Alright, I know what you're thinking. "Hey, he said that he wasn't going to do these long breaks again, what the hell?" Well in all honesty, I absolutely was planning on updating weekly again and I still do. However, writers block struck at quite possibly the worst time, and numerous complications in my personal life also prevented a timely update. As such, here it is and I and glad that I was able to find the time to crank out another chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Accusations

It wasn't long before I was back in the city, standing in front of the Devon Corp building. It was pretty impressive, easily the tallest building in the city despite its obvious age. I hesitated, not entirely sure if I should go inside or just ditch and head on my way to Dewford. Mr. Briney had already ensured passage for me, so what was I doing here? I guess it was just curiosity holding me back. I mean, I know I saved his employee twice and saved some stolen goods, but does that really make it necessary to see me in person? I shook my head to clear out those stupid thoughts and marched in through the front doors.

After a brief talk with the receptionist, I was shown up to the top floor. It was unfortunate that the building was so old, because it didn't have an elevator to go with the multiple floors. By the time I had reached the top, I was huffing and puffing. I took the time to catch my breath and take in my surroundings. The entire top floor seemed to be taken up by the presidents office. It was more like a house in and of itself, with multiple rooms and a hallway. The large double doors at the end seemed like a safe bet to be the presidents actual office, and sure enough they opened to reveal the man in the brown suit I had saved. "You came! I'm glad you accepted my boss' invitation!" he exclaimed, standing aside and clearly inviting me in.

The office was neatly furnished, trophies and awards lining bookcases spaced here and there across the walls. In the middle of the room was a large desk behind which sat a short balding man in a clean black suit. He shuffled with some papers on the desk before glancing up at me. "Ah, hello there!" he said cheerfully through his mustache. "I take it you're the young lad who saved my vice-president?"

"Huh? He's the vice-president?" I asked, turning to gawk at the man in the brown suit. He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I had just assumed he was a random employee."

"Yes, he does give off that kind of aura, doesn't he?" the president chuckled, much to the apparent chagrin of his VP. "Now, to business. My name is Devon Stone. I would like to extend to you this PokeNav as a token of my appreciation for your acts of courage." He dug through one of the drawers and withdrew a round yellow device and held it out to me.

I muttered something about how anyone would have done it as I took the offered device. I inspected it carefully as he went over the various features. Apparently it had a digital map of the Hoen region installed on it, and could act as a cellphone for other people with their own device. I thanked him for it before taking his number and turning to leave.

"Oh, young man! One more thing!" Mr. Stone called before I could leave the room. "I understand that you are taking the gym challenge, yes?"

"Yeah, but I've already got my own ride to Dewford" I replied, feeling like I knew where this was going. As it turned out, I was wrong.

"Excellent, excellent, now if you would be so kind as to run an errand for me, I would appreciate it." Without waiting for my reply, Mr Stone fumbled through another drawer and came up with a letter. "Can you deliver this to my son, Steven? He should be on the island researching the local cave system. There'll be a reward for you when you return" he added, seeing the scowl I was giving him.

"Alright, fine" I muttered, grabbing the letter and jamming it roughly into my bag. "But only because I was going there anyway."


I stopped by a local restaurant for lunch with the team before heading south and out of the city. The trip to Dewford would take a long time, and I wanted to get to Mr Brineys house before dinnertime. Unfortunately for me, I spotted a familiar green bandana shortly before it spotted me.

"Nick" May said coolly, giving me a once over as she strode over. "I take it you're still on this stupid challenge."

"Yes, May, I'm still taking this stupid challenge" I replied dryly. "It's not like I have a choice."

"You do have a choice" she countered. "Or at least, you did, before this all started."

"Look, do you have something you want to tell me, or is it just going to be another lecture, because I've got somewhere to be" I growled, shoving past her and heading for the next route.

"How many have died?" she asked suddenly. I stopped dead in my tracks, not turning around. "How many have died since I last saw you? How many have died since this all started?"

"Ten. Ten have died since I started this" I answered darkly. "And you know what? No matter how many times you people call me out on it, it still happens. So why don't you keep your mouth shut and let me beat myself up over it?"

"No, I won't keep quiet!" May shouted, stepping forward and spinning me around to face her. "I will not stand by while you capture more pokemon and lead them to their deaths!"

"And how are you gonna stop me? By killing them yourself? You're sicker than I am for starting this whole thing!" I shouted back.

That gave her pause, and she glanced down at her feet. "I know its not right" she whispered, her voice trembling. "But I don't know what else to do to make it stop. So if beating you now stops countless more deaths down the road, so be it. I'll carry that weight." She reached into her bag and withdrew a pokeball, tossing it into the air. There was a flash of bright red light and a Wingull floated above us, flying lazily in the wind.

I scowled at her choice in pokemon before releasing Cooper myself. "If that's what you think you have to do. But I'm not gonna let you win. I want my pokemon to keep living. Cooper, use Headbutt!" He charged forward, gaining a significant amount of speed before leaping into the air and crashing head-first into the avian pokemon. The Wingull squawked in alarm and retreated higher into the air.

"Sapphire, use Supersonic!" May ordered. Cooper rolled across the ground, dodging the brunt of the sound wave and avoiding becoming confused. He leaped in the air again, but Sapphire maneuvered out of the way, neatly dodging the Cut attack. She retaliated with a Growl before Cooper could land and get his bearings, lowering his power.

"Cooper, we've got to end this soon or we'll be overpowered. Hit 'em with a Headbutt!" I called. Once again the little ball of fur rushed along the ground before launching himself into the air, colliding with Sapphire. She screeched and cried out, buffeting him slightly with her wings before he fell back to earth, landing squarely on his feet. The earlier Growl had taken affect, and what should have been a decisive blow had only weakened the bird.

"Sapphire, take him down with Wing Attack!" May ordered. Sapphire obeyed swiftly, wheeling around the area to gather speed before diving towards Cooper, wings glowing white.

"Cooper, hold your ground!" I encouraged. Cooper braced himself, eyes narrowing as Sapphire flew closer and closer. Then, at the last possible second, he did something neither Sapphire or her trainer could have suspected. He leaped forward and met Sapphire in the middle, Headbutting her square in the forehead. Sapphire didn't even have time to sound surprised before she crashed to the ground, fainted.

"Grr, why do you fight so hard? I know you think you're doing whats best for them, but you're not!" May said fiercely, returning her fallen pokemon and releasing Emerald. The Treecko glared at Cooper, who returned the favor, growling. "I have to end it here. I'm sorry, but it's just what's right. Emerald, use Quick Attack!"

I wasn't expecting that move, and so was unprepared for the speed the little green lizard showed. She closed the distance between herself and Cooper in record time, striking him repeatedly in the side and head. Once he got his wits back, he retaliated with a Headbutt. While the move served its purpose and broke off the assault from Emerald, she seemed to be barely fazed by it. "Oh, right the Growl attacks" I muttered, remembering. "Cooper, come back, your attacks won't work here" I called, holding up his pokeball. After returning him, I sent out Sasuke. He flexed his forelimbs at Emerald in challenge.

"Let's show them how outclassed they are Emmy" May sneered. "Use Absorb!" Emerald thrust her hands forward, and small green orbs started to appear on Sasukes shell. As they flew into Emeralds hands, I could see the small scrapes from Coopers earlier attack healing swiftly.

"You're not the only one with healing attacks" I retorted. "Sasuke, use Leech Life!" Sasuke skittered across the battlefield, appearing behind Emerald in a heartbeat. He jumped forward and collided with her back, wrapping his legs and forelimbs around her in kind of bear hug. He bit into her shoulder with his mandibles, causing the Treecko to yelp in pain and struggle violently to escape his grip. He held fast, and soon her struggling got less and less violent until she finally fainted. Sasuke let her go and moved back over to my side, no worse than when he started the fight.

May looked horrified at what had happened, running forward and scooping Emerald up into her arms. She glared up at me, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "How could you!?" she demanded, her tone cold.

"How could I!?" I exploded, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "She tries to kill my entire team, and has the nerve to ask how I could make her pokemon faint. I can't believe this. What the hell gives you the right to say that to me?"

"I have every right!" she yelled back, getting to her feet. "I'm not going to sit here and be lectured by someone who risks their pokemons lives!"

"You're the one that is threatening them!" I roared. "Just now, they would have been in absolutely no danger, if you hadn't challenged me. If you hadn't taken it upon yourself to "do what is right" and kill them. For their benefit. Don't you see how stupid that is? If the roles were reversed and you were the Nuzlocker, how would you feel right now, holding not a fainted pokemon, but your dead partner in your arms?" She looked down at Emerald, watching the rise and fall of the unconscious pokemons chest. I took a few steps forwards so I was a foot away from her, looking her right in the eye. "Your Wingull is still alive" I said. "Mine died back in Rusturf Tunnel, in order to save another member of the team. No matter what happens in a battle, at the end of the day, your entire team gets to go home. Remember that next time you want to be the hero." I turned around and stalked away, Sasuke scuttling along by my feet. May didn't say anything, or if she did I didn't hear it.


I arrived at Brineys house later than I would have liked, but I was still on time. Unfortunately, it seemed that Mr. Briney himself had other issues to attend to.

"Help me get him!" the old man cried as he chased Peeko, his Wingull, around and around his cottage. I swiftly moved to help, Sasuke joining in. The three of us eventually corralled the frantic bird into a corner, where Briney managed to get him into his pokeball. "Whew! Thanks son" Briney gasped, falling back into a dining chair. "I don't know what got into him, but all of a sudden Peeko was flapping about like mad! I've never seen anything like it!"

"That's definitely strange" I agreed, sitting in the chair opposite. We chatted for a while, catching out collective breath before Briney decided he was fit enough to set off. A short while later, we were speeding across the sea aboard Brineys fishing boat, the SS Peeko believe it or not. The sea air was comforting, reminding me of all the trips I used to take with my family back in the real world. I released my team, letting them wander about of the ship and take in the sights. Poor Lars seemed to be getting seasick, so I stayed near him.

"N-Nick?" Lars asked hesitantly. I looked down at him, seeing him shaking slightly as he looked out at the ocean.

"What's up Lars? Don't tell me your scared of the ocean too?" I teased.

"W-what? No! Nothing l-l-like that!" he stuttered, shaking his head violently from side to side to prove his point. "Well, not entirely that" he added, glancing worriedly at the waves.

I chuckled. "Don't worry. Mr Briney is an experienced sailor! He'll make sure we get to Dewford safe and sound."

"That's what I w-wanted to talk about" Lars replied, looking up at me seriously. "I want to fight."

I was startled, not only because of his sudden bravery but because he managed to get that out without stuttering. In truth, I had thought long and hard about what to do with him and had already made a decision. "Lars, I'm sorry, but you're not going to be fighting."

My words hit him like a freight train. "W-what? Why? I-is it b-because I'm weak?" he asked, tears forming in his watery eyes.

"No Lars, it's not because you're weak" I replied, kneeling down and wiping his tears away. "And before you ask it's not because Nigel died either. I thought about it for a long time and I decided that if anyone has to survive this, it's you." Lars looked up at me, his eyes drying and a confused look on his face. "Let me explain. Like Banzai said, in his own mean way, you're not cut out for fighting. That doesn't mean you're weak, or that you couldn't handle yourself. I've trained other pokemon that were weak at first, Banzai in particular. No, it's more that you shouldn't have to deal with the stuff that we're going to go through. You reacted pretty badly to what happened to Nigel. I can't guarantee that something similar won't happen to someone else. And, to be brutally honest, I don't think your spirit could take it."

"So you're j-just gonna leave me b-behind?" he asked, choking back more tears.

"Not exactly" I replied, rubbing the skittish pokemons head. "Let's call it keeping you safe. Sending you ahead to Rowan's ranch and having you help out there. I promise that when this is all said and done, we'll come back and get you. Deal?"

Lars' brow furrowed as the little purple pokemon was deep in thought. Finally, he nodded. "Okay. But you h-have to k-k-keep your promise" he said.

"I always do" I replied.

That would have been a wonderful end to the day, spending the rest of the trip to Dewford calmly riding the waves, but fate decided it needed to yank my chain once again to see if I was still paying attention. I had first noticed that something was wrong when Mr. Brineys voice rose from the helm of the ship, breaking me out of the daydreams I was having.

"Aw, barnacles, if that isn't just perfect!" he barked, making a racket as he quickly fiddled around with the numerous instruments on and around the wheel.

Ignoring his odd choice of curses, mostly because of the swift and alarmed movements he was making, I got to my feet and came over. "What's going on Briney, Sasuke nibble on something he shouldn't have?" My Nincada had taken it upon itself to try all the wonderful new "berries" that were strewn around the edge of the ship. I had to tell him repeatedly that they were, in fact, steel ties for mooring knots and were inedible.

"No lad, this be somethin' much worse" the old sailor replied. He jammed his thumb at a large screen he had installed just past the wheel. I instantly recognized it as a radar, and also recognized that there were way to many dots floating around the boat in the center. "Tentacool" Briney said, answering my unsaid question. "Usually Peeko warns me ahead of time and I can avoid the aggressive little whelps, but with him out o' commission..." he trailed off as the dots moved closer. "Sorry lad, but I'm gonna have to ask ya to defend the boat. I can't leave her dead in the water, and Peeko isn't much for battlin'."

"Gotcha. Don't worry about it, my team can take them." Honestly that statement had been much more bravado than I was willing to admit to Mr. Brineys face, but at the moment I had bigger issues to worry about. Running back up to the bow of the ship, I grabbed hold of one of the guardrails as the boat hit a particularly big swell. "Head's up guys, we've got company!" I shouted.

"Great! I've been bored out of my skull!" Banzai declared, uncurling himself from the deck and shaking the cramps out of his limbs.

"Excited about the chance to get your ass kicked again?" Cooper teased, grinning when Banzai snapped at him. "Just don't get in my way."

"Alright!" Leroy declared, running to the front of the boat and looking out over the waves with a sharp eye. "We're being attacked by pirates! Man the cannons and prepare for battle ye salty dogs!" I stared at him, mouth agape as he pantomimed sword-fighting some invisible pirate. He caught me, and I assume the rest of us, staring and grinned sheepishly. "Professor Birch left some action movies on after going to bed" he explained.

Huh. So that's where he gets it from. I shook the thought from my head as I saw the first red and blue head peak up from the waves. "Pay attention guys, the party's here!" I called out as no fewer than twelve Tentacool burst from the water, flying much higher than I would have expected the jellyfish pokemon to be able to jump. They all went to land on the deck of the ship, but a quick blast of Mud Shot from Leroy knocked three of them back into the water. The rest of the team didn't have any long-range attacks, and fell back on knocking the closest Tentacool back over the side when they got within range. That still left five enemies, however, and they moved fast.

One wrapped itself around Cooper, Constricting the poor raccoon pokemon and keeping itself out of his reach in one smooth motion. Another faced off with Banzai, who was to quick to allow himself to be grabbed, especially after seeing what happened to Cooper. However, he wasn't tough enough to take to many hits, and a hail of Poison Sting attacks put him in a dangerous spot. Meanwhile, Sasuke was caught up in some sort of duel with one of the wild pokemon, his forelimbs bashing aside the whipping tentacles, trying to find an opening. And Leroy seemed to have given himself away as the threat, since the last two were double teaming him, leaving Lars to tremble in fear behind me.

"Hey, I'm here too assholes!" I yelled, aiming a kick at the Tentacool pining Banzai down. It couldn't move very well on the boat, but its gelatinous body absorbed enough of the kick that it was more like a glancing blow. It did, however, make the blue and red jellyfish turn its attention towards me and away from Banzai. Still don't know if that is something to be grateful for or not.

Regardless, Banzai leaped forward and latched onto the head of the Tentacool, gnashing his teeth and shaking it violently. Leroy blasted one of the Tentacool cornering him away with a Mud Shot, which seemed to have taught the other one a bit of respect. It kept its distance, far enough away to avoid the Mud Shots, but close enough that it was difficult for Leroy to avoid its own attacks. Seeing that almost everyone had thing under control, I moved to help Cooper. Despite how strong he was, even Cooper was rendered helpless when ensnared in the arms of a Tentacool. I grabbed the slippery appendages, trying my best to pry them off of his now sticky coat. Thee Tentacool glared at me from under its blue hood, but couldn't respond to my attempts without releasing Cooper anyway.

Unfortunately, the Tentacool that Leroy had bashed away had no such issue. It grabbed onto my leg and immediately I felt pain sear across it. Letting Cooper fend for himself for now, I kicked at the gelatinous pokemon with my free leg, but its body resisted the blows. Suddenly, it was ripped off of me by a blast of mud. I spared a glance in thanks at Leroy, who was busy fending off his own opponents counter-attack, before turning my attention back to Cooper.

He was almost certainly poisoned by now, but there was nothing I could do about it without removing the offending Tentacool. Seeing that I had turned my attention back to it, the wild pokemon tightened its grip menacingly, causing Cooper to cry out in fresh pain. I could practically hear his bones creak, but I didn't move for fear of causing more damage. Shit, shit, shit, I need to do something I thought frantically.

Hope came from an unexpected source. An ear-ringing shout echoed across the boat. The Tentacool holding onto Cooper got the worst of it, its eyes rolling back in its head as the death-grip relaxed. Cooper gasped, gulping in precious air and lay quivering on the ground. I immediately grabbed an antidote out of my bag and sprayed it over him, stopping the poison but unable to heal his injuries. Lars ran over, eyes once again filled and poised to burst with tears.

"Cooper!" he cried, kneeling beside his battered comrade. "I thought...I-I thought..." he choked on his words, sobs echoing slightly.

"You did great Lars" I said, smiling warmly at him. Looking back, I saw that Leroy had bodily tackled his opponent and had thrown him off the side and into the ocean. Likewise, Banzai and Sasuke swiftly defeated their opponents and sent them back into the deep. "Seems like that's it."

"Don't relax so soon lad!" Briney called from the helm. "Look!" Behind the boat, the ocean had begun to rise. A faint red glow on either side of the swell made me initially think it was two large groups of Tentacool. However, once it broke the surface with a mighty crash, the true form of the disturbance was revealed.

"Aw shit, it's a Tentacruel" I deadpanned. The evolved form of the smaller jellyfish we had been fighting, the Tentacruel was as large as the boat, much bigger than any of its kind I've ever seen. It's probably an old one, been around a long time I thought idly, looking at the large hooked beak, two glowing ruby domes and mass of wringing tentacles. "Briney, we have to get out of here!" I yelled, returning everyone and grabbing the side rail as hard as I could. "I don't have the manpower to fight that thing!"

"Already on it lad, ya don't have to tell ol' Mr Briney twice!" the captain yelled, already moving the boat into position. The Tentacruel obviously didn't take kindly to us trying to escape. It raised a giant tentacle out of the ocean, intending to bash to poor little fishing boat into oblivion.

"Briney! If you're going to do something, do it now!" I cried. I looked around nervously and caught sight of one of the Tentacool from earlier, the one that had grabbed my leg. It was slumped against the front of the little cabin, splattered with mud and clearly knocked out. I quickly pointed a pokeball at it, easily capturing the miscreant. I'll ask him later what this was all about I thought as the Tentacruels mighty limb started to descend.

"Let's go! Full speed ahead!" Briney roared and gunned the engine, Peeko crowing in agreement. The speed was incredible, and it was only through pure grit and willpower that I was able to hold onto the side of the boat. The tentacle came down with a great splash, missing thee boat but only barely. The wave it kicked up helped push us away, but I didn't think we would need the extra speed. The Tentacruel was already sinking back under the ocean waves, clearly content with scaring us out of its territory. It gave the boat one last glare, and something about it seemed off to me. I couldn't be sure because of the bumping of the boat, but I was sure there was something more than territorial malice in the large pokemons eye.


Moving at top speed, we arrived at Dewford in record time. I hastily made my way to the island towns Pokemon Center, yelling at Briney that I'd catch him when I had the time. Once Cooper and the others were safely in the hands of Nurse Joy, I flopped down into a chair and forced myself to relax. It seemed that the adventure had took a lot more out of me than I thought, because the next thing I knew, I was being gently shaken awake by one of the nurses. "Excuse me, sir?" she asked kindly when she noticed that I was conscious. "Your pokemon are all healed up. Will you be staying with us?"

I nodded groggily, getting to my feet. The sun was low in the sky, but not low enough for me to be worried about it setting just yet. I still had plenty of time left in my day. "Yeah, I'll be getting a room. For now though, I'll just take my team. I've got errands to run."

In reality that was a half-truth. While I didn't feel the need to outright lie to the nurse, I did want to talk with the team and explore the town a bit. That counted as errands, right? A short time later I was eating a much enjoyed dinner at a local diner, sitting outside under an umbrella and enjoying the breeze coming off of the ocean. The team was out and about, with one noticeable addition.

"So that's the deal? Out of working for old squid-bait there and stuck risking it all with you lot?" Jones the Tentacool asked from his position inside a bucket. I had no idea whether or not this was a common practice for trainers with aquatic pokemon such as Magikarp and Goldeen, but I was nonetheless forced to keep my giggles to a minimum while watching the Tentacool sulk in a plain steel bucket full of ocean water.

"Pretty much, yeah" Banzai replied, not even looking up from his meal. "And you're lucky we even brought you along for this. With Leroy on the team, we don't really have a need for another water-type. Don't really know why Nick caught you to begin with."

"For once, I have to agree with the runt there" Cooper grumbled. He was not at all happy about his performance during the trip over to Dewford, and was taking his frustration out on the only available source, Jones. "Any particular reason you decided that it was a good idea to catch one of the enemy?"

I scoffed at his labels, ignoring Jones' indignant responses. "Enemy, seriously? Other than Leroy and maybe Lars, I caught each and every one of you because of a battle. Yeah, for the most part we started it, but just because Jones and his gang attacked us doesn't mean that he's the enemy. It was just a case of wild pokemon defending their turf."

The sound of bubbles blowing called my attention to the little blue jellyfish in his makeshift environment. "Actually, you might not want to write it off so quick there" he muttered. If a bright blue jellyfish could blush, Jones was certainly doing it.

"What does that mean?" I asked, keeping the conversation going and mildly interested myself in what he had to say.

"Well, usually old, tough and ornery would tell the lot of us to steer clear of the ships passing by, 'specially a fishing boat like that" Jones explained. "He's been around the block once or twice, knows the way things are 'spossed to work. Even though there's nice, easy pickings 'round a fisherman's bait, we don't want to get snagged alongside the bronze dopes."

"Magikarps" I overheard Cooper explain to Leroy and Lars, who were both listening with rapt attention,

"Right, those ones" Jones confirmed. "Anyway, the boss'd tell us to steer clear, find out food somewhere else so's not to get caught. But somethin' changed in him when he saw that boat. He was like a totally different person. Told us to attack it right away, not to let it out of our sight. I woulda said something if it wouldn't have meant my head, the state he was in."

The rest of the team all had mixed looks of awe and concern on their faces, each developing their own ideas about why the ancient Tentacruel had such a sore spot for Captain Briney. I, on the other hand, felt something odd about the pokemon's story. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it, so I decided to put the thought behind me for another day.