Kiruka closed her eyes as a cool sea breeze blew across her face. The sun was setting beyond the horizon, painting the sky orange, red, pink,purple... an amazing pallet of colors. She opened her eyes again and stared out to the ocean, feeling elated. A part of her was still unable to believe she was actually here.

The S.S. Anne cruised across the ocean comfortably, rocking gently with the waves. Kiruka was seated on a deck chair, savoring that last moment they'd have to admire the sunset. She was on her way to Jhoto, on a ship so expensive many would never be allowed on in their lifetime. But her parents were rich and luxurious, and would only help their daughter on her journey in such an over-the-top style. She smiled ruefully as she thought of them. They had parted from Vermillion and would arrive in New Bark Town in the morning. It had been a long trip, nearly a week, but she couldn't complain. The ship was impeccable. The floor was wooden and polished, shining gently as the sun set. There were few other people on the deck of the ship, mostly couples, she noted. This was nothing compared to below deck, where the multitude of guests were busy conversing or battling to pass the time. The floor of the hallways were plush-carpeted and a deep red, the walls painted a beige with intricate gold designs of waves at the bottom. She had thought about taking a photo of that, but somehow thought that her penpal wouldn't find that very interesting..

"Michiru would like this better.."she mused, turning to look at her companion. A Scizor sat next to her, also mesmerized by the sky. It turned to look at her.

"Should I take a picture of this?" she asked him. The Scizor met her eye for a moment and gave a nod before staring back out to the ocean. He never did say much. A Larvitar lay sprawled to Kiruka's right, eyes closed and snoring loudly. She reached behind the pokemon to retrieve the expensive-looking bag, white with gold clips and buttons, that her mother had shoved in her hands before her journey.

Retrieving a camera from within, Kiruka stood from the bench and walked to the polished railing. She peered down into the water and was surprised at the sight of a multitude of pokemon following the ship. The usual Magikarp swam in large groups aimlessly. The water was so clear, she could still make out shapes beneath the surface in the fading light. Tentacruel with large, shining red gems on their tops, surfaced gracefully from the water. One of them caught sight of her and stared, emotionless. She smiled at it and gave a small wave.

"The jewels of the sea, right?" she asked it, bringing a hand to keep her hat from falling. The Tentacruel had apparently found her question boring because, in the second she went to look at a nearby Dewgong, it had vanished. At that moment, an idea hit her like wave. She jumped suddenly and ran behind the chair where her two pokemon were seated, pulling her hat off her head in the process. She quickly brought the hat down on the Scizor's head. She was surpised it actually accommodated his three horns.. The Scizor turned to glare at her when…

Click!

The Scizor blinked in confusion as a blinding flash was suddenly in his face. He narrowed his eyes at her, still seeing spots.

"I'm sorry!" Kiruka laughed, putting down the camera.

"I wasn't going to take it like that, but..." She was cut off when her hat was thrown in her face by the Scizor. She walked back over the bench and laughed, putting the hat back on the Scizor's head. He gave up and left it there, mumbling a defeated and exasperated " Sciz! "

Kiruka payed no mind to him and pulled out a white stationary paper, courtesy of the S.S. Anne. Gold waves lined the top and bottom, as well as gold lines for writing.

"Dear Michie.." She said outloud, as she wrote with a black pen. She had moved to a nearby wooden table and kneeled on the floor to keep her hand steady.

"Okay, I moved to a table. I'm on the S.S. Anne! It's so great! I'm writing you from the deck right now! Attached is a photo of Izzy, and Mickey on deck. Yeah, Izzy's mad I did that to him.. Remember that pokemon that my mom sent from that weird-sounding place? She said it's called a Spheal. I named him Sir Stanley, like you said. He seemed very happy to hear that was his name. What a prince!

The view here is so pretty, I had to send you a photo of that too. We've been at sea for a week now and, as nice as this is, I want to go to land already! Don't worry, I havn't been slacking off at all. This ship's full of trainers and they've been keeping me busy enough. ( Izzy finally learned Night Slash! Yay! ) Oh, there's also a coffee shop here with lots of sweets. In the package is three bags of candy, a case of chocolate coins for you, and these weird squishy fire candies I think Zack will like.

How are things in Hoenn? I made friends with a funny boy from there with this little orange fire bird called a Torchic. He said he couldn't wait to leave home. He kept complaining about lots of rain. (that poor Torchic. ). But you love rain Mich, so I'm betting you're having fun. He had this pokemon called a Breloom with him too! I'm in total love with it ( Not him!! The Breloom!!! ). That reminds me, have you spoken to your sis lately? Oh, and has that egg hatched yet?? The blue one with the black bottom in that last photo you sent. Any idea what pokemon is in it?"

Kiruka paused as she tried to think of what else to say. An elderly man nearby went inside for the night, making Kiruka realize it was already dark out. She stared out into the ocean as a group of Lanturn swam by, lighting up the sea with their lights. Izzy, the Scizor, had moved to stretch across the length of the bench, wearing her hat over his eyes. Mickey the Larvitar had also shifted and was snoozing on his chest, drooling slightly. Kiruka stood and walked over to the two. She lifted the Larvitar into her arms, who didn't seem to notice that he had moved at all, and only shifted to drool onto Kiruka's dress. She lifted the hat from Izzy's face and was surprised to see he wasn't sleeping at all. He stared up at her.

At that moment, Kiruka knew what she would write next.

Michiru smiled to herself as she read the letter. She was taking a break from walking to rest at a nearby lake, also deciding it was safe enough to give her team a chance to stretch their legs. There was a nice breeze today, a break from the stifling humidity. Regardless, the lush forest around them was still quite humid. After hiding in a bush to change into shorts, Michiru decided she wouldn't tell Kiruka about the fact that it hadn't rained at all since she'd arrived, much to her dismay. Michiru had also started left most of her team from Kanto back home, keeping only her Vaporeon. She was clipping her wet hair and pondering what to write when Indigo, her newly caught Taillow, hopped foward curiously. The pokemon craned her head to look at the fancy paper and pouted at the random scrawl of lines and circles. It voiced a question at her, but all Michiru heard was a jumble of the word "Taillow ".

"It's a letter from a friend I met in Kanto. It's the place where Ship is from." She told the small bird, gesturing to the Vaporeon exploring the lake nearby.

"Taillroo!" The pokemon responded. She pointed with a wing at a small package next to Michiru's egg, wrapped neatly in a white cloth. Understanding the question now, Michiru set down the letter and brought the package into her lap. She opened it and, to Indigo's delight, found the mentioned items.

"I'm a little anxious, Mich. But I'm also really excited. I don't know what Jhoto has in store for us, but I have a good feeling about it. I'm still new to all this, but I'm having fun and doing my best, and that's enough for now. I'm going to learn everything I can and become a great trainer. Izzy and the team send their love! I miss you and your humor and the team lot, so write back soon! Don't forget to send photos!

Your best friend in Jhoto,

Kiruka."

Michiru opened a bag of candy and, after checking the ingredients, agreed to letting Indigo and the new team, a Shroomish, Poochyenna, and Trapinch, have a go at them. She stared at the pack of squishy candies and grinned; She would mail them home for Zack and his new son. The chocolate coins, which came in a tiny pirate's chest, were better than she initially imagined. Michiru reached into her bag and pulled out a stationary paper, printed with little raindrops and flowers. She stroked the blue and black egg, sitting snugly in a towel next to her. Unwrapping a chocolate coin and with a click of her new S.S. Anne pen, began to write.

"Dear Kiruka…"