Ch. 35: Friends of the Sea

Shelly Arc

"Here we go!" A shower of water splashes those sitting nearby as Shelly & Munchlax cannonball into the deep pool. Shelly's head breaks the water's surface. She whips her short brown hair out of her eyes, pulling her long sweeping bangs away from her right eye. Mun! He splashes at her and she giggles. The two go back-and-forth playing in the pool.

Shelly and Munchlax are on their second day out at sea aboard the Feebas Ferry. They would be making port on the mainland by nightfall. Out of breath, Shelly pulls herself to the edge of the pool. She looks around at the other passengers. Mostly families that had been vacationing on Chrysanthemum Island, headed home; others might have been couples taking a romantic trip, or maybe just single ferry-goers trying to get away. She rests her chin on her folded arms… She could totally understand wanting to get away.

It had been a struggle to convince her parents that she was ready to start a journey. Most kids left home at age 10 to travel and capture Pokémon; meanwhile, her doting parents refused to give their blessing and Shelly was stuck at home as the year passed. She was now 11 and although she was a bit older than most of the other Trainers she was sure to meet she knew she couldn't give up on her dream…

Shelly thinks back to standing on that performance stage for the first time, holding Lady Fantina's hand as she soaked up the applause from the crowd… to just the other day from a couple weeks ago when she had won her very 1st Contest Ribbon. This was just the beginning for her.

"Good morning, folks! This is your captain speaking." Shelly perks up at the voice coming from the loud speakers. Other people in and around the pool stop what their doing, too, in order to listen, "It looks like we're ahead of schedule on our arrival to Vermillion City; therefore, I am pleased to announce our special Ferry Festivities will be underway sooner than planned!" Shelly looks over to Munchlax who has just swam over to sit by her side. She had read through the pamphlet yesterday afternoon during lunch and had been looking forward to this ever since.

The Feebas Ferries were famous for their exciting games and events that took place the last few hours leading up to your final destination. Although the games were never announced beforehand, they were sure to include some kind of baking competition, a race or two, and even some kind of battle extravaganza. There were a number of ways someone could win! And for the grand prize-!

"This time around our grand prize for the lucky winner of the games will be…~!" Everyone in the area was holding their breath, "A Corsola-Horn Jeweled Necklace!" There were stars in Shelly's eyes as a crew member walked out onto the deck with the prize. Everyone stopped to stare in awe as she revealed the glistening pink of the Corsola-Horn necklace, "How pretty~!" Shelly pulled herself out of the pool and she reached for her towel. The voice of the captain continued.

"The only way to win the grand prize, of course, is to win the most points at the end of the day. So good luck and remember to play fair!" A tall man beside Shelly chuckled, "Yeah, right. As if anyone's going to 'play nice' after hearing that..!" She looked the man up and down: he was tall and tanned with beachy-blonde locks. Beside him was a girl with yellow hair, pale skin, and a whiny voice, "You're gonna win that for me, won't you babe?"

An older woman across the way clucked her tongue in distaste, "No one will be winning that prize but me, I'm afraid! That Corsola necklace would make the perfect center piece to my collection!" She touched at the Clamperl necklace roped thickly around her scrawny neck. Shelly also noticed the sparkle of a pair of pink earrings and a ring. A smaller man beside her sneered, "Perhaps so, however, as a game enthusiasts myself, it's against my very code to lose." He fiddled with his thick circular lenses.

"What a bunch of crazies. I guess that's the Feebas Ferries, for ya. They attract all sorts." Shelly looked up to the person standing just beside her. He looked like quite the gentleman with his bowtie and button-up, tall socks and buckled shoes. He was tall and thin with piercing eyes and a wicked grin. He noticed her looking at him. He smiled, "Well, not all of us, that is." Shelly blushed. He took her hand gracefully, "My name's Payne. And you are?" She stammered, "S-s-shelly!" Payne nodded at her, "I assume you'll be entering the competition, too, then? Too bad since you don't stand a chance." He sighed, "I always feel bad beating little kids at games, especially the cute ones." And without another word he left.

Shelly's hand was still where he had left it. It took a moment to realize what he had said to her. She felt hot in the face, "The nerve of that guy!" Several minutes later she was still heated, stomping off to the dining hall. She had Payne's face in her head, "He may seem all cool and princely, but what a jerk!" She took an open chair and flipped through the pamphlet.

They had been given 1 hour to prepare. The games would last the last 4hrs of the voyage before they made port. The first game was a Scavenger Hunt. She raised an eyebrow, "Simple enough." She kept reading through: a game of BINGO, Pokémon Trivia, Posing Competition, an Eating Challenge, then the Final Two would compete in a 1x1 Pokémon Battle! She nodded eagerly and looked towards Munchlax who wasn't paying much attention as he devoured plate after plate of buffet food.

"We can totally do this!" She held tightly to the paper, "We'll show him… I'm no little kid, that's for sure!"

Soon, Shelly was gathered with a large group of people on the deck. They had each received a number and a piece of paper. On that paper was a random item they had to find somewhere on the ship and bring back under the time-limit of 30minutes. The Captain and his aide stood above them all atop the ferry and readied the buzzer. Shelly grasped her paper, ready to rip it open.

"And… BEGIN!" The sound blasted through the speakers and the race was on! Each of the guests competing hurriedly ripped open their papers to reveal their special items. One by one they disappeared. Payne read his paper and laughed, "A wide-brimmed woman's sun hat..?" He turned to his Partner Pokémon, a Squirtle wearing a matching bowtie, "This game is already in the bag." The two dashed off. Shelly was still staring at her paper with a confused look. Mun-Munchlax..! He wondered why she wasn't leaving like all the rest.

Munchlax leapt up to Shelly's shoulder and looked at the paper, too, "A shining sea rock (of my liking)' " Each of these papers were hand-written by the Captain himself, she presumed, but how on Earth was she supposed to find a sea rock only the Captain would like? She clenched her fists and looked forward in determination, "I'll just bring him all the darn sea rocks I can find, if I must!" And she was off.

Those who were participating scrambled about the boat searching for the perfect item to fulfill their hunt. And those who were just spectators watched with open laughter at the mess. The sound of cabin doors slamming shut became repetitive, several people found themselves tossing the kitchen about, while others were jumping overboard, perhaps to find a long-loss treasure, or something. Shelly made a sharp turn down the hallway and almost crashed into someone. He caught her.

Shelly looked up and recognized Payne's annoying smirk. He stood upright, "Better watch where you're going, kid." Shelly stomped her foot, "I'm not a kid, you! And just so you know, I'm winning this thing!" He was twirling something on his finger. A hat? He placed the woman's sun hat on his head and walked around her, waving, "Must be nice to be young and have child-like fantasies, I guess. But you better hurry before time runs out…" Shelly saw a small Squirtle walking behind him. He may be annoying as a Trainer, but his Pokémon sure was cute. She shook her head to get rid of the thought, "But that does give me an idea..!"

She checked the time. Payne was right. Nearly 15minutes had already passed and she hadn't found any kind of "shining" rocks. She turned to Munchlax, "We're gonna have to split up." He nodded. Munchlax headed down to the lower decks while Shelly stayed at the top. Nothing in the rules said that they couldn't ask their Pokémon for help. Munchlax went below decks, looking in and out of the bedrooms until he happened upon the kitchens. There was no turning back now… His eyes lit up with stars as he looked over the abundance of food.

Meanwhile, Shelly was running around above. She had asked a couple of the other passengers for help and some were kind enough to lend them some of their things: A Shiny Stone, a Leaf Stone, even a glistening Sapphire topped ring, though Shelly wasn't sure which would be the right fit to impress the Captain. She turned the corner and immediately caught her foot on something hard. She tripped over the thing and fell face first into the floorboards. Shelly sat up rubbing her now red nose, "Oooowww~! What the heck was that..?" She looked up and saw some kind of pink & white ball. She noticed her fallen items and scrambled to collect them back into her hands when suddenly… the ball moved. Shelly stopped and stared.

The ball wriggled about and jumped up from where it had fallen. It wasn't a ball at all..! It's bottom half was white and the rest was pink, including the horns sticking out from atop its head. It blinked its beady little eyes, shaking its head. The Corsola looked straight at Shelly, it's mouth turning downward in a pouty frown. Corsola started hopping around yelling at her angrily. She had come up from the water to get a better look at the boat and wasn't at all expecting a human to come barreling out of nowhere- And to not even apologize!

" 'A shining sea rock.' " That was it..! Shelly suddenly grabbed at the Corsola. She remembered the prize- "Of course!" And when they had learned about Corsola at the Pokémon Academy… The Corsola jumped back as Shelly smiled eagerly, talking rapidly and explaining what she had just figured out, "Corsola are Water and Rock Type! So, technically, they could be considered 'rocks of the sea!' And I know the Captain would approve because, well, he already adores the shining jewelry made for Corsola Horns!" Corrr~?

A buzzer rang over the loud speakers. Time was up. Shelly stood and ran the rest of the way back to the front of the ferry. A much smaller crowd of people were already huddled there waiting to be approved by the Captain. Shelly immediately noticed Payne's sneer from amongst those picked to be moving on. The Captain shook his head as he looked down at the guy with glasses who was holding a shiny gold coin. He argued with the Captain, " 'An untouched pendant of royal gold'! Just as you asked!" The Captain patted his shoulder, "If you had actually thought it through and looked around you would have found that Mrs. Brick of Cabin 18 has a lovely Meowth accompanying her today. In ancient times, you see, the 'Untouched Pendant' was worshipped by Royalty even more than gold. If you had brought the Meowth here, you would have passed. Oh well."

The Captain turned to the next person leaving the bespectacled man alone in his despair. Shelly was starting to understand now. The Captain wasn't crazy at all. He knew his passenger manifesto inside and out and had struck up kind conversations with them all at least once- of course he knew what kind of Pokémon and items they would have. Each of the Scavenger Items were things he knew would be found easily if one only asked.

"And what do we have here?" Shelly jumped. The Captain was barely taller than herself, his kind, round face a soft tinge of pink as he smiled at her. His eyes sparkled at the Pokémon in her arms. He gave a hearty laugh, "A Corsola! A shining sea rock if I ever saw one!" Shelly couldn't help but smile. She nodded, "It took a while for me to figure out the clue, but I got it in the end..!" The Captain turned back to her and nodded, "It seems that way." He handed the Corsola back, patting its head.

"You see, the point of these Feebas Ferry Games is to bring the passengers together. To make friends; after all, the only way to get your hands on these items is to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. As a Captain of the seas, I'm constantly meeting new people from all over the world and I only want others to feel the happiness I feel when I make a new friend. Don't you think it's a great feeling..?" He looked between Shelly and the Corsola. They looked at one another, "Making new friends, huh..?" Cor?

Shelly smiled. She looked back at the Captain, "Yes, Sir! I think it's a great feeling, too!" The Captain patted her head softly and moved on to make the announcement. Those that had passed would move on to the next game. As people moved around her Shelly looked down at the Corsola.

"I'm sorry for earlier." Corsola looked up and met Shelly's eyes, "I didn't even apologize for knocking you down… But the Captain was right…" She thought back to meeting the other passengers that had loaned her their precious items. They had all been so kind to her and she couldn't even remember saying 'Thank You.' Shelly looked out over the water, "Because that's what a journey is all about, isn't it..? Making those connections- those friendships that will last forever…" She made a tight, determined fist. Corsola could see a fire in her eyes, "And to think, there are still so many friends out there for me to meet! I can't wait!"

She heard the voice of the Captain's Aid calling all the competitors forward for the next game. Shelly put the Pokémon down, "Thanks for all your help." And she turned to join the others, not at all aware of the stunned look Corsola was giving her…

And the games continued! Next was BINGO- a game of chance. As the older lady with all the jewels gave a triumphant cry, Shelly and the others pouted. There was a tut on Shelly's other side, "Not like she has anything to be proud about." She turned to see the guy with glasses from before, "It doesn't take any special skills to win at BINGO." Shelly gave him a look, "Well at least she made it past the 1st round, unlike some people." He gave a harumph and turned away, red in the face. Ignoring the sore loser to her right, Shelly turned back to the crowd and joined in on the applause. Whether a game of luck or a game of skill, to win at something was always a nice feeling. It wasn't fair for someone to try and take that away from anyone…

She felt a little different, though, after the Pokémon Trivia. Payne's smug look at his victory was just too much for her. She furrowed her brow at Payne from across the room. In that same moment he caught her eye. He winked, "The nerve of that guy! I'll show him!" Just behind her, hiding in the shadow of the doorway was the Corsola from before. She had been following this strange girl for awhile now, curious. From one moment to the next this human's emotions were in constant fluctuation. How strange…

During the Posing Competition, Shelly definitely shined. She used all that she had practiced back home with Nick and was able to show off her full range of moves; meanwhile, the couple from before continued to argue: "No-no-no! Like this! Like this!" It was the boyfriend that was competing, although the girl seemed to be the one driving the show. But in the end she was left in tears as Shelly was awarded 1st place over him.

"Not bad, kid." The group was making their way down to the kitchens when Payne bumped into Shelly's shoulder, "Pretty impressive for someone with a naturally lackluster charm about her." Shelly turned her nose up in the air, "For your information, I'm a Pokémon Coordinator! So of course my poses would be spot-on!" Payne cocked an eyebrow, "A Coordinator, huh? You don't say..?" He smiled knowingly. But before he could say anything more a shrill shriek came from ahead of them.

Just beyond the doors to the kitchen the Captain's aid had screamed. They all hurried forward to see what the commotion was about. Shelly gulped, "Munchlax!?" They all watched as he rubbed his tremendous stomach and gave a content burp. The Captain could only laugh, "Well, at least he enjoyed the food..!" He turned to face them all, "But that also means we can't have our Eating Challenge as planned." He looked around at the three people that were left and shrugged, "We'll just have to head straight into the Battle Tournament!"

But with 3 People left instead of 2 things would have to be different. They were given 30minutes to prepare their Pokémon. The Captain looked around at them all explaining how the battle would go, "We'll have a 3 Person Battle Royale! You will each have 1 Pokémon to fight alongside and the last one standing wins!" In that moment as the others gave their assent to the terms of battle and turned to leave, Shelly realized that she had a problem.

She turned to look at Munchlax. He was in a deep food coma in the middle of the counter. She shook him roughly, "Come on! Wake up! This isn't funny anymore!" She did everything she could think of, even bringing out some candies that were locked away in a cupboard, but nothing worked. She knew from past experience how long these naps could take. Depending on just how much Munchlax consumed he could be out for several hours or even several days..!

Shelly slumped to the floor, "I'm doomed..! There's nothing I can do now!" She could imagine Payne's face now as she walked forward in her mind's eye, admitting to her defeat. She hated the thought of losing to such a guy, "But what other option do I have..?" She buried her face into her knees. A moment later the doors to the kitchen creaked opened just a bit. She didn't even lift her head to look until she heard the familiar coo of a Pokémon. Standing before her with a concerned look on her face was the Corsola from before! She turned her head side to side as if trying to understand why Shelly was upset.

Shelly smiled at the Pokémon, "Sorry, but… even with your help from before I guess I'm still going to have to forfeit this one. You see, without a Pokémon to fight with me, there's nothing I can do." Corsola's face got pouty. She gave a hard whack to Shelly with her horns. Shelly yelped, "What was that for!?" She rubbed her behind as Corsola jumped around at her feet angrily. It was as if she was trying to say something important to her, but what..?

"Ladies and Gentlemen! After a long 4hours of traversing the open seas we are very near our final destination! But before that we must award our grande prize to one very lucky Trainer!" All of the Feebas Ferry Passengers were standing on the deck as the Captain gave his speech. Standing at his side was his aid. She touched a button and the entire boat began to shake as he continued, "Normally, we would have our Final Two contestants battle it out in a Full-On Pokémon Battle; however..! Due to circumstances beyond our control we must switch things up!" At the touch of the button the floor below began to change. They all watched as the large pool became covered with a battle field. Payne stepped forward, smiling down at his Squirtle.

"Tonight we will have a 3-Way Battle Royale between these three lucky Trainers to see who will win this beautiful Corsola-Horned Necklace!" The older woman stepped up beside Payne, her hungry eyes set on the prize. The Captain looked around, confused, "But where is Miss Shelly-?"

"I'm here! I'm right here!" Running up from the stairs, Shelly bursts out onto the crowd. She stopped to catch her breath for a moment. She felt soft hands patting her back and congratulating her on making it just in time. As she looked up at their faces she recognized some of them from throughout the day: 3 of them were the passengers she had asked to borrow their items, some had been other participants that had loss, and others were just audience members who had been cheering her on from the very start. She realized as she looked around just what the Captain had been trying to accomplish from all this. But, of course! He had told her himself…

She remembered his words, [ "…to bring the passengers together…" ]. A way to bring people from all walks of like together… to make friends. Sure, by means of competition things may get heated, but in the end they were just games. She looked up at the necklace on display before them. It was pretty, most definitely, but that wasn't the real prize…

"Take your places, friends, and let us begin!" Shelly stood on one side of the battle field while Payne stood on the other. The older lady passed her by. Shelly called to her for a moment, "By the way, I don't think I ever caught her name." The lady looked surprised by the sudden remark, but she still smiled, "Why, it's Mrs. Foley, Dear." She nodded her head and continued to her place on the field. Shelly's eyes followed after her. She wondered what kind of lifestyle she lived, to think she would have such riches to put lavish jewels on display and still be a tough Trainer..? She noticed the couple on the edge of the crowd and the weird guy with glasses. And what about them? What brought them to the island? Shelly's mind was running around with all kinds of thoughts she didn't even notice that the battle had started.

Payne snapped his fingers at her, "Hey, Kid! Are you gonna battle or not?" She jumped. Payne had chosen his Squirtle for the battle and Mrs. Foley was using a Granbull. Shelly pulled out her Pokémon, "Well, here goes nothing!" Corsola spun around just as they had practiced. She struck a pose with Shelly- this may just be a simple Pokémon Battle, but Contests were where Shelly felt at home. Payne chuckled to himself at their display.

She had never participated in such a strange and chaotic type of battle before. You had to be careful and watch both opponents at all times. When she would choose to put her focus on Granbull Squirtle would suddenly slam into Corsola with a powerful attack, but when she dodged an attack from one, the other would make up for it. This was nothing like a Contest Battle, though she kept trying to make it into one. Payne could easily tell this girl was a complete newb. He shook his head at her puny Combination Moves, "I'll show her was a real Contest Pokémon ought to look like."

Squirtle froze the battlefield with his Ice Beam, using it as a skating rink. Shelly couldn't help but admire how graceful he was on the ice; meanwhile, Corsola slid and crashed into a stack of chairs nearby. Super fast now, Squirtle slammed into Granbull with a powerful Skull Bash, knocking her and Mrs. Foley out of the match. Corsola stood back up and shook herself as the Captain gave commentary, "Just two Pokémon left! And what a magnificent display!" And he was right. While Shelly & Corsola worked to gather their footing again, Squirtle and Payne were putting on a show for the crowd.

Squirtle was still skating around now using Bubble Beam- the bubbles glistened off the sheet of ice. Shelly looked across at Payne who had just called out another command, "Now jump and spin- keep using Ice Beam!" As Squirtle spun and attacked, a stunning ice sculpture appeared. Shelly was stunned, "A-amazing..!" She remembered what she had told him earlier: [ "For your information, I'm a Pokémon Coordinator! So of course my poses would be spot-on!" He gave her a knowing smile, "A Coordinator, huh? You don't say..?" ] Of course he had acted so calm and snooty..! She was blushing now. How could she have been so stupid? She looked up just as he did, catching his eye. He flipped his hair and winked at her, a smug look on his face.

"He's a Coordinator, too..!" And while Squirtle put on a show Shelly and Corsola stood baffled. How on Earth could they turn this around now? Then she remembered one of Corsola's moves, "That's enough of that. I think it's time we crashed this performance, don't you?" Corsola nodded.

"Use Spike Cannon!" The attack shattered Squirtle's ice sculpture and sent the small Pokémon spinning. Payne gave her a disgusted look, "How dare you interrupt us!" Shelly smiled, "All's fair in love and Pokémon Battles, you know! Now it's our turn!" Corsola started spinning on the ice, her body suddenly glowing under a veil of water. Aqua Ring was a success! Not only was it healing her, but it looked pretty, too, especially while it was sparkling against the ice.

"Now use Bubble Beam, Corsola!" Shelly called out.

"You use Bubble Beam, too, Squirtle!" Payne refused to let her go that easily. The two attacks collided, but Squirtle was still stronger than Shelly's newly caught Pokémon. As Corsola tried to recover from the attack, Squirtle moved in closer, "Finish it with Skull Bash!" Corsola went flying. She was out for the count and unable to battle.

Shelly ran to her side and held her close, smiling, "You were fantastic out there. Especially for your very first battle." She looked up to where Payne was patting his Squirtle's head, congratulating him. She gave a sad smile, "He was just better, that's all."

The Captain awarded Payne the Corsola-Horned necklace in front of the rest of the Ferry Passengers. Even Shelly was clapping for him. She may not have won the grande prize but as she looked at the Pokéball that held her new friend, Corsola, none of that seemed to matter. Someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to see the guy with glasses, Jeremy was his name she learned. And standing behind him was Mrs. Foley and some of the others from the Feebas Ferry games, "You wanna join us for dinner before we dock?" She smiled widely, "Sure!" Shelly ran off to join her new group of friends.

She laughed and talked with them all as they shared stories the last 30minutes of the trip. The Captain had been right: in the end, this was what it was all about. This was only the beginning of her journey and she knew she was sure to make many more friends along the way..!