It took me a few weeks to get better; three or five, I think it was. They had me on medications, with psychiatrists... Everything in that time period is like a distant dream now, or perhaps more like a nightmare, but I'm just relieved that it's over. Shuppet mainly avoided everyone, and for good reason. I would have killed him if he got close enough.
"Keiko... wake up. You can leave the hospital today, remember?"
I immediately shot out of the bed, grabbing my backpack, my coat and all my other things. Getting out of this place was the only thing on my mind as I rushed out the doorway, running to meet my Pokemon who were all waiting outside anxiously. "Rune, Amaya, Kasumi, Sakura! I'm back, I can come back!" I shouted, and we collided into a group hug as Katsu walked out chuckling, with a Sceptile and Mightyena following him, Shuppet taking his time on the way out.
"You missed Treecko evolving, and Kasumi growing bigger. She had this sudden growth spurt; guess it's that time, eh?" Katsu explained, pointing to Kasumi. I looked up at her, and she was about half as big as a full-grown Kangaskhan. I smiled. I hadn't noticed how much she grew over one year.
"I did miss a lot, didn't I?" I said quietly, still trying to keep a smile on my face. "So, Katsu, when is the boat for Cinnabar leaving? After that, there's Viridian City, and then the Elite Four, right?"
He nodded, smiling and holding up his Pokenav. "The boat is leaving in about an hour, so we should get going... Cinnabar specializes in fire Pokemon, I think, so I can use Shuppet, and maybe Poochyena..." I winced at the word 'Shuppet', and Katsu looked at me in confusion. "What's the matter, Keiko? You okay?"
I shook my head slowly while Shuppet glared at me. "I'm fine, just a little... dazed. Let's move on, okay?"
He just nodded, and we made our way out of Saffron and to the harbor. Wingull were soaring above the ocean, squawking at random passerbyers for food, and quickly flying away after being threatened by their Pokemon. I chuckled at this, and threw a couple chips down for the poor Wingulls.
We finally came to the dock. The boat was huge, and a solid metallic white. People were all lined up ready to board, while we had to get our tickets checked and our baggage loaded. I cursed myself for being so slow; we would have been on by then if I had woken up earlier, too. Sooner than I could realize, however, we were already walking up the wooden plank to board the boat. Shuppet was eyeing the structure of it with a mischievious glint in his yellow eyes, and I couldn't help but be suspicious; I just brushed it off as nonsense, though, and tried my best to avoid all contact with him.
"Wow, the boat is huge!" I exclaimed as we stepped on, looking down over the sea. "I wonder how long it'll take to get to Cinnibar?"
"Not long, I hope... at the most I think it'll be a day. But there's plenty to do, so hopefully we won't get bored..." replied Katsu, clicking around on some things on his Pokenav. "By the way, did you see where Shuppet went...? He was with us when we were walking up to the boat, but he's no where near us now."
I bit my lip, trying to refrain from spitting out curses about the little demon. "No, I can't say that I have... Though I have a faint idea where..." I muttered under my breath, knowing Shuppet was up to no good and was going to spoil this cruise for everyone, or at the worst... No. I shook my head slowly, knowing even Shuppet couldn't endanger the lives of hundreds of people... Could he...?
"Oh, well, he tends to disapear like that a lot. I'm sure he's fine." Katsu replied, not seeming to be concerned at all. He put away his Pokenav and grabbed a brochure from his pocket, reading it over. "There's a buffet inside!" He exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "I'm starving, let's go!" He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into the first room of the ship, which was quite obviously a buffet/resturant, judging by the dozens of tables lined up together, food stacked on them neatly. People were already grabbing food eagerly, piling it onto their plates.
"Come on, Keiko, grab a plate. It's free for the cruise guests!" Offered Katsu as he picked from the variety of food.
"No thanks, I'm not that hungry." I replied. "I'll just walk around the ship okay?"
He nodded, while Rune, Kasumi, Sakura and I began to walk away. Amaya, on the other hand, was standing next to Katsu, looking up at him and extending a paw, begging for food. I just chuckled, and walked out of the room.
The boat had just taken off. People were screaming and waving to all their friends and family, yelling goodbye over the sounds of others. I, however, felt quite out of place staring at the ocean while the sun set over the crashing sea, tinting it a bright crimson. Sakura closed her eyes blissfully and snuggled into my arms, making herslef comfortable to go to sleep. Kasumi simply curled up next to me; she was to big for my backpack now, but still rather young for a Kangaskhan. Rune just watched the sunset with me, not planning on sleeping any time soon, and neither was I. It was why we made such a great team, me and Rune; we were so alike sometimes.
"Oh, Kin..." I whispered to no one, the wind blowing my hair behind me. "...Minoru... I miss you guys." I hung my head over the railing, and I could feel icy cold droplets of water bounce up from the moving ship and splash on my forehead. "Rune, how come you never think about these kinds of things?" I asked him, suddenly noticing that he had never showed much sadness - or any other emotion - in his lifetime.
Emotions are just a weakness. He replied monotonously. I do think about things, but I never let it stop me from getting where I need to. You can't love something and expect to have it forever - psyichally, at least. We were quiet for a while, staring out at the sea together, taking in its beauty. Eventually, Rune sighed and looked at me. At least, it's what I used to think. Ever since we began our journey... I don't know how to describe it. I just learned... to love. His voice was a bit shaky as he talked, hanging his head. And when Kin died... I knew what sadness was. And Minoru... but when you almost did... I knew depression. Anger. Pain. I knew it all, Keiko, thanks to one thing...
"I'm sorry..." I whispered back, turning away. "I'm sorry."
No... replied Rune, shaking his head. Do you know what else I learned while traveling with you and Katsu? I knew happiness - the one thing I thought I would never have with a trainer.
We looked at each other, and I smiled. "You're a great friend, Rune," I replied, kneeling down and hugging him. He didn't do anything back, just nodded, and turned back towards the sea.
-----
"The sea is getting reckless, Cap'n. Are you sure it's still safe t'sail?"
"Of course! We've made it through worse. Just don't let yer guard down, and stay tough. Now tell th' crew to keep workin'!"
I fluttered my eyelids open nervously after hearing the conversation. I had always been nervous about these kinds of things, and now it was happening. I knew that we were probably going to be okay, but... somewhere inside, I also knew I was a goner. The whole ship was a goner, actually. I had an aching feeling...
"Rune?" I whispered anxiously, but got no reply. It was one of the rare nights where Rune was tired and actually went to sleep. I sighed, hugging Sakura tightly, and laying back down next to Kasumi, snuggling up against her. "It's going to be, okay, it's going to be okay..." I murmured, shutting my eyes tightly and trying to ignore the fierce rocking of the ship.
And then, a slight snap...
Louder...
More snaps... cracks... getting louder...
And then there were shouts, commands, and panic. Sakura opened her eyes, her lip quivering before she started to cry with fear. I ignored her sobs and stood up, shaking Kasumi and Rune, causing them to wake up and look around. I peered over the edge of the ship, and what I saw... was, well, scary, to say the least. Water flooding into the ship from the bottom, with the deadly ocean 4 feet closer to me than it should have been. "Kasumi, Sakura, return!" I shouted, and without an answer I zapped them into their Pokeballs.
"Rune, get in yours." I said quickly.
I won't, Keiko. If this ship sinks, you and Katsu are going to need help. He replied stubbornly. I will not sit in the safety of my Pokeball and allow my master to drown. I sighed. I couldn't argue with him.
"Alright, Rune, if... if you're sure." I replied nervously, and we dashed off to find Katsu. People were running around in fear, screaming, crying; it was just plain chaos. "Katsu! Katsu!" I shouted, searching desperately for him, not about to let one of my best friends to drown in the -
"Keiko!"
I turned my head, and saw Katsu running towards me, Mightyena bounding after him. "Katsu! You're okay!" I shouted back, running towards him. It was then that the boat hit a sudden, huge wave, sending people crashing to the floor - and some off the ship. Katsu and I landed with a thud on the wooden deck, each of us sliding off in different directions. Really, it wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for one thing...
"Mightyena!" shouted Katsu, who was nearly falling off the deck, gripping Mightyena's paw with all his strength. The dark-type was hanging over the water, scratching at the deck as he tried to get up. I scrambled to my feet, stumbling over as quickly as possible.
And then I heard a how of pain, and a splash in the water. The force of Mightyena falling brought Katsu down as well, holding onto the deck for his life. I rushed over, grabbing his hands and trying to pull him up, Rune attempting to as well; his powers hadn't advanced enough yet that he could lift a whole person, but he tried, I knew...
"Katsu! Don't let go, just hang on! You can do it, please!" I screamed over the howling wind, as Katsu's grip loosened.
"But Keiko... Mightyena is down there! He was my first Pokemon! We have to help him!" He shouted back, tears rolling down his face.
"Please, Katsu," I whispered loud enough for him to hear, "Please, just hang on! We'll find him, okay? Just hang on!"
He shut his eyes, his hands slowly slipping out of mine. "I don't think I can anymore... Don't forget about me, Keiko, okay?" He whispered weakly, smiling, and before I could protest, his hands escaped mine, letting him fall to the crashing waves below.
"Katsu..." I whispered, my voice shaky and my eyes wide and brimming with tears. "No... No, for the love of God, NO!" I screamed, and the boat began to crash down to the ocean, people falling in and screaming and crying. I held tightly onto Rune and my backpack, which held Kasumi and Sakura inside.
I hit the swirling ice cold water, struggling to breathe as I swam desperately for land. My legs and arms were getting numb, and Rune was holding onto my wrist tightly, pulling me along as he tried to swim. "Rune," I gasped as I began to run out of air, "Get in your Pokeball... I can't swim any longer and you can't support my weight.."
He glared at me, shaking his head. I would never abandon my master, Keiko.
"Stop calling me that... I'm not your master, I'm your friend..." I replied weakly.
He gave me a small smile. I'm not going to give up, Keiko. Don't worry...
I sighed as my eyes slowly closed, my body refusing to work any longer. My vision began to go blurry, and then everything was black.
-----
Keiko... are you alright? Wake up, Keiko... please wake up.
I flittered my eyes open to see Rune, Sakura and Kasumi looking down at me. They suddenly smiled, happiness alive in their eyes as they all tumbled on top of me in a group hug. I laughed as I sat up, gently pushing them off. "Where are we?" I asked, noticing that the island was covered in ice and freezing cold.
I looked at your Pokenav, and it says we're in a place called Seafoam Islands. Rune replied, handing the red device back to me. I looked at it, reading every detail it had about the island. It was very hard to find, and many scientists have trouble getting to it because of the cold weather. I sighed. "Perfect. Just perfect."
Suddenly, the reality hit me in the face. "Oh my God... have you guys seen Katsu? Mightyena? Amaya? Even... even Shuppet!" I exclaimed, standing up to look around for them. They shook their heads sadly. The land was barren, and there was only us, a cave and a field of ice. I sat on the ground, leaning against the outside wall of the cave. "They're gone..." I whispered sadly, tears rolling down my face. "...Or... maybe not?" I exclaimed suddenly, and reached into my backpack, and pulled out the seven flowers eagerly.
Two dead. Five blossomed.
"Amaya..." I whispered, smiling, "She's alive. She's alive, and she was with Katsu. I saw her Pokeball on his belt." I stood up confidentally after putting the flowers back. "Rune, Sakura, Kasumi; we're going to find them. If they're safe, they must have washed up here. The Pokenav says there's no other land for hundreds of miles around, so where else could they be?" I grinned, and turned towards the cave. They followed me, and we began the journey through the icy darkness of Seafoam Islands.
The walls were made up of ice; pure, hard, sheets of ice, with icicles ready to drop down on us at any second. The ground was covered in a thick layer of snow, crunching as we trudged along in the cold, searching desperately for any sign of our friends. We traveled for days, making camp in the middle of the cave to sleep for a few mere hours, though mostly we searched without sleep.
Everything was fine... and then disaster struck.
It started as a small crinkling noise, and a few plops as if pebbles were falling to the ground. I thought of it as nothing, but when I heard a crash that sounded like glass breaking, I spun around - icicles were falling by the dozens. The ground was shaking now, rumbling with a mighty growl. Icicles crashed to their final moments, shattering everywhere, some even putting a deep hole into the ground.
"Oh, god!" I screamed, "Everyone run!"
And we did. We sprinted as fast as our legs could carry us, heading for nowhere. The only sounds were icicles shattering and the sound of our feet pounding on the ground as we ran. We would have made it, to, except for one tiny detail...
"Khaaaan...!"
I turned around to see Kasumi on the ground, an icicle through her arm, blood dripping out of her wound. I screamed in shock and ran over to her, lifting her up, Rune helping me with his psychic abilities. I ran as fast as I could with Kasumi in my arms, and Sakura sitting on top of her, trying to comfort her. Kasumi was crying and wailing in pain, but soon enough... we were out of there.
I came to an entrance to another cave, this one without the deadly icicles. I sighed in relief as I climbed inside; it was beautiful in here, perfectly shaped ice walls and floor, with a short, ice mountain type of structure in the middle. I lay Kasumi down on the ground, and just before I began to treat her wound, I gasped at the creature standing before me.
"Cuuuuuuu-no?"
-----
She was beautiful; a large bird, with curious crimson eyes. Her ice-blue feathers seemed to literally sparkle as she floated down in front of us, her flowing blue tail wavering behind her. She nudged Kasumi with her silver beak, and closed her eyes tightly, spreading her wings out to their full wingspan. A dew-like substance began to fall off her wings, landing on Kasumi and seemingly treating her wounds. I gasped when Kasumi slowly stood up, though a bit wobbly, and moved her arm around. The wound was gone, but a single scar remained.
"Cuuuuu," she cooed quietly, looking at me directly. I blinked, astounded by her beauty and ability to heal Kasumi. I slowly lifted up my hand and stroked her head, and the ice Pokemon seemed to smile and make a purring noise in her throat. "Who are you, fella? I've never seen a Pokemon like you before..."
"Articuno," she replied proudly. "Cuno, tiiii..."
Articuno is one of the three legendary birds, explained Rune. She is the bird of ice, and her two brothers are the birds of fire and electricity. Barely anyone has ever seen them.
"I see..." I whispered. "Thank you for helping my Pokemon," I said, turning back to Articuno, who simply nodded her head once. "You can heal... do you happen to be able to track people and Pokemon, too?" I asked, half-chuckling and half-serious. She shook her head.
Suddenly, we heard footsteps, and then a deep, angry voice...
"I've been chasing you long enough, Articuno, and I've finally found you..."
When I turned around, I gasped - I couldn't believe who it was...