Sometimes, when I had the privilege to look over the sea, endless yet undisturbed, save for the trail the large ship left behind slicing through the glassy surface, I wish I would've embarked on boats before; they weren't as nauseating as the old me thought they were. With the way things were going, I wasn't having any regrets.
"A fine breeze, huh?" The Captain of the ship said, resting his crossed arms over the guardrail.
"It's excellent." My friend Peter responded, nodding. The man had to tuck a bit of his blonde hair back, since the gust wasn't being too kind to it.
"Thanks for bringing us here, sir!" Yamka cheered.
"I always look out to help people, and you four are a fine bunch." The Captain responded. "So tell me, what's the deal with this new region anyways?"
"The four of us received invitations to come there." I replied. "We've always wanted to be trainers, but we never had the chance."
"We had to go to school instead. I still think it was a waste of time." Yamka sighed.
"A good education allows for a better life afterwards, I assure you." The Captain explained. "Although, what am I saying? I didn't get any myself."
"Is that so?" Tabitha asked. "How'd you get a cruise ship then?"
"I became a trainer at an early age. Got myself a large sum of money." He said. "I'm retired now, but maybe I'll go back one day."
"Did something happen?" I asked.
"Doesn't matter much." The Captain explained. "This is your trip, my friends! Four early adults ready to finally learn the ropes of becoming a trainer. Exciting."
"I hope it's as fun as they say it is." Peter replied.
"Even if it isn't, we still have a place to live there. Food, heating, everything we need to survive." Tabitha informed him.
"Come on, guys!" Yamka yelled. "Aren't you at least a little bit excited to have a fun journey with your friends? I'm happy that I get to do this with you guys beside me!"
"No problem, girl." Tabitha responded. "You're a fun gal to be around, all of you. I'm glad we all agreed."
"What else was I going to do, go work at the radio station?" I joked.
"I think this is a much better alternative." Peter added. We stopped talking, instead looking into the endless ocean.
Seeing this made me wonder why my friends and I were chosen out of every single other person to go a new region with the goals of testing the new Pokemon League there. I always had a small interest in it, but taking on that life seemed a bit risky, since I might not be able to support myself if I chose it. But being a trainer might add a bit of spice to my life, and besides, if it didn't I always have the home that they offered me, too. Would I be any good as a trainer? I took a moment to look at my friends. Yamka, the black-haired giddy girl might have a good shot at being the best of us. She definitely has the emotion and dedication to do whatever she wants, and I don't think she'll shy away from this opportunity. She might be a little small compared to the rest of us, looking like a late teen instead of someone going over twenty. Peter, on the other hand, had that cool, calculated personality to learn all the ropes and tricks to battling. He probably had at least looked a bit of stuff up online as I had. Tabitha, however, likely shared the same semi-optimistic view about this that I did. We had a good team, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
"Will! I have sights of our destination off in the distance!" A crewman shouted from an upper deck. The Captain nodded, walking towards the front of the ship. Yamka was quick to follow him, and the rest of us trailed behind them. After a short walk, I could make out a small island in the distance. It was probably not even the size of a city block, with a few trees here and there. A large dock occupied the right side of the island, made to dock multiple ships of this size.
"Quite a place it is." Will remarked, placing his hands in his pockets.
"It's a bit small." Tabitha added.
"There's probably more to it." Peter explained. "Maybe a bigger island further in."
"I haven't explored these seas, so I wouldn't know." Will replied. "But this is definitely where we should be going." The Captain turned around, turning his head to the upper decks. "JERICHO! LAND US ON THE DOCKS!"
"Understood, sir!" The Crewman shouted back. The ship swayed slightly, changing course to match the dock's location. A few splashes of water landed harmlessly on us, and Yamka playfully opened her mouth in an attempt to taste the seawater. She would immediately regret this decision as she spit what she had caught onto the deck. I continued to observe our destination and the horizon, looking for another island or something. What caught my eye was a distant figure sitting on the beach of our destination. After a few moments I could make him out. It was someone dressed in black, a fishing pole in his hands that was cast into the ocean. Suddenly they stood up, pulling back their line. The figure viciously tugged in its capture, flinging something out of the water. For some reason, the image of the man or woman getting that fish stuck to my mind. It was glittering mysteriously, shining in the rays of the sun. After depositing his catch on the beach, the figure reached into its pocket to pull out what appeared to be a Pokeball. A quick throw sent the fish into it, and after retrieving the ball, they finally caught notice of the huge ship coming towards them. They quickly placed the ball in their pockets, sprinting over to the docks.
"Alright everyone, this is where you get off." Will explained, turning around to go back to the main deck. We followed behind him, and I finally managed to get my eyes off the figure to go with them.
"Do you think we'll see you again?" Yamka asked.
"Nah, I'm usually very busy." Will replied. "I've got guests of my own, you know."
"Well, thanks for giving us a ride." Tabitha responded. "Good luck with the cruise ship business."
"Just the kind words are all the payment I need." Will replied. "I'm unfortunately short on them as of late."
"Well you're a very kind fellow." Peter said. "I'll hit you up if we need a ride out. Not that we would need to leave."
"I'll see if I can get around to it, but I wouldn't be surprised not to hear from you again. Maybe I'll stop by this new region in the future. Make it a tour destination or something." Will explained. The Captain pressed a button on the side of the ship, making a walkway extend out of the ship. The ship grinded to a halt right as the path landed on the dock, and the railway parted to allow our exit.
"Alright, here you are." Will said, holding out his hand. "Good luck!"
"Thanks." I replied, shaking his hand. My friends also took his hand, and after a short moment I got onto the ramp, heading down to the dock. The figure from before finally made it, slowing his run as he approached us. Once the four of us stepped off, the ship retracted its walkway, and I quickly turned around.
"Hey, what's your ship called, anyways?!" I yelled.
"The Mona!" Will shouted back. "Win for me!"
The cruise ship quickly turned on its engines, moving to full speed as it sped off into the distance. With our escort gone, the smell of seawater and the sound of Wingull circling the island filled my head. The sensation almost distracted me from the figure from before, breathing heavily from its run. It was a male, wearing a strangely black lab coat with a white underneath. A hard-hat sat on his head, a broken mining light on it. He had to be only a bit over twenty, with dark ebony skin and similarly colored hair.
"Welcome, welcome!" The man cheered. "I'm so glad you could make it! I'm Professor Toshley, but you can call me Tosh."
"It's a pleasure, Professor." Peter replied, attempting to shake his hand.
"What did I just say? Call me Tosh! You don't need to look up to me!" Tosh explained.
"I for one am very excited to be here!" Yamka added. "This is a very nice island you have."
"Oh, this? It's nothing, really." Tosh sighed, wiping a strand of sweat from his forehead. "You're going to love the actual region. In fact, I won't keep you waiting. Come, come! This way!"
Tosh turned, quickly walking over to a path between the trees, leading into the miniature forest. The four of us looked around at the wildlife as we followed him.
"So, why did you invite us?" Tabitha asked.
"I'll explain at a better time. For now, just know that you folks are one of the first people to ever come here. I've invited much more people to come live and compete here, too, and they should be coming in as the days progress." Tosh explained. "You get to have most of the place to yourselves at first."
"What kind of Pokemon live here?" I remarked.
"All kinds. You'd be surprised what species have come here, either through our action or their own. Don't worry, there's a ton of diversity. You won't be disappointed." Tosh added.
"So what do you research, being a professor?" Yamka asked.
"Well..." Tosh started. "Have you ever heard of Mega Evolution?"
"Yes, I can speak for all of us that we have." Peter answered. "I made sure everybody knows the basic stuff."
"I'm the guy who discovered it!" Tosh explained. "I'll tell you all about it later."
The man paused. Directly ahead of us was a metal-lined box, entrances on all sides. Tosh stepped inside, nodding. Yamka quickly ran over to him, taking his arm in excitement. Tabitha, Peter, and I followed suit, standing inside of the box. It was made out of pure iron, rusted in places. A small panel sat in the corner near Tosh, who used his spare arm to press it. The lift shook for a moment, and the sound of chains started growing. A violent shake occurred as something latched onto the bottom of the box, pulling it down. The roof of the box closed, and darkness quickly flooded into the elevator. Tosh's head light turned on, illuminating the box. All the walls were now slowly moving stone, passing by as we went deeper.
"What are we going down for?" Tabitha asked.
"Because, my friend. That's where the region is." Tosh answered.
"It's under the ocean?" Peter asked. "That seems rather suspicious."
"Trust me, you'll love it." Tosh continued. "And if I was trying to do something bad, wouldn't I have already done it? You guys don't appear to be very armed."
"I trust you! You seem really nice!" Yamka cheered.
"Thank you." Tosh replied. "Well, let me be the first to welcome you to my home."
The last of the stone passed by, and outside light returned to the elevator. Directly to my right the area opened, and my eyes widened in surprise. A huge cavern filled with shining gemstones was what we were greeted by, with many waterfalls hugging the sides. The grass-covered pasture below twisted and turned over the rocks and pools, with wildlife running their normal routines. Small beams of light came in through the waterfalls' entrances, landing on gems to fill the entire cavern with a white glow. A path was clearly visible, built a few meters above the ground with small staircases to go down. It split in numerous places, leading into caves I couldn't yet see, but that I really wanted to.
"Wow..." Peter gawked, admiring the scenery as I was.
"You were right." Yamka started. "This is amazing!"
"Like I was saying." Tosh responded, turning away from us. "Welcome to the Vibreal Region!"