The idea for this fic came to me after playing so many awesome indie horror games and my experience on a cruise.
Insatiable Cruise
Chapter One
Kanto Times
20th October 2018
The world was wowed by the newly veiled ship Insatiable Friday morning. Whilst it is only a fraction the size of S. S. Anne, Insatiable still contains all the glitz and glamour of it's bigger counterparts. Insatiable has only three decks, but each cabin has their own balcony, outdoor swimming pool, their own butler and maids and unlimited internet usage. The boat also contains a 24-hour buffet, a fine dining restaurant, a library, a games room, a gym, and shops.
"I'm thoroughly excited," says Kanto expat, Luke Wright. "My wife and I are in the master's suite which includes our own bar! Perfect for our honeymoon. My new wife Rebecca is a teacher and a highly respected member of the community both in the UK and Japan. She works very hard."
Insatiable will leave Vermillion City docks tomorrow evening, where she will entertain her first passengers. She travels to the deepest parts of Japan and makes stops around the Orange and Sevii Islands. She will return to Vermillion on the 1st November.
"What a pompous git!" Ritchie's stepmother, Mitzi Hunt throws her copy of the Kanto Times underneath the driver's seat. "Of all the people we could be on the boat with, it has to be him!"
"Mitzi!" Ritchie rolled his eyes. "You can't call him that. He's technically going to be our neighbours for two weeks."
"Let me put it to you this way. Your mother and I know a thing or two about parasites." She pats her partner, Susan Ashworth. "Right Susan?"
Susan shrugged her shoulders. "Since when did you become an expert?"
"I learned from you I guess."
Although Mitzi wants the front seat, Ritchie's mother always saved the front row to her darling babies. By babies, she meant her old cat Teacup and her feline pokémon. Teacup was snoozing on the dashboard. Ritchie considered him to be the oldest and scruffiest cat in the world. Even though Susan's pokémon cats' powers and stamina outshined Teacup – he would always be Susan's top cat.
After all, Ritchie's mother was the infamous cat lady who liked to play the piano in the middle of the night. For some reason oblivious to Ritchie, she keeps weapons under her bed. As crazy as she was, he loved his mother to bits.
Ever since he left to start his pokémon journey at ten, he always caught a cat pokémon as a present for his mother on her birthday. Until he was thirteen, he always sent home a meowth. Ant and Dec stayed at home, whilst Deeley (now a Persian) made herself comfy under the passenger's seat in the front row.
Ever since discovering the pokémon outside of Kanto's pokédex, he continued to send his mother more cats for her birthday. But the names made no sense after that. She called her delcatty Blueberry, her purugly Pancakes, her liepard Diva and her litten Tomato. However, Ritchie did think that calling her litleo Simba was an epic reference to her favourite Disney movie. It was his favourite Disney movie too.
Pancakes was chilling on the car's roof whilst Blueberry, Pancakes, Diva and Tomato cuddled together on the seat next to Susan.
"This car is stuffed with cats!" Ritchie said.
Mitzi nodded. "That's how we like it."
"We might have to put them back in their pokéballs. If Officer Jenny catches Pancakes on the roof again, she might fine you this time."
"She'll be too busy chasing real criminals."
"Not just that," Ritchie continued. "The car will go a lot quicker if you take them in their balls. Plus, I don't think Sparky will appreciate being squashed by Pancake's bottom."
"Get the balls out, Mitzi!" Susan demanded as she opened all the windows. All the feline pokémon were teleported back to their balls with the exception of Diva who whipped her love ball away with her tail.
Ritchie picked up the Kanto Times when it blew to his lap. "Who is Luke Wright anyway?"
"He calls himself a businessman," Susan responded looking at her son through the driver's mirror. "He's also a player. He drinks alcohol like it's going out of fashion and he cheated on his first wife multiple times."
"But he might have changed since then."
Susan shook her head. "People like him never change. Once a cheat, always a cheat."
"Do you know anyone else that's going?" Ritchie asks his parents.
"Apparently our good neighbour Joe Davis is coming."
"Mom, why do you have to be so sarcastic all the time? Joe's not bad, he's just lonely. He lost his wife."
"That was eighteen years ago," Mitzi said, lighting up another cigarette. Ritchie sighed. He told Mitzi time and time again not to smoke in front of his pokémon - especially Sparky. His pikachu hated having smoke in his face. He contemplated whether to tell her or not, but in the end, Sparky's angry face pushed him to speak.
"Mitzi...what have I told you about smoking?"
"That it's bad for you, bad for the environment, pollutes the earth, etcetera, etcetera."
Ritchie pouted his lips and leaned over to towards Mitzi in the back seat. "How many times do I have to tell you that Sparky hates people smoking in front of him?"
"Technically I'm not in front of him – I'm beside him."
"If it gets too much," Susan interrupted. "Sparky can always go on the roof since it's free."
"PIKA!" Sparky hopped out of the window and sulked on the roof.
"Are we there yet?" Mitzi asked. "I can almost smell the air of Vermillion City."
"I didn't know Vermillion had a smell." Susan glanced over at Mitzi through the mirrors.
"Of course, it has a smell. You know the smell of sea salt, and seafood from the harbour restaurants."
Susan didn't smile much, but Mitzi was able to make her smile. They never cared much for Christmas or birthdays, only making an effort for Ritchie he came home. Despite the family love, something always felt odd about his parents. It had nothing to do with the fact there were two women, but Susan always had a look of absence.
He found it hard to believe that they were related. She looked depressed with her pale facial expressions, but she always insisted that she was fine, and that he wasn't to worry about her.
"Mom, for somebody who is about to go on holiday, you look miserable."
"You always say I look miserable."
"You can at least try to smile," Ritchie told her. "You won this holiday. This is the first family vacation we've had in years. We should make the most of it!"
"And I bet when you get on that boat you'll be busy fighting trainers!" Susan said, pulling over in one of the car parks.
Mitzi removed her seatbelt. "Do you think your friend Youngster Joey and his Ratatta will be there?"
Ritchie shrugged his shoulders. "He might be."
Last night, Ritchie overheard his parents talking and he discovered some family secrets. He had no plans to confront his parents about it now, it wasn't the right time nor place. Mitzi and Susan have had a rough life before he was born and just wanted to enjoy himself with his lovely little family.
The three of them, including Sparky on Ritchie's shoulder, made a casual walk down the port. Ritchie had been on S.S Anne before and loved it, and he was looking forward to the trip, even more, when he saw a guy on the boat with a pikachu on his shoulder.