Howdy do fellas! Welcome back. Hope you guys are ready for a couple familiar faces, because this chapter is gonna have plenty. If you are wondering who's been missing, you can check the cast list at the beginning to double check.
Actually, sidenote: I'm sorry if it is hard to imagine the Pokemon cast in these new roles. Believe me, I'm not trying to make anything OOC here. This was just some idea I had a couple years ago that I wanted to write and share out. I made the cast list to help, but I understand if there are still some issues. Still, if you guys are having problems enjoying the story, PM me and we can talk it out.
On a more cheery thought, we get to see a favorite Pokemon come aboard the crew. Who could it be? Let's read on and find out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its material (characters, settings, etc). All rights to Nintendo, Game Freak, and related parties.
Chapter 7:
The Rock Child
Guest stars:
Professor Elm as Elder Elm
"Land ho!" Kenneth shouted in the early dawn, "Silver Island off the port bow." Rushing up on deck, Sora and Tidus spotted a massive island off in the distance. Silver Island; a mountainous landscape peaked by Mt. Silverhead, with forests dotting the landscape around it. This was where Drake planned to make land to fix up the ship.
"Is that the island you went to on your journey before master?" Tidus asked eagerly.
"That's right Tidus." Sora responded as Pikachu groggily clambered onto his shoulder, "This was it."
"Alright!" the apprentice cheered, "I'll bet there will be a lot of Rock and Steel types on that island."
"You bet." Sora told him, "More than you can imagine." And Sora breathed in the familiar air as they headed right for it.
I wonder if he is still there. Sora thought, And I wonder how he's been since we last met.
Then, behind the two eager warriors, Yolanda announced, "An island of royalty should be met in equal by royalty." Turning around, the two boys spotted her in one of her fancier dresses. An amber-orange, sleeveless gown accompanied by a tiara with a crystal-red gemstone. When she came up to them, Tidus started to burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?!" Yolanda asked sternly.
With a small chuckle, Sora explained, "Princess, Silver Island is a mining island. People here mine for ore, gems, and other things. I'm surprised you got dressed like that."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" she gasped.
"We still have time before making landfall." Prince Pewter came over, "Go get changed, sister. It shouldn't take you long." Not even arguing, Yolanda rushed off to get changed.
Overhearing the whole scene, the three mermaids chuckled quietly in their fort.
"A mining island, huh?" Sarah pondered, "Too bad for you two. It probably doesn't even have streams or rivers running through it. So you can't be with your humans this time."
"Except Drake won't be exploring." Kari cleverly countered, "He has to oversee the ship's repairs. And I'll be with him."
"Lucky." Sarah grumbled, but then pointed out, "But Sora just might venture inland. Too bad Rina."
"Like humans say:" she said in a determined manner, "Where there's a will, there's always a way."
"Am I the only one with any sense around here?! You both have gone head over tail for humans you can't even be with!"
"Can't we?" both girls replied. And Sarah simply groaned.
Upon landfall, the entire crew had to disembark so Drake and Kenneth could work on repairs for the Aura. The initial part of the town seemed more like an art show than a miner's camp. Various stalls dotted the place, every one of them displaying little figurines, jewelry made of precious metals, and stones in various forms of art. Yolanda immediately went around, gazing at them all in amazement; Tidus and Opal browsed around the figurines; Prince Pewter asked around for info while Teller transcribed it all, and Cancer kept trying to restrain Sparky from approaching some of the girls around town, and Tidus and Teller did likewise with Prince Pewter.
Sora ventured to the town square, where a huge statue of a Tyranitar stood powerfully in the center fountain.
Pikachu looked up at it, then spoke, "Pi Pika. Pi Pi Pikachu. Pika?"
"Yep. It has been a while." Sora replied, "So many years since we helped him back then."
Suddenly, somebody called out, "Somebody, help! Catch that Larvitar!" Taking notice, Sora spotted someone chasing something green and rocky throughout the town. And they were coming straight for them! Then, the Pokémon shot into the air, and Sora caught it in his arms.
When the small rock looked up at Sora, it smiled and spoke, "Lar! Larvitar!"
"Pika Pikachu?!" Pikachu gasped.
"Wait, are you—" Sora spoke, alarmed.
"Sora? Is that really you?" came a boy's voice. When Sora looked up, he found the boy panting in front of him. He had a mop of hair around his head, and wore a red headband. His green tunic was covered in dirt and rocks, and he wore short-pants and sandals.
As the realization dawned on him, Sora gasped, "Sketch?!"
"Wow, it is you!" Sketch beamed, "No wonder Larvitar went crazy coming here. It must have sensed you arriving."
"Wow! Even after all this time, you still remember me, huh old friend?"
"Lar." Wondering what went wrong, Tidus and Yolanda came up to the two boys with worried expressions.
"Sora, are you alright?!" Yolanda inquired urgently.
"My master is fine princess." Tidus mumbled, then beamed, "But look at the Pokémon he's holding! Is that a Larvitar?"
Yolanda quickly noticed the little Rock-type in Sora's arms, and said endearingly, "Aw! Isn't he the cutest?" The moment she approached it, Larviatar tensed up and froze. This action puzzled Yolanda and Tidus. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Maybe you scared it." Tidus offered obnoxiously.
"It's not that." Sora explained, "Larvitar has just had some bad experiences with humans before, so it hardens whenever someone besides me approaches it."
"It has been getting better." Sketch stated, "But new faces often make it rather timid."
"I get it." Tidus pondered, "So it's like a defense mechanism." Approaching it carefully, Tidus spoke, "Hi Larvitar. My name's Tidus, and I'm Sora's apprentice," Larviatar didn't harden up this time, but instead closed its eyes and lowered its head. Sensing trouble, Pikachu quickly covered its ears.
"Uh oh!" Sora and Sketch cringed as they covered their ears. Yolanda and Tidus were puzzled by their actions. What was everyone so worried about?
And then, Larvitar screeched out, "LAAAAARRRR!" The Screech attack was so loud that everyone within miles tried blocking out the sound. Yolanda and Tidus's faces contorted in agony at the loud noise.
"OW! MY EARS!" Yolanda screamed.
"WHY IS IT USING Screech ATTACK?!" Tidus inquired loudly.
"IT"S ANOTHER DEFENSIVE MECHANISM!" Sketch shouted, "LARVITAR WILL USE Screech IF IT FEELS THREATENED!"
"PIKA!"
Cradling Larvitar with both hands, Sora soothed, "It's okay Larvitar. No one is going to hurt you. I'm here." As Sora rocked Larvitar gently back and forth, the tyke settled down and stopped using Screech. Everyone sighed with relief that it had quieted down.
"Leave it to the apprentice to scare a child." Yolanda mumbled.
"Hey, I was just saying hi." Tidus grumbled back. The noise did attract the attention of the other crew members, as they came rushing over to where the commotion was.
"Is everyone alright?" Prince Pewter asked.
"Well, my ears hurt. But I'm okay." Yolanda responded.
"What made that really loud cry?" Sparky inquired, "It hurt even Dedenne's ears."
"Hey Sora, is that a Larvitar you're holding?" Cancer wondered, noticing the new Pokémon Sora held.
"Yep. This is an old friend of mine."
"Wow! A Larvitar!" Opal beamed.
"You don't normally see those too often." Teller discussed, "Don't Larvitar usually live with their mothers?"
"Normally." Sketch came in, "But this one likes to visit town a lot. It also seemed to sense that Sora was here, so it came by today."
"And, who are you?" Prince Pewter wondered to this new figure.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Sketch. I'm a Pokémon watcher."
"Pokémon watcher?" everyone wondered aloud.
"He draws pictures of Pokémon he encounters." Sora elaborated, "And chronicles them for people like Elder Oak."
"I see." Cancer commented, "Very intriguing."
"Well, either way, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Sketch." Prince Pewter greeted as he shook hands, "I am Prince Pewter, from Aurora."
"I'm Opal, his top chef."
"I'm Teller, his scribe."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Cancer. The girl with the Dedenne is my little sister, Sparky."
"Nice to meet you."
"Denne."
"I'm Sora's apprentice, Tidus."
"Very nice to meet all of you." Sketch responded, then asked Yolanda, "What about you?"
"I'm Princess Yolanda. I'm Sora's betrothed."
"B-Betrothed?!"
"It's a long story." Sora admitted sheepishly, then informed, "I'm gonna go somewhere to introduce Larvitar to all my new Pokémon."
"Wait Sora! Elder Elm and Tyranitar are coming down to check on Larvitar." Sketch warned.
"I'll be back soon. Don't worry. Come on Pikachu." And they raced off.
"Now you're making me worried."
On a nearby beach dotted with huge stones, Sora set Larvitar down as he prepared his staff.
"Alright Come one out!" he summoned. And from his staff came Swellow, Sceptile, Krookodile, Gible, Froakie, and a new addition: Hawlucha.
"Everyone." Sora told them, "I want to introduce you to an old friend. This is Larvitar. Say hi." All the Pokémon cheered hi to the new face, but Larvitar looked shy to respond back. Pikachu tried to comfort it, and it eventually said hi. Suddenly, Gible raced over to where Larvitar stood, and leaped up with its massive jaw wide open. But then, Krookodile snapped down on Gible's fin, and held it there as it tried to squirm out of its maw.
"Easy guys." Sora advised, "Larvitar's a little shy when meeting new faces. That's why I'm introducing everyone slowly, and in groups of six." Froakie quickly understood, and approached Larvitar slowly. It held out its hand for the tyke to take, and Larvitar did.
Sceptile followed a similar strategy. It approached slowly, and lowered itself until it was eye level with Larvitar. Depite its intimidating gaze, Larvitar leapt onto Sceptile, startling the gecko Pokémon a bit. But it was clear that they had become friends.
Krookodile gave a thumbs up as his greeting, while still keeping a firm grip on Gible's fin. When Larvitar approached Hawlucha, it spread its wings out proudly, scaring the rock child. Froakie chastised Hawlucha on the behavior, and started an argument between them. Swellow, however, kept its greeting mellow and just gave a hello. Sighing with relief, Sora and Pikachu were glad Larvitar wasn't hardening up or using Screech.
Having spotted the party on the coast, Rina hid among the rocks as she spied on Sora and his Pokémon. That was when she noticed Larvitar among them, though she didn't know it was a Larvitar. But the way she saw Sora interact with it, it was like the young Pokémon was a child he was caring for. The way he acted was so tender and loving, like that of a parent. Rina began to admire this other side to him.
While she was fixated on him, her pearl flashed as Psyduck appeared behind her. The dopey Pokémon held its head, and tilted it as it stared into space blankly. But its sudden appearance irritated Rina.
"Psyduck!" Rina scorned quietly, "Why do you never stay in the pearl like you are supposed to?"
"Psy." Psyduck quacked. As a wave came up to them, it lapped over Psyduck's webbed feet. The sudden appearance of water shocked the duck Pokémon, and it ran towards Sora's group.
"Psyduck! Wait!" Rina called to it. The call caught Sora's attention, and he spotted Psyduck race towards them. Finally wriggling free, Gible descended onto Psyduck and chomped on his noggin.
Frantically, Sora scolded, "Gible, no! Let go!" He tried prying Gible off of Psyduck, but was having no success in the effort. Then, Psyduck's eyes glowed a blue-hue as it stopped squawking and flailing. A blue outline surrounded Gible and Sora as they were lifted up by Confusion. Then, Sora was set down beside his Pokémon while Gible was plopped face-first into the sand, and Psyduck's eyes returned to normal.
Dumbfounded, Sora wondered, "What just happened?"
"Sorry Sora." He heard Rina call from the ocean's direction. And then he saw her hunkered down behind a rock.
Elated, Sora called back, "Hey Rina."
"Pika!" Pikachu called as it ran over to her.
As Pikachu leaped into her arms, Rina greeted, "Hiya Pikachu. Did you miss me?"
"Pikachu." The electric mouse nodded happily.
Back in town, Sketch had finished recalling to Sora's crew about the guardian's adventure with Larvitar.
As he finished, Tidus beamed, "Wow! My master is even cooler than I imagined!"
"So he actually recovered Larvitar as an egg, and hatched it?" Teller inquired, transcribing what he was told to one of his scrolls.
"Yep. He sure did." Sketch confirmed.
"But how did Larvitar recover if it hatched in such a bad state?" Yolanda asked.
"That's the wonder about Sora. He used as many of his Fire Pokémon as he could, and worked to provide as much heat as possible. Eventually, We got them to Elder Elm to help him warm Larvitar back to health."
"Wow! So cool!" Sparky cheered.
"You're forgetting that Sora did most of the work already." Came a young man's voice. Coming up to the group, accompanied by a gigantic, real Tyranitar, was a middle-aged man in a brown robe with only a crop of hair on his head, and wore spectacles.
"Hello everyone." He greeted.
"Greetings Elder." Sketch returned, then he introduced, "Everyone, this is Elder Elm. He keeps watch on the Pokémon here on Silver Island. He was even a apprentice to Elder Oak."
"You were an apprentice too?!" Tidus and Sparky gasped.
"That's correct. And I heard from my old master that you are an apprentice to Sora as well, Tidus."
"How'd you hear that?" he asked. To answer, Elder Elm held up a Pidgey on his arm, with a tiny messenger's satchel tied to its back.
Admiring the behemoth Pokémon that came with Elder Elm, Prince Pewter inquired, "So this is a Tyranitar, right Elder?"
"That's right." Elder Elm explained, "This is Larvitar's mother. She came down the mountain to check up on Larvitar."
"Yeah. That might be a problem now." Sketch shrugged nervously.
With a chuckle, Elm assured, "It's quite alright. I'll bet that it's with Sora right now."
"And you'd guess right." Prince Pewter affirmed.
"Well, let's look for him together. I heard Sora's battling the Eight Island Chieftains. I wonder how he's done so far."
Meanwhile, back on the beach, Sora and Rina were introducing their new Pokémon to each other. Sora had introduced Rina to his new team member, Hawlucha. And Rina was just finishing up in introducing her Psyduck to him.
"Psyduck can't swim? Seriously?!" Sora asked.
"Yeah." Rina sighed dejectedly, "But I didn't really know it had so much power. I've only seen it use Psychic-type attacks one other time, and that was with Kari's Squirtle using Bite."
"Interesting."
Returning her Psyduck to her pearl, Rina inquired, "So what's the other Pokémon that looks like a living rock?"
"Oh, that's Larvitar." Sora told her.
"Larvitar?"
"Yeah. It was a Pokémon I helped back when I first journeyed the world. It had been kidnapped by poachers, and I fought to return it to its mother."
"That's amazing Sora!"
"Hang on. Let me introduce you to him." Turning to his Pokémon, who were playing around in the sand, Sora called, "Larvitar. I want you to meet someone." Larvitar did not hesitate in racing over to Sora. It climbed onto the rock he was sitting on, and rested happily in his lap.
"Larvitar, I want you to meet Rina." He introduced, "She's a mermaid, and a really great friend." Larvitar stared at the new figure, puzzled. When it saw her mermaid tail, Larvitar wondered who this new person was.
"Nice to meet you, Larvitar." Rina greeted cheerfully. But then, Larvitar hardened again.
"Sorry." Sora spoke to make amends, "Larvitar does that sometimes when it meets new people."
"I see." Rina pondered, "Maybe this could help." Taking a deep breath, Rina began to sing.
A twinkle in the night sky, far far away.
A golden star I gaze upon in my dreams.
On a sleepless evening, I sing along.
Tomorrow I'll sing with you. On the wings of a dream.
On a sleepless evening, I sing along.
Tomorrow I'll sing with you. On the wings of a dream.
As Rina finished singing, she noticed Larvitar wasn't hardening anymore. It had actually walked over to her, and was smiling. It motioned to her that it wanted to be picked up, which Rina happily did, and set it down on her lap. Sora was quite surprised. Normally, it took a lot longer for Larvitar to open up to other people. But he was happy Larvitar was being open to Rina.
Just then, a rocking explosion sounded behind them as smoke billowed out from the sparsely wooded area behind them. Acting on instinct, Sora grabbed his staff and stood before the smoke, ready for a fight.
"Who's there?!" he demanded. Then, three figures became visible in the smoke. Two wore black robes with spikes on their shoulders, meaning they were from Tyrannia. The third looked to be a Pokémon, with a gold charm on its forehead.
Prepare for trouble, you guardian knave!
Make it double, what can you save?
To protect the world from devastation.
To unite all people within our nation.
To denounce the evils of truth and love.
To extend our reach to the stars above.
Jessica!
Jameson!
The kingdom of Tyrannia sets off with speed and might!
Surrender now, or prepare to fight!
Meowth, that's right!
Sora growled as the trio finished their little introduction. He had already encountered enough people from Tyrannia to know that these people weren't friendly. But what were they doing here? Did they serve Ragnar?
"No applause for that magnificent performance?" the blue-haired man, Jameson, asked to no one in particular.
"What a bore!" the woman with the long, magenta hair, Jessica, sighed in a bored manner, "Kids today have no sense of artistic flair."
Immediately, Rina tried returning to the sea to hide. But was stopped when a crackly voice shouted, "Don't bother tryin' ta hide from us, twerpette! We knows you're a mermaid already. Ya can't hide tha' from us." That was when they realized that the one talking, other than the two humans,… was Meowth.
"A talking Meowth?!" Sora and Rina exclaimed. Pikachu stood before the Tyrannia goons, sparks coming out of its cheeks. It looked ready to battle, with a fierce gaze in its eyes.
"Pikachu!" It roared angrily.
"Quit yer blatherin'! Your comin' wit us." Creating gestures with their hands, Jessica and Jameson muttered an incantation that sounded dark and ominous. As they did, Pikachu was lifted into the air, and rocketed towards the trio. Then, a dark orb encased it in the air.
"Pikachu!" Sora called.
"What are you doing with Sora's Pikachu?!" Rina demanded.
While Pikachu tried using Thunderbolt to break out of its prison, Jessica explained, "Keep up, fish girl. We know this guardian is battling the Eight Island Chieftains. If he succeeded in beating them all, he would become unstoppable to all others, including our emperor."
"But more than that," Jameson carried on, "His Pikachu is of a rare kind. Bringing it to the emperor, and turning it into the prince's own dark Pokémon would give us the victory to crush the twerp, and his prince, and claim Aurora at long last."
"So we pretty much want to make this guardian a goner!" Meowth concluded, "That's right!"
"You monsters!" Rina growled. Then she tapped her pearl and summoned, "Corsola!" From her pearl came a pink and white-blue Pokémon with coral horns on top of its body. "Rescue Pikachu using Spiked Cannon!" Directing its horns towards the villainous trio, Corsola fired a volley of energy shots.
Calmly, Jessica summoned, "Wobbuffet, Mirror coat!" From her dark Pokéstone, a blue-blob looking Pokémon appeared in front of them. It surrounded itself in a rainbow light, which redirected the attack back at the Corsola.
Reacting quickly, Sora ordered, "Krookodile, counter with Stone Edge!" Putting itself between Corsola and the attack, the crimson alligator Pokémon summoned sharp stones around itself that it fired back to cancel out the countered Spike Cannon. "Now Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" With the leaves on its arms glowing with energy, Sceptile raced over to Wobbuffet and began to bring the attack down on it.
"Counter!" Another shield of light surrounded it, and knocked Sceptile back.
Grunting with frustration, Sora commanded, "Swellow, Aerial Ace!"
"Corsola, Tackle!" Both Swellow and Corsola charged at their opponent, streaking through the air with power.
"Counter Wobbuffet!" And Wobbuffet did just that, negating the attacks and returning the power at twice its normal strength.
"We're not getting anywhere near them!" Sora grimaced.
"That's the point." Jameson spoke confidently.
"As long as Wobbuffet is out, all your attacks will get returned at twice the power." Jessica scoffed, "You cannot win this one, guardian." But Sora wasn't gonna give up that easily. There just had to be a way to defeat this Pokémon, and rescue Pikachu.
Observing from behind him, Larvitar grew frightened that one of his friends was in trouble from three scary people. It reminded him of memories from when he had been held captive by poachers. Growing more fearful by the minute, Larvitar did the one thing it did out of fear: it used Screech. The sudden shriek of sound made everyone grip their ears in pain.
"What's with the whining?!" Jameson shouted.
"Must be da shrimp's Pokémon!" Meowth yelled. Then Sora noticed that Wobbuffet was having a hard time dealing with the loud noise too. And that gave him an idea.
"Krookodile!" he called over the screeching, "Dig under those three and get Pikachu!" Understanding the order, Krookodile hastily burrowed into the ground, and made its way towards Pikachu.
"Froakie! Use your frubbles to keep Wobbuffet busy!" Leaping up, Froakie flung disks of frubbles from its neck and plastered Wobbuffet in sticky stuff. During it all, the spell the human pair were using began to waver. And eventually, the orb disappeared and Pikachu dropped down into Krookodile's hole. When Pikachu reappeared beside Larvitar, the young Pokémon ended its Screech attack. When it did, the three villains gasped at the sabotage Sora did during the Screech.
"You're going to regret that guardian!" Jameson threatened, pulling out his Pokéstone, "Cacnea, use Pin Missile! Weezing, Sludge Bomb!" The lights from it formed to become a small, cactus looking Pokémon, and a purple Pokémon with two heads in the shape of a chemical bond. Cacnea launched its Pin Missile from its arms, and Weezing spewed out Sludge to attack. Just as Sora was about to retaliate, a Hyper Beam intercepted both attacks. The origin was discovered to be Tyranitar, Larvitar's mother, along with Elder Elm, Sketch, and Sora's crew.
"Elder Elm! Sketch! Everyone!" Sora exclaimed in relief. As they arrived, Rina hid herself behind the rock so none of them could spot her, and brought Corsola next to her as well.
"Is everyone alright?" Elder Elm inquired.
Spotting the three Tyrannian goons, Prince Pewter grimaced, "This isn't good."
"What are people from Tyrannia doing here?" Tidus exclaimed.
"Doesn't matter." Yolanda asserted, "We have to help Sora!"
As everyone pulled out their Pokéstones, Jessica shouted, "Oh no you don't!" After shouting an incantation, everyone's stones turned dark. "I've sealed your Pokéstones now. There will be no helping the prince's enemy." She told them. Yolanda growled at not being able to help Sora, but the situation was already well in hand.
Meowth had managed to scratch off most of the frubbles off Wobbuffet, but that left his claws all gunky and made him incapable of removing the frubbles from Wobbuffet's feet, keeping it firmly rooted.
"Forget about winning, guardian." Jessica smirked, "Any attack you send will just be bounced back by Wobbuffet." Just then, Larvitar pulled on Sora's boot, wanting to be put into action. Sora understood, and remembered an attack Larvitar knew that could bypass Wobbuffet's power.
With a confident gaze, Sora called, "Larvitar, Hidden Power!" Then, white orbs of energy encircled Larvitar as it built up energy. Once it was ready, Larvitar shot them all at Wobbuffet.
"Big whoop!" Jessica scoffed, "We'll just send it right back." Wobbuffet used Mirror Coat, But it failed to block the attack and took the hit instead.
"True Wobbuffet can reflect any attack sent at it." Sora elaborated, "But some attacks are harder to predict, and therefore can't be countered. Hidden Power is that kind of a special attack. So you can't deflect it." This revelation shocked the Tyrannian trio, which created just the opening Sora needed.
"Krookodile, use Stone Edge! Sceptile, Bullet Seed! Gible, Draco Meteor! Froakie, Water Pulse! Larvitar, Hidden Power! And Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" So all six Pokémon launched a medley of attacks right at the trio and their Pokémon, blasting them off in a random direction.
"We're not done yet kid!" Jessica threatened.
"We'll be back! And we'll catch that Pikachu yet!" Jameson warned.
"This ain't da end of it!" Meowth finished.
"Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet spoke.
"Looks like Tyrannia's setting sail again!" the trio cried out as they disappeared into the sky.
As Sora smirked at the victory, everyone else came over to him in a hurry.
"Sora, are you alright?" Prince Pewter asked urgently.
"Those three ruffians didn't hurt you, did they?" Yolanda asked with even more urgency, clinging to Sora rather tightly.
"I'm alright." Sora responded, "All my Pokémon helped hold them back."
"What were they trying to do master?" Tidus wondered.
"They were after Pikachu. They think that by stealing it, they could keep me from beating the Chieftains."
"That's horrible!" Yolanda gasped.
With a stern gaze, Prince Pewter suggested, "I'll send word to the emperor of Tyrannia about this immediately. No one is to impede your progress once you've been challenged by the Chieftains."
"That is true." Elder Elm pondered, "I'll inquire with my old master about this too. This isn't right." Just then, Sora realized something.
"Hey guys," he spoke up, "I want to introduce you to someone else who helped me. She even saved me during that tempest in Aurora."
"'She?'" Yolanda and Prince Pewter quizzed skeptically.
"What do you mean master?" Tidus asked.
"Now don't freak out, but I want to introduce you to Ri—" But when Sora turned to introduce Rina, she wasn't there. Even her Corsola was missing. "Where'd she go?" Sora wondered silently.
Ushering Sora along, Cancer figured, "I think Larvitar's Screech might have messed up your thinking a little. Let's go back to town, and get some rest." So everyone started to make their way back to town.
Giggling from the sea, Rina felt relieved to have avoided being spotted by those other humans. She felt she wasn't ready to reveal herself to them just yet. But she thought she may, someday. For now, she dove underwater and swam off for the Aura.
A couple days later, the Aura was fully sea-worthy and ready to set sail. Sora and Pikachu observed as their friends boarded, and Onix were being used to carry cargo onboard. They would be departing soon, setting off for Irk Island and the next Chieftain battle. But before Sora took a step to leave, he heard Larvitar's voice crying out from behind him. As he turned around, he spotted the little tyke racing over to him, and with a mighty leap bounded into his arms.
"Larvitar? What's wrong?" Sora asked.
"I think Larvitar wants to go with you." came Elder Elm.
"Elder?"
"It's alright Sora." Sketch assured, coming up alongside the elder, "Larvitar convinced its mother to let it come along. But to make sure it would be safe, I'm coming along too."
"Really Sketch? That's awesome! It'll be great to have you both onboard."
"Lar!" Larviatar cheered, clambering onto Sora's free shoulder.
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu celebrated.
"One more thing." Elder Elm interjected, "I have a gift from a fellow elder." He then pulled out a dark-blue stone that was similar in size to Charizard's stone. "I was told this stone would work best with your Heracross." He explained, "Think of it as my going away gift."
"Thank you elder." Sora told him. "I'll use it well."
"Well, good luck Sora."
As the ship cast off, everyone waved good-bye to Elder Elm and Silver Island. As they circled the island, they also waved farewell to Larvitar's mother, Tyranitar. And then, the place became nothing more than a dot on the horizon.
Once they were far out to sea, Drake ordered, "Set course for Irk Island."
"Aye aye captain." Kenneth complied.
Sora hung out on the port side, gazing out to sea once more. Very soon, he would be going for his second battle, and his second badge. He was ecstatic. Looking down, he spotted Rina and her sisters in their dinghy fort, talking about what they did at the previous island. Maybe someday, he could show Rina to the others, and help make them feel like a part of his crew. Until then, he had to keep her a secret.
With a smile, Sora told Pikachu and Larvitar, "Hang on." Then he slid down the pulley rope, and landed among his mermaid friends.
"Sorry to drop in unannounced." He apologized.
"It's quite alright." Rina assured.
Noticing the new addition, Kari pointed out, "So that's a Larvitar? Never seen one up close before."
"Well, it is a Rock-type." Sarah reminded, "So they don't normally hang out near water. Still, this one looks kinda cute." But when she tried to approach it, Larvitar hardened up.
"Don't worry." Sora told them, "It just takes some time for Larvitar to get used to new people." Just then, Oshawott appeared from Sora's staff unexpectedly. It quickly noticed the Larvitar on Sora's shoulder, and became fuming mad. Despite Pikachu trying to calm it down, Oshawott Tackled the tyke off, and stood proudly on its new platform. As it got up, Larvitar closed its eyes and hunched over. Sora and Pikachu quickly covered their ears as it unleashed Screech.
And everyone on the ship shouted, "SORA!"
Sora: Rina, be careful. This place seems dangerous.
Rina: You're talking to a mermaid Sora. I'm always- *screams*
Sora: Rina! You've been poisoned! Please hang on!
Rina: *labored breathing* So… ra…
Sora: RINA!
Next time,
Poisoned Woods