Author's Notes: Hello again, readers! It's been several months since I last updated this story, but at least it hasn't been too long (like, oh, I dunno...a WHOLE YEAR! XD). I've got news for you: I'm all finished with college, which means I now have more free time to work on this story. :D Also, I think I'm making an amazing comeback against the enemy that is writer's block. So, more chapters should be posted a little more frequently now.
This chapter should show the plot picking back up. It's been a while since anything really exciting has happened with our heroes and the Arceus, so this chapter should be refreshing. Of course, if you guys were already entertained from the last few chapters, then that works for me, too. :P Enjoy, and let me know what you guys think with reviews. Thank you!
By the way, Pokémon X and Y are coming out later this year, and yet I still do not own Pokémon. They belong to Nintendo and Game Freak.
Chapter 9: A Boatload of Trouble
The next morning quickly arrived, but it wasn't exactly peaceful as mornings normally were.
"Everybody wake up!" a loud voice shouted from the halls. "Today's the day! We've got to get going ASAP!" Several knocks on the door complemented the rather sudden wake-up call.
Brooke was, not surprisingly, startled into consciousness, yet she was rather displeased by the fact that her peace was disturbed. That was the first thing she noticed. The second thing she noticed was that the head of a certain Blade Pokémon had laid claim to her abdomen. Apparently he fell asleep on her during the night, and apparently he hadn't heard the shouting just moments ago.
"Gallade, wake up," she said to him while tapping his shoulder. It didn't take long for Gallade to respond, as he quickly woke up and sat upright, allowing her to move.
"What is happening?" he asked, seemingly alert.
"Apparently we have to wake up and get moving," she answered, still vexed about the reason. "Something about today being the day and leaving as soon as possible." Then everything made sense. She realized that it was Delia Ketchum who knocked at her door and yelled through the halls. Considering that this was the day to depart for Washington, D.C., it was no surprise that she didn't want to waste another minute staying on this island.
"At first I thought that something was wrong," Gallade mentioned with a slight sigh of relief. He must have picked up what Brooke was thinking, considering that she didn't say anything.
"Yeah, me too. Anyway, we shouldn't keep the others waiting. Let's get ready to go." With that said the Blade Pokémon helped his trainer pack her belongings while she changed into her trademark outfit. They fixed up the bed and then left the room. Immediately upon leaving the room they ran into both Misty and Tracey, who both had their stuff packed and ready to go.
"It sounds like Mrs. Ketchum is really energetic this morning," Misty commented with a giggle.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Brooke exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "She practically acted like a drill sergeant when she woke us up like that. Her shouting scared me half to death, and yet Gallade over here slept right through it." Tracey held back the urge to laugh, but he still smiled with amusement. She caught sight of this and smirked while raising a brow.
"Coming through!" someone shouted out of nowhere. Suddenly a dark blur zoomed between the Pokémon and the three teens that were only barely able to dodge it. They looked towards that direction and noticed that it was Brock with a few bags hanging on his shoulders and back.
"Hey, where are you going in such a rush?" Misty called after him.
"I'm helping the adults pack!" He answered without stopping. "Mrs. Ketchum will have our heads if we don't hurry up!" With that said he was out of sight. The others just blinked, likely dumbfounded by what had just occurred, or perhaps confused by said occurrence. Of course, they knew that Brock had a point.
"He's right, we should pick up the pace," Tracey suggested. The girls agreed with nods, and all four of them moved down the hall and downstairs to the first floor. They quickly met up with Delia and Professor Oak. The latter was making a few cups of coffee for the former and anyone else who wanted one. Tracey and Misty declined, but a certain blonde couldn't resist.
"Don't mind if I do," Brooke spoke up as she took a cup of coffee and sweetened it. "Thanks, Professor." Oak just nodded. She took a sip and looked around the kitchen and the living area. "Hey, wasn't Brock just down here?"
"He's helping Keith carry some of our bags down to the boat," Delia explained while Brooke drank her coffee. "He's so helpful; it reminds me of my dear Mimey at home." Brooke had no idea what she was talking about, until Tracey explained that it was the nickname for her Mr. Mime. Surely enough, her curiosity and her question were answered.
Speaking of Keith, though, the name reminded her of a certain god Pokémon that they had to take with them. She figured that now would be a good time to talk to Arceus, so she told the others that she was going outside for a few minutes and that she would be back. After asking Gallade to wait with them, she moved to one of the upper patios.
Arceus, are you there? Brooke thought, finishing her coffee. She didn't want the sailor to overhear her. It didn't take long for the Alpha Pokémon to respond.
"Yes, what is it, Mother?" it retorted, speaking only into her mind. She had to get used to that sometime.
We're about to leave this island soon, and we're heading to the mainland. Obviously Keith will be driving the boat, so you'll have to make sure that he doesn't see or hear you. Do not reveal yourself unless it's an emergency or unless I say otherwise, okay?
"Understood." Arceus seemingly flew down to her level as its body phased in and out of sight for a brief moment. Satisfied with her warning, she smiled, nodded, and turned to go back inside. The Alpha Pokémon followed her like a big puppy, and yet no one could see it. Before Keith could return into the building with Brock, she subtly pointed a finger towards the air and mouthed the name 'Arceus' so that the others in the room understood what she meant. Of course, they all kept their mouths shut, and they planned on reminding Brock to do the same.
As if on cue the guys returned, ready to take whatever was left to carry.
"So, is everyone ready to go?" Keith inquired after surveying the area, while Brock picked up his backpack.
"I locked all of the doors and windows and turned off the electronics," Oak answered. "We can leave anytime now, and I'll be sure to send the key back to the travel agency. I've also got the flight booked, so we just have to get to the airport on time." Delia was practically giddy with excitement.
"In that case let's go now!" she suggested, practically pushing the others to go along with her. The rest of the group complied, though, considering their eagerness to get going as well. Brooke didn't move, however, for there was something she had to do first.
"All right, Gallade, I think you ought to return to your Luxury Ball for this trip," she said to the Blade Pokémon. He complied, despite his preference to walk with her, and in a red flash he retreated to his Luxury Ball. Brooke then clipped it to her belt and followed the others.
They (along with a hidden Arceus) all made their way to the dock where the boat was awaiting its passengers. Keith climbed into it first, and then he, Tracey, and Brock helped the others enter the boat and situate themselves comfortably. As soon as everyone was aboard, Keith took the helm and maneuvered the boat away from the dock, turning it around and driving it away from the summer villa island.
Since their departure time seemed to go by rather slowly for them. The majority of the trip thus far was uneventful, and some of the passengers were really bored – except Delia; she was just too giddy to be bored. Misty took another nap, while Oak read a book. Tracey and Brock were talking to each other, and Brooke, who was dealing with motion sickness again, leaned on the starboard side railing. Getting some fresh air was helping a lot.
At that point Keith called her name from the upper deck in order to get her attention. She turned to look up at him, and then she walked in his direction in order to talk to him. She assumed that whatever was on his mind had to be relatively important, anyway.
"Did you have something to say?" she asked him, trying to ignore her nausea.
"As a matter of fact, there is something that I wanted to ask you," Keith replied. He thought of the right words to say before he continued. "While you guys were on the island…was there something there that seemed unusual? Did you find anything out of the ordinary?" Brooke had assumed the inquiry to be an honest one, until she got the idea that he was asking about the Arceus egg. She decided to lie to him for the sake of protecting the Alpha Pokémon.
"I don't recall finding anything unusual," she answered strategically. "I don't think anyone else did, either, as far as I'm aware. Why?" Keith made eye contact with her from behind his sunglasses, and his face showed one of disappointment.
"Well, that doesn't sit well with me." His tone changed a bit, and she noticed this, despite the nausea. "You see…I've been searching for something on that island, and so far it's eluded me all this time. I had just hoped that maybe you found what I've been seeking. And you know what I think?" He surreptitiously reached behind his back and grabbed a Pokéball. "I think you're lying to me!" In the blink of an eye he threw the Pokéball at her, and a white light instantly appeared and wrapped itself around her before it formed into an Arbok that began to squeeze her to the point where she couldn't move.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled, trying to break free of the Cobra Pokémon's grip to no avail. Keith approached her with a chuckle.
"If I can't get answers out of you with words, then I'll have to force them out with my Arbok. Now, cut the bullshit and tell me the truth. I know that you saw something on that island. Tell me where that Pokémon egg is!" As soon as he said that, something clicked in her head. Brooke remembered the moment when she and Gallade had found that Pokémon egg and then kept it away from a bunch of Poison Pokémon. She remembered that Arbok was one of them, and then she made the connection.
"Pokémon egg? Wait a minute…so you were the one who attacked Gallade, is that right?" He nodded with an evil smirk. "But—"
"But you thought that I had left the island the day that happened, hmm?" Keith finished her comment before she could even start it. "Are you surprised? Well, you seem upset at that ploy to get you and your friends to lower your guard." Keith chuckled. Brooke was indeed not happy with Keith deceiving her group, but that wasn't going to get her to say anything about Arceus.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but that egg already hatched." As she spoke, she attempted to reach a Pokéball on her belt, but she couldn't move her arms at all. She yelled from the frustration of not being able to move.
This grabbed the attention of everyone inside the cabin, and they all rushed towards the upper deck. Brock and Tracey were the first ones to get up there, but before the others could catch up, Keith called out his Drapion and his Nidoqueen to stand on the lower deck and block the others' path up the stairs.
"Don't move any closer!" Keith commanded, removing his sunglasses to give them an intimidating look. "As a Team Rocket member, I'm handling an interrogation here, and you are not to interfere."
"Team Rocket?! Damnit, let her go!" Brock shouted, clenching his fists. He and Tracey wanted to make an attempt to release Brooke from the serpent coiled around her, but Arbok glared at them and bared its fangs (a little too close to Brooke's fair skin), making the two men back away slightly. In fact, the Arbok made the threat just a little more real by barely scratching its fang across her sensitive skin, a maneuver that she certainly did not appreciate.
"What do you want, anyway?" Tracey asked incredulously. He was clearly not happy with what Keith was doing, and neither was Brock. Such an act of betrayal caught the group off guard, and they had no idea that they were associating with a member of Team Rocket until this moment. Keith turned to Brooke once again.
"As I was saying, Brooke, if that egg hatched, then where is that Pokémon, huh? Where is Arceus?" Keith was clearly ignoring the two men, who were surprised to find out that Keith knew about the god Pokémon. He ordered Arbok to squeeze Brooke harder in order to get her to answer him. Eventually the pain became unbearable, and she practically screamed at the top of her lungs.
Tracey and Brock were about to send their Pokémon into battle, until something else happened: Arceus became visible above the boat, casting a huge shadow over the deck. Everyone including Keith looked up at the Alpha Pokémon as it looked down at Keith with an incredibly angry look.
"No one harms my mother and evades punishment!" it shouted telepathically so that everyone would hear its voice. Keith expressed a mix of fascination and terror, afraid to find out what Arceus would do to him and his Pokémon. "I pass Judgment on you!" Arceus prepared to cast an all-powerful attack on the enemy, but Tracey and Brock tackled the distracted Arbok and got Brooke away before any harm could come to her. The Alpha Pokémon unleashed a hellfire of raining light upon Keith and his Pokémon, causing a small explosion that blasted them away. Where would they land? Who knows? In any case the conflict was resolved, and aside from some damage to the boat, no one was severely hurt.
"Brooke, are you all right?" Tracey asked her as he helped her stand up. She nodded.
"She was right about Keith," Brock stated with a clenched fist. "There was something off about Keith, and now it's so obvious. He's a member of Team Rocket!"
"I can't believe we didn't notice that before!" Misty added with irritation. "I feel so stupid for realizing this just now."
"Don't feel bad, Misty," Oak interjected. "He had us all fooled. The good news is that no one got hurt and that the Pokémon are safe, especially Arceus." At the mentioning of its name, Brooke looked up to Arceus, clearly showing appreciation on her face.
"That was fantastic, Arceus. Thank you," she said to it. Arceus nodded.
"What exactly was that attack that it used?" Tracey inquired.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I did hear it say that it 'passed Judgment' on Keith," Brock answered. "Judgment must be its signature attack."
"It certainly is powerful," Oak added, looking up at Arceus. "To think that we all bore witness to its might just now – I can't help but feel the slightest bit sorry for Keith, even if he was up to no good."
"Speaking of Keith, I just thought of something," Delia interrupted. "Now that he's gone, there's no one to drive the boat. So then, how are we supposed to get to shore now?"
"Well, does anyone know how to operate this thing?" Misty asked, looking around at anybody who might've said yes at that point. She hung her head and sighed when she received no response. Just then Arceus spoke up.
"Worry not. I am capable of transporting all of you to the mainland," it said to the group. The others looked at each other with slight confusion, until the boat glowed faintly and began to move on its own – or rather, under the control of Arceus. Delia was the first to react, as she cheered for the continued voyage towards the shore. The others were quite pleased at this as well, considering that they were on an already tight schedule and needed to reach their destination as soon as possible.