The next day, we headed to the battlefield. We watched Axew, Pignite, and Pikachu play a game of volleyball.
"Don't you think cruises are a lot of fun?" Ash said to us and Snivy as we watched the game from above.
"It's hard to believe how many Decolore Islands we've been to!" Iris said.
"True! And each island has its own unique flavor." Cilan said.
Porter came and offered us drinks. The ball the Pokémon were playing with made their way over to us. I turned and spiked the ball down, causing it to hurtle towards Pignite. With quick reflexes, he smacked it, and it flew off the battlefield. I chuckled and took a sip of my juice as Pignite went after the ball.
"I hope we still have lots more to explore." I said.
"Me too!" Iris said. "I hope this never ends!"
"I couldn't agree more." I smiled.
Afterwards, we all headed back inside. We walked down the hallways towards our room, Pikachu and Snivy a few paces ahead of us. As they prepared to turn the corner, they jumped back as a cart zoomed down the hallway with an Octillery, a Croconaw, and an Azumarill.
"Move it!" the Croconaw cried.
"Hey, watch it!" Snivy hissed.
"What was that?" I said.
Suddenly, the alarms blared.
"What's going on?" Ash said.
"That's the ship board alarm. It means thieves must've gotten onboard." Porter said.
"Thieves?!" Iris said.
"Thieves at sea mean one thing; they have to be pirates!"
"Pirates?" I cracked my knuckles as I pictured a gang of scraggly men with eye patches and striped clothing. "Good, something to do."
Pikachu and Snivy led us down the hall, and we caught up with the rogue Pokémon. In the cart they rode on were crates of food.
"Hey, that's not yours!" I called.
"Come back here!" a voice called. The Pokémon turned the cart back around and rode straight for us. We jumped against the wall to avoid getting run over. The Pokémon raced by, followed by a few ship employees.
Croconaw looked at its partners. "All together, now!" he said.
Octillery attacked with Hydro Pump, Azumarill with Bubblebeam, and Croconaw with Hidden Power. The employees stopped as the combined attacks hit the ground in front of them, creating a large smokescreen.
"Come on!" I said, running after the Pokémon. I ran outside just in time to see them throw the last of the food into the water, where a Ducklett waited for them on a wooden raft. "Stop! Why are you stealing that food?"
Croconaw and Azumarill shot Hydro Pump and Bubblebeam at me. I gasped and brought my arms up together in front of my face for protection. The attacks slammed into me, and I flew back and hit the ground.
"Rylee!" my friends cried. Cilan knelt at my side and helped me sit up. We watched Azumarill and Croconaw jump over the railing and onto the raft. Croconaw used Hydro Pump to carry the raft away.
"Hey, you get back here!" Ash cried. Azumarill waved with a taunting giggle. Oshawott came out of its PokéBall and dove into the water. He swam after the raft. The pirates stared at him in surprise for a few moments. Oshawott leaped from the air and landed on the raft, right in the center of the Pokémon pirates. He sweatdropped, and Octillery shot ink in his face. As he struggled to wipe the ink off, he returned to his PokéBall.
"What was the point of that?!" Iris said.
The Pokémon's raft zoomed away.
"Oh, no! They're going to get away!" Cilan said.
"No, they're not!" Ash said.
Ash and I pulled out PokéBalls and called Articuno and Charizard. They went after the raft.
Ash called Oshawott back out and Iris wiped the ink out of his eyes and face.
"We've gotten several reports in the past about the potential dangers of sailing through these waters because of pirate Pokémon." Porter said. "Our company has kept a sharp eye out for them."
"There must be a good reason for Pokémon to do bad things." Iris said.
"I agree with Iris." I said with my arms crossed. "There's no such thing as a truly bad Pokémon. There's always a cause behind someone's actions. Maybe they have some righteous belief behind their bad deeds."
"We should find those pirates, then. Maybe they'll explain." Cilan said.
"I hope Charizard and Articuno come through for us." Ash said.
"They will, don't worry." I said. "Do you really doubt my Articuno?"
"I just reported Officer Jenny on the island we're heading to next." Porter said.
"Well, I say we help Officer Jenny find them." Cilan said.
We nodded in agreement.
"The pirate Pokémon struck again?" Officer Jenny said after the cruise ship docked.
"Yes. They stole much of the ship's food while it was still in boxes." Porter said.
"What kinds of Pokémon were involved?"
"Uh... I saw a Croconaw." Ash said.
"Octillery, too!" Iris said.
"There was also Azumarill." I said.
"And I saw a Ducklett perched on their getaway raft." Cilan said.
Officer Jenny wrote down this information in a small notebook. "Of course! That's the usual gang. They're pirates who've been wreaking havoc on the islands lately. The number of reported incidents have been overwhelming."
I tapped my finger against my chin. "What kinds of things have they stolen?"
"There's the report of people out fishing when their boat was stolen, people barbecuing on the beach when their food was stolen. They even stole fruit from a farm. They're constantly up to no good. But since there are so many Decolore Islands, we can't catch them. We've tried our best to located their hideout, but to no avail."
"Hm..."
As Officer Jenny showed us her police cruiser, Articuno and Charizard returned.
"Rylee! We found them!" Articuno said.
"You did? Where are they?" I said.
"Their secret hideout. We know where it is." Charizard said.
"Then, let's get there! Quickly!"
We piled in Officer Jenny's cruiser and rode off, following after Articuno and Charizard.
"Look at all that scuba gear!" Cilan said, referring to the shelf stuffed with suits, goggles, and air tanks.
"Right. We also operate as the coast guard." Jenny said.
"You're the coast guard as well?" Iris said.
"Correct. We help those out at sea who may need assistance."
"That's so cool!" Ash said.
Iris glanced over at me. "Is something the matter, Rylee?" Iris said. "You've been pretty quiet for a while now."
"It's what Officer Jenny said about the pirate Pokémon. It sounds like all the reports made were due to them stealing food and transportation..." I said. I crossed my arms and stared at the ground in deep thought. "Something about that seems really odd. If they were real pirates, wouldn't they want to go around stealing things like money and jewelry? You know, things with high value?"
"Where are you going with this?" Cilan said.
"These pirates don't make sense. They're stealing supplies, not trinkets. Provisions, not possessions."
"Maybe they're meant for something." Iris said.
I knit my brows together and crossed my arms.
"Over here!" Articuno said, flapping her wing to the island we were fast approaching.
"There. That's where they are." I translated.
"It can't be. That island's too well-known. It's on every map, complete with a world-famous resort." Jenny said.
"It's a case of being hidden in plain sight." Cilan said.
"No wonder we could never find it."
Charizard and Articuno led us to the backside of the island, a small cul-de-sac where a secret area was hidden. The police cruiser docked, and we used giant rocks as a pathway to the shore. Ash and I returned Charizard and Articuno back to their PokéBalls. On the shore, we saw the pirate Pokémon.
"Don't move!" Jenny cried as the Pokémon tried to run away. "Now, I'm placing you under arrest for your piratings throughout the Decolore Islands!"
"Wait a minute, Jenny." I said, stepping past everyone. "It doesn't make sense. People and Pokémon live together in harmony. There has to be a reason why these guys are doing what they're doing."
I walked over and knelt in the sand, leveling myself with the Pokémon.
"My name is Rylee. Please, I want to know why you've done all these bad things." I said. The Pokémon glared at me, and I returned it with a warm smile. "I promise, I won't get mad."
I saw tears peeking out at the corners of their eyes.
"It's not our fault!" Croconaw said.
"We had to do it!" Ducklett said.
"You don't know what it's like!" Octillery said.
"You don't know what we've suffered!" Azumarill said.
I gasped quietly and laid my hand over my heart. "Yes, I don't know... but I want to understand." I looked between each Pokémon, and sympathy swept over my face. "You poor things. You've all been abandoned by your trainers, haven't you?"
Each Pokémon nodded, memories of their past showing through the hatred in their eyes.
"They must've lived hard lives." a familiar, scruffy voice said. Meowth emerged from a rock and approached us.
"Meowth! What are you doing here?!" Iris said.
"Well... I'll spare you the details, see?" Meowth said, nervously scratching the back of his head. "And your Pokémon twerpette is right. It sounds like these sad sacks have been through a whole lot. They say their trainers treated them pretty badly, like dirt."
As I looked at each Pokémon, voices swept through my mind.
"What's wrong, Croconaw?! It's your fault I didn't win my gym battle and get a badge! You blew it again! When are you ever gonna evolve into Ferraligator? I'd had it with you!"
"No way! How could you evolve into Azumarill?! I liked you as a cute Marill! I don't want you anymore! Bye-bye!"
"You're completely useless now! I didn't think Remoraid would evolve into Octillery! It's over! We're through! I'm outta here!"
"Wipe that smile off your face! We just lost a battle! Doesn't that bother you at all?! Ugh, I don't need you anymore!"
Tear pricked my eyes. "I... I'm so sorry... I can't believe you were treated so cruelly..." I said.
"It was really hard..." Croconaw said.
"Sometimes, we didn't even get enough food. Most nights, we went to bed hungry, wondering when our next meal would be... or if it would ever come." Azumarill said.
Meowth pulled out a tissue from an unknown place and wiped his eyes. "Ah! Since I've been there more than I can say, it gets me right in the gut!" he said.
"That's horrible..." Iris said.
"How could any trainer refuse to give their Pokémon love?" Cilan said.
"After we were abandoned, we joined together." Octillery said.
"It was the only way we could stay alive. The four of us made a pact; to make people pay for what they did to us!" Ducklett said.
"I know you have good reason to want to get revenge. I get it. I know there are bad people in this world... but there are also good people. Don't let the cruelty of one harden your heart to the rest." I said.
"I understand perfectly what you mean. I've had my fair share of abandonment. But not all trainers are selfish! When my first trainer left, that's when Ash came along, and he accepted me as part of his family!" Pignite said.
"Whatever. I've got zero patience for loser trainers." Snivy said.
"Easy, now..." Ash said, sweatdropping. "Now, will you all stop stealing?"
"You think your little speech is gonna erase the years of pain we've been through?! HA!" Croconaw said.
"Oh, really?" Snivy said. "Then, let's battle. If we win, you'll stop stealing from others."
"Yeah, right! Like you'll be able to surpass our years of pirate experience! Go on, I dare you!"
"I think what you really need is an attitude adjustment!"
"Looks like no one's going to back down from this." Jenny said. "So how do we resolve it?"
"Leave that to me!" Ash said.
On the sandy shore, we set up for a battle between Snivy and Pignite and Azumarill and Croconaw. In the end, Ash and his Pokémon won.
"All right, you promised. No stealing, okay?" Ash said.
"Not now, at the top of your game!" a voice said.
"The path of thievery goes on and on!" another voice said. Team Rocket stood perched on a rock protruding the ocean.
Ash sighed. "Why don't you just give it up?"
"Give it up? Team Rocket never says quit!" Meowth said.
"Pirates, join with us! We'll be a big hit!" James said.
"There's an evil top of the heap, and we're it!" Jessie said.
"STOP! Will you butt out?!" Iris cried.
"Never! Woobat, go!"
"Yamask, you too!"
"Air Slash!"
"And Shadow Ball!"
We ran out of the way to avoid the attacks.
"Eevee, use Swift! Zorua, use Night Daze!" I extended my arm out, and Zorua ran down it and jumped into the air. I threw Eevee's PokéBall into the air, and she emerged. Eevee swiped her tail, and large, golden stars zoomed through the air. Zorua pounded her paws against the ground, creating deep waves of dark energy that mixed in with the Swift, turning them from golden to black. The combined move collided into Team Rocket's Pokémon.
"Pignite, Fire Pledge!" Pignite punched the ground, and the sand beneath Yamask and Woobat erupted into a massive column of fire. They fell back and crashed into Team Rocket, and they all blasted off into the sky.
"You see?" Iris said to the pirate Pokémon. "You're going to end up like them if you keep doing bad things!"
The pirate Pokémon shook their heads rapidly, muttering that they'll never be anything like them, which brought a small smile to my face. Suddenly, the clouds began to roll in, and the tide grew massive.
"What's happened to the ocean?" Iris said.
"The weather changes quick around here." Jenny said.
Through the coursing waves, we saw a blown up rafting tube with a group of Darumaka clinging to the sides.
"Not good. It's much too risky to reach them with the police cruiser." Jenny said.
"Leave it to us!" Croconaw said. The pirate Pokémon dove into the ocean and swam towards the tube. As they swam back to the shore, a large wave swept underneath the tube and launched it into the air. The Pokémon combined their Water Guns to steady the raft. They carried the raft to the shore, and the Darumaka climbed out.
"Are you all right?" I said. The Darumaka nodded. I turned to the pirate Pokémon with a smile. "Thank you, guys. I'm really proud of you."
The Pokémon chattered sheepishly.
"Aw, it was nothing!" Azumarill said.
We returned to the main island and returned the Darumaka to their owners, a little boy and girl.
"The ocean was calm out on our raft." the boy said.
"It happened so fast..." the girl said.
"The weather can change quickly out at sea." Jenny said. "Be careful from now on."
"Besides, it was really Croconaw and his friends you should be thanking." I said. "They're the ones who saved your Darumaka."
"Really?" the kids said, turning to the Pokémon. "Thanks so much!"
The Pokémon chuckled sheepishly.
"Say, why don't you consider joining the Decolore Coast Guard?" Jenny said.
"Really?" Octillery said.
"That sounds like a great idea!" I said. "You'll be happy with Jenny. She'll take good care of you!"
"Yeah!" the Pokémon cried.
"But first things first." Jenny said. "You'll have to apologize to everybody you've stolen from."
"Deal! Thank you!"
We boarded the cruise ship at sunset and waved goodbye to the ex-pirate Pokémon and Officer Jenny.
"Bye! Take care!" Ash said.
"You guys be good!" I said.
"Best wishes!" Iris said.
"Take care of the Pokémon, Officer Jenny!" Cilan said.
"Right! You have my word! Don't worry!" Officer Jenny said.
"Nice job with helping the Pokémon, Rylee." Iris said. "It must be pretty cool to be able to understand Pokémon."
"Yeah. My powers never cease to amaze me." I said. I looked down at my hands. "I wish I could explore them more... but I know N and my dad know best. I want to protect you guys."
My friends all smiled at me. Their friendly gazes filled my heart with joy.
