Sorry this is late. Had some computer troubles earlier, and had to work them out. But now, we're back.
And after introducing a new pair, we get to see a new face to the crew. Well, kinda. She was seen in the first chapter very briefly. Hope you got your peepers open, cause she is not one to be easily spotted.
Also, I do not own Pokemon. Game Freak and Nintendo are the appropriate owners.
And now, enjoy.
Chapter 6:
The Violet Orphan
On a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, the crew of the Aura were hard at work repairing the ship from the grueling storm the other day. However, repairs were not going well. Much of the wood was damaged so much that not even String Shot could patch up the holes in the hull. And part of the bow was bent from the heavy winds the group endured. All in all, it was going to take longer to repair the ship and make it sea worthy than previously anticipated.
Seeing the lack in progress and its causes, Drake called out, "Guardian Sora!"
Racing up to the captain, Sora asked, "What is it, Captain Drake?"
"I want you to go onto the island, and find lumber we can use to repair the ship until we can make port at a nearby island."
"Aye aye. But, what about the others? I told Tidus that I would continue his training today."
"That can wait. This is more prevalent. Now Go!" Without much choice, Sora dashed off for the island with Pikachu following close behind.
"Drake?" came a voice from the starboard stern. Drake went to peek over, and found his Stormstress in the water.
"Drake, have you seen Rina anywhere?" Kari asked, "She was supposed to help us find new Pokémon."
"Sorry Kari." Drake told her, "I haven't seen Rina since we officially met." Looking out to the island, Drake continued, "However, I have a hunch I know exactly where she is."
As Prince Pewter observed his Onix help in lifting timber to Pokémon on the deck, he spotted Guardian Sora race off for the island forest. No doubt Sora was running an errand for Drake, but Prince Pewter could not help feel like something was wrong. Sora had been a bit distant with Yolanda, and seemed to have drifted further away since the tempest in Aurora. Not only that, but he had often seen Sora stare down into the sea. All these actions made Prince Pewter uneasy.
Sensing his need, Violet appeared behind him soundlessly.
"Follow Sora, and keep an eye on him." He instructed, "Make sure nothing happens to him."
"Understood, your Highness." Violet replied. And she vanished into the woods. But Prince Pewter still felt uneasy.
The woods seemed very foreign to Sora and Pikachu, and yet somewhat familiar. The woods were teeming with Pokémon, including Seedot, Fletchling, Caterpie, Vigoroth, Geodude, and various others. This was a home for all these Pokémon, so Sora knew to leave these trees be. To find timber for the ship, he would need to look elsewhere. But where to look?
After venturing a bit of a ways in, the two ran into a freshwater stream in the middle of the woods. Immediately, Pikachu went up to it and began drinking. Sora tested the water, and found it to be perfect for drinking. So he brought out his water sack, and began filling it with water for the crew. Things went on rather calmly, until Pikachu's ears perked up. And Sora knew it was detecting something.
"What is it buddy?" he asked his companion. Then Pikachu did a really weird thing. It submerged its tail in the water, and perked up with its ears high in the air. Sora had never seen Pikachu do something like this before, but he figured it couldn't be good. So he readied his staff in case of a confrontation with a wild Pokémon. For a moment, all was still, and only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind could be heard. But then, Pikachu let out a squeal of delight as it felt someone petting its tail.
"Hey Sora." Rina spoke as she surfaced. Her voice startled Sora so much that he tripped and fell back into the stream. Shooting up, Sora gasped from his accident as he spotted his mermaid next to Pikachu.
"Next time, let's meet when I'm not on my guard." Sora told her. Rina just giggled, while Pikachu shook its head in embarrassment.
"So, you're looking for some wood to repair your ship?" Rina asked after Sora told her what they were up to.
"That's what I'm tasked with." Sora replied, "But, I can't just take any lumber here. Much of it is home to all these Pokémon. I need to find lumber that won't bother them."
"Well, I did some exploring earlier, and saw a lot of Fighting-type Pokémon practicing on trees further in. We could ask to use the wood they have."
"It's worth a shot." Rising up, Sora prepared to venture on. But he quickly stopped and remembered, "Oh yeah. I probably should let out Torterra again, so you can come on land."
"That won't be necessary." Rina replied, "This stream actually leads to where we're going."
"Alright then, let's go!" Sora ushered. And the two plus Pikachu began making their way upstream. And bounding as silently as a shadow behind them, Violet kept a close eye on them. Especially the girl in the water.
For a good portion of the walk, things were going smoothly. Sora and Rina spotted more Pokémon as they ventured further into the island. There were Ursaring tending Teddiursa, packs of Houndour racing about, nests of Beedrill and Vivillon dotted some of the trees, and even the river was filled with Stunfisk, Tympole, and Ducklett. The diversity of the forest's inner sanctum was astounding. And both the guardian and mermaid were completely amazed by it.
Then, the two heard smashing and grunting further ahead. The sound of Fighting Pokémon.
"We're almost there." Sora pointed out. Rina was happy that they almost arrived, but then she felt something in the air. A disturbance of sorts. And it had been following them for some time.
"Hey Sora," Rina called to get his attention, "You go on ahead and get the lumber for your ship. I need to do something really quick." Sora was about to ask what, but he opted against it. He figured Rina had her reasons.
So he replied, "Alright. Meet you up ahead." And he and Pikachu continued.
Steeling herself for a confrontation, Rina tapped her pearl and called out, "Staryu, use Rapid Spin on the tree!" Immediately, a starfish Pokémon with a red orb in its center appeared and spun like a shiruken towards a tree. Upon impact, a girl in a purple, ninja outfit came out and collapsed to the ground.
"I thought someone had been tailing Sora and me." Rina spoke to the new stranger, "Who are you?!"
Quickly getting up, the ninja replied, "I could ask you the same thing."
"I am Rina. A friend to Sora and a daughter of the sea." Rina told her follower.
"Name's mean nothing to my prince. I am charged to protect Sora from anyone seeking to harm him. Including strangers like you."
"You will not heed the truth of my words?"
"I see no reason to trust a deceiver's tongue. Emolga!" Revealing a violet Pokéstone, the ninja summoned an Electric Pokémon with wings under its arms.
"Staryu, at the ready!" Rina commanded. And the two battlers braced for combat.
Meawhile, Sora had arrived at what looked like a training ground. The trees of the forest surrounded a clearing where various Fighting Pokémon were training on downed logs and smashing rocks. A couple of Breloom were practicing their punch techniques with a Monferno, Machoke helped some Pangoro with Karate Chop, and a Medicham was teaching Gurdurr Focus Blast. When all the Pokémon noticed Sora enter the training grounds, they all stopped.
"Uh, hi." Sora spoke nervously, "Do you have some spare timber I could use?" None of the Pokémon responded. Then, a Hawlucha with glowing, magenta wings soared into the grounds, and sized up Sora very quickly.
"Haw! Lucha!" it told him, spreading its arms out.
"You wanna battle?" Sora figured out, "You got it. Let's go!"
"Emolga, Discharge!" Emolga released arcs of electricity out everywhere, with some nearing Staryu.
"Staryu, dodge and use Swift!" Rina called out. Staryu spun out of the way, then released shining stars from its center at Emolga. The little flying squirrel Pokémon attempted to dodge the attack, but Swift nailed its target like it always did. But Emolga remained airborne, seemingly unaffected by the attempt.
"Now, Hidden Power!" the ninja shouted. So Emolga released released three orbs of energy straight at Staryu.
"Knock them back with Rapid Spin!" Spinning in a blur, Staryu swatted away the attack with relative ease. "Now use Water Gun!" A jet of water shot out from the tip of one of Staryu's ends, and up towards Emolga. But it barely wormed itself out of harm's way of the attack. Emolga cringed at how badly it was losing, especially to a Pokémon it was strong against.
"Impressive." the ninja spoke to Rina, "I will admit that you are stronger than I previously thought."
"You aren't too bad yourself." Rina acknowledged, "Now will you heed my words?"
"Never! For I haven't revealed my true strength." Rina did not like the sound of that. If this ninja had been holding back, then this battle was about to take a sour turn, very quickly.
"Emolga, launch Attract!" Rina was very surprised by the command. Then, Emolga winked hearts towards Staryu, which caused it to sway back and forth. It had been infatuated. Now Rina really didn't like this. "Now, Discharge!" Emolga let loose arcs of electricity, and nailed Staryu directly. The blast knocked it back, and into Rina. The impact knocked her somewhat out of the water, and knocked the tiara she had off of her too.
When the shadow warrior saw the tiara, she accused, "That's Princess Yolanda's tiara!" Rina quickly took notice to Sora's gift to her, and tried to grab it. But then, a green streak snatched it away, and dashed over to Violet.
"Axew." The little tusk Pokémon offered as it became visible.
"Well done Axew." the ninja petted, then she scolded, "Thievery is the worst crime you could ever commit, scum. And I shall punish you!"
"I didn't steal it!" Rina defended, "It was a gift from—"
"Emolga, Hidden Power!" Emolga launched the energy orbs once more, and blasted Staryu to the ground. The orb in its center began to flash, signaling that it was low on power. "Now to end this! Discharge!" As Emolga readied its electric attack, Rina put herself over Staryu and braced for the end.
But then, "Quilava, intercept with Aerial Ace!" And a Quilava darted in front of Emolga, making it lose its concentration and fail to launch the attack. Both the ninja and Rina watched as it returned to its master, and found Sora standing in the sidelines.
"That's enough!" he scolded, "This battle is over!" Immediately, the young warrior went over and bowed to Sora.
"Master Sora, I am Violet." She introduced, "I was tasked with following and protecting you by the prince."
"Violet?" Sora muttered, " Hey wait, I remember you. You were that orphaned girl Prince Pewter took in as his personal ninja." And Sora remembered their first meeting.
It was in the first year that Sora went into service for Prince Pewter. He and Pikachu were patrolling the beach for a training spot, as well as clearing the way for people to travel to other towns for trade. Along the way, he heard a girl crying somewhere. Pikachu's ears twitched at the sound until they picked up where it was coming from. So Pikachu led Sora past a rock, and found a young girl with huge, purple hair and a tattered warrior's tunic.
"Are you alright?" Sora asked her. Looking up, the girl spotted Sora standing over her.
Afraid, she responded, "Who are you?"
"I'm Sora." He introduced, "And this is my partner Pikachu."
"Pikachu." The little electric mouse chirped.
"What's your name?"
Wiping away her tears, the girl told him, "I'm Violet. I'm training to become a ninja."
"Wow! A ninja?" Sora beamed, "That is so cool!"
"Only a little kid would get so excited over something I'm not." Violet said dejectedly.
"What do you mean?"
"I've been training since I was very little to be a great ninja master. You see, I'm an orphan. I don't really know who my parents were, or what happened to them. I found out about ninja's from a few scrolls I found, and decided to become the best ninja in the world. But, I fail every time I try. I'm useless!"
Taking a seat next to her, Sora comforted, "Don't say that. No one is useless. And I like the kind of dream you have. Becoming a ninja must mean a lot to you. But you can't just give up." Violet didn't respond.
Then an idea came to Sora. "I know!" he shot up, "Let me train you to become a ninja."
"How?" Violet quizzed.
"Well, I learned a little about ninjas from my travels. I could teach you what I know. And, I could take you to meet Prince Pewter. I bet he'd love having a ninja in his court."
"The prince?!" Violet asked, "I don't know."
Offering his hand, Sora said, "Give it a try. And I'll help." Violet looked to Sora's hand, wondering if he could really help her achieve her dream. She looked to his Pikachu, who nodded at her to take it. So, though still unsure, Violet took Sora's offer.
"After that, Prince Pewter gave you Axew and your very own Pokéstone." Sora recollected, "And you became his personal ninja bodyguard."
"Indeed. All thanks to you." Violet acknowledged.
"So, what are you doing following me here?" Sora asked.
Presenting Yolanda's tiara, Violet explained, "I was battling this deceiver when she dropped this. She has committed great crimes not only against you, but against the royal family too."
"I told you, I didn't steal it!" Rina declared.
"Silence thief! Master Sora will deal punishment to you for your crime." Handing the tiara to Sora, Violet watched as he took it and walked over to Rina. She could just envision the guardian scolding her, then giving her a strong Thunderbolt to get his message across. But, to her surprise, Sora knelt down to Rina's level and fitted the tiara in her hair.
"To remember our promise." He told her. As Quilava and Pikachu went over to them, Violet, Emolga, and Axew were shocked that Sora didn't punish her.
"But-but-but…" Violet stuttered.
"Violet, Rina is a friend." Sora explained, "I gave her the tiara as a gift back on Topaz Island. It's part of our promise to see each other again."
"But she's a mermaid!" Violet argued, "Mermaids deceive people and drown them and—"
"She saved me when I nearly drowned during that tempest in Aurora. Now leave her be!" And Violet shut herself up after that.
Just as Sora returned Quilava to his staff, Rina grimaced when she tried pulling herself up to check on Staryu.
"You're hurt." Sora noticed.
But Rina replied, "It's alright. I'll be fine." Not convinced, Sora helped ease Rina's tail onto land, and saw that the joint to her fins was bruised.
"Rina, with that bruise, you can barely swim. Let me tend to it for you." Then he pulled from his medicine pouch some blue paste, and began applying it to the injured area. Sometimes, the procedure caused Rina to grimace from the bruise flaring up. But she bore with it as Sora did what he needed to do. And before long, Sora had finished applying the paste.
"Now Pikachu, use a small Thundershock to start the paste." Weakening its attack to the bear minimum, Pikachu sent arcs of tiny bolts into the paste, which began to glow and meld into Rina's tail. Before long, Rina's tail felt a lot better.
"If you ask me, she deserved to be hurt." Violet scoffed.
As he tended to reviving Staryu, Sora responded, "That's enough out of you."
"What a little kid!" Violet huffed, then called out, "Emolga return!" And Emolga returned to her Pokéstone. Then Axew disappeared into Violet's hair, and she leaped into a nearby tree.
Before she left, Sora told her, "Violet, don't tell anyone about Rina. When the time comes, I'll reveal her to everyone. But not now."
"I'll keep her identity a secret out of respect for you." Violet replied. Then she disappeared with nary a sound to be heard.
"Sora, what about the lumber you need?" Rina asked when she was gone.
With a grin and a wink, Sora replied, "Taken care of. It's already at the Aura even as we speak." Then, Sora splashed water over Staryu, and it bolted up, re-energized.
"That's great!" Rina beamed.
"Yep. And I got a new friend too." Sora replied as he grabbed his staff.
"A new friend?"
"Yeah. I'll show him to you the next time we meet. For now, we'd better get back to everyone."
"Right."
As Rina returned Staryu to her pearl, Sora laced his pinky finger with Rina's and asked, "Promise?"
"Pika?" Pikachu mimicked. In response, Rina gave Sora a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, "Promise." And she disappeared downstream.
True to Sora's word, the Fighting Pokémon had hauled the lumber to the Aura. They even helped chop them so they could be applied appropriately to the damaged parts of the ship. Drake made sure everything went as they should, but was astounded by how much help they were getting. With so much lumber, he even began having an idea for what to add to the ship. An idea that would benefit his Stormstress and her sisters.
When the repairs had been accomplished, and spare lumber had been stored away, Drake gave the command to weigh anchor and make for the open sea. Everyone waved good-bye to their new friends on the island, and hoped they could meet again. And with that, everyone left the island in high spirits.
Later that afternoon, Prince Pewter was staring off the starboard side towards the setting sun.
Then, Violet dropped down behind him, as soundless as ever, and told him, "I have something to report, my prince."
Worried, Prince Pewter asked, "Is it about Sora?"
"Not this time. But, we have special 'guests' following us on this journey."
"'Guests?!'" Now Prince Pewter was really worried.
Sora: Silver Island. It's been a while.
Rina: What do you mean?
Sora: This was where I met a very good friend.
Rina: A very good friend?
Next time,
The Rock Child