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Let's Play Journal of Alpha-Sapphire: Entry 3: The Unlucky Second Day :|

by Psycho Monkey

Psycho Monkey Sapphire begins his second day as a Trainer but things don't quite go as planned for him.

Yet another entry for #summercamp15. Though a relatively short entry, this chapter pretty much started writing itself after awhile to the point only the outcome of the battles and certain character iterations actually happened when I played through the game. Everything else is the result of blossoming creativity! ^_^
Entry 3: The Unlucky Second Day :|

I slept surprisingly well in the Pokémon Center overnight. The beds were really soft and comfortable which I’m sure was a welcome to weary Trainers who hadn’t seen civilization in a while. I’m actually surprised I slept at all considering how excited I was about the second day of my journey. No-- our journey. It isn’t just about me. My Pokémon are my “invaluable allies” after all. Isn’t that right Dad? I sent out the three Pokémon I had on me to greet them.

“How did you guys sleep last night?” I asked them. Alpha gave a lively cry which I took as him answering he slept very well and was looking forward to today. Lotad made an affirmative chirping sound and Beldum hummed while nodding like it did when I first got it so to me that sounded like an indication they were also ready to continue the adventure.

I walked to the cafeteria lounge with my Pokémon to get some breakfast before heading out. As expected from the primary Trainer rest-stop in a Gym city, the place was packed. It was currently 8:05am, the time most people were getting up to start their day. Only the crazy early birds who got up at the crack of dawn and had already departed along with the Trainers who wanted to sleep in would be the ones most likely to beat the crowds.

“Sapphire! Over here!” I heard a beautiful voice call out~ I looked around to see May sitting at a table near the front waving me down. I waved back at her as I approached.

“Good morning May!” I greeted taking a seat across from her. It was one of the smaller tables and while I would have loved to sit next to her, I noticed Emi had already claimed that seat. I guess I can forgive the Treecko for that since I could still look at May. ♥

“Morning! How did you sleep Sapphire?” she asked.

“Amazing!” I answered euphorically.

“Right!” she agreed. “It’s too bad we couldn’t have shared a room. Just kidding! That would be kind of weird wouldn’t it?” No, not really. >_<

“Yeah totally.” I responded despite myself. We had the option though if we wanted to. Something I noticed last night about the room layouts were that they had three separate types of dorms. Boys, girls, and co-ed. At least in the boy’s dorm, there were several rooms with three bunkbeds each so six Trainers per room. I imagine it would be the same in the other rooms too. I really wanted to do co-ed with May, but she entered the girl’s dorm before I could say anything. The question is though, would I have been brave enough to say anything if given the chance? Obviously if she thinks it would be weird I would have looked weird suggesting it so I’m kinda glad I didn’t. ;_;

I sent out my Pokémon to join me, May, and hers for breakfast. Besides Emi, May had a Lotad of her own, a Wumple, a Wingull, and a Zigzagoon. Like me, she had also been busy yesterday. Last night when I got back from the Gym, May and I showed each other our new Pokémon and I let her check out Beldum to her heart’s content since she had never seen one before. She thought it was cool!~

Once we finished breakfast, May and I made sure we had everything packed up and ready for our journey. We both checked our items to make sure we had enough food and supplies to last until Rustboro. When we were sure everything was taken care of, it was time to head out! :) Unfortunately, we would be going our separate ways again like on Route 102. We both went at our own pace for training and catching Pokémon so I understood why we were doing it. I was still disappointed though. :|

“Guess I’m off then Sapphire! Let’s meet up again in Rustboro!” said May cheerfully.

“See you there in a few days May!” I told her. After that, we split off.

I checked my AreaNav to find out I wanted to head east to Route 104 which was right on the ocean. From there it was a straight shot north to Rustboro City. Well, I can’t say it will be a completely straight road since the maze-like Petalburg Woods is right in the middle of the Route.

As I made my way through the city, I saw a woman who looked extremely familiar sitting outside of her house watering the flowers in the garden. It was only after she stood up did I recognize her as the woman who was looking for Wally yesterday. I decided I might as well go over and say hi, maybe see how Wally and Ralts are doing.

“Excuse me.” I said walking up to her. “You’re Wally’s mom, aren’t you?”

“Yes I am, but how do you know Wally?” she inquired.

“I’m Sapphire. I’m Wally’s friend.” I introduced. Upon hearing my name, Wally’s mom’s face lit up with joy.

“So you’re Sapphire! :D Wally told me all about you last night. I’ve never seen him so excited before! You helping him catch that cute little Ralts means a lot to all of us.” she thanked. Just then the front door opened and a slightly chubby man around my dad’s age came walking out carrying a briefcase even though he was dressed casually in just a light blue polo shirt and khaki slacks instead of a business suit like stereotypical office workers. Then again, I don’t know what his job is plus I heard before moving here that Hoenn was a very casual place anyway.

“Well I’m off to work Honey. Hm? Who’s this.” he asked noticing me.

“This is the Gym Leader’s kid, the one who helped Wally catch Ralts.” Wally’s mom said giddily. Wally’s dad dropped his briefcase as he got the same thrilled expression as his wife.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Sapphire!” he cheered grabbing my hand and shaking it. “I cannot thank you enough for what you did for our boy.”

“I-it was nothing really.” I stammered. Seriously, they’re acting like I saved Wally’s life or something. It was kind of strange. ^^;

“Nothing? You call that nothing? Don’t be so modest!” he said slapping my shoulders. “I’m sure you’re aware Wally is a sickly boy right?” Wally’s dad asked.

“Yeah, he mentioned he has asthma.” I answered.

“Mhm. Because of his illness, Wally doesn’t go outside much so he doesn’t have many friends. My older brother and his family live in Verdanturf Town where the air is much cleaner so we were hoping that sending Wally to live with them would help his health improve. He was so happy to have made a new friend yesterday and to have a Pokémon to be friends with as well.” Wally’s dad explained practically beaming over his son’s happiness. I opened my mouth to speak but I realized I had no idea what I should say. I hadn’t realized how profound of a positive impact the simple act of helping someone would have on people. And not just Wally, but the people around him too. It was a strange feeling.

“Has Wally left yet?” I inquired. It was the only thing I could think to say.

“I’m afraid he has.” answered his mom. “His cousin Wanda and her boyfriend came by last night to pick him up.”

“Oh, I see.” I said disappointedly. “Well, if you hear from him, let him know I wish him luck and hope he’s doing ok.”

“We will. Thank you for looking out for our boy.” Wally’s mom replied. “You take care of yourself too Sapphire.” I nodded and bid farewell to them. Wally’s parents are very nice people. I’m glad I decided to visit them. :) Unfortunately, at the time of this journal entry I still don’t know what their names are, not even a last name. >>

When I arrived on Route 104 I took a deep breath to take in the salty air. No doubt the ocean was only a few miles away. There were also way less trees around than all the previous Routes with only the tall grass for Wild Pokémon to dwell. I checked my DexNav which showed that, of the Pokémon I’ve seen so far, Zigzagoon, Wurmple, Taillow, and Wingull could be found here. I’ve caught none of those yet so I had a big job ahead of me. I also had to make sure to adequately train the Pokémon I already did have.
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It was strange. I had been walking for a few hours now and there was no sign of Wild Pokémon or even fellow Trainers. Nothing. I had been doing exactly as I was taught. Keep both my eyes and ears open. But I’ve still haven’t seen and heard anything. Not a sound. Not even a bird flying in the sky. Was something going on around here that was keeping the Pokémon at bay or was I just unlucky? Heh. After all the luck I had yesterday, today must be karma’s cycle balancing things out. :(

As if on cue, the silence was broken by the sound of chirping and rustling grass. Finally! A Pokémon! I took out my DexNav and looked around the grass trying to pinpoint its location. The sound seemed to be coming from my right! I got up on my tippy-toes and slowly started creeping towards it. The DexNav started responding as the rustling got louder meaning I was getting closer. I pushed aside a patch of tall grass to find a small bird Pokémon with dark blue feathers going down its back, white feathers on its underside, and red feathers around its face and chest. I recognized it as Taillow from a Trainer I fought yesterday that had one. The Trainer’s Taillow was pretty strong so I’d love to catch this one!

“Go Alpha!” I called sending him out. The Taillow turned around and chirped at us while flapping its wings to appear intimidating.

“Use Water Gun!” I commanded. Before Alpha could even open his mouth, the Tiny Swallow Pokémon raced at him with speed I’d never witnessed from any Pokémon I’d faced. The Taillow landed its Quick Attack on Alpha’s left flank with enough power to knock him on his side. My Mudkip weakly picked himself up as a brilliant blue aura began to flow around him like water. Impossible! That was an indication that his Torrent Ability had been activated! =0 That was only supposed to happen when he was at low health so just how strong was this Wild Pokémon?

Alpha opened his mouth and spewed a strong deluge of water at Taillow like he was told. Taillow cried out from getting sprayed as the Water Gun was stronger thanks to the Torrent boost but the bird still looked ready to go. That Trainer’s Taillow was strong, but I think this wild one is even more powerful! It flew towards Alpha and smacked him in the face with its wing. I watched as my Mudfish Pokémon fell to the ground and the glow of Torrent dissipate. No way… This cannot be happening… Alpha actually lost? He fainted!? 0_0

“Return.” I said distantly from still being in shock. There was no way I could send out Lotad. Flying-types beat Grass-types and Lotad doesn’t have any effective moves against Flying-types anyway. Ah but I had Beldum! Steel-types resist Taillow’s moves and Hold Back will make it easier to catch such a strong Pokémon!

“You’re up Beldum!” I summoned having made my choice. Taillow Growled at Beldum but the Iron Ball Pokémon looked unfazed by the display. “Hold Back on it!” I called. Beldum charged at the Wild Pokémon and hit it with its arm. The Taillow chirped angrily before smacking Beldum with its wing.

“One more! Hold Back!” I instructed. Beldum attacked again leaving Taillow looking a bit worn out. I pulled a Pokéball out of my backpack and threw it at Taillow. After it was sucked in, I counted the shakes until the ball clicked.

“That was intense.” I sighed as I felt my knees go weak. I had never battled such a strong Wild Pokémon before. I haven’t even faced a Trainer that strong! =0 So far May was the toughest Trainer I’ve battled and the two of us were about even. If I didn’t have Beldum, that Taillow could have wiped out my entire party!

“Now what do I do?” I wondered out loud. Alpha was fainted, my new Taillow and Beldum were both low on health, and I was miles from the nearest Pokémon Center. I decided yesterday that I wasn’t going to turn around and run back to the nearest town whenever I got in trouble, but while Potions will heal Taillow and Beldum, I don’t have any Revives for Alpha. Outside of medicine and Pokémon Centers, the only other way to heal Pokémon was by finding a quiet place to rest until my Pokémon were fighting fit again. After going a few hours without encountering Wild Pokémon or Trainers, I hope none decide to come after me now.

I was clearly on the negative side of karma today. As I travelled to where I hoped was a safe spot to rest, I encountered a Zigzagoon and a Wingull but luckily Lotad was able to beat both of them. I then suddenly noticed smoke on the horizon shortly followed by the smell of fish. The delicious aroma made my stomach growl. I didn’t realize I was so hungry until now. ^^; I guess while looking around for a place to rest, I hadn’t noticed it was around lunch time already. If there was smoke, it meant someone made camp which hopefully meant that was a good place for me to rest my Pokémon too. I just hope I wasn’t intruding on whoever that was. :/

“Hoh hoh hoh hoh! You’re as full of energy as usual today my darling Peeko!” I heard a voice laugh followed by the lively squawks of a Wingull. As I got closer I heard the sounds of waves. A little bit closer and I saw a small wooden cottage with a thatched roof nestled right by the ocean. Next to the house was a pier that stretched into the water with a small fishing boat tied to it. Out front of the house was an elderly man with no hair on his head but a full white beard on his chin. He was hunched over a fire pit with two fish sitting on the rack just above the flames. While the old man fanned the fire with a paper fan, a Wingull circled his head crying out jovially.

By the looks of it, the old man lived here. If it was just a campsite in a clearing then I could have just set myself up nearby. As it stands though, I would just feel awkward imposing on them for shelter, especially if they’re about to eat. It didn’t seem like the old man and his Wingull had noticed me yet so I kept walking down to the beach. I can set myself up there and watch the waves while my Pokémon and I eat lunch and wait for Alpha to recover. I looked around and picked a spot that was just far enough from the water’s edge that we wouldn’t get surprised by the tide coming in, but still close enough to give a great view of the clear blue waters. I sat my backpack down on the white sand and got out my and my Pokémon’s food.

“Come on out everyone!” I said holding two Pokéballs in each hand. Beldum, Lotad, and Taillow all looked tired out. Alpha was now awake but he could barely move. He was in no condition to battle even if he wanted to.

“I’ve decided we’re going to rest here until the four of you get your strength back. Are you guys ready for some lunch?” All of them answered happily but I could hear the weariness in their cries. I divvied up the rations so that everyone got even portions of what they liked. While we ate, I rubbed Alpha’s back. I don’t know if it would speed up his recovery time but he seemed to like it. I also gave the rest of my Pokémon back rubs so they wouldn’t feel left out.

As the hours ticked by, the five of us sat back watching the waves. The only other people we saw while relaxing were a Fisherman who was more interested in pursuing his hobby than bothering us and a girl who only came here to hang out on the beach. When my Pokémon started feeling livelier they also began to play in the sand and with each other. Taillow proved to be not only my strongest Pokémon, but also quite boisterous as well. Lotad, on the other hand, was much more skittish and would jump and scurry about at the slightest provocation. Beldum seemed content enough to just take a nap. Then once Alpha had his strength back he joined in the rough housing and tried to reassert himself as the alpha male over Taillow.

“Hey now you two!” I intervened. “You guys can play, but don’t fight each other. We don’t want one of you to faint after all.” As much as I was enjoying the scenery and the relaxation, we still had a long ways to go until Rustboro and a lot of time to make up. Taillow seemed to take the command well enough but Alpha gave the bird a contemptuous look. He must really be upset about losing. 0_0 I’ll have to see if there isn’t a way for them to get along better.

I returned my Pokémon to their Pokéballs, packed up my stuff, brushed myself off, and got back to my journey. On my way up the beach I encountered a Trainer who was making footprints in the sand with his Pokémon. One was a small brown acorn Pokémon that I’d never seen until now called a Seedot. The other was another Taillow. Since Alpha was clearly itching to let off a little steam, I let him battle both Pokémon leading us to victory.

When I passed by the cottage again, the fire had long since been put out and the old man was nowhere to be seen. He must be inside. I looked behind the cottage where the sun was still high in the sky but now firmly in the west over the ocean. I checked my AreaNav to see how close I was to Petalburg Woods. Still several miles. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get completely through before dark. With how dense and maze-like the woods were, travelling at night would probably be a bad idea. Oh well! I was determined to go as far as I could today so if I had to make camp in the woods, then that’s what I would do. The AreaNav should help me keep my bearings tomorrow morning. Continuing on, I noticed a young boy walking along nervously.

“Is everything alright?” I asked him. He looked up at me obviously surprised to see another traveler. I couldn’t really blame him seeing as how few people I’ve seen today.

“My Pokémon just got hurt while battling and I’m all out of Potions.” he answered dejectedly. I understood his predicament. I had plenty of Potions but no way to help my Pokémon recover once they fainted. I reached into my backpack and pulled out one of my Potions.

“Here kid. I hope this helps.” I offered handing him the bottle. The boy’s eyes grew large and his mouth slightly dropped.

“Y-you mean it?” he asked with uncertainty.

“I’ve got plenty of Potions on me. You just make sure you restock when you get back to Petalburg.” I reassured.

“Thanks buddy! You’re a life saver!” he thanked. He sent out a Seedot that was looking pretty worn out and then sprayed its wounds with the medicine to revitalize it. Seedot grunted happily at having its health restored. The boy offered me another ‘thank you’ before going on his way.

It wasn’t hard to figure out that I was getting closer to Petalburg Woods as I started passing more and more trees heading north. A couple of those trees even had Oran and Pecha Berries on them so I helped myself just in case I needed them in the near future. After another hour of walking I came to a trail head that read ‘Now Entering Petalburg Woods’. Finally! Before I could head into the forest though a blonde-haired boy wearing a fancy blue suit came walking out of the woods.

“Are you a Trainer?” I asked him. Most of the Trainers I met so far wore practical travelling clothes like shorts and T-shirts. This guy looked like he was heading to a fancy dinner instead of making a few days trip between Rustboro and Petalburg.

“Yes I am. I have a lot of money so I just bought myself a strong Pokémon. You may challenge me if you desire.” he responded with a snobbish tone.

“You got it!” I felt Alpha’s Pokéball shaking on my waist as if he was just itching for a fight. “Alright, come on out Alpha!” I called sending him out. The Mudfish Pokémon took a battle pose and made a deep grunt showing he was combat ready.

“This is my Zigzagoon.” the Rich Boy said carelessly throwing the sphere to release his Pokémon. Zigzagoon came out with a playful cry. “Use Sand Attack!” Zigzagoon kicked the ground with its back paws sending dirt into Alpha’s eyes causing him to cry out.

“Use Mud Slap Alpha!” I countered. Alpha squirt a little bit of water on the ground and then swiped the produced mud with his tail into Zigzagoon’s face. The Tiny Racoon yelped as it started pawing its eyes to get the mud out. “Now use Tackle while it’s distracted!” I followed-up.

“Get ‘em with Growl!” countered my opponent. Zigzagoon gave a threatening Growl that startled Alpha enough that his attack fell short and did less damage. “Now use your own Tackle!” the boy commanded taking advantage of an opening like I did. Being at close range Zigzagoon didn’t need to do its zigzag run, only jump into my Mudkip.

“Try Water Gun now!” I called. Alpha opened his mouth and spewed a stream of water that knocked Zigzagoon out.

“Uh!? Why couldn’t I win?” the Rich Boy wondered indignantly.

“Just because you have the money to buy strong Pokémon doesn’t mean you’ll win.” I pointed out. “You also have to train your Pokémon to really bring out their power. That’s why we call ourselves Pokémon Trainers.”

“I see your point.” he admit with a shrug. “My name is Winston. I will train my Zigzagoon hard so let us have a rematch someday.” he challenged.

“I’m Sapphire. I look forward to seeing how much stronger you and Zigzagoon can become.” Heh. I sounded just like Dad just now. :p

I walked passed the tree line going down the trail to enter Petalburg Woods. It amazed me how quickly the terrain seemed to change as if I somehow magically entered a new area instead of simply crossing a geographical demarcation. Trees were much more numerous and densely packed. They were so tall that they nearly blocked out the sun giving the surrounding area a soft green glow. There was also no noticeable trail or footpath. The ground was covered in grass, moss covered logs, and fallen leaves.

Looking around I could see the forest was teeming with life. Taillow chirped in the trees, Wurmple ate foliage both on branches and on the forest floor, and I could see two different types of cocoons hidden under tree roots and inside hollowed out logs. One was a silky white color while the other was a light purple making it almost completely camouflaged in the shadows it hid in. The complete difference in the number of Pokémon I saw here verses Route 104 made me seriously wonder if something was going on at the Route or if this was completely natural. I wish I had my Hoenn Region Expert with me. May is so smart! ♥

I took out my DexNav to scan the cocoons and do a quick search to check what other types of Wild Pokémon could be found in the area. While scanning, I happened to notice the time on the PokéNav which read 6:18pm. Might as well set up and eat dinner now. I walked over to a nearby tree, took a seat under it, and sent out my Pokémon.

“Are you guys hungry?” I asked them while taking off my backpack. They all answered eagerly so I started rummaging through to get the food out again.

While we ate, I noticed Alpha getting progressively more wary. He ate slower as if trying to concentrate. At the same time I heard the leaves in the trees start to rustle. First it started slow like a gentle breeze, then got a little bit faster and more vigorous. Even under the tree cover I could feel the wind picking up. I also noticed the penetrating sunlight starting to fade as clouds moved in above. The Wild Pokémon also seemed to vanish as they took shelter in their nests. My other Pokémon now also seemed to notice something was amiss.

“Sorry guys, but dinner’s over.” I said in a serious tone packing our leftovers back into their Item Balls. I then reached into my backpack and took out the Item Ball containing my tent. If it was about to storm then I wanted to set up my only shelter before getting too wet. I never imagined my first night in the wilderness would involve rain. Only now did I wish I had set up my tent back in Littleroot or even Petalburg and then store it in the Item Ball ready to be used at a moment’s notice.

While looking for a nice flat surface to set up on I started to hear the roar of thunder. So far no rain. At least I still had a little bit of luck. :| Luckily I also had the trees to offer some cover against the wind, otherwise my tent would have been blowing everywhere as I tried to set it up by myself. If my Pokémon had hands they could help me set up the frame. At least I had Beldum who helped hammer the stakes down. As soon as the tent was pitched perfectly I felt the first drops of water hit my nose. Yet another reason I was fortunate to have tree cover! :’D I crawled in my tent to wait out the storm, using a flashlight so I could see to write all this down.

I wonder if the Pokémon on Route 104 knew of this storm and that’s why they weren’t appearing. Probably not since it was such a clear day without a cloud in the sky until now. Heck, I even sat on the beach for a few hours and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I still think I’m cursed. >>

I peeked my head out of the tent when it sounded like the storm had subsided. While the winds had definitely slowed down and there was no longer any thunder, there was still a light misty drizzle going on. Jeez! By the time the rain ends it will be too dark to see where I’m going so I might as well just call it a night right now. D:<

Aside from catching Taillow and beating a couple of Trainers, today has been pretty unlucky. Hopefully things look up tomorrow. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. Until then…

Sapphire signing off!
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