Part II – It's Not Paranoia…

The wind had stopped.

No one knew why, nor did anyone really care why. All that mattered was the winds had stopped blowing.

And that meant the Mt. Coronet was stuck in the middle of the ocean, unmoving.

Now there really was nothing to do. When the wind was blowing, even calmly, at least the rigging needed to be monitored to make sure it did not break.

All that could be done now was wait for the winds to pick up again, whenever that would be. It probably would not have been a huge problem, were it not for the clear, cloudless sky above them; which allowed the sun to blare its never-ending heat upon the crew. That heat seemed to sap whatever energy the crew had right out of them. All across the top deck, they lay around as though they had the very life sucked out of them. Even the water types among the crew were having trouble trying to keep their shipmates refreshed in the scorching heat. Captain Smollett and Professor Livesey, dutifully at their posts on the quarterdeck, were also struggling to stay upright. Livesey had even done away with some of her clothing, with only her undershirt and breeches remaining.

The only person who seemed to be having no issues was Squire Trelawney, who laid a blanket down at the back of the poop deck and started sunbathing; or perhaps he was taking a nap now. No one cared since he had been treating this whole voyage like a vacation anyway.

"Have we any means to resume travel, Professor?" Smollett asked, trying to keep any sound of desperation from his voice.

"Not at present, sir," Livesey replied. "Had we enough flying Pokémon perhaps we could have them use Gust to power our sails."

"For such desperate times as these, I might have allowed it, despite how ill-advised such a maneuver is."

"'Ill-advised,' sir?"

"Gust is an attack move and its winds are thusly harsh, akin to a small storm, and unpredictable. In such a quantity as we would need, they could just as easily damage our vessel as they could propel it."

Livesey nodded and began to think about other options. "What if the Water-types at our disposal took to the sea and pushed?"

This time, Smollett flat out shook his head. "We lack the numbers to see such a task succeed. This vessel is quite heavy; they would likely break a hole in her hull before pushing her very far."

"Alas, then waiting for the wind to return is our only choice."

"So it is." Smollett began waving his paw in front of his face in a similar fashion to a hand fan.

"Blast me again, if you would please, Captain," Livesey requested.

The Dewott nodded and fired a stream of water from his mouth into Livesey's face.

Below decks was hardly any better; if anything it was worse. In the cargo hold, every member of the Pikachu colony was collapsed on the floor much like the regular crew above them. Towards the stairs were the similarly unmoving Zoey, Ralph and Pedal. Salva was with them, though she hardly seemed encumbered.

"It is an oven down here," Pedal moaned. She then wretched and covered her mouth quickly.

"[An apt comparison,]" Salva agreed. Unaffected by the heat, the fire-type was bouncing from Pokémon to Pokémon checking them for any new developments. "[Like an oven the vessel's lower decks trap the heat within themselves, it cannot escape and only bakes all that resides within.]"

"I don't wish to know how I shall perish, Salva," Zoey said drowsily before groaning in a sickly manner. "I fear I shall vomit, given my stomach's current temperament."

"[I doubt this affliction is fatal in nature,]" Salva tried to reassure. "[Your weakness and nausea implies only heat exhaustion.]"

"Is that not fatal?" Ralph weakly asked.

Salva knelt down to gently stroke the Rattata's head. "[Not immediately. Only when it graduates to heat stroke can it kill a human or Pokémon unaccustomed to such temperatures.]"

"So were we all Fire-types we would not be afflicted as we are now?" Zoey asked.

"[Yes.]"

The Dark-type, Dark-Normal type, and Electric-type all groaned again.

"The irony, Mother feared we would be murdered by unfamiliar sailors yet the weather is what shall be our deaths," Zoey grossed.

"How long has it been since the wind left us?" Ralph asked Zoey.

"I haven't been counting," the Zorua replied. "Perhaps a day has passed? Or maybe a few of them?"

Ralph groaned. "Pedal has it right: our good ship has become more an oven than a sea-faring vessel."

"[Oven's do not carry water within them,]" Salva said. "[I shall speak to Mr. Silver about getting water from storage. I know our supply is not infinite, but even warm water shall help ward heat stroke.]"

"You will need to speak in human for him to understand," Ralph reminded.

"I re-mem-ber," Salva assured. She still broke longer words into more obvious sections.

"If you could, ask Jim if he would join us?" Zoey asked. "We have been absent of him all day."

Salva nodded and took off towards the galley. She briefly came up to the main deck to shorten the trip, seeing the rest of the crew strewn about similarly to the Pikachu below deck. The various water types among them, led by the Feraligatr "Blue Croc," were still carefully dousing their shipmates with their water attacks. Meanwhile a Corphish and that Zangoose were using Ice Beam to create makeshift ice packs.

"[By Arceus,]" she muttered to herself as she continued on her way.

"Do take care with such measures. Dousing the crew to too great an excess may flood our ship and sink us," Mr. Arrow said as he walked amongst the crew. He then took notice of Salva. "What brings you topside, Salva?"

Remembering the First Mate's obsession with customs, Salva quickly stood at attention. "[I travel to the galley to get water from Mr. Silver,]" she explained. "[Those in the cargo hold need it with all speed, 'ere they shall suffer heatstroke.]"

"Proceed then," Mr. Arrow allowed. "I'll see some crew members down there to assist; icing the water should make it more effective."

"Thank you, sir," Salva replied in almost flawless human speech.

The Scorbunny returned below decks to find Jim and Mr. Silver still at work in the galley. Jim was peeling potatoes on a small table, while Mr. Silver seemed to be mixing things in a bowl.

"Hello, Salva," Jim greeted once he saw the Scorbunny enter.

"Greet-ings, Jim," Salva replied. "May I speak to Mist-er Sil-ver?"

Jim nodded and then turned behind him. "Long John?"

"Aye, Jim?"

"Salva's here and would speak with you."

"Ah, send her in, matey!"

Jim kindly motioned for Salva to go ahead. She bounced into a chair so she was at least somewhat more at eye level with the taller human.

"What concerns of yours would speak to me of, Salva?" Mr. Silver asked.

"I am look-ing for water," Salva said in her in-progress human speech. "The Pik-a-chu below suf-fer from heat ex-haust-tion and they must have water, 'ere it becomes heat stroke."

"By the legends," Mr. Silver started. "Well, we cannot allow that to happen." He reached into a drawer and pulled out a tool which he then tossed to Salva. "That shall open the water barrels in the cargo hold. You should also find some tankards there available for use."

Salva nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Silver."

Salva then looked to Jim as she left. "Jim; Zoey and Ralph were hope-ing you would come to see them in their weak-end state."

Jim looked between the Scorbunny and sea cook still working at the mixing bowl. "I fear have made arrangements for the next while," he said. "But do tell Zoey and Ralph I shall be free to appraise them afterwards."

Salva was a bit surprised. "What event holds your attention?"

"Long John and I shall attempt to bake a cake," Jim answered while fanning his face with his hand. "I'm certain you've noticed how the heat has made a furnace of below-decks."

Salva nodded. "I sup-pose I should wish luck on you," she said. "O-ther-wise, keep your-selves wat-ered."

"We shall," Jim said. "Good afternoon, Salva."

Salva took her leave after that, not entirely sure how Zoey and Ralph were going to take Jim not coming.

Surprisingly they took it rather calmly.

"Jim would rather experiment with food than assist his siblings?" Zoey asked. She was trying to sound angry.

Or maybe they were taking it calmly because they did not have the energy to make a fuss.

"Perhaps he trusts Salva to care for us?" Ralph offered diplomatically.

Salva smiled at Ralph's suggestion. "[I should try to make his trust founded then.]"

Zoey snorted. "Perhaps he does, perhaps he doesn't, either way, he seems more interested in spending time with another human."

"Never has he had a human to call his friend," Ralph argued. "He might simply be excited at the prospect."

"Again, perhaps he is or perhaps he isn't. Either way, he isn't coming to our aid when we asked him to; him being too busy playing in the galley."

"[You might try to talk to him about this sometime,]" Salva recommended. "[He shan't know how he is hurting you unless you tell him.]"

Ralph nodded. "I agree."

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Assuming he doesn't realize his mistake on his own."

"[You might as well ask Arceus to ensure something goes wrong if you rely on Jim to come to such a conclusion in his newfound euphoria.]"

"What was that?" Zoey asked.

"She means Jim realizing his mistake on his own is not likely," Ralph explained.

Zoey groaned.

"[Worry about your newfound issues with Jim later,]" Salva said. "[At present you both need water, as does the rest of the colony. Please follow me to the hold where it is stored.]"

Zoey and Ralph slowly got up from their proneness to follow the more energetic Scorbunny. The hold where most of the food and drinks were stored was not far of course; it was quite literally on the other side of a wall. The slight issue was that the wall in question had no door, requiring the three Pokémon to briefly climb up to and traverse the gun deck before return down to the cargo hold.

The part of the hold where the food was stored was filled with barrels, pretty much all of which looked exactly the same. The only way to tell which barrels contained what were the squares of various colours painted on the floor around various groups of them. Not too far away was the brig, the Mt. Coronet's miniature gaol where captives were to be held.

"Which barrels hold water?" Zoey asked.

"[Mr. Silver did not say,]" Salva admitted. "[Mr. Arrow was to send some of our shipmates down to assist us.]"

"And here we are," a new voice said.

Salva, Zoey, and Ralph turned to see the speaker. It was a red crustacean Pokémon with a white underbelly and two large pincers. The speaker was not alone. Accompanying it was a small cat Pokémon with shaggy gray fur, a full beard and a silver coin in its forehead; as well as a humanoid Pokémon with a magenta upper body, a green lower body and black hair that covered one of its eyes.

This Corphish, Perrserker and Morgrem were just as off-putting as the rest of the crew. The somewhat unnerving smiles they wore were not helping put Zoey, Ralph or Salva at ease.

"[Thank you for coming to our aid,]" Salva thanked. "[Might you tell us which of these barrels holds the water we seek?]"

"Aye, I can," the Corphish offered. He wandered through the barrels looking at the squares on the floor before stopping in front of the white square that had a shelf covered in tankards next to it.

"Here they are," he said.

"Thank you, mister…" Ralph trailed off.

"Eugene is my name." The Corphish confidently patted his breast with a pincer as he introduced himself.

Salva jumped to the top of the first barrel with the tool she had been carrying since leaving the galley and carefully pried the top off. After jumping to another nearby barrel to look inside the first, she smiled thankfully at the deep pool of water in the barrel she just opened.

"Find the tankards and fill them up; I'll cool the water within with my Ice Beam," Eugene offered.

Summoning what strength she could, Zoey transformed into Jim, making it much easier to grab a tankard and scoop water into it.

"Cool this water for me first," she requested. "I shan't be of much use exhausted from the heat."

"Of course not," Eugene agreed. In one of his pincers, he generated a blue ball of freezing energy and briefly fired three interlace beams from it at the tankard, covering it with a thin layer of ice. "Now wait a minute for the ice to work its magic," Eugene instructed.

Zoey waited about half that time before drinking away greedily. She let out a satisfied sigh afterwards.

"I feel better already," she commented.

"Good for you," Ralph said somewhat sarcastically. "Could I behoove you to share such refreshment?"

Zoey dunked the tankard and had Eugene blast it with Ice Beam again. She then placed it on the floor next to Ralph who also began to drink away without hesitation.

"Water truly is magical," Ralph sighed after drinking his fill.

"[And at the moment, the Pikachu colony is in desperate need of it,]" Salva gently reminded.

A routine was quickly developed. In her Jim form, Zoey would grab and fill tankards that Eugene would then Ice Beam the bottom of. Salva, the Perrserker and the Morgrem would then carry the tankards to the Pikachu colony, carefully traversing the stairs to the gun deck and then back down to the other half of the cargo hold.

Ralph did not really do much, since there was little for him to do. Being a quadruped by nature he could not carry the tankards, and he certainly was not big enough to help fill them. He mostly sat in a corner of the room and watched everyone else work. He watched with resignation, as though he was quite aware this was all he could do and had accepted it, though he certainly did not look very happy about it.

Unfortunately, everyone was too busy with the water to notice his possible plight.

"[I believe only one more tankard will be needed,]" Salva said as she returned from another run.

"Then here it is," Zoey said as she offered one to the Scorbunny.

Salva accepted and bounced back up the stairway. Zoey looked down into the barrel.

"It's almost empty," she observed. "Though, the lid should still be placed back in the event the barrel rolls over."

"[Then by all means, replace it,]" the Morgrem said, handing Zoey-as-Jim the lid and a hammer to replace it.

There's something about the way he said that… Zoey thought to herself. He spoke as though something shall happen once the barrel's lid is restored, and he cannot wait for it.

The Morgrem was also staying oddly close. In fact, Eugene and the Perrserker were staying pretty still as well. They could technically leave now that they were done and Zoey was handling the barrel. So why were they staying?

Zoey decided to keep them in the corner of her eye as best she could, while making sure she did not hammer her illusionary hand.

She was glad she did.

"['Tis hammered in,]" the Morgrem said.

"Get them!" Eugene cried out.

The Morgrem gain a wicked grin and leapt at Zoey. She quickly turned back into herself, causing the Devious Pokémon to overshoot his attempt at a grab since he was going for her illusionary form. Surprised to see his target literally vanish from in front of him, the Morgrem fell front first onto the floor.

"Zoey! Help!" Ralph cried.

She quickly turned around. Ralph had a group of barrels to his back and the Perrserker was advancing on the terrified Rattata; its long and terrible claws bared and ready to strike.

Zoey struck first.

None of the moves she knew would be of much effect against the Steel type, but she did not care. She leapt at the Viking Pokémon, the tips of her forelegs glowing white and sharpening into points. She unleashed a flurry of scratches on the back of the Perrserker's head. While it did not do much damage, it did throw him off balance and allow Ralph the chance to escape.

The two attempted to run for the stairs, only for a pair of Ice Beams to shoot in front of them and cover the steps and the hatch to the deck above in ice.

"I fear we cannot have you leaving just yet," Eugene taunted.

The Morgrem and Perrserker had gotten up and were ready to fight as well.

"Ralph, you have not forgotten our training?" Zoey asked quietly.

"No," he nervously replied.

"That's good; because here we shall need it."

Ralph gulped, but Zoey was right. Unless they defeated their opponents, they could not leave and warn the others.

Eugene opened his pincers and began generating fresh Ice Beams. With a grin on his face, he fired them.

"Jump!" Zoey cried.

The pair leapt over the beams of freezing energy, leaving them to strike the wall instead. Zoey wasted no time in attacking back. She charged the Corphish and slashed him repeatedly with Fury Swipes. Eugene recoiled in surprise and agony as the Perrserker leapt at the Zorua, his own claws turning shiny and metallic for a Metal Claw attack. Zoey just managed to avoid taking a direct hit and turned to face her new attacker as he landed.

As a Steel-type, he will resist everything I know, Zoey thought as she seized up her other attacker. She knew no Fire, Ground or Fighting-type moves, though of them only Fighting moves were probably wise choices in these circumstances anyway; being on a ship in the middle of the ocean and all.

The Perrserker charged her with his Metal Claw again. This time, Zoey braced herself and let it hit her. It hurt, a lot, but Zoey was convinced it would be worth it. Now that she had taken a hit she could almost literally pay it back. Her body glowed with red-orange energy and she charged into the Perrserker, hitting hard enough to force him backward and give a loud grunt in pain. Payback still was not a very effective move on the steel type, but when she was hit it was the most powerful move Zoey knew.

Ralph was a lot less eager about this than Zoey. The Morgrem was advancing on him with unabashed glee in his eyes. He was looking forward to attacking. His hands began coating themselves in a dark purple aura that shaped into a set of large claws.

Ralph suddenly lost his freighted expression.

"[What makes the fear leave you?]" the Morgrem asked.

"Your stupidity," Ralph succinctly answered.

The Morgrem glowered at the insult and recklessly charged. He slashed at Ralph repeatedly with his Shadow Claw attack. So blinded by his anger at the insult was the Morgrem that it took a few moments for him to realize the Shadow Claw was not doing anything. It harmlessly phased through Ralph, who did not even bother trying to avoid the attack.

"[What is this!?]" the Morgrem cried. "[Are you not an Alolan born Rattata, and thus a Dark-type!?]"

"All Rattata are Normal," Ralph said. "Your Ghost-type moves are of no use; not to you at any rate."

Ralph took the opportunity the Morgrem had given him and leapt at his enemy's shoulder. His front teeth glowed bright white for a Hyper Fang and he bit down with all the force he could muster.

The Dark and Fairy-type cried out in pain and collapsed as Ralph released his grip on his shoulder, bowing his head in the process. Ralph suddenly felt bad; he had not hurt his opponent that badly had he?

"Are you seriously injured?" he asked as he stepped closer.

"[You shall be,]" the Morgrem laughed.

His hair glowed a vicious red colour, and he whipped his head up. His hair struck Ralph and sent him into the air for a few moments before landing back on the floor, rather hurt.

"[False Surrender has never failed me,]" the Morgrem chuckled. "[Especially against overly saccharine fools with hearts of gold such as you.]"

"My intentions were to ensure you were not seriously hurt!" Ralph cried back. "And this is how I am repaid!?"

"[Such was your mistake to make,]" the Morgrem mocked as he began forming a ball of dark purple rings in his hands.

Ralph, anger evident on his face, began forming one of his own at his mouth.

On the other side of the hold, Zoey dodged another Metal Claw from the Perrserker. The Viking Pokémon then moved its forepaws together and began generating a familiar purple and black ball of ghostly energy. Zoey saw fit to respond with a Shadow Ball of her own and opened for mouth to begin forming one. She remembered at the last minute to not stop generating the energy the attack needed when she fired it.

Two Shadow Balls and two Dark Pulses collided on two sides of the cargo hold, culminating in two small explosions.

"ARE YOU ALL MAD!?" the voice of a familiar Corphish screamed.

The combatants paused to stare at the Ruffian Pokémon who looked absolutely livid.

"You risk sinking this ship with special attacks like that! Cease with them this instant!" he screeched.

"But you used Ice Beam," the Perrserker pointed out.

"Ice Beam does not make holes in wood, you fool," Eugene griped. "Now only use your physical attacks, and nothing else!"

The Perrserker shrugged in acceptance. He had no qualms with that instruction. His claws turned to metal again and he began slashing at Zoey, who easily sidestepped every attempted strike.

The Morgrem on the other hand was not as pleased.

"[And what would you have me do?]" he asked his commander. "[This Rattata shan't fall for False Surrender again, and my Shadow Claw does nothing.]"

Eugene roughly shoved the Morgrem aside with his pincers, which he then snapped menacingly. "Worry not," he said. "I shall break him."

Ralph recoiled a bit; the Corphish definitely knew moves that would hurt him.

And he wasted no time in trying them.

The pincers began glowing bright white as Eugene charged. "How will you fare against a Crabhammer!?" he yelled.

Ralph just barely ducked to avoid a swing of Eugene's pincers, before using his Quick Attack to sprint past him. The Morgrem, however, was waiting for him and Ralph skidded to a stop to avoid crashing into him.

"Grab him!" Eugene ordered.

The Morgrem attempted to do as ordered, but again Ralph's Quick Attack saved him; however briefly. He was not looking where he was going and ended up running between two sets of barrels filled with provisions. When he turned around Eugene and the Morgrem were blocking off his only escape.

"[A lovely little Rattata trap,]" the Morgrem chuckled with sinister undertones.

"Nowhere left to run," Eugene mocked while threateningly snapping his pincers.

"What do you even want from us!?" Ralph cried. "What have we done!?"

"You have done nothing, there is no vendetta of a personal kind," Eugene explained. "Our business is strictly material; that is to say, it is only a material good we want from you."

"What do you want?"

"The map," Eugene answered.

That answer was heard across the hold. Ralph froze up and did a poor job of hiding his reaction. Zoey even faltered while trying to dodge another Metal Claw and was floored by the next slash from the Perrserker.

"W-what map?" Ralph asked, knowing full well what map they were probably talking about. "Several of them are in use to see we don't fall off course."

"The only map that matters," Eugene replied. "The map to the treasure that rightly belongs to us; not you thieving innkeepers!"

Ralph gulped as he saw the Perrserker grab the injured Zoey and hold her against him to keep her from running. "I know nothing of any treasure map!" he insisted.

"[You lie,]" the Morgrem said matter-of-factly as he and Eugene began advancing on the cornered Ralph. "[We are quite aware of your identity, Ralph, and that of the Zorua. We know you were Billy's Bones confidants in his final days. We know your were who he trusted his map to. We know this is no mapping voyage; it is to steal our treasure from us. Now, where does the map lie?]"

Ralph said nothing, he was too frightened. He knew where it was, of course. Jim still had it, once again sewn to the inside of his coat to hide it from prying eyes, and reading the directions on the map would be impossible without Livesey's translations. Ralph had told himself he had no plans to betray the map's location and who held it.

But now he was cornered, and his fear arrested any thoughts of fighting back.

It was even starting to break down his willingness to lie.

I shall break, he began to worry internally as tears began to form in his eyes. My lips will go loose, and I shall tell them everything!

"I'll ask again before we start hurting you and the Zorua," Eugene said. "Where is the…"

He trailed off. There was a peculiar sound; the sound of something tapping against the wall that divided the cargo holds into two rooms

"What is that?" the Perrserker asked.

The tapping stopped almost as soon as he said that. In its place however, was the sound of thumping footsteps that could only come from something big. The footsteps got louder, and the owner closer until….

Smash!

Through the wall burst a familiar green and white bipedal Pokémon with a dome-shaped shell resembling a chestnut. It had an equally familiar white rabbit Pokémon riding on its shoulder. They quickly made a scan of the room and saw one Pokémon holding another in a way that was clearly to keep her from moving, and two more leering down between two groups of barrels.

Chester growled in hostility and wasted no more time.

A green aura formed around his arm and took the shape of a mallet; a mallet that was swung into Eugene and the Morgrem, sending them flying down the hold. Eugene's eyes had turned to swirls when he landed while the Morgrem struggled to get back up.

Salva jumped from Chester's shoulder and dove at the Perrserker holding Zoey. He quickly released his captive, to avoid what he thought was an attack. It was not, but the follow-up was. Salva's foot-paws glowed bright white and she kicked the Viking Pokémon twice with them. The Perrserker cried in agony and fell to the floor, though he was able to return to his feet relatively quickly.

"Why you-!" he started before realizing Salva was not there.

He looked up in time to see her land on his face with Bounce and then Double Kick him right on his posterior as she came down from his head. He was launched a few meters before landing on the floor as unconscious as his Corphish commander.

The Morgrem had not quite given up. He had put himself in his (false) surrender position, hoping that Chester would walk up close enough and attempt to restrain him and grant him the chance to strike.

That did not happen.

The spikes on the back of Chester's shell glowed a poisonous dark pink colour and launched two missile-like orbs of energy at the Devious Pokémon, who only had enough time to look up and realize what had happened before the super effective Sludge Bomb hit its target.

The Morgrem, too, was now unconscious and unmoving.

Chester set about trying the three villains up with some rope hanging on the wall, while Salva quickly attended to their victims.

"[Are you hurt, Zoey?]" she asked as the Zorua in question dusted herself off.

"I've fared far worse following a battle before," she said. "I believe Ralph is in need of more help than I."

Salva nodded and quickly rushed down the path between the barrels that Ralph was still hiding down. He had curled up into a ball and was quietly sobbing. Seeing this, Salva made a single leap to the distraught Mouse Pokémon and held him closely.

"[The danger has passed Ralph,]" she said soothingly. "[The villains are vanquished and not going to harm you again.]"

Ralph cuddled up to her. He began muttering quietly through his sobs. "I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have come…"

Zoey watched the scene and was about to comfort her adoptive brother as well when she heard someone clearing his throat.

Standing in the new hole in the wall, surrounded by curious Pikachu being held back by a Protect shield was Mr. Arrow and a few of the Bisharp guards. The look on his face was one of frustration, extreme seriousness and no patience for any kind of foolery.

"What has happened, Ms. Zoey?" he asked, his voice somehow sounding more deadly serious than he looked. "Tell me, now."

Zoey began explaining just as Chester came walking up with the restrained attackers.