The next morning, I was the first one to wake up so I got to use the bathroom before my parents. With Pixie right beside me, I used the toilet, brushed my teeth, tamed my bed head into submission and got ready for the beach by putting my swimsuit on under my adventuring outfit. Today, I wore my green version, with a bulbasaur print T shirt and green shorts. In place of my sneakers, I wore my sandals. My swimsuit was one of my favorite pieces of my wardrobe. It was a light one piece swimsuit that was patterned to look almost exactly like a wartortle's shell, with the tail pressed flat against the pattern even though it would have been cooler to have an attached one. By wearing a blue swimming cap with a wartortle's ears, I'd look just like a wartortle. A very tall, fair skinned wartortle, sure, but a wartortle nonetheless.

Wearing my swimsuit under my clothes was convenient if we went right to the beach after breakfast (I was hungry so I'd take mom up on her offer) but if Mom or Dad decided to put it off until later then it could become a pain since I'd have to take everything off in order to pee. As I checked myself out in the mirror to make sure everything looked good, I hoped it wouldn't come to that. I could hold it in for awhile but not for hours. Thankfully I was starting the day with an empty tank.

I left the bathroom to find my parents just waking up. I informed them that I was hungry for breakfast and Mom promised to take us to a great breakfast place after her and Dad got ready. Naturally they took forever but I was patient. I'd learned along time ago that badgering and whining for them to hurry would only end with me over a lap, which was a further delay in itself, and since it'd be on my bare bottom, I'd have to get baby bear to accomplish that requirement. Naked spankings were the worst of all of them! Plus, as a bit of mischief I didn't want them to know I already had my suit on, so I had to stop any actions that would spoil the surprise.

An eternity later, they were finally ready and Mom led the way out of the hotel. As we walked along the street, I noticed that mornings in Fuchsia City look just like mornings in Saffron. People were either in a hurry to get somewhere or strolled leisurely from here to there. Few people were idle. The three of us were of the leisurely stroller variety and it was at a nice, brisk pace that we arrived at Mom's breakfast place.

It was a family diner and it turned out when I got a menu that they served breakfast, lunch and dinner all day long, which was pretty neat. Mornings meant breakfast though, so I ordered a yummy looking cheese omelet with ketchup on it and a soda pop on the side. Mom ordered two eggs Sunnyside up with bacon while Dad got an omelet stuffed with sausage, bacon, ham and cheese.

While we waited for our food, Mom told me, "Kira, we're going to go right to the beach after this so make sure you grab everything you need when we get back to our room. Are you going to change into your swimsuit?"

I shook my head and replied, "Not today. I'll wear it under my dress tomorrow but right now I have everything I need except for my swim cap and towel."

Dad chuckled and said, "Don't forget to wear sunscreen. It's gonna be sunny all day so you'll turn into a tomato without a good layer of sunscreen."

I smiled, "Don't worry, Daddy. I won't forget. The last thing I want is to be burned today and shed my skin like an ekans tomorrow. I'll put on so much sunscreen that all get a shade lighter!"

Our food showed up and I dug into my omelet with extra gusto. It was delicious and the taste helped take my mind away from the not lie I told Mom. Nothing I'd said was technically untrue but it was still a sort of deception. Hopefully she would laugh about it at the beach.

I washed down my omelet with delicious pop and then stole a bite from Dads meal while he was looking out the window. His was delicious too, and I got Mom to promise to take us here again tomorrow so I could order his omelet for myself. I also wanted to try the hash browns.

When Mom and Dad were also done with their meals, they paid up and we went back to the hotel to collect our towels and put on our sunscreen. I put on a good layer and sneakily spread it all the way up my shorts to the line of my swimsuit and also followed the line on my arms and chest too. The sun wasn't gonna touch me today! As I finished up with my face and neck, I wondered if Koji was wearing sunscreen. I hoped not.

After Mom double checked that we were 100% certain we had everything we needed, we left the hotel and made our way down to the beach. As Dad had said, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and even though it wasn't yet noon, the beach was crowded with people just like us. I even spotted a few trainers, their pokeballs shown openly on shorts and swimsuits. I didn't want to battle until Pixie and I had enjoyed the beach to the fullest but I still noted who was who.

Unlike the restaurants, the beach allowed Pokémon to play outside of their pokeballs so as soon as I set foot on the sand, I let Pixie free. She looked just as excited to play and romp as I was but I told her to stay close to keep her from getting under foot of the others. Personally, I loved meeting other peoples Pokémon but not everyone shared my feelings so it's better to be safe than sorry. A look around told me that I wasn't the only one with my Pokémon out. Others were playing either with their trainers or in small groups. Some trainers were even battling away from the crowds.

Though the temptation to just run off to play was strong, I held back in order to help my parents find a prime spot on the sand to put our stuff down. It couldn't be too close to the water and having a bit of elbow room was a must too. A girl couldn't build a big sandcastle with people breathing down her neck after all. Knowing my parents, they'd pick any old spot and go with it, so it was up to me to look for the right and best spot.

The beach was nicely crowded, not packed, so it wasn't long before I pointed and proclaimed, "Over there! It's perfect! Pixie, go claim that spot in the name of me!"

Mom put a hand on my head and chuckled, "In the name of you, huh? It is a good spot though, so let's set our towels down."

Pixie bounded over to the spot first and took up a defensive 'my spot' posture until we arrived to relieve her. I gave her a good job hug and pet and we waited until dad unfolded our big beach towel before I put my own krabby towel down. Next, I kicked off my sandals, put on my swim cap and waited until mom's back was turned to take my shirt off. With a grin, I tossed it just at the edge of where she was looking.

Her eyes flicked to follow the movement and when she registered just what it was, she turned and said, "Kira! Put your shirt back-"

She stopped as I pulled my shorts down, fully showing that I was wearing my swimsuit. I looked puzzled and replied, "How come, Mommy? My suit should be okay, right?"

Dad burst out laughing and after Mom went through a variety of emotions like baffled and speechless, she finally settled on anger and whirled on Dad, "You were in on this, weren't you?"

Dad shook his head and said through his laughs, "Not one bit dear, but man did she play you like a pokeflute!"

This, of course, made her focus her glare on me, "I have a mind to play you like a drum, little lady. Come here."

She pointed at a spot in front of her and my eyes went wide. She wouldn't! Not in front of everyone! It was only a harmless joke!

With tears forming in my eyes, I made my way over to her, "Please Mommy, not out here! I'm sorry! It was a joke!"

She put her hands on my shoulders, right where my suit straps were, but rather than yanking my suit down, all her anger vanished from her face and she smiled joyfully, "So is my anger. It was a good trick and you got me fairly. Just don't go thinking you're the only one with a bit of cleverness in you. Now go play, dear. I bet the water is wonderful. Just stay where we can see you."

She turned me around and gave me a go on swat to my butt, though the sting suggested that maybe not all of her anger was fake. It was better than a full spanking though, so I counted myself very lucky as I called Pixie to my side and made my way to the water. A little stinger was well worth the joke.

The warm sand squished beneath my feet but it was quickly washed away as I ran full speed into the water. What started as ankle deep water quickly rose to my thighs, especially when a wave came to splash against me. Pixie was already vulpaddling and when a particularly big wave was on the way, I grinned and lept just as it was upon me. I sunk right into it and rose to the surface laughing. That was fun! Another wave was on its way, so I pulled Pixie close and let her enjoy my new game too.

The water was nice and warm, but still cool enough to make the dip refreshing from the heat of the sun, which hadn't even reached full strength yet. Today was going to be a scorcher for sure but that was okay. I loved the heat and I had my sunscreen on so I didn't have to worry about sunburn. I could play all day without a care in the world, which I planned to do anyways.

As soon as my body got used to the water temperature, I swam into the deeper waters and played both on the surface and under the water. It was crystal clear so I didn't have any trouble seeing the sand at the bottom. A few times I even swam down to touch the bottom and wherever my hands stirred the sand quickly became a thick cloud that broke the clarity of the water. I didn't see any Pokémon outside those which were trainer owned but I wasn't surprised. There were a lot of people in the water and wild Pokémon probably liked having lots of room to swim.

Not too far from the beach was a small island that my eyes kept falling on. It was a decent swim away and though it might have been pushing the boundary just a teeny bit, I also determined that was still in sight of where my parents were. I really wanted to swim to it, but Pixie was getting tired. She wasn't used to swimming this much and there was no way she could make the swim to the island.

After a bit of thought, I brought her clothes and said, "I know you're tired, so why don't you go back to the beach and keep Mommy and Daddy company? I'm gonna go swim out to that island over there and explore."

Pixie looked to the island for a moment before giving a worried sounding vul, to which I waved away her concern, "Don't worry, don't worry. It's still in sight of the beach so I won't be breaking Moms rule and if there are bad Pokémon then I can escape easily. I'm the fastest swimmer I know. Even Koji with this stupid big pool has nothing on me."

That convinced her and after I cast her off to paddle back to my parents, I turned and started my way to the small island. I didn't know what I would find on it but that didn't matter. It was an island so it just had to be explored. Plus, it was a tiny island so it wouldn't take that long.

The more I swam, the deeper the water got and I soon started to see wild Pokémon under the water. It started with krabbies and magikarp but I did see the occasional goldeen and tentacool too. Seeing the tentacool reminded me of the story I'd missed out on hearing from Captain Morray. What had been done to his wife? I gulped as I considered a bunch of different options and picked up my swimming pace. None of the options were good.

Thankfully, none of the Pokémon paid me any mind and I made it to the island without trouble. The first thing I noticed was that it was a little bit bigger than I had first thought. It paled in comparison to Cinnabar or the Seafoam Islands but it still had a respectable size. It was also very rocky. I had to watch where I stepped to avoid sharp rocks or discarded shells. There was no beach, so just the climb up onto the island had been dangerous.

Soon however, the rocky terrain turned to warm sand and though I still had to watch out for shells, it was much safer for my feet. As I walked, I couldn't help but wonder just what had left all of these shells. They were too fragmented for me to tell.

A few minutes into my exploration, I learned I wasn't alone on the island. I heard what sounded like laughter over a ridge and when I poked my head over to see what was laughing, I was surprised. It was Pokémon laughter! A group of three small, shelled Pokémon were shooting water out of their mouths at something and they found it funny for some reason. I got a little bit closer and found that they were the water type turtle Pokémon, squirtle. The form they were shooting at was a squirtle too! It was tucked into its shell and though the group was having a good time, their target was having anything but. There were bullying the poor thing!

My heart moved before my brain could catch up. I stood and angrily called out to the group, "Hey, you stupid bullies! Leave that guy alone or I'll blast you to the moon!"

Maybe I was lucky, maybe I looked like a big wartortle to them or maybe I was just that intimidating but in any case, the squirtles looked at me, their eyes went wide and they ran for the water making panicked sounds. I knew better than to taunt them, so I hurried over to the picked on squirtle, who was just coming out of his or her shell but upon seeing me, withdrew again. Was I really that scary looking?

I breathed a sigh of exasperation before I knocked on the squirtles shell and said in a friendly tone, "It's okay. C'mon out of your shell. I promise I won't hurt you."

After a bit of coaxing, the squirtle peeked its head out, followed by the rest of its limbs. Standing, it was about half my height, which must have played a part in why I'd been so intimidating. I was a really big wartortle to those bullies. It was a good thing they hadn't called my bluff since my only water gun fired down, not straight, it didn't have nearly as much force. I had been hit by a polliwag's water gun while training Pixie and it had been like a firehose!

I smiled and said, "There you are. Those bullies are all gone now you don't have to worry about a thing. How come you didn't fight back though? I'd have hit them right back with a water gun of my own."

The squirtle looked a little embarrassed and shook its head. Then, after trying to talk to me in its own language, it blew a stream of bubbles. I couldn't speak squirtle but the message still got across. The best the little squirtle could do was use bubble, which was pretty slow and didn't have nearly as much force behind it. If it wanted to fight back against the bullies without the Great Wartortle Goddess helping, he needed to get a lot stronger. I could help it do just that, too!

With a grin, I said, "Y'know, I'm gonna be here for a whole week. If you think you're up for the challenge, I'm sure I can help you get strong enough to beat the tails off those other squirtles. It'll be tough, but by the end of the week I know you won't regret it, what do you say?"

The squirtle didn't hesitate to not its agreement. He must have been tired of being the butt of the jokes, which I completely understood. By the end of my training regiment, he'd be as strong as a machoke and as tough as a graveller!

We shook hands to seal the deal before I said, "I can't swim out here every day but I did see a small cave next to the beach I came from. Why don't we meet there tomorrow morning? That way you'll be fully rested for what I have in store for you."

At the moment I had no idea what I had in store for it but I had a whole day to work it out. Thankfully, the squirtle took the delay in stride and agreed with determined eyes. I couldn't tell, but he was probably glad for the rest after what he'd been through today. I knew I would be.

I realized that I hadn't introduced myself, so I said, "By the way, my name is Kira. I'm not really a wartortle, but don't tell the others that. If they didn't think I was a big wartortle then they would think they didn't have to be afraid of me, and I'd have to go to the work of really teaching them otherwise. Save me the work, 'kay?"

Squirtle agreed to keep my secret before going into the water, probably to go home. Squirtles could breathe underwater so they made their homes below the sea. I was sure I would see him tomorrow. If nothing else, I could tell my parents I was exploring the cave with Pixie. I'd be safe and they wouldn't have to worry.

While I was standing proud of myself and basking in the warmth of a good deed done, I heard a very familiar vul behind me. Confused, I turned to find Pixie bounding her way to me. She looked completely dry, so she couldn't have swam here. As she got closer, I saw the worried look in her eyes and a second later, my parents appeared above the lip of the little dune of sand. They didn't look very happy at all.

Instantly my pride shifted to fear, especially when dad called, "Kira Midori, get your bottom over here this instant!"

Ah carp, he was angry. I only got full name called when I was in big trouble. What had I done wrong? The island was within sight of the beach! Sure, they couldn't have seen me now with this sand hill in the way but I'd only been down for a few minutes. That wasn't nearly enough time for them to get worried!

I said all of this as I ran to my parents but when I got to them, Dad just turned me around and pointed to the far beach, "Tell me Kira, what do you see?"

I looked and replied with a worried tone, "W- well, I can see the beach and... Well, some little specks on the sand."

"And can you tell who any of those specks are? Make out their features?"

Try as I might, I couldn't, "N- no Sir."

"Do you suppose it's any easier for them to see us?"

"N- no Sir."

"And if any of those little specks were in trouble, how soon do you suppose you could get to them to help?"

Seeing where he was going, I hung my head and said, "A pretty long time. I'm really sorry! I wasn't thinking about any of that. I thought I could just run if there was any trouble."

He nodded as if he understood and sympathized with me, but then he asked, "And if you'd been attacked by a water Pokémon on your way here?"

I gulped, "I- I would have been in trouble. Big big trouble."

Before I could make me feel any worse, in an oldish looking man climbed up the lip of the islands edge and said, "The engine's giving me a spot of trouble, so it'll be a few minutes before we can set off."

As I realized Mom and Dad had hired a boat guy to get here so fast, Mom came behind me and put her hands on my shoulders, "Take your time, Mister Umiyama. We're going to be a few minutes ourselves."

This time my suit really was pulled down.