Mr. Briney: the old Hoenn sailor who puts to sea for Peeko

A house by the water, a seabird, and that's the whole crew. Mr. Briney doesn't battle, doesn't lead anything and has no badge to hand out. He provides a single service — ferrying people across — and that service rests entirely on one event: the day someone brought Peeko back to him.

Contents

• A Retired Sailor, a House Facing the Sea
• Peeko's Kidnapping, and the Debt That Follows
• Ferryman for Devon's Errands
• Honorary Captain of the S.S. Tidal
• In the Anime, the Sailor Who Won't Put His Passengers at Risk
• Setting Course for Dewford, and the Sharpedo Lesson
• Mr. Briney at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

A Retired Sailor, a House Facing the Sea

Mr. Briney lives on Route 104, in a house perched on the coast, near Petalburg Woods and west of Petalburg City. His career at sea is behind him when the player arrives in the region, and nothing in his daily life suggests he'll ever take the helm again.

His age is even on record: a BuzzNav segment in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire says he's 72 years old. For a local you bump into along a route, that's an unusual level of detail.

He never goes anywhere alone. A Wingull he calls Peeko goes everywhere with him, and no scene ever shows the bird in a Trainer battle: Peeko isn't a team, she's company.

Peeko's Kidnapping, and the Debt That Follows

The first time you hear him, the old man is beside himself by the side of the path: he and Peeko were out for a walk when someone jumped them and ran off with the bird. The attacker belongs to the criminal organization wreaking havoc in Hoenn at the time.

The rescue turns everything around. With Peeko back, the man finally introduces himself, thanks you at length, gives his seaside address and invites the player to come back whenever they need anything.

The payback is anything but symbolic. He opens up three ports to his rescuer — Petalburg City, Dewford Town, Slateport City — and ferries you across for free, on request, without ever setting conditions.

🌊 A Wingull on your shoulder is easy to take along: browse the Pokémon plushies.

Ferryman for Devon's Errands

The boat is first used to carry mail and packages. A letter has to reach Dewford, then the Devon Parts have to reach Captain Stern, at the Slateport shipyard — an errand passed on by Mr. Stone in person.

Mr. Briney doesn't just steer the boat. Once you land in Dewford, he points the player to the town's Gym, explaining that the local Gym Leader knows the town better than anyone and will be able to help.

The rest of the time, he waits. Once the debt is incurred, he announces that he'll head out to sea whenever he's asked, and you choose the route port by port, in either direction.

Honorary Captain of the S.S. Tidal

The S.S. Tidal changes his status. Mr. Briney had a hand in designing the ship, at the Slateport shipyard, and its launch earns him the title of honorary captain.

He explains the turnaround himself: he had retired, but the sight of that ship stirred his old sailor's soul. The title is a courtesy; what it really gives him back is a trade.

One detail confirms his reputation. Drake, whom you run into on board, praises a steady hand at the helm he hadn't seen in a long time and is delighted to see Peeko again: the old sailor is known, and respected, far beyond his Route 104.

In the Anime, the Sailor Who Won't Put His Passengers at Risk

The Advanced Generation series portrays him differently. May finds him fishing off a pier, and he shares his rule for life: never give up on what you've set out to do. In the French dub, he introduces himself as Marcel, a name he ties to the salt of the sea.

Peeko is shy at first; May wins her over with Pokémon food, and the sailor agrees to take the group to Dewford Island. But when the Trainer comes back to his house, he pretends not to recognize her and sends her away: a Team Aqua member is in the house, and his Crawdaunt is holding Peeko hostage.

His line is clear — he won't put travelers in danger — so he gives in and leads the man to the warehouse where his boat is kept. The grunt still makes off with the boat and with Peeko, in the middle of a scuffle in which Team Rocket tries to vacuum everyone up and Brock's Lotad frees the captured Pokémon.

Then comes the secret weapon: a second boat, shaped like a Wingull, which he built with Peeko's help. He had retired, he says, but the grace of Wingull in the sky sent him back to sea. The chase ends with a sideways maneuver that sends the stolen boat leaping over the rocks, and the old man dives in to rescue his Pokémon.

Setting Course for Dewford, and the Sharpedo Lesson

The next crossing gives him another role, that of guide. He announces they'll arrive before nightfall, calls out land ahoy, and points out that he discovered the island they're approaching by chance some thirty years earlier.

A pack of Sharpedo surrounds May and Max, who had gone for a swim. The sailor calls Peeko to the rescue, but the bird struggles to keep two kids above water: it takes Ash's Taillow, then a Thunderbolt from Pikachu, to clear the way for the boat.

The next day, the trap set for the pack's leader falls through: the wooden barrier gives way, May falls into the water, and Brock's Lotad knocks the Sharpedo out with a single Water Gun — a result so clear-cut that the group suspects it was poisoned.

That's where the old sailor provides the only technical explanation of the whole affair: a Pokémon that's been put at ease can have its special ability stop working. Then he drops the group off in Dewford Town and sets course for Slateport, where his path and theirs part ways.

Mr. Briney at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Mr. Briney in Pokémon?
  A retired sailor from Hoenn who lives in a seaside house on Route 104, west of Petalburg City. He lives with a Wingull named Peeko and ends up as honorary captain of the S.S. Tidal.
• How do you get Mr. Briney's free crossings?
  By bringing back Peeko, who was kidnapped by a member of Hoenn's criminal organization. Grateful, he then ferries you for free between Petalburg City, Dewford Town and Slateport City, on request.
• Why is he called Captain Briney?
  Because he helped design the S.S. Tidal at the Slateport shipyard. When the ship is launched, he's named its honorary captain and asks to be called that.
• What is his name in the anime?
  In the French dub, he introduces himself as Marcel, a name he ties to the salt of the sea, even though summaries of his appearances also call him Marco. Poképédia uses M. Marco as his reference name; in English, he's Mr. Briney.
• Does Mr. Briney appear in the Trading Card Game?
  Yes. His first card is in the EX Dragon expansion, released in France on August 28, 2004, and it bears the character's English name rather than his French one.

In short

Mr. Briney isn't a Gym Leader, an organization boss or a rival: he's a service rendered that became a character. Saving Peeko opens up three ports, an errand for Devon, then a captain's post on the S.S. Tidal. The anime pushes the idea the other way: there, he gives up his boat so as not to put passengers at risk, before bringing out a second one, shaped like a Wingull, to go get it back. Either way, the driving force is the same: an old man, a seabird, and the idea that you don't give up.