The Waves of Dewford Island, Chapter 45

Another crash of thunder echoed in the cabin. Those storm clouds were intent on ruining the last leg of our trip. Because of the intense rain, not to mention the crashing waves, the captain ordered everyone belowdecks. Of course, I was not one to raise a protest. Just by looking out the window in our cabin, I could tell it was bad out there.

The storm began late yesterday afternoon, just after Yunie and I finished dinner. After having been beaten by Christopher, I decided not to show my face anywhere near B Deck again. It was a friendly spar and no one there probably even remembered how badly I lost, but I still felt a bit embarrassed. That being said, I would have to stick with Yunie the rest of the voyage, which was only another couple days.

So after having dinner in our cabin together, talking about all sorts of stories from our time on the road, the rain started. At first it was just light rain, then it got worse. The ship started to rock as we went to bed, but it was hardly noticeable.

Then, the next morning, we thought we had woken up earlier than usual. Truth was, it was already ten in the morning, and it was still pitch black outside. The ship was rocking worse now, and from our cabin window we could see the massive waves as they bombarded the ship. For once, I could tell Yunie was scared, rather than dismissing it with her usual cheery attitude.

"You think one of those waves can turn the ship over?" She asked at one point, holding her Pichu close to her chest.

"Maybe," I said, not really thinking about it too hard. "I'm actually scared, too. I can't swim, you know."

"Won't matter if the ship is flipped upside down. We'd drown before ever getting out." I looked back at Yunie, who was squeezing Starly tighter than before. The little yellow critter seemed desperate to escape. I walked over to her, loosening her grip on Starly. As the Pokemon scurried away, I let go of her hand, watching as she continued to hug at air, trembling all over.

"Yunie? What's wrong?"

"I don't want to die, Star," she said after a pause, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want drown like my parents."

This hit me with the force of a brick wall. When I first visited her house, the place was a mess because her mom worked long hours and hadn't had a chance to clean up. She even made mention of the large suitcase her mom had packed for this trip. Was it all a lie? Was she just trying to deny it ever happened? Unsure what to say next, I just stayed quiet for a moment, letting her steer the conversation.

"She drowned at sea, you know? A storm hit, just like this one, and flipped her boat over. The doctors, they said she was trapped in her own cabin, and... and-" She broke down in tears, the memory too painful to share. I held her close, letting her cry for as long as she needed to. Even I got a little watery eyed. I was never good at keeping myself from crying when I saw someone else do it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to-"

"It's okay," I said, cutting her off with a stroke of her short hair. "I didn't know."

"I made my own suitcase. I packed in a bunch of other things because it's what Mom would've done. I used to live in a shelter, until Professor Elm hired me. He helped me get back into my old apartment, which Mom and Dad left in my name. He showed me how to keep everything in order, and even hired a nanny to look in on me from time to time. I'm just never home."

"Because you go out to take pictures?" I guessed.

"Yeah. It's sad to be at home all alone, you know? So when you came over, I just pretended. I didn't want to tell you that I lived there all alone, or that-" She fought back a sob. It must have been hard for her to talk about this, and I she just kept going. I gave her another hug.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You don't have to say anything else."

Starly climbed back onto Yunie's bed at this point. She squeezed between myself and Yunie, offering her own comfort to her trainer. Another bolt of lightning flashed outside the window, and the ensuing crash echoed in our room. It was as if the storm was terrorizing us on purpose.

"Well," I told Yunie, in an effort to lighten the mood, "At least I know swimming will be the least of my worries, right?"

Before Yunie could react, the entire ship was rocked to by a wave, sending us tumbling off the bed and onto the ground. I looked up to the window, seeing only water pressing up against it. The ship was held at a forty degree angle for a few seconds, before another wave slammed it back to a normal orientation. Outside in the hall, we could hear other people crying and screaming. The storm was getting worse, and I was starting to fear the possibility of the ship sinking becoming a reality.

"Attention, passengers," a voice echoed in the cabin and outside. "This is your captain speaking!"

"The storm has taken a turn for the worst. The ship has taken some damage, but do not worry, she will not be sinking on this voyage. However, as a precaution, we will be dropping anchor at Dewford Island, and await the passing of the storm. Please remain in your cabins until further notice."

After that, the ship continued to rock back and forth for a while. Neither I nor Yunie said anything else, but we stayed close together, our Pokemon at our sides. Our only solace was in the captain's ability to get us to this island in one piece. Somehow, I knew we'd make it out of that in one piece. I didn't want to- no, I couldn't believe my tale would end on some ship out at sea. After all, my boy- my friend, Deneb, wasn't there with me. Just wouldn't be right without him.

~o~

Meals were brought to our cabin, and time passed normally enough while braving the storm. However, neither Yunie or I noticed we had dropped anchor at Dewford Town until the very next morning. The storm had finally passed, the sky was a bright blue, and the ocean looked calm. Yunie was still asleep when I took Vulpix and went out on deck.

I had missed the memo, as only sailors and crew members were out and about. Before anyone there could chew me out and force me back belowdecks, I ran over to the ramp, which was extended to reach a bunch of rocks on the side of the ship. The rocks led into a small town by the beach, which was also my next destination. Once off the ramp, I hopped across the rocks into town, Vulpix trailing close behind.

Since departing on my adventure, I had seen a grand total of three kinds of buildings in the various locations I had visited. The most common was concrete; tall skyscrapers and small, cubed houses seen in places like Goldenrod City and Saffron City. Second, the more 'oriental' style housing, like in Fuchsia City and Ecruteak. The last was a unique house, Bill's mansion up on the hilltop back in Kanto Route 25. Hoenn started off on the right foot, despite Dewford not being our intended destination, by introducing me to yet another lifestyle.

The town was tiny, far smaller than even Pallet Town. The houses all looked to be made of wood with ceramic roofs, clearly designed to weather the harmful effects of the seawater. Not that I knew much about any of this, but it felt like a good enough guess on my part. I expected the town to be quiet and humble, but was again surprised by the amount of people scurrying about to help out the SS Aqua. The cruise ship was far too large to properly dock at the town's miniature port, so they had to take the route over the rocks to reach the ship.

As I wandered through the town, I noticed a few people running into one of the larger houses by the beach. Since most other people were running towards the SS Aqua to lend aid, my curiosity got the better of me. I knocked on the door, hearing plenty of chatter inside. No one answered, so I knocked again. The chatter didn't stop, so I opened the door, intending to use the excuse that I heard someone let me in if asked.

Inside was a mess of epic proportions. There was a huge table in the center of the room, with computers and papers scattered all over. People were running to and fro, some of them talking on their Pokegear phones, others carrying papers from one end of the room to the other. As I watched in awe at the chaos, I didn't notice Vulpix disappear into the mass of people. Within seconds, I heard a scream from one of the women in the room.

"There's a wild Pokemon in here! Help!" My eyes shot open, and it was then that I noticed Vulpix was missing. I pushed my way through the people, trying to get to Vulpix before someone tried to hurt her.

"Don't worry, I'll get it!" One man threw a Pokeball out, releasing a critter I had never seen before. Vulpix noticed the opposing Pokemon, and turned tail, running back into my arms.

"Back! Stay away from the girl!"

"It's okay," I yelled, holding my fox close. "She's my Pokemon!"

Once the excitement had died down, the man pointed to the stairs nearby. I took them up to the second floor, his Pokemon following me closely. Once up on the second floor, I pulled out my Pokedex and scanned the critter.

"Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokemon. It battles by flinging around its tail, which is bigger than its body. The tail is a floatation device in water."

"A Pokedex? I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were a trainer," the man said, catching me just as I finished listening to the device's description. He put his Pokemon back into its Pokeball, and told me to have a seat.

"My name is Star, and this is Vulpix. We were on board the SS Aqua, and snuck off the ship this morning." Vulpix barked at the man, both as a greeting and a warning not to mistake her for a wild critter again.

"Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the Hoenn region! I'm Darrin, and this here's Dewford Hall, home of the Information Exchange!"

"Information Exchange?" I tilted my head.

"Let me explain: here in Hoenn, we consider trends to be an important part of our culture. Being a relatively small island compared to the other areas of the world, fashion, fads and information spread here like wildfire! You know the Pokemon Contests originated here, right?"

"Contests? They some kind of Pokemon battle?" This wasn't the first time I had heard the term. Whitney had mentioned something about it while I was in the salon in Goldenrod, but didn't give it much thought then.

"Not at all! Contests are a special sport, you might say, where Pokemon's grace, beauty and skills are judged. The biggest, strongest don't often win, as everyone knows: cute Pokemon are the cutest!"

"I see," I responded, though that was the dumbest thing I had heard in some time. "So, what happens here?"

"We exchange information! Anything that happens, goes through here at some point, if it doesn't originate here in the first place. We pride ourselves on this little fact."

"So, the SS Aqua having to stop here to avoid the storm..."

"Will be front page news all over Hoenn by tonight! Tomorrow, the rest of the Pokemon world will know! It's why we're so busy right now."

"Well, thanks for sharing all that," I said, getting up out of my chair. "I think I should be heading back to the ship now."

"What's the hurry? I heard the repairs on the deck will take a bit of time, so you can stay a while longer!"

"Thanks, but I really should be getting back before my friend goes crazy looking for me." Half truth there; I actually wanted to explore more of the town before the ship was repaired.

"Well, it was a pleasure talking with you, Star. Don't forget to pay a visit to Dewford's gym, since you're a Pokemon trainer and all. And keep your ears peeled: never know if we'll spread a story about your visit to this hall!"

Darrin was a nice guy, sure, but the rest of the people in the hall were creeping me out. Conviviality was not one of my strongest suits, and my fears of being left behind by the SS Aqua weren't false, either. Darrin's information would prove helpful, though: if repairs were going to take a few hours or more, I had plenty of time to visit Dewford's gym.

~o~

Dewford's gym went above and beyond in terms of appearance. There was a normal entrance on the edge of town, but it was actually only a single wall with a door. Through it, I had to walk across a narrow rock bridge over the ocean to the actual arena. It was a small island south of the town, almost completely shielded by tall, jagged rocks. Inside, there was a stone arena, and while unmarked, the boundaries were clearly visible. Sharp rocks surrounded the typical rectangular arena, and any Pokemon thrown into it would suffer quite a painful blow, if not an outright end.

However, the leader was no where to be seen. His or her end of the field was empty, a stone throne sitting silently with a surfboard next to it. Intrigued, I walked across the arena, being extra careful to not trip and fall into the sharp rocks around me. The surfboard looked like it had seen much use, with the name 'Brawly' etched into one corner. Eager to get the battle started, I called out for the leader.

"Hello? I'm here to challenge the gym leader!" My voice tried to echo in the void, but escaped through the hole in the ceiling. Vulpix barked a few times to help me, but no one showed up.

"Maybe he's helping out with the SS Aqua? Let's head back, Vulpix. If anything, we can always come back here ourselves after reaching Slateport."

"That won't be necessary," a voice sounded from the opposite end of the room. I looked across to see a young man with blue hair, of all colors, standing on the challenger's side of the arena.

"Are you the gym leader?"

"That I am. Brawly's the name, and I don't think this is a good use of our time. In case you haven't noticed, there's a cruise ship in need of help just outside town."

"Well, I was on that ship," I said. "But I heard it would take a while to repair, so I figured I'd come here to take on the gym in the meantime."

"Oh, I see. Well, tough luck, kiddo. I'm not about to waste my time battling now." Brawly turned around and left the room, which left me a bit shocked. I thought it was against League rules to deny a challenge!

"Wait! You can't say no!" I ran across the arena after him, Vulpix giving chase as well. I managed to catch up with Brawly just outside the entrance.

"Can't say no? You probably come from the League in Kanto, right?"

"Yeah, I did. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Different region, different rules, kid. The League spans most of this part of the world, yes, but each region has their own branch. Your champion- what's his name?- hasn't got any standing here. Neither do your rules. I can deny a challenge out of technicalities, fatigue, or even boredom. So take your pick."

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to kiss up a bit to get him back into the arena. "I didn't know! I just wanted to take advantage of the fact we stopped here!"

"And the ship's crew could use my Pokemon's help to get it back underway. Challenge denied." He turned around again, heading towards the SS Aqua.

"They can take care of it! One challenge won't take long!" Vulpix barked a few times to help me out, which made Brawly turn around again to face me.

"Assuming it wouldn't, are you even registered for the League here in Hoenn? You just came over on the ship, didn't you?"

"Registered?" Surely, he wouldn't go there.

"You know, a trainer card for this region." That I didn't have.

"Y-Yes," I lied, praying all the while he wouldn't ask me to show it to him. "I'm all s-set!"

"Fine," he said, with a heavy sigh. "But you better know I'm doing this against my better judgement. And a word, kid: you may not want to go running around with that kind of attitude here in Hoenn."

"Attitude?"

"You sound like a spoiled brat." A harsh way of putting it, and he was right. Though, you know I'm not like that, I just wanted to get this battle over with before departing. Not that Dewford Island wouldn't be worth visiting again, it looked like a great vacation spot.

I followed Brawly back to the arena, and he took his spot in front of the stone throne. Once I was set up as well, he released his first Pokemon. It was a small blue critter, its white head resembling an onion, of all things. I pulled out my Pokedex to scan it ahead of time.

"Meditite, the Meditate Pokemon. It never skips its daily yoga training. It heightens its inner strength through meditation."

"We'll make this simple and quick: my two team Pokemon versus your team. No limits, just make it quick."

"Gotcha!" The last time I had a freeform battle was against Sabrina. I didn't think I'd have the same amount of trouble against Brawly, but I wasn't about to go in blind, either. Meditite was a fighting and psychic type, so I went with Yanma to start. Once both our Pokemon were out, Brawly started the match.

"Meditite, start with Meditate!"

"Yanma, go in for Wing Attack!"

Meditite dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, charging up his strength. Yanma dove in at blazing fast speed, intent on breaking Meditite's concentration. Yanma nearly crashed into the Pokemon completely, stopping just short to slap the blue critter with his wings. To my shock, somehow Meditite had evaded the attack, not even flinching from his meditative stance!

"Meditite, Force Palm!"

The blue Pokemon's eyes shot open, and the outline of a palm shot through the air from Yanma's left. Before the bug Pokemon could move out of the way, he was struck directly, forcing him to the ground.

"Yanma, get up, quick!"

"Meditite, Hi Jump Kick!"

Yanma moved quickly, getting back into the air. However, Meditite moved just as fast, and once Yanma was airborne again, the small blue critter flew up after him. His small foot crashed into Yanma's face directly, sending him back down to the ground. I went with a different strategy.

"Yanma, Ancient Power!"

"Meditite, Reversal!"

From the ground, Yanma flashed for a moment, creating half a dozen rocks around him. He launched the boulders towards Meditite in the air, but the Pokemon started glowing as well, and took each rock with seemingly psychic energy before launching them straight back at Yanma. He was struck with all six rocks, effectively knocking him out of the match. I recalled my Pokemon, feeling a bit embarrassed at my loss.

"Poor performance, kid. We can call it quits now, save some time."

"Not a chance!" I picked Beedrill this time, a new strategy cooking in my head.

"Meditite, start with Meditate again!"

"Beedrill, Poison Sting!"

I heard Brawly chuckle from afar, meaning my plan was already working. Beedrill zoomed into Meditite, but I screamed out just before he got too close.

"Beedrill, Toxic Spikes instead!"

Beedrill stopped short, releasing the tiny, almost invisible barbs all over the ground. Meditite budged ever so slightly, stinging itself in the process. His concentration broken, I went in for the next attack.

"Now, Twineedle!"

Beedrill zoomed in again, driving both his massive stingers into the smaller Pokemon. Meditite was forced backwards, which landed him on even more poisonous barbs on the ground. Meditite tried to get up, but it was clear to both Brawly and myself that he didn't have the strength to keep battling. Brawly recalled his Pokemon, readying up his next.

"Rad recovery, but there's still one more Pokemon to beat!" Brawly threw out his next Pokeball, which revealed yet another critter I didn't recognize. I quickly scanned it with my Pokedex for a better idea on what it was.

"Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. It grows stronger by enduring harsh training. It is a gutsy Pokémon that can withstand any attack."

"Let's prove your Pokedex correct! Makuhita, Arm Thrust!"

"Beedrill, fly up high!"

Despite Makuhita being a rather chubby little Pokemon, he jumped surprisingly high to catch Beedrill. With a swift motion, he slapped Beedrill back down to the ground. Beedrill crashed into the floor, and Makuhita landed on top of the large bee, delivering a few more swift blows to him.

"Beedrill, counter with Poison Sting!"

"Makuhita, Vital Throw!

Beedrill had no trouble stinging Makuhita, being so close to him. However, right after his attack, Makuhita latched onto Beedrill, picking him up over his head and slamming him right back into the ground with a force so powerful I was afraid he'd end up killing Beedrill. I screamed out in protest, but Beedrill was still alive, even conscious. Makuhita took a few steps back, allowing me a chance to recall Beedrill.

"You underestimate my Pokemon! Flying types won't guarantee you a victory!" Brawly's banter gave me an idea for my next choice. I snapped Beedrill's Pokeball back onto my belt, and released Smeargle, my newest critter.

"This should be a piece of cake! Makuhita, Vital Throw!"

"Smeargle, Sketch that move!"

This was Smeargle's signature ability; to mimic the abilities of his opponents, even remember them permanently. As Makuhita rushed in for the attack, Smeargle's eyes sparkled for a moment, like a painter who was just struck by inspiration. His tail's paintbrush like tip started shifting colors, making it look like a prism. Smeargle took his tail in his hand, swashing magical paint all around him. Makuhita got close, and the paint stopped him in his tracks, lifting him into the air and slamming him into the ground.

"Nice move, but you won't win by using fighting type moves against a fighting type Pokemon!"

Brawly was right, of course. Despite Smeargle's extremely flexible ability, he was still not going to win this fight without some help. Before Makuhita could recover, I called Smeargle back to my side of the arena, replacing him with Vulpix. I whispered something into Smeargle's ear, then turned my attention to Vulpix.

"Vulpix, use Flamethrower!"

"Makuhita, Arm Thrust!"

Vulpix blasted Makuhita with the spray of intense flames, keeping the yellow Pokemon at bay. Once her attack was complete, I yelled for Vulpix to return to my side, and again sent out Smeargle. Since Makuhita was having trouble recovering fast enough from the attacks, Brawly couldn't beat me to the command punch.

"Smeargle, Sketch her move!"

"Makuhita, get in quick for Close Combat!"

Enraged now, Makuhita charged at full speed. Smeargle's eyes flashed again, and the small dog Pokemon quickly painted a small ball of flame before him. As Makuhita got close, it erupted into a full blown flamethrower attack, pushing Makuhita back again. He was looking really beat down now, so I went in for the finishing touch.

"Smeargle, one last Sketch!"

Another sparkle of the eyes and swash of the brush, and Smeargle replicated Makuhita's Close Comabt. A flurry of punches bombarded the Pokemon, forcing it further back, and right into the remaining barbs from Beedrill's Toxic Spikes attack. Poisoned and beaten, Makuhita did the honorable thing: he raised his hands in defeat.

~o~

Once we were back outside, Brawly produced a badge for me. The SS Aqua's repairs were well underway, and it looked like we would be leaving in a couple hours. Before he handed me the badge, Brawly had one final thing to ask me.

"I didn't catch your name, kid."

"I'm Star," I replied, holding my hand out to receive my badge. Brawly held onto it for a moment.

"See, I never got a look at your trainer card. Why not show it to me now, so I can pin this nice little Knucklebadge right on there?" My heart skipped a beat when he said that.

"Oh! You see, it's in my bag, and I'd have to pull it out and that would be too much work and I really should be getting back onto the ship-"

"You don't have a trainer card from the region, do you, Star?" My head hung in shame, caught in my own lie.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I really wanted to take advantage of our being here for this battle. I still need to get my card, but I'm not sure where I need to go for that."

"Well, you earned this badge fair enough, card or no. To remedy your dilemma, give a ring to Professor Birch in Littleroot Town. He'll hook you up with a card over the phone; let him know I sent you his way." Brawly handed me the Kuncklebadge, proof of my first victory in the Hoenn region.

"Thanks, I'll call him soon as I get to Slateport City. And thanks, for being cool about the trainer card and battling."

"Just remember kid- I mean, Star: battles should always take a backseat to helping others. Don't be so selfish next time, okay? Be cool."

Brawly accompanied me back to the SS Aqua, clearing up the matter of my unauthorized disembarking with the captain. Once belowdecks again, I ran into Yunie in the hallway. She looked beyond troubled.

"Star! Where've you been? I've been looking all over the ship for you!"

"Relax, Yunie! I'm fine, I just had something to do in town, is all."

Before she could start the barrage of questions on how I snuck off the ship and getting in trouble, I promised her I'd share everything once I had something to eat. After all, I hadn't eaten anything since waking up early that morning. I was starved!