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

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

What a beautiful morning, off the Eastern Cost of Dewford. Even though the air grew colder and the nights longer, that did not change the fact that the sun warmed the surface water quick and kept the sea breeze in line. Which, the sun rays caught off the deep blue water and reflected themselves in a perfect kaleidoscopic pattern.

However, not all was sunshine and rainbows. Slowly, the tattered remains of a row-boat peacefully floated on top of the water. Overturned, its few supplies danced around its carcass ominously. A ritual of taboo kind, the one that promised death and ruin for all those aboard. But... where were the corpses? Already devoured by Sharpedo and WishiWashi? Or stuck under the floatsam, nostril bombs hidden for the unlucky person to rock the wooden dingy.

If one dared get close enough, they'd see that the boat was not desolate. Stretched across its belly were two figures, one red and black and the other black and white. A lone bird, leek in wing, kept careful watch over the pair. A trainer, their Obstagoon, and their Farfetch'd-Galar, stranded and left for dead.

Just what had happened here?

---

Preston Fugu