Splash. Splash. Splash. The rowboat rocked close to the shore. To the untrained eye, it seemed likely that the ship would gently dock with Dewford's shores after a few hours. The experienced fisherman or sailor would say that the tide was soon to recede, taking much with it.

Krabbys, Sandygast, Pyukumuku, desecrated ships. All would be swept away with the tide.

What made this tale crueler was how serene everything was. There was nothing even remotely threatening to ruin the scene, beyond the shipwreck. Even that would disappear, if enough time passed. It was perfectly quiet. Then, the sound of an outboard boat motor rang out, startling the two Pokemon.

A ship appeared over the horizon.

On it was a man.

Preston stood by the motor, hair tied in a ponytail as he watched the ocean blue. Then, he saw the shipwreck. "What the...?"

He changed course.

---

tavish rose

The rough hum of the boat motor, an affront to the graceful scenery of pure nature, did indeed get the attention of the two Pokémon. Farfetch’d-Galar calmly watched the boat slowly peak over the water’s edge, eyes transfixed on its runner. Friend, foe, or somewhere in between?

“Gha!” the bird brought its hard leak on top the heads of the other two with one swift, precise motion. Obstagoon clutched its head as it glared at the bird, then towards the distant sound. The trainer, dressed in full combat gear, roused with much more vigor and zeal than its companion.

“Ay, watch yer swings! Not lookin’ t’lose me head!” he shouted. However, he too looked towards the thrum of an engine and the waters that parted ways from the bow. His one good (and only) eye watched with apprehension. No way the news of his ‘escape’ reached Hoenn this fast. He wasn’t nearly big enough of a fish to worry about either.

And that’s what he needed to bank on.

Practiced movements brought his boots from just below the water line and up into a sitting position atop the boat without it going right-side up again. By the time Preston arrived to the scene, all of its captives watched him with mixed expressions.

Including a very flat… thing. A bear trap with eyes, perfect for the forest floor but incredibly obvious in the brown and blues and yellows of the orange sea. That particular Pokémon watched with the most vicious expression of them all. Tavish waved a hand to the stranger.

“Aye there,” he called out, “ye’ve come at the ripest time! Not sure ‘ow much longer we’d last out ‘ere with our meager supplies.”

No supplies, actually. Ran out yesterday. But this person didn’t need to know the details. Not until they proved to be harmless at worst.

---

Preston Fugu

Ripest time. The stranger could say that again. Preston was here for the 'ripest' of times, even if the stranger didn't know it yet.

Preston was a hard looking man, with rough hands and a scowling face. He couldn't blame the man for being nervous. As he approached, he noted the full combat gear, and his frown deepened. There were only two types of people in Hoenn who wore full combat gear: Rangers and Rockets. There was no way to determine which was which. Well, there was, actually.

As long as Preston didn't step in that Stunfisk, that was. Galarian?

"You're lucky." Preston's eyes lingered on the Stunfisk and Sirfetch'd for a few moments. Galarian Pokémon. "You're a long way from home, stranger."

A heavy bundle of rope appeared, nearly clocking the Obstagoon in the face as Preston tossed half of it to the man's ship. "Tie it to your prow, and I'll pull you in."

If this was a trap, it was a good one. The Pokemon looked tired, the man who owned them even moreso. Preston was a decent enough trainer, and he was confident that he could take out an exhausted shipwreck victim if push came to shove.

---

tavish rose

Obstagoon shook a large, furry hand at Preston while Tavish snatched up the rope and inched towards the prow. He did not take long to swiftly secure the tip of their glorified flotsam to their lifeline. “Not home anymore.”

The phrase stung harsher than the salty air. Personal. It hadn’t taken long for home-sickness to grip his heart and pull it back towards ‘home’.

And then he remembered his mission, and his heart steeled against the pangs. He needed to ensure that there was even a home left to return to. One free from intruders and wrong-doers. Those that called this cesspool a ‘home’. Even if his was a forced exile, part of it was self-imposed. Resolve the issue with Rocket stealing their Pokémon, and ensure Rocket does not survive this current power struggle.

Only then could he go back.

“Luck, eh? Some’d call this a bloody coincidence,” Tavish said. He leaned forward in his ‘seat’, as if ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. It’d be a tough fight. This man looked like he’d seen his fair share of conflict. No way in hell it was purely from his life at sea. Those had different scars and a different weariness.

“So, ye a fisher? Diver? Er a trouble-maker?”

---

Preston Fugu

"Trouble-maker?" Preston's gruff voice grunted as he knotted his rope. "Nah, nothing like that. Sirfetch'd doesn't make for good eating, and you have no supplies. Looks like you've lost a fight with Mother Nature, and I could beat you senseless, if I wanted. No offense." The knot tightened and Preston leaned over to start his outboard motor. The engine sputtered to life.

"I'm just a chef. Nothing more."

Imagining this man in a chef's outfit was borderline impossible. A rude customer demanding to meet the chef would likely get their head bashed in by this one, but he was a chef. It was something that surprised Preston, every once in a while.

Suddenly, a splash rang out as the two ships were jumped by wild Pokémon. With a huff, Preston reached for a Pokeball and tossed it, revealing a Tentacruel. It immediately focused in on the Mareanie that was latched to Preston's ship, crushing it with its tentacles.

"Wait, Fugu. I'll use this one." Preston eyed the Mareanie with interest, before reaching for an empty ball. He tossed it.

---

tavish rose
CATCHING MAREANIE

“You try an’ make Sir ‘ere a meal, and you’ll be the one on the menu,” Tavish said darkly. If he hadn’t appeared serious before, he sure looked the part now. His one eye narrowed hard onto the ‘chef’ and a deep frown developed. A chef, eh? Moral or immoral?

Before he could ask, Pokémon leaped out from the waters. Tavish didn’t even raise his arms as they flew around and into him. The bird slapped any that came near it away with a wayward swing of its wing or its leek. Either way, the blows struck true without a single miss. The Obstagoon did the same, but where it lacked in accuracy is more than made up with brute strength. Each Pokémon it managed to hit flew back into the water and crashed with a monstrous splash.

Even the Stunfisk-Galar proved itself useful, as it managed to bounce itself off of Tavish’ lap and caught a Barraskewda with its outer teeth. It couldn’t hold on for long, but the bloodied fish got the memo.

The trainer did see the chef claim a Mareanie for his own ‘uses’. Slowly, Tavish crept a hand towards his back. “Oi there. What’s yer plan with that Pokémon there? Surely not for consumption?”

He kept a firm grip on his combat knife, ready to whip it out at a moment's notice. “And if so, do ye plan to give it a dignified end? Er just toss it in a pot and hear it plead fer life?”

Skipping Barraskewda

---

Preston Fugu

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MANTYKE APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] WATER ABSORB
[attr="class","wildtabox"]AGILITY	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BOUNCE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]WATER GUN	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BUBBLE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]tavish rose Preston Fugu

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD TOXICROAK APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ANTICIPATION
[attr="class","wildtabox"]POISON STING	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]REVENGE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BELCH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]FEINT ATTACK
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Preston Fugu tavish rose

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Preston Fugu CAUGHT THE MAREANIE!

Before Preston could answer, another creature poked its head from the depths of the water. A blue spike, followed by beady eyes and a thick red undercrop. It looked at all the commotion above water with wicked interest, which got Tavish’ attention. Never had he heard about such a Pokémon being in Hoenn. Must’ve migrated– or brought here– and found a home in this place.

“Oi,” he called to the Pokémon, “You’ve got something to say? Yer in good company.”

Obstagoon nodded, claws drumming against the boat, “Speak your mind, if you would.”

“Intrestin’ lot ‘ere,” it croaked, “is all. Long way from home.”

“How’d you know?”

“Been following along,” it swam a little closer to the rocked boat. None of the crew recoiled, but they all gave it a more intense look as it did so. “You ain’t the only one caught in that storm. Me last trainer fell in, he did.”

“I take it that he didn’t come back up then,” Obstagoon said. “My sympathies.”

“Don’t feel sorry for the bloke,” it reclined in the water, body now gently floating on the surface of the salty liquid. “Pirate, he was. Right bastard. Would’ve skinned you alive, if he knew your skin was worth the time. But…”

“But what?”

“Need a new crew, is all.”

The Sir Fetch’d raised a solitary eyebrow. It then looked towards the other two companions, who both shared the same look. Then, they all looked to Tavish. Obstagoon tapped him on the shoulder and then did a quick motion with its hands. Too fast to be coherent, but Tavish understood it perfectly.

“Then we’ll take ye along and see what happens,” he said to the Toxicroak. While the bird dipped its leek into the water to give it something to hold onto, Tavish whirled a finger in the air. “Right, stranger. Whatever yer cause is, don’t let me find ye doin’ horrible things– er you can join the mountain of souls on the bottom of the sea.”

Thus, the small crew started their journey back towards the mainland. On the trip, Tavish made a mental list of all the supplies he’d need: food, water, understanding of the land, a chemical supplier, and a point in the right direction.

A smile crept upon his rough, patchy face: Hoenn would rue the day it made him into a bio-terrorist.

Team Rocket would learn the taste of cordite and flames. They would regret the day they stepped foot in his beloved home and sicced a demonic creature on his people.

Tavish Rose was now in Hoenn, and may the gods have mercy on their souls.

Catch attempt on Toxicroak

---

Preston Fugu