Thanks go out to all those who reviewed. A small note: From this chapter on, what the Pokemon are saying will be translated. Now, without further adieu, the next chapter…
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Because if I did, there would be less fluff and the villains won't be made out to be a joke with the good guys ALWAYS winning (coughJessieandJamescough).
Chapter 2: Sailing off!
Rex sat on top of the bed inside of a cabin of a luxurious cruise ship. It was just an ordinary single-sized bedroom. Not too big, and not too small. With only five more minutes to go before cast off, he had made sure that everything was good to go. His Pokenav and Pokedex were both attached to his belt. His pokeballs were in his bag next to him, as well as his potions and antidotes. His sister, Viki, and his friend J.C. were already getting accustomed in their own cabins, leaving Rex to just relax and think about what lied ahead.
"Attention! The SS Matte will be leaving in two minutes!" said a female's voice on the P.A. system. It signaled loved ones and family members who were not on the ride to take their leave.
A knock on a door was suddenly heard.
"Come in, it's open." He says.
The door slowly opened as Viki stepped in. "Rex, are you ready?"
"Yeah..." He nodded. "Are you?"
She smiled. "Yep! J.C.'s meditating with his pokemon. He's probably thinking about that Medicham."
"He sees this as his greatest chance to defeat Sabrina. And with the pokemon he has now, his chances of beating her are slim to none."
"How about your battle with Sabrina?" Viki reminded Rex about a long time ago, when he was touring in Kanto.
"That was different. We may had the same intentions, the pokemon we used were different. He used both of his best fighting pokemon to fight her Kadabra, while I had used Drego and Shadow." He stated, mentioning his first Charmeleon, who has since evolved into a Charizard, and his Umbreon. "If I left Shadow at home, I would've lost big time."
"I see." She sat down on the bed.
"Even if he does get a Medicham, while it has the traits of a Psychic Pokemon, its Fighting traits may still pose as a weakness."
"Attention! The SS Matte is now leaving!" stated the same voice on the P.A. as earlier. "I repeat, the SS Matte is now leaving!"
Rex looked at his sister. "I guess you should be heading back to your room, Vik."
"That's okay." She assured him with a smile. "So, any idea what the gyms in Hoenn will be like?" She asked.
"Not sure. But one thing's for sure. The Gym Leaders there are going to be a handful. Hopefully I won't have too much difficulty."
"Don't worry, Big Bro! I know you can beat them. And J.C. and I will be there." She gave him a pat on the back.
"That's nice to hear!" A smile came to his face as his fighting spirit was ignited. "So Vik, how are you preparing for your Pokemon Coordination Debut?" Rex changed the subject. Despite it now being a real Pokemon battle, he was actually interested in seeing a real Pokemon Contest, let alone his sister involved in one.
"Josephine and I already have a game plan." Viki grabs out her pokeball which contained her. "You want to see?"
"I wouldn't want to spoil your surprise, but what the hell?" Rex shrugged.
Outside the cabin area, Kai and Bonnie were taking the time to relax by lying down on lawn chairs near the pool area. Kai was wearing a pair of green swimming trunks as Bonnie let down her long aqua hair from her usual ponytail, wearing a black 1pc bikini. The sun shined bright on top of the as they were enjoying their time off duty after about a week's worth of work.
A nearby cell phone then begun to ring. "Bonnie, pick it up!" Kai ordered.
"Pick it up yourself, Kai!" Bonnie turned over. "It's on your side." She was enjoying this short break too much to spoil it with a simple phone call.
Kai mouthed off a few words as he grabbed the phoned and answered. "Yeah?"
"What's your report?" A voice replied on the other end of the line.
"The effects of the Dark Stones are going as planned, Doctor." Kai explained, "The effects on Typlosion and Swampert have not only made them loyal to us, but stronger."
"Excellent. And the new shipments to the Kanto and Hoenn regions?"
"Under way as we speak. By tomorrow, the stones should make it to the new headquarters in Lillycove City"
"Good work! Remember; do not let anyone get in the way of our goal. Use any means necessary."
"Yes sir." Kai nodded. After a beep, he placed the cell phone away.
"Was that Slifer?" Bonnie rolled onto her stomach.
"Yes. About the stones."
"Does he always have to call us every day?" She asked, annoyed with their boss's mistrust of them.
"Sure, he may be annoying, but what he does is understandable. There are some members who basically made a joke out of our organization."
"But he shouldn't take it out on us. He should have more trust in us." Bonnie rolled onto her back as she stretched her arms. Her toes curled in as she then placed her hands behind her head. "Let's not worry about some professor. I want to work on my tan."
"That sounds agreeable..." Kai smiles as he closed his eyes, falling asleep.
Back in the cabin, Josephine was showing off one of her moves for the contest as she shot her flamethrower upward, making a fire-like fountain.
"Wow!" Rex applauded with a smile. "That was fantastic!"
"Really?" A smile came to Viki's face.
"Of course! I don't see how the judges could pass that up!"
Viki instantly leaped into Rex with a hug. "You don't know how much that means to me."
"Hey..." Rex tried to calm her down. "I was just telling' the truth! No need to get emotional!"
Viki then noticed the same orange Chameleon Rex caught two days ago leaning on the cabin walls, looking down at the blue carpeting in the cabin. "What's up with Charex?" She asked Rex. Despite his capture, Charex was more of the rebellious type, preferring to be by himself instead of mingling with the other pokemon. Besides Rex, anyone else who would even talk to him would get a flamethrower to the face.
"Beats me... Maybe it's anti-social." Rex replied.
Josephine decided to approach Charex, in an attempt to get to know him better. Before she could let out a cry for friendship, she was met with a fierce slash from Charex. She then ran towards Viki for comfort, with a hurt expression on her face.
Viki noticed Josephine rubbing on the side of her boot-clad foot. "What's wrong?"
"Vul-pix-vul...(He hurt me…)" She whined. Her painful expression was enough to tell what happened.
Viki sighed, "Let me guess, Charex?" Apparently she wasn't surprised with Charmeleon's "behavior."
"Vul...(Yes…)" She nodded.
Viki picked up her hurt Vulpix and cuddled her. "Don't worry, Josephine. It's okay. That's just how Charex is."
Rex sighed in agreement. He knew that this was a major issue as it's been treating his pokemon the exact same way. "I'll talk to him..."
"Please don't be too hard on him... he's not used to being around pokemon who care for him." Viki reminded Rex.
"Okay, but it takes a lot to get a hothead like him to listen."
"Just like a certain trainer I know." Viki grinned at Rex, making it obvious who she was talking about.
"I'm not that hotheaded." Rex retorted, in a hasty manner.
"See, you just proved my point." Viki let out a giggle as she, after placing her down, returned Josephine to her Pokeball. As much as she loved her brother, Viki thought it was always cute to see Rex get worked up a bit. "Should we check up on JC?"
"Nah...He does this kind of stuff all the time." Rex explained. "He could go on for about half the day for all I know."
"Okay..." Viki stood up from the bed. "I'm gonna go take a dip in the pool."
"Alright then..." Rex jumped backwards onto the bed. "I was planning on taking a nap anyway. We still have about a day."
"See you later." Viki walked toward the door. "And don't oversleep this time." She giggled right before stepping out the door."
"Right..." Rex rolled his eyes at that comment before closing them.
In the cabin hallway, Viki was walking back into her room. On the walls were framed artwork of various pokemon in their natural environments such as an Oddish in a meadow of blooming flowers, a Poliwag in a small pond where the sun shined brightly, and a swarm of Beedrill buzzing through a dark forest. She admired the detail the artists put into the scenery. "I wonder if they have one of a Vulpix." She wondered as she continued to go back to her room. Her room was a bit far away from Rex and J.C.'s, but the plus side was that her room was near the pool. She could already feel the smooth pool all over her body as the bright sunlight shinned upon her.
She finally made it to the door to her room, which was conveniently near the door, which led to the pool area. As she was about to go into her room, she heard voices coming from the pool area outside, suspicious ones...
Viki decided not to even think about what would be going on outside, as she was raised not to eavesdrop into others conversations. Besides that, she wouldn't appreciate someone else doing the same to her. But then again, what if it was something dangerous, such as an illegal smuggling, or worse they were planning a terrorist attack. The guilt she would receive, knowing that she could've found out and perhaps stopped them before their plan came to action, would've been too great for her to bear.
"What the heck…" She decided as she slowly open the door…
"So after we get to Hoenn, we go to Birch's lab?" Bonnie asked, enjoying the tan she was receiving.
"Yeah." Kai nodded, "That place's loaded with rare Pokemon. And thus more to be added to our growing Team." He held up one of the Dark Stones. "With these babies, we'll make all of the pokemon obey only us. Just think of the possibilities, Bonnie: World Domination, Riches, Basically doing whatever the hell we please!"
"But what if we're caught, Kai? I mean, it was already a hassle to get those other pokemon in Goldenrod."
"What'd you expect, Bonnie? They were two highly-evolved pokemon: A Typhlosion and a Swampert!"
A gasp came from Viki's mouth. About a few days ago, she has heard about the incident on the news. There were two robberies of pokemon at around the same time in Goldenrod City. Most notably was her best friend, Shauna's heartbreak over her lost Swampert. After a trip to the Hoenn region, Shauna's father gave Shauna her first pokemon on her 10th birthday: A Mudkip. Viki, only a year younger, was jealous at the time as she already had her first pokemon, Ivy, who was still at the time a Bulbasaur but couldn't go out to challenge gyms. This was far before she decided to become a Pokemon Coordinator, as she would want to follow Rex around in Goldenrod City, learning whatever she could from him whenever he got into Pokemon battles with the locals before he finally left to challenge gyms (Fotunately not his then-arrogant, but still slightly-hotheaded nature).
When she first heard about the news from Shauna, she had tears in her eyes and was completely devastated. Viki knew about how close her and her pokemon have gotten, even when Mudkip evolved into a Marshtomp, and later a Swampert. It even made her shed a tear herself, knowing that she would've felt the same way if it had happen to Ivy.
Now she looked at the two, relaxing on their beach chairs enjoying the bright summer day as if they earned it. She may have been known to be a bit naive, but she wasn't clueless. It all made sense: Shauna's pokemon being stolen, the two Pokemon Robberies, their involvement. It came together like the pieces of the puzzle. They were the ones responsible for everything! Shauna's pain, the worry of many citizens when it came to their safety, not to mention the Pokemon, everything!
She wanted to confront them, make them pay for what they've done and the people they've hurt. But she couldn't, for a number of reasons. One, because the amount of Pokemon. She wasn't sure about how many Pokemon they had with them, but thanks to the Dark Stones, it wouldn't be a normal fight. Aside from Ivy and Josephine, the only Pokemon she had was Swift, her Pidgeotto. 3-on-4 wasn't exactly the best of odds, let alone when circumstances such as this play a huge factor. The second and most important reason was because she didn't want to cause any unease on the ship, let alone without any real evidence. How would people feel knowing that two possible thieves or worse, terrorists were on board?
With a sigh, Viki slowly shut the door to avoid making any noise, or anything that would draw attention toward her as she went back to the door. She took out a key card from the inside of her right boot and slipped it into the slot. As she pulled it back out the light just above the slot flashed green, indicating that the door was unlocked. She went inside as she then instantly collapsed on the bed. The only thing she wanted to do is to close her eyes, not think about what happened at the pool area, and to not think about what has happened in Goldenrod…
Dream Sequence
"W-Where am I? Can somebody hear me!?" Viki asked, searching through an aroma of darkness. She didn't know how she got there or the reason why. Perhaps if she walked around, she would find her answers…
"Am I…alone?" She asked as she then saw three familiar Silhouettes: One of an Ivysaur, another of a Vulpix, and the third of a Pidgeotto.
"Ivy? Josephine? Swift?" Her eyes went wide as they were filled with joy and relief as she then rush towards her Pokemon. "Thank goodness you're here! For a minute there I wa-"
The pokemon's eyes began to glow red as they glared darkly at her, beginning to growl.
Viki stopped in shock. "What's wrong?"
"Now attack your former master!" A familiar voice ordered as Ivy used its Vine Whip to bind Viki.
"W-Why are you doing this?" She cried, shocked that her own Pokemon were attacking her as Swift began to viciously peck at her. Tears began to form in her eyes as cuts and bruises were made on her body.
"I-I thought that you were my friends!"
"Oh, they're not your friends anymore, Little Girl…" Another voice informed her, this time female. Suddenly, from behind Bonnie and Kai, the two people she saw earlier from the pool area, approached her. "Thanks to the Dark Stones all your Pokemon now belong to us!"
"No… Ivy, Josephine, Swift, please don't do this!" She begged, but to no avail. The vines only became tighter as the pecking became faster and more painful. Suddenly, Josephine released a barrage of small fireballs towards Viki, tearing her shirt and skirt into rags as small burn marks were left.
"Give it up, Viki." Kai smirked. "There's no way they'll listen to you. Just like your little friend's Swampert, your Pokemon belong to us now. You'll never get them back! Never!"
Bonnie gave a smile as she looked at their "new" pokemon. "Finish her off!"
"Please! Guys don't do this! After all we've been through…" Viki, now weakened from the attack by her former Pokemon, made her final plea as the half-grown plant from the seed on Ivy's back began to glow. Swift also began to glow as Josephine began to gather as much energy as she could.
"After all the great times we had together…I just can't believe…you'd do this…" Her voice cracked as the preparations were finished.
"Say goodbye, Little Girl!" Kai grinned cold heartedly as the Pokemon released their attacks: Ivy with Solarbeam, Josephine with Fire Blast, and Swift with Sky Attack. Viki let out a loud scream as the attacks connected…
End Dream
Viki snapped her eyes open as she found herself not into the oblivion she thought she would've encountered, but the soft green sheets of her bed.
"A dream…it was only a dream…" She sighed as she looked down at her belt, where her Pokeballs would be. To her relief, she managed to see three small Pokeballs attached to her belt. "They're safe…" She said softly as she then heard a knock on her door.
"Viki!" A voice called out from the door.
"Rise and shine!" Another voice called out as well. "You're gonna open the door or am I gonna have to use your brother as a battering ram?"
"Or better yet, use Bruce Lee over here as one." He added to his friend's remark.
"Coming…" Viki walked to the door. As she opens it, Rex and J.C. were standing outside.
"Viki, what took you so long?" Rex asked.
"Yeah! It's dinner time!" J.C. added. "After all, you wouldn't want a new start with an empty stomach, would you?"
Viki blinked as she then looked back to the clock. "You mean it's…7:30?" She exclaimed in shock. "Why didn't you guys get me sooner?"
"Well…" J.C. Explained, "First we tried calling you, but you weren't picking up. Then Rex mentioned that you were going to the pool but you weren't there. So we figured you're here. But with all of that snoring…"
"What!? I don't know what you're talking about!?" Viki replied defensively, slightly embarrassed.
"I'm sorry Viki…" J.C. then smiled as he saw Viki buying his mock apology, "It was more like an eruption!" That remark earned him a slap on the face.
"How mean!" She pouted, as J.C. rubbed his now-red left cheek with his hand.
"Don't worry J.C. we'll hit the Buffet…as soon as my sister fixes her hair!" Rex assure with a chuckle as a frustrated groan was heard.
"You're mean! Cruel! Both of you should be ashamed!" Viki snapped as she then stormed in and slammed the door.
"What's wrong with her?" J.C. asked.
"Beats me?" Rex shrugged.
"She's your sister?" J.C. sighed. "What's up with your sister, man? We were only teasing."
"Just give her some time. She's probably just cranky. People are usually like that when they wake up." Rex suggested.
After 20 minutes have passed, Viki walked inside of the restaurant that was on the SS Matte. She figured that Rex and J.C. had already have dinner so she would more than likely eat alone. That was exactly what she deserved after the way she acted, she thought. She knew that they were only teasing as they all do it to each other. Whenever Rex and J.C. pulled their pranks on her, such as filling her spare Pokeballs up with whipped cream, or squirting toothpaste all over her face, she always got a bit peeved, but she did always get them back, such as filling Rex's shampoo bottle with Pink Hair dye, or her all-time favorite: Stealing all of J.C.'s clothing and leaving only a Igglybuff suit for him to wear.
So why was this any different from the way she was feeling? She probably used this situation, and consequently Rex and J.C., as scapegoats to hide what she was really angry about: Bonnie and Kai, and how they stole the Pokemon from Goldenrod, especially Shauna's Swampert. Maybe she should tell Rex and J.C. what's really on her mind and apologize. She then felt a rumbling from inside of her stomach, indicating that it was time to eat.
"My…no wonder the tickets cost so much…" She commented as she saw a few huge crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as most people were seated at tables while a few were in line at the buffet table. She decided to step in line and to pick her meal for tonight.
After about five minutes have passed, Viki managed to put together a balanced, slight vegetarian meal. She mostly had vegetables such as corn on a cob, mash potatoes and broccoli, and chopped carrots. The only meat on her plate was piece of broiled chicken.
"Hey Viki!" A voice called out as Viki looked over to see her brother and J.C., already seated and beginning to eat.
"We saved ya a spot, and a plate. Just incase you got-" J.C. begun to explain, but noticed the plate which was in Viki's hands. "…hungry…" He finished, sounding defeated.
"Sorry…" She giggled. If I would've known you went through the trouble, I'd-"
"Don't worry about it. It's not a buffet for nothing. Besides, it's just more for me to eat anyway." J.C. placed the food-filled plate next to his. "After all, we martial artists need to keep up our strength." He began to finish the chicken and ribs on his plate, before going for the Chicken Alfredo and Salad on the other.
"Where does he put it all?" Viki wondered as she watched him heat.
"Beats me?" Rex shrugged. He had known him for 3 years and still wondered how he kept his slightly muscular figure. Rex did had a well-toned body himself, but he couldn't help but feel envious, knowing that he only eats half of what J.C. ate daily. It must've been the daily training sessions, he figured. Otherwise, he'd be as big as a basketball in the stomach area by now.
Viki sighed as she changed the subject, into a more serious matter. "Guys…I just want to say that I'm sorry…for snapping at you two like that."
"Hey, there're no grudges to be held here." Rex assured.
"Yeah…" J.C. nodded in agreement, his words nearly incoherent as he had his mouth stuffed with the Alfredo. "It's no biggie!"
"So why don't you just tell us what's up, Sis?"
"Okay…I was going back to my room, but then I heard some voices from outside the door. So I decided to take a little peek and…"
"Go on…" Rex nodded as he took a sip from his water-filled glass.
"Then I saw a couple relaxing at the beach…" Viki's voice began to crack again as a tear began to materialize in her eye. "You remember the robberies reported from the news a few days ago?"
"I remember missing 'The Osbornes!'" Rex replied, still bitter about missing a new episode of the MTV Reality Sitcom which had become one of his favorite shows.
"Well…remember Shauna's Swampert being poached?" Viki began to sniffle. "Those…those jerks were responsible!"
Both Rex and J.C.'s eyes went wide. "No way!" Rex shouted.
"You mean those people you saw were responsible about the Pokemon-napping?
"Yes…" Viki had to try her hardest to prevent crying.
"Damn...Poor Shauna…" Rex sighed.
"It gets worse…they used some kind of stone to make him work for them now! It's like its some sort of brainwashing tool!"
"Viki do you even have any proof that it was true?" J.C. asked. As much as he and Rex wanted to believe her, Viki needed to have the proof to back up her claim. Otherwise, Viki would get into a lot of trouble for a false accusation. Even if it was true, the last thing they wanted to do was to freak out the passengers aboard.
"No…" She sighed. "Let me guess…you don't believe me…"
"It's not that we don't believe you…but…you have to admit, it does sound a bit far-fetched."
"J.C.'s got a point, Vik. If they were really thieves with that kind of technology, you'd think that they'd use their own means of transportation?" Rex added to his friends statement.
"Maybe they're just working alone." Viki suggested which caused a sigh from Rex.
"Viki, we'll talk more about this situation tomorrow." Her brother said as he let out a yawn. "S'Good idea to get some sleep."
Now it was Viki's turn to sigh as she grabbed her plate. "Okay…"
Rex followed suit as he then had to take both of J.C.'s plates to get him to pay attention (He was trying to finish the Alfredo).
It was 10 O'clock at night, as everyone else had gone back into their cabins. Viki had just changed into her nightclothes. They were pink cotton pajamas with pictures of teddy bears printed all over. Despite how lame Rex thought they were, she always wore them to sleep every night. If it was laundry day at the Connelly household, Viki made sure that her pajamas were one of the first bits of laundry washed so that she could wear them to sleep at night.
For one thing, they were comfortable and kept her warm at night. One night when Rex accidentally spilled his glass of Moo Moo Milk all over her pajamas during the night before Chirstmas eve, Viki settled for sleeping in a pair of grey sweats and a white T-Shirt which was a promo shirt for the Pokemon K-1 Grand Prix. The shirt wasn't as warm as her long-sleeved pajama top, and while the sweats did keep her warm, comfort-wise it was nothing compared to her pajama bottom. As the Teddy Bear-themed pants were smooth to her skin, the sweats were baggy, old, and somewhat itchy. Viki hardly got any sleep that night as it showed the next morning. She decided to wear a pair of her Capri jeans to hide the scratch marks on her legs, and a black shirt. When Rex and Racquel asked what was wrong, Viki gave them a glare, especially to Rex, who she blamed for her lack of sleep. After all, he did spill the milk…
And the other reason why she like those pajamas: She just loved teddy bears. It may have been strange for a 16 year old to still be plush-crazy, but when there was a chance to collect a stuffed animal she failed to not take advantage of this opportunity. Especially when it came to teddy bears, little cute teddy bears to be exact. Her most memorable moment was when received two deluxe-sized teddy bears on her 15th birthday: One of them a white teddy bear with a heart from her mom, Trish. And another, a brown teddy bear dressed like a skater, complete with baggy jeans and T-shirt, save for the skateboard "prop," from Rex. She was happy that she decided to sleep with both. She often wondered if there was a pokemon with a likeness to a Teddy-Bear. When she asked Rex, he told her that there was such a pokemon, namely a Teddiursa. However, he nether had encountered one personally. So the closest Viki ever gotten to seeing one was in a Pokedex.
After she kissed the pokeballs which contained each of her pokemon good-night, Viki kicked off her brown teddy-bear slippers as she pulled up the covers before slipping into bed. She was thinking about what she heard Bonnie and Kai say, about the Poke-nappings in Goldenrod, and the future ones at Professor Birch's lab in Littleroot Town. She knew that they had to be stopped, and to be brought to the cold hard hand of justice for what they've done, especially to her friend, Shauna. Even if her Pokemon wasn't as powerful as theirs, she knew that she should at least try to make an effort. Who knew who would be Bonnie and Kai's next victims afterwards? She then realized that she would have a better chance of teaching those two a lesson if she was fully rested.
Viki rested her head on the fluffy white pillow as she then closed her eyes. She knew that tomorrow, no matter what, they needed to be stopped. Even if, in the end, it would cost Viki her Pokemon, or worse her life, she had to do something. She didn't' care what she would do, she didn't how she did it…
Something had to be done…
That's the end of this chapter. So what's going to happen now? Viki knows about Bonnie and Kai's plan when they arrive in Hoenn and ready to do something to stop them, but what will she do. Despite knowing about what they've done, she still has no idea what they're capable of. Will she get Rex and J.C. to help, or will she be forced to go it alone? And even if the confrontation occurs, will Bonnie and Kai be too much of a challenge? Your reviews will be highly appreciated.