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The night was already deep. A massive ship sailed steadily across the ocean under the cover of darkness. The sky was dotted with countless stars, and a full moon cast a pale silver glow over the sea.
On the ship's deck, a middle-aged man dressed in a captain's uniform puffed out thick clouds of smoke from his pipe while smiling at Liam, who was leaning against the railing and watching the ocean scenery.
"Hahaha~ Champion, are you getting used to the ride? No seasickness, I hope?"
This ship, known as the Wavebreaker, was the vessel that Gyokuryu Shigen had arranged to take Liam to the Hoenn region.
After confirming each other's identities, Liam gladly boarded the ship and began a journey toward Hoenn—an adventure into the unknown.
"Yes, thank you very much, Elite Four Drake. It's my first time sailing on such a fine ship. I feel great. The night sea breeze is very refreshing."
Liam turned and replied politely.
That's right—Elite Four Drake, one of Hoenn's Elite Four members and a Dragon-type specialist, was the captain of the Wavebreaker and the person Gyokuryu Shigen had asked to escort Liam to Hoenn.
"Hahaha~ Champion, you're being far too polite. I was only doing a favor for my senior and happened to pass by to pick you up. Besides, you're the Champion of two regions—I was actually worried my little ship wouldn't be worthy enough! Luckily you don't mind! Hahaha!"
It was clear Drake was a very straightforward and cheerful person. He looked to be around thirty or forty years old, and his upright character made him well loved by the crew.
"Hehe, please don't call me 'Champion' anymore. Just call me Liam. Being called 'sir' all the time makes me uncomfortable."
Drake's easygoing personality had clearly rubbed off on Liam, who felt that formal titles made the conversation feel distant.
"Hehe, then excuse my rudeness—Liam? Haha~ Somehow it still feels a little strange calling you that, but oh well, let's go with it."
Drake called out Liam's name once, then immediately laughed at himself. After calming down slightly, he continued.
"Liam, Lord Shigen has already told me about your mission. So once you arrive in Hoenn, if you run into any trouble or need help, just come find me. I'll do my best to assist you."
"Thank you. Having Elite Four Drake backing me up definitely gives me more confidence."
Hearing that Drake was willing to help, Liam felt a surge of relief and quickly expressed his thanks.
"Hehe, it's nothing—just part of my duty. No need to thank me over and over."
Drake glanced at the sky and continued:
"It's already getting late. You should go get some rest. At our current speed, we should reach Hoenn in about three days. Our first stop will be the port of Littleroot Town, then Petalburg City's port. Where will you get off—Littleroot, or will you continue with us to Petalburg?"
Drake explained the ship's route and asked where Liam planned to disembark.
After hearing this, Liam frowned slightly and thought for a moment before answering:
"I'll get off at Littleroot Town."
He chose Littleroot because he knew the headquarters of Team Aqua was in Lilycove City. Starting from Littleroot would make the journey there somewhat shorter.
As for why he didn't simply ask Drake to take him directly to Lilycove—
First, it was far out of the ship's route. Even if Drake agreed, Liam would feel uncomfortable imposing.
Second, going straight to Team Aqua's headquarters sounded rather suspicious and could easily attract unwanted attention.
So Liam decided it would be better to travel there on his own.
"Alright, got it. I'll inform you when we're approaching the port. For now, go get some rest. When sailing at sea, keeping your strength up is always the safest choice."
Drake nodded in understanding. After that, he said nothing more, turned around with his pipe still in his mouth, and went off to inspect other areas of the Wavebreaker.
Liam watched Drake leave, then turned back toward the dark blue ocean. After thinking about his future plans for a while, he eventually returned to the cabin to rest.
...
The three-day voyage passed quickly.
On the morning of the third day, the Wavebreaker slowly entered the harbor of Littleroot Town.
Drake personally came to notify Liam that they had arrived.
"Thank you very much for taking care of me these past few days. You've all worked hard."
After the ship docked, Liam packed his luggage and disembarked. Drake and the crew came to see him off, and Liam bowed slightly in gratitude.
"Haha, no need to be so polite. It's been our pleasure getting to know someone as remarkable as you! If you ever get the chance, come ride the Wavebreaker again. Next time I'll prepare properly—and we'll have a real battle!"
Drake laughed loudly.
During the two and a half days of sailing, Drake had proposed a sparring match with Liam. Liam, who had been equally bored, naturally agreed.
So the two held a casual battle on the deck.
Among Liam's Pokémon, Garchomp and Aerodactyl were far too destructive for a battle on a ship. Meanwhile, the newly hatched Zorua, Lolo, was still too young for intense combat. In the end, Liam had little choice but to send out Elekid.
Drake sent out a Bagon. Since it was only a friendly match, neither of them fought too seriously. After a few exchanges, both Pokémon had minor injuries and were a bit tired, so the battle ended in a draw.
Naturally, that kind of casual match couldn't satisfy Drake, so before Liam left, he proposed having a proper battle someday.
"Of course! We'll definitely have a chance in the future! Everyone—goodbye for now! See you again someday!"
Liam happily accepted the challenge, though not right now. After waving goodbye, he suddenly turned around and assumed a sprinter's starting stance.
The next moment—
Boom!!
Liam pushed off the ground with the tip of his foot. Instantly, a powerful jet of air blasted from the special shoes on his feet, propelling him forward. In a split second, he vanished like a black shadow, leaving only swirling dust behind.
Drake: "…"
...
Littleroot Town, the starting town of the Hoenn region—just like Pallet Town in Kanto or New Bark Town in Johto. It was the place where countless rookie trainers received their first Pokémon and began their journeys.
At this time, Hoenn's Pokémon League tournament, the Ever Grande Conference, had already been underway for a while. Many new trainers had already obtained their starter Pokémon from Littleroot's Pokémon Research Laboratory and begun their long-awaited adventures.
As for Liam—
He had already left Littleroot Town.
With the Wind-Speed Shoes on his feet, Liam moved incredibly fast. In just a few minutes he had crossed the entire town and was heading toward the next destination in Hoenn—Oldale Town.
Then suddenly—
"Ahhh! Help! Help! Somebody save me!"
Just as Liam entered a forest path outside Littleroot, a cry for help rang out from the nearby woods.
Liam froze for a moment. His body shifted slightly and he stopped instantly, turning toward the forest.
What he saw was—
A young man wearing a white lab coat, shorts, and slippers running desperately while shouting for help.
Behind him, three ferocious Poochyena were chasing him relentlessly, their faces full of anger. Who knew what terrible thing the young man had done to provoke them.
"…Am I imagining things, or does this scene feel very familiar?"
Liam stared at the scene with black lines across his face.
For some reason, it felt like something he had seen countless times before.