Chapter Two

"Introducing our new half-price sale! For one week only, all luxury branded Pokegear and fashions have a massive 50% off! Come on down today to stores in Saffron City to claim this amazing, one time only discount! And remember! Use Moore, Get More!"

The familiar jingle of the Moore and More industries rang out cheerily in the Vermillion City terminal, much to the displeasure of one of its occupants. The young man, tired from his long travel from Celadon City that morning, found himself glancing at the clock every few minutes. He surveyed the bland surroundings with dull resentment as he tried to tune out the noisy chatter of the other passengers and whatever flashy advert was on the television now. He fished around for his wallet and pulled out the orange and red ticket that had been slipped through his letterbox only a few days earlier.

"One way single to: Solomon Island, Sinnoh.

Valid only from Vermillion City. Date: 24th May, 2019. Time: 11:30AM."

He had presented this ticket to a bemused staff member who had sheepishly admitted she had never heard of such an island before and suggested that perhaps there had been some sort of printing error? When he insisted there had been no such thing, she had tittered nervously and stammered that she had other customers to serve and for him to contact his ticket provider to resolve his problem. Despite his best efforts and demands to see the manager, he had come away empty handed and no closer to an answer. He had resigned himself to one of the hideous orange chairs in frustration and spent some time wondering if perhaps this whole thing was some sort of scam after all.

"And remember! Use Moore, Get More!"

"Ugh, again?" he groaned as the ostentatious logo for Moore and More Industries was plastered across the television screen in yet another of their irritating adverts. "Everyone in Kanto knows that stupid catchphrase, why do they feel the need to broadcast it all the damn time?"

Talking to himself had always been a bad habit of his and one that had often netted him more than his fair share of trouble. Today was no different. Upon hearing him speak, a young woman who had been sitting nearby pricked her head up. She quickly gathered her things and shuffled several seats closer.

"Hey, wanna know something?" Her voice was hushed, like she was about to impart some great secret to him.

He remained quiet, not even lifting his head up in the young woman's direction. While other women may have been insulted, her response was to move closer and happily settle herself in the seat right beside him. A grin eased its way across her face. "I think the only reason they're even having that big sale is because they're in competition with that new budget place that's opened in Goldenrod."

"Hmm."

His disinterest did little to deter the young woman, who nodded her head so enthusiastically that the auburn pigtails either side of her head bounced up and down. "Yeah. I think it's called… Gray's… uh… Something-Or-Other."

The young man couldn't help but smirk. "Original name."

"No, that's not its name, silly!" the young woman giggled. "I can't quite remember its real name right now."

"Useful."

"But, I think they're doing a really good thing!" she said brightly. "That new business, I mean. People can't afford luxury items nowadays. I had a cousin that had one of the Moore and More designer Berry Bags. It fell apart the first time her Growlithe chewed on it! And she spent almost sixty dollars on it. Waste of money, I say."

"You say a lot of things."

"Yep! I do talk a lot! But hey, what's wrong with talking to a stranger at a ferry terminal?"

"The way you say that makes it sound like it's something illegal. And besides, you're the one doing most of the talking. I'm just waiting for a ferry."

"Well, duh, that's what you do in a ferry terminal!" she giggled. Ignoring how the young man rolled his eyes, she poked his arm gently. "So… where ya going?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," she said with a shrug. "Oh, wait a minute. Might be a bit of a long shot, but… are you maybe one of the people heading to that seminar thingy on Solomon Island?"

Finally, he lifted his head up to acknowledge her. "And what if I was?" he replied, sweeping away a few strands of coal-black hair that had escaped from under his grey beanie hat.

"Well, I'd be saying 'what a coincidence, cos I'm heading there too'." She leant forward, her grin widening. "I'm Millie, by the way. Millie McFarlane. And you are?"

She thrust her hand out and looked at him with a demanding expectancy. He rolled his eyes but politely grasped her hand in return. "Liam Coleman."

"Good to meet you! You know, I was worrying I might have been the only person stupid enough to agree to go to this thing. I'm glad to meet someone else in the same boat," she stopped for a brief moment and then let out a shriek of laughter. "Aaah! 'The same boat'! Did you see what I did there?"

Liam waited in mild irritation until she stopped roaring with laughter. "Well, assuming the boat ever appears…" he sighed, straightening his back against the hard chair. "The woman at the desk didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I gave her my ticket and the boat's supposed to leave in…" he consulted his watch. "…half an hour, give or take?"

"Hmm…" Millie caressed her chin thoughtfully. "Well… how about we go down to the pier instead?"

"The pier?"

"Well, yeah." She shrugged and readjusted a Beautifly hairpin that kept her sweeping fringe from her dark eyes. "Someone who works there may be able to tell us something."

"Worth a shot," Liam grunted as he pushed himself to his feet.

He followed Millie somewhat reluctantly outside into the warm air. She was comically shorter than he was, meaning he could see clean over her head as she skipped towards the pier. He wrinkled his nose and recoiled at the smell of sun-baked seaweed and salt that lay heavy and thick in the air. A gaggle of trainers had gathered by the pier's edge and were talking animatedly amongst themselves. Several of them clutched the same orange and red ticket Liam had received in his correspondence letter. Millie pushed her way through the crowd, taking advantage of her slim build, and swapped the occasional "You here for the ferry to Solomon Island?" with a few faces to confirm. She was deceptively fast and by the time Liam caught up with her, she was leaning over the rusted railings bordering the pier's edge.

He thoroughly debated just leaving her to her own devices in the hope of getting away from her, but she turned her head back at just the right time to spot him. "Ah, Liam!" she beamed. "Look! We're in the right place!"

Liam groaned. "Yes, I can see that…"

"I'm glad we made it," she stepped higher up on the railings and stared down at the lapping water. She looked in danger of toppling over into its murky depths at any given moment. Despite his better instincts, he approached the edge of the pier and leant against the railings next to her.

"It is convenient, yes."

"I guess it sorta makes sense they wouldn't advertise it in the terminal," Millie said, absent-mindedly dropping a couple of pebbles into the water and watching the ripples blossom across its surface. "It is a private crossing. Can't have just anyone trying to wander on."

"They'd still need a ticket to get on board."

"Oh yeah…" she said, dropping another pebble and giggling at the plonk it made. "I guess I forgot about that."

Liam sighed and hoped she wouldn't keep talking. Thankfully, she was too preoccupied with dangling herself over the railings to pay attention to anything else. Even when a series of Pokémon battles ignited between some of the waiting trainers, she was too transfixed by the scenery to watch them. Liam kept a careful eye on the battles as they progressed. Privately, he didn't think much of the skills the trainers were displaying.

The ferry, charmingly named Gemini Dreamer, eventually chugged into view shortly before half past eleven. It took a sharp blast of the ship's horn for Millie to notice it had docked. While Liam cringed, experiencing a bizarre case of second-hand embarrassment at being associated with her ditziness, she seemed rather amused by her own lack of insight. She skipped onto the ferry with little worry while Liam trudged behind her, half entertaining the thought of 'missing' the last step on-board and plummeting into the water below.

The interior of the ferry exuded luxury. It was bright and airy, the decorations adorning the moss-green walls gleaming with good taste. The whole thing was evidently the product of a well-trained eye and a hefty expenditure. A quick glance at the map of the ship showed Liam there were three decks on the impressive liner. Entertainment sources varied from a swimming pool on the lowest deck, a spa and fitness centre to a reinforced battlefield perfect for friendly tournaments. The middle deck was exclusively cabins and dining areas as well as a collection of shops. It seemed a great deal of unnecessary fuss and expense, Liam privately thought, as he handed over his ticket to a uniformed steward and bowed into the closest available lounge.

The Lanturn Lounge was one of several Pokemon themed lounges found around the liner. This one was filled with soft blue beanbags and squashy sofas, the powder blue walls lined with vanity lights and seascape photographs. A small café was seated snugly in the corner and a line had already formed for the various juices and hot drinks on sale. Liam sunk into one of the sofas, pulled his feet up under his legs and let out a deep exhale. He had just closed his eyes, content with the peace and quiet, when a loud giggle startled him. He looked up and saw a beaming Millie. He had hoped to somehow lose her in the sprawling maze of the ship, but no such luck. She plonked herself down in the seat next to him, making the whole sofa tremble with the force.

He raised an eyebrow. "Millie, don't you have somewhere you'd rather be?"

"Nope!"

Liam groaned as she shrugged her backpack from her shoulders and dumped it onto the floor. It was a surprisingly large backpack, dwarfing her slim back easily. She rummaged through it and after a brief search, came up with a sewing kit and a suspicious looking blue… thing that he couldn't identify on first sight. It took some careful inspection to realise it was a handmade Azurill plushie. 'Rustic' was the best way Liam could describe it, with its misshapen, lumpy body, wiry tail and a face completely devoid of any eyes. In fact, with its unsymmetrical features and empty, gaping mouth it looked like a rejected prop from a horror film. Liam watched as Millie threaded a needle and began haphazardly stitching eyes onto it. It was a strangely compelling act to watch and Liam didn't even notice as the last of the passengers boarded. As the ferry rumbled into life, a voice cracked over the intercom.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to this private crossing to Solomon Island. This ferry is scheduled to arrive in Olivine City in approximately eight hours where it will dock to collect additional passengers. From then, travel will commence overnight to Sinnoh. We estimate arrival at Solomon Island to be just before 8am. For your comfort and safety on board this vessel, we have several restaurants, bars, battle facilities and cabins available on—"

Liam stopped listening at this point. He tipped the brim of his hat over his eyes, leant against the sofa's plush back and drifted into a pleasant daydream. His intention was never to sleep, but soon he felt its comforting distortion spread over him. He relaxed his limbs and welcomed it.

He had just slipped into the warm beginnings of sleep when a loud squeal punctured his hazy consciousness. He snapped his eyes open and sat up, his arms flailing clumsily. The source of the scream was obviously Millie and when he turned to her, found her rigid in her seat and staring in horror at the blue plushie in her hands.

"Millie, what's—"

"I did it wrong!" she wailed, shoving the Azurill plushie into his face.

"I can't see it that close up…" he growled, pushing it back to get a better view. Now at a safe distance, he could see that the wonky Azurill plushie sported what looked like one giant eye in the middle of its face. "Oh…" he spluttered with badly concealed laughter. "It… uh… it looks like it's had some kind of nasty accident."

"He's cross-eyed!" she howled.

"I think that's the least of his problems…"

Millie moaned in a tortured manner and started the process of unpicking the plushie's messy face. Liam watched her, wincing every time she stabbed the overstuffed plushie with the needle. It was more like watching a particularly grim surgery than anything else. He watched her pick at the messy stitching with all the skill and competency expected of a Mamoswine doing the same job.

Curiosity soon got the better of him. "Why an Azurill?"

"Why not?" she replied, her little pink tongue peeping out from the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. "Oh!" she sat up a little straighter, beaming. "That's actually a great idea! I've been wondering what to make next. Thank you!"

Liam frowned, wondering if he had just missed a massive chunk of the conversation without noticing. "What are you talking about?"

"A Wynaut plushie, of course," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "After I finish the Azurill, I'll do a Wynaut. I bet that would be tons easier."

"… you haven't been sewing very long, have you?"

A faint blush tickled Millie's cheeks. "Ahhh, is it that obvious?"

Liam chuckled and pulled his hat back over his eyes. "Well, you have fun with that. I'm going back to sleep."

"Heyyy, you didn't answer my question!" Millie cried.

"I'm sleeping."

"But… but… you're talking to me right now!"

"No, I'm not."

"But—!"

"Sleeping." He said firmly and went silent.

Millie stared at the slow rise and fall of his chest, not quite sure what had just happened. "Liam? Liaaaam? Hey!" she shook his arm slightly. "Are you really asleep? Liam? Liam!" she rattled his arm even harder. "Awww… Come on! Nobody falls asleep that fast…" she whined, collapsing back into the chair.

She picked up the now rather botched plushie, sighed, and continued to work.

Liam felt he had only closed his eyes for a few minutes when he felt a jolt of pain ricochet through his right arm. Letting out a yowl that would rival a scalded Meowth, he sat bolt upright in his seat, almost falling off in the process. Millie was perched innocently at the edge of her seat, but the needle in her hands proved a dead giveaway.

"Millie! Did you just stab me?" he demanded. "What the hell—"

"Liam, I'm hungry," she quickly intercepted.

He blinked. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Will you come to one of the restaurants with me?"

Liam stared at the young woman in bewilderment. "No. Go on your own." He told her flatly.

"No, I don't wanna go by myself!" she clutched at his sleeve and clung tightly.

"You're a big girl. You can go on your own." He said, swiftly unhooking her.

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"Can't, can't, can't!" she protested, beating her fists into his knees.

"Can, can, can!" he insisted, just as childishly. "And that hurts, stop it."

"Sorry…" she murmured, looking dejected.

Liam sighed. "Look, Millie… How old are you anyway?"

"Twenty four."

"T-twenty-four?" he stammered in shock.

"Yeah. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Oh… no reason…" he said noncommittally, unable to believe that this wide-eyed, tiny ball of hyperactivity and innocence could possibly be two years his senior. As he pondered this, a low grumbling in his stomach and the knowledge he hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning made him seriously think about reconsidering Millie's offer.

"Please come and get food with me, Liam?" she begged, after several silent minutes passed. "I'll be your best friend?"

By now his stomach was loudly protesting the lack of food and he found himself giving in, despite her cheesy pleas. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll come to a restaurant with you."

"Ah, you will? Yay!"

She was on her feet and hauling him up within seconds. She was surprisingly strong for such a little thing, Liam thought, and as she dragged him by the hand towards the nearest restaurant, he had to exercise very little effort to get there. The restaurant she chose, imaginatively titled The Bite, boasted homemade favourites for a relatively decent price so Liam was happy enough to part with what little money he had. They sat at one of the smaller tables near to the windows overlooking the pool deck, Liam with a plate of stew and Millie with a grilled fillet of Magikarp and vegetables.

"We should be arriving in Johto in a few hours," Millie piped up.

"I imagine this boat will be getting a lot busier then. That'll be entertaining." Liam said, patiently mopping up some gravy with a giant hunk of bread.

"Sure will." Millie said brightly.

Her gaze then shifted to look out the window. The deck below was almost empty aside from a few Water Pokemon frolicking in the pool, but Millie was staring at it like it was the most interesting thing on earth. Despite the amount of fuss she had made about getting something to eat, she had requested a tiny portion of the lightest thing from the menu and had eaten no more than a few mouthfuls. The Azurill plushies she had been working on sat idly on the sear beside her. It now had two eyes, which Liam felt could only be a good thing, even if one was disproportionately bigger than the other.

They continued their meal in silence. By the time Liam had swallowed down every last morsel, Millie still had a large chunk of fish and several vegetables lying on her plate.

"It's like an adventure, isn't it?"

Her voice was so quiet that Liam almost didn't pick up on the fact she was speaking. Even then, the question seemed so vague and distant that he didn't quite know how to answer it. In the end, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so, yeah."

"I have to admit, I thought I'd never go back to Pokémon training again." Millie laid her knife and fork down and rested her head on her hand. "Being here, going to Solomon Island and getting to find out what we can do with what we spent all those years working towards… it's kinda like starting all over again."

"I suppose that's one way you could look at it."

Millie smiled again, but it was such a small smile that it took Liam quite by surprise. Such a tiny smile seemed unbefitting of her. He cleared his throat again. "So… you never thought you'd go back to training?"

"Nope. I stopped not long after my twenty first birthday. I've been working in a nursery for the past couple of years."

"Why did you stop?"

Millie hesitated. She picked up her fork again and pushed the flakes of uneaten fish around her plate. "Well, I lost someone. Someone very dear to me."

"Oh, I… I see." Liam stammered, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no worries." She lifted her head up and caught his gaze unflinchingly. "Three years is a long time, you know? I'm just glad I'm here now."

She was smiling more brightly now and for some reason, it relaxed Liam. "Yep, you're right." He said, reaching out for her plate. "Uh, you finished with that?"

"Yeah."

He stacked the plates neatly on top of one another and settled them on the tray for one of the restaurant workers to collect. "Come on. Let's go back to the lounge."

"Okay!" Millie trilled, getting to her feet. "Hey, if it's alright with you, can I show you the other plushies I made?"

Liam felt himself deflate slightly. "Oh? And what other plushies have you made?"

"Oh, Mareep, Sentret, Teddiursa, Swablu, Solosis aaaand… what was the other one? Oh yeah! Slugma!"

"…Slugma?"

"Yeah! It's cute!"

"If you say so," he chuckled.

The two unlikely companions departed the restaurant and returned to their spot in the Lanturn Lounge. It was much quieter now, most of the other trainers either asleep or wrapped up in whatever handheld entertainment they had brought with them to stave off the boredom on the long journey. As the ferry chugged merrily on towards the shores of Johto, Liam was 'treated' to a makeshift puppet show courtesy of the various lumpy plushies Millie had sewn together.

Not much could be said about Millie's plot other than it was 'imaginative', telling the story of Princess Solosis who was kidnapped by the evil all-singing, all-dancing Sir Teddiursa and his devoted Lady Mareep who planned on stealing an orb to flood the world with Magikarp. Prince Sentret was sent to retrieve the princess, but his arrogant nature meant he was carried off by a feminist Swablu to a castle far far away to become her househusband. In the end, the villain's 'assistant' Slugma saved the princess but she decided not to marry him because he burned her every time they touched. The show ended with what should have been a touching speech about how women don't need men to complete themselves, but Millie was quickly distracted when all the stuffing spontaneously fell out of Princess Solosis. Liam was ready to poke his eyes out with a pair of Millie's needles himself by the time it was over, but he couldn't deny it made the time pass quicker. He found himself inexplicably warming to the strange young woman who sewed terrible plushies and for once in his life, he was glad of a bit of friendly company.

He did not know, however, the price he would come to pay for such a luxury in the days to come…

Author's Note

And it's me again! I'm hoping to keep this updating on a Monday thing going, but we'll see how it goes. With me, you never know. But I am optimistic I can keep updating fairly regularly!

This chapter introduces two more of our main characters, Liam and Millie. I had a lot of fun writing Millie's character in particular and I've got a lot planned for her throughout the story's course. The next couple of chapters are mainly character and plot introduction, as unfortunately with a story like this you can't jump into too much action too soon. But we will get into the real meat of it very soon, I promise.

As an aside, I had fun with this chapter as a whole, especially the couple of references I hid to previous works of mine. Props to anyone who can pick up on them =)

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed; it really helped boost my confidence and I'm honestly so happy people are still willing to read what I produce. Please leave a review if you can and I'll see you all next chapter!