Washed Ashore: Pokemon Are Real
Other Worries

How did she feel?

She honestly felt rather glad when Oak let them know the boat had been found, that the others would be brought to shore soon. Chelsey, of course, said she didn't care, going back to the way she was...

Natalie didn't understand how the girl could switch from being nice to being mean so easily, making her a difficult person to figure out, yet she wasn't sure she wanted to figure out the other girl. They sat there waiting, while Chelsey went on and on about her plans once they were found, as the other girl felt Professor Oak promised her a Pokémon of her own once everyone was found, yet Natalie was sure, having heard the conversation that no such thing occurred.

They were allowed to stay up late, waiting for the others to be brought up from the boat, yet in the back of her mind she wondered now how they would get back to their world, her first worry – the one worry at the forefront of her brain really, was now resolved and other worries, second worries, began cropping up, worries that had been there all along, such as how they would get home, how they would communicate with their parents.

"Do I want to go home? Or do I want to learn more about these Pokémon." In the back of her mind, she hated the fact she wanted to learn more, yet she still struggled with placing whether she missed her parents yet. She'd not, in her mind, done anything which made her parents proud but spending so much time looking for the one thing which would make her stand out as different from her siblings.

Her siblings – she struggled in figuring out if she missed them as well, having only formed vague connections with them, being so much younger than them. In fact, she held only vague connections with anybody, finding herself so engrossed in her studies which – in the back of her mind she felt these studies were important, yet she didn't understand why beyond the fact her parents insisted this was so.

The fact she found herself drawn to the odd creatures, fascinated, excited – she found these feelings troubling.

She felt like a horrible, no good child. "What is wrong with being happy about everyone being alive?"

She glanced up every so often, hearing Chelsey keeping to her story of being the best trainer ever, yet otherwise not making any sense as her words included a lot of sound effects regarding some kind of make-believe battles going off in her head. Or at least, what Chelsey referred to battles.

"Why do I want to stay? Is it because I'm missing something? I can't be missing something, right. I mean, I have a loving home, amazing parents, and siblings. I can't be missing anything." She glanced over at Professor Oak. "But he's nice though. He let me wash the dishes even though I messed up. He did yell, but he was worried about me stepping on the shards."

A knock came at the door and Oak got up, setting down his cup of tea onto the table alongside Natalie's cup. Chelsey didn't want any of what the other girl called a foul-tasting adult drink, but the other girl's attention was also drawn to the door. He walked over, but they heard someone speaking at the door, or at least Natalie assumed Chelsey could hear what was being said at the door just like she could.

"I brought them here as you wanted, Professor Oak."

"Thank you, officer."

"There are three more girls, their teacher, and three scientists, making for a grand total of nine people who were on board, all accounted for." The woman saluted, while Natalie heard Chelsey mutter under her breath.

"It's an Officer Jenny."

Of course, referring to someone, anyone as that honestly didn't make sense to Natalie, who felt the person should simply be referred to as officer, nor was there any way that Chelsey could know the woman's name. She watched her teacher and the other three girls step in, her eyes drifting to the ground, feeling unsure of how to feel now that the three other girls who were just as much of a stranger as Chelsey were in front of her.

"They're like her, right? I mean, the attend Gladstone Academy. There is a certain – I believe the word is hierarchy."

"No. You can't be Professor Oak. I mean, the Professor Oak." Girl number one seemed quite excited.

Girl number two seemed irritated at this yet said nothing. Natalie watched the man let out a sigh. "I'll see you later, officer."

"Mmm. Let me know if you need anything. I've got some things to do at my station. Some digging, so to say." She started to leave, when one of the girls – girl number three with the blonde hair, piped up.

"Wait? Pallet Town has a police station?"

"Well, sort of. My station actually serves this part of the county, so in reality, it serves a few of the towns in the area, plus the beach area. I was called in specifically for this purpose."

"Thank you again for finding us," their teacher said. Natalie tilted her head, wondering what the teacher was really like, given the fact she spent so little time with the woman. She seemed very much like a teacher, which in her book was a good thing. The Professor – he didn't act like how she expected a teacher to act.

The officer left and Professor Oak looked at the girls while the three scientists who were also strangers watched. "Well, why don't we get the girls to bed."

"What?" Chelsey started pouting. "I've already slept a lot, but this is exciting."

"I don't understand what's so exciting about ending up in an alternative word!" Girl number one pouted.

"Now you're actually admitting we're in an alternative world?" asked girl number two.

"No! Pokémon isn't real! This is some..."

"Oh, they're real." Chelsey stood up, puffing her chest out. "I knew from the beginning."

"No..."

"What would you know?"

"Hey. None of this." The teacher glared at Chelsey while Natalie hung her head, thinking she was part of the reason the teacher was getting mad.

"Well, Professor Oak promised me a Pokémon."

Professor Oak let out a sigh. "I said..."

"You know what. You girls should head onto bed, so us adults can talk."

"I'll get the sleeping bags."

"Wait. What about our stuff?" Girl number one glared at the teacher.

"Yeah. Our stuff." Chelsey did as well.

"The officer said she'll bring our stuff by in the morning."

"You mean Officer Jenny."

"Officer Jenny? Why are you calling her that?" Professor Oak gave Chelsey a strange look.

"Aren't all of the officers called Jenny."

"Well, no. I mean, I couldn't imagine the male officers being named that."

Natalie wasn't sure what was meant by all of that, but soon they found themselves up on the second floor out of earshot of the adults whispering, five sleeping bags in a row. The blonde-haired girl seemed excited, yet carried a strange yellow rabbit with red cheeks with her. The second girl seemed quite annoyed, while the other two settled in.

"Do you think I'll get to meet his grandson and marry him?" girl number one said.

"Seriously? That is what you're thinking about? I mean, our families are likely worried about us," said girl number two.

"I'm sure mine wouldn't want me back." The words came out of her mouth. The worse part was realizing what really bothered her – that there was no reason to go back because her parents wouldn't care about one extra child who never met their expectations.

"I'm sure that's not true."

"I..." Natalie found herself growing quiet. "It is. What about the rest of you?"

Girl number two said, "My mom..."