Chapter 28: Two days

With a millenary artifact sitting on my bag, I walked down Mount Pyre, trying to go back to Fortree City. I moved very slowly, putting a lot of care into everything I did just in case the red orb broke. At that moment, I truly felt a heavy burden upon my shoulders. Now it wasn't only the fact that I had to chase Team Aqua, I also had to retrieve a legendary object to take it back to the place where it belonged, along with another object that was sitting in my bag.

The way down Mount Pyre was really tedious. I walked almost like someone who is stepping on hot coal. With all these steps, I was afraid that the red orb would break. It wasn't that frail, I can't say what it's made of but it looks pretty resistant. It's only that at the moment I felt very overwhelmed by the kind of responsibility I just acquired.

But finally, I made it back to Route 122! I used the occasion to fly with Hershey for the first time. The trip was very short, but it was totally worth! I didn't fly on a pokémon since the day I rode on Latios along with Steven. Ah, I wondered how he was doing although I already saw him a while ago.

Hershey stopped right in front of the pokémon center, which was very convenient since I was going there to heal my pokémon and rest for a while. Although I wanted to arrive to Slateport as soon as possible, I knew that I had enough time before Team Aqua arrived. I also had to warn the staff of Slateport's harbor so they could be ready for the villainous onset.

Once the nurse was done healing up my pokémon, I sat at one of the couches and I grabbed a bottle of orange juice from my bag. When I opened it, I couldn't avoid taking a look at the red orb. It's shiny and it has an omega symbol on it. The orb also reminds me of the interior of volcanoes. I heard all the legends surrounding the red orb; it was used to control Groudon's power, just like the blue orb was used to control Kyogre's power. That's why the fact that Team Aqua had the blue orb on their power was so dangerous.

I remember that after finishing the juice I almost fell asleep in the couch. Actually, I think I did fell asleep.

"Hey, are you alright?" It was the nurse. She talked to me in a soft tone.

"Yes, I'm just a bit tired."

"Just a bit tired? I think you should go to one of the rooms and rest a bit." She said without abandoning her calm voice tone.

Maybe she was right; the battles against Josh, Winona and Matt left me kinda tired. Following her advice, I headed towards one of the rooms. I took my shoes off and I laid on the bed. And indeed, I fell asleep almost immediately.

When I woke up, four hours had passed by. I felt much better and eager to resume my journey. The sun was still out, so I flew with Hershey towards Slateport City with no problem. This time, the trip was longer and much more enjoyable. The sight was breathtaking: I could see practically the whole region on its entirety. Seen from above, you realize it's even larger than you could ever imagine! We also came across a couple of flocks of pokémon such as Swablu or Wingull. Hershey insisted in battling them, which was really interesting. I never had an airborne battle!

Finally, we landed on Slateport City. The place seemed very peaceful. The scent of the waves inundated the place. People walked here and there, some were exiting the market while others entered the Contest Hall. It was a totally normal day, nobody knew that within two days the members of an extremist organization would come and steal a submarine…

I had to go to Slateport's harbor to inform them about what Team Aqua had planned. Maybe they would be able to stop them and ruin their plans for once and for all! They only needed to be a bit understanding. It was very important that they knew it; the people at the harbor had to be ready for anything. Some Team Aqua members wouldn't hesitate to use violence!

I arrived in five minutes. When I entered the place, there was a small group of people working in what I presumed it was the submarine Team Aqua was going after. Before I could walk further into the building, a receptionist stopped me.

"Hi! Can I help you?"

"Yes, I was looking for Captain Stern." I said as I tried to look calm.

"I'm afraid that you won't find him today. He's out of the city, but he will be back in two days." The blonde woman announced.

"Really? Two days?" That was a great problem…

"Yes, two days. Do you want me to give him a message?"

"I… I don't know. What I have to say is very important. But I guess you'll understand." I responded after sighing with mild frustration. "Within two days, an organization called Team Aqua will come here to steal the submarine you are working on. They want it in order to reach the place where Kyogre sleeps. If they succeed, it will be a disaster: torrential rains, massive floods, you name it. So please, pay attention and be ready to fight them."

The receptionist stared at me for a few seconds and then bursted into laughter.

"So you say there is someone wanting to wake up Kyogre, and that they will come here to steal OUR submarine?" Clearly, she thought I was joking.

"Yes, and I'm totally serious." I answered trying to hide my incipient anger. I don't like when people laugh at me like that when I'm being dead serious!

"But if I'm not wrong, some guys of that so called organization came here some time ago and someone defeated them and then they left. Why would they be back now?"

"Because they are strong and they won't stop until they achieve their goal." I declared as I looked her right into her eyes.

"Come on, stop this joke, I have a job to do." That woman was being way too rude. I was starting to feel very annoyed.

"But you have to believe me! The whole word is at stake!" I claimed desperately.

"SECURITY!" The receptionist called as she gave me a nasty look. I left the building before someone came to kick me out.

I felt very frustrated at that moment. I went there to warn them about something very serious and that darn receptionist didn't believe me. Well, she wasn't obliged to believe me, but what I told her was too important to brush it off like a mere joke, like she did. I was raging inside and sadly, I took it out in a totally innocent person.

"Excuse me, would you like to try out our…?" The man couldn't finish his sentence.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M INTERESTED IN YOU NONSENSE?" I yelled at him like I never did before. He looked at me with a scared expression. I negatively surprised myself. "I'm very sorry." I apologized before running towards the local hostel, the same hostel where I stayed the first time I went to Slateport City.

Once I paid for my room and I entered it, I threw my bag to the floor and I sat on the bed, staring at the plain white wall. I was feeling somewhat depressed and really stressed. Since the staff of the harbor wasn't going to be ready, the responsibility of fighting Team Aqua laid upon my shoulders once more. I didn't know if I would be capable to fight them but, if I could defeat them so many times, why wouldn't I do it again? It wasn't time to give up! Thinking about that made me feel a bit better, but I was still pretty worried.

That night, I went to the beach and I left all of my pokémon (yes, including Alyx) out of their pokéballs. I thought that hanging out with them would make me feel much better, and I wasn't wrong! Berry did everything to try to entertain me, from performing a little ballet choreography (she still has the moves!) to playing a little prank on Trevor using her psychic powers. It was really amusing!

"What would I do without you, guys?" I muttered lowly.

Venus coiled softly around me, which was very comfortable. She is better than a hammock! The breeze also helped me to relax. At the end, I wasn't that nervous and that night, when I went to bed, I had a restful sleep. That day was very intense; I fought against my rival, I came across the man I love, I won my sixth gym badge and I was entrusted with a legendary object. I really needed to sleep and relax!

The next day, I woke up at ten o'clock. As soon as I finished my breakfast, I headed towards Route 110 in order to train with my pokémon before the imminent battle against Team Aqua. If the people at Slateport harbor weren't going to get ready, I would make sure to get ready myself! The pokémon at Route 110 were a bit weak for my pokémon, but it was something.

After a training session that lasted half an hour more or less, I gave my pokémon a deserved rest by taking them to the pokémon center. Then, I went to the Contest Hall. Instead of a contest, that day they were showing a documentary about the history of pokémon contests in the Hoenn region. Apparently, these kinds of events are very popular in Sinnoh and they are starting to become a trend in Kalos as well. Of course, the film featured Lisia. She's a much loved celebrity in Hoenn! I still remember the day she paid a ticket for me so I could go to a contest they were holding in that same place.

When the film ended, I went to the market. I bought a little bottle of vitamins for the guys. The shopkeeper told me that I only needed to put a few drops into their food and serve as always. If that was going to make them healthier and stronger, of course I was going to buy it! In fact, I have in my bag a couple of little bottles of vitamins. They work just great.

That day, I also took advantage of my newly acquired ability of flying with Hershey to almost anywhere to go to Mauville City. And, guess what I went to do there? Yes, I went to the cafeteria and I had a couple of Mauville ramen bowls. That day I felt particularly self indulgent, huehuehue! Of course, I also prepared something special for my pokémon. I did a berry salad using the preferred kind of berry of each one of them. Their reaction was priceless!

I was having a great day so far. I didn't forget about the upcoming threat, but I think I deserved to feel happy and relaxed. You can be eternally worried and upset! I already knew that I would have an important fight within a day! I didn't need to make myself feel worse. And of course, I didn't want my pokémon to see me so distressed. If I was nervous, they would be nervous too. And that wouldn't be good when fighting!

The next day, which was the day before Team Aqua arrived to the city, I spent it mostly training with my team and wandering around the city, but mostly the market. Slateport City's market was a special place: it's the place where I saved Venus from her abusive trainer. I wonder what he would say if he saw her now… Maybe he would regret treating her like that. But a man like that doesn't deserve such a good pokémon.

And Slateport's market is also the place where Steven saved me during that panic attack. It was very nice from him… that's another reason why I like him so much. Steven is very caring, and that is a quality I appreciate a lot.

I would have never guessed that I would have to return to Slateport City in a circumstance like that. Even after a day, the way the receptionist of Slateport's harbor treated me still made me angry. What would they do when Team Aqua takes their submarine away? Will the rude receptionist call security too? Heh, I doubt a group of security guards would have been enough to stop those Team Aqua guys.

That night I drank a cup of linden blossom tea before going to sleep, I knew I would need it. I set the alarm to go off at nine o'clock in the morning. I wanted to wake up early and make sure I would be there before Archie and his team arrived. I felt like someone who was getting ready to meet with a terrible fate. I wasn't extremely stressed, but I felt really uneasy.

Surprisingly, I slept really well. I had no nightmares and I didn't wake up at any moment of the night. Maybe the tea I drank had something to do with it.

The next day arrived and I was awakened why the continuous ringing of the alarm clock. Also, the sunrays impacted right on my face. I turned off the alarm and I stayed on bed for a couple of minutes. Then I went straight to the hostel's cafeteria and I had my breakfast. Toasts with strawberry jam and a glass of orange juice, just like at home. To be honest, having the same breakfast than in my house helped me to calm down a bit.

After finishing with the meal, I approached the harbor. No one was there, it was half past nine. I walked around for a while, but no one appeared. After that, I headed towards the nearby beach and I trained with my pokémon for a little while. I even allowed Venus to swim a bit, but by herself, without having to carry me. After about half an hour, I went back to the harbor. No one was there yet.

I was starting to feel very nervous. Would they reach Slateport City that day? Was that just a bluff? Where they trying to fool me? Team Aqua could have been capable of doing all that, knowing how passionate they were about their goal! But no, nothing of that happened.

I went to the market once again, hoping that walking around the place would calm me down a bit. And after a while, I heard a short conversation between two very excited women.

"Oh my Arceus, there are television cameras on the harbor!" One of them said while flailing her arms in excitement.

"Wow, we must go and see!" The other woman responded equally delighted. Shortly after they left, I headed towards the harbor too.

Indeed, there was a group of journalists filming and interviewing Captain Stern. So far, it didn't look like Team Aqua was there, but they might take advantage of the crowd to go unnoticed.

"This is about to begin…" I said to myself. And, as I confirmed shortly after, I wasn't wrong…