"I had a long dream about swimming – across the sea." – Tyler Ramsey's "A long Dream"
The S.S. Anne was supposed to be the most luxurious ship in the world. It was huge, the size of some towns, and could carry over a thousand passengers all around the world. Through its roundtrip journey, which took a year to complete, the S.S. Anne made many stops in the exotic Hoenn region, as well as Sinnoh's Sunyshore City. However, the ship only stopped in the Kanto region once a year; to visit its home in Vermillion City for a few days before departing again.
"It's even bigger than I imagined…" Erika said, looking up at the magnificent ship in awe.
"Gloooooom," Gloom said, nodding with agreement.
"It's the biggest ship in the world," Lt. Surge said, sounding so proud that, if Erika didn't know any better, she might have assumed that he had built the ship himself, with his own two hands.
"The ship is safe, isn't it?" one of the maids – an elderly woman named Sayuri - inquired. She had long, gray hair that she always pulled into a tight bun on the top of her head. Unlike the younger maids, who had taken to wearing shorter dresses, Sayuri always wore her skirts so long that they touched the ground. As a child, Erika often wondered if she had any feet under there (when she tried to investigate, she was promptly grounded).
"Of course it's safe!" Lt. Surge said, as if that were the stupidest question he had ever heard. "This ship was built here, in Vermillion City. My gym helped fund the project, and we even did a bit of the work ourselves. I can assure you, this ship is safe."
He's one of the most paranoid people I've ever known, Erika thought. So if he thinks it's safe, that should be enough to convince anybody.
"Excuse me," a nearby sailor asked the group. "But do you require any assistance?"
"Yes, please," Erika said, bowing politely. "We have quite a bit of luggage in our car, you see…"
The man looked at the car directly behind them, which was so bogged down with luggage that it looked as though it would give way at any second. However, the sailor seemed unintimidated and simply waved over a couple of Machoke to assist him.
"Take all the luggage to suite number four," Sayuri instructed.
"Yes, ma'am," the sailor said, saluting Lt. Surge before he took off.
"Thank you for escorting us today, Lieutenant," said Erika. "I'm afraid I don't know your city very well; I might have gotten lost on my own."
"Or fallen asleep somewhere and missed boarding the ship altogether," Sayuri added quietly. Erika shot her a dirty look, but knew that she was probably right.
"The pleasure is all mine," he said, giving her hand a brief kiss. "It's a shame I cannot join you during your trip."
"Y-yes," Erika stammered nervously. Her first instinct had been to yank her hand away, but she allowed him to hold onto it out of politeness. "Too bad…"
"Well, you'd better board the ship," Lt. Surge said, smiling as he let go of her hand. "I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."
Erika cleared her throat, "Yes, of course."
"Come along," Sayuri said, beginning to lose her patients. "Or they'll leave without us."
"Erika-sama," Emiko, a maid with short blue hair, said meekly. "Would you care to stay on deck and watch the launch? I'm sure it will be most exciting!"
"Yes, I think I would like that," said Erika. "Will you be able to manage, Sayuri?"
"It'll be tough, but I'm sure I'll survive," Sayuri said dryly.
Erika grinned as the gaggle of girls boarded the S.S. Anne, anxious to start her adventure. Once they were on board, Erika, Emiko, and another girl by the name of Ayame left the group and found a spot along the railing. Dozens – no, more like hundreds – of people were already crowded there, and the three girls had a difficult time finding a gap big enough for all of them to fit.
"You know, I just thought of something," Ayame said, her voice nearly drowned out by the horde. Everyone seemed to be waving and hollering their goodbyes.
"What's that?" Erika asked curiously.
"We don't really have anyone to wave to, do we?" the cheerful girl said.
"Oh, you're right," said Emiko. "I feel a little silly now..."
I've always liked Ayame and Emiko, Erika thought, yawning as she waved at the people on the docks. They're both always so jovial. I'm glad they came with me.
Erika's hands flew over her ears as the boat's whistle blew, so loudly that her ears were ringing for quite some time afterwards. Confetti and streamers were tossed everywhere, and Erika did not envy the people and Pokemon who would have to sweep up the mess later. The S.S. Anne started to leave the harbor; slowly at first, gaining speed as Vermillion City became smaller and smaller. The crowd started to filter out, but Erika and her companions stayed on deck until the coast was no longer visible.
It'll be nice to get away for a while, Erika thought, closing her eyes. The salty ocean air was so relaxing…
"We should go down to our suite, Erika-sama," said Emiko. "I'm sure they're wondering where we are."
"Hmmmm?" Erika mumbled, jumping when she snapped back to reality. "I'm terribly sorry. What's going on?"
Ayame giggled, "Come on, we'll take you down to your room. You can take a nap when we get there."
Though Erika had no idea how, Ayame and Emiko seemed to know exactly where they were going. The trek seemed to take forever, but eventually Erika found herself standing outside suite number four. She could hear Sayuri barking out orders while Emiko unlocked the door.
"Here, Erika-sama," she said, handing the key over once the door was open. "This one is yours."
"Thank you," Erika said, slowly stepping inside. The first room appeared to be the living room. A couple of Machoke – wearing vests that signified that they were part of the S.S. Anne's staff – rearranged furniture under Sayuri's guidance. A pair of Bellsprout were setting up a kotatsu in the middle of the room. Like clockwork, Emiko and Ayame jumped right in and began helping, and Erika marveled at the efficiency of it all.
Sayuri didn't fail to notice Erika's arrival. It was as if she had Erika on some sort of special radar; in seconds Sayuri was at her side.
"It seems smaller than it did in the photographs," she said, sounding even more irritated than usual.
Hoping to relieve some of the tension, Erika smiled. "I think it looks lovely."
"I'm glad it's too your liking," the older woman said. "Erika, there is something I wish to discuss with-"
"Do you think I could have a short nap first?" Erika asked quickly. "All that sun on deck made me really sleepy. I don't think I can…" Erika trailed off, faking a yawn. "I don't think I can stay awake for another second."
Sayuri groaned, "Very well. Your room is the one on the right; you'll find your things are in there waiting for you. I'll come get you when it's time for dinner."
"Thank you," Erika said, bowing politely before she left.
Erika loved her room the instant she opened the door. The bottom half of the walls were decorated with white paneling, the upper half with dark purple wallpaper that had been splashed with a nice floral print. The furniture was all constructed of the same, dark wood, and all of her belongings had already been put in their proper places. Gloom sat on the bed, perking up like a flower in the morning when he noticed her enter the room.
"If she thinks I'm going to be spending the entire trip in here, she's got another thing coming," Erika said, a sly grin creeping across her face. Gloom bounced up and down with excitement.
"Alright, let's get out of-" Erika paused when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was wearing one of her favorite kimonos. It had been a gift from Jasmine – a fellow gym leader who resided in the Johto region, and one of the people Erika was hoping to see during her vacation. According to Jasmine, the kimono had been hand stitched in Ecruteak City, by an elderly woman who had been making them her entire life. The silky fabric was a pale red color, with golden embellishments and a dark red obi to match.
It was beautiful, yes, but far too recognizable. Erika had hoped to not attract any attention during her trip. If she went out dressed like that, someone would recognize her for sure, and then people would start propositioning her for battles…
"Perhaps I should change first," she decided. "Gloom, do you think you could help me untie the obi?"
Erika changed as swiftly as possible, trading her traditional-style dress for something more contemporary. She always felt a little odd when she wore pants, but when she looked in the mirror, she saw that the jeans she had selected were a perfect fit. Still feeling in the mood for red, Erika picked out a scarlet tank top that hugged her tightly under the bust and hung loosely around her torso. A flower resembling the Pokemon Vileplume covered each breast. Erika thought the top was cute, but Sayuri insisted that it was "unbecoming of a young lady of Erika's status" and never allowed her to wear it out.
Not that she can do anything about it now, Erika thought, smiling at her reflection. She looked positively normal.
"I don't know what's gotten into me," she said to her trusted Pokemon. "But all of a sudden, I feel so… excited! This must be what vacations do to people."
"Gloom!" the plant agreed, punching the air.
"We'll sneak out the window, so Sayuri won't see," Erika said, giggling as she threw open the curtain. When she found herself face-to-face with a wild Tentacool, she couldn't help but scream, throwing the curtain shut quickly.
"Erika-sama!" Emiko said from the other side of the door. "Erika-sama, are you alright?"
"I'm f-f-fine," Erika stammered, holding her hand over her heart. "I just… I thought I saw a spider. I'm going back to sleep now."
Slowly, she crept back over to the window, slowly opening the curtain again. The Tentacool had fled, and now Erika could see the vast ocean outside the small, circular window.
"That ugly thing was probably just as frightened as I was," she sighed, sitting down on the bed. "I can't believe we're under water. How are we supposed to sneak out now?"
Gloom sat down on the floor, scratching tie bud on his head thoughtfully. After a few moments, he jumped up and hurried over to Erika's dresser.
"W-what?" she asked, watching the Pokemon as it dug through her things. "What are you up to, Gloom?"
"Gloom!" he answered, holding up Erika's gasmask as if it were a prize. She often wore it when flower-arranging with Pokemon who weren't familiar with the process; they often felt threatened and released spores into the air for protection. He waddled over to the bed and handed it to Erika, motioning for her to put it on.
"Okay," she said, fastening the mask around her face. She watched curiously as Gloom opened the door, excreting a familiar pink haze that Erika easily recognized: Sleeping Powder.
What a brilliant idea, Erika thought, grabbing her bag before she peeked out into the main room. All of the maids, as well as the Pokemon, were sleeping peacefully on the floor. She stepped over them carefully, with Gloom following close behind. When she reached the door, she took a deep breath, threw off the gasmask, and opened the door quickly, practically falling out into the hallway. Somehow, she managed to get the door shut before any of the gas leaked out.
"That was close," she sighed, resting her back against the door. "Thanks, Gloom."
"Gloom, gloom," he said, bowing.
As Erika stood up, she saw an elderly couple staring at her. The lady held a snobby-looking Skitty in her arms, and behind them a very annoyed Poliwrath was carrying their suitcases.
"Hehe, sorry…" Erika said, quickly darting off down the hall. Gloom followed after her, yelling at her to slow down. Once she rounded a corner, she stopped, already needing to catch her breath.
If they knew who I was, they wouldn't have looked at me like that, Erika thought, peeking around the corner. The couple had already entered their suit; the hall was empty.
"But I guess that's the whole point, right?" she said, looking down at Gloom. He tilted his head to the side, confused, which made Erika laugh. "Come on, let's see what's happening on deck."
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Erika and her posse, another important face in the Kanto region had also boarded the S.S. Anne. Like the former, Lance was seeking a break from all his duties involving the Pokemon League, and wished to have his identity remain a secret during the voyage. That's why he and Dragonite both wore sunglasses as they stood on the deck, watching Vermillion City disappear.
"This was a wonderful idea," Lance said, stretching out his arms. "With these disguises, no one will recognize-"
"Hey, mister," a tiny voice said, and Lance looked down to see a little boy tugging on his cape. "Aren't you Lance the dragon trainer?"
"Pft, no…" Lance said nervously. "What gave you a silly idea like that?"
"Your cape, sir," he said calmly. "And the big dragon."
"Oh, you kids and your imaginations," Lance said, trying to laugh it off. However, the child didn't leave, and continued to stare up at him with a stern expression. At last, Lance sighed with defeat, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. "Alright kid, I'll give you five Pokedollars if you don't tell anyone you saw me."
"Make it fifteen and you've god a deal," the boy said, holding out his pudgy hand.
Lance glared at the kid, cursing in his head – because gentlemen never curse aloud, especially in front of women and children – as he forked over the cash. The boy seemed content, and skipped off down the dock singing a little tune.
"I can't believe that kid saw through us! He must be some kind of savant or something…" Lance said helplessly. Dragonite gave him a soft pat on the back, hoping his trainer would realize that the sunglasses were a stupid idea before he got too depressed.