Seaside Capers
Maki crouched on my shoulder muttering miserably to himself. It was pouring with rain and the poor wee grass Pokemon was soaked through, but he was still persistently refusing to go into a Pokeball. What if something interesting happened? He would miss it. In the puddles beside us, my Vaporeon, which I had named Ozmos as a joke (because she could move through water) frolicked in the puddles. She was having fun anyway! I had just returned from a visit to see Bill, the Eevee trainer, and he had been most interested in my Vaporeon. He said she was the fattest Vaporeon he had ever seen, and Ozmos really loved her food! As long as I kept her well fed, she behaved herself perfectly. It was the webbed feet that puzzled him the most though, for they were not normally seen in Vaporeons.
Rowan stalked along beside me. "Don't you just wish the rain'd stop?" He muttered more to himself then anyone in particular.
"Maki makimur!" Maki agreed emphatically.
Vaporeon just shot him a evil look. She liked the rain!
"What's that?" Rowan shouted, pointing at something swimming through the multitude of puddles.
I peered at it, "it seems to be some kind of fish Pokemon," I replied.
"Mine!" Rowan shouted, claiming it. "We can't let it stay here," he added, when I gave him an evil look, "when the rain stops it'll dry up and die."
I grinned evilly at him. "What are you going to use against it? Vulpix? You know Flame will really be terrible in this weather. And Goldflash doesn't like the rain neither."
Rowan pushed back his matted brown curls. "You're right. Can I borrow your Vaporeon?"
"Vap vap oreon!" Ozmos said with a grin – she plainly wanted to battle.
"Ok," I replied, "but you tell her what to do, ok. Ozmos, listen to Rowan!"
"Vap!" She agreed.
Rowan put his hands on his hips. "Ozmos, use your water gun attack!"
I gave him a puzzled look, water gun? It would probably have very little effect at all!
"Horsseaa," the fish Pokemon brayed as it was bowled backwards by the force of the spray. There was obviously something wrong with it. It tried to regain its balance, but Maki, who had been sitting bored on my shoulder for too long, pounced on it.
"Oh, Maki," Rowan whined.
"Vapor!" Ozmos seemed annoyed.
"Ok Maki, come here, Rowan catch the poor thing."
Maki reluctantly returned to leap on my shoulder and began grooming himself, somewhat ineffectually.
"Yeah, go Pokeball," Rowan seemed to have lost a lot of his enthusiasm. He threw the ball haphazardly, but managed to catch the Pokemon. It barely even struggled.
"It is definitely not very healthy," I told him. "We better take it to a Pokecentre at the next town we come to.
"Yeah." I wondered if Rowan even cared that he had caught it.
Time passed, as it does on a regular basis. Rowan got his Horsea healed, although there still seemed to be something strange about it. Nurse Joy seemed to think that it might have something to do with it being away from sea water for too long. We were contemplating a trip to the beach, when Rowan received a phone call from home.
"I have to go home, Kat," he explained to me. "My father is ill and mother cannot cope on her own. I'm sorry but you'll have to continue your journeys without me."
I hugged him. Rowan and I had been friends practically from birth, we had done everything together. His father had never been a healthy man, having some sort of rare ailment that made him ill all the time, and I knew my tousled-haired friend had to go home. Family were more important than friends, after all. "I'll miss you," I said. "Look, I'll give you this to remember me by," I handed him a Pokeball, it contained an Eevee I had been given by Bill. Although I was fond of Eevee, I could not bear to give away Maki or Ozmos and I might never see Rowan again.
"You'll giving me your Eevee!" He was amazed. "I'll take it home and evolve it into a Jolteon, than it can help protect my family. Thanks!" He paused, looking downhearted (at this point, Maki was hugging his leg, saying farewell his way), "I have nothing to give you."
"Maki maki maki murr," Maki explained that he did not need to repay us.
"I couldn't bear to lose Flame and Goldflash anymore than you could give away Maki or Ozmos," he muttered.
"Makimur maki maki maki!" The grass Pokemon tried, ineffectually, to remind him of the Horsea. It had been stored away, since the few times we'd fought with it, it had been beaten most easily.
"Wait!" He exclaimed. "I know it's not much, but I do have something I could give you!" He ran into the nearest Pokecenter and came running out five minutes later carrying a Pokeball. "Here," he said, pushing it into my hands, "have my Horsea."
"Thanks," I replied, a little unsure. It was not that I didn't appreciate the gift, just that I did not really think a Horsea was that necessary. I already had a water Pokemon and this one was not very healthy. I hugged him again.
Rowan glanced at his wrist watch. "I've gotta go, my bus leaves in like fifteen minutes. I'm going to miss you, Kat." He looked as if he were about to cry.
"I'm going to miss you too," I replied.
"Maki!" Maki sounded quite upset.
"Come on Ozmos, say "goodbye" to Rowan," I said tearfully, bringing out my Vaporeon. She stood on her hind legs and licked his hand.
Rowan brought out Flame and Goldflash, and little Eevee, and the three rubbed heads with Maki and Ozmos. Then we said our farewells.
It was lonely on the road without Rowan, but I had to go to the sea so that Horsea could hopefully get better. At least I had Maki and Ozmos for company. I left the both of them out of their Pokeballs, because otherwise it would just be too lonely on the road. We did not have many problems, aside from the occasional scuffle with other trainers who wanted to prove their Pokemon were stronger than mine. Sometimes they won, but none knew what to make of my Makimur.
And then we finally came to the seashore. Sitting on a piece of driftwood, staring out to sea, was a boy about my age. He had long, wild dark hair and was wearing a heavy trenchcoat that almost engulfed him. He was staring forlornly out to sea. Maki tried to go and investigate, but I called him back, shaking my head.
"Don't disturb him," I hissed to the Makimur. Maki frowned at me. He wanted to know what was going on, as always. His anger evaporated after about ten seconds however, when a piece of shell caught his beady yellow eyes.
"Come on, Ozmos, come on Maki," I called to them. "Let's get Horsea to water." Ozmos, who had been nibbling on a piece of kelp in the hope it might be edible, loped past me. Maki leapt onto my shoulder. He could cover amazing distances for someone so small.
We reached the water and I released Horsea. It trilled happily and swam around. I looked about, wondering where Ozmos had got too and why she too wasn't in the water. But she had gone!
Nowhere could I see the Vaporeon, it was almost as if she had vanished off the face of the earth. Of course, Vaporeon were invisible in water, but I hadn't seen her enter the water and she was not answering my calls!
"Maki!" The Makimur's voice suddenly penetrated my consciousness. He pointed at something. "Maki maki makk!"
He was plainly distressed. "Horsea, return!" I called, not willing to leave the fish Pokemon behind. I had to find Vaporeon and I might need Horsea's help. Maki was pointing at a webbed footprint, one of Ozmos's.
"Come on," I cried, "help me find Ozmos!" Maki leapt across the sand. The trail led into the trees. Maki paused to sniff at something, a piece of very dead fish.
Of course, food! What else could lure Ozmos away without telling me! She loved her food and this fish must be so tasty for her! She must be around here somewhere. "Ozmos," I called, "come here now, you've got us all worried!"
From somewhere I could hear the muffled sounds of Ozmos calling me.
Suddenly the boy jumped down from the tree in front of me. "Your Vaporeon is gone," he shouted at me. "Hah, we've got 'im. Now, unless you give me the little guy with the ringed tail now, you'll never see your Vaporeon again!"
"No! I cannot give you my Maki."
"Maki maki MAKI!" The lemur Pokemon sprang to the ground.
"Go Arcanine," the boy shouted. The huge striped dog landed on the ground, staring at the tiny grass Pokemon.
Maki shrank back, but there was still determination in his eyes. A ray of light shot from the star on his forehead.
"Maki, use your agility!" I yelled, knowing that there was not much he could do against a fire Pokemon. If he were hit…
"Arcy, flamethrower attack!" The boy shouted and Arcanine flared.
Even though Maki was dodging, the fire still caught him, sending him tumbling into the dirt, whimpering in pain. His attack seemed to have little effect on the Arcanine.
There was only one thing I could do, for if I failed my Vaporeon was lost.
"Go Horsea!" I just had to hope the little creature had recovered enough through its saltwater bath. Horsea leapt out enthusiastically. "Use your… do something!" I shouted, realising I had no idea what the little fish actually could do.
Water bubbles spewed forth from Horsea's mouth. It met the incoming flame of the Arcanine and fought for a moment. But Arcanine was strong, stronger than any little, untrained Horsea, and the flame fought through the water, sending the Horsea sprawling backwards.
"Don't give up, please don't give up!" I cried, tears of frustration streaming down my face. But Horsea appeared to be, it lay in the dirt, twisting as though in great pain.
And suddenly it grew and changed. Fanning its now large fins it forced back the next blast of fire from Arcanine and then zig-zagged towards it, laving a trail in the dirt. I had never seen a water Pokemon swim through dirt before. Then it water gunned, with enough force to send the Arcanine stumbling back, weak.
The boy paled. "Arcanine return," he shouted, "let's see if you're a match for my Cubone!"
"Seaa-draa!" The draconial seahorse shrieked, spraying water at it.
"Cu-bone, cubone-bone," the Cubone shouted, striking out with its bone, but Maki, recovered somewhat, leapt on it and bit it, just as the water sent it staggering backwards. The fight was over before it really began.
"Hey, that's cheatin'!" The boy shouted. Maki turned to face him, sending a beam of light into his eyes. "Hey, I'm blinded!"
I leapt over and grabbed him. "I've won," I said. "Where is my Vaporeon."
"Va-por!" Cried Ozmos, hearing my voice. Maki scampered off.
Seadra and Cubone were still fighting, but Seadra plainly had the upper hand.
"Who are you?" I asked the boy. "Why did you steal my Pokemon?"
"My-me names K-K-Kameron," he stuttered, "I work for-for team Rocket."
"Oh really," I replied. "Well, you can stay away from my Vaporeon and my Maki."
"I just w-wanted to catch the rarest Pokemon," he continued. "Puh-please don't hurt me."
"I won't hurt you," I replied, "as long as my Pokemon are alright. You lured her with food didn't you?"
He nodded mutely.
Suddenly Maki came leaping back in, Ozmos hot on his tail. She sent a spray of water at Cubone, quickly ending the fight and turned to glare at Kameron.
"Vapor-VaporeON!" She growled at him.
He shuddered.
I let him go. "Call in your Cubone and run," I replied, "and don't let me see you again."
He nodded. "Cubone return." He then turned and ran through the bushes.
"Are you ok Ozmos?" I asked. Ozmos licked my hand.
"Va va por," she said, in a voice that she was fine, now.
I walked through the trees to where she had been captured. There, is the bushes, stood a metal cage. How it had got there was anyone's guess. It was on wheels though. The door hung open, with an opened padlock hanging from it.
"How did you open the padlock?" I asked Maki.
He grinned at me knowingly, I guess it was something I'll never know.
"Anyway, who feels like a swim?" I asked.
"MaKImur!"
"Vaporeon!"
"SeaaDra!"
They all agreed emphatically.