass with blue eyes who seemed a little less certain of herself than the others, and Damon picked her out as a potential rookie who’d decided to throw caution to the wind and dive straight into the deep end. A ballsy move, but one he could respect.

Damon sat patiently through the Captain’s explanation and the questions asked by the other challengers, his tapping foot the only giveaway that he was actually dying to just jump off the boat and start making headway into the challenge. But he wouldn’t have got far, not without the fancy Pory-vice one of the mates handed him as a reward for sticking around. Supposing it was similar to a Rotom-device he strapped it to his wrist and give it a gentle prod to try and elicit a response of some kind. He got one, but it wasn’t what he’d been hoping for. The geometric features of a Porygon briefly flashed upon the screen before they were replaced by the current time displayed in a military format. There was just one issue, the time was upside down and all the writing on the screen was in a language Damon couldn’t comprehend. Kalosian? Frowning, Damon unclasped the device and flipped it over so the time would at least be the right way up. Adjusting to it’s new position the Pory-vice stubbornly displayed the time upside down again.

“Right.” Huffed Damon, sighing in an exasperated manner and looking around for somebody to assist him with his deviant device. “Hey, I think mine might be broken?”

His call fell on deaf ears, the crewmate who’d been handing out the Pory-vices had already done the rounds and vanished with the box he’d been carrying. Everybody else already had theirs happily around their wrists and were listening to the Captain with rapt attention as he explained how the starter Pokémon for their challenge would be distributed. Perhaps he’d get a chance to fix the Pory-vice after things had gotten underway, for now he was just going to file it under ‘unique handicap’ and do his best not to hold everybody up. A line was forming for the starter machine and the Galarian queuing etiquette that had been drilled into him since birth took over, with Damon neatly slotting into line behind the blue-eyed trainer he’d noticed earlier. He’d actually been slightly closer to the machine than her when the line began forming but it was only right to let the newbie get first dibs. His considerate action didn’t seem to be appreciated, but he was far too focused on what he might get from the capsule machine to notice.

In a flash he found himself turning the handle of the capsule machine, each rotation dispensing a pokeball down into the tray beneath.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

The trio of iconic capsules rolled neatly into position alongside one another, and the monitor above revealed exactly what species each of them contained.

Mawile the deceiver Pokémon. Trapinch the ant pit Pokémon. Buizel the sea weasel Pokémon.

Damon mulled his choices over for a moment, soon coming to realize that this choice had been far more difficult than he’d first realized. He’d never gone to the local professor for a starter like many rookie trainers chose to and that meant he hadn’t been faced with a choice like this before. Steel was always reliable; he knew that all too well. But water could also be useful depending on the climate. Ground was the most versatile of the options, but he knew that something like Trapinch took a very long time to raise. If only he could pick two, he could cover all bases with water AND ground. Realizing he was probably holding up the line Damon chose a ball essentially at random, stopping only to thank the Captain and then leaning down to thank his Burmy before moving over and letting the next in line have a go.

Once safely out of the way he peered into the Pokéball he’d been given and was able to just about make out the shape of a Mawile through the red half of the capsule. A pang of regret shot through his gut. Damn it, was he already second guessing himself? It wasn’t the Mawile’s fault , poor thing hadn’t even gotten a chance to introduce itself yet but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d have been better off with either of the other two. Maybe he could trade it with somebody before it knew he'd selected it? That would certainly make him feel less guilty about giving the diminutive steel type away…

“Pory-vice?”

The screen came to life once more, upside down of course. ‘Oui?’ Asked a pop-up text box.

“Is there anyway you can let the other challengers know that I’m available to make a trade?” He whispered into the watch, cautiously taking the pop-up box as a confirmation that the Porygon was willing to comply. After a few seconds with no response he rolled his eyes and added “For the Mawile, not you.”

‘Oui.’ came the response before the screen of the watch transitioned into a display that showed a Mawile sprite in one corner and a question mark in the other, with a loading icon beneath. Was that it? With a free-spirited shrug Damon leaned back against the railing of the ferry beside the boarding ramp, lazily rolling the Pokeball between his fingers in it’s reduced form. This seemed like as logical a place to wait for a possible trade as any…

Fate had decided it would be merciful today. Displayed on Damon’s pory-vice was a pixel art representation of a Tympole, a water/ ground type that, with it’s amphibious nature, would be the best of both worlds when it came to navigating the Frontier challenge. Certainly provided a definitive answer to Trapinch/ Buizel debate he’d been waging with himself earlier. The tiny tadpoles were native to Galar so he was familiar the species, despite never interacting with one more closely than dropping feeding pellets into local ponds. They rarely breached the surface unless feeding but their presence was often notable even when submerged, their rhythmic calls causing ripples upon the waters surface. It’s evolutions weren’t anywhere near as shy. Damon had always enjoyed hearing their aquatic opera when walking through the wetlands of the wild area, the way the water altered the sound of their songs was fascinating. It was just important that one didn’t get carried away listening in, lest they attract the unwanted attention of a surly Seismitoad protecting it’s brood.

Fumbling with his faulty pory-vice for a moment Damon managed to select what he hoped was the ‘accept’ option for the trade offer. His pory-vice made a few encouraging beeps and indicated that he should place his pokéball flat atop the device, confirming that he’d successfully set the trade in motion. Curious to see how this unconventional trade would be carried out Damon did as instructed, gently placing the Mawile’s capsule on the horizontal screen of his pory-vice. The device vibrated softly in his hand. Now what? The vibration continued, consistent in its power and frequency. It was only when Damon rotated on the spot that he noted a change in the vibration. After a little experimentation he realized it was growing softer when pointed away from the ferry and stronger when pointed toward the group of lingering trainers. So he was meant to find his trade partner with a little game of ‘hotter, colder’. He could get behind the fun in that.

With the pory-vice flat in his palm Damon made his way through the crowd that was slowly filtering off the ferry, fighting the flow of bodies and slipping through whatever gaps he could find all whilst doing his best to keep his pory-vice safe. There were a couple of near slips when a trainer bumped his shoulder on their way past but he managed to keep his device in hand and with some trial and error was able to locate his target. She was slightly shorter than he was with long red hair that flowed past her shoulders, starting off dark but transitioning into a deep red. His pory-vice was vibrating like crazy when waved in her direction. If it wasn’t her then his trade partner was doing an excellent job of hiding directly behind her.

“Hey there!”

Damon shot her his best attempt at a friendly smile, waving jauntily with his free hand as he came over.

“You wouldn’t happen to be trading away a Tympole would you? The trade locator on my pory-vice isn’t really an exact science…” He trailed off hoping she’d jump in and confirm his suspicions.

Maria stepped lightly down the ramp to the dock, slowing only momentarily to watch the other trainers still milling about the ferry. She had expected most of them to disembark at the first opportunity, but it seemed she was one of only a few trainers to do so. For the second time since arriving, Maria couldn’t help but think she was missing something. Should she have stayed and spoken to the others first? It looked like some of them were comparing or trading already. Should she have gotten their input on whismur?

She reached the end of the ramp, stepping onto the sea-stained planks of the dock. Maria raised Whismur’s pokeball in her hand, studying it with her brow furrowed. Should she ask someone’s opinion about it? They were all rivals, right? How would she even know she could trust their word on the matter? What if they offered to trade, just to trick her into giving them something stronger? Maria glanced around her quickly before jumping into a jog down the dock, looking for somewhere away from the other trainers. Before she did anything, she should at least introduce herself to her potential partner properly first.

There was a quiet spot not far from where the ferry had docked, just a couple of minutes from the end of the dock. The sandy beach gave way to a small stone rise topped with long yellow-green grass, and Maria found that she could crouch down in its shade to keep out of sight of nosy onlookers. She fiddled with Whismur’s pokeball, trying to figure out how to let her pokemon out before the pop of the capsule and flash of red light caused her to jump in surprise, falling back onto her butt.

Whismur was smaller than Maria expected. It stood just a few feet from her, back to her with its round feet half buried in the sand. Well- no, she had known it would be small. Logically, in her head, she understood whismur were only two feet tall, but she hadn’t fully realized just how small that really was. It barely came up to her knees, and she was supposed to send it out to battle for her? Maria reached a delicate hand toward it, wondering how to greet it properly. Should she introduce herself? The tips of her fingers brushed ever so lightly against the soft lilac fur of its little round body, and she felt it flinch at her touch, spinning on its heel to face her directly.

And then it screamed.

Maria slammed her hands over her ears as the sound of a jumbo jet engine tore its way across the beach, her eyes squeezed tight as if that would somehow prevent the cacophony from piercing through her body. There was so much noise! How could it be making so much noise?!

“Whismur!!” Maria shouted, her voice drowned beneath Whismur’s deafening cries. She tried again. ”Whismur!!!”

It took all Maria’s effort to peek one eye open, flailing her hand around for Whismur’s ball. Through her blurred vision she saw the little siren of a pokemon, its own eyes shut tight as it continued to wail. She felt dizzy and nauseous, like she might pass out or hurl or both. Were those tears in the corner of its eyes, or the tears in her own eyes?

Oh, of course. She must have frightened it.

“It’s- It’s okay, Whismur!” Maria tried again, her voice weaker than it had been. Her hand fell on empty sand, and she panted hard, trying to steady herself against the onslaught of noise. Should she try calling for help? Ha, as if anyone would hear her over this. Most likely they had already heard - would the other trainers think she was being attacked, maybe? Or just some incompetent who couldn’t control their own pokemon?

She squeezed her eyes shut again, both hands going back over her ears as she doubled over in the sand. Her stomach churned violently, and she couldn’t hear herself think. Was she even still able to think? Maria forced herself to open one eye, feeling a throbbing pain in both of them. She could faintly make out Whismur, right in front of her, curled up on itself and crying out with the bombastic voice of thunder itself.

“It’s- it’s okay,” Maria said between gasping breaths, sliding one hand through the sand toward the cacophonous pokemon and brushing her fingers gently across the side of Whismur’s face. It flinched again at her touch, but thankfully didn’t grow any louder. “I’m sorry- I’m sorry for scaring you, Whismur,” she wheezed, wrapping her arm around it as she lay on her side. It was hard to know if she was really saying anything when she couldn’t hear her own voice. “Really… really.”

Was it getting quieter? With the ringing in her ears she couldn’t really tell. Her whole head hurt, and her stomach rebelled against her, but when she mustered her strength to look again, it seemed that Whismur’s mouth had closed. That was good, then.

Damon was blindsided by the trainer’s response, his eyebrows shooting up in response to her more than enthusiastic greeting. He could feel a hint of red flush to his cheeks but honestly he was too surprised to be bashful. Thankfully she then seemed to dial herself in before continuing, settling on a warm introduction that didn’t sucker punch him this time.

“Esther, nice to meet you I’m Mawil- I mean, I’m Damon.” He replied, stumbling over his words a bit. Pulling himself together he gave her hand a firm shake, wiping the vestiges of surprise from his expression as he did so.

“You’re offering Tympole right? I’d love to take the wee fella off your hands just as soon as I can work out how to officiate it…” Damon levelled his pory-vice with Esther’s and gently tapped his device against hers, prompting it to respond with an encouraging ‘ding’ sound. “Ahah! Was that it?”

Scouring the upturned wall of Kalosian text for an indicator that the trade had been registered Damon was pleased to see a green tick beside the Tympole sprite on the screen. That was good enough for him. But when he went to pluck the Mawile’s ball from its perch he suddenly felt a pang of guilt, somewhat ashamed of himself for throwing the poor thing away without ever giving it a chance. No, that was no way to think of this, it wasn’t like he was throwing the little Pokémon to the wolves, Esther seemed pleasant, if a little eccentric, and would likely do a fine job with the little steel type.

“Here, I look forward to seeing the two of you besting this challenge together. Me and Tympole will need some competition after all.” He said with a wry smile as he handed the ball to Esther.

Maria’s ears were ringing still, her head throbbing with every beat of her heart. Okay, so maybe her prior assessment of Whismur was a little off the mark. She felt a small paw press against her face, and heard some distant, muffled sound behind her. Was someone speaking to her? Ah, of course. Someone must have come over when they heard the noise.

Well, what was Maria supposed to do about this? This wasn’t exactly a great first impression; maybe they’d think she wasn’t up to this and force her to go home. “I’m fine,” she called out, her face half hidden in Whismur’s side. She still couldn’ tell if her voice actually worked or not. “Just doing some training is all.”

She squinted one eye open, trying to take stock of her surroundings. There was a lady squatting next to her, talking with some kind of funny accent. Maria’s eye slid off the woman’s jacket and fell to the side, landing on a stunned pile of feathers with its feet hanging in the air. She wriggled around, pulling something from her bag without standing or letting go of Whismur before tossing it limply at the dazed Wingull. The pokeball capsule popped open with an iconic sound effect Maria could hear just a bit better than a few seconds ago, sucking the pokemon inside with its red light.

“See?” Maria insisted, finally propping herself up on one elbow. “No problems here.”

Maria took the older girl’s hand, grunting in discomfort as she was pulled to her feet. First catch, huh. She had kinda hoped it would’ve been more… glamorous. Her first introduction to her partner wasn’t exactly what she’d been expecting, either. Did it usually include so much, uh. Pain? She had heard of people getting shocked by their own Pikachu before, but seriously.

Maria used the girl’s shoulder to stabilize herself for a moment while she urged her knees to stop wobbling. Her ears were still ringing, but she was pretty sure she could hear normally again. More or less. Once confident her balance was restored, Maria took a step toward her newest pokemon - only to nearly fall face first back into the sand before catching herself.

“I’m okay!! I’m okay!” Maria announced quickly, not giving anyone the chance to try and help again. “Did that on purpose!” she insisted, getting her legs back under her before snatching up Wingull’s ball. Maria spun around on her heel, clapping her hands together behind her only to splay them out to her sides in a near-panic as she threatened to topple over again. “Ev- everything I’m doing is intentional!”

Maria forced out an awkward chuckle, fiddling with the bird pokemon’s capsule. Whismur had skittered over to hide behind her leg at some point, and Maria glanced down at it with raised eyebrows before looking back at the other trainer. The trainer who had… come to see if she was alright, and had helped her off the ground.

Oh crap! Was she being totally rude right now???

“Ah! Uh! Thank you for your help, though - not- not that I needed help! But still, it’s- I mean, I appreciate, uhm.” Maria cleared her throat, her eyes falling to her feet. Way to save face, champ. “I’m Maria,” she finished with an embarrassed half-chuckle.

The girl standing opposite Maria stood with an easy confidence, this cocksure half-grin stuck on her face. She seemed exactly the kind of experienced, master trainer Maria had expected to be drawn to this sort of competition. Meanwhile here Maria’s lack of experience couldn’t be any more clear - fumbling about with her words, tripping over her own feet, barely able to make eye contact - the obvious chasm between Maria and this other girl made her feel immeasurably small. The other girl was probably wondering exactly what Maria even thought she was doing in a challenge of this level.

“I’m- I’m not usually this clumsy, you know!” Maria suddenly insisted. “I’m actually a gym leader back home! I’m just, you know, a little…” She grasped blindly for an appropriate excuse. “....Seasick.”

Maria nearly fumbled the bottle as she caught it, staring blankly for a moment and exchanging a look with Whismur before chasing after the older woman.

Maria popped one of the pills as they marched up the beach, stepping quickly to try and keep pace. “I think there’s some- that way,” she spoke up as the sand shifted back to dry grass and then sparse woodland. Whismur tottered along on its little legs just behind her. The thought to return it to its ball hadn't yet occurred to her; she was still a little frazzled from her rough start, and to be honest there was a lot she would need to take the time to figure out next time she had a chance to take a break. “I saw some pokemon up on the cliff when we were pulling into the dock. I didn’t- I didn’t catch your name, by the way!” She added this last bit between breaths, a stitch already starting to form in her side.

Ryo had gone through countless trials and tribulations throughout his pokemon journey. But this particular trial may just be the most physically and mentally challenging one yet. At the moment Ryo was bent over the railing of the boat, his face drenched with sweat. For just a moment he felt that he could endure what his opponent could throw at him next, only for a small wave to bump into the boat causing Ryo to expel everything in his guts overboard. This was sadly another loss of his that would be added to the books. The Sea was a harsh mistress and antidote's sadly didn't work on the sea sickness.

"I miss you so much right now Shogun..." Ryo wheezed between dry heaves. Shogun was his Gyarados and he never got seasick when surfing on top of him. He felt the boat come to a stop as it docked and heard the announcement to gather at the fore. The sooner he gathered his pokemon the quicker he could get off this floating tankard of sickness. Despite his efforts, Ryo's affliction caused him to be the last one in line to gather his pokemon. Ryo waited patiently behind every other trainer until it was finally his turn. There was a small moment of suspense before three pokeballs arrived in front of them.

He looked at them and the pokemon inside them carefully. "An Indeedee, Snubbull, and a Trapinch." Ryo mumbled to himself. Snubbull's were a somewhat common sight in Johto and Ryo was quite familiar with them despite never training one himself. The Indeedee and the Trapinch on the other hand were quite the opposite. Both of them piqued Ryo's interest, but he ultimately decided to take the Trapinch. While only a ground type now, it would evolve into a fearsome dragon type later on in its life and if he wanted to beat Lance next time then he should get to know the champion's favorite typing better.

With his new pokemon strapped at his belt and a Pory-Device on his wrist, Ryo took his first steps off the boat and onto the Mesaea region. He took a deep breath and smiled, his seasickness was already fading. A loud piercing scream could be heard further down the beach, but he chose to ignore it. There were trainers all around him, and only so many pokemon. Despite being on land for less than a minute, this seemed like the perfect time for another teammate.