Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.
Chapter Sixty-One: From Home to Seafoam!
Having a Water-type to transport Red across the ocean would have been great, but due to bad luck (among other reasons) he did not have a single one. Fortunately, thanks to Janine in the Safari Zone, Pikachu was now ferrying him across Route Twenty, having already made it through Route Nineteen rather quickly, leaving Fuchsia and its beaches quickly behind in the north before heading west.
It was a little awkward at first, it must be said, standing on a surfboard conjured out of electricity, Red certain that the moment he stepped upon it he would be zapped to another dimension.
Miraculously, he was fine, and he satisfied himself with the thought 'that's why it's called a Secret Technique'. To be honest, that is not a very good explanation, but that is all one is getting.
All he had to do was keep his balance on the thing as Pikachu directed it, and they were soon flying over the waves, going at speeds he never thought a surfboard would ever be able to do. Then again, Secret Technique.
Swimmers came and went, wild Water-types leapt from the ocean, and on a few outcropped rocks were fishermen fighting with the mighty Magikarp, yet Red and Pikachu ventured forth, speeding across the blue expanse, intoxicated by the sea's briny aroma, to their next destination of Cinnabar Island.
Red squinted his eyes as the wind stung them, almost lost his balance as foam and water slapped him in the face, yelled as Pikachu made some sudden, sharp turns to avoid the wild Tentacool. A whole bunch of them. No, seriously, tonnes of them. The Zubat of the water as some were prone to calling them.
"There's more and more of them," Red said as a few of the Tentacool whipped out their tentacles, making a grab for his ankles. "I wish I saved my Repels. This is getting – whoa!" he shouted as a couple Tentacool spat out poison at him and Pikachu. "That's it, I've had enough! Pikachu, Shock Wave!"
If you have taken science, or at least have a basic knowledge of it, you will know that water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Metal is too, but this is not about metal, so why are you bringing it up?
The Shock Wave stunned one Tentacool, before spreading from it to another and then another and a few more after that. And then about a dozen more after that. The Tentacool floated atop the water, bodies twitching, red jewel on their foreheads lit up brightly, like an alert had been set off. However, that did not matter to Red and Pikachu. They simply continued on their way towards Cinnabar Island.
If only it was that simple.
If only Red gave his Town Map more than a hurried glance.
There was no direct path to Cinnabar.
It was blocked off by the hugest, sharpest rocks in the world, more like the teeth and claws of an ancient beast, waves crashing against them with such mercilessness there was no doubt in Red's mind nothing would remain of him should he be dashed against the rocks.
Disappointing, right? It looked as if they would need to find a place to land, somewhere for them to Sky Dash to Cinnabar instead.
Luckily, there was an island.
Truth be told, there were two of them.
o~o~o~o~o
"The Seafoam Islands," Red said, peering down at his Town Map. "I think I've heard of them, but I could've sworn they were in Sevii, not Kanto."
Pikachu shrugged as he and his Trainer trotted through the island, which was actually a cave filled with more twists and turns than a detective story trying too hard.
The Seafoam Islands (or at least one of them for Red could not get to the other one) shared the briny smell of the ocean, yet its aroma was intermingled with a musty and earthy scent tinged with a hint of mould. The ground was rather rocky, although Red seemed to be bombarded with needle-sharp grains of sand that seemed to have been conjured out of nowhere, and it was slippery too; Red slid a couple of times and even whacked his elbow on a jagged wall, trying to stop himself from falling. At least Pikachu did not laugh at him.
It was also frightfully cold, Red's breath rising as fog, his hair standing on end, goosebumps rising on his arms as he and Pikachu ventured further and further into the island.
Oh, but that was the question, wasn't it? Why did Red head into the island in the first place? Didn't he want to find land and fly to Cinnabar instead? You see, that was very much the plan, but what kind of Trainer would he be if was not adventurous, if he did not exercise his curiosity when coming to new areas? It was worth sacrificing a few hours to explore the Seafoam Islands, wasn't it?
The island was not empty either, teeming with Pokémon: Psyduck waddled by and Slowpoke were snoring loudly; Zubat and Golbat hung from the ceiling; Shellder slept in the cave's shadows; Krabby and Kingler chased Red and Pikachu away, clicking their claws threateningly. There were even a few Red had not yet recorded on his Pokédex: a herd of Horsea, tiny blue seahorse Pokémon with a tube-like mouth, red eyes, a curled tail, and a single dorsal fin, that bobbed in the water together playfully; a few Seadra, Horsea's evolved form, who were bigger and had rougher, spinier scales, two dorsal fins, and black eyes; Seel, a furry, pinniped creature whose fur was bluish-white, tongue red that protruded from its tan maw, between two tusks on its lower jaw, powerful flippers, and a horn on its head; Dewgong too, Seel's evolution, with a long, pure-white body, a horn just like Seel, although its tusks were now set in its upper jaw.
"So many Water-types, eh, Pikachu?" Red whispered to his partner as the Horsea and Seadra dove in and out of the cave's currents. He gestured to the Dewgong who were elegantly streaking through the water at top speeds, being chased playfully by the Seel, who, while just as graceful, were not as quick. "Maybe we could catch one? They're not as good on land but they can still be used on it. Or maybe we should explore everything and see if there are more Water-types? What do you say?"
Pikachu nodded and pointed ahead at a ladder than led deeper into the island. Red took the ladder down slowly, Pikachu perched on top of his rucksack, praying it would not collapse and send him hurtling to a bad injury. "I thought we wouldn't have to go down these sorts of things again after Mt. Moon," he grumbled.
Fortunately, his feet touched the ground safely, and he and Pikachu proceeded down another path.
The water was louder down here, raging against the rocks, the waves spilling over and soaking Red's shoes. There were more Pokémon here as well, the same as above, but there was also one that Red had not already seen:
Slowbro, a Water and Psychic-type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Slowpoke. Under the influence of Shellder's digestive fluids, Slowpoke has awakened, gaining a great deal of power – and little motivation to boot.
It was ever so obvious that Slowbro is an evolved form of Slowpoke, considering it was simply a Slowpoke (well, with a stomach that was no longer simply pink and bare) standing up with a weird shell on its tail.
"That thing's a Shellder?" Red said, studying the thing attached to the Slowbro's tail. It did not look at all like any Shellder he had ever seen, being a grey, spiral shell with dark spots, sharp eyes, and several spikes sticking out from it. "It's sort of like a fusion, you know? Maybe Slowbro's got the power of a Slowpoke and a Shellder and it was multiplied too." His eyes lit up. "I'm going to catch it. Pikachu, are you ready?"
Pikachu bounded forward, cheeks sparking.
Red bounded back, hoping beyond hope his wet shoes would not lead to him lighting him up like Celadon Game Corner.
The Slowbro stared dimly at Pikachu. It yawned.
"Shock Wave!" Red called out.
The Slowbro did not seem to notice the attack, which perplexed Red and Pikachu, both looking to the other, wondering if their opponent was at such a high level that even super effective techniques would not faze it.
They need not have worried.
After a delay, the Slowbro let out a pained cry and reeled before righting itself. Still with an oblivious, dull look in its eyes, it widened its mouth and tried to soak Pikachu with Water Gun, which Pikachu simply hopped to the left to avoid.
Floaty Fall followed. Pikachu bounced high into the air, evading another Water Gun, surrounded by the yellow, balloon-like light, and headed back down to earth, whacking his tail into the Slowbro's cranium.
Again, the Slowbro did not react.
At first.
It then clutched its head and moaned, echoing throughout the cave, giving off the impression that dozens of other Slowbro were in just as much discomfort.
"We're almost there," Red said. "Another Shock Wave."
One more super effective move should have done it, right? Not if the Slowbro had anything to say about it. As Pikachu charged up an electric pulse, the Slowbro, with unnerving speed, summoned a tidal wave that rose from the currents and crashed down upon Pikachu, cancelling out his Shock Wave and washing him and Red away.
Red coughed out half the ocean, slipping and sliding as he tried to pull himself back to his feet, great, chilly racks of pain pummelling every inch of his body. Pikachu shook himself dry and glowered at the Slowbro, who tilted its head to the side, as though trying to remember what it was just doing.
"Surf," Red spluttered, rinsing his cap. "That Slowbro knows Surf." He dry-heaved and massaged his chest. "Figures. But that just means you'll be an even better capture, Slowbro."
Red glanced over at the Slowbro.
It no longer stood by itself.
Either side of it were two Pokémon of the same species he recognised.
Jynx.
The Jynxs' blonde hair flowed in the unceasing, chilling air as they glared at Red and Pikachu, lips pursed in an expression of annoyance.
"Do you think they want to battle too?" Red whispered to Pikachu.
As if responding to Red, the Jynx stepped forward, although Red could see no feet for which they would have 'stepped' forward with, their flowing red dresses giving the impression they were more or less drifting towards them. Slowbro stared blankly at the Jynx, mouth agape in a dim-witted fashion.
"Fine," Red said, detaching two Poké Balls from his belt. "If you want to battle, then that's how this will go. I'll capture both of you and then Slowbro too. Charmeleon! Lo! I choose you!"
Charmeleon's flame burned ever brighter as he snorted embers from his nostrils, yet he did spare a rather worried glance towards the water; Lo waved its stubby arms as aggressively as it could towards the Jynx, which means to say not aggressive at all.
"Fire and Steel beats Ice, guys," Red said. "We'll do this as quickly as possible. Okay, Charmeleon, Fire Spin! Lo, use Flash Cannon!"
From Lo's nut head came a beam of metal light, and Charmeleon mustered a stream of fire that slithered like a flaming serpent towards one of the Jynx, eager to trap her within its sizzling coils.
But one Jynx fired her own beam of light at Lo's Flash Cannon, arctic blue and so cold it seemed to rob the environment of the little heat it had. The beams clashed and almost blinded Red.
So, an Ice Beam hindered Lo's first attack, but how did Charmeleon fair? How could the other Jynx counter a trapping move like Fire Spin?
Well, Jynx are both an Ice-type and a Psychic-type, aren't they? The latter tends to mean they are capable of using various techniques of said type. Psychic perhaps? And yes, having the type and the move called the same thing can be a little confusing.
Anyhow, the Jynx's eyes glowed a mystical blue and the flame's charge slowed before they were ushered into the briny water, where they were extinguished and gave birth to steam. Nevertheless, the Jynx did not escape unscathed, the Fire Spin giving her a quick lick across her ribs before being sent to its watery grave.
The Slowbro seemed to lose interest in the battle and instead found more enjoyment in gazing at a stalagmite.
"Round two, guys," Red said, pawing his wet fringe away from his eyes. "We'll just keep pushing forward." He turned to Pikachu. "Buddy, stay on your toes in case Slowbro…"
Red trailed off, which is why an ellipsis was used. Wild, right? But why did our hero trail off? If you need to ask, it was probably because Pikachu had fallen asleep. But why did Pikachu fall asleep, you may ask? Well, it was probably because of the Pokémon that held him in her arms, cradling him like an infant. A third Jynx!
"What the heck?" Red muttered as the Jynx strolled towards him. He swivelled around, to get Charmeleon and Lo to take down this unprecedented guest. But Charmeleon was fast asleep too. Wait, Lo was not! Maybe it could… no, no. Its opponent gave it a big smooch and Lo fell back, gone from the Seafoam Islands to the Slumber Islands.
"Oh no," Red said.
Lips were pressed to his cheek, instant torpor claimed him, and the ground came up to meet him.
o~o~o~o~o
Red was not out for very long, not long at all, but he was out long enough that when he came to, he found himself in a different spot than where he was subdued.
Groggy, he gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around, his vision blurry. Charmeleon, Pikachu, and Lo were getting up too, yawning and stretching, and in front of them were the three Jynx and the Slowbro, the latter of whom was gaping at a rock, quite ordinary and uninteresting to anyone who was not the Slowbro.
Oh, the Jynx must have subdued them with that attack they are known to use. What was it called again? Ah yes, Lovely Kiss. Who would have thought a technique with such an innocent name could be so crippling!
Red craned his neck, taking in the sky that was revealed to him in a circular fashion through an expansive whole in the cave's ceiling, a little cloudy but still quite sunny, his eyes losing their blurriness the more he stared. He had no clue where he was in the Seafoam Islands, did not even know if he was still in the one he entered, but at least he had a quick escape thanks to Sky Dash for what was he to expect now? Why did the Jynx bring him and his Pokémon here? Did they want to battle, preferring to do it here than where they were before? Would this be a Pokémon-style court hearing? Just what on earth was going to happen?
He was about to tear his gaze away from the sky, to demand the Jynx and Slowbro tell him what they wanted, when something descended from the heavens, something that made Red tilt his head and frown, trying to remember if he had seen anything like it before.
He had not.
It was a giant bird, its feathers a sky blue apart from its chest, which was a paler blue, and its crest and long, flowing tail that were a darker shade of it. Its eyes were red, its legs grey, and its beak small. It wings shimmered as if made from crystal.
Or ice, which would be fitting as its arrival not only brought with it a presence Red had not sensed in any Pokémon since he began his journey, but a wintry chill that made him shiver.
The Jynx bowed to the great bird, and other Seafoam denizens Red had noticed prior followed suit, each filled with utter reverence for this new guest. The Slowbro raised its arm in a 'How's it going?' sort of a way. A Jynx smacked it around the back of the head.
The great bird beheld Red and his Pokémon with a stern gaze.
Red, Charmeleon, Pikachu, and Lo stared back, unblinking (which was far easier for Lo it must be said).
"Who's that Pokémon?" Red whispered to his belt. "Pokédex, help us out."
His Pokédex was more than happy to oblige, well, as happy as a piece of technology with no thoughts of its own could be:
Articuno, a dual Ice and Flying-type Pokémon. It is one of the three Legendary birds. It is said to appear to doomed people lost in icy mountains.
"Wow," Red said whimsically. "I can't believe it… it's… it's…."
Charmeleon and Pikachu gazed up at Articuno, eyes shining, barely daring to breathe. Lo's eyes would have done the same had it had any.
"Another Ice-type!" Red finished. "And a super powerful one and that!"
His Pokémon cringed and shouted at their Trainer, pointing up at Articuno and then at his Pokédex. Red blushed.
"Er… sorry, guys. That's not what I meant to say. Yeah, I can't believe we're seeing a Legendary Pokémon." Red felt he had to avert his gaze for every second that passed with him looking at the majestic creature, the more he felt the wonder would overwhelm and kill him. "It's freaking me out. First a Mythical and now a Legendary. Honestly, if someone would've told me they experienced this, I would've said they were lying."
Articuno was gorgeous, so much so that even the cold did not bother Red, enough that he would have gladly spent hours staring at it if not for an interruption.
The Jynx crowded around Articuno and gabbled away, gesturing from Red to his Pokémon to Slowbro, Articuno all the while listening sagely.
A nervous little tickle danced down his spine. The Jynx were obviously telling on him, the students tattling on their classmates to the teacher. But he was a Trainer! Catching, befriending, and training Pokémon were his jobs! He could not let the Jynx get away with a one-sided story. No, he jolly well could not! So, when the Jynx took a minute to breathe, he motioned for his Pokémon to follow, and they marched up to Articuno to explain themselves.
But they did not need to!
Articuno simply waved the Jynx away with a flap of its glittering wings and uttered something to them, its eyes darting from them to Red and his Pokémon. The Jynx tried to argue back, but Articuno was not having any of it and continued to explain something that Red was certain he at least got the gist of: they were not a threat.
How Articuno would have known that, Red could not say. Was it intuition? Was it the experience of Articuno's long life? Was it a special power developed by Legendaries to be able to tell this? Either way, it did not seem as if Red and his party were in danger of being turned into ice lollies, and soon the Jynx relented, bowing to the great ice bird. They bowed to Red and his Pokémon too and offered them their hands, which they accepted.
"It's fine," Red said to them. "I guess it was a mix of us arriving and battling and Articuno being here that worried you so much."
The Jynx guided Red, Charmeleon, and Pikachu over to Articuno, who towered over them proudly.
Instinctively, Red reached out a hand and gently caressed Articuno's down. Touching its feathers was like touching ice, but, as strange as it might seem, there was a warmth to it as well, a warmth that bypassed Red's fingers and travelled all the way to his chest.
"Wow," Red said, his breath forming mist. "I can't believe it, I just can't believe it. Articuno. Articuno, you're amazing."
Charmeleon, Pikachu, and Lo did the same, touching Articuno, awestruck at being in the presence of such a wonderous creature.
Red let out Beedrill, Clefairy, and Cubone too, wanting them to share in the occasion, filled with a bit of regret there was no network on the Seafoam Islands to activate his Pokémon Box and call out Snorlax as well. Then again, she would probably rather be searching for food instead and not even notice Articuno.
Human, trained Pokémon, wild Pokémon, Legendary all mingled together, lost to the moment, an experience one would expect hardly anyone to ever have, and Red would remember it for the rest of his life.
But all good things must come to an end, and an internal alarm clock told Red he had to get going lest he overstay his welcome. Reluctantly, he returned all his Pokémon bar Pikachu, and they got the Sky Dasher ready.
"That was amazing!" Red said, propping himself behind the rodent pilot. "I never thought we would do all this when we stopped here. Totally worth it! Thanks for everything, everyone."
The wild Pokémon all waved and called out to him, except the Slowbro who waved in the opposite direction.
"And Articuno," Red added as the Sky Dasher rose off the rocky floor. "I want to meet you again, for longer next time. And we're going to battle too. How does that sound?"
Articuno bowed his great head and if birds could grin, Red was positive it would have.
Red and Pikachu disappeared through the opening and into the sky, spying the speck that was Cinnabar Island many miles away.
The home of his sixth Badge.
And encouraged by his encounter with Articuno, Red would win it quickly.
He was moving up.
