Rousing the Sea, Chapter 73
The rhythmic tapping of the raindrops on my room window was the only sound that afternoon. It was strange how quickly the clouds gathered around the Battle Frontier that day, as if summoned by someone or something. My first inclination was another ploy by Team Magma or Aqua, considering their experiments at Meteor Falls. And with the cold November air, the rain was potentially life-threatening. Events went on as scheduled on the island, but I did hear there were a number of cancellations.
"Maybe I'm just over-thinking again," I said to myself, shattering the silence in my room. Vulpix was watching the Pokemon battles on TV, despite the set being mute. And I hadn't heard anything from Flannery since her sudden departure that morning. I was back to traveling on my own again. And I honestly wasn't liking it as much.
I flipped through the small list of phone numbers on my Pokenav, but that killed only a handful of seconds. I could call Mom, see how she's doing, but the reception was a bit bad because of the storm. Getting calls from within Hoenn seemed to be rife with trouble, if the people down in the lobby were to be believed. All in all, it was turning out to be a dull and dreary afternoon. I longed for the days I could travel on the road again. But where could I go?
Then, as if to answer my question, I felt the Pokenav rumble in my hands. The screen flashed a number, along with the name 'BIRCH'. It took me a moment to remember just who that was, but I managed to answer the phone just in time.
"Hello?"
"Ah, finally! Star, correct?" The voice was a bit muffled, but still audible.
"Yeah, it's me."
"This is Professor Birch speaking," he continued, fighting through the growing static. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, but you're cutting off, Professor. Should I try calling you back?"
"Yes, try and use a land-" he was cut off by some static, and the call dropped. I looked over to the window, noticing the rain start to strengthen. The storm was getting worse. I ran over to the phone by the door, and dialed in the professor's number. It took some time, but eventually I got a ring on his end.
"Hello?" He answered, now a much clearer signal.
"Yes, Professor? It's Star."
"Ah, much better! Where are you calling from?"
"The Battle Frontier," I replied. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, not at all. Congratulations on making it that far, by the way! I was just calling to inform you of that trip to Pallet Town for the conference."
"Oh, that! I had almost forgotten about it! When is it?"
"Actually, that's the thing. The conference has been rescheduled for late next week in Sandgem Town. I'll still be taking a ship over to Kanto to pick up Professors Oak and Elm, but we'll have to leave as soon as possible to make it."
"Sandgem Town? Where's that?"
"The Sinnoh region, further north. The League will be paying for your passage up there from Vermillion City, but I'm afraid you'll have to find your own means of getting to Vermillion." I'd be going home! Well, not home home, but still close enough!
"Sure, no problem! Are there any ships that go to Vermillion City from the Battle Frontier?"
"Afraid not, Star. However, the SS Aqua will be making a stop at Sootopolis City before returning to Johto. If you can make it there by the day after tomorrow, you can jump onboard and we'll sail to Olivine City together." Two days? Boy, that was cutting it extremely close.
"O-Of course! I'll be waiting there, don't you worry!" Of course, it was I who was worrying.
"Great! Now I have to be going. Slateport City is quite a ways from Littleroot, you know. I'll see you in a couple days, Star."
"Right, Professor. Travel safe!"
"Same to you." The screen went black, and I hung up the receiver. Vulpix was standing next to me, wondering what all that fuss was about. I picked her up and leaned in close.
"We're going back to Kanto, Vulpix! It's not for long, but we'll get to see Mom again!" Understanding what that meant, she licked my face. I put her back down on the floor, intent on calling Mom to let her know. At that instant, a crash of thunder pierced the silence outside. The storm was getting worse and worse.
"This doesn't look good, Vulpix," I said, staring out the window. The ocean was thrashing about wildly in the storm, making it a scary prospect to try crossing it. "If this storm doesn't pass soon, I might not be able to make it on time."
~o~
I ran downstairs to the lobby, after a few failed attempts to contact Mom. The storm had gotten so bad, that not even calling from the room phone could get a signal out. Regardless, I wanted to find out about canceling my upcoming matches so I could check out. The lobby was packed with trainers, many of which were just trying to wait out the storm. It was chaos, to be sure, so it was a good thing I told Vulpix to stay in the room. After worming my way through several dozen trainers, I reached one of the front desks.
"Excuse me, I'd like to cancel my next match," I said to the woman.
"No need for that, all matches have been canceled until further notice. If there's nothing else, please return to your room or seat here in the lobby until further notice." It was an automated response, given without actually making eye contact. Whatever was going on out in that storm had even the staff here on edge.
"Actually, I want to know why the storm is so bad out there." The woman glanced in my direction, but immediately returned to her job on the computer monitor.
"It's just a storm, there's nothing to worry about."
"In the middle of November? Isn't that strange?"
"It's nothing to worry about, miss. Please, return to your room or seat for your own safety. Everyone's in a bit of a mess and panic, and we don't want any unnecessary complications." She was getting a bit agitated by me, so I dropped the subject. I wiggled through back to the elevator, hopping into it along with a dozen other trainers.
We stopped on a few floors before my own, and each time the doors open I saw the hallways cluttered with people. The lobby downstairs had gotten so full, people were hiding out in the hallways of the upper floors to avoid the crowd. There were a number of people already setting up camp, so to speak, on my floor when I arrived there. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone along the way, not wanting to share my room with strangers. Once I was back in it, I was greeted by none other than Flannery.
"Welcome back, Star! Downstairs looking for something?"
"'Welcome back'? Where were YOU this whole time? You just left this morning without a word!" The redheaded girl shrugged in response.
"I had things to take care of. One of them was getting my own room, but that ship sailed on me. The entire tower is packed, and all of the rooms were taken by the time I was able to reach the desk. Storm's crazy out there, huh?"
"Yeah, but how did you get into my room?"
"Spare key," she said, showing me the card. "Remember they gave us two when you checked in here."
"Right... never mind. They've canceled all the battles, and the hotel is in a mess right now."
"I know," Flannery said, leaning back on the couch. "I can imagine the chaos downstairs. No one is willing to give a straight answer, and there's a rumor going around that the storm will wash away the entire frontier."
"Stupid storm, why now? I hope it settles down by tomorrow."
"Going somewhere?" I looked over at Flannery. Guess she wouldn't expect me to just take off on such short notice.
"I am. I need to get back to Sootopolis City to catch a ship." Flannery's eyes opened up at the mention of that.
"What? You're serious?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "I got a call earlier from Professor Birch. When I was in Littleroot Town, he told me about a conference that was being held over in Kanto. I told him to let me know more when the time came, so I could go with him. The SS Aqua docks at Sootopolis in two days."
"Sorry to say this, Star: you ain't gonna make it. Do you see those waves out there? No ship, no Pokemon would survive out there! I wouldn't be surprised if the SS Aqua canceled their stop at Sootopolis altogether, if the storm keeps up."
Flannery had a point; the captain wouldn't risk the ship. The problem was this stupid storm, and there wasn't much I could do about it, either. Although there was still one question on my mind: where did it come from? Storms like this didn't just come out of thin air, right? I couldn't shake the feeling that Team Aqua was somehow behind it all. Then it hit me.
"It's a Pokemon," I said to myself in realization.
"What are you talking about?"
"This storm! It's a Pokemon! What's the name of that legendary Pokemon in the sea around here?"
"You mean Kyogre?" Flannery was trying to keep up with my train of thought.
"Yes! That one! It's out there somewhere, and Team Aqua is chasing it."
"You're crazy, Star! How do you figure?"
"Don't you remember? When we were on Mt Chimney, and Groudon woke up: the earth started to shake!" Flannery nodded, recalling the event perfectly.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with this?"
"Groudon is the ground Pokemon, so when he woke up, the entire mountain started to shake. If Team Aqua's leader has found Kyogre, even without the Master Ball to catch it, it would cause a storm at sea, right?"
"I... guess?" Flannery shrugged.
"I have to talk to Steven," I said, running to the phone. "Where do you think I can reach him?"
"Actually, he should still be here in the tower. Remember they caught those Aqua grunts, but it was too late to ship them out to Ever Grande City. And with the storm, I don't think any ship's taken off yet."
"We have to find out where he is and tell him! You head downstairs to the lobby and ask, I'll start by checking the rooms where they hold the Pokemon battles!"
I didn't even give Flannery a chance to protest or agree to the plan. With Vulpix running after me, I ran out the door and to the elevator at the end of the hall. If it was indeed the work of Kyogre, calming the massive beast or allowing it to escape back into the ocean would clear the storm. And that was my goal.
~o~
After a few unsuccessful attempts on several floors above the 40th, the elevator was forced back down to the lobby. As I huddled in a corner with Vulpix, I could feel the elevator shake with every crash of thunder outside. Time was growing short.
On the ground floor, Flannery squeezed into the elevator, now packed with other trainers looking to escape to the higher floors. She huddled close to me in the corner, and whispered into my ear.
"Steven's on floor 37," she said. I slapped myself on the forehead.
"That's where I had my first battle. How could I have forgotten already?"
"Well, let me do the talking once we get there. I heard from the receptionist that security's tight."
I had someone press the button for the 37th floor, and stood silently in the corner. With every crash of thunder, the rest of the trainers let out a collective gasp. Maybe it was just me, but I felt the thunderclaps were getting closer and closer together. Just what was going on out there? Once we got off on our floor, we were immediately told to go right back onto the elevator by a pair of policemen. Flannery stepped forward to do the talking.
"My name is Flannery, and I just happen to be the gym leader of Lavaridge Town. My good friend and I need to speak with Steven. It's urgent," she said in a rather uppity tone. I think she was going for the Roxanne approach, and she was pulling it off really well.
"I'm sorry, miss, but Steven specifically told us not to let anyone through. No exceptions." The policeman pointed back at the elevator, which by this point had closed and returned to a lower floor.
"Well, darn. Looks like we'll have to wait until it comes back up here. In the meantime, if you'd just let us speak with Steven..." I glanced down behind Flannery, where her hand was making a gesture for me to slip past the two. They were blocking the hall quite well, so I'd have to wait until she caused a bit more of a ruckus.
"You will wait here, by the elevator, miss, or I will place you under arrest myself!" The policeman brandished his handcuffs, and took a step forward.
"I tried to be nice about this," she spat back. "Now I came here to speak to Steven, and I'm going to speak with him!"
Flannery took one step forward, provoking the officers to retaliate and slam her against the wall. Using the opportunity, I slipped past them, running down the hall. I dropped Vulpix halfway down it, realizing one of the officers was chasing me.
"Vulpix, hold him off!" I screamed back at her. Glancing back, I saw her barking at the officer, buying me just enough time to start opening doors. Steven ended up being in the last door down the hall, as was typical. I ran inside and slammed the door shut behind me, catching the attention of everyone inside.
"Star? What are you doing here?" Aside from him, the rest of the Team Aqua grunts were tied up in chairs, held down by several other officers. Behind me, the door swung open, revealing the officer who had chased me with Vulpix muzzled in his arms.
"Let her go!" I said, reaching for my Pokemon.
"Officer, stand down. I will hear her out," Steven said, causing the man to return Vulpix to me.
"What of the accomplice outside?" He asked.
"Oh! It's Flannery!" I explained.
"Let her go as well," Steven ordered. The officer nodded, and left the room to see her freed. "Star, there better be a good explanation for all this."
I got right to explaining everything to Steven. My suspicions of Kyogre's involvement, and the fact that Archie and maybe even Maxie were collaborating on this venture. To back myself up I gave him the short version of what happened on Mt Chimney, which seemed to be enough for Steven to take my theory seriously. With Flannery helping me out in the explanations, it wasn't long before Steven was cooking up ways to test this theory out.
"I must admit, Star," he said between claps of thunder, "your deductions seem spot on. It would explain the weather, and the mysterious absence of Archie; not to mention where Maxie has been hiding all this time."
"So what should we do about it, Steven?" Flannery chipped in.
"We'll have boats patrol the waters around the island, and have anyone with water Pokemon volunteer to help locate Kyogre in the sea."
"Are you sure anyone will help? It's pretty dangerous out there, sir," I added. We all looked to the window, which was completely drenched in running water.
"Promise the trainers the possibility to capture a rare and legendary Pokemon for themselves, and they'll flock to the scene. Come, we must leave at once! Officer, I leave you in charge."
~o~
It was just as Steven said. Once we were downstairs, Steven had the hotel announce his message through the PA system. He started with the dangers of the volunteer Pokemon, considering the harsh conditions out there. When too many trainers in the lobby started questioning this, he announced the potential reward of capturing Kyogre. Instantly, every single trainer rose to the occasion. And despite the terrible storm raging just outside, they all ran into it, ready to release Pokemon into the sea for the search.
Others released bird Pokemon, which did their best in a massive joint effort to steer the rainclouds away from the island. Once the majority of the rain had thinned out, fire Pokemon were released to create massive torches in the air. This allowed the nearby temperature to rise, making it safer for the trainers to remain exposed to the elements as they were. Lacking a strong water type of my own, I had to wait inside the lobby for word of Kyogre's sighting. I was in good company, though.
"Be nice if all trainers could get along like this all the time, right Star?" Flannery was in the same boat as me, obviously.
"Yeah, but the only real reason they're doing this is because all of them want to capture Kyogre for themselves."
"What does it matter? At least they're working together! Not often you see something like this, let me tell ya. I don't think I ever worked with someone until you and I started partnering up."
"Flannery, why do you hate Roxanne the way you do?" My question came out of no where, so it wasn't a surprise to see her shocked by it.
"Wh-What the? Where did that come from?"
"I was just remembering that time in the room the other night. Why don't you two get along?" I already knew the reasons, I just wanted to hear it from her myself.
"It's complicated, Star. You wouldn't understand," she said, turning away from me.
"Was it because she was smarter than you?"
"Who told you that? Roxanne talking about me behind my back again, isn't she?" I shook my head.
"It wasn't her," I said, betraying Winona's trust. Flannery instantly put it all together.
"Winona! This morning...! Why I oughta..."
"I'm sorry," I said right away. "About poking my nose into it all. I was just curious, since you seemed to be so touchy about Roxanne. She told me everything, you know."
"E-Every...thing?" A shadow of gloom fell over Flannery's face. I nodded.
"How you quit school because of what happened, and when you became a gym leader, but Roxanne was already one."
"Please," she said, looking away from me. "Please. Just..."
She couldn't come up with anything to say. I heard her start choking up, as if her deepest, darkest secret had been found out and laid bare for all the world to see. At that moment, I shared her pain, knowing it was I who caused it. Just as I was about to apologize and drop the whole thing, I heard Steven call out to us from outside.
"Star! Kyogre's been spotted! There's a boat waiting for us; Archie and Maxie have also been spotted on the sea!"
I wanted to run out there, to be part of this event. But after what I had just started with Flannery, how could I just leave it at that? I looked back her, who had regained her composure. She looked at me, the signs of tears held back evident on her face. She smiled at me, the same smile I had grown familiar with.
"What's wrong, Star? Look like you've seen a ghost or something. Come on, Steven's waiting for us!"
Was Flannery able to just ignore everything I had said so easily? Or had she come to terms with her own past in so short a time? Maybe all she did was lock it away again, deep within her heart. I smiled back at her, finally realizing something. Something Winona herself had told me, right after sharing their past.
"You're right. Let's go!"
It wasn't my burden to bear.
~o~
The ship rocked to and fro in the sea, but the captain was able to navigate the waves efficiently. Though it felt like the ship could be washed away with every second, he somehow kept it steady enough for people to stay up on deck. Just up ahead, there was something massive thrashing about in the ocean. It wasn't as large as the Wailord I'd seen before, but it could just as easily sink the ship. Not too far off there was another small vessel, and only two men visible on board.
"Unidentified vessel, return to port at once! I repeat, return to port at once!" The captain's voice echoed in the dark through the megaphone, but there was no way of knowing if the other ship heard us. Or even cared. From my spot on deck, I could see something small being thrown into the water after the Pokemon; they were Pokeballs!
Splashing around in the water near Kyogre were a couple other Pokemon. It was hard to make out what they were, but it was clear to see they were trying to weaken the large beast to make it easier to capture. I felt someone come up beside me.
"We can't get any closer!" Flannery screamed at me, trying to make herself heard over the crashing of the waves.
"We need to take out their ship!" I screamed back, before turning towards the captain's cabin. "We need to hit the ship!"
I wasn't sure if I was heard, though I probably wasn't. There was still some rain falling down on us, but thanks to the continued effort of the bird Pokemon in the sky, the storm was dissipating little by little. And despite all out efforts to help out Kyogre, it would turn out it didn't need our help after all. I was there when I saw it outright attack the ship belonging to Archie and Maxie. It struck once with its massive tail, and collapsed the ship in one fell blow.
As the ship sank into the sea, Kyogre vanished under the waves with it. Minutes later, the ocean began to calm down again. Pokemon and divers were sent in after the ship's remains, but it sank too fast for them to recover anything. Details weren't released to the public, but Steven did confide in me that no bodies were found. If it was Archie and Maxie on board, they managed to escape somehow.
Back on the island, things started to calm down again now that the storm had passed. Were it not for the fact that it was super late, there probably would've been some massive party held in celebration. I returned to my room with Flannery, tired and sopping wet, eager to take a hot bath and jump right into bed. The aftermath of this whole ordeal could be sorted out in the morning, after all.