Mizuki rented out three bikes for them to use to cross the Cycling Bridge. During their ride across the ten mile bridge Mizuki and Taiichi passed the time by telling Ayame a few stories of their adventures when they were younger, both together and on their own. Ayame just listened to them tell their tales uninterrupted. In truth she was enjoying listening to the different adventures they went through and was now thinking of what she really wanted, or needed, to feel alive.
They stopped at one of the vending machines to grab snacks, this time Taiichi was the one paying for them. They looked out to the water below them as a ship was traveling below. "This is going to be interesting. It's been a while since I've traveled by boat."
"My career has gotten me a few free boat rides for shots and things. Usually surrounded by celebrities or the film crew. If we're lucky it won't be Roxie's dad ferrying us."
"Who?"
Mizuki continued to watch the boat as it traveled out to sea, "He's a bit of a strange guy. He wants to get into the movie biz, but…"
"But Mr. Gold doesn't have the heart to tell him otherwise?"
Mizuki leaned forward, "It's just…his films are awful. I don't like bashing on people, especially since his daughter, Roxie, is Virbank's Gym Leader though even she agrees that he's horrible. Some people were never meant to do certain things."
"Like me on a unicycle." Ayame and Mizuki turned to Taiichi, uncertain what to say to that. "That came out wrong. Guess I'm leaving the slap shtick to Lombre."
Mizuki started laughing now realizing what he was doing. "No, he's far worse. This one attempt, well the only attempt I saw, he was playing the role of the hero in the Brycen-Man series, the first one in the series. Well he started off decently, could have used something better than, 'It's not nice to do bad things!' for his call out against Brycen. And then actually getting beaten up, rather painfully, by Vullaby. I couldn't stick around long enough to see what the announcer said after his defeat."
"Harsh."
"That's exactly what happened. He's made a few other attempts, again none of which I have seen or want to see, and I really don't want to hurt the guy's feelings. He really wants his foot in on acting. Another problem we have is that he's the main ferry between Virbank and Castelia City."
Ayame turned to her, "As said before, some people were never meant to do certain things, myself included."
"Modest. If the old you said that I might not have believed you." Mizuki now felt bad for even saying that. She then tossed the empty can into the bin, "Say Ayame, do you have any expectations or hopes for what your home might look or be like?"
"Honestly I have no idea. The vague glances of my own home would suggest something akin to a small village, though we had other commodities one would expect to find from living in a city."
Taiichi threw the empty chip bag away now, "You make it sound like you've never lived in either."
"The Fuchsia Gym has been the only dwelling I've ever lived in, or the only one that I could remember that wasn't part of a mission."
Taiichi got back on the bike, "Hey when we find your hometown, why don't we take a tour of the place. I'm sure they'll be plenty of things you'll remember once you start walking around. I'm kinda curious myself what a real ninja village is like."
"I could only imagine myself. I'm more concerned about the reception we receive and any of Koga's people who might still be watching over them." Ayame then paused once she was back on her bike, "I know what the two of you are doing. And I appreciate it. But I'll be fine. I just need time."
The wait for the others at Sunny Town was rather dull except for passing a bike gang, on bicycles, though nothing dramatic came of it like the other gang. Mizuki tried to take Ayame out to a few stores, though she really didn't find anything that caught her eye. She figured this would happen, telling Ayame not to worry about it and that she'll find what she likes in time.
Once the others had arrived the day when the ship was supposed to arrive, Ayame and them scouted the docks, watching for ships that were coming. Takashi was the first to spot the ship. Adequate size for the number of people they had, and it should have more than enough supplies for the trip there. He found Mizuki and pointed her to the ship, "Is that the one?"
"I think so. And it looks like it might be Captain Scott. He's a good captain and sailor. He even taught me a few things about tying knots too. He can be a bit strange at times though. This trip should be a good one."
They carefully followed the ship as it moored to the dock and the captain stepped off to greet them. "Ahoy lass! Mr. Gold sends his regards."
"Captain Scott, good to see you again. How's the crew?"
"Fit as a fiddle and ready for the voyage. I was told we'd be carrying over twenty people tae Hoenn. Where's the rest of this group?"
"Already aboard, captain."
Scott quickly looked back to find more than a dozen people on the deck. "Hou'd…?"
"They do this kind of thing all of the time." Mizuki stepped into view, "They're…"
"Performers of a unique calling," Taiichi called out.
Scott turned to Takashi with uncertainty, though he quickly smiled, "Oh I got ya. Ye're one of them traveling performance troupes, right?"
"Ye-yeah, that's it!" Mizuki halfheartedly chucked, "They're a small tightknit group that I met while traveling around Kanto. They…uh…wanted to explore new lands beyond Joto and Kanto, so I figured Hoenn could be what they're looking for."
Scott just gave her a smile, "Mr. Gold's already asked me tae dae this, and I ain't one tae drop a request. So hop aboard and let's set sail."
Ayame has been spending most of her time just watching and listening to everyone; the expectations and imaginations of her peers as well as Mizuki's stories of her time in her home region. Though Mizuki couldn't think of where this village might be hiding given the number of forests on the main island and a few of the smaller one that also contained modest sized forest that could potentially hide them, but given how well Koga's people were able to just appear out of nowhere she didn't want to underestimate their ability to hide from the rest of the world.
On the first night Ayame was just standing out on deck, watching the waves and the occasional breach from a school of Mantyke and Mantine. Taiichi stumbled out, slightly seasick from being inside for so long, and the eating contest the crew had wasn't helping either. "Ayame? Are you alright?"
She looked back to him, something of a smile was on her face, though she was still getting use to the feeling herself. "I'm fine. Our training has prepared us to deal with motion sickness of all kinds."
Taiichi get to the railing and spotted the Pokémon traveling alongside them now, "Looks like we've got an escort until we leave the Johto region's sea. All of those Mantyke and Mantine bow-riding, we might have an entire school here."
He looked excited by the sight. "Does this happen often?"
"Only when the waves are powerful enough to carry these guys, but usually only in small numbers or when they want to get somewhere in a hurry and a large boat happened to be going their way. I've never seen a group this large personally. At least, not with a ship this size."
Ayame looked back to the school below them, "I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, though back then I didn't really see the question as much of a priority."
Taiichi looked up to her, "Ask away."
"What is the point of your journey? You told me when we reached Pewter City that you were more interested in a museum exhibit than having a Gym battle."
Taiichi couldn't help but look at her with an odd look on his face, "That's what's been bothering you?" He still couldn't read her expressions, even with her lightened mood, though he didn't want to seem insulting. He looked back over the railing to the Mantine, "Well, honestly I'm on this journey just cause. To be a Pokémon Master, to catch them all, that really never appealed to me. Besides, have you seen the number of Pokémon there are in our world? The last count I saw was over 700, not including rumors and legends mind you and there are probably even more that we still haven't encountered hiding in our world or beyond."
Ayame could see the wonder and joy in Taiichi's voice and face as he was now gazing up to the stars. Ayame was now looking up herself, "Thank you for your answer."
"No problem." Taiichi pushed off the railing and turned back to the door he came out of, "Don't stay out too late. You might catch a cold if you aren't careful."
Another night on the deck, Mizuki found Ayame looking up to the stars. "So, remember anything else?"
"Not really. Just the nights I'd spend looking to the stars trying to learn my place. Not unlike now, though I had a defined answer then. Now…"
Mizuki was now next to her, leaning against the guard rail, "I told you, you'll find all the answers you need. You just need to know where to search and sometimes who to search with. With that Takashi guy, the others, and an entire village waiting, I have no worries and neither should you."
"And what about you, Miss Movie Star? You seemed pretty set with your career as an actress. Why are you here, besides keeping your promise to Taiichi?"
Mizuki looked to the sea below, "I thought we went over this back in Celadon?"
Ayame leaned forward, "I remember. I was just curious if there was more to it than your feelings for him." She then looked to Mizuki, allowing her to avoid her prior question, "Do you really believe I can find the answers I seek?"
"Absolutely! And like I said before, we're going to have a girl's day of our own and go on a shopping spree. We can have Tai, Druddigon, Wartortle, Marshtomp and Kangaskhan carry all of our purchases. And with my account, there should be no worries about what you can get."
"So what about you and him? Will you tell him how you feel?"
"I will. But right now isn't the time. Besides, it wouldn't be right to make him go through any more worrying until this thing with Team Rocket blows over. Not to mention getting you guys back home to Hoenn."
Ayame pushed back, "Thank you."
Mizuki smiled, "You know, when we first meet, I would have never imagined the two of us like this."
"Neither did I. The way your Mawile and Purrloin interact with one another reminds me of how we were not too long ago."
"Yeah, you're kinda like Purrloin and I was a bit like Mawile." The two of them laughed a bit together before gazing back up to the stars. "You know, I'm actually going to miss you when you leave us."
"Yeah…"
The next night Takashi was out and found Ayame alone on the deck. "La…Ayame. Why are you out here?"
"I'm just thinking. Will we be welcomed or shunned? Resentment over our survival over the adults, or…"
"No one will be like that. We were forcefully removed from the village, taken against our will. There will be no resentment. I'm certain."
Ayame pulled out one of her Poké Balls, "I'm not as certain. I remember capturing Shedinja and the faces of the people below. They looked devastated."
"That was Koga's fault, not yours! With you and Shedinja at his fingertips, he assured that no one from the village could oppose him without losing you both. You are the daughter of our clan leader, and Shedinja has been with our village since its foundation. We couldn't risk endangering either. That's what my father told me before he was lost to us. He always said to watch over you however we could and no matter how you were or how angry you seemed, to ensure your safety. Everyone will be relieved to see you again and to know they are no longer under Koga's thumb." Ayame didn't seem as confident. Her change hasn't gone unnoticed, though he was hesitant to touch her, "Fear not. We are a few days away from Slateport City. And we will find our home."
The night before they were to reach Slateport City, Ayame was out again looking to both the stars and waves. Instead of someone she knew, this time the captain of the ship walked up to her. "Captain."
"Ahoy lass. I've noticed you speaking with a few others here. I thought I'd throw in my two cents too." Scott was looked out to the ocean, "Now I don't know what they may have told you, and it's none of my business to pray into it. But I hae seen that look before, and I know what it means. Ye're conflicted about somethin'. Somethin' ye done, or about tae dae. Now ye listen tae this salty ol' sea dog, though it might sound cliché when I tell ye tae listen tae ye're gut." Ayame didn't say a word, she simply listened to Scott as he continued, "It may not look it, but when the lass was a wee lass, she had some troubles of her own. She felt bad about somethin' that she did back then, somethin' she had regrets aboot. Just like ye, I didna ask about any details, and assured her that she needed tae move on from that and tae nae let it bother her anymore. It seems tae have worked, as the lass is as pepper as ever. So whatever is botherin' ye, dinnae let it. Ye got a great mony friends, and I'm certain each one will support ye however needed."
Ayame looked to the sea to find a pod of Wailmer now swimming with them, "Thank you captain. I think that was what I needed to make my final decision."
Scott tipped his cap, "Dinnae mention it, lass. In truth, that conflicted looked ye had, liked mine when I first stairtit out as captain of my first boat. It took me a good mony years before I stairtited listenin' to my gut. Now get some shut eye. We'll be dockin' soon enough. We wadna want ye tired before leavin' now wad we?"
After they docked at the port city, the ship's crew was getting new supplies and preparing for the return trip while most of their passengers prepared to leave. Ayame though wasn't ready. "Ayame, where are your things?"
"I've finally made up my mind. I will return to the village, but not until I learn more about myself and what it means to be me. I'm confident that when next we meet you'll have found our home and I'll be ready to face them. But until then I will continue traveling with Taiichi and Mizuki."
Many, including Taiichi and Mizuki were concerned with Ayame's declaration, uncertain how to respond to it. Takashi though was smiling, "If that is what you feel is best. We'll find our home, and when you feel ready to return, we'll be waiting."
Ayame bowed to him, "Thank you for indulging this selfish request." She then presented one of the blades she had with her, the blade with the engravings of Latios and Latias, handing it to Takashi, "I feel like you'll need this."
"For protection?"
"Yes and no," Ayame didn't know how she knew honestly, she just felt like she knew, "You won't need to unsheathe it, but you will need it, or at least the handle, out in plain sight. I feel like it will be a beacon for your safe passage."
Takashi took the blade and placed it into his pack, ensure the handle was sticking out, "We'll protect this blade with our lives and find the village."
"I have complete confidence in you all." Ayame now turned to Taiichi and Mizuki, "Well, shouldn't we be heading back to Kanto for his seventh Badge?"
"Yeah. Once Scott and his crew restock we'll be leaving. So we've got a bit of time."
Taiichi looked around, "And since we have time, I'd like to visit the Oceanic Museum here before we go back."
A/N: I'll poke more fun at Roxie's dad later, but for now Ayame has her own goal to achieve. Now hopefully things might be turning for the better for this trio.
