It was an average Friday afternoon in the Evolveglades. Minun was explaining Crobatman lore to Snubbot. Plusle sipped her soda.
"Other members of the rogues' gallery include the Empoleon, Poison Eevee, and the Riddlebombee," he explained.
"Why's Poison Eevee called that if she's not a Poison type?" Snubbot wondered. Minun just shrugged.
The landline phone rang. Michael went to answer it. "Hello. Oh, hey there, Machoke." He looked up from the receiver. "Plusle, Machoke says he'd like to talk to you."
Plusle eagerly got up and picked up the phone. "What is up? Of course, I'd love to!" She looked up from the phone. "Dad, can we go to the beach with Machoke and his mom tomorrow?"
Michael shrugged. "Sure, we aren't doing anything else then."
"What's a beach?" asked Snubbot.
"It's a sandy area with rocks," Minun explained, "and it's right by the ocean, which is good for swimming."
When Snubbot heard this, she shrieked and hid under a table, trembling. "Ocean?! You mean water?!"
"Hey, you don't have to come along if you don't want to," Minun said. "There are other things to do, you can make sandcastles or play volleyball."
"And lots of shells are on the shore," Plusle added.
Snubbot thought about this and slowly came out from under the table. "Those do sound interesting. I'll come along, as long as I don't have to go near the water."
"I'll keep you safe, Snubby," Minun said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Snubbot nodded her head gratefully.
The next day, Plusle, Minun, and Snubbot stood outside their house, waiting for Machamp and Machoke to arrive. Soon, Machamp pulled into the driveway with Machoke calling shotgun. "Hey, you guys!" Machoke called out.
The three opened the car doors and got in the back seats. Snubbot noticed that Magikarp wasn't there with them. "Hey, where's Uncle Magikarp?"
"He said he has a cold," Machoke said. "I'll send him some pictures later."
"That's too bad," Plusle said.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the beach and took out all their stuff. Machamp spread out some towels.
"So, how do you play volleyball?" Snubbot queried.
"Ohohoho, now we're talkin'," Machoke said with a grin. "You gotta smack it with the upper part of your hand. Show her, mom."
Machamp picked up a ball and served it. Snubbot tried to run after it, but it hit Minun in the face and knocked him flat on his back. "Sorry!" she yelled.
Snubbot looked at him. "You okay there, dad?"
Minun looked up and swatted at the stars that were floating around his head. He then handed her the ball. "Uh-huh. It's all you."
She whacked the ball. Considering that she was made of metal, she hit it pretty darn hard, and it went too fast for Machoke or Machamp to go after. It landed in the sand with a loud thump, creating a cloud of sand in the air.
"My eyes!" screamed Minun.
Machamp was impressed. "You've got quite an arm there."
Later, Plusle showed Snubbot how to make a sandcastle. She had her eyes on her own creation and was not looking at Snubbot. "Last but not least, you can put a leaf on it and pretend it's a flag!" She did just that. "Now you try it."
"Way ahead of you there," Snubbot answered.
Plusle looked up, and much to her surprise, Snubbot had made an even bigger one that resembled a realistic skyscraper. Plusle's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"Wow, Minun was right," she mused. "You really are a fast learner."
Minun and Machoke were doing some surfing together. Machoke caught a wave and shouted, "Miltank-abunga!" The momentum of the wave went on long enough to push him all the way back to the shore.
Minun rode on a wave and tried to stand up, but he lost his balance and fell into the water with a splash. He reached the surface and panted, getting rather winded. A rather huge wave started to sneak up on Minun, and it slammed into him, taking him underwater. His surfboard collided into a nearby rock and shattered into pieces.
Minun hit the ground. He was about to return to the surface, when he realized that his hand was stuck under a rock. Holding his breath, he tried to pull it out, but the rock would not budge. He found a piece of the broken board and an idea occurred to him. He wedged it underneath the rock and pushed on it, causing the rock to move upwards, freeing him. He felt a terrible pain in his wrist and winced, but he floated up to the surface, gasping for air. Much to his alarm, he saw another surge of big waves coming his way.
"HELP!" he hollered, and then he was pushed underwater again.
"Minun!" yelled Plusle and Machoke in unison.
"DAD!" shrieked Snubbot.
Snubbot was terrified. She was all too aware that getting in contact with the ocean would be the end of her, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Her dad needed help.
Machamp stood up, her maternal instinct kicking in. With a look of determination, she picked up her surfboard and began to sprint towards the water. Before she could jump in, Snubbot tugged her arm. "Wait! I'm coming, too."
Machamp nodded. "Hop on, kid!" They got on the surfboard and started going in.
"What is she doing?!" Plusle yelled in disbelief.
It was a very bumpy ride for them. One wave nearly bounced Snubbot off the board, but Machamp seized her by the wrist before she could fall into the sea. By the time they got to Minun, he had run out of energy, and it didn't help that he had only one good hand. He collapsed and became unconscious. Before he could be completely enveloped by the water, however, Snubbot quickly held onto his ears and yanked him onto the board.
Machamp paddled back to the shore and carried Minun to Machoke and Plusle, with Snubbot following close behind.
"Is he okay?!" Plusle exclaimed.
Machamp laid Minun on the ground and felt his pulse. "He's alright."
Minun stirred. He coughed and opened his eyes. "Wha…?"
"Little bro!" Plusle laughed in relief, and then she pulled him in for an embrace. Minun winced, as his wrist was still sore. Realizing she had to be gentler, Plusle let go of him.
Machamp checked his wrist, and it was swelling up. "It looks sprained to me. We'll get it bandaged when we have the chance." She wrapped him in a towel. "I may have helped you out of the water, but credit goes to Snubbot, too. She was very brave back there."
Minun was astounded. "Snubbot, you risked your life for me? But…you could've been destroyed."
"I know," Snubbot said, "but I love you. I really do."
Minun looked at Machamp. "Thank you, so much." Then he turned to Snubbot with a look of pride on his face. "And Snubbot, you are a true success."
Snubbot cocked her head. "What do you mean?"
"I designed you with the ability to make friends, but you have gone above and beyond," Minun explained.
Snubbot beamed. The warm and fuzzy feeling had affected her once again, and she truly felt like an equal among them. When Minun had fully dried up, she cuddled with him. Facing her fear of water had made her feel capable, and she knew their bond would just keep strengthening.
