One listen.

So Pokémon’s Hoenn region is my favourite region by far. Part of that has to do with all the water, which, having studied marine science, I guess makes sense. As such, the games centred around that region are the ones I’ve probably played the most, even though the games frustrate me quite a lot.

I’m highly familiar with the music for Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald and also Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, but like other music used in the games, it’s not something I’ve wanted to write about until very recently. Decided to do this one now mostly to see if I could.

I feel that what I wrote is a bit timid. I probably could’ve said more and really painted an image of where the song is used, but that would also take a good few repeats and I didn’t want to sit here for ages trying to tease it all out. Still, I think there’s something here that I did capture well enough.

Go Ichinose’s (一之瀬剛) “Littleroot Town” (“ミシロタウン”) is from GBA Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire Music Super Complete and Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Super Music Complete. These soundtracks cover Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The version I wrote about is from the latter two, and was arranged by Shota Kageyama (景山将太).

I hope you enjoy.

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Woodwind, keys and bass stir gently, forming new beginnings. The light percussion plays out quietly, and woodwind and strings pick up a bit more. Things are rising, but this is home and this is where the smallness of life lies, but it’s also where the start of something grand is.

The sounds reflect this and carry the beauty and wonder of it, and they roll relaxed through this space. They play easy and keep it calm, even when they rise and fill out. There’s always time for something big, but there’s always time to return home, even as everything fades out and the song ends.