Enjoy!

Chapter 2

"Satoshi, remember what I taught you. Keep your emotions in control and show humility. It will save you when you least expect it. Be strong and stand up for yourself, but be careful if there's an assembly present. There are people who can't be trusted and with what I taught you, you'll understand. I know you'll become a king who will be cherished by everyone. I'm sorry, but I don't have enough time. Everything will fall into place soon. Don't forget, my son."

Satoshi eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up, the sudden movement hurting his head. He blinked away the blurriness, letting out a groan as he moved to sit more comfortably.

"You're finally awake."

Wary brown eyes met sharp green ones. The young prince broke eye contact as soon as he noticed he didn't know where he was.

"Where am I? What happened? Where's Pikachu?"

"Don't worry about it. You fell into the sea. Your Pokémon is fine. Any more questions?"

"Who are you?"

The young man ignored him and said, "We'll send you back tomorrow. Get some sleep."

"Where am I?" Satoshi repeated again angrily.

"My ship. Be grateful, kid," the captain answered curtly.

Satoshi blinked and grasped his blankets, ignoring how he was called a kid. 'I was saved by pirate… and now I'm on their ship… so that means I'm far from the palace… I'm… I'm…'

"Thank you."

The captain looked surprised at the sincerity of the words, but quickly covered it up with a scowl. "If you tell anyone about this, you won't be so thankful."

He sent one last glare to the prince before heading to the door.

"Wait!" The captain stopped and turned his head to look at Satoshi. "I don't want to go back. Please allow me to stay."

"They'll be looking all over for you. It's too big of a risk to have a prince on board. I don't want anything happening to me and my crew."

"I won't cause you any trouble. Just please don't send me back. It's the first time I ever felt so alive." The captain gave him a strange look, but he continued on. "Please. I can't go back, not yet."

They maintained eye contact, skeptical green eyes clashing against determined brown eyes. The air was thick in anticipation, the prince's resolve unwavering. Suddenly, there was a flash of yellow that broke their contact.

"Pi-pikachu! You're okay!"

Satoshi hugged Pikachu, his partner nuzzling against his cheek. He felt the small shocks Pikachu was giving off, but he didn't mind. He was grateful that his friend was alive and well.

"Glad to see you awake. Pikachu was getting really worried you weren't waking up after two days."

His eyes widened in recognition of the voice. The prince blinked a few times, his mind quickly catching up to him.

"Takeshi," he breathed out. "Takeshi, is that you? I thought-what are-you're alive!"

Takeshi walked towards the prince, but not before catching the warning glare the captain sent him as he quietly left the room.

"Take a deep breath, Satoshi. We don't want you fainting again."

Satoshi held back his tears and did as he was told. As he calmed down, Takeshi placed a small bowl of soup and a glass of water on the bedside table. He then hugged him, a smile gracing his lips.

"Look at you, all grown up! How old are you?"

"Nineteen. And we're just five years apart, remember?"

"Still older than you. But four years, huh? Time passed fast. How are you? How's your leg?"

"I'm great now but..."Satoshi moved his left leg, his breath hitching at the slight pain building up. "It's not as bad as it was two days ago. How about you?"

"I'm fine. Happy to finally see you. How's Kasumi?"

"I don't know," Satoshi replied sadly. "I've only seen her twice after you disappeared. They won't let her come over anymore. They're afraid that she'll go missing too."

Takeshi sighed, unaware how his absent affected his two friends. "I'm sorry, Satoshi. But you must know that the queen doesn't want to lose anyone else. She wants the best for all of us, especially you."

"I know that, but what good is it if I can't go anywhere! Look where I'm now. My mom… Kasumi…"

"Let's hope your mom finds you before Kasumi does. I rather face the queen." Satoshi couldn't help but let out a laugh, grateful that his friend was trying to lighten the situation. "I know how much you want to explore the world, but it's dangerous outside the palace walls. Not that you can't take care of yourself, but it's a different world."

"Even more reason to get to know it! Takeshi, I'm not as dumb or weak as Kasumi thinks I am!"

"Because she said you're dumb as a Psyduck, rash as a Mankey, and weak as a Metapod?"

"You didn't have to say it," the prince grumbled.

The former heir let out a laugh, that memory clearly playing on his mind. "Trust me, she didn't mean it. After we left, she told me what she really thought."

"Which was what?"

"That you're loyal as a Lapras, strong as a Gyarados, graceful as a Dewgong, and trustworthy as a Blastoise."

The young prince blushed, his words stuttering in an attempt to respond. Takeshi shook his head, and although his friend wasn't as dumb as a Psyduck, he was as slow as a Slowpoke.

'Not that I'll ever tell him that.'

"A-anyways, how did I end up here? What happened?" Brock was about to respond, but the prince quickly cut him off. "No, never mind that, it's not that important. You can tell me later. Takeshi, were you here the whole time? Why didn't you ever write to us? We were really worried about you."

"That's a story for another day."

They turned their attention to the door. The captain was casually standing by the door, but his look gave no room for argument.

"Captain," Takeshi saluted.

"No need to be formal, Brock."

"Old habits die hard."

"It's been four fucking years," the captain said. "Anyways, do you think you can handle your friend?"

Brock glanced at the prince and nodded. Satoshi quickly caught on, his eyes widening and sparkling in excitement.

"You sure you want to stay here, kid?"

"I'm not a kid," he growled.

Before the captain could reply, Brock spoke up. "Don't talk back to the captain, Satoshi."

"Takeshi," Satoshi murmured surprised, but he wasn't given a response back. He cleared his throat and looked at the captain. "Yes, I do."

"What about the queen? She'll be worried about you, might think you're held hostage somewhere. No one can let her know you're safe here," the captain stated.

"I know," the prince quietly murmured. He felt guilty and sad he didn't say goodbye to his mom, but refused to show it. "But I have to do this. Otherwise, I won't be able to leave again."

"Can you stand up and walk? I don't need anyone to be babied on my ship."

Satoshi took a deep breath and stood up, slightly wincing at the sting he felt on his injured leg. He walked around the room slow but steady, sitting down after his second lap with a strained smile.

The captain sighed and ran his hand through his hair. 'Brock wasn't kidding, he's a stubborn one.'

"Fine, but there are a few rules that you're going to follow." His lip slightly twitched at the disbelief on the prince's face. "One, don't cause any unwanted attention. The last thing we need is for people to believe that we're holding someone royalty hostage. Make sure your Pikachu doesn't cause a ruckus either. Second, you aren't Prince Satoshi of Kanto anymore. Your name, from now on, will be…"

There was a short pause as the captain silently thought of a new name. He smirked at Satoshi, who stared back with a look of curiosity and concern.

".. Ash. Your new name is Ash. And Takeshi isn't Takeshi, he's Brock. You'll also address the crew by their given name. Third, you'll address me as Captain unless I tell you otherwise. Fourth, you aren't allowed to leave this ship unless you have my permission. And last, don't expect to be treated how you were in your palace. You'll work hard for what you'll get. I don't care if your hunger isn't satisfied or you don't like the food, you'll eat what we serve you. Understood?"

"Yes. Captain," he gritted out.

"You learn fast. That's good. Any questions?"

"Why Ash?"

"Your skin looks ashy. It's as if you don't get any sunlight. Wonder why?" The captain ignored the glared he received and turned to Brock. "Show him where he's staying after he's done eating. Make sure he doesn't wander off."

"Of course."

"Get some sleep, Ashy-boy. You're going to need it."

Sending a last smirk to Ash and a nod to Brock, he left the room.

Yes, Takeshi is Brock. And he is 24 in this story.

Kasumi is Misty, who will stay as Kasumi, the heiress of Cerulean City.

Our capitan is... the one with green eyes and brunette hair! I'm sure you know who, but if you don't, his name will be properly introduced next chapter.

And I know he doesn't has green eyes (his game/manga counterpart-Green-does), but I like it better. It makes a nice contrast to Ash's brown eyes.

I am really sorry for taking sooooo long to upload the second chapter and that it's short. It's been hard, the past year, and I'm slowly trying to get back into my writing. I'm overcoming my writer's block so hopefully the updates are more consistent.

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!

I also have a tumblr: fleurusiagi.

Come and talk palletshipping with me... or anything at all!

Until next time!