As I was writing this chapter, I realized that it's an awful lot like the first Pokémon movie. What with the letter and a ship leaving for an island. Sorry about that. It wasn't intentional.

The Dragonair

Ben and I headed down to the docks on the appointed day. There was a beautiful ship moored at one of the docks. She had a design of a Dragonair painted along her hull. Bubbles and whirls of water were swirled around the painted Dragonair. It wasn't really huge like a yacht, but it was plenty large to fit a few dozen people. The fitting title The Dragonair was written in ornate writing on the ship's hull.

"I guess that's the boat we're waiting for?" Ben asked.

"I suppose."

We were a bit early, but soon enough, the dock was filling with Pokémon trainers. By 9:00, there were about 30 of us. But I didn't see anyone I recognized. No Amber or Josh.

As the clock tower struck nine, a man cane into view on the dock of the boat. Everyone turned to look at him. It was Jed Anders.

He stepped on the ramp connecting the boat to the dock and strode down towards us, stopping at the head of the ramp.

"Good morning," he said, raising a hand in greeting. "My name is Jed Anders. I'm very pleased that so many of you got my message and decided to join in on the competition. Since it's now 9:00, hopefully all are present who want to take part. If anyone's late, they'll have a few minutes more to arrive. In the meantime, welcome to my ship, The Dragonair. So, come on up and we'll set off! Show your invitations to the man up at the top of the ramp."

He stepped to the side, freeing up the ramp. The people nearest the ship began to board, murmuring excitedly.

Ben and I waited behind as everyone else climbed the ramp. Jed was still on the dock and we wanted to ask him a question.

Once most of the contestants were on board, Ben and I approached Jed Anders.

He turned with a smile.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

"Oh, my name's Cara," I said uncertainly.

"Oh, you're the new winner of the Pokémon League, am I right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But this is my friend Ben. He didn't get an invite, but I was wondering if he can come anyway."

"Sure," said Jed, laughing. "You're welcome to come along, though I'm afraid you can't take part in the competition."

Ben shrugged. "I don't mind. I wouldn't win anyway."

"Are you a Pokémon trainer too?" Jed asked with interest.

Ben nodded. "I guess."

"Oh, I said as an afterthought, "did you invite anyone names Josh or Amber?"

Jed paused and thought for a minute. "I don't recognize the name Amber, but I remember a Josh."

"He got second place in the Pokémon League," Ben said helpfully.

"Oh, yes! I did invite him. I believe he said he was unable to attend."

"Oh. What about Amber? She got third place," I added.

"Hmm. I didn't think to invite her. Is she a friend of yours?"

I nodded.

"Oh, well, I apologize. I'm sure she would have done well, but we arrived at our limit of passengers. However, I think your friend…"

"Ben."

"Yes, Ben, I'm sure you won't make our ship sink." He smiled at the jest.

Ben gave a small smile in return. "I hope not, sir."

"Of course. Ah, I believe we are the last ones left."

Indeed, the dock was deserted. Ben and I stepped onto the ramp and Jed followed us.

Jed's actions were very formal and polite. He definitely acted as though eh was well brought-up, though he didn't dress too extravagantly. And he didn't act stuck-up either.

I showed my invitation to the man on the dock, but when Ben failed to produce one, Jed stepped up and said the the sailor, "he may board."

The man nodded. With the last of us on board, he stepped into the cabin of the ship to get ready to set sail.

Jed stepped onto a small platform and all of the competitors eagerly clustered around to hear what he had to say. I scanned toe crowd. Most of the others were older than us. They all looked excited as Jed began to speak.

"So, I'm sure you're all wondering where we're headed to, what the contest includes, and, of course, what the prize is. So, let me start to explain. First of all, we're headed to an island that my family owns. It's rather far from the mainland, so all of you will be provided with meals and a place to sleep for as long as you're taking part in the contest. This island, Avalon by name, is going to be the grounds for a very large scavenger hunt. Simply put, the first person to find the object of the hunt and bring it back wins.

"Avalon is full of wild Pokémon which are very strong. Your object is to bring back the Pokémon that is known as 'The King of the Island.' Though I want to impress this upon you now. The King of the Island, though I want you to bring it to me, I don't want you to keep it, nor do I want to keep it myself. It will be allowed to return to the island. Except for one building, Avalon's ecology is untouched. I would prefer to keep it that way. So, during your search, don't damage any habitats or harm any wild Pokémon.

"And regarding other competitors, none of you may attack each other. If you have a disagreement, you can battle each other to decide who moves on and who turns back. And no working in pairs. Everyone is on their own this time. Any questions?"

This was obviously a baited question. He'd left several important points out.

"What's the prize!" someone shouted.

Jed smiled. "That is only for the victor to know."

There was a murmur from the audience.

Someone raised her hand. Jed nodded to her.

"What sort of Pokémon is the King?"

"Part of the competition is to figure that out on your own. But I will tell you this. When you find The King of the Island, you will know. It won't be something obscure such as an Oddish or Goldeen."

"Do we have to catch it in a Pokéball?" I asked. "Or can we bring it back in a different way?"

"That is up to you," Jed said, "but remember that you're not allowed to keep the King."

He glanced around and when no one else spoke up, he concluded, "very well then. You're free to explore the ship. We won't arrive at Avalon for a few more hours. Not until after lunchtime, so we'll ring the bell when lunch is served. Thank you all. I hope you all put on a great show!"

"So, "I muttered to Ben as the others dispersed around the ship, "he's doing this because he wants to see tough Pokémon trainers in action. Will he have cameras following us around?"

"If he does," Ben said wistfully, "I want to take a look at them. His gear must be really high-tech."

I sighed and turned away. There he goes again.

I went to the railing along the edge of the ship (called a gunnel) and looked back at Vermillion City as it slowly sank away into the distance.

With good reason, I was a bit paranoid. It was a strange situation. But something told me that Jed was not a bad person. Mainly because he said he wanted to keep the King free. So he wasn't just trying to catch this powerful Pokémon for himself. I wondered, since he liked Pokémon trainers enough to finance this strange competition and offer some prize, did he have a Pokémon of his own?

The crowd was dispersing. Some people went indoors and others spread out across the deck. It was warm out, so no one was chased away by a frigid ocean breeze. But once the announcement was made that there were snacks below deck, most everyone swarmed inside. Ben and I waited up top for the feeding frenzy to dissipate.

"So," said a voice. Ben and I turned to see Jed standing behind us.

"You're the new winner of the Pokémon League?" He said, looking at me.

"Oh, that's right."

"How about you?" he said, turning to Ben.

"Oh, I was in the Pokémon League. But I lost in the second half. I like Pokémon, but honestly I think I'm better with electronics."

"Oh, a mechanic, huh?" Jed said with interest. "My cousin is a mechanic. He helped design the machinery of the Pokédex."

"Really?" Ben said with fascination. "That's amazing. The Pokédex sure it helpful for trainers. But…" he paused for a moment, then forged ahead, "Honestly, there are some features that it could have to make things easier on trainers."

"Indeed?" Jed replied. "I suppose as traveling trainers, you'd know what would be helpful on your journeys. I should introduce you to my cousin. You can tell him what you have in mind."

He paused for a moment. "Actually, I watched both of you compete in the Pokémon League. I make a point of going there most years. I haven't gone to every league, but I did go to this last one. If you don't mind my asking, Cara, how is it that you rarely speak during your battles?"

I tensed slightly. Not many people knew about my weak telepathy. Not that it was any big important secret, but… I guess it was my trump card.

"Oh…" I quickly flew through ideas of what to say.

"Have you practiced enough that your Pokémon figure out what to do on their own?" Jed asked, interested. "Or perhaps you give non-verbal cues. Such as dressage riders who ride Pokémon through patterns without visibly moving or giving instruction."

"I guess you could say that," I agreed slowly. I mean, I was giving cues without moving… "It's hard to explain," I finished lamely.

Jed shrugged "Fair enough. I've never actually taken part in a Pokémon battle, so I don't know much about them."

"You don't have a Pokémon?" I asked.

Jed shook his head. "No. I've been fascinated with them since I was young. I wanted to go on a Pokémon journey when I was old enough, but my family decided that I would fare better… under different circumstances. They thought it better to distance me from Pokémon. Not that that stopped me from reading about them and watching the Pokémon League on TV. So, now that I am fairly independent, I am happy to finally see these things first hand."

"Why don't you get a Pokémon now?" I persisted.

Jed sighed and turned away. "I… don't know what I would do with one."

I opened my mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. So my mouth hung open for a while until Ben shot me a curious glance and I shut it again. "Anyway," Jed said, standing up again, "sorry for troubling you. Good luck to you, Cara."

"Thanks."

Jed turned and strode away.

I wondered if I'd upset him with talk about a childhood where he was refused the thing he loved.

My mind wandered back to my family. Mom and Dad loved Pokémon, with each of them owning a Pokémon of their own. They knew that I loved Pokémon too, and they never argued with me about going out to start my journey. But I wondered, how often did they worry about me? After living in that house for ten years, for me to suddenly leave on my own, only to visit occasionally?

And they'd be right to worry. They didn't know all the dangers Ben and I had been through - that we'd gotten tangled up in Team Rocket's affairs. It's not hard to believe that Jed's parents didn't want him going out on a Pokémon journey. A well brought-up child would have bigger plans resting on him.

"Let's get some food," Ben suggested. All he was thinking about was meeting the person who helped design the technology behind the Pokédex. He didn't notice my lapse into silence.

I nodded and followed him down below.

As we sat on the deck munching on the hors d'oeuvres (I still think that's a funny word) a girl approached us.

On the ship, I'd noticed that none of the competitors really knew each other. Ben and I were the exception. So some of the more outgoing people were introducing themselves to others. That's what this girl was doing.

"Hi!" she said, smiling. She was really tall and almost scrawny with reddish brown hair tied back in a way that it frayed out of the hair tie in all directions. She wore a pink shirt and jeans and looked to be a few years older than us. "I'm Nia."

Ben and I smiled back and introduced ourselves.

I was curious how Jed had picked the competitors, so I asked, "Did you take part in the Pokémon League?"

Nia shook her head. "No. Actually, I haven't started to take the gym challenge. I go around competing in smaller contests. I've gotten pretty good at tournaments, which is why I was invited, I guess. But I know about you. You won the Pokémon League!"

I turned a bit red and nodded. I was a bit uncomfortable with the fact that people I didn't know knew me. I mean… I guess it was understandable. But I was glad that my match against the Elite Four hadn't been public. That would have made things worse. Honestly, I don't want to be famous. Famous people get no privacy. But… I dunno. It would be interesting to have a voice and get people to hear what you have to say. To make a difference… Do you need to be famous to make a difference?

"Don't you think this is exciting?" Nia asked. "I mean, there's mystery involved! It's so much more interesting that normal events! And usually the prize is announced. But here it's a surprise!"

Ben nodded in agreement, and I mimicked him. Yes, it was a bit mysterious. And who says that mysterious can't be fun? I just worry too much nowadays.

A pale boy about Nia's age approached us. He was taller even than Nia with black hair cut short and brown eyes.

"Nii, you're here!" he exclaimed, smirking.

Nia snapped her head up and stared at him in disbelief. She obviously knew him. And he called her nii. Like knee?

"Kevin?" she exclaimed. "How on earth did you get here? I didn't notice you in the crowd… she trailed off and turned away, growing a bit red.

"I could also say that I'm surprised to see you here," Kevin said, giving a casual flip of his hand. "I got invited because of my exploits in the Orange League. You're looking at the new Orange League champion."

"Is that right," Nia replied hotly, suddenly standing up straighter and glaring at Kevin. "Well, Cara beat the Indigo League! Which is much more impressive than the Orange League."

I opened my mouth to protest. I didn't want to be made a spectacle of.

Kevin turned and gave me a very critical stare. I blinked back at him.

"You?" he said incredulously. "You're not even that old."

"Who says you have to be old to be good," Ben snapped suddenly. I rarely ever heard him get angry. It startled me.

"That's enough," I muttered. "It doesn't matter, Ben."

Kevin gave me one last glance, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever. See you losers later. By the way, that prize? It's gonna be mine." He gave another flip of his hand, stuffed his fists into his pockets, and strolled away.

I glared after him. I'd managed to keep my cool up till then, but inside I was starting to bubble up. That jerk! Stupid, arrogant…

"Don't mind him," Nia sighed.

Ben and I turned to her in surprise.

"He's not really as bad as he pretends to be." She heaved a deep sigh. "We knew each other when we were kids. See, right now, his grandmother's in the hospital. She's… pretty bad. I think that he thinks the prize will be money. He'd want to use it to help treat his grandma. Really… he's not that bad."

Ben and I were silent. It took a while for the atmosphere to loosen up again. But then the rest of the voyage passed quickly. There was a game room on board the ship, which ended up becoming quite crowded.

We didn't run into Kevin again during the trip.

Then came that most exciting of announcements.

"Land ho!"

Everyone swarmed up on deck and peered out over the ocean to get their first glimpse of Avalon.