Part V - The Ship's Captain and her Sailors
Mr. Arrow had let Ms. Zoroark scream threats and obscenities at him until her voice nearly gave out. Afterwards, the Alakazam presented his apologies and argued for Zoey and Ralph to train under his instruction.
"As one who has battled many a foe in his life, that I should tutor them is the most sensible decision," Mr. Arrow said.
Ms. Zoroark growled. "I am not bereft of battle experience. In the attack on my inn, I battled a pirate near to a draw."
"Yet that same duel is the cause of your grievous injury."
"It is the effects of your attack that Ms. Zoroark suffers from now," Dr. Joy angrily interrupted. "A week hence and she would have been completely recovered. Your callous blasting of her with her own Flamethrower has undone much of the healing."
"All the worse as I had wished to go on that voyage myself," Ms. Zoroark added. "Now, for your barbarism, I certainly shan't recover with the needed haste."
"A turn of events for which I apologize profusely," Mr. Arrow said. "Though had you been as you were, it would not have been any better a condition for training."
"I could have at the least watched them," Ms. Zoroark argued.
Mr. Arrow shook his head. "'Twould not be enough to only watch them. In training, 'tis better to feel the student's attacks against you to understand their power or lack thereof."
Ms. Zoroark growled in frustration.
"Ms. Zoey and Mr. Ralph have accepted my offer to train them. Should you not feel as they do, and not consent to my offer, I shall leave the matter of training them to your discretion."
Ms. Zoroark went silent for a few minutes as she thought it over. Tragically, there is little other option, she thought.
"You may train my children in the ways of battle," she finally said.
Mr. Arrow moved to slightly bow and thank the Illusion Fox, but she turned to glare at him.
"But listen well, if I should hear of you using such unwarranted and unrestrained force upon my wards again, no injury will be too great to prevent me from skinning you alive."
If Mr. Arrow was put off by the threat he did not show it. "You have my word upon my honour as an officer and a sailor; they shall be trained without such force."
"Such a word had better be of worth."
With only a little less than a week before setting sail, Zoey and Ralph's training began the next morning. Jim, in the absence of Ms. Zoroark, watched from a safe distance.
"As you are both of the Dark Type, you both are immune to Psychic-type moves and weak against those of the Fairy, Bug, and Fighting-type," Mr. Arrow mused. "Ralph is twice so for the latter, being partially of the Normal Type; but such typing also grants him immunity to moves of the Ghost-type."
Ralph gained a somewhat relieved smile. For every weakness, there was a strength, including immunity to two types.
"Will this not make training them at your hand difficult?" Jim asked. "You who are of the Psychic-type?"
"Not so, if you recall from yesterday's battle I know moves beyond my type. Further, my Psychic-type moves may yet be of use for our first order of business."
"What business do you speak of, sir?" Ralph asked.
"The art of evasion," was the reply. "It is crucial to avoid attacks when possible. I shall gauge your current evasive ability with my Psychic moves. Should they strike you, even with their greatest power, you shall be left quite uninjured."
Zoey and Ralph placed themselves a few yards away from Mr. Arrow. The Alakazam shifted into a battling stance.
"Now Zoey, avoid this attack!" he instructed. His eyes glowed a blue-purple colour and several barely visible pulses in the air launched at the Zorua.
Zoey easily jumped to the side to avoid the Psychic attack almost as soon as she saw it fire.
"Most excellent, Zoey," Mr. Arrow congratulated. "Now repeat that feat once again."
Mr. Arrow fired another Psychic at Zoey and again she easily avoided it. When Mr. Arrow prepared to fire a third time, Zoey looked to have an idea. The Psychic came at her again and this time she charged towards it, crouching underneath as it flew harmlessly over her. She then launched herself at Mr. Arrow, Fury Swipes forming on her forepaws. Mr. Arrow quickly put up a Protect, causing Zoey's slashes to scratch the shield without leaving a mark.
"A clever attempt, Zoey," Mr. Arrow conceded. "I think an intuition for battle lies within your spirit."
Zoey smiled cheekily at the praise.
"But our focus today is evasion," Mr. Arrow lightly reprimanded. "Prithee stay focused on this lesson."
"Yes, sir," Zoey nodded.
Mr. Arrow then turned towards his other student. "And now it is your turn, Mr. Ralph." His eyes glowed that blue-purple colour again. "Evade this attack!"
The Psychic fired again. Ralph seemed to freeze in place before trying to jump out of the way; the result was the attack mostly missing but still clipping his tail, even if it did simply pass through it harmlessly.
"Attempt it again," Mr. Arrow instructed as he charged another Psychic.
Again, Ralph froze as the attack came for him and only barely manage to avoid a direct hit.
"You hesitate to evade, Ralph," Mr. Arrow observed. "What is the cause of this?"
"I don't know the answer to such a question," Ralph said. "I fear it is the shock of being attacked at all; it frightens me."
Mr. Arrow pondered this for a minute. "A likely result of a life bereft of battle. What matter of life did you lead before Ms. Zoroark took you in?"
"One of hiding aboard merchants vessels," Ralph replied. "I was trying in desperation to return to Alola, my home. I hid from numerous guards and their Pokémon knowing my moves would be of little use were I to be discovered and attacked."
Mr. Arrow hummed at this. "Perhaps then your first order of business will be to better your attacks," he concluded. "You hide from conflict, it seems, because you fear you cannot fight one. Improvement of your fighting prowess may gift you with confidence to face attacks directed to you."
True to his word, the next day Mr. Arrow had Zoey and Ralph practising their attacks.
"Attempt your Shadow Ball, Zoey," Mr. Arrow ordered.
Zoey opened her mouth and began generating the purple ball of ghostly energy. Once again though, it dissipated when she tried to fire it.
"It seems your issue is maintaining the energy when firing," the Alakazam observed.
"Yes, even Blind Pew would have to live up to his name so as to not see that," Jim snarked.
Mr. Arrow ignored him. "Your mistake is in believing the generation of the energy to no longer be needed after the ball is formed," he explained. "Attempt it again, but do not stop generating energy even when the ball is your desired size."
Zoey nodded and did as instructed. The Shadow Ball was formed and this time fired successfully.
"Huzzah!" Zoey cheered.
Mr. Arrow nodded. "Well done, Ms. Zoey. Now I want you to attack me with it."
Zoey gave the Alakazam an askance look. "Do you speak seriously, Mr. Arrow?"
"Quite seriously," he replied. "You need not worry about injuring me; my taking damage from your attacks is a sign of progress. Now attack me."
Zoey leapt to a reasonable distance and successfully launched a Shadow Ball at Mr. Arrow. The Psi Pokémon did not try to dodge or block the attack; he simply let it hit him. He had to adjust his footing to take the impact, but remained on his feet and otherwise was unhurt.
"Well done once more," he said. "Now I think 'tis merely a matter increasing your attack power and expanding your move pool."
Zoey grinned in pride.
He turned to Ralph. "And now it is your turn. On the subject of move pools, what are you capable of using?"
"Only the most basic Bite, Quick Attack, and Leer" Ralph conceded. "Leer rarely does me any good, however; and I'm not certain how I learned Quick Attack."
"You said you wished to master Dark Pulse, yes?"
"I would, but it is not more advanced?"
"Not so much more that a young Pokémon such as you cannot use it. That having been said, I believe a more productive course would be bettering your current attacks," Mr. Arrow observed. "We shall start with your Bite."
"How would we better that move?"
"By turning it from a simple Bite into a devastating Crunch," was the reply.
Zoey shivered. "Aye, Crunch is indeed devastating. I can say such with first paw experience."
Mr. Arrow moved a distance from Ralph. "As Zoey did before, you shall use your moves on me."
Ralph nervously nodded.
"Now attack me with your greatest Bite!" Mr. Arrow ordered.
Ralph shook his head briefly to ready himself and charged. When he felt he was close enough, he leapt at Mr. Arrow with his mouth open and bit down on the Alakazam's shoulder. Mr. Arrow did not even wince and seemed completely unharmed. Ralph eventually released his bite and dropped back down.
"A 'basic' Bite indeed," Mr. Arrow said. "It could be found amongst most wild Rattata of any region."
Ralph looked a little ashamed of this.
Mr. Arrow seemed oblivious to it. "Now, to use Crunch you must direct your Dark Type energy into your teeth. Then you must bite with the greatest force you can muster."
Ralph nodded in understanding, though he was still clearly nervous.
"With the instructions I have given you, attempt to use Crunch on me," Mr. Arrow ordered.
Ralph steeled himself as much as he could by taking some calming breaths. He then charged Mr. Arrow and leapt to bring his front teeth to bear. Unfortunately, his teeth did not glow as they were supposed to as he brought them down on the Alakazam. When he bit down though, Mr. Arrow noticeably flinched more that he had from Ralph's previous Bite attack.
"That was no Bite attack," he mused as Ralph dislodged himself and jumped back to the floor. "Attack me once more, as you just did."
Ralph did as he was asked. This time Mr. Arrow did not flinch as much and seemed to be thinking about the attack on his shoulder.
"You attack's power matched that of a Hyper Fang," he concluded. "It seems your Bite has graduated in a different direction."
"That's still a better attack, is it not?" Jim asked from the sidelines.
"Indeed, as it inflicts greater damage on the enemy than Bite. It being a move of the Normal type, however, means its usefulness is quite limited." Mr. Arrow thought on this development for a few moments before coming to a conclusion. "Perhaps, for now, we should focus on this attack," he said. "Use it on me again."
Ralph lunged again and bit down on the Alakazam's shoulder again. This time, there was no flinching or wincing at all. Mr. Arrow did not react to the attack, even as Ralph leapt back to a distance.
"You used Bite again," Mr. Arrow said.
"I apologize, sir," Ralph said. "I know not what causes the attack to fail."
"A lack of practice, of that I am sure. This attack is new to you, 'tis but a matter of you growing used to it," Mr. Arrow concluded. "Attempt to use Hyper Fang on me once more."
Mr. Arrow's training continued through the next few days. Zoey and Ralph did there best to keep up with the Alakazam's instructions and while some progress was made, the only real improvements were that Zoey and Ralph had started getting used to using moves they already knew repeatedly and being able to use them anytime anywhere instead of learning anything new.
Today was their last day of training before they were due to set sail and Mr. Arrow was training them to do true battle.
It was not going particularly well.
Currently, Mr. Arrow was battling Zoey; and while her dodging was still as good as ever, her attacks were decidedly not.
Zoey dodged a Drain Punch and attempted to fire a Shadow Ball at the Alakazam. Unfortunately, she fell into her old habit and when she tried to launch it, it dissipated.
"Damn it all!" Zoey cried in frustration before realizing Mr. Arrow was not waiting.
Another Drain Punch came at her and she barely avoided a direct hit by jumping in the air. Zoey's body then glowed with red and orange energy and she threw herself back down towards Mr. Arrow, ramming his head with her own. Mr. Arrow recoiled slightly from the hit as Zoey jumped back in front of his and attempted to fire a Shadow Ball again. Again, however, it dissipated when she tried to launch it.
Mr. Arrow responded with a Swift, launching a swarm of golden stars at the Zorua. And Swift never missed.
Before the mass of golden stars could hit Zoey, they were surrounded by a blue-purple aura and stopped in their tracks. Mr. Arrow then used the Psychic he had started to destroy the stars one by one. Once they were gone, he turned to Zoey.
"You fall into your old mistakes in battle," he observed. "You continue to attempt Shadow Ball while still failing to generate the needed energy when you fire it."
Zoey looked away from Mr. Arrow, annoyance still clear on her face.
"We shall have to practice this more," Mr. Arrow concluded. "And now Ralph, it is your turn."
"Y-yes, sir," Ralph mumbled as he took Zoey's place in front of Mr. Arrow.
Jim, serving as an informal referee, raised his hand and then brought it down. "Begin battle!" he cried.
Mr. Arrow began by launching Swift once again. The horde of stars caused Ralph to panic and attempt in vain to dodge them. He was hit by several and knocked to the ground. He was able to shake it off, Mr. Arrow seemed to have not used his full power for the moment, and faced the Alakazam. Ralph was enveloped in a white glow and charged at Mr. Arrow with incredible speed. The Rattata rammed into the Alakazam's chest with the Quick Attack, though Mr. Arrow only shifted his footing in response and seemed undamaged. This gave him the chance to power up a Drain Punch in one of his fists and attempt to strike Ralph with it.
Fortunately, Ralph bounced off Mr. Arrow before the Drain Punch could hit him and returned to a safe distance.
"That evasion of his Drain Punch was well done, Ralph!" Jim cheered from the sidelines.
"He used Drain Punch?" Ralph asked. "My eyes never sighted such a thing."
Ralph did see the Swift attack that was launched at him. He panicked again and was hit by several as he tried to evade. He got back up and readied his yet to be mastered Hyper Fang. He charged his opponent again, but this time Mr. Arrow was able to put up a Protect to block the attack. Ralph retreated to a distance again.
"Cease with these physical attacks, Ralph," Mr. Arrow instructed. "You must practice your Dark Pulse."
"How must I?" Ralph asked. "I have only used but once, and still am uncertain as to how."
"You must summon your darkest thoughts and concentrated them into an aura within you," Mr. Arrow started. "Upon reaching the desired point, you unleash them at your opponent."
Ralph nodded and did as he was asked. He thought long and hard, trying to summon those dark ideas from himself and concentrate them all together.
But he found nothing.
"I… I cannot do as you have asked, Mr. Arrow," Ralph admitted. "I have not a dark thought to summon."
"Such is Ralph," Zoey commented. "Never would he wish evil on anyone or attack anyone but for his own defense."
"Our current training session excluded of course," Mr. Arrow said as he stood down to think. "Consider when you used Dark Pulse upon me at our first meeting. What thoughts or emotions swam within your mind?"
Ralph thought about it. "Anger," he replied. "I felt great wrath that you attacked Zoey with such force and Ms. Zoroark in spite of her weakened state."
Mr. Arrow thought about this before looking to the sky. "I fear I must leave you with advice in the place of further practice," he said. "I must see to the final preparations for our voyage due to begin tomorrow."
"What advice would you give?" Zoey asked.
"That you, Zoey, practice using Shadow Ball correctly. Your old habit yet remains ingrained in your mind; it must be purged if you are to use Shadow Ball in a battle."
Zoey nodded.
"You, Ralph, must learn to forgo your panic. It slows your ability to avoid attacks which will instead hit you. You must also learn how to best make Dark Pulse work; a source of dark thoughts must be found before you can use it."
Ralph also nodded.
With that, Mr. Arrow took his leave.
"Tomorrow, brothers," Zoey started. "Tomorrow our voyage begins!"
"Do either of you think us ready?" Ralph asked.
"We shall be more ready by being well-rested upon the morning when Professor Livesey arrives for us," Jim said.
Zoey and Ralph agreed. They had an early dinner and retired to bed early as well, fully expecting to be up and ready when Trelawney, Livesey, and their Pokémon came to collect them.
They still needed to be woken up by Dr. Joy the next morning.
Neither the Professor nor the Squire seemed annoyed by having to wait for the kids to ready themselves. They patiently conversed with Ms. Zoroark as they ate breakfast.
"I am trusting you both and the other officers with their safety," Ms. Zoroark said. "Seeing as I am unable to perform the task myself."
"They shall come to no harm under our watch," Trelawney assured.
"And I shall see Mr. Arrow keeps his methods in check throughout," Professor Livesey added.
Ms. Zoroark smiled. "Do have him keelhauled for me if he should lay a single unwarranted claw upon my wards."
Soon the kids emerged from the dining room with Dr. Joy. The eager looks of Jim and Zoey had dissipated somewhat when they were reminded of what they were leaving behind. They and Ralph quickly rushed to their guardian, restricted again to the sofa while she recovered. The Zoroark wasted no time gripping them in a hug.
"Take care of each other," she said. "You returning with your lives is of greater value than any gold that may be upon that island."
"Of course, mother," Zoey said. "I'll see my brothers protected."
"We shall be safe Ms. Zoroark," Ralph assured. "We'll follow the instructions of the Professor and other officers to the letter."
"You should worry about your own recovery, mo-Ms. Zoroark," Jim said. He hoped no-one had noticed that near flub of his. He still was not quite sure about saying that particular "m" word yet.
Ms. Zoroark released her hold on her children. "Now go, your ship is waiting," she encouraged.
The kids nodded and turned to Professor Livesey. "Jim, have you the map within your coat?" she asked.
Jim nodded and shifted himself to reveal a corner of the document sewn into the inside of his coat.
"Then let us set off to set sail," Professor Livesey said, as she and Trelawney led the kids out of Dr. Joy's house and towards the docks where the Mt. Coronet and their voyage awaited.
It was easy to spot the Mt. Coronet amongst the other ships in the port. She was the one surrounded by a horde of Pikachu currently being barred from boarding by a group of humans and Pokémon. Among those humans was the cook John Silver, who seemed to have taken charge.
"Ahoy, Squire Trelawney!" Silver called. "This Pikachu colony claims to be our guests on this voyage!"
"As they should, for they are!" Trelawney replied as he waded through the horde of yellow mice. "They are to accompany us on this mapping mission for their own recreation."
Silver raised an eyebrow at this but nodded. "Stand down, all," he ordered.
The blockade of humans and Pokémon lost the aggressive stances they held before and boarded the ship. The kids, Trelawney, Livesey, and their Pokémon assistants followed. Zoey then parked herself at the gangplank that allowed people and Pokémon to board.
"Approach now one after the other and hand to me your pass," she instructed. "Once aboard, please travel below deck while the crew prepares to weigh anchor and depart."
The Pikachu collectively nodded. Pedal was the first to approach and hand over her pass.
"A hundred thanks to you once again for this opportunity," she said.
"And a hundred your welcomes are returned," Zoey replied.
Jim, Ralph, and Salva watched as Zoey collected the passes.
"'Twas her who invited the Pikachu aboard, aye?" questioned the voice of John Silver behind them.
"Aye," Jim replied. "She's always been one to try her hand at business. This voyage of recreation is her most successful venture yet."
Silver nodded. "No better place for recreation exists than the islands we sail towards."
"You've been to the Decolore Islands before, have you not?" Jim asked.
"I have, aye! A paradise of water and warmth they can be if 'tis not the season for storms."
"Storms, Mr. Silver?" Ralph asked.
"Aye, great cyclones as smarter people call them," the Sea Cook elaborated. "The winds blow with such force as too ripe the masts from a vessel's hull, and the waves grow to the size of mountains to wash away the untrained sailor to their doom."
Ralph began shuddering. Salva pulled him close to soothe him.
"Please refrain from such stories, Mr. Silver," Jim implored. "Ralph is very much uncomfortable sailing as it is, without any stories of its risks.
"Ah, a thousand apologies then, Ralph."
As Zoey collected the final boarding pass a familiar Alakazam walked up the gangplank. Mr. Arrow was a bit more dressed for his role as the First Mate the moment. A tricorn was upon his head between his large ears and he wore a coat with his rank insignia sewn onto his shoulders over a plain white waistcoat. He did not wear any trousers though.
Mr. Silver stood at attention and gave a salute in the First Mate's presence; the kids and Salva did not and got Mr. Arrow's attention for it.
"You would do well to imitate Mr. Silver's conduct when in the presence of a superior officer," the Alakazam instructed sternly.
The kids and Salva did as they were told.
"That is much more fitting, at ease," Mr. Arrow accepted allowing everyone to drop their salutes. "I should hope such a misstep does not occur in the presence of our captain."
"[Shall they be wroth should we fail to salute them?]" Salva asked.
"Most certainly," Mr. Arrow warned with a serious look. "The captain shall find not but the strictest following of proper decorum acceptable in his presence. Shall he be wroth you ask? I have known his rage to erupt at the mispronouncing of a word!"
"A captain with no patience," Silver reminisced. "Once upon a time I sailed under a man with such a disposition; though his temper was the source of laughter, not of fear."
"The temper of our Captain sows nothing but fear in his sailors and officers, so I shall have this ship ready for his imminent arrival post-haste!" Mr. Arrow ordered. "Silver, you are the cook, begin readying midday meals; the captain shall likely want for such when he arrives."
"Aye, aye, sir!" Silver jovially replied before hobbling to the ship's galley on his crutch.
"Salva, as the assistant to our navigator, report to your station at her side."
"[Yes, sir,]" Salva replied with a bit less eagerness than Silver had.
"You cabin children shall assist in scrubbing the top decks clean. The poop deck shall be your charge."
"We're to clean the room with the chamber pots?" Zoey asked in confusion and slight disgust.
"No," Mr. Arrow said with some annoyance as he pointed to the slightly elevated part of the deck at the rear of the ship. "That there is the poop deck, see it cleaned to the point your faces reflect in it."
"Yes, sir," the kids replied before moving to the poop deck to do as instructed.
"Can we even clean our assigned area to the first mate's desired extent?" Ralph questioned.
Jim chuckled. "I doubt he meant such a thing in seriousness. It was but an exaggeration on his part, I think."
"I shall still try nonetheless," Zoey proudly proclaimed. "It'll be a great sight to see the First Mate's face should we achieve his exaggeration."
Despite their best efforts, Jim, Zoey, and Ralph had not turned the poop deck into a mirror when they heard the First Mate call out to the crew again about an hour later.
"All hands on deck!" Mr. Arrow cried. "The captain's carriage approaches, and all officers and sailors must be prepared for inspection and review!"
Everyone aboard the ship, except for the Pikachu horde below deck, hurried to follow the First Mate's orders. Two rows were formed to create an improvised pathway for the captain to walk down and inspect the crew once aboard. In one line were officers and more important crewmembers; Squire Trelawney, Chester, Professor Livesey, Salva, Jim, Zoey, and Ralph. In the other row were the common sailors with John Silver at their head. Mr. Arrow stood at the end of the path in between the two sets of crewmembers.
"Upon the captain's boarding, all members of this crew shall stand at attention and provide the expected respect befitting of your station," Mr. Arrow continued. "Hark! He approaches!"
Everyone stood at attention, though their eyes also wandered towards the bottom of the gangplank where the captain of their vessel approached.
The captain in question strode up onto the ship, though he stopped at the beginning of the pathway.
As Livesey had said, the captain was also Pokémon. He was a small blue otter-like Pokémon with two sea-shells attached to his thighs. He was still in uniform; similar to Mr. Arrow, he wore a tricorn hat and a coat over a waistcoat. Unlike Mr. Arrow, however, the captain's rank insignia was a badge placed on the breast of its coat. The Dewott captain was followed by a dozen much taller red and black Pokémon with bodies that resembled suits of armour made out of blades, particularly their war helmet-like head. These guards only wore white cross belts over their torsos that carefully worked around the pair of steel blades on their stomachs.
"Captain on deck!" Mr. Arrow cried. "Attention!"
Everyone went rigid and saluted in the captain's presence. The Dewott began to walk down the pathway created for him by the rows of crew members, looking over them both as he went. Upon reaching Mr. Arrow, the Alakazam saluted as well.
"Captain Alexander Smollett," the First Mate started. "Though she is not yet ready to sail, the Mt. Coronet is yours to command."
"Much gratitude Mr. Arrow," the Captain replied in a masculine voice befitting a young adult. "Continue seeing to her readiness, we shall carry out role call upon its completion."
"Yes, sir," Mr. Arrow replied before turning to the regular crew members. "Resume your work!" he barked.
"Aye, aye, sir," was John Silver's reply as he and the rest of the sailors resumed their tasks.
Captain Smollett turned to the other officers and important crew members. "I would speak to you in my cabin, all of you."
Everyone nodded and followed him the cabin in the back of the ship; the dozen Bisharp staying outside as guards.
The Captain's Cabin was not quite as immaculate as expected, but it was still the cleanest and most organized part of the ship. A long table rested in the centre with chairs at each end and on both sides; in one corner was a globe of the known world, and in another was a desk where the captain likely kept important documents and writings.
The captain took a seat at the far end of the table with the stern windows at his back. "Take your seats," he instructed.
The Squire took the seat at the other end of the table while Jim, Zoey, and Ralph sat on one side with Livesey, Salva, and Chester on the other.
"I am acquainted with you Squire, the financier of this voyage," the Captain began. "As well, I am acquainted with you Livesey, our navigator, and cartographer. I have yet, however, to be introduced to the cause of our voyage." He turned to the kids at their side of the table. "You three are Jim, Zoey, and Ralph, am I not correct?"
"You are captain, sir," the three replied.
The Dewott nodded. "Have any of you the map?"
"I do," Jim spoke up.
"I should like very much to see it for myself, at last."
Jim removed his coat which the map was still sewn to the inside of. He laid it as flat as he could on the table, allowing everyone present to look at it.
"By the legends," Smollett said under his breath. "And you, Livesey, have the instructions for how to navigate this map in your possession still?"
"Yes, sir," the Professor replied. She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her waistcoat pocket for all to see then unfolded it and placed it over the instructions on the map.
"Very good, then all seems to be in order," Captain Smollett surmised. "Yet there is one element that I have yet to clarify."
"What might that be, Captain?" Trelawney asked.
"The elaborateness of your Shiny Remoraid," the Captain replied. "Mr. Arrow relayed to me the public purpose of this voyage was to map the Decolore Islands, yet there is the unmistakable scent of a Pikachu colony on my ship."
"'Tis the result of friend Zoey's great ingenuity!" Squire Trelawney explained. "She proposed allowing tourists aboard the vessel to further mask our intentions!"
Captain Smollett turned to Zoey. "Is this true?"
"Yes, sir," Zoey replied. She conveniently left out the part where she was piggybacking another business venture on top of the voyage.
"And they are unaware of our true intentions?"
"Yes, captain."
"Can they be trusted to not fall out of line during this voyage?"
Zoey would normally have responded with nothing but confidence in her voice, but Smollett's interrogating look caught her off guard.
"Yes, captain?" she answered.
"Do you ask me, or tell me?" the Captain continued.
Zoey hesitated for a minute to summon her courage. "I tell you, sir, yes they can."
"If I may interject, Captain," Livesey spoke up. "I have opposed this plan since its inception, and hold the firmest conviction that it is and shall be more damaging than beneficial."
"You would have them removed from this vessel and the voyage, yes?" Smollett asked.
"I would," Livesey replied.
"The Squire has given the plan his blessing and support, this much I know," Smollett continued. "But what the thoughts on the plan are now is of no consequence. They are here, and to remove them would be, I fear, a move most suspicious to all aboard. They shall remain and be tolerated, though Zoey shall be held to account for any of their transgressions."
Zoey looked taken aback by this and was about to refute it, but a look from the Dewott made her close her mouth and nod.
The Captain rose from his seat and walked over to the globe sitting in the corner. "Now I shan't lie to you all, I have a great dislike for treasure voyages, and I dislike them above all when they are secret. In such a voyage, I fear, mutiny and discord amongst all the crew is inevitable. I captain this voyage only because I suspect none else would, and I have every intention to see this voyage done with all haste and secrecy. I do sincerely hope you are as aware of such risks as I."
"We are, Captain," Jim, Ralph and Zoey replied together.
"As am I," Professor Livesey added.
"[And us,]" Salva and Chester agreed.
Everyone turned to Squire Trelawney, expecting him to concur.
"This voyage shall most certainly be safe," he said. "You should quiet your worries, captain; I hear 'tis no good for one's mental well being."
Livesey put a hand to her forehead. Captain Smollett opened his mouth to further explain himself, but a knock on the door caught his attention.
"Enter," he said.
The Bisharp on the other side of the doors opened them, allowing a familiar Alakazam to come inside. Mr. Arrow saluted.
"Captain, the preparations are complete. We may begin role call at your discretion," he reported.
Smollett looked to Trelawney with frustration but nodded to Mr. Arrow. "Collect the crew. We take the role in five minute's time."
At the agreed-upon time, Mr. Arrow blew into a whistle to get the attention of the rest of the crew. He, the Captain, the rest of the officers, and kids remained on the quarterdeck of the vessel, overlooking the mixed crew of humans and Pokémon on the main deck.
"Role call!" Mr. Arrow called out. "Respond to your name when announced!" he cleared his throat before beginning. "John Silver!"
"Aye, aye, sir!" the familiar middle-aged cook called in reply.
"Georgia Olivia Keefe!"
"Aye!" a woman holding a pair of sacks called out.
"Tomos!"
"Aye, aye!" a male Toxtricity also holding his own two sacks replied.
"Dick!"
Amid some immature snickering from crew and officers an embarrassed man answered. "Aye, sir."
Mr. Arrow cleared his throat before continuing. "Garch!"
"Garrr!" a male Garchomp replied.
"Thomas Morgan!"
"Huh?" a confused looking man answered.
Jim turned to Ralph. "Do these sailors not strike you as familiar?"
Ralph nodded. "Aye, some more than others."
Mr. Arrow was about to continue but hesitated at the next name before calling it out. "Captain Flint!"
"Captain Flint! Captain Flint!" Everyone turned to look at small parrot-like Pokémon whose head resembled an eighth note perched on the deck's railing next to Silver.
Jim, Zoey, and Ralph looked to each other. That Chatot was not an acquaintance of the one-legged cook, was it?
Mr. Arrow continued, ignorant of the kids' concern. "Bad Kitty!"
"How bad do you want it?" A Zangoose replied with a sultry voice, specifically the Zangoose who had served the kids and Squire Trelawney lunch recently at the Spyglass.
"She's most definitely here on Silver's account," Zoey whispered to her friends. They nodded in agreement.
Mr. Arrow looked confused at the next name. "Thomas Morgan!"
"Huh?" Thomas Morgan replied, sounding and looking just as perplexed as last time.
"David Jones!"
"Here!" A man answered.
"Blue Croc!"
A blue bipedal crocodilian Pokémon belched out an alarm clock before replying. "Gator!"
"Israel Hands!"
For the first time, there was no response.
"Israel Hands!" Mr. Arrow repeated, looking out over the crew to see if he could spot the name's owner.
A blue and white humanoid Pokémon that resembled a clown and had a diamond-shaped crystal in its torso gave the first mate two thumbs up.
"From henceforth, you will speak when spoken too, Mr. Hands!" the Alakazam ordered.
The Mr. Mime nodded.
Mr. Arrow decided to ignore him for now. "James Claw!"
"Goon!" a black and white, bipedal badger-like Pokémon replied. This Obstagoon was easily the most unnerving member of the crew yet, given how he was sharpening his claws against one another as he replied.
"Thomas Morgan…" Mr. Arrow trailed off upon realizing what he was reading for the third time.
"Huh?"
The first mate sighed before continuing. "Joan!"
"Aye!" a woman with a scar going down the left side of her face and resting a musket on her right shoulder answered.
"Other Joan!"
"Aye, aye!" a woman with a scar going down the right side of her face and resting a musket on her left shoulder answered.
The officers and other important crew members looked to each other. The more they saw of this crew the more unseemly it got. The only one who seemed perfectly accepting of the crew was Squire Trelawney.
Mr. Arrow called out the next name. "Eldritch Slaughter von Cannibal O'Brian the Cannibal!"
Captain Smollett looked over to the list as if to make sure Mr. Arrow was reading it right. Everyone looked back to the crew in trepidation.
A humanoid Pokémon whose body resembled a flowing dress and had green curled hair stepped forward. "Aye," the Gardevoir replied.
Everyone on the quarterdeck stared with wide eyes. The exceptions were Professor Livesey, who put her face in her hands; and Squire Trelawney, who nodded happily. At this point, Captain Smollett held up his paw to stop Mr. Arrow from continuing even though there were still several sailors whose names had not been called. "Enough," he said. "Sailors, have this ship underway! Set her on a course due south!"
The assembled crew nodded and set about their tasks to get the Mt. Coronet unmoored from the dock and moving. The Captain, however, turned back to his officers and the kids.
"I would speak to you all once more in my cabin," he said. "Immediately."
Everyone quickly moved back into the captain's cabin and sat back in the seats they had taken before. The exception was Mr. Arrow, who stood by Captain Smollett's side.
"Who has hired such a crew!?" the Dewott demanded. "Never have I sailed with such cutthroat scoundrels and crystal clear villains in my career at sea! Who has hired them!?"
It was a very easy answer; everyone pointed to Squire Trelawney (half of them without even looking), including the man himself who seemed confused as to why the captain was yelling at him.
"What criteria did these vagabonds meet that made them worthy of this crew, Squire?" Smollett asked somewhat tensely.
"Why that they had sailing experience of course!" the Squire replied.
"Were their histories and habits not worthy of consideration in your eyes?"
"I had considered it," Trelawney replied. "But John Silver, who aided me in selecting our crew, spoke very highly of them all."
"You chose our crew of sailors on the word of the ship's cook?" Mr. Arrow asked, aghast.
"Aye, Mr. Silver is a former sailor himself and of great seafaring experience. Why should I have not trusted his word?"
Mr. Arrow groaned and put a hand to his face while Captain Smollett sank into his chair to the point he was almost hidden behind the table.
"Do you recall, Squire, my distaste for voyages in search of treasure?"
"Of course, you spoke of it not much more than an hour ago. I still find your concern most overdone"
"All your crew has done is made my concern feel more in need than before," the Dewott replied. "Alas, it is too late to replace this crew; and I suspect the one we have would mutiny here and now if word of such an action came to them."
"What are we to do, captain?" Ralph asked, nervously.
"We proceed as planned, though with increased vigilance for signs of treason amidst this most repulsive of crews. Should anyone hear or see anything unnatural, that person shall report it to another officer. Am I understood?"
"Yes, captain," was the unanimous response from everyone.
Everyone except for Squire Trelawney, anyway; who was then stared at by everyone as the ship lurched somewhat and began moving.
He finally sighed under the expectant eyes of everyone else in the room. "Yes, captain."
Outside the windows in the rear of the cabin, the officers and kids could see the port gradually growing distant as the Mt. Coronet began sailing down the eastern coastline of Galar.
Author's Note
This will definitely be going on hiatus. Perhaps the first part of Act III will get posted should there be a lull in homework, but for those of you who have stuck to this story the soonest I can guarantee a new chapter is December at the earliest.
In the meantime feel free to provide constructive criticism to the story as it is now while I drown in University homework.