Noel's alarm clock went off at a blasting volume, causing her to snort out of her slumber and pop her eyes open. Swampert was staring at her face, seeming to be waiting for its owner to rise and shine.
"'Ey, Swampert…" she sat up straight at stretched, "I see you're waiting patiently…" she yawned.
Swampert let out an enthusiastic "GUH", closing its eyes in a smile.
Swooping her legs over the edge of the bed, she pushed her curled toes against the floorboards until each of them cracked. Standing up, she felt a bolt of energy crackle through her body.
"ALL RIGHT, SWAMPERT!" she pointed to the ceiling with her other hand cocked on her hip. "TODAY IS THE DAY!" she grabbed the clothes on top of her suitcase and got changed, packing away her pajamas into the hamper.
In its mouth, Swampert held a backpack, its fin on its backside seeming to wag in eagerness. As it watched Noel pack her essentials into the outer pockets, it seemed to purr when she was finished, patting its head in approval. She slung the backpack over her shoulder.
"You didn't have to hold that, buddy. It's okay." she rubbed Swampert's head. "But thank you very much."
Looking around her quiet, one floor home, she knew she had nothing else to pack for her short trip. Before switching the light off, she walked over to her dresser and picked up a picture frame. Smiling a little softer, she kissed the image.
"Don't worry father, I promise I'll be careful." she dusted the frame quickly before setting it back down.
Swampert looked at her with concern.
"It's okay, buddy. I'm fine. Let's get going." she flipped the light switch and closed the door behind her.
Mossdeep's blazing hot sun met her face as she emerged from her home. Swampert also felt the heat, shading its eyes as Noel locked the house. It tugged on her shirt. Noel understood and pulled out a pokeball, returning Swampert to its sweet shelter. Looking around, she saw the local children playing in the grass, careful not to touch the pavement in fear of their little feet burning. Noel's home was on the northern end of Mossdeep City, in the same row of houses of local legend, Steven Stone. Her and that silver-haired dreamboat had known each other for years, her watching him as he succeeded to fame when becoming Hoenn's Pokémon League Champion. Sighing, she walked forward onto the pavement, flip-flops squeaking, and smiled at the residents as she passed. Feeling the sweat bead on her forehead, she had to stop for a moment to tie her brunette hair into a ponytail. Summers were wonderful times for cruises, but it was ungodly hot. In her paused state, she took in the smells of her wonderful island. Flowery with a hint of rocket fuel. She watched the waves roll in the distance, seeing the figures of children and adults alike, splashing about and enjoying their days. As she was about to handle her suitcase again, her backpack was being tugged on. Turning her head, she saw the talons of a Skarmory tugging her straps.
"Noel!" came a voice. "Thank Arceus I caught up to you in time!"
Steven Stone was jogging in her general direction. Sighing, Noel smiled and opened her arms for a hug. Steven gladly entered the hug, gripping her tight and spinning around.
"Are you trying to kill me?!" she laughed as he set her down.
"Not at all. I'm just sad to see you leave Mossdeep."
"Steven, it's only for two weeks. Isn't a girl allowed to have a vacation?" she fixed her hair now that it was all messy from the twirl.
"Yea, but, you hardly ever leave your house, let alone the island." Steven sneered.
"You shut your mouth, I do too." she frowned. "Professor Cosmo needs me at the station every day, so I do too leave my house." pointing at him judgingly, she continued. "And YOU leave the island all the time, being champion and shit, so don't get all sappy with seeing ME go."
Tapping his own chin he smirked. "Yes, but that is to leave you wondering and begging for your beloved neighbor to return." he winked. "So I can swoop you off your feet and tell you that I won again, for the sake of the island!" he mimicked the motion of 'sweeping her off her feet'.
"Yea, okay." she motioned for him to walk with her. "Don't you fret that head of yours; it's just a boat ride to the Orange Islands. Father sailed all the time and I never worried."
Concern was in Steven's voice. "Yes, but, Noel, there's supposed to be a storm tonight. Are you sure you can't just wait another day? Or have me take you?"
"Steven, I swear to Arceus, I'm twenty-five, not a teenager. I can deal." she persuaded. "Besides, I love the water. Not the air so much."
"You're so stubborn…" he mumbled.
"Stubborn enough to take a boat? Jeez, Steven, come on." she pouted now, sensing his actual concern. "What if I call you like, every half hour or something?"
"Every half hour makes it sound like we're dating. How about every 45 minutes?"
"If I have signal, you'll hear your PokeNav beep with a call every 45 minutes." she smiled. "Okay?"
"Sounds like a plan." he smiled back.
Reaching the edge of the beach where her small boat was waiting, Steven sighed one last time.
"Just be careful. And if you see any rare stones, hook a guy up, would you?" he beamed with happiness at the thought of more rocks to his collection.
"Okay, Steven. I'll try not to use any sun stones I may come across. I'll see you in two weeks." she hugged him again, Skarmory perching itself on him as they let go.
Steven took a step back, arms at his sides formally. Noel clambered onto the small boat and took a seat, getting her bearings. The kind ship captain and her exchanged thumbs up, giving the signal to start the engine. The engine started, shooting up little bubbles to the surface of the foamy water. The plank Noel stood on to board the boat was stashed onto the deck, allowing the boat to pull forward. Waving to those standing on the beach, Noel smiled as she saw her beloved friend wave back. Their bodies got smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing as they were well along Route 125.
The ferry ride was meant to be a short trip, stopping at Lilycove City so Noel could board the actual ferry she would ride to the Orange Islands. Before Lilycove though, there was the hour of bliss aboard the quaint one. The captain was whistling in front of his control panel that controlled the engine. As Noel looked at the blue sky, her mind danced with the possibilities she could face on her small adventure. Perhaps she would find some rare Pokémon to catch and bring back to the space station. Or maybe she would get some sunbathing in, or possibly explore the caves the islands had to offer. Her daydreams were interrupted by the captain's voice.
"It's quite an honor to be sailing you, Miss Noel. Your father rode these waters with me all the time." he chuckled in that cute old man way. "He always told me such cute things about his wonderful daughter. And with that team of yours, I believe him. You are wonderful."
"Oh stop, Mr. Sturth." she smiled. "You're too kind." she watched Wingull fly over their boat. "Besides, I could never beat Steven. I may have beaten my father, but Steven is just too much."
"Nonsense, child." he tittered. "I'll tell you what. When you return from your vacation, I'll happily sail you to Ever Grande any day."
"That sounds like a deal." she turned her head towards him and gave him a smile.
When they reached Lilycove, their small boat docked at the edge of the beach, allowing her to hop off the side with her bags. Waving to her captain one last time, he tooted the boat's horn and made his way back to Mossdeep. Taking in the crisp Lilycove air, Noel lifted her suitcase above the sand and waddled her way across the steaming hot sand, attracting the attention of beach goers all around her. Men playing volleyball laughed at her as she hopped, skipped, and 'yowch'ed her way across the beach. When she finally reached the sidewalk, she looked up at the powerful lighthouse that loomed over the city. And while Mossdeep was bigger than Lilycove, Lilycove was hustling and bustling with people. Keeping silently to her side of the walkway, she kept her eyes straight as she panned out her way to the docks. She pulled out her PokeNav.
"Well, look at that… I've got an hour to kill until I need to board." she put it away again. "Now then…what to do." she looked around. "There are contests to watch, I could visit the mall…" a man at the edge of the road caught her eye, garbed in a red sweater with red hair, glasses reflecting the sunlight. He seemed to be watching something. Straightening up, she realized she needed to go down that direction to cross the street anyway, so she mustered her courage and continued to walk. When she made her way to the stranger with the red hair, she saw that he seemed to be a man in his thirties. That's what she thought anyway. He was stern looking, but very smart looking. They seemed to be waiting for the same thing; for the crosswalk to turn green.
"Aren't you a little warm?" she asked, friendly smile. "That's quite the turtleneck you've got there."
The man looked at her. They were about the same height, and if anything, he was two inches taller than her, maybe three. Not only was he wearing a red turtleneck, but he wore a red long sleeved jacket on top of it, too. Even his eyes were red.
"I'm quite comfortable in this heat." he replied. "I'm not much for the cold."
"I'm dying in this heat, quite honestly." she wiped her forehead. "I'm sorry; I'm not the best with conversation. I'm just trying to get to the loading dock."
"As am I." he smiled. "And if you aren't fond of conversation, why start one with me?"
"You caught my attention." she smiled. "The glint of that Key Stone captured me."
He seemed surprised, but intrigued. "You can tell that this is a key stone, eh?"
The crosswalk turned green, allowing them to cross.
"My best friend is really into stones." she said, maneuvering around pedestrians. "And my father taught me about all the types of mega stones when I was younger."
"How interesting." the man glanced at his watch.
They had successfully crossed to the other sidewalk, moseying along past the contest hall.
"I'm sorry, I hope I'm not bugging you." she looked up, slightly panicked.
"Don't worry about it. I need some enticing conversation before this awful departure." he scrunched his nose.
"I understand." she laughed. "So enough about my stone crap, what about you? Why are you headed to the docks?"
"I'm meeting some people there." he turned a bit more serious.
"Business." she nodded. "I got it."
"And you?" he asked, turning his head towards her.
"Vacation." she shrugged. "Kinda."
"Meaning?"
"Even though these are my vacation days, I'm still going to research the Orange Islands' Pokémon for Professor Cosmo. I'm supposed to be relaxing, but hey, I can't."
They headed down a stairwell, Noel having to lift her suitcase higher up off the wheels so it wouldn't drag.
"So you're a scientist?" he asked her.
"Of sorts." she smiled through her tense face, focusing on not falling down the stairs. "I help study the types of Pokémon around the region, evolution, mostly. Cosmo believes evolution is an otherworldly phenomenon. I also help care for the ocean around Mossdeep. I don't want the rocket fuel effecting the Pokémon that live in the ocean." she explained.
"I see." he watched as she made her way down the stairs a bit slower, finally plonking her suitcase back down. "Well that's very noteworthy of you."
"Pardon?" she asked, wiping sweat from her eyes.
There isn't an inkling of sweat on him. What the hell?
"Nothing." he sighed, looking at the docks ahead of them. "Anyway, I believe this is our stop. It was a pleasure speaking with you." he stuck his hand out.
"Noel." she smiled, shaking his hand.
"Maxie." he nodded, creased mouth returning to his face.
As he walked away she called out. "Maxie!"
He turned.
"When I see you again, I want to battle your mega-evolved Pokémon. I want to see what power's in your key stone." she smiled confidently.
Maxie chuckled. "That's a promise, young lady."