Chapter 126 Arrival in the Hoenn Region
At Petalburg City Airport, the Aether Foundation plane carrying Ron and Lillie landed. As the cabin door opened, Ron stepped out, stretched lazily, and said, "So this is the Hoenn region, huh?"
"Alright, let's head down first. We should go visit Ruby's family," Lillie said.
After nearly a month of rest, Ron and Lillie finally set foot on the land of Hoenn. Ron had thought it through and decided not to bring his main team this time. The six Pokémon with him now were: Blaziken, Grovyle, Metagross (shiny), Togetic, a small Rayquaza, and Feebas.
Originally, Ron didn't plan to bring the small Rayquaza, as it still couldn't be revealed to the public. Only after he settled the other two would he be able to use Rayquaza openly.
As for the Feebas, it was one Ron had caught during that shipwreck incident. Lillie also caught the Feebas that had stuck close to her. She only brought Alolan Vulpix, Feebas, and Togetic, not bringing any other Pokémon.
Ron still wanted to go further and planned to continue strengthening his foundations. He had a feeling that after this journey, even if he couldn't beat a Champion, he'd be able to go toe-to-toe with them.
Leaving the airport, Ron and Lillie asked a passerby for directions and arrived at the Petalburg Gym.
When they knocked, Ruby's mother Mitsuko answered the door. Seeing Ron and Lillie, she smiled and said, "Isn't this little Ron? What brings you two to the Hoenn region—on vacation?"
"Hello, Aunt Mitsuko," Ron said. "It's not exactly a vacation. I came to challenge the Hoenn League. This is my friend, Lillie."
"Hello, Aunt Mitsuko. I'm Lillie," Lillie greeted politely.
"Oh my, Ron's girlfriend, huh?" Mitsuko chuckled. "Come in quickly, it's cold outside."
She led Ron and a blushing Lillie into the Petalburg Gym. There, Ron saw Ruby, who was currently battling Norman. Ruby was using an Eevee, while Norman had a Vigoroth.
"Fairy, our final move!" Ruby called out.
Eevee leaped high into the air, releasing a giant star-shaped energy attack that struck the struggling Vigoroth, knocking it out of the battle.
"Very nice. You've raised this Eevee well," Norman said, returning Vigoroth to its Pokéball.
"But I still want to follow the path of a Coordinator," Ruby said as he picked up Eevee.
As Ruby spoke, Eevee began to glow, and then a Sylveon appeared in Ruby's arms. Ruby joyfully rubbed his face against Sylveon's and said, "Fairy, you finally evolved!"
"Honey, Ruby—look who's here," Mitsuko said.
The two turned to see Ron and Lillie. Ruby ran over happily and said, "Ron! Lillie! You're already here? Why didn't you call me to pick you up at the airport?!"
Ron bumped his right fist against Ruby's and said, "No need for all that trouble. Congrats on your win—and on Eevee evolving into Sylveon."
"Heh heh," Ruby chuckled, rubbing his nose.
At that moment, Norman walked over and said, "So you're the rising star who tied with Lorelei—little Ron, right? My son Ruby owes you a lot."
Seeing Norman's serious expression, Ron smiled and said, "It's nothing, Uncle Norman. Traveling with Ruby and the others, I gained a lot too. But next, I might have to trouble you. I'd like to challenge the Petalburg Gym."
Norman looked confused and said, "Challenge the Gym? Aren't you already a quasi-Elite Four level trainer? Why would you still need to challenge Gyms?"
"It's more of a trial. After forcibly reinforcing my basics, they're still only so-so. My goal isn't just to be one of the Elite Four," Ron replied seriously.
Norman laughed heartily and said, "Good lad! Let's put the Gym matches on hold for now. Stay here for a while. I'm very interested in training your fundamentals. Ruby still has half a month before he goes to Professor Birch to receive his starter. You can travel together then."
Seeing the genuine and appreciative look in Norman's eyes, Ron nodded in agreement. After all, Norman's strength spoke for itself—Ron was lucky to be trained by someone like him.
Ruby pouted, clearly unimpressed with Norman's training. But that was because he didn't know how lucky he was. Not many kids his age could injure and scare off a Salamence. It was Norman's early training that had built Ruby's incredibly strong foundation.
Over the next half-month, Norman truly gave Ron a thorough round of training. Whether it was his Pokémon or himself, Ron got a taste of Norman's strength.
Norman's battle prowess was no joke—during training battles, Ron was often completely overpowered. But he gritted his teeth and kept going.
And it had to be said, Norman's guidance was incredibly effective. Ron clearly felt himself growing stronger. After half a month, he could now hold his own in a fifty-fifty match against Norman.
Then, Ron and Lillie prepared to accompany Ruby to Professor Birch's lab to get his starter Pokémon, and to meet Birch's daughter, Sapphire—Ruby's childhood friend.
Professor Birch's lab was in Littleroot Town, which was quite a distance from Petalburg City. The trio departed in the morning, passed through the forest, and didn't arrive in Littleroot until noon. But Birch's assistant informed them that the professor and his daughter had gone out to conduct field research and weren't at the lab. With no other choice, the three headed into the wild to find them.
Following the assistant's directions, Ron and the others soon found Birch and Sapphire not far from the lab. However, upon seeing them, Ruby looked embarrassed while Lillie immediately covered Ron's eyes.
Ron was speechless. It was just a girl in a leafy outfit—was that really necessary?
"Oh, Ruby, you're here," Professor Birch said, walking toward them along with Sapphire and her Torchic, both clad in leaf garments.
"Hello, Professor Birch," Ron said, pulling Lillie's hand away. "Professor Oak asked me to send his regards."
"Oh, you're little Ron! I watched you in the Silver Conference! Do you have those Legendary Pokémon with you? Can I take a look if you do?" Professor Birch asked with excitement.
"Uh, sorry, Professor," Ron said. "I left them at home. I only have the ones I've recently caught."
Professor Birch looked disappointed. Meanwhile, Ruby and Sapphire had already started arguing. Ruby pulled out a handmade outfit and tried to put it on Sapphire, only to be pinned to the ground by a blushing Sapphire.
"Sigh, you two have such a good relationship," Ron, Lillie, and Professor Birch all said in unison.
"Not at all!" Ruby and Sapphire shouted back in unison.
The two then stared each other down, on the verge of fighting. But the more they bickered, the closer they got. Ron decided he didn't need this dose of public affection—he preferred someone gentle and understanding like Lillie.