Chapter 55

Chapter 55

That night we had reached the first island which the contest provided us a place to rest and heal our exhausted Pokemon. Pairs of trainers poured into the Pokemon Center where Chansey brought us all blankets and pillows. Unfortunately, due to the high number of people in the center, we all had to sleep on the cold, back breaking floor. I sat in a lounge chair and watched the glass, automatic doors for Jackson and Owen to enter. I wasn't sure why I was so worried about them, when they're probably out there worrying about me.

It was around 10:30 when everyone had situated themselves and attempted to fall asleep. The travelers were all bushed from the endless exerting of effort the day drained from us. My eyelids felt like anchors were strapped on them and were pulling them downward, but a strange force kept me from closing my eyes and falling asleep. I shivered under my thin, cotton pink blanket and cuddled against my flat pillow. My teeth clattered continuously and I grew worried that I was annoying the other weary trainers. In the opposite corner of the lobby a croaking, hoarse snore alarmed frequently, buzzing in my ear and preventing me from drifting off to sleep.

Tears drew to my eyes, lying there miserably as my body craved for rest. As the hours ticked by I wanted to stand up and just go sleep outside or in a storage closet, but I was cornered in by other slumbering teenagers.

When I had finally shut my eyes and drifted off into a deep trance, we were all awoken by the obnoxiously loud Nurse Joy, ringing a triangle and telling us breakfast was being prepared. Everyone moaned in anguish, their bodies crying for more sleep, as they rolled over and hid under their blankets from the blinding ceiling lights the nurse had turned on to wake us up.

Numerous Chansey handed out trays with a small meal on them from plastic, rolling carts. Two boys next to Penny and I hastily gobbled down their meal then raced outside to get an early start. I would have done the same if my head wasn't bowing against my chest, trying to nod off to sleep.

"Kylie, you look terrible," Penny commented with a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"Thanks," I yawned carelessly.

"Hurry up and eat your food, we need to get out there and beat everyone!" Penny rushed me. Penny noticed I was closing my eyes, attempting to get some rest before we set out for the day. She angrily snapped her fingers in front of my face, "Wake up! That is it, forget breakfast we need to go!" Penny grabbed my arm and dragged me outside of the center, only two other teams remained inside and the rest had started loading their boat with their things. I happened to look drowsily behind my shoulder to see an elderly woman, drenched in purple fabrics, smile as she disappeared behind a tree.

"The fortune teller!" I shouted as I ran over and checked for her behind the palm tree, she was no where in sight. The fortune teller had mysteriously disappeared, again.

"What are you doing way over there? Get over here and let's get going! You know how bad I want to win this!" Penny snapped, intolerant of my hallucinations.

Suddenly, the sun filled sky was intruded by bloodcurdling storm clouds that swiftly took over the blue morning sky. Echoes of thunder shook the ground bellow our feet and the ocean began to twist and turn, waves crashing down on the black sea, washing large gatherings of seaweed on the coastal line of the small island. Team mates looked at one another in worrisome, questioning each other if they should risk rowing out through the horrendous storm.

Penny jumped to the opportunity, "While these pansies contemplate over this, let's get a head start!"

I groaned in a tiresome disagreement, "Penny, let's just wait until it blows over,"

Lucien appeared by my side with a determined grin on his adorable face, "C'mon Scorch, what'll it hurt?"

"My entire body if we capsize," I bit my lip, imagining us flipping over and being sucked down to the bottom the ocean and never able to surface, slowly running out of oxygen. I gasped when snapped back to reality. Penny was hopelessly flirting with Clyde who was utterly clueless as she basked in his manliness.

"We'll go, if you go," Lucien smiled comfortingly as he gently took my hands and curled his around them. My palms tingled as his warm, soft skin sheltered mine from the sprinkling rain that began to descend from the black clouds above our heads.

"We'll be right behind you," I smiled back.

Unexpectedly, Lucien put his arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest. Before I knew it he landed a kiss on my lips before scurrying away towards his canoe.

"Are you ready Spinarak?" he called cheerfully to his Pokemon companion. Spinarak scrambled towards his trainer and climbed upon his shoulder. Penny and I decided not to send out our Pokemon because we didn't want the rain to make them sick. We would have to row manually.

The two of us and only one other team embarked into the vivacious ocean. The other groups stood pointlessly on the sandy shoreline, watching us struggle over the waves as they crashed down onto the deck of our raft. I dunked one end of my oar into the water but the ocean was so vicious it cracked the wooden paddle right in half. Penny's oar did the same.

"Well, this sucks," I muttered as we floated aimlessly in the middle of the vigorous rainstorm. More thunder boomed, lightening shot down from the stirring dark clouds. Lucien and the others were no where in sight. Our luck continued when a massive title wave lifted from the surface of the ocean. We were stranded helplessly on our raft, watching the crashing wave of ice cold salt water charge towards us.

"Penny, I just want to let you know that even though you talk way too much, you're still my best friend! I'm going to miss you!" I wept as it grew closer and closer, our raft beginning to tip over.

"Wait, what do you mean I talk too much?" she placed her hands on her hips tenaciously. Just then, the tsunami had reached us and the crest of the wave tumbled over and hurtled down onto us, slapping against our fragile skin. Gallons of sea water drained into my lungs and my body was crushed as the ocean sucked us downward to the muddy bottom.

Thinking fast, I released Totodile from his Pokeball. The explosion of white light lit up the pitch black water and I was able to see Penny just beside me. I wrapped my arm around Totodile who began swimming upward towards the surface. Penny quickly grasped my ankle and waited for us to reach the top. The water crushed my head and my aching lungs contracted, yearning for oxygen.

We burst out from the water and gasped for short breaths of air. The world around us spun and everything blurred together like an oil pastel painting. Before we knew it, another massive wave crashed down on our heads and sent us back under water. With out meaning to, I open my mouth to inhale more oxygen, but tons of sea water just poured into my lungs. I coughed while my stinging eyes searched for Penny or Totodile. Neither of them were in sight. After that, everything went black.

My head felt like an anvil, planted into the warm, gentle sand. Pebbles of dust wedged into the corner of my eye lids. Soreness prevented me from opening my eyes and gaping at my surroundings. Unbearable pain stabbed at my lower back as I lay there motionless. My feet quivered while the flow of blood was blocked and the veins elevated from my clammy skin. Finally, I gradually lifted my feeble eyes. I opened them to see nothing but darkness, starring me back in the eyes. Warm blood coursed through my arms and I was able to lift my face out of the dirt.

I turned my head, gazing at my surroundings. We were on a tropical island. Palm trees swayed in the gentle aftermath of the storm. The sun beamed down brightly, blinding my renewed eye sight. I could no longer keep my head out of the sand, gravity tugged it back down, causing dirt to get caught between my teeth.

I heard a quiet moan. I turned my head on its side and exposed my eyeballs once again the vibrant sunlight. Penny lay there, attempting to pick herself off the ground, but I knew she felt just as I did, hopeless and dead, unable to access the strength that simply getting up required.

"Penny?" I managed to squawk.

She was too weak to reply.

Finally, I had dug deep within me and retrieved the power to bend my legs and pick myself off the ground.

"Penny, get up," I stumbled over to her side and shook her shoulder.

"Ah god," she mumbled in agony. "What the hell was that?"

I tried to smile but my face was frozen as if I just got botox, "Bad weather," I responded bluntly.

"Mother Nature is a real bitch," Penny grumbled crabbily.

Totodile staggered his way over by my side, the weakened Pokemon held its head as he practically fell face first into the sand. I caught him in my lap then snuggled him tightly against my chin.

"Totodile," I quivered, tears of relief appearing in my eyes. "I am so happy you're alright,"

"Where's our raft?" Penny asked.

Unfortunately, I spotted it washed up on the shore, "Right there,"

The pathetic, destroyed raft sat on the sandy shore as the morning tide gently washed up against it. The rudder was crushed, the wood was cracked, and half of it was missing.

"No way we can leave on that thing," I murmured.

"This reminds me of a movie I once saw," Penny stated while pointing upward. "It was about this guy stranded on an island because his plane crashed and he was there for like ever! Oh yeah, and there was no one else who survived so his best friend was a volleyball. Wouldn't that suck though? Being stranded all by your self! I think I would kill myself with no one to talk to! Would you kill yourself? I think I would. Would you?"

I sighed in misery, "That would stink,"

"Kylie, look!" Penny gasped in delight as she pointed in the distance. There, just feet away, sat a small, wooden sail boat. A black flag with a skull on it flapped in the slight wind. The three of us ran towards the miniature vessel and almost drooled at its fine build and craftsmanship.

"We're saved!" Penny sung.

I turned then asked Penny, "Do you know how to sail a boat?"

She looked at me in uncertainty, "I have no idea,"

"We'll have to wing it, I guess," I moaned as I climbed on board. A small case of stairs lead up the large, oak steering wheel. A single door on the poop deck lead down to the cabin and the rest of the space was occupied by ropes, buckets, fishing rods, and crates.

"Hey, look at this," Penny waved me over as she unrolled a piece of thick, off-white paper.

"It looks like a map," I observed, analyzing the documented towns, oceans, rivers, and islands noted on the fairly big map.

"Dude, what if it's a treasure map! And this is a pirate ship! How awesome would that be?" Penny asked as she shook in thrill.

I pulled back in fright, "If it was a pirate ship they'd chop our heads off for going on their ship and looking at their map!"

Just as I finished saying that, soft banging against the side of the ship alarmed us all. We spun around to see a group of pirates glaring at us heatedly. One was monstrous and towered over all the others, however he was very lean. He wore a skull patterned bandana on his head with a gold, loop earring hanging from his ear lobe. He had a long, narrow nose and glossy, black eyes which seemed to stare at emptiness.

The one beside him was half my height and pudgy. A tight, white, greasy T-shirt exposed his outtie belly-button. He also wore a skull patterned bandana. The man that stood confident and scowled unwelcomingly presented himself like he was the captain of the small crew. He wore a dirty, flimsy hat which matched his thick leather, blue jacket. His scruffy beard covered the disgusting, revealed chest hairs reaching out for air from underneath his black vest. His intimidating, solid black eyes glared us down. He wore stretched out and stained brown tights which were tucked into his bulky deck boots. A belt buckle wrapped around one ankle while the other boot had a massive hole exposing his toes.

The last boy was young, probably just two or three years older then Penny and I. He was grimy and sweaty like the rest of them. He had a boxy head and whiskers growing in on his cleft chin. He had dark, green eyes and wore a loose, white long sleeve shirt with a black vest on top. He too had a bandana with skulls printed on it on top of his mop head.

"Can we help ye?" the predicted captain hissed crossly.

"Um," I stammered in pure terror.

"Oh my god, real pirates! Who was right?" Penny celebrated.

"I suggest ye get off er ship, before me crew gets a handle on ye," the captain threatened.

"Please, sir," I began to beg. "We don't have any way off this island,"

"Not er problem," he scoffed, crossing his arms unhelpfully. "Now get off before I make ye walk the plank!" he drew his thin bladed sword from the leather holder tied on his belt loop.

"You couldn't just do us this one, itsy bitsy favor?" Penny flirted, lightly tapping the middle aged man on his chest.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and looked away in disgust, "Penny, you are such a whore,"

"Make them give us money, boss!" one sailor snickered.

"Make them walk the plank!" another shouted.

"Hey, we are perfectly friendly and won't do anything to jeopardize your ship! So, if you could just do this one simple favor and bring us to the next Pokemon Center that would be just dandy!" I yelled in frustration.

"It'll cost ye," the captain smirked looking back devilishly at the rest of his crew.

"Fine," I folded my arms tenaciously.

"We have 67 dollars total," Penny informed the pirates while fishing change out of her pockets. The crooks faced each other then whispered like they were in a football huddle.

The captain spun around with a smile of amusement, "Alright, we'll take ye up on er offer,"

"You guys are heading to Cinnabar Island too?" I asked them.

"We be headin' in that direction," the pudgy sailor answered.

The captain then declared, "We're goin' to the Seafoam Islands, to get us er treasure!"