A/N: Sorry it took so long. I've been interviewing for jobs and been super busy. But here's the next installment.

Rock My Socks

Part I

Haruhi studied her badge case, and the four badges that sat neatly in a row.

She'd managed to skate by on a win in Yuri City, earning a White Lily badge, and then had headed over to Oceania City where her Elekid had done an extraordinary job against the gym leader's water types and earned her the Enkai badge. After that, she'd taken a ferry out to Teacup Islands, where the gym leader, Tohru Suzushima, had given her a run for her money. But she'd manage to just secure a win with Flutter, who had evolved into a Pidgeotto during the battle (much to everyone's surprise).

Haruhi had even managed to catch a Seel, whom she'd named Kaiyou, The little seal-like Pokemon was an enthusiastic battler, and seemed content with her new team. Haruhi had been surprised when she'd stumbled across it, considering Seel weren't all that common, especially in such warm waters. But she wasn't complaining.

She was currently riding the fairy to the second of the Teacup islands, Jasmine Island, to challenge the gym leader there. Haruhi was wasting no time collecting badges; her no nonsense approach to being a Pokemon trainer was guaranteed to get her to the league in no time. Then she could do her mother proud.

Beside her, Hana was staring down at the water as it washed past the boat, a morose expression on her face. Haruhi had to admit that, after their victory in Daisy City, she'd been relatively…complacent. Granted, she still wasn't very nice, and seemed to resent most of the things that Haruhi did, but she wasn't openly glaring at her, or attacking, and she even let Haruhi pick her up and pet her from time to time.

The little bell around Hana's neck chimed as the Chikorita lifted her head and stared up at her trainer.

"Don't worry," Haruhi assured. "We're almost there."

The grass-type snorted, as if to say that she wasn't worried and it was stupid for Haruhi to assume that she had been, and went back to gazing at the water lapping at the sides of the boat.

Haruhi shrugged, unconcerned, and went back to staring out at the ocean. She narrowed her eyes, however, when she caught sight of clouds darkening on the horizon, moving across the surface of the water with incredible speed. It looked like a storm, but she'd never seen a storm quite like that.

Squinting, Haruhi could just make out the shape of something moving within the clouds - it looked like a boat carrying two passengers - but before she could get a good look, the storm and the fog that rolled with it had suddenly swallowed up their ferry. Gripping the rails tightly as a sudden downpour drenched her to the bone, Haruhi silently prayed there wouldn't be any lightning even as the ferry's bell began to chime out a warning.

"Hana!" Haruhi cried, reaching for her little monster. The Chikorita looked alarmed, it's little feet skidding along the deck as the rain continued to fall, sending the grass type plummeting towards the edge of the boat. "Hana!"

But the green monster slipped through her fingers, and slid over the side, disappearing into the water. Haruhi was thrown against the railing as the boat rocked, and caught sight of Hana hanging onto the anchor with her vines. But the strain was quickly wearing the Chikorita down, and as Haruhi watched, a massive wave slammed into the boat, taking the monster with it.

No! I can't let her go! Haruhi thought desperately, summoning her Seel from it's Pokeball. The white Pokemon appeared in the water, looking bewildered as she wagged her tail and clapped her front fins. Taking a deep breath, Haruhi took a running start and leapt over the railing, landing with a splash in the murky depths below. She panicked when she felt herself sinking, but a flash of white suddenly appeared at her side, and Haruhi turned to see Kaiyou swimming determinedly beside her, the little monster urging her to hold on and driving them towards the surface.

When they broke the top of the water, Haruhi gasped in a sharp breath, her gaze scanning the rocking waves for any sign of her Chikorita. When she caught a faint glimpse of something green, she pointed in that direction. The rain was making it difficult to see, and the waves were making her stomach roll. "Kaiyou! That way! We've got to get Hana!" the brown-haired girl commanded, and the Seel plowed through the water, it's face scrunched up fiercely.

When they reached the floating object, Haruhi snatched it into her arms. It was Hana, all right, but the little monster was unconscious, and Haruhi thanked Arceus that she hadn't gone under before they reached her. She craned her neck to look over her shoulder, and was dismayed to see the boat was no longer in sight. Her eyes darted over the waves frantically, until she caught sight of something off in the distance.

"Kaiyou, that way!" she commanded, cradling Hana close to her chest as the Seel darted through the water, dragging her trainer and Pokemon behind her. "And hurry!"

The first thing that Hana was aware of was the fact that she was soaking wet.

The second was that she felt as if she'd swallowed enough water to spit up a small ocean.

Coughing and hacking, the Chikorita feebly turned onto her side, surprised when she felt solid sand beneath her body. :W-what happened?: she questioned wearily, her leaf drooping as she pried her eyes open despite the way they felt caked with salt and sand.

:Haruhi-sama and I saved you.:

Hana craned her body around, ignoring it's protests, to see the new addition to the team, Kaiyou, lounging in the surf on the sand. The white seal Pokemon was smiling confidently, her eyes twinkling as she inched forward along the beach.

:You fell overboard, and Haruhi-sama called me out to help her rescue you. She jumped in after you, you know. Haruhi-sama is very brave.: She nodded down the beach, where the brown haired girl looked as though she was searching for something.

Hana frowned, tucking her legs under her and closing her eyes. So, Haruhi had saved her? Even after all the grief she'd put her through? If it had been her, Hana wasn't sure she would've done the same. She tentatively peeked open one eye to glance at the girl, feeling something twist in her gut. Did Haruhi really care about her that much?

:So, what is she looking for?: Hana queried, and Kaiyou followed her gaze.

:She has lost her backpack, and also, our comrades. Haruhi-sama is seeking them out, but she has been unable to find them thus far.:

Hana grimaced; if Haruhi couldn't find the other Pokemon, or her backpack, then what had become of them? Surely, they weren't floating at the bottom of the ocean? Her gaze darted back to the water, and she grimaced again. That was a terrible thought.

The Chikorita glanced up as Haruhi came trotting back to them, running a beleaguered hand through her hair and looking disappointed. "No luck. All I have is Kaiyou's Pokeball," she muttered to herself, pulling a small red and white sphere from her pocket. She turned and commanded the Seel to return, and Kaiyou disappeared with a flash of red light.

"Hana, you're awake," the trainer mumbled, dropping down into the sand beside her. "I was so worried about you! I'm glad you're okay. I'd give you a potion, but I can't find my backpack…Or Flutter and Shocker." Her smile disappeared, and she dropped her head down to rest her chin against her chest.

Hana looked surprised. She was worried about me? Really? The green monster glanced away, feeling that same, nagging feeling twist her gut again, and she realized it was guilt. She hadn't exactly made life easier for Haruhi, had she? And when she was in trouble, the girl had risked her own life to save her.

Glancing down, Hana realized that something was missing.

She gave her head a little shake, and when no soothing chime sounded, her face fell into a look of dismay. My-my bell…Haruhi gave that to me. And now it's gone! It must've been swept off in the ferocious waters that had battered her around when she'd fallen.

I can't believe I lost it.

Haruhi gave that to me.

Haruhi is always doing nice things for me…

Like sharing her dango. Or trying to pet her head. Or offering to carry her when she got tired. Or jumping overboard to save her and risking her own life in the process.

It was time for some payback.

"Chika!"

Haruhi turned her head to see Hana stumbling to her feet, and reached out to help steady the green monster, surprised when her hands weren't whipped away. "Hana? Are you okay?"

"Chika, chika!" Hana cried. She narrowed her eyes, and one of her vines snaked out to point inwards, towards the island they now found themselves on. Haruhi followed her gaze, and then directed a startled look at her grass monster.

"What- you want to explore or something? I don't know, Hana. I have no idea which island we're on, and not all of the Teacup islands are inhabited by people. And so far, I haven't seen a single person here." Haruhi placed her finger against her chin. "This is probably one of the uninhabited islands. I've heard there's a bunch of wild Pokemon on them…But maybe if we explore, we'll find something that can help."

She rose to her feet, fists clenched. "All right, Hana! Then let's go!"

:Right, Haruhi!: Hana responded with a cry of her own, managing to struggle in the sand to plod alongside her trainer. If she and the girl worked together, they could find a way off this island, and maybe she could make up for her past behavior towards Haruhi by showing her how strong she actually was.

Meanwhile, further up the beach, a backpack and Pokeballs washed up on shore.

A pair of hands lifted the somewhat battered bag curiously, running pale fingers over the Pokeballs attached to the pack's straps.

"Hm…I wonder who could've lost this?"

The jungle was a lot more dense, and a lot more dark than it looked.

Haruhi would've had a far more difficult time getting through the undergrowth had it not been for Hana's incredibly helpful vine whip, which had pushed the leaves aside and allowed for a path through the forest.

The brown-haired trainer could practically feel the eyes of the wild Pokemon on her. She knew they were there; every once in a while, she'd catch a glimpse of a Wurmple or Caterpie, or a Mankey or Aipom would swing by in her peripheral vision. So far, they hadn't run directly into any wild Pokemon.

Or more importantly, none had tried to attack.

Haruhi glanced down at Hana, still confused over her apparent newfound determination and willingness to listen to her. It didn't make much sense, to be honest. But while she was wary of what Hana was planning or what kind of trick she was trying to pull, she wasn't going to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth. She'd accept this new change in attitude graciously, and maybe they could get off this island faster if they worked together, like a Pokemon and trainer were supposed to.

Dear mother in heaven…

I think we're lost.

A/N: Next chapter will be up sometime soon!