The S.S. Aqua arrived in Vermilion City in the middle of the night. Maylene lazily left the bed she had been sleeping on, and was forced to leave the ship. Her vision was hazy, and she swayed as she walked, yawning and rubbing at her eyes.

The city was surprisingly noiseless. Even though passengers were constantly leaving and boarding ships, they were all quiet and organised, not making any sound that might disturb those who were sleeping in their own houses, or in the port. Maylene sat on a bench close to the ship she had just exited, and waited for another ship, one that would take her to the Sevii Islands.

In her pocket, Riolu and Machop were resting in their Poké Balls, next to a blue plastic container that held an identification card, as well as the Rainbow Pass that would allow Maylene to travel to the Sevii Islands. All Maylene had to do was wait for one of the many ferries that would take her to where she was supposed to meet Bruno.

She had left Cianwood in a hurry, taking care not to cause any more problems. Perhaps Chuck was right; maybe she wasn’t ready for another Pokémon. Even before she caught Machop, she and Riolu had been growing apart; they were less synchronised in their battles, and they hadn’t spent any time training together.

The fact that Riley had shot down all her hopes of becoming an Aura Master seemed to affect Maylene deeper than she had expected. It wasn’t as simple as accepting it; she had to learn how to cope with it. She reached into her pocket, and produced Riolu’s Poké Ball, a Poké Ball that was scratched and damaged from years of ownership. She held it between her palms, and stared at it intensely, wondering if Riolu could stare back at her, and if his mind housed the same thoughts that Maylene’s did.

She pushed her finger against the release button, and Riolu formed from the beam of light that shot out of the Poké Ball. He turned to face Maylene, who patted the area on the bench next to her, and climbed to sit next to her.

‘I’m sorry, Riolu,’ Maylene started, squeezing out the words. ‘Ever since you hatched, it was always about me becoming Stronger.’

Riolu stared back at his Trainer, etching closer to her. He placed his head against her hip, and wrapped his arms around her, and Maylene’s arms covered Riolu. Even though Maylene had been expecting a regretful speech about how she never cared for Riolu’s feelings, it seemed that what she said was enough.

Riolu’s hold was comforting, and his body was relaxed against her arms.

*

Maylene woke up to the sound of a ship leaving, sending water flying in a heap behind her. From the corner of her eye, Maylene noticed that the ship was different than the white, luxurious-looking cruises that set sail; it was almost completely black, and the passenger she left behind was different than all the rest.

He wore a green tank top, camouflage pants, and brown boots. His eyes hid behind his sunglasses, and his blonde hair went up in spikes. His body was muscular, and his footsteps were loud, giving him many stares from the people who awaited their own ships.

Behind him was an orange coloured Pokémon whose tail ended in a thunderbolt pattern. He walked on two long feet, and had stubby arms. His ears went up high above his head, his cheeks were composed of two sacs that frequently emitted electricity, and he looked around in confidence, encouraging all the people to avert their gaze, all but Maylene.

Riolu was awake beside his Trainer, sitting on the same spot on the bench, and like Maylene, staring at the strange man. The orange Pokémon’s sacs started emitting longer bolts of electricity, and he started growling.

‘Settle, Raichu,’ the man said; his voice was deep and loud, and the Pokémon calmed down immediately. The man turned his head to face Maylene and Riolu. ‘Don’t stare.’

*

Even though the Sevii Islands were part of Kanto, they seemed much more different and distinct. The ocean breeze was colder than it was in Cianwood, Olivine, or Vermilion, and the trees were all huddled together behind the buildings, amongst which stood a Pokémon Center larger than any other that Maylene had ever seen.

As she walked, the wood beneath her foot gave light sounds that combined with the crashing waves and gave her the feeling of something new. Everything around her seemed different, bringing about her excitement, something that she always carried along with each new beginning.

Riolu walked next to her, observing his new surroundings with a fearful curiosity, a feeling that something was wrong, but he walked on as Maylene entered the Pokémon Center. Brawly greeted her, and they delved into light conversation that Riolu ignored; he was too focused on whatever was wrong.

There was a large machine attached to a computer, and it took up all the space that a Pokémon Center wouldn’t normally have. A man was working on the wires and all the mechanics of it, and a nurse approached him, handing him a glass of water. To the side, a couple of children were exchanging stories that would seem trivial to most adults, and a Pokémon Trainer sat opposite them checking his Pokédex.

None of them seemed to be the source of Riolu’s unrest.

Riolu reluctantly followed Maylene out of the Pokémon Center. Brawly led them to a boat that he rowed past the dock, and as he and Maylene kept on talking, Riolu’s feeling of uneasiness rose more and more, taking up all of his thoughts.

The boat moved slowly, pushing itself through the water with Brawly’s help. The sea was clam, and the air was as cool as it had been when they arrived. A few Pokémon jutted their heads to observe the group, but dived back into their depths whenever the humans were close. Brawly’s arms stopped controlling the oars, and they sailed slowly, until the boat’s bottom hit the land.

‘Good to see you here,’ a man said to them, approaching them with his arms folded before him. ‘Time to train, Maylene.’

Riolu recognised him. He was the man that Maylene had encountered just outside of Cianwood, right before he attacked her. Maylene froze in her place as Brawly left the boat, and extended a hand to her; she was as scared as Riolu, if not more. Her last encounter with the man left her injured and unable to train, almost crippled.

‘Come on, Maylene,’ Brawly said, flexing the fingers of his extended hand. ‘Is something wrong?’

‘I’ll assume she didn’t tell you,’ the man said. ‘I was the man who attacked her.’

Brawly’s eyes turned to Bruno in disbelief; Maylene never mentioned being attacked, nor could he imagine a grown man attacking a young girl so brutally that she would be paralysed with fear at the sight of him.

‘It was the day in which the mountain in Cianwood suffered an avalanche,’ the man explained. ‘Did she never tell you?’

Riolu jumped out of the boat, and stood between the man and Maylene; he was ready to protect his Trainer, who was still frozen in her place.

‘Calm down,’ the man said. ‘I’m not going to attack her again, and my attack was merely a response to her own attack. I never permanently injured your Trainer.’

Even though Riolu’s uneasiness still remained, he was convinced that the man wouldn’t attack Maylene again. Maylene tried to utter out a word, but it turned into a sequence of mumbles.

‘It doesn’t matter now,’ the man said. ‘My name is Bruno, and you’re here for me to train you.’

There were sounds of grunting, and for the first time, Maylene noticed the Pokémon that were battling behind Bruno, amongst which was Makuhita, defending himself against a vicious attack from a muscular, four-armed Pokémon. His body was a dull grey, and three ridges rose up on his head. The Pokémon glanced back at Maylene from the corned of his eye, and gave a small grin.

‘Don’t waste time,’ Bruno said. ‘Take Brawly’s hand, and follow me.’