Title: Marooned
Summary: #Pokeshippingweek2022 theme: "Pirate Ship" (loose "Soulmates"). Disobeying the orders of the beast of the sea leads to the adventure of a lifetime. AU
i. Sinking feeling
There weren't many rules for her kind.
Protect the bodies of water, save only pure-hearted sailors, and remain unseen.
Otherwise she was free to do as she pleased within the expansive aquatic vastness that was the world's waterways.
She found it to be a lonely existence, despite the fact that she had three older sisters with whom she shared the sea, but like the currents that led back to the waterways of the archipelago they called home, she found her calls to travel to be limited at best as every time she tried the currents brought her back.
Some areas were much too cold, with ice sheets stretching over their oceanic expanse for much of the year.
Others too populous, with suntanned locals lining sandy stretches making her need to stay undiscovered difficult due to the variety of man's nets and snares that wove into the tapestry of the sea like an ugly scar.
And others still remained a mystery, untraveled save for the migrating aquatic life that gave her as much information as they could, but never enough to form a clear picture.
Sometimes she wished to see it all, but she remained tethered by an invisible thread to her home waters.
"There's a ship nearby," her eldest sister said cutting into the redhead's meandering thoughts.
"What of it?" She asked, already having a general idea of what her sister intended by the statement.
"Lily and Violet want to create a storm," the blonde answered with dripping boredom to her tone, "it's a pirate ship."
"Pirates here?" The mermaid replied stunned at how little area seemed to remain untraveled by man. Soon her family would have to retreat to the underwater cave system during the day to avoid the swaths of vagabonds that seemed set on taming the sea and all the beasts within.
Or as Lily, Violet, and Daisy preferred to do, create storms to sink the invading ships to keep their home safe. They'd rescue the pure-hearted and send them clinging to driftwood by current back to Shamouti island, and the offering of tainted men to the sea beast would bless the mermaids with stronger powers.
"You should come with us," Daisy sighed knowing the answer that would follow.
It had never morally sat well with the red headed mermaid to pass decisive judgment on mortals, so she often passed on these expeditions as her instinct was always to save all she could.
"You need to start building and honing your own power," The blonde reminded. The remaining three were wielding powerful magic that further grew with their offerings to the sea beast.
Daisy knew Misty would never join them for a sailing ship as they were just people at work who happened to venture into the beast's waters.
But pirate ships were an entirely different matter. The sea beast that kept the mermaids powerful and protected their waterway had a special penchant for pirates as a long ago pirate ship's cannon was the reason the beast was doomed to the sea after the grievous injury that took its flight.
No moral judgment was to be passed on pirates, for the beast wanted them all to fall into its watery graveyard as a penance for pain.
And generally pirates were bad men. Murderers, thieves, and other sorts that found themselves on the wrong side of moral good so it made the demise easier for the mermaids to stomach.
"Just come with us. I won't make you drown anyone," the eldest sister promised sinking lightly webbed fingers into the redhead's arm.
"Fine, but I'm only there to destroy the nets," Misty relented, knowing the battle was one of indomitable wills.
"Sure, like, fine, whatever you need to convince yourself baby sis," the blonde sighed dramatically releasing her grip and leading the way with a flourish of her blue tail.
ii. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.
They sent her out like a warning shot, making her take a graceful arching leap out of the water with long red hair trailing behind her in the wind and the shimmering blue-green scales of her tail reflecting rainbows into the salty spray.
The men gathered on the deck at the sight, while beneath the surface her sisters drummed up the storm and summoned the sea beast to prepare for it's feast. In order to glean some gift of power from the beast Misty had to participate in the hunt and by serving as the distraction she would lay claim to some participation.
Remain unseen was the rule broken, but the beast overlooked broken rules if no mortals survived to tell tall tails.
As she leapt again she could see the sky above her devolve into blackness with clouds rolling in out of nowhere, but something new on the deck caught her eye…a boy among the rough looking men, leaning over the bow and staring at her with equal parts wonder and wariness.
She hit the water with a graceless smack as her concentration waned, tumbling into the currents below and struggling to right herself.
"There's a boy; he looks young. Maybe 9 or 10," she motioned to Daisy once she was back beneath the surf.
"If he's old enough to be on a pirate ship, he's old enough to face the consequences the king of the sea puts forth," Daisy shrugged apathetically.
"Daisy," Misty warned with a glare and then shuddered as the resounding boom of thunder clapped above the surface and sent sound waves that permeated even the shallow depths. Out of the corner of her eye she saw wooden debris slowly sink into the cove and her heart rate quickened as she realized the ship above was no longer intact.
Violet had a scary level of accuracy when it came to hitting ships with fierce waves and lightening strikes, so before Misty even spoke, she knew all were doomed.
She saw the white and blue beast swoop in from the depths to begin the collection of souls and, despite her better judgment, she found herself frantically scanning the sea for the boy.
Dark, unruly hair caught her eye from the edge of her vision. He was sinking, the unfortunate buoyancy effect of water-filled lungs, and he looked a little fried from the close up lightening strike. She wasn't even sure he was still alive, but, without a second thought, she propelled herself toward him fighting through the throng of sinking and struggling pirate men who littered the sea.
'I have to save the boy.'
It was the sole thought coursing through her mind as she grabbed his torso as gingerly as she could while maintaining a firm grasp, and fled the chaotic massacre toward the safety of Shamouti.
The sea beast duly took note of this transgression as he swallowed a nearby man whole. While Misty knew this action would come at a cost, the life of this boy seemed worth it.
The currents sent by the beast that tried to pull her back to the center of the archipelago were strong, but her willpower remained stronger and stroke by stroke she finally deposited the boy on the sandy shores of Shamouti. His eyes remained closed in a waterlogged slumber and she worked to clear the water from his lungs, mimicking an action she'd observed the sailors do during past wrecks. Misty was wishing, for once, that she had even the basic powers to manipulate the salty water that remained trapped in the youths lungs.
After what felt like an eternity he sputtered and vomited up the saltwater in a raspy display of life.
Her instincts begged her to seek safety below the waves, but her logic reasoned that he'd already seen her so she should stay to make sure he was actually alright.
Her internal debate was cut short by the quiet query of the boy.
"You're a…"
His brown eyes were large with awe and his words faltered at the end, fading to stunned silence.
"Mermaid," she flatly finished his thought with a telling flit of her tail.
She stared at him with cyan eyes, unsure what to say as it wasn't really a question, but rather a stated fact.
"Where's my dad?"
Concern now etched itself on the boy's face in tiny wave like ripples furrowing across his lightly tanned brow.
"I'm sorry," was all she could muster before trying to flee back into the shallows.
That at least explained why he was on the ship. She was too fearful to ask if his mother had also been on the ship, though relief swelled in her as he hadn't asked about a mother, but perhaps the maternal figure was gone long before the boy boarded the ship.
It no longer mattered; he was safe, and if nothing else the people of Shamouti would raise him as a village, as they'd done for orphans before him.
What she didn't anticipate as she slipped below the waves was the sea beast staring her down.
"You saved him," the sea beast telepathically spoke.
"He's just a boy," she replied crossing her arms in front of her pale torso and flicking her tail in a way that indicated she would stand her ground.
"It was a pirate ship," the pale beast transmitted, "all belong to me."
"All impure souls," she corrected firming her stance between the beast and the island.
The island worshiped the sea beast, and even had festivals in his honor, but all sacrifices came solely from the mermaids and there's no way they would relinquish the boy for this purpose.
"All! All of them are mine! You ungrateful, disobedient child," the beast roared, "bring me the boy or your punishment will be beyond your wildest imagination."
The beast knew she was stubborn, he'd created her after all. He'd gotten bolder with each mermaid he'd created and like an ikarian tale, his final creation was a step too close to the sun.
His first creation, Daisy had been compliant and beautiful borne of seafoam and a smattering of flowers tossed into the surf by a Shamouti native with a hint of golden hour light. The king of the sea feared her too dim to execute his will alone so he'd created Lily and Violet from sea-salt, darkness, and fish scales, and though they became more cruel, they were no smarter than the original.
Still something seemed to be missing so in his final attempt he gambled on creating the redhead out of sea glass and tidal waves. Her long, red hair was a gift from an unusually vibrant sunrise, and the tidal waves gave her an overwhelming, roaring internal power, but the sea glass was his misstep as with knowledge, she gained self-reflection and morality.
"Try me," she spat, unwavering, "the worst you can do is end me."
"There are far worse things, foolish girl," the sea beast smirked, "when you wake up, you'll see. Just remember - your fate is tied to your chosen one. When he fails my test or if he dies, that's when you'll cease to exist. Your souls are fixed now."
She felt herself succumbing to the beacon of sleep as she felt the beast's power take hold of her and before her eyes closed she stole one more glance at the boy standing somberly along the shoreline, staring out into the rolling waves with soft brown eyes.
At least he was safe.
iii. Run ashore
She awoke with a start at the sound of high-pitched screaming in her vicinity. These kinds of crisp sounds hadn't existed underwater so her mind immediately sprang to alert.
The first thing she noticed was that she was no longer underwater. Stale air filled the small, rectangular room she found herself in. It was plain save for some small, teardrop shaped metallic pins in a bowl on a dresser.
"What the hell?!" She heard a screech from down the hall.
Rolling to one side she had a general idea of what awaited her under the covers, but still pulling back the sheet to reveal her newly bipedal status gave her pause. She flexed one foot to see how well the nerves connected with her system and was surprised at how seamless the motion was.
Standing was another matter entirely, and she stumbled and collapsed as she tried to rise out of the bed, unused to her full weight when there was no water to reduce gravity's grip. Crashing to the floor again on her second attempt she decided instead to shuffle herself awkwardly across the floor in an inchworm-esque fashion until she finally made it to the wooden door and managed a sturdy hold on the door handle.
As she began to twist, a figure threw it back and nearly tackled the redhead furiously.
"Misty, what the hell did you do?!"
It was Daisy, still blonde and blue eyed, but lacking the signature cerulean tail of her mermaid form.
"I didn't know he would punish you too!" Misty replied stubbornly, fixing herself into a seated position on the floor and crossing her arms.
Daisy turned to yell back into the other room, already having seamless control of her new limbs, "It's all Misty's fault."
She had always been the most graceful of the four so her natural sense of balance seemingly helped now as well.
"Seriously, can we, like, gut her and give her to the sea king so he changes us back?" Lily grumbled rolling into the room in a tumbling fashion.
"Someone show me how these stupid limbs work and I'll gladly do it myself," Violet yelled from the other room, not bothering to even attempt the difficult feat of bipedal motion.
A loud rapping noise from the central room caught everyone's attention.
"Maybe we don't, like, have to," Daisy said in awe, delicately walking back into the central room and pointing to a large window pane that overlooked a nearby cape.
By now Misty had figured out the basics to walking so she ambled in as best she could with small stumbles along the way only to come face to face with deep blue eyes, glowing from the other side of the glass.
"He's here!" Violet gleefully acknowledged, moving for the first time in a graceless tumble to the floor beneath the couch.
"My children," the beast telepathically spoke after noting that they had all gathered, "and my disappointment."
Misty's face flushed at this, though within her memory sparks ignited a troubled thought.
"Where is the boy?" She yelled through the pane and in the reflection of the glass she could see her sister's shake their heads in understanding.
"You, like, saved him, didn't you?" Daisy admonished with a sigh.
"He is with his mother, though the present time is much later and he will not remember you, nor what happened," the beast explained.
"Why?" Misty asked curiously.
Why move everyone forward in time if he just erased the boy's memory anyway?
"Because he will be tested, and you, my disobedient scallop, will be tested alongside him."
"So why, like, punish us then?" Violet groaned irritably.
"You three have served me faithfully, but your constitution could be swayed given the grievous nature of this task, so your magic needed to be revoked, for should she fail the world will turn to ash."
"So what's the test?" Misty spat, bringing her hand to her flared him in a sharp fashion. If it looked as dramatic as it felt, then she knew it would be the right move.
"The rules are simple, you lived by a triad of rules before, and the new set remains one as well: keep him alive, keep the three birds in balance, and master the power of the creatures of the deep."
"Sounds simple enough," Misty shrugged indifferently.
"I assure you it will not be," the sea beast condescendingly stated, "and because I'm feeling generous, and mostly out of pity for my lovely, obedient children, I have gifted you the creatures you've rescued from fisherman's nets over the years as a start to your training."
"How do I find the boy?" Misty asked, realizing while the land contained less mass than the sea, it was still vast, and she didn't even have a name to go off of.
"His journey will start soon, in the place where all journeys do," the sea beast cryptically answered.
"If we, like, promise to serve you and never give her anything, can't we have our lives back?" Violet pleaded quietly.
"I'm sorry, little flower, the choice she made is permanent. While I wish I could, I do not possess the power to return you to your former state."
With that he dipped back into the sea, diving from his perch on the cape and leaving the four women alone once more.
iv. Walk the plank
It took a few days, but she eventually did track down the boy in a small nearby town. She didn't approach him though as she thought through her plan.
It was like fishing in a way; know your waters, figure out the proper depth, sink your line, and wait.
It gave her a lot of time to think as she spied on him from the fishing spots in the creeks that ran around the small town. She decided that the first day of his journey would be when she would introduce herself; maybe he'd want to travel with her, and maybe they could be friends.
That was the simplest plan she had, but sometimes simple was the only bait needed to make the catch.
And then her thoughts brought her to another place, as this life was almost peaceful in a way she hadn't had underwater. She felt like finally the currents had settled and she was somewhere where she belonged. She couldn't say the same for her sisters who resented her more and more each day.
Returning "home" after her scouting missions were tough as they struggled tame the creatures left to them, though the redhead who rescued the array of pokemon had much better luck. Still the four women petitioned the town to start a gym and it was quickly approved given the city was a prime location and their water type choice was a favored one given the coasts Cerulean City contained.
"How is he?" Daisy asked, when Misty entered through the sliding glass doors walking her new bicycle to the reception desk.
She found she liked biking, it was a fluid leg motion, unlike the choppy gait that came from walking. It was also a great means to get her to places much faster than she could on foot alone, allowing her to make the trek to the nearby town of Pallet without the need to camp in the woods.
"Clumsy, but he's ok," Misty replied nonchalantly.
She'd noticed the boy seemed especially danger prone, but he was sweet and seemed genuinely nice so she was eager to get to know him further.
"Worth it?" Violet sneered from her spot perched on the desk.
"Yes," Misty defended, digging into her stance and running her fingers through her long, orange hair.
"We've decided on your punishment," Lily gleefully chimed in with a wickedness etched on her face.
Misty eyed the three warily as she responded, "isn't it punishment enough to be stuck with you three?"
"Oh, like, just sit down," Daisy sighed pushing the redhead into one of the reception waiting chairs, "you asked for this life and we didn't so you know the deal."
"That bad of a punishment that I need to be seated to hear it, huh?" Misty sarcastically retorted, using snark to mask the fear she was feeling.
She felt the cool hilt of a blade at the back of her neck and she wondered if her sisters were truly crazy enough to kill her over this, but she remained unflinching to not show her mounting fear.
Her eyes squeezed shut as she felt the blade moving in one, fluid motion and when no pain permeated her system she dared to open her eyes finding orange locks fluttering to the ground and settling on the chair around her.
Daisy held up a mirror to show her their work and Misty bit back the tears. It was an uneven and choppy bob given the tool used to produce it, but she wouldn't give them the satisfaction in what they'd taken.
"It's only hair," she managed to choke out in a monotone before shutting herself in her room and screaming into a pillow.
v. Ahoy
The day had finally arrived when the boy was to start his journey. At first Misty had waited in the gathered crowd outside the research lab, but after three new trainers went through, none of whom were the boy, she retreated to the woods for some fishing.
Maybe he got cold feet about his journey? It would certainly make it easier on her if he just remained in this sleepy town since he could stay safe.
Besides, on looks alone, she couldn't see him being willing to take her on as a traveling partner. She looked like a mess having only been able to settle on an irregular side ponytail to mask the terrible haircut and having only one actual outfit choice given Lily and Violet tossed her prepared backpack into the cape the night prior while still trying to show the sea king they would continue to do everything they could not to help her.
A part of her was disappointed that this boy had failed to show up for the start of his journey, given Misty didn't know how much longer she could stay with her sisters. She had taken her closest companion pokemon and haphazardly salvaged what she could from the shoreline that morning with high hopes that by the evening she'd be on a journey with someone who was prepared to travel the world.
A tug at her line brought her back to reality.
Using all her might she reeled in an unusual catch, and she failed to notice it was him because the pokemon in his arms was grievously injured. How long ago had he actually gotten this pokemon and how poor of a trainer was he that within a couple of hours he'd already almost killed the poor thing?
She yelled at him, and only when he took off on her bike did she realize this battered, near drowning duo of pokemon and man included the boy she'd been seeking out.
It wasn't the plan she'd started with, as she definitely hadn't made a friendly impression, but he had her bike so it was an excuse enough to pursue him.
Wandering through the woods she felt a weight lift. She would get to travel and see the world after all!
How was this worse than death? It was life, it was freedom, it was…
She stumbled upon the charred remains of her bike in the center of the path and had a sinking feeling.
oh Mew, how was she going keep this danger-prone boy alive?!
Sorry I'm very behind on posting this week; it's been a very busy and unfortunate couple of days so while I have stories mostly written I haven't had the chance to do my wrap up and editing on many of them.
I will be continuing with the themes I chose, so later today or tomorrow I will post my take on "Delia the Matchmaker."
As far as this story I have plans to continue it once life settles down a bit so look for a future chapter or two in December.
Review, fav, or follow if you'd like!
-FWFT
