Episode 5 - Trainers on the road, and their first night outdoors

Rules to Win a Pokémon Battle

Article 10

1. Each battle starts when the obligatory countdown reaches ‘Go!’
2. Each Pokémon battle has a maximum duration of fifteen minutes.

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I’ve Been Around

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Episode five – Trainers on the road, and their first night outdoors.

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Callahan wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at Risa, who was also breathing heavily through her nose beside him. They had been walking for hours, their backpacks filled with essentials being a foreign weight on their backs. Leaving the bustling metropolis of Fula City behind, they had finally reached the outskirts, where the urban landscape gave way to a grassy hill which seemed to be encircling the city.

As they ascended the hill, the climb sure gave their knees a good warm-up. Callahan had exaggeratedly crawled across the road at one point, where mothers and their toddlers sent him weirded-out glances, but the moment they reached the crest, all his exhaustion melted away, replaced by awe.

Before them stretched vast meadows bursting with wheatfields, bathed in the warm glow of the sun. Dotted throughout the landscape were several majestic windmills, their blades spinning gracefully with the whims of the wind.

Callahan's eyes widened as a memory took over his vision. He remembered being here with Kellie. She had run around in a tiny little sundress, skipping down the slope and heading across the bridge near the foot of the hill, where she watched the fishes that swam beneath it. With a blink of his eyes, the vision vanished, and he only found the teenage girl standing beside him. She appeared still to be struggling with her backpack, like the weight would make her tumble over and make her fall face-first into the grass. Yet she kept herself strong. There was a certain light in her eyes that made them have a day and night difference from when he first met her last night.

It only has been that long, huh? He rubbed off some sweat before his hands found support on his knees, a smile stretching his lips at his own blissful foolishness, “We’re a bunch of idiots,” he panted.

“Yup, pretty much,” Risa huffed back, rubbing a finger beneath the straps of her backpack which started to tear a little at her shoulders.

“Well, how about a little break for now? Taking some food will decrease our base weight.”

“We’ve just had fries for breakfast.”

Well, there went his excuse. Then again, the scenery seemed to be beckoning him. He wasn’t that hungry either, to be honest. Mostly just thirsty and tired.

He helped Risa to her water bottle—which was impossible to reach by oneself without taking off the backpack—and had her fetch his.

Taking big swallows, he eyed back to the road they’d travelled. The trail was a dirt zig-zagging line that passed bushes and merged with the concrete road in the distance. From this angle, Mia’s house was nothing but a tiny speckle between thousands of others, only slightly propelled by a tiny bump in the scenery. His own apartment lay concealed behind the many skyscrapers, their windows sending sunlight into his eyes. One of which he recognised as his workplace, easily identifiable by the swarm of Wingull that swarmed the place.

He gave himself a proud pat on the shoulder. I’ve already quit my job. Can’t go back. A childlike sense of excitement washed over him as an even bigger smile crept onto his face. “Neither do I want to.”

“Hm?” Risa looked up.

“Nothing, nothing. This is it," he said as he planted the heel of his boot into the dirt. “One more step and we’ll leave the borders of Fula City. How does it feel, hm? No schedule to follow, no school, no job. Let it sink in; we’re free now.”

The girl halted beside him, staring at the Wind Festival near the ocean. It was like the realization finally hit her. At that same time, a blast of warm wind struck them in the face.

Callahan was happy to see a smile on her lips between her fluttering tendrils.

With a magical feeling in their chests, Callahan fetched the happy-meal map from his pocket and held it in front of the landscape so the mountain in the far distance matched the one in the picture. “That’ll be the Silver Peak,” he said as the map fluttered in the breeze. “Probably won’t be reaching it today considering our late start, but I bet we’ll be able to spot the forest once we're there, and from there the coast will only be a day's journey away. I’ve already booked the tickets for our ship that will take us from Oceanview City to Harboria,” he patted against his breast-pocket, “so we can’t be late!”

“Harboria, sir?” asked Risa, stroking some locks from her eyelashes.

“The port city, over in the other region. Well, no time to waste. We’re wasting daylight standing here!”

“Right.”

They hopped to adjust their backpacks higher on their backs and shoved their heels into the dirt, putting their first steps into a world of freedom.

They made their way down the slope and across the creek. The bridge creaked underfoot, and soon enough, they found themselves walking through a wheatfield, kicking up dust with every step. As Callahan and Risa approached the windmills, they noticed a flower-like Pokémon dancing around. Cherrim's cheerful demeanour seemed to put everyone in good spirits, including the local farmers who were ploughing through the field. It hopped around, releasing a gentle shower of sunlight upon the wheat fields. The warm rays provided the necessary energy for the wheat to grow no matter the weather, ensuring a bountiful harvest. The wheat, rich in nutrients, would then be harvested and used in the breadmaking process.

Most of the wheat came from this area– or at least, that’s what Callahan told her during their walk.

They passed by the windmill, its enormous blades casting a cool shadow over them. The rhythmic creaking and grinding of gears filled the surrounding space, harmonizing with the gentle rustling of the meadow grass.

Yes, today would prove to be a quiet, relaxing day, with nothing to worry about. It would be the most peaceful part of their journey, after all. It was supposed to be a nice, quiet trip where one could soak in the scenery. No obstacles, no pesky mountains, no problems, and especially no falling out with annoying trainers.

Especially the last part.

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The scenery was a picture of serenity, with the golden wheatfield stretching as far as the eye could see. Pidgeys dotted the landscape, perched gracefully on the pebbles near the gurgling creek. Their beaks, as well as the sky itself, were neatly reflected off the water’s surface as they delicately sipped the water.

The birds sat there relaxed until they heard a rustling coming from the wheat behind them.

They merely gave each other a look, before they shrugged their feathers and went back to their business.

Then, a loud mix of groans and panting came from behind, like someone was battling the toughest of Pokémon. The birds’ pupils constricted before they quickly flew off for their dear life.

Risa gave the man a worried look. "Ehhhh, sir?"

Callahan didn't hear her. He appeared from the wheatfield while leaning and moving his trekking pole with such effort like he was paddling through a sea of quicksand; sweat cascading off him like a waterfall.

She tried again. "Sir?"

"Huh, wha'?"

"Ever went hiking before?"

"Why?"

Risa smiled wryly as she watched Callahan struggle to keep up with her slow pace. "Because it sure doesn't look like it."

With a few flicks of his wrist, Callahan waved her words away. "I once decided to spice things up and run a marathon blindfolded, you know, just to add a little extra challenge," he panted. "And guess what? Not only did I finish first, but I also left a bunch of Olympic sprinters in the dust!"

"Riiiiggghhhttttt... Sir, you know we're not that short on time. It's better to take things slow than do... whatever it is you're doing and score yourself an injury."

Callahan kept going for a little bit longer while Risa had already halted in her tracks. He then looked to the sky, still a bright blue in the afternoon, before he turned around to face her. "You wanna set up the tent?" he said breathlessly.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

Risa eyed his watch. They’d just been wandering around for about an hour. They still found themselves in the same wheatfield, only now having passed most of the windmills and instead being surrounded by a few trees here and there, with an apple orchard being visible on a hill to their left and a dusty trail in the distance, which trailed down a gentle slope towards what appeared to be a tavern.

Risa left the man to regain his breath on his own and strolled ahead. She walked through the wheatfield, making her way over a hill, until she squinted her eyes. She might have seen it wrong, but there was a teenage boy standing still beside the road, gazing ahead as if admiring the scenery. He looked ridiculously goofy, wearing clothes that were clearly way too small for his age. He wore a cap with the white and red color of a Pokéball and a red shirt with a Pikachu on it. The guy had a smile plastered on his face, one so energetic that it startled Risa.

Risa gave him a puzzled look before she tried passing him. Then, with his smile still plastered on his face, his eyes widened as if he’d only just spotted her before he stopped right in front of her.

“The air is tasty here! Let’s battle!”

“…Ehhhh. What?”

A few meters back, Callahan waved his beret to create a breeze. "Hold up!"

He struggled forward.

As he rose over the hill, he spotted the girl and raised his voice, before frowning and increasing his pace.

In front of Risa stood a man with strange Pokémon-themed clothes and a weird smile plastered on his face. Callahan closed the distance between them. Callahan's eyes turned from Risa to the man, confusion evident on his features. "What is going on here?” he asked.

Risa took a step back, positioning herself beside her companion. “This guy keeps halting me in my tracks,” she explained, uncertainty marking her expression. “He won’t let me pass.”

Callahan frowned before closing the distance with the stranger. “Listen, buddy,” he stated as he neared the smiling man. “Don’t know what kind of pickup game you’re playing. But you’re going to let her pass without laying a finger on her, you hear?”

The stranger smiled brightly before pressing his hand against Callahan’s chest, bringing him to an abrupt halt.

“Friend… I don’t know what you—"

“I have severe diabetes! Let's battle!”

“Wha—?”

“Yes,” Risa stated perplexed. “He also said something weird and completely unrelated when I tried to pass.” As she spoke, the man abruptly turned to the side, perpendicular to the path, returning to the same position where Risa had first encountered him.

A mix of mild concern and disbelief filled Callahan’s face. He cautiously tiptoed his way toward the stranger, who now stood staring into the distance. He waved his hand a few times in front of the guy’s face without sparking a reaction. Slowly, he enclosed to the man. Just as soon as Callahan was in front of him…

“If my cat could speak, she'd probably have a lot to say about herself!” The man halted Callahan in his tracks by placing both hands on his shoulders. “Let’s. Battle.” His eyebrow twitched as if in anticipation of Callahan’s words, this time gritting out the words almost a bit frustrated.

“Fine.”

Excitement radiated from the stranger’s every pore, a striking contrast from his earlier behavior. The guy's joy knew no bounds as he reached into the back pocket of his pants, fumbling for something. The moment the guy started grasping for something, Callahan’s instincts kicked in.

“Oh no, you won’t!”

Without a second thought, Callahan swiftly angled his body backwards, before throwing his entire bodyweight in a powerful punch that connected squarely with the trainer's jaw. The impact was enough to knock the trainer out cold, his eyes becoming large X’es. His body fell backwards in an unconscious heap, small stars circling above his head.

Wide-eyed, Risa stood frozen in shock.

Callahan stood still as a statue, motionless, his arm still extended in a clenched fist.

It took a moment for both of them to move. Callahan was the first to regain his composure, opting to brush his hands against his vest. Risa shook her head, shaking herself out of her daze. After inspecting her companion, who was still absorbed in brushing his fingers, her eyes fell on the unconscious stranger, noticing a Pokéball slowly rolling out of the guy’s back pocket. Silence lingered.

“See what I did there, Risa! I absolutely cleaned that guy!” Callahan suddenly exclaimed as he fist-bumped the air. “I mean, the man wanted to fight and he went like shough, and I went like ka-donk, and then he went like uhhehahh.” Laughter filled the wheatfield as Callahan released all his pent-up nervous energy.

Risa's gaze darted back and forth between the Pokéball and Callahan, a flicker of realization dancing across her features. The pieces of the puzzling misunderstanding began to align in her mind. With a strained smile, she raised her hand in a feeble attempt at an air pump gesture. "Y-yeah! You did… just, great!" she managed to say. “S-say! Let’s grab ourselves a drink in that tavern, far away from here. Waddaya say?”

“Sounds great!” he said while throwing an arm around Risa, who instinctively tried to pull out of his hold. “It will be my treat!” he laughed while dragging the girl down the path toward the wooden structure.

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Callahan swiftly swung open the tavern door and marched toward the bar, placing an order and paying for some refreshments. As soon as he had placed his backpack aside and found his way to a stool, he eagerly began to share his tale of his 'grandiose victory' with the barkeeper. Risa sat beside him, enjoying some small sips of her soda.

“Yes that’s Felix,” the barman stated with a sigh as they told their story. The barman inspected the glass that he was holding and decided to give it an extra polish as he continued the conversation, “Yes, Felix is weird like that. He’s a trainer, you see. Must have a mental disorder or something, or having a mild case of ‘being dropped on the head as a child’. But I assure you, other trainers around these parts are socially adjusted.”

Callahan nodded in understanding, suddenly his posture grew tense. A strained noise found its way out of the back of his throat, “a trainer, you said? As in… a Pokémon trainer?”

The barman nodded before reaching for a fresh glass to wipe clean.

An uncomfortable feeling of realization crept over Callahan’s back, causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end. He sat still, feeling a bead of sweat form on his brow. Suddenly, he planted a five pokédollars bill on the bar. The barman looked perplexed. “It’s for the kid; for his nose,” Callahan explained before turning urgently to Risa’s ear. “Risa, drink up quickly,” he rushed, “don’t want to be here if he wakes up and decides to get the ‘Jennies’ involved!”

Risa nodded swiftly and threw the soda back in one gulp. Like that, they suddenly managed to put a lot of miles between themselves and the tavern.

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The sun began its descent, starting to cast its warm red glow over the tendrils of grass that gently moved in the breeze.

Callahan and Risa had been hiking for a long time. In the distance, towering pine trees stretched across the horizon, casting long shadows over the path. The cool breeze rustled past the flowers, and the time to find a nice place to set up their tent was approaching.

As they neared the entrance of the forest, Callahan suddenly came to a halt, his blue eyes suddenly lighting up in excitement.

"I totally forgot something," Callahan said. He knelt down and unzipped the side pocket of his backpack, rummaging inside for a moment. Risa watched in curiosity while shifting her weight onto her right leg. The man looked like he was searching around for a Christmas present, and when his arm reemerged, Risa's pupils dilated.

Callahan's hand was filled with five Pokéballs. He held some of them just past his utility belt and, to her surprise, the Pokéballs flew towards his belt and clicked into place, magnetized.

She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at the peculiar sight, but before she could inquire about it, Callahan tossed the last Pokéball in her direction. She instinctively tried catching it, juggling it around a few times before she finally got a good grasp on it.

"Catch," he said kindly. "It's yours."

Risa looked down at the Pokéball, her expression reflected in the red metal. It was almost a bit fearful. Her eyebrows lowered, and she looked up at him, confusion evident in her eyes.

Callahan grinned. "We're taking this route so we can catch Pokémon, right? Lumina will be dangerous. I'd say, find yourself a nice one. We're going to need it."

His smile watered ever so slightly as the girl's fearful expression didn't vanish. She looked back at the ball in her hands, clutching it tightly. He couldn't tell what went on in her mind. The only thing he saw was the reflection of her eyes batting left and right, like she was in deep thought, or was struggling with something within the depths of her mind.

Just as Callahan was about to speak again, Risa raised her hand and, with a gentle toss, sent the Pokéball back towards him.

"Catch," she said, her voice not unkind. "I don't need it."

Surprised, Callahan reached out and caught the Pokéball mid-air. He eyed back from the ball to her. Then, he shrugged.

"Your choice," he said. He secured the Pokéball onto his belt. "You wanna walk further, or do you want to find a nice place to rest?"

Their stomachs growled dryly in core.

Risa smiled weakly. "The latter."

Callahan smiled back.

They ventured deeper into the forest; leaves rustled under their feet as they went off road.

Eventually, they discovered an open area, a large clearing that was surrounded by towering pines which trunks were adorned by carpets of moss. With a nod of their head, they decided it was the perfect place to call their home for the night.

They placed their backpacks on the grass and began getting their stuff out, their movements slow because of inexperience. Callahan unrolled the tent's groundsheet, both taking one side as they stretched it out on the ground, before pulling it tight.

Next, they retrieved the tent poles that hung at the sides of their backpacks, and connected all the different segments before pushing them into their corresponding sleeves. The tent gradually started to take shape as they stuffed the ends of the poles into the so-called capsules around the groundsheet. While Callahan took out the pegs and started kicking them into the earth, Risa unzipped the tent’s storage bag to retrieve the rainfly.

The rainfly kept the tent safe from the weather, ensuring that it would stay warm and dry inside. It even had a label saying it could protect against fire, electricity, and water Pokémon. They stretched the rainfly over the tent, secured it to the poles with clips and toggles, and watched as the fabric fluttered gently in the night breeze, matching the surrounding grass.

After all the hard work was said and done, a loud growl flowed out of Callahan’s stomach. Callahan quickly reached into his backpack and retrieved the compact camping stove. He skilfully set it up on a flat rock, making sure it wouldn’t tip over, anything. “It wouldn’t be handy if we burned the whole forest down,” he said, “despite the tent being fireproof.”

With a flick of a switch, the stove ignited, emitting a comforting blue flame.

Risa handed Callahan a small metal pot, and he carefully placed it onto the stove's burner. They watched as the water inside the pot began to heat, tiny bubbles forming at the bottom. The sound of the bubbling water formed a peaceful backdrop to their camp preparations.

While the water heated, they busied themselves with other camp chores; each finding their own chores to do. Risa took out the foldable cushions and used it to create a shield around the stove in order to block the wind. Callahan unrolled their sleeping bags inside the tent, getting them ready for their night’s rest.

Afterwards, Callahan asked Risa to help him gather firewood. They soon had a large fire up and running to warm themselves.

With the water warmed to perfection, Callahan retrieved a mug and placed it carefully onto the small stove. He scooped a generous amount of instant muck—a hearty blend of coffee and chocolate—into the mug. The sweet aroma that filled the air, and the crackling of burning wood, gave the duo a sense of comfort as the evening got darker.

They sat around the fire. While they enjoyed the moment, Risa broke the comfortable silence. “Thank you, sir.”

“Callahan. The name’s Callahan.”

Risa shook her head, “Don’t mean to be impolite, but I’d just rather stick with ‘sir.’”

Callahan frowned in thought. It's not mere politeness, Callahan thought. Kid doesn’t want to get close to others. Not to people or Pokémon. Now that I think about it, she has never called me by my name…

Then again, he was fine with that. Truth be told, he didn’t even know why he asked the teenager to come along. It wasn’t like she had any more knowledge on the field of Pokémon training than him, and the knowledge she did possess could easily have been replaced by buying one of the new Pokédexes.

Perhaps it was simply having another set of eyes that allured him to the choice. It would be a dangerous trip, after all—what could be better than having another person watching your back? Plus, she'd be able to carry half of the baggage.

But knowing himself, all of these reasons were probably lies that he told himself.

Callahan shrugged. “You do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

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On the other side of the fire, the teenage girl was sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her, tapping the toes of her boots against one another, mulling over the same thing.

Things were pretty simple. Maybe a little too simple. Firstly, the Jennies were still after her. If she didn’t leave Fula City, she'd eventually get caught– either to be put into a juvenile institute or into yet another foster home.

She really couldn’t handle either of these, so fleeing the city seemed like the only logical option. But, simultaneously, it wasn’t like she was getting anything out of this money-wise. At least, they hadn’t talked about splitting the prize money, and it wasn’t like she desired it much either. She could only see her life in terms of 'short-term happiness', like having a roof above her head and a room isolated from others. Those kinds of things. But, let’s say, in the wildest of dreams, that this guy were to win and would split the profit with her… what would she do with all the money?

Risa thought about it for a while. The only thing that had been keeping her legs moving was the need for food and shelter. If those problems would be resolved, then there would be no reason for her to get out of bed. There was honestly nothing else she wanted to do with her life.

So then what? Risa thought as she buried her chin between her knees. Lay around for twenty years until the money runs out?

What else? No hobbies, no ambitions—No aspirations or passions… She only had things she hated less than others, but nothing that she particularly liked. Most of her emotions had been trapped, to avoid opening herself up to even more despair. She hadn’t been sure what to write on her future-plan paper near the end of the school year, and once she headed home after the accident, she'd torn it to pieces altogether. The unfairness of it all had torn her up from inside out. Rick wanted to be a streamer. He wanted to become the biggest streamer there ever was. He had a goal, he had something that would’ve made his life worth living.

‘Why couldn’t it have been me who died?’

She had thought that over and over. If not trading places, then she would have rather gone with them.

But I can’t do that...

A cure for aimlessness.

That’s what she needed.

"Maybe, being forced into this strange routine might change that," she whispered to the night.

But even then... her parents were dead. Wouldn’t it be an insult to be happy afterwards?

Risa didn’t know.

Only thing I know is that this seems like the comical thing to do.

It was almost laughable to think that was the deciding factor, but that had to be it for now.

For now, her goal had been simple: let's see the stars.

And she did.

So what now? Well, continue the trip. There wasn’t anything else to do. But was that the right option?

Suddenly, the quiet melody of the night was disrupted by the warm chuckles of the man, almost as if he was chuckling to himself.

Risa looked up from the campfire. "What's up?"

"No, just thinking about something..." He looked around at the camping supplies, then started chuckling again, a warm kind of chuckle, with a sense of liberation in his eyes that one might see once or twice in their entire lives, which somehow caught Risa's full attention, "I was just thinking, 'Is this what I've been afraid of this entire time?'"

Callahan looked past her towards the tent behind her which was illuminated by the wavering light of the fire and made her shadow be depicted onto it. "If I don't win, I won't be able to pay rent. I might lose my house. That's why I always slaved away at a job that I despised. I'm not even talking about the contest, just life in general. I mean, I had to work, I had to stay on this fixed railway just like everyone else, because if you don't, you'll become like those homeless people that you see wandering around the shops. That always terrified me."

The man looked up at her, smiling gently as the warmth of the fire hit his face like a soft wave of smoke. "Who could've known that a few miles away there's this shop where you can get your house almost for free? All these supplies, they come down to less than I make in half a week. I've been drinking water this entire hike—I've never even drunk plain water before. And I never even cared about a good meal or something extravagant. This," he said, his blue eyes glittering a bit as they reflected the starlight above, "This isn't so bad at all.”

"I know that it's just the first night. I bet everything I'll ever do will get tiring if you do it long enough, and I'm not saying that this won't start to wear on me, but... so did the life I thought I was glued onto."

He chuckled softly again and leaned one hairy arm on his knee. “What an idiot I’ve been. We’re not locked up at all. You can make every choice you want. You might not like the consequences, but if you’re able to live with them, then every path is open to you. I thought my whole life would fall to pieces if I were to lose my current lifestyle. All I can say is that if you dislike your current life, then you’re doing something wrong—I’m the source of that.”

“But you’re single, right?”

“Hm?”

“You got all these options, because you never tied yourself down to something. It’s not like you’ve got a kid. So perhaps you always already felt this way, you just didn’t notice.”

“Nah, I was just a coward.”

Risa didn’t know what he meant by that, but she was too reluctant to delve deeper into someone’s life to ask. Still, his words did unshackle something within her, something about her own future, that is. She intended to sit quietly and enjoy the peace, but Callahan somehow seemed to have sniffed out her insecurities.

“I know it’s tough, Risa,” he said, “Growing up, figuring out what we want to do with our lives… It's not easy. But you know what? I think that’s what being an adult is all about.”

Risa raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Callahan leaned back on his hands, staring up through the branches at the stars. “I mean, when we’re kids, we think that being an adult means having all the answers. We think that one day we’ll just wake up and suddenly know exactly what we want to do with our lives. But the truth is, nobody has it all figured out. Not even your teachers. We’re all just doing the best we can, trying to make sense of this crazy world we live in.”

Risa bit her lip as she pondered his words, eyeing her flame-bathed boots warily. “But how do we know if we’re making the right choices?”

Callahan grinned. “Well, that’s the thing—we don’t. There’s no roadmap for life, no clear path that we’re supposed to follow. Choosing one road means giving up another. I think that we’ll start to regret every road we choose. All we can do is trust ourselves, follow what feels right, and believe that everything will work out in the end.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Hm?”

Risa looked up. “Instead of saying that ‘everything will work out,’ I think it’s more meaningful if you say: ‘don’t give up.’”

Callahan smirked. “Don’t give up, huh? I like that.”

Slowly, the man rose to his feet, not caring about Risa’s surprised expression when he reached out a hand to a particular star and clutched it. He then laughed brashly and stupidly, despite his voice being full of resilience as he showed her his empty palm.

“Hey, look at my hand.” Risa leaned over to peer into it, cocking a brow. He shut it again, smirking confidently. “I think that my future fits precisely into it.”

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A nice, relaxing first night out in the wild. Well… at least the latter half. I don’t think the trainer at the start of the chapter meant a street fight when he said ‘let’s battle’. I've always found it strange how… let's just say 'excited' trainers are when they want to battle you in-game. Also, I wanted to include some comedy instead of, like, describing the scenery for an entire chapter. But hey, this chapter ended up quite lengthy, exceeding 5000 words. I added another chapter within this one; I didn't want to make you all wait too long before they enter the new region and the real story starts. Despite that, I can't simply make a singular jumpcut and rush past moments like these. It's the start of their journey, after all.

I had actually planned three more chapters to be set in this region, merely describing the act of walking, like the Shire chapters in the Fellowship of the Ring, to truly immerse you in the experience of backpacking. However, I found it tough (not to mention a waste of your time) to have nothing noteworthy happen within them. So instead, I’ve cut away all the clutter, making them process quicker towards the coast and, therefore, out of the prologue much faster. So instead of 3 chapters of walking, threre will be only one with only the important bits in it. This way, all crucial info is given, and the rest of the journey can go wild!

About Callahan’s speech: It’s kinda ripped from my diary after I went backpacking for the first time in Austria (without quitting my education, however, I didn't go that far.) It’s truly magical how little you need to live. One thing I must note, though, is that you still need a lot of protein. As shown in this chapter, you got special trail-food for that, although it can be rather pricey… It’s not like you can stuff a leaf of bread in your backpack, so my speech does possess a few flaws. Still, it’s a really cheap way to live.

Next episode will be another long one! We’re still pretty much in the prologue (or tutorial island), with them spending 2 more episodes traversing towards the coast . These episodes will be solely there to introduce a few events and provide additional information that you need to know before we’ll reach the true region where this story will be set. So instead of a story that constantly fluctuates between highs and lows, I thought it’d be better to thoroughly establish everything I wanted here. This way, when they head towards the first gym, the whole story can shift into the next gear and go full-throttle. So it can constantly stay at its best.

See you in the next episode.

Warmest wishes,
Sidiko