Chapter 2: Water You Wanna See?

Kingler returned to the ferry with Ash, Melody and Horsea on his back. Reaching the side, Ash allowed Melody to climb the ladder. Horsea stood on Melody's shoulder as she climbed the ladder to May's arm. "Let's get you over!" she encouraged. With a hop, Melody was on the ferry's deck with Ash now on the ladder. He turned to the crustacean.

"Nice work, Kingler," he complimented as he pointed the ball he emerged from. "Get some rest, okay?" Kingler garbled in confirmation before a beam struck him, turning into a red light. He soon returned to the ball and disappeared. Ash climbed the ferry to see Melody who was getting checked out by the tanned young man.

"You're not hurt, are you?" he asked.

"No, he got me out of there," Melody sighed in relief. Horsea also sighed.

"Horsea's also glad Ash and Kingler rescued you," Misty studied. Melody blinked to the name.

"Horsey?" she somewhat repeated. Horsea leaped from her shoulder to her head before going in front. She caught it. "This is a seahorse, not a pony… albeit a rather large seahorse." The others blinked, including Pikachu.

"She's not wrong in a sense," the raven-haired boy thought. Melody returned to the side to see Kingler.

"Thanks for-" she tried to praise but saw nothing but water. "Where… did that…" She turned to the rest. "What happened to that giant crab? You called it Kingler." Ash realized she wanted to see the Pokémon again.

"Probably didn't mean to return you so soon, but she wants to see you again," he sighed. Opening the ball, Ash released Kingler. Melody's face read awe and confusion.

"You summoned him?" she guessed. "You're a summoner?" The headband young man shook his head.

"Not like that, per say," he denied. "Aside from Max, we're all trainers." Confused, Melody tilted her head. This told the headband young man something about her. "She's gotta be from another world… or another time period." Misty huffed a sigh to the headband young man's study.

"As long as you don't say she's an alien, Tracey," she warned.

"Even that's too soon, Misty," the tanned young man grumbled. Seeing Kingler again, Melody petted the crustacean.

"Thank you for helping me and the seahorse from that shark," she complimented. Kingler garbled a laugh. Pikachu jumped onto Kingler's head to see Melody for himself. Remembering the other command, Melody petted the mouse as well. "And thank you for keeping that shark away. You're not as hairy as Max but you're still cute to pet." The boy gawked to the description.

"How am I hairy?" he wondered. Melody blinked as May cackled to the mistake.

"No, I mean my sheepdog named Max!" the princess corrected. Soon, she slapped herself in the head. "Okay, this is really hard to follow. I'm not sure of anything anymore…" Ash rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you out," he assured. Melody turned to see Ash with blushing cheeks.

"Well… almost anything," she giggled. "I'm Melody."

"It's nice to meet you, Melody," Ash introduced himself. "I'm Ash. That's Pikachu on top of Kingler." Pikachu squeaked upon his name called out. Tracey blinked to the name.

"That's not the same Melody from Shamouti Island," he examined. Ash continued with introductions with Misty.

"That's Misty and her Azurill," he proceeded. Next came the young men, starting with the tanned one. "That's Brock right there. There's Tracey…" Next, he turned to May and the other raven-haired boy "May and Max." Melody palmed her face.

"Sorry, I didn't know that was your name, Max," she apologized.

"Don't sweat it," Max scoffed. "You said that your… sheepdog had that name too, whatever one of those are." Tracey chose to add more to the discussion.

"Like I said before, we're Pokémon Trainers," he informed. "Around here, Pokémon are practically all over the place. Some able to fly, some that can swim and some that look like us a little." Melody seemed to start understanding Tracey's meaning.

"So this seahorse," she started with Horsea. "The Kingler, the Pikachu, the Azurill… that shark… They're all… Pokémon?"

"That's right," Brock confirmed. "I know it's a little hard to follow, though you'll see more at the AquaMon Festival held in King Sea Island." Melody now realized the ferry's purpose.

"So that's where this ship's taking you," she concluded. "It sounds like more of these Pokémon like Kingler and this seahorse will be around." That's when she remembered Ash's heroics. "I nearly forgot…" She walked to Ash with a smile. "Thank you as well." She gave Ash a kiss to the cheek. Misty and May growled to the scene.

"…And just like the other Melody, she has the nerve to give Ash a kiss," Misty remembered. Ash blushed to the kiss.

"Sure, Ash saves a girl and she gives him a kiss," May copied before gasping. She realized the problem with her statement. "Ash saved me a few times but I didn't do anything back to him!"

"And what's that have to do with this?" questioned Misty. That's when they all heard Brock whimpering loudly and turned to him.

"I've been after a dream woman since I've been with Ash traveling, and he gets it almost immediately?!" he whined. "It's not fair!" Misty, May and Max groaned to Brock's plea.

"It's because he wasn't asking for one when you do all the time," Max pointed out. "But we're gonna make a stop before we get to the festival that Misty brought up." Misty nodded to confirm Max's point.

"You can come along as well, as long as you don't wear that," she added. Melody blinked before looking at her camisole and pantalettes. She also noted her bare feet.

"Well, I've been swimming a bit this morning before finding this place," she thought back.

"And we can't have you catching a cold," Tracey added. "Luckily, Misty knows a shop nearby our stop where you can get yourself something to don and we can eat." Melody's face became concern.

'Oh no!' she gulped. 'Louis! I forgot about breakfast! What do I do?!' Her panicked face alerted Ash and Pikachu.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ash. Pikachu also wondered. Melody shook her head, shaking off the thought.

"Nothing serious… and I'm sorry for causing all this panic." The ferry stopped and all disembarked.

"Misty and I will get Melody the new clothes," May offered.

"We'll see you at the Pokémon Center," Misty promised. The boys left the scene where the girls entered the clothing store. Combing through, May, Melody and Misty saw some t-shirts with various seafaring creature designs to them. They gave Melody some clothes to try in the dressing room.

"Is it alright if I ask you something?" she asked. "About Ash?" May and Misty blinked to the request.

"What would you want to know?" wondered Misty.

"What's Ash like? I mean, I just feel blessed that he was the one with the Kingler and Pikachu that rescued me, right?" Misty fidgeted to the question.

"Well, he's a bit on the brash side," May opted to answer. "But he's meaningful. He does go out of his way to make sure the Pokémon are okay, including his Pikachu." Melody started to have an image of Ash from May's briefing.

"He does get into the fray before thinking, a lot," Misty shrugged. "But how he comes out of every situation, it still leaves us amazed. He doesn't necessarily rely on a single strategy when battling." Melody gulped to the word.

"Battling?" she repeated. "As in fighting?" Misty and May gawked when thinking they gave Melody wrong information.

"Well, Pokémon Battles are controlled," Misty tried to clarify. "In fact, there's a tournament which highlights the AquaMon Festival. Ash and I will be in it, but May…" The named girl itched her head.

"I've… only got Squirtle, so I can't participate," she shyly bowed. Melody opened the door, revealing a water-printed t-shirt with hues of orange splotches inside a large patch of white in the middle. The lower part of while looked to be pieces of kelp and blue circles near the neck. She also wore denim shorts and blue aqua shoes. Before May and Misty weighed in, Azurill, still in Misty's arms, and Horsea, in May's arms, approved the new look. "Not too shabby…" Misty agreed to May's and the Pokémon's assessment. After paying for the clothes, they walked out and found Max by an entrance to a large structure.

"Hey, not bad, Melody," he complimented. "Ash would totally go for that Goldeen shirt."

"At least no one will say that I run around in my undergarments anymore," Melody joked. "So, what's this place?" Misty turned to find a sign.

"It's been awhile since I've been here," she recalled. "It's the KantAquarium, the only aquarium in this region. There are all sorts of Water Pokémon in here to see." Max and the girls entered to see all sorts of seafaring Pokémon like purple tadpoles with swirls on their bodies, bluish-gray anglers with antennae dangling in front of them, bivalves with faces on pearl-shaped heads and orange fish with lightly wrinkled light tan fish. A white fish with the same orange splotches as Melody's new shirt. It had a long, flowing tail that acted like a dress.

"There's a Goldeen right now!" pointed May. Melody awed the look of Goldeen. She saw a lot of seafaring Pokémon which wowed her. Out of nowhere…

"What are you doing here!?" sounded Brock. Hearing their friend, the group ran to find Ash and Tracey glaring at a cowering Brock in front of a purple-haired woman in a white lab coat and skirt over a black swimsuit.

"It's nice to see you too, Brock," she greeted. Misty looked dumbfounded.

"It's… Professor Ivy!" she gawked. Hearing her name, the woman turned to the girls and Max.

"My my!" she giggled. "Misty,… So the whole gang's here."

"Apparently," Ash scoffed. Misty handed Azurill to May before reaching Brock. She pulled him up by his ear.

"The only time you face a woman like Professor Ivy, you end up like this?!" she scolded. The antic made Ivy laugh.

"I know I haven't been here long but what's wrong with Brock?" asked Melody.

"That's what I wanna know," Max wondered. Ivy snickered to the sight.

"I must apologize for before," she spoke up. "See, I may look young for someone in their late 30's." Ash and Misty gawked to Ivy's age.

"Well, I… didn't expect that," Ash muttered.

"I thought you dumped him, but no," Misty figured. "You're a little old for Brock." That's when she had another piece of information enter her head. "Hold on, what about your assistants?"

"You mean Charity, Hope and Faith?" guessed Ivy. "They're a little tall for 14 year olds." Learning this, Misty determined the outcome.

"Brock prefers older women but more in his ballpark," she mulled. "He's really picky." Ivy now turned to Ash.

"So, did the GS Ball reach Professor Oak?" she questioned.

"It did," Ash replied. "But he couldn't open the GS Ball himself, so we brought it to Kurt in Azalea Town. Haven't heard anything since." Ivy crossed her arms.

"I see…" she sighed. That's when she saw Melody and the Horsea. She reached the princess.

"Can I take a look at your Horsea?" she asked.

"My-" she yelped before shaking her head. "This seahorse found me and brought me here."

"Really?" Ivy decided to help with the name. "See, separate the two syllables and flip them. It'd be like saying horse sea." Melody suddenly realized the reason for the name.

"I get it!" she figured. Ivy came back to the topic.

"See, there were reports that a Horsea got separated from its parents," she explained. "They're sheltered in this aquarium along with other Water Pokémon that have been injured and found sanctuary here." Melody awed the effort of the aquarium and their staff. Ivy brought them to another part of the aquarium where Horsea saw a pair of seahorses bigger than it was, one with huge spikes and with a triangular snout. The other seemed to have branches protruding from its head and back, a pair of wings entwined to the back branches.

"Seadra!" noted Tracey. "And Kingdra!"

"And I thought Horsea was rather big for a seahorse," Melody gulped. "I… might've spoken a little soon." Horsea began to act up, alerting the Seadra and Kingdra. To Ivy, this made sense.

"I knew it," she confirmed. "Those are Horsea's parents." Melody turned to the elder woman.

"You mean the two in there lost this little guy?" she wanted to know.

"Yes. Horsea evolve to Seadra and then to Kingdra. Since these two are a couple, they might've been the Pokémon to conceive this little Horsea." Melody realized the truth about Horsea and wanted to act on it.

"Can I return Horsea to its parents?" Before Ivy could answer…

"Sure, but let me make sure it's in good health," a pink-haired woman asked. The young woman wore her hair in loop and donned a skimpy pink nurse's outfit and stockings. She was also tanned, a shade darker than Brock. Speaking of…

"Nurse Joy!" he cried out. He held Joy's hands as he swooned to her. "The island sun has transformed you into this lovely goddess! You may be built like a Machoke, but even the tenderness of a man's hands can ease the tensions of the surf you- AH!" His words were silenced by Misty grabbing his earlobe and pulling him away. He lost his grip to Joy.

"You just wiped out on that tide of love!" she scowled. The rest looked on with befuddled looks.

"Isn't it your job, Max?" questioned May.

"Yeah, but she's the pioneer," Max sneered. "And I bet she misses doing that since the Mirage Kingdom." Melody heard Max and turned to him.

"There's a kingdom that you visited?" she wondered.

"Yeah, there's one back in the Hoenn Region where we saw a kingdom after being taken there by force," May added. Melody awed the discovery. Joy returned to Melody, now learning that she's a nurse.

"It shouldn't take long," she promised. Tracey recognized Joy.

"Hold on!" he yelped. "You're the Nurse Joy from that unknown island in the Orange Islands!" Recognizing a familiar face, Joy smiled.

"I thought it was you, Tracey," she remembered. "I heard you're Professor Oak's assistant in Pallet Town."

"You heard right. By the way, where's Chansey and how's Gyarados? And what about that swimsuit we saw you in?"

"Chansey's back at the Pokémon Center with the other Nurse Joys helping out, and Gyarados is swimming free around the islands. Also, I have that suit. I'm saving it for the festival. Luckily, I can do some hands-on check-up with Horsea." Melody continued to wonder as Joy felt around Horsea, checking for any abnormal bruises. A minute later, she returned Horsea to Melody. "Horsea's a bit dehydrated but when it's back with its parents, he'll be right as rain."

"Thanks, Joy," Melody praised. After the meeting, they continued on through the aquarium when Ash spotted someone familiar as well. He had a small seagull on his shoulder.

"Mister Briney?" he guessed. The bald man with the white beard turned to see the kids.

"If it isn't Ash and the siblings!" he cheered. "The King Sea Island calls upon you as well?"

"Well, sort of," May giggled. "We were invited by Misty to see the AquaMon Fesitval. Looks like Peeko's doing well." The seagull cawed happily to seeing May.

"Peeko's happy to see you as well," Briney chuckled before seeing Melody and Horsea. "I heard that a Horsea got lost somehow. Are you returning the little one to the Seadra and Kingdra?" Melody fluffed a nod. "I see… Come with me." They exited the aquarium and climbed to the enormous pool connected to said building. Melody reached the edge and placed Horsea into the water as Seadra came to see it.

"There you go," she allowed. Horsea swam to Seadra who nuzzled it.

"Just like Nurse Joy said," Ash replayed. That's when Melody spotted a pink fin protruding from the water.

"Who's there?" she asked. All looked as it slowly started to rise out and swam to see the group.

"It's a Luvdisc," Briney identified. "It's a true find." The Luvdisc emerged from the pool, showing itself in a shape of a heart.

"Daisy and I have two Luvdisc back home in the Cerulean Gym," Misty claimed. Briney decided to press on the subject.

"Ah, so you must be familiar with the Luvdisc legend," he pondered. Misty blinked to Briney's hint.

"There's a legend?" she wondered.

"The name of Luvdisc came from a discovery where a couple found one as they were on a canoe together," he recalled. "Legend has it that the couple became surrounded by a massive school and the hearts that are their bodies embodied eternal love. They remained a couple through the rest of their lives." Misty irked to the mentioning while Ash and Melody got close to see the Luvdisc.

"You're kidding…" She reached Ash to observe something. "Ash, see if your PokéDex can scan Luvdisc."

"Alright," Ash agreed as be presented a red hand-held device. Luvdisc appeared on the screen.

"Luvdisc, the Rendezvous Pokémon," it computed. Melody looked at the device over Ash's shoulder. "Luvdisc's body symbolizes love and romance. Should a couple be in contact with a Luvdisc, they're blessed with love that can never be broken." To Brock, this was a perfect setup.

"Yes!" he cheered. That's when he ran to the side of the pool. "Okay, Luvdisc… I know it's kind of a stretch but maybe you can find a special girl who can give me the pleasures of- AH!" SPLASH! Max interrupted Brock by kicking his buttocks, literally.

"They see love, not find it!" he corrected. "Talk about someone being all wet…" The rest shuttered in thought when the Luvdisc started chirping wildly.

"Is that… Luvdisc gonna…" stuttered May. That's when a school of Luvdisc emerged. All but Ash and Melody stood back in fear of what the Luvdisc would do. Fortunately, all they did was sing. Ash and Melody felt a strange sensation in their bodies.

"The legend…" Briney gulped. "Is it true? Are they… the couple?" The Luvdisc finished their song and cheered to the two that stood for them. Back by the entrance, Briney had an offer. "My ferry's big enough to get you to King Sea Island. What do you say we head there after breakfast tomorrow?" The kids agreed, as well as Ivy.

"Mister Briney, thank you for the offer," she praised. They entered a building with a red "P" above the door. Night had fallen. The boys had a bedroom, same with the girls. Before Ash could step in with Pikachu, Melody confronted him.

"Ash?" she called. Ash turned to Melody, back in her camisole and pantalettes.

"Melody, what's up?" he asked.

"Is it alright if I sleep with Pikachu tonight? It won't be the same since I had Horsea in my arms." Ash smiled to the request, throwing in a chuckle.

"Sure thing." Happily, Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder to Melody's arms.

"Thanks." Melody returned to the bedroom with May, Misty and Ivy.

"I never would've guessed you'd be that old," Misty awed. "Even I thought you and Brock would hit it off." Ivy, in a black nightgown, giggled to Misty's belief.

"Some people tend to look young for their ages," she claimed.

"I bet!" laughed May. Ivy then saw Melody looking up. She wondered if this had to do with the Luvdisc.

"Thinking about Briney's story and how the Luvdisc emerged?" she guessed. Melody turned to Ivy with a gawk.

"Wha-" she stuttered. "What… gives you that idea?"

"Well, the way you're staring up in a dream-like state." Melody balked to the explanation.

"Wow…" She recovered. "I don't know. I haven't been as sassy for a while. I guess the Luvdisc may have been an extra reason." The rest in the room snickered to Melody's claim.

"It's alright," May said.

"I guess so," Melody muttered. May looked to the side of Melody's bed to see the locket.

"By the way, that's a nice pendant you have," she pointed out. Pikachu hopped over to see it himself.

"The locket's a family heirloom," Melody corrected. "It was given to me by my grandpa."

"And with it being pure gold, I can understand you wanting to secure it," Ivy added. Melody nodded as the lights were turned off. All fell asleep with Melody's arms firmly around Pikachu. As the building became quiet, a mass of large creatures swam down the river with big spiky backs. What could be floating in the ocean?

TO BE CONTINUED…

(I want to extend a congrats to the Washington Capitals [Stanley Cup] and Golden State Warriors [NBA Finals] on their championship victories.)