PRELUDE

The boat crested yet another intimidating freak wave. Twenty-feet walls of icy water that threw the tiny vessel into the air. The vicious winds whistled and rang in the ears of the crew, and the blackest of skies crackled with strikes of lightning.

The Mantine's crew was a family of three: Albert and Elenor Arnston and their eight-year old son, Hector, as well as Albert's machop, Funa. It was the family's fishing boat that had been passed down through the Arnston's generations of fishermen, and in all those years, it had never seen a storm like this.

Hector, shivering from the icy spray and the adrenaline, stood at the wheel, attempting to avoid the huge walls of water as they rose up from all directions.

Huddled sobbing in the corner of the cabin was Eleanor, holding Hector in her arms. He was paralysed with fear, wide-eyed and unmoving.

On the deck was Funa, frantically scooping out water with a bucket, helplessly but obediently. As more water crashed over the side of the boat, Funa was flung across the deck, slamming into the barrier on the other side of the boat.

Albert let out a pained cry from the cabin, seeing Funa unconscious and being slowly submerged in freezing water. He bolted from the wheel and out of the cabin ready to withdraw Funa to his Pokeball.

"No!" Eleanor screamed after Albert. "It's too dangerous, leave him!"

In panic she made after Albert to try and drag him back into the cabin. Hector watched on in horror, still frozen in fear.

There was then an eye-burning flash of bright lightning and an explosive rumble of thunder. Albert looked through the front window of the cabin.

The sky was gone, all he could see was one huge tower of water.

He heard through the chaos his mothers scream as the massive wave crashed over the top of the boat, tore through the roof of the cabin and submerged Hector in to darkness.

1

Hector spluttered violently, sea water pouring from his mouth. His ears rang, his head throbbed and his arm was stinging from a deep wound. He rolled over onto his back and looked up at where the ceiling of the cabin used to be. It was replaced with a pale orange dawn sky, with a few wispy clouds scattered across it.

The Mantine, heavily damaged but miraculously still afloat, now bobbed gently on a calm sea. Weak and frightened, Hector called out for his mother, father and Funa, but with no reply. He called again and again and again but still nothing. With great pain he forced himself up onto his feet and looked out around him.

The cabin roof and most of the walls had been torn off. Fishing nets and boxes were spread around the deck. And around him, nothing but a flat, blue, empty ocean. He tried again to call out but there was still no answer.

Hector slowly made his way down the stairs to the deck, his hands starting to shake and lip starting to tremble.

"Mom! Dad! Funa!"

He still called, still looked about him, out into the ocean, but he knew they were gone.

Hector was alone.

Stranded in the middle of the ocean, who knows how far from land. He certainly couldn't see any.

He sat himself down on a fishing box and wept, knowing that this is where he would die, crying himself to sleep.

Hector was awoken by a loud thud. The boat rocked. Slightly dazed and with his eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight, he picked himself up from the floor of the deck where he had fallen asleep.

There was another, louder thud, and the boat rocked again, almost throwing Hector off his feet.

He cautiously peered over the port side. Nothing.

Then from behind him, a huge jet of water shot from the surface with a loud whoosh sound. He scurried over to the starboard side to investigate, only for the boat to be knocked again, making him slip and fall. He carefully crawled over to the side of the boat and peeped over into the water.

A huge beady black eye stared straight at him from the surface. Hector yelped in astonishment and pushed himself away from the edge. His heart pounding, he once again cautiously looked over the side.

There, floating next to The Mantine and probably twice the length, was an enormous wailord. Hector had read about these giant creatures in his fishing books back home, but never had he seen one in the flesh.

The wailord nudged the boat again, making Hector lose his balance. Then everything he had read in his books came flooding back to him. Ships had been lost from wailords breaching over them before, and there were tales of whole crews being swallowed by its huge mouth, being pulled down thousands of feet into the depths.

But the beast did nothing. It floated alongside the boat, it's eye kept firmly on Hector. He dared not move in case it decided to bump into the boat again and capsize it.

For hours, Hector remained on the deck, eyes fixed with the huge creature.

Finally, as the sun began to set the wailord drifted away. Half relieved, half mesmerised, Hector wearily collapsed on the deck, huddling behind fish boxes and covering himself in netting for warmth. It was going to be long and cold night.

As the sky turned dark, with his stomach growling and his eyes full of frightened tears, Hector drifted to sleep.