Disclaimer: I own neither Pokémon nor its characters

Chapter 27: island hopping

Breakfast was already served when I got up, and we ate quickly, then left.

"Ok, we're going to fly to Vermillion city while you wait for Bill, we should get there before or around the same time you do" Red said, letting out his Charizard

"Ok, see you soon" I said as they flew off.

After a bit, Bill came on his speed boat "good morning Alex" he said "the Tri-passes are at the dock, the person there will know who it's for"

"Great, let's get going then" I said. We got on the boat and sped off.

If you've ever rode in a speed boat then you know exactly how it feels. For those of you who don't, it's really fun…if you like going fast, that is. We got to the island and I hopped out. I could see the others were already there.

"Here's one island" Bill said.

It wasn't all that I thought it would be, but it was still pretty impressive. "So, what did you need help with?" I asked

"We'll get to that, I want you to meet someone first" Bill said, heading towards the Pokémon center.

Unlike the other Pokémon centers, this one had a large machine off to the side. Near the machine, seeming to work on it, there was a man in a lab coat. "Hi Ceil!" Bill said.

The man jumped, nearly knocking down several of his tools "how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that!" Ceil said

"Sorry, I just wanted to introduce you to someone" Bill said "this is Alex, he's here to help us"

Ceil looked at me, then back at Bill "I don't need his help, I need yours" he said

"You do?" Bill asked "oh, in that case" he turned to me "here, I need this delivered to two islands" he gave me a Meteorite

"Thanks, but how am I supposed to get there?" I asked

"Here, I have an extra" Ceil said, giving me a Tri-pass "your friends are already there, so you just have to take the ferry"

"Thanks, I'll be back soon" I said, running out.

Taking the ferry, I arrived at Two Island, and was almost knocked over "I missed you so much Alex!" she said.

I saw Leaf roll her eyes "she's done this to everyone who's come off a ferry" she said

"I think it's sweet" a girl said

"Who is that?" I asked

"This is Sarah, she knows everything there is to know about these islands" Red replied

"Your friend there nearly startled me into a Pokémon battle" Sarah said "but I figured I'd see if she was overreacting"

"Well, regardless, I have something I need to deliver" I said, showing the Meteorite

"Oh! I know who that belongs to!" Sarah said "follow me!" she ran off towards what looked like a Game corner, though it wasn't nearly as sinister looking as the one in Celadon city. There was a couple of people in there, most of which were working on machines

"Oh, that poor girl!" someone said

"I really hope she's ok" a man in a suit said

"Hope who is ok?" I asked

The man looked at me "my daughter, Lostelle" He said "she disappeared when someone took her to Three Island…I can't focus on getting this place running until I know she's safe"

"We'd be happy to help!" Sarah said, before any of us could reply. I had serious doubts about this girl, but I decided to shrug it off.

"Really?" the man said "some say she wondered into Berry forest…it's a dangerous place, are you sure you want to go?"

"Don't worry about it" Leaf said "we'll go find her right now" she immediately started walking off, leaving us to follow.

"Thank you so much!" the man called behind us as we left.

Leaf glared at Sarah "ok, we barely know you and you just made a commitment we might not be able to keep" she said

"I'm really sorry!" Sarah said "I hate seeing people sad like that!"

"Its fine…how are you at battling?" I asked

She looked at me "you want to find out?" she asked, reaching for a poke ball

"No, I don't want to battle right now" I said

"Ok, good. I don't want to battle either" she said, putting her hand back at her side. This girl was really hard to figure out.

"Anyways, we're going to Three Island, right?" Zain asked

"We sure are" Sarah said. We got on the ferry and got to Three Island port quickly. We saw two bikers who were talking to a woman, but decided not to mess with them.

"Ok, let's go get Lostelle" Leaf said. We moved to the city, and found a group of bikers blocking the way.

"Hey! This is a path, not a meeting ground!" Sarah said, annoyance obvious in her voice.

The bikers turned to her, and one of them spoke up "we can do what we want, and we won't let a little girl like you get in our way" he said

Leaf, Zain, and Red stepped forward "you and Aqua can set up preparations with Nurse Joy, we can handle these guys" Red told me.

I immediately pulled Aqua into the Pokémon center, not bothering to see the others send out their Pokémon "you're just going to let them fight the battle?" Aqua asked

"Look, they can handle themselves, we need to rest" I said. Before she could reply, I went up to Nurse Joy "good evening" I said

Nurse Joy looked up at me "oh, welcome to the Pokémon center…are you Alex by any chance?" she said

"I sure am" I said

"Great! Your rooms are already ready, and I put an extra one for any guest you might have" she said

"Thanks" I said, walking off down the hall.

The others came back victorious, and we had dinner. Shortly after dinner, I went to bed, thinking about what might be so dangerous about Berry Forest.

Yay! Another chapter done! If anyone is wondering, I will be catching Moltres soon, but not right now. Remember: I love criticism, reviews encourage me, and I'm open to input. Bye for now!