Chapter Five: Storm
"Take charge of your destiny!" - Rayquaza, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team
The first beach we came to is known as Glass Beach. This is because it's a beach made of glass. Groundbreaking. No one knows how the glass got here, no one even knows where it comes from. There were hundreds of different colours, clear white or lime green or jewel tones or sea blues, all catching the light of the sun. They shifted beneath our feet, making gentle shuffling sounds. It was smooth enough to walk on, although occasionally a corner would dig into the soles of our feet. The waves carried them away and back to the shore, making a soft clinking sound we could hear all along the shore, and the ocean sparkled where they reached the surface. I picked one up and put it in my items bag. I knew I'd never have any use for it, that it wasn't worth a single Poké. But Alex reminded me earlier that's not what makes something a treasure.
The air smelt different here. Less earthy, more salty. That may also have been why there were so few Pokémon. Aside from the flying-types overhead, we had almost the entire mile of beach to ourselves.
Mikey held our his arms and kept his eyes were his feet were, for some reason he seemed terrified of falling. Eevee went zipping ahead of us, leaping up and down, rolling across the g;ass.
"Having fun?" said Alex.
"I've never been to a beach that doesn't stick to your fur!" She looked south. "The sea!"
She bounded off to the shore, leapt and dived-head first into the water.
"Wow! That is really cold!"
Mikey decided to try skimming the glass like stones. He pulled out the biggest chunk he could find and over-hand chucked. It flew over Eevee's head and plunked into the water.
"How many did I do?"
"What is it you do for the Finleys again, Mikey?" I asked.
"We were scouts while Ford was ali— in charge."
Eevee picked up the stone and carried it back and dropped it at Mikey's feet. He picked it up and threw it ahead and she chased it into the water.
"We did field missions, tracking down outlaws, searching for missing Pokémon, carrying secrets messages that Ford didn't want in writing that I now realise were probably criminal dealings. That kind of thing. Mickey made us his guardsmon after A.J. and Alister… you know. He wanted Pokémon he could trust. We've been around since before he hatched, and we're close to him in age, so I guess we were just the natural choice."
Eevee emerged from the sea and shook out her fur. She tried smoothing it down with her tongue and coughed and spat on the ground. "Salty."
"But why would you work for Ford Finley?" Alex asked.
I cleared my throat.
"Er, I mean, how did you start working for him? I wouldn't have thought Grovyle and Eevee were native to the wetlands."
"He rescued us both when we were very young, I was still a Treecko at the time. He healed us, took us home with him, gave us jobs, all apparently out of the kindness of his heart. Now I wonder if he was using me all along. If he was using her…"
"Even if he was, don't take it personally," said Alex. "He's the kind of person that would manipulate his own son."
"Neither of us know who are parents are, or if we have siblings."
"If it helps," I said, "neither do I."
"I don't even know if I'm from this world!" Alex said. "You know, I think I would have liked a sibling…"
He drifted off. Eevee trotted over to us and joined the conversation, but Alex didn't say anything for a while. I don't have any idea what he was thinking.
At the Fomantis' hour we reached the vast stretch of land called Shaki-Shaki Beach. Pink sand crunched beneath our feet and our footprints quickly disappeared behind us. It smelled of sea air with a tinge the jasmine flowers sprouting up along the grass. Shellder, Clauncher, and Shelmet shuffled along the shore at a lazy pace.
"Weird there are so many shelled Pokémon here," said Mikey.
"Why?" I asked.
"'Cause this pink sand is actually crushed-up shells."
"Oh."
"It's like, you ever think about how ice Pokémon actually live in homes of their own flesh?"
"… I do now."
"Like gingerbread mon," said Alex.
"Exactly!" said Mikey.
Eevee glanced in my direction and we shared an exacerbated look.
We decided to stop for a half hour or so to eat lunch. Mikey decided, for reasons I can't quite comprehend, to try a handful of sand.
"How is it?" Eevee asked.
Mikey swallowed hard. "Crunchy."
A Cloyster sat with her eyes closed and casing open, sunning herself. A Dewpider buried her brother up to the neck in sand. A Clawitzer splashed in the shallow waves with two small Clauncher, soaking them with water.
"I wonder how Pokémon do that," I mused out loud, "just do nothing all day, spend all your time with no real purpose to what you're doing."
"They have a purpose," said Mikey.
"What's that then?"
"To live."
A tall wave came by and swallowed the three blue Pokémon whole. They let it roll them onto the sand, laughing all the while.
"It's more than some people have," said Eevee.
The Cloyster opened her eyes, yawned, and slowly rose from the floor. The ground crunched softly beneath wild Pokémon's feet. We sat there, watching the waves come and go, for far longer than we'd planned.
Finally, we came to the southern tip in Itori. Kori-Kori Beach was a three-mile stretch of pure yellow sand, coconut-bearing palm trees, low flat hills with patches of spiky green grass, and a mile-and-a-half of bamboo-and-twine buildings settling just above the reach of the waves. It's official title is Paradise Strip, but whenever Pokémon to the north speak of it, they refer to its cultural landmark, "Paradise Café."
We passed by a Komala resting under the shade of a palm tree. A pickle of Pyukumuku (yes, that is the collective noun) shuffled along the sand, and the waves rose up and swallowed their tracks. A Stufful swerved around us and we jumped out of the way of a Bewear, laughing a deep booming laugh and pretending to chase him at a sprint.
A Togedemaru skipped along the beach without a care in the world, until two tower-like hands rose out of sand and dragged her below the surface. Alex and I stared in horror. Then the Pallosand lifted her back out and they both laughed.
Mikey was walking back from the merchant stalls, a shell necklace clinking around his neck with each step.
"This is me now," he proudly declared.
"I give it a half hour," said Eevee.
"When you say things like that, it only makes me want it more."
"In that case, I hope you wear it for the rest of your life."
It was the Cherrim's hour, and the sun was at its highest and hottest. We decided to cool off inside the café before we left for the docks. We needed a break. Besides, it was the first point of call for travellers from Tenrai. If we could find any Pokémon to grill about the horizon light on Saudade Beach, it would be here, on Kori-Kori.
Paradise Café was a wide, single-story building with a thatch roof and canopy, and a wooden porch where single Pokémon sat on swinging benches sipping their drinks. The more sociable patrons sat at tables scattered around the sand, shaded by large pink parasols. Bryony the Brionne served them drinks on wooden trays she carried on her head.
The welcome mat in front of the doorless frame read: "Aloha!" with a Pincurchin sipping from a straw stuck into a coconut. Inside, customers would hear that same greeting from the Drampa at the bar. Gabriel, a former barmon, now the owner. He was cleaning out a glass with a big fluffy hand. Chaz, the Lavender Meowth who takes over at night, was curled up asleep on the bar, his tail hanging over the side. It looked exactly the same as when I was here before, with my old team.
Frameless windows let the sun shine in. The walls were decorated with sea shells, a ship's wheel and anchor, colourful blown sea glass, and watercolour paintings (of course they would be watercolour.)
There were only two Pokémon at the bar, a Shelgon and a Crawdaunt. Wait a minute…
"Caesar? Tom?" said Alex.
Caesar and Tom were our clients from our second ever mission together. At the former's request, we'd tracked his friend down through the twisting tunnels of Summer Cave, facing off against a terrifying Turtonator, a hoard of shrieking Shroomish, and a dirty little trickster jackass Zorua. I can't think of any good "Z" adjectives for her, sorry.
They gave us a warm welcome, the Crawdaunt wrapping his claws around us and giving us a tight hug. Both of them were wearing blue ribbons with yellow stars; joy ribbons. Caesar's was tied to his leg while Tom's was wrapped around his arm.
While we caught up, Mikey and Eevee took their place on the stools at the bar and asked for their drinks. Chaz swished his tail in annoyance at being woken up. They eyed him nervously.
"What are you two doing here?" Alex asked.
Tom looked over his shoulder at Gabriel.
"Mind bringing four more to that table in the corner?"
The Drampa nodded. "Sure thing."
We moved to a spot surrounded by empty tables, spoke in low voices.
"We're here to investigate the displacement of wild Pokémon," Tom explained.
"Like the Houndoom in the Yūdaina Plains?" Alex asked.
"Right. My guess is they migrated when Dust Delta was occupied by civilian Pokémon. Incidentally, that happens to be not far from Caesar's home."
"Hallore Village?"
"Lindworm Jungle," said Caesar. "That's where I come from originally. It was deforested several years ago, I barely remember the place now."
I saw Alex tense. This was a contentious topic for him, for obvious reasons. "It was cut down?" he asked.
"It was too close to Ruby Forest. They were afraid something would slip past the barrier and the whole place would be corrupted."
"They?"
"The Skarsgards."
The Queen's army, who'd fought a war to defend Ruby Forest from being destroyed.
"Although I'm guessing the Varias played a large role in it."
The ones they'd been defending it from. This must have been before the rebellion, then.
Gabriel came over with the drinks. Caesar didn't lower his voice.
"The jungle's been replaced with a military base," he said. "The Varias had it at some point, but I imagine the Skarsgards have taken it back by now."
"Not that it makes much of a difference," the Drampa said as he placed our drinks in front of us. Rare Fruit juice with a tiny umbrella. I always appreciate the tiny umbrella.
"Doesn't it?" said Alex. I saw his cheeks flush. "The Skarsgards are the one who defended Ruby Forest, they have to be better than the Varias."
Gabriel only shrugged. "All I know is it was a Skarsgard solider who kicked me out of my den, it was a Skarsgard solider who lined us all up outside in the fields, and it was Skarsgard soldiers who the burned the place to the ground."
He looked at Alex then. Alex is a Charmander. The Queen is a Charizard, and so are a lot of her soldiers. His claws turned to metal. Thankfully they were hidden under his chair.
"Well, we made it out of there alive, at least. Most of us. I know the Varia method of doing things is considerably uglier. And I've made close connections to the other wanderers I've met on my way here. Like Jazzy over there."
He nodded to a Turtonator lazing on a bench in the corner, she held up a coconut drink in salute. I recognised her immediately as the one we'd fought in Summer Cave. Though she now wore sunglasses and looked a lot less interested in eating us.
"We both spend a few months wandering. The jungle suited us best, being the dragon-type region, but neither of us wanted to risk going back to some place else we might lose. But we've managed to find happiness in civilian life."
"Civilian life is repetitive," Jazzy complained.
"So was wild life!" Gabriel countered. "Forage, hunt, eat, sleep, repeat it all the next day. At least here you get a taste of spontaneity. Honestly, I feel like I'm a lot more suited to life with a roof over my head and food on the table!"
"So I guess it all worked out in the end then, right?" said Alex.
Gabriel's smile faded. He tucked the tray under his arm. "No. I still want someone held accountable. I lost my home, and I had to watch hundreds of Pokémon driven away in tears. People died. I may be happy with the way my life turned out, but it still should have been my choice."
He returned to the bar, where Chaz was waiting for him, concern on his face.
I gave Alex an: "Are you okay?" look, but his eyes were fixed on the ground.
"It's a vicious cycle," Tom was saying, oblivious to the feelings of the Pokémon in front of him. "I'm from Penumbra Trench, which was taken over by Sharpedo, after the Sharpedo were driven out of their home in Tenrai."
"Tenrai?" I said.
Tom nodded. "They've been clearing out a lot of wild areas lately, no one knows why. They haven't even built anything. They've done nothing but destroy. We're headed to the wetlands now, to speak with the Sharpedo."
"You're going to talk to the Pokémon who exiled you?" Alex said.
"I want to try and understand them. They lost their home. We both know how that feels."
So do I. And so does Alex, too, in a way. But I had something more pressing on my mind.
"You were in Tenrai?" I said. "Recently?"
"We just got back," Caesar said, "why?"
"That's where were headed right now. We're on our way to the docks, we're hoping to leave tonight."
Caesar clicked his tongue. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the docks are closed."
"What?!"
"There's only one way there and one way back," Caesar said, then looked directly at Alex's tail, "and you're not gonna like it."
"What is it?" I asked.
"We can show you the way," Tom said, "but we should warn you something sketchy's going on in that place."
""Sketchy" would be our best-case scenario."
"We'll have to wait until sundown," said Caesar, "can you meet us at the lagoons at the east end at the Quagsire's hour?"
Nine hours away. We'd already eaten up so much time taking the cautious route here. Really, less than half a day shouldn't have been too much to bear. But something about what they'd said had stirred something in me. It was like a twisting knot in my chest.
I looked at Alex picking at the straw chair, and imagined he must have felt the same.
"Do we really have to wait that long?"
"If you want my advice," said Tom, "I'd say use that time to get a few hours' rest. Trust me, you're going to need it."
We didn't tell Mikey or Eevee we were going. They were about to pay for a room for four at the Boardwalk Inn with Mickey's money, and we asked for a separate room.
"Ohh no, I'm not letting you two out of my sight for one second," Mikey said.
"Even while we sleep?" said Tobias.
"I'm keeping one eye open the whole time."
There was no way we to talk them out of it. Mikey and Eevee slept either side of us, agreeing to take turns to watch over us. We met up with Caesar and Tom under a jutting cliff at the very end of Kori-Kori Beach.
"Could I ask you guys a favour?" I said.
"Sure thing!" said Tom.
"You know the Grovyle and Eevee we were with today? If they ask you were we are, lie."
We moved through the gaps int the cliffs, ducking down when we came to tight gaps; Alex and I clasped hands and held our out arms to balance over the slippery rocks. The waves were close to shore, spraying us. I stood on the ocean side when it was wide enough to walk side-by-side. At some point the cliff came too close and we had to walk single-file, clinging to the rock face beside us. Tom went behind Caesar, presumably for the same reason I was walking behind Alex.
"What exactly are we looking for?" I yelled over the roar of the waves.
"We're looking for lapis lazuli," Caesar replied.
"How exactly is that going to—"
Time stopped for half a second. Alex's foot slid on the narrow rock, he tilted suddenly and violently forward, he reached for the cliff face but the spray had dampened it. I grabbed his tail near the tip and clung on tight. He managed to scrabble for purchase on the rocks. We stopped for a moment to catch our breath.
"Are you all right?" Caesar asked.
Alex was panting too hard to answer. He just nodded.
"Is your hand okay?" Tom asked.
Suddenly I noticed a small burn. Alex looked over his shoulder at me, guilt stark on his face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's fine, really!" I said. "I'm a water-type, it's not a big deal. I'm not afraid of a little fire!"
He looked like he'd been slapped. I helped him to his feet and patted him on the shoulder. Ahead of us, Caesar and Tom pointed out any loose-feeling stones so we could watch out for them.
"Do you think it would be safer if one of you carried Alex?" I asked.
They shared a look.
"I hope you aren't offended by this," Tom said gently, "but if you're that worried about Alex falling into the water, maybe you should reconsider all this."
I looked to Alex. I was hoping he'd say yes, and half-hoping he'd say no. He gave a resolute no.
The sounds of Pokémon died away behind us. Mercifully, we made it onto flat ground. Now that we were relatively safe I took the time to spray my water on the burn. Hot tip, never soak a burn in sea water, the salt can inflame the wound. Maybe that's what this journal needs, a hot tip at the end of every chapter. Tip number two is don't grab a Charmander by the end of their tail, if you can help it.
We came to a small chain of shallow lagoons tucked in under the cliff. The water was a clear greenish-blue, and would have been inviting under normal circumstances. I made a mental note to put this on the list of places we should visit after we got back from Tenrai.
The sand around the edge was pale yellow under a thin layer of lukewarm water. The ground squelched beneath our feet and sand stuck to our soles. I breathed a sigh of relief at being on solid-ish ground. But the further Alex walked the more his face tightened. He was walking through water, of course he was uncomfortable.
We stopped at a wide crack in the cave wall, where water flowed into the ocean, too deep for a Pokémon on foot to cross. The water was already around our knees, I prayed this would be over soon.
Something had been carved into the wall's rock. It looked like something between a flute and an ocarina. Caesar blew into it and a high-pitched sound echoed across the ocean. Then somehow one note turned into many, a gentle yet sombre melody. A pale-blue glow came from the crack in the wall. A shape emerged, we heard the sound of turning waves as they approached.
A Lapras looked down on us. There were faint gold marks on her skin and around her spots, like veins running through marble. Her eyes were gold too, but the rest of her was a brilliant deep blue.
"Alex, Tobias," said Caesar, "this is Lapis Lazuli."
"You're back already," said the Transport Pokémon. "Have you decided to ignore my warning after all?"
"Not us. Our friends here are looking for passage. Tonight, if possible."
"I am sufficiently rested," Lapis Lazuli said. She looked at us. "Though I must ask for what purpose you request this of me."
"We'll give you guys some privacy," Tom said.
"Thanks guys," I said as they turned to leave, "we really appreciate it."
"Good luck in the wetlands!" said Alex.
"We'll still be in town tomorrow," Caesar said. "If you change your mind, we'll be there."
"We won't," Alex said, "but thanks for the offer."
The Shelgon hesitated another moment. Then he nodded, and followed Tom across the rocks and out of sight. Lapis Lazuli was looking at Alex's tail.
"Are you certain you wish to take this voyage?" she asked. "Do you understand the risks?"
"I'm not afraid!" Alex said with fire in his eyes and burning in his tail. "I'm ready for anything!"
"You are? Because it seems that you've been in this lagoon mere minutes and you're already in visible discomfort. The journey across the Sapphire Sea will be far more uncomfortable and much more dangerous."
"Doesn't matter to me!" he smiled a confident smile. "I've been in real danger before and it's never stopped me!"
"Perhaps this time it should."
Alex has faced worse before. We both have. But he hasn't experienced it, I realised then. All Alex knows of the dangerous things he's done he only "remembers" thanks to his gem. He doesn't remember feeling that blinding, all-consuming fear of being in genuine mortal peril. I remember it. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not even my worst enemy, and least of all my best friend.
His body remembers though. That's why it trembled then, even through his bravado. He wanted to be the Charmander he saw in the recordings. Fearless.
Alex's chest puffed out. "I'm not backing down now! This is our mission and nothing is going to stop us! I don't care if I have to get there on the back of a Magikarp, I'm not—"
Lapis Lazuli sang. A high-pitched, wordless tune. It was short, so instead of putting us to sleep, it left us stunned into calmness. Alex's fervour died down. The tension I'd been feeling up until now drained away into the water below me.
"Is this really what you want?" she asked us now.
He nodded.
Lapis Lazuli looked to me for my answer.
"Just tell me one thing," I said. "Will Alex be okay?"
"I will do my utmost best to keep him dry," she said, "but I cannot promise anything."
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that."
"Tobias—" Alex began.
"I'm not putting his life in danger for my own goals."
Alex faced the wall. Wordlessly, he tapped on the gem embedded into the side of his head.
My Rapid Spin landed against a Scyther's chest, knocking him to the ground them to the ground. A Ditto in the shape of Garchomp kicked me to the ground while I was still in mid-air, and pressed me down into the earth with his foot.
An Azumarill's Aqua Tail smacked into the front of my shell and sent me spinning across the clearing.
Lapis Lazuli seemed unbothered by the display of magic, but looked somewhat shocked at what she was seeing.
Alex skipped ahead.
A Seed Bomb exploded in my face, the shrapnel digging into skin seared by the heat of the blast. The booms were followed by the Breloom's triumphant laugh.
A Swellow swooped at Alex, sharps talons stretched out and aiming for his shoulders. I pushed my out of the way and they closed down on the back of my shell. She lifted me high up into the air, past the canopy of leaves, high enough to touch the Barrier.
I still remember seeing it catch the moonlight, stretching miles in every direction across the red tops of the Forest. Alex didn't see this. But he did see me fall. I reached out touched my hand to his gem. The recording sputtered and died. My eye was draw in the direction of the invisible Tenraian shore. I could still see the light on the horizon.
I drew my hands down my face and exhaled. "Okay."
The voyage across the Itori sea takes a ship around 24 hours. Lapis Lazuli promised to match it.
"When are we stopping to rest?" Alex asked as we climbed up onto her shell.
"We will not be resting," she said, "there is no longer anywhere safe."
"You're going to keep swimming for 24 hours without a single break?!" I said.
"Have no fear," she said, pushing off from the shallow stream, "I have taken this trip more times than I can count. Not once have I failed to return, as you can sea."
The dark sea stretched out ahead of us. The wind blew cold air in our faces, and Alex shivered as soon as we were out from under the cliffs.
"We should have waited until the morning…" I muttered.
"We would've had to drag Mikey and Eevee with us," Alex pointed out, "probably bound and gagged."
"We would have had to wait for night to fall to approach the Tenraian coast," said the Lapras. "Malik Grieve has eyes all along the shores. This is the safest possible option."
Kori-Kori beach quickly disappeared behind us. We could heard the chattering voices of nocturnal Pokémon, but soon the sounds of the waves swallowed them. We could see the blaze of a bonfire, but after a while it became a light on the horizon behind us.
"You don't seem to hold the Archon in very high regard," I said.
"I do not hold in high regard any Pokémon I have learned to fear."
"You're taking a big risk carrying Pokémon to the shores if the Archon doesn't want us there."
"The Sea Guardians have been ferrying Pokémon since before Tenrai had its own ships. Now I carry on that tradition by bringing those who wish to avoid the Archon's eye. Many of my passengers are Guardians themselves, the non-water types, or the water-types not yet strong enough to make the journey."
"But why?" Alex asked.
"Because something has gone very wrong." Her voice suddenly dropped. "The new leader has been razing the wild areas to the ground. What he hopes to achieve I do not know. It is not to build homes, or farms, or healing tents. None of the Sea Guardians can ascertain as to what he's ravaging his own land for. But I am glad there are others who have taken an interest."
"Has there been any signs of civil unrest?" I asked.
"Not yet," she said. "But one person can make all the difference."
The storm raged. The waves turn harder in the autumn, anyone who's lived by the sea could tell you that. But actually feeling it first hand is another thing entirely. The sky was a monster of heavy grey cloud above our heads, lighting striking at the furious sea below.
Alex and I held onto to the spines of Lapis Lazuli's shell. The Lapras skated across the ocean even as waves rose up high, carrying us several feet into the air. She tilted forward and used the momentum to carry her to the top of the next one, pulling back to slow her fall when the waves were lower.
A foamy tidal rose up ahead of us. Lapis' fins struck the water below her, it turned against the current and forced her up the watery slope. I recognised that as a Surf attack; water-type attacks can generate water on dry land, but they're even more powerful in the ocean or a lake or a river, where instead of creating it anew, the user can manipulate the water to their own bidding. We reached the tip of the tidal wave, and her fins forced it to slow, gently lowering us back down.
The heavy rain lashed down. I stood in front of Alex, shielding him from the worst of the rain. We'd both placed out scarves into our bags so they wouldn't get sodden and weigh us down. I took mine own and wiped down the shell to keep it dry. Priority number-one was making sure Alex didn't fall off.
Lightning blinded us for a moment. When we opened our eyes, another tidal wave was headed right at us. We had no momentum, and even if she tried to Surf through it, it would swallow us whole. That meant death for Alex.
The air crackled and froze as Lapis' Ice Beam struck. The water came closer and closer, but all the while was turning to a solid block of white. Lapis lowered her horn. She turned the waves beneath her and crashed through. I could hear the cracking behind us as the brute force of the ocean broke and swallowed the sheets of ice into its depths.
I had no concept of how far we'd come already, just that we'd been out in the rain and wind for hours now. I knew we weren't close to the end. I knew the storm wasn't anywhere close to dying.
Thunder cracked, lighting flashed, and the whirlpool churned up foam ahead of us.
There was no time to swerve around it. Lapis swam right into the whirlpools, her fins striking out to create a counter-current that carried us bumpily across. Alex clung on tight with his arms and legs, and I felt a sickly weight in my stomach telling me he was about to be bumped off.
"You've taken this voyage countless times and you didn't think to take a detour around the giant whirlpool?!" I yelled. I shouldn't have, I know I shouldn't have, but if we were sucked into the water and went under…
"This is not a natural whirlpool I could have avoided," she answered calmly, "it was created."
"By who?!" said Alex.
A dark shape undulated below us. We saw a break through the surface of the water,and Alex and I both took in breath.
A Gyarados reared up ahead of us. Regular-sized, unlike the one we'd ran from in Kingdra Canyon. But this was a Gyarados challenging us on their home turf; and unlike the Giant of Kingdra Canyon, we weren't going to be able to run from this one.
The Gyarados twisted their body around. Lapis Lazuli fought furiously against the current to push herself backwards as the force of the whirlpool was sucked in and drawn to the predator's body. Dark-blue energy filled the sky as a feathered serpentine dragon surged through the spiralling water. Twister. Of course.
We were being pulled. The Whirlpool's current and the Twister's air had created a vortex that even Lapis wasn't strong enough to fight back against.
Her Ice Beam struck the feathered dragon's head. It wasn't enough. I grabbed onto her neck and pulled myself up onto her head. My beam joined hers. The Gyarados struggled, even from here I could see them straining under the force of our combined attacks. But they were still stronger.
Until I heard a cry of anger and the crack of fire behind me. Alex's Inferno danced over our heads and struck the Gyarados under the chin. It was a fire-type attack, weak against the water-and-flying-type, but it stunned them long enough for Lapis' Surf to suck them into its current and force them down below the surface of the water.
Alex's tail hissed. I slid down and went back to covering him.
Lighting struck a few feet away form us.
The elements might be about to claim me too, I thought then. Fine. I don't care. Just please, please in the name of every god, just spare Alex.
A wave rose high and Lapis pulled back to slow our fall. Water sprayed from behind and Alex cried out in pain. I let go of the her shell to cup my hands over his tail.
Another wave. Lapis smacked the water with her fins. We rose up at a sudden sharp angle, and so suddenly I could've laughed, I was thrown.
"Tobias!" I heard as I dropped below the surface.
It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. I couldn't see much but I the shape of Lapis' underbelly moving away from me. She couldn't stop in the middle of the storm, I knew, or else she'd be swallowed.
I lashed out with my tail. A powerful current of my own propelled me forward and I shot out above the surface. I saw Lapis Lazuli just ahead of me, Alex reaching out with one hand.
Back into the water. I turned my tail in a circle, over and over, pushing through the violent undercurrent. I came up by the Lapras' side and managed to grab onto the side of her shell.
Another wave. We were raised up high, went careening back down.
Another. Ice Beam turned the water into a curling sheet of ice, and Lapis' horn smashed it into pieces. But thanks to the force of the last wave we were hurtling right into the falling ice. A chunk the size of a Bulbasaur struck me in the head and I lost my grip.
"No!" came my partner's voice in the distance.
I was below the surface again. For a moment as Lapis' fins confused the current and I hung there, suspended as if in still water. I saw the glint of treasure down below. Then I felt something moving behind me. I looked over my shoulder as the undercurrent pushed me right towards a Sharpedo headed right for me. I fought to twist my body around.
Lapras ahead of me, Sharpedo behind me. The predator Pokémon snapped her jaws angrily as she tried to close the distance. Aqua Tail pulsed on, putting the force of the false current between us. I angled my tail down and finally broke the surface. A wave slapped me in the face and I fell back down.
"Are you kidding me?!" I yelled, but the ocean swallowed my voice.
I didn't look, there was no time. I just kept kicking and lashing my tail. I leapt out of the water again, I heard the Sharpedo emerging behind me. Alex and Lapis were several feet away. I dived back down.
I could see the Lapras' fins. She was slow, there must have been a high wave. Just a few more feet…
A felt a sharp stabbing pain dig straight through my tail. The Sharpedo's glowing fangs pierced the skin and she shook violently, trying to tear it off. I kicked her in the nose, in the eyes, in the gills. Hot tip: If you're ever attacked by a Sharpedo, or any other shark-like Pokémon, that's where you want to hit them. Nose, eyes, gills.
One sharp heel digging into her gills and she had to gasp for breath. I pulled free and made for the surface. The pain in my tail was excruciating and the salt wasn't making it any better. Squirtle thrive in clear water, you see. I put everything I had into one last Aqua Tail and broke through the surface and I missed Lapis by an inch and I was falling, until I felt Alex's hand on my wrist. He pulled me back up onto her back.
I could feel the rain soaking into my skin. Rain always felt healing, for some reason, I never really knew why.
The water became calmer. It looked like we had a good few minutes of smooth sailing ahead. Alex and I breathed a sigh of relief, and I opened the items bag and dug around for some food.
"Don't get comfortable," Lapis said, her voice grave, "the worst part's just up ahead."
So with a stone in my stomach, I put the apple back in the bag and told my stomach to wait just a little bit longer.
It was quieter. Still, almost. The sky and the sea were pitch black, with only Alex's tail and the far-off flashes of lightning to light the way. Until the ocean lit up red. Glowing ruby gems, round or oval shaped, surrounded us as far as we could see.
"Tentacool…" said Alex.
"And Tentacruel…" I added.
Another hot tip: Tentacool and Tentacruel can "switch off" their gems when they want to sneak up on their prey. If you can see their bright red glow, they either don't see you as prey, or they've already got you.
"Hold on tight, Alex," said Lapis Lazuli. "Tobias, cover his tail as best you can."
I cupped my hands around the flame, so tightly it burned my skin. I wasn't too concerned, the rain would heal me, it always did. We waded carefully through the darkness. Any sudden movement and they would pounce. All we could do was get as far as possibly before—
Long grey-brown tentacles came shooting out and wrapped around Lapis' face. I hit the Jellyfish Pokémon on the nose with Ice Beam. The black sea came to life in a blaze of red as the smack (yes, that's the collective) attacked us all at once.
Several of them latched onto Lapis. Maybe they realised if they had her still, we were easy pickings. They wrapped around her neck, her fins, her tail.
At my command, Alex and I aimed our attacks at the Tentacruel around her front fins. They pulled back long enough for her to strike the water. The current turned beneath us.
Alex clung to her shell, I planted my feet. Lapis bounced up and down as her own Whirlpool churned beneath her.
A Tentacool burst out and wrapped his tentacles around my head. My mind went blank for a moment, and all I could see was red, all I could feel was… nothing. Then I was awake again, Alex's claw had turned metal, and the Tentacool splashed back down into the black.
The smack was clinging to Lapis were swept up by the current. She spread out her fins and the Whirlpool raised up around us. We were in the eye of the storm, and they were being sucked into the vortex.
A shower of Poison Sting needles blocked out the sky. I ducked into my shell, but a few of them managed to sneak their way inside, digging into my skull. Alex's claws protected him, but Acid left scorch marks along his arms and backs.
"I'd appreciate your help from here, Tobias," Lapis said. The air had turned even colder, and mist was trailing form her lips.
Our Ice Beams danced across the Whirlpool. Churning currents turned to overlapping sheets of ice. The Tentacool and Tentacruel thrashed and spat, some of them managed to pull away and drop down into the water on the other side. Soon our power reached the foamy ridge, and all that was left were little frozen bubbles.
We stared up at our handwork. In the midst of a raging storm in the middle of a violent sea, we'd formed a spiralling tower of ice, trapping more than a dozen Pokémon inside.
Lapis gave us a word of warning them pushed off from the ground. She lowered her horn and smashed right through the ice. It was only seconds before the tower shattered, chunks of ice splashing into the sea.
The storm raged on. The calm had been brief, and now it seemed like the sky and the sea were making up for lost time. We carried on over the waves, climbing, gliding, freezing, while thunder roared and lighting flashed above our heads.
I looked down at my hands. The burns hadn't healed. I don't understand why, I'd healed from worse a lot sooner. It must have been an hour since the attack of the Tentacruel, but I didn't feel any better. I didn't necessarily feel worse… although there was a nauseous feeling in my stomach I couldn't quite place. Was I really getting sea sick?
Alex's flame was low. His grasp on Lapis' shell was getting weak.
"Are you all right?!" I yelled over the din.
He looked over his shoulder at me, but didn't find the strength to reply.
Lapis called back to us, in a strong but reassuring voice:
"I know you're suffering, and I wish I could help you. But hold on tight, and have faith. We'll be through the sea in time."
The rain stopped. The seas calmed, and land appeared on the horizon. I recognised the place, vaguely. Moirai Estuary, near where the River meets the sea.
It was the Sunflora's hour, or thereabouts. The dawn's pale light broke above off-white clouds. Lapis Lazuli silently glided onto the Tenraian shore, more of a strand than a beach, and lowered her head so we could walk onto dry land; wet, cold and shaking, but alive.
The Estuary was located in the Jungle Region of Tenrai. We stood on the shingled rocks, and beyond stretched green grass and thick, tangled woods. Clouds hovered overhead, not far away we could hear the patter of rain and smell the dampness of the earth.
"The storm has not yet passed," Lapis Lazuli said, "however, you are on stable ground to face it. I wish you both luck on your journey."
"Are you gonna be okay" Alex asked. "Because that's not a trip I'd ever want to take again."
Lapis gave a small smile. "How else would I return home?"
"What if the storm doesn't die out?" I asked.
Lapis looked to the west. "Then it will continue to rain. But I cannot stay for long. There may be more passengers for me soon. I will rest for the time being. I would suggest you do the same."
Alex and I thanked her, left her in peace to recover her strength. We walked along the edge of the shore on the dry grass, a few feet away from where the waves sloshed over the stones. To our right, the trees swayed and the grass shook as wild Pokémon stalked through the jungle.
I stumbled. Alex caught me just before I fell. He looked at me closely and frowned.
"Tobias, you look sick."
"I don't feel great…" I said.
He helped me down onto the ground, where we hidden from the south by the bushes.
"I've been feeling like this every since the Tentacool and Tentacruel attacked us."
"I think you've been poisoned."
"No… that's not…" My head span. I couldn't think straight.
"How did you survive being poisoned for so long without fainting?"
"I guess it must have been the rain. It's always had a healing affect on me. I don't know why…"
Alex caught my arm. I hadn't realised I was falling.
He opened the bag for me and pulled out a pecha and oran berry, then an apple for him. Yveltal, it had been more than a day since we ate. We didn't rush through it. The storm was still ahead of us, and it wasn't going anywhere. I could hear Fortune River whispering in the distance. We sat there wordlessly for an hour or so, listening to the melody of water, soaking in the warmth of the sun.