Ship Wrecked
When we finally reached the tiny seaside village of Coralville, it was late afternoon. My back still ached, but luckily the ride here had not been too bumpy and painful. The Makimurs were, as always on long car trips, bored and had filled in their time by playing checkers. Kameron had finally convinced Shadeon to get in her Pokeball and his new Eevee lay in his lap, playing with the collar of his jacket.
"Ouch!" He muttered, as the little Eevee played a bit too hard and managed to claw him. The little chihuahua like Pokemon looked up, its mouth filled with Kameron's collar.
"Eee pree?" It asked, its voice muffled.
"You little minx," Kameron muttered goodnaturedly. "Let go of that!" He pulled it off him, wiping the spittle off his coat. He stared at me. "This fellow's a little rabscallion in the making.
I smiled. "Perhaps you should give it a name?"
"It's not an it," he replied, "it's a he, can't you tell?"
"I haven't inspected it thoroughly," I replied, "but I'll take your word for it."
"Eee preee!" The little rabscallion launched another attack on Kameron, this time eating his hair.
"Makiki," Maki sighed.
The shuttle drew to a halt.
"Okay, everyone off," the bus driver bellowed. "You've reached the end of the line, welcome to Coralville."
We grabbed out luggage and piled out, the Eevee leaping into Kameron's pocket.
"Well, here we are, in sunny Coralville," Kameron said with a wry smile. The wind was blown a fierce gale and it was spitting with rain. Eevee decided to hide nice and low in Kameron's pocket. Maki and Kiki also jumped into my backpack. They had no great love of the rain.
We stood on the Esplanade, looking out over the seas which were a churning mass of waves. The roar of the water was so loud it was almost daunting. I was not, as you may remember, a big fan of water and the thought of crossing that was frightening, to say the least.
"Let's stay here the night," I ventured, "we can catch a boat out tomorrow if the weather's cleared up."
Kameron sighed. "It's going to be an eternity before we get to see these Lapras, isn't it?"
"Eeee preee!" Eevee agreed.
"We better find shelter." I stated, matter-of-factly. The decision was unanimous. We found a Pokemon hostel/centre without much difficulty, it seemed this was the starting place for a lot of people who set out on the Orange League. Not that I had any intent to get a badge at all. There was so much more to being a Pokemon Trainer.
By the next morning the weather had still not cleared and we were unsure as if it ever would. I called Doctor Warwick that morning.
"What do you mean, you're still not there?" He asked, sounding almost angry.
I sighed. "We had a couple of little misadventures and missed our bus." I replied. Not that I would count the orphanage as a misadventure, but my back still hurt from the other episode.
"Well, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you regarding the Lapras." He sounded miserable.
"They've gone, haven't they?" I sighed. Just my luck…
"Not quite, but, well, it seems a bunch of pirate hunters have come into the Orange Islands. They are believed to be capturing the Lapras by some rather unfortunate methods. A dead one was found washed up on Mandarin Island an hour ago and another one was found in the Pinkun Island reserve, so badly injured it had to be euthanised."
"That's terrible!" The poor things, just trying to do their migration and here they were being slaughtered. "What can I do to help?"
"I knew you were going to get involved," Doctor Frances muttered, "I just knew it. Well, I don't want you kids to get hurt."
"Too late for that!" Kameron shouted over my shoulder.
"Yeah," I replied, "we've already had a run in with shadow Pokemon."
"What?"
"Shadeon, get over here."
"Shaaa," Shadeon loped over and stared into the phone screen. Doctor Warwick took a step back.
"What in Hades is that?" He asked.
"Shadeon," I replied, "the Shadow Eevee. Made by a most unpleasant method. But don't worry about that, I'll update you on it later."
"You better!"
"We've already sent you a postcard!" Kameron shouted again.
"Anyway," I shot him an evil look, "in regards to the Lapras, what do you advise that I do?"
"I would advise that you stay well out of it. But I know you're not going to." He sighed. "Nobody knows yet how the pirates operate, or where they moor their ship. There are many, many islands out there, in the Orange Islands and since aerial transport around here is limited, due to the winds, nobody has been able to find them yet."
"This isn't very helpful," I muttered.
"Be patient girl! Anyway, the best island to start on would be Mandarin Island, cos it's the nearest one to where you are and because that was where the dead Lapras was found. Catch a ship over there as soon as is convenient and talk to me again once you're there."
"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow."
The screen went dead as I hung up the 'phone.
Kameron was pale. "That's just terrible," he said.
"I know, so what do we do about it?"
"We catch a ship over there today."
It was a task easier said than done. Eventually we managed to track down one ship that was still sailing across to the isles today, an older vessel named "The Sea Swallow" with a picture of a white bird with forked tail painted on the side. We paid our fares to the bearded captain and clambered in.
"So, what is it that makes you brave the waves on this horrific day?" He asks us, after introducing himself as Captain Robynson.
"We have urgent business to attend to over on Mandarin Island." I explained. The Eevee was stalking Kiki's tail. Kiki herself was investigating the rather small cabin of the sailing vessel. Suddenly he pounced and Kiki turned on him almost instantly and the two wrestled with each other playfully.
The Captain laughed. "Funny wee fellow," he said with a smile. "Reminds me of the Eevee I had when I was a kid. It died though, as is prone to happening when one gets old. Now there's just me, sailing the seas all alone."
"Oh that's sad," I replied. "I think everyone needs a friend. I've got Maki." Maki had fallen asleep in my backpack. He stirred and stared up at the old man.
"Maki-murrr!" He said, by way of greetings.
"So why are you sailing on a day like this?" Kameron asked the Captain.
"Well, I have to transport goods across to the island and if I don't do it, then I won't get paid and the fruit'll spoil. So I've got to go."
The Eevee had beaten Kiki and was now ambushing Kameron's shoe. Maki, never one to want to miss out on the excitement, jumped down and promptly untied it.
"Hey," Kameron exclaimed as Maki set about pulling the shoelace out. "Leave me alone you guys!"
Both the Captain and I could not stop laughing.
"He really does remind me of the Eevee I had when I was young," the Captain continued. "A little fellow I called Azriel, here, I have a photo somewhere." He fossicked around in a cupboard and drew out a photograph. It showed an Eevee sitting inside a gumboot.
I chuckled. "Hey, Kameron!" I called (Kameron was trying to forcibly remove one shoelace from one lemur Pokemon), "why don't you call your Eevee Azriel?"
"Yeah, why not," he replied. "Would you like that little guy?"
"Eee veee!" Azriel agreed, tugging on one end of the shoelace that Maki was holding onto. Maki waited until he had pulled it tight, then let it go so the little Eevee tumbled paws over tail.
"That was unnecessarily mean!" I scolded Maki.
"Makiki!" He didn't seem concerned.
The Captain looked pleased. He dragged out a bag from the cupboard. "This is some Pokemon biscuits, I carry them for visitors who have Pokemon, perhaps you would like some?"
"Eeveee!" Azriel darted over and begged comically.
"Here you go little fellow," the Captain handed him a biscuit, and then tossed one to each of Maki and Kiki. Maki caught his and Kiki crouched over hers, growling like a Persian. "Anyway, let's get this show on the road!" The Captain left us alone in the cabin.
The ocean was rough and within the first ten minutes both Kameron and I were standing on deck, leaning over the side. Maki had retreated into his Pokeball in defence, as had Kiki (and she didn't even really have a Pokeball, she just jumped into one of Kameron's empty ones. As for Azriel… He sat on the Captain's shoulder whilst the ship plowed through the waves. The rough seas did not seem to effect him.
"I don't think this is going to work!" Captain Robynson yelled, "I'm turning back!" The wind stole the worlds from his mouth. The boat lurched through the high seas and rain poured down around us.
Suddenly something flashed through the water. It was large and blue, with a horn on its almost fish-like head. It flicked its tail and sprang into the air.
"What is that?" I asked.
Kameron looked at me, his face ashen. "You want me to get out my Pokedex?" He asked, sounding positively ill.
"I'll get it," I had no love of water, but was not quite as ill as he. I removed it from his pocket and pointed it at the creature covorting in the waters below.
"ORKA: the dolphin Pokemon. Evolves from Dolfin. This Pokemon is well-known for its dark sense of humour and habit of capsizing boats."
"Oh dear…"
The Orka arched out of the water, just as the Captain was turning the boat about. A beam of white light, glittering with tiny stars shot from the horn on its head and hit the boat. There was a cracking noise as the frozen wood splintered under the impact of the ocean.
"We're hit!" Captain Robynson shouted. "Quick kids, get in the lifeboat." The boat lurched as we tried to make our way along the railing. My foot slipped and suddenly I was plunging into the freezing, turbulant waters. Kameron shouted out for me, but I was being swallowed up by the waters.
I could not swim.
The water was freezing, so cold that immediately my fingers and toes went numb, despite the fact that I was still wearing shoes. In my last memories of thought, I drew out Razor's Pokeball. It took a lot of effort and concentration to fight back the esculating panic and push the button to release him.
Immediately the Sea horse Pokemon swam under me, catching me before I had sunk. He pushed me to the surface and suddenly I saw it, it had come back. Plowing through the waters like an avenging angel, the Orka descended on us. I detected no malice from it, more a sort of strange humour that radiated from it. It thought it was funny to try and drown people. I had enough state of mind now to release Ozmos. She paddled in the water and stared at the Orka. Its eyes were huge, as large as the vaporeon's head and glinted. It lowered its horn. Ozmos sent a spray of water at it, but it barely noticed, it was hard to fight water/ice Pokemon with other water/ice Pokemon. Besides, it was hard to funnel water through water.
The Orka began to swim around us in circles. Getting swifter and swifter. Suddenly I felt myself being picked up in a tubulant whirlpool and was flung into the air. Involuntarily, I released Razor and as suddenly as it had come, the water funnel disappeared and I was flung back into the sea. The dark green waters closed over my head as I flapped and kicked desperately and ineffectually. Suddenly I felt Ozmos's head beneath my hand. She pushed me to the surface. I clung to her back desperately as she swam swiftly through the wild waters. The boat had entirely disappeared from sight, in fact, everything within a few feet was obliterated by huge waves and mist. A wave broke over us, pushing me under again, but once more, my bold little Vaporeon pushed us to the top. But we knew not where we were going and Ozmos was not large, not particularly fit. After about twenty minutes, the cold was starting to seep into my veins and everything seemed hazy, like a dream.
Things seemed to flicker at me through the mists, a small pink Pokemon that resembled a cat, bouncing from bubble to bubble. A bird, its wings white and pure, stroking across the waters, its dark eyes scanning the surface for prey. A dog, standing on the waters, with blue fur and long, almost rabbit-like ears, watching me carefully. My thoughts swept back to when I was younger, before I left home to become a Pokemon Trainer or whatever I was today. My parents, making me clean the house with a toothbrush because I hadn't turned off my light at midnight. One of my schoolmates teasing me because I was unable to swim and scared of the water.
My first swimming experience when I was four and my father decided that throwing me into the ocean was an appropriate way for me to learn.
The chill of the waters encasing me, the shock of being unable to breath… I had gasped and filled my lungs with water, coughing and spluttering. I had sworn never to swim again.
I wished I had learnt now…
Everything was turning dark and misty, thick, like the mist was reaching for me, trying to drag me under. The waters closed over my head. Ozmos was slowing, becoming as worn out as I was myself.
I could no longer fight for consciousness.
Day became darkness.
An unmeasured amount of time later, I became aware that suddenly I was dry, or, if not so much dry, less wet. Something very large and fairly blue was beneath me.
Darkness consumed my senses once more.
And then I awoke, on a beach. Sand was clogged in my hair and clothing (or what remained of it). I dragged myself onto my elbows and Ozmos nudged me.
"Vap vaporeon?" She asked concernedly.
"I'm okay," I muttered, rolling over and coughing out what felt like half the ocean. My throat felt like a rattata had crawled in it and died. Ozmos nuzzled me.
I crawled to hands and knees and stared at my surroundings. I was on a beach, it was grey and dismal and something very large loomed over me. I startled, trying to back away on hands and knees, then I realised what it was.
A lapras.
I stared up into its huge blue eyes. "Preaaa?" It asked me.
"You saved me," I stammered, "Didn't you"
The Lapras nodded. "Preeaaa!" It warbled.
"And you're hurt…" Blood was pouring from a wound in its breast. "Let me help you." I stepped forward clumsily and placed my hands over the wound, willing that familiar electric sensation. I'd healed Shadeon, perhaps I could also heal Lapras.
The bleeding stopped, but the wound did not heal. My head swirled and I fell forward, catching myself against the legendary water Pokemon.
"It was the poachers, wasn't it?" I asked.
"La preeee!"
"Don't worry, girl, we're going to stop them." But I wondered how.
I also wondered where I was.