DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon
THE POWER OF THE OCEAN
CHAPTER TWO: MIDNIGHT STORY
Perpetual light barely reaches this depth in middle of the day, but by night the waters become eerily dark. Fortunately, we Pokemon have heightened senses in comparison to the humans that inhabit the land above to enable us to strive in such blackness. In fact, this is the sort of time where the ocean truly comes alive. You are far more likely to run into different kinds of Pokemon at this time of the day as opposed to when the light is able to penetrate the depths, mainly because this is when many of the predators have already had their fill throughout the day and have since secluded themselves into slumber, although danger is never too far away in this harsh environment!
"I wanna go outside!" Rascal chirpily whinged, hovering inside of the window. "Can we go and find my parents yet? I'm hungry! Do you wanna play Hide And Go-Seek? How about I-Spy?" I covered my ears with handfuls of rags in an attempt to block out the noise. Just because the majority of Pokemon are still awake does not mean that I have to follow suit. It had been a tiring day trying to keep Rascal entertained. All I wanted to do was get some shut-eye, but Rascal was having none of it. "I-Spy with my little eye something beginning with the letter M!" Growing weary, I lift my head from my bed, glaring towards the area of the room that the Mantyke is situated.
"If I play this one last game with you, will you finally shut up and go to sleep?" I growl tiredly. The Mantyke giggles to himself playfully, which wasn't the answer that I was hoping for. Hoping for the best, I decide to play along one last time. "Magikarp?" I ask, hoping that this would be the most possible conclusion. Rascal chuckles once more, not turning to face me although even his back seemed to have a smile on it thanks to the patterning on his back.
"Nope," Rascal replied. "Try again! Come on!"
"Magmortar?" I reply half-heartedly, knowing full well that finding such a Pokemon around here would be absolutely impossible. This causes the Mantyke to frown with a bit of confusion, unsurprisingly really considering he didn't even realise what a Mantyke was until earlier today. He negatively shakes his head to signal my guess was incorrect. "Mudkip?" I speculate once more. The Mantyke suddenly spins around, his smile even wider than usual, if that is at all possible.
"Do you like Mudkips!?" Rascal beams, earning a palm to the face from me. No, I didn't hit Rascal, a mere act of exasperation on my part.
"Are you playing the game or not," I snarl once again, my temper reaching a peak. The Mantyke recoils, perhaps taken aback by my frustration but it does not take long for its cheerful expression to return before looking back towards the window.
"Try again," Rascal giggles. I groan to myself. This was getting beyond a joke.
"I give up," I concede, no longer wishing to take part in these shenanigans. The Mantyke points a flipper towards the window to indicate its reflection.
"It was ME!" Rascal laughs victoriously, zooming across the room with joy. "M is for ME! I could see myself in the window!"
"Well done," I insincerely congratulate him. "Now go to sleep."
"Come on, Captain. Just one more game? Pleeeeease?" he begs, putting his flippers together as if in prayer. I let out a sigh as I squint my eyes, hoping that this form of trauma will eventually end, not to mention the annoyance at Rascal's insistence to call me "Captain" adding volume to my sigh.
"How about I tell you a story?" I smirk to myself, hoping that this tactic will be enough to induce a state of tiredness into the young Mantyke. Overjoyed by the prospect, Rascal excitably sips around the room yet again, swimming in loops and somersaults as it spins through the water.
"Story! Story! I like stories!" Rascal cheers as he swims right towards me. Before he can flatten me with the most playful of Tackles, I am able to catch him by both "wings" with my hands. The force of which he hits me is more reminiscent of a Slam rather than a Tackle, but I am able to stay on my feet as he impacts into my chest. Forcefully, yet to not to the extent that I inflict harm upon him, I shove him into the depths of my own rag bed. He tucks his flippers beneath him, gazing at me with the big, innocent eyes of his.
"Are you comfortable?" I ask, upon which Rascal quickly bobs his head affirmatively. Now, I don't know many stories that would be deemed as suitable for a kit of Rascal's age. He was infantile, the fact that his only attacks were Tackle and Bubble, as I had found out earlier in the midst of one of his playful childhood pranks, I could only assume that he was a few months old at most. Still, I endeavoured to come up with a fable that might be of interest to him. "Once upon a time, there was a young Mudkip who was born into a royal family along with lots of other Princes and Princesses."
"I like Mudkips! I heard YOU like Mudkips!" Rascal cheerfully shouts.
"Are you going to let me tell you this story, or would you sooner go out and talk to some Gyarados?" I threaten warningly. Rascal slinks into the recesses of the bed, slightly worried by my suggestion. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you go out an talk to any Gyarados," I apologetically reconcile to appease the youngster, who seems lifted by this confirmation. "As I was saying, the young Prince Mudkip was one of the many heirs to the royal throne. The King had gone to serve with his army, who were at war with the horrible Jellicent Clan, who wanted to rule the kingdom for themselves. Many of the Princes and Princesses also went to help fight with their father, but the youngest Prince was too weak and was forced to stay behind to stay with his Mother. Then one day, while the King's Army were in the midst of battle, their home was attacked by a powerful Dragon. The Queen and the young Prince did their best to fight the Dragon away, but it was no use…" I stop to pause, growling at myself. It wasn't perhaps the best story to tell Rascal, but it was the best that I could come up with, even though elements of the fable were enough to resurrect fucking emotion that I had long since suppressed. "The Queen was forced to flee, leaving the weak Prince to fend for himself. As the Dragon went in for the kill, the young Prince finally summoned enough courage to battle the Dragon. As it turned out, the Prince was far stronger than he had realised, able to hold off the Dragon long enough for him to make his own escape. But the Dragon destroyed their home, leaving it as nothing but a pile of rubble before fading back into the darkness from whence it came. The young Prince searched for his mother, but he couldn't find her anywhere… The Prince was left to wander the land and the sea alone, the Queen surely must have been killed in the Dragon's attack. Even the King's Army were eventually defeated by the Jellicent, but the weakest Prince was able to survive. I guess the moral of this story is never underestimate your own strength, for when the time is right, you will find that hidden power inside of you and you will be able to fend off the greatest of foes." I glance at Rascal upon pausing once again, a small stream of bubbles rising from his mouth with every exhalation. His eyes are welded shut through tiredness, the peaceful snore makes me smile sympathetically for the youngster. "Good night, little one," I smile, covering the Mantyke with one of my rags before moving towards the door of the Captain's Room. Since I was awake, I figured I might as well get some late night hunting done.
I had ensured that the door behind me was securely closed so that Rascal could not get out should he awaken in the night. As usual, the outside of the ship was covered with feasting Staryu and Starmie, hoards of Remoraid were making their way through the depths in search of plankton. I hadn't been hunting for a good few days now, the Kingler that I'd caught the other day had provided me with enough nourishment for a while and I had also stored some Oran and Sitrus Berries should the taste of seafood become slightly boring. Upon leaving the sunken ship, I had headed directly for the surface. The journey took several minutes, maybe quarter of an hour would pass before I broke the surface of the water. The journey to dry land would take about another five.
I'd managed to find a snack in the form of a Barboach on my approach to the land, which my rugged mouth was able to tolerate the barbs and protrusions of its body as I devoured it hastily. This provided me with enough fuel to see me through the next hour or so, in which time I had chanced upon a curious Bibarel that was venturing too far into the rocky terrain in search of Krabby or Corphish for its own nutritional purposes. It fell with only a swift blow to the head with a recently perfected Hammer Arm technique.
Fucking JACKPOT!
It would inevitable drown by the time I had dragged it back to the sunken ship, although scavengers would eye up my prize as I returned back down to the seabed, of course these were mainly Magikarp, Feebas and the occasional Seaking, although a small swarm of Carvanha put me a little uneasy with their presence. Luckily, they were warned off by a passing school of Wailmer, hindering their progress.
The shipwreck was in sight, just a couple more minutes swimming and I would be home. Of course, dragging this Bibarel down with me added time and effort to my journey, but not by a significant length of time. As I travelled, I could not help but think back to the story that I had told to Rascal. Now, I know what you're thinking. Surely, I must be that young, weak Prince that battled with the Dragon. Well, I hate to disappoint you but you're wrong. There are elements of truth surrounding the story, some facts do indeed affect my own existence but not in the way that you think. But that is down to you to figure out on your own, should you wish to do so.
I arrive back at the ship only a couple of hours after putting Rascal to sleep, my prey still intact and now well and truly dead. Curiously, I look around the outside of the ship. Something doesn't seem right. Things seem a lot quieter, the presence of Pokemon much more absent than usual. I can't put my finger/fin on it, but there is definitely something out of place. Tiredly, I let out a yawn. Who cares? So long as I get a good night's sleep, I don't particularly care for what has transpired, so long as Rascal is alright…
That's when a small sense of panic fills me.
Swiftly swimming through the corridors of the shipwreck, I finally arrive at the door to the Captain's Room. It is still closed. I open it slowly, expecting the worst. Much to my relief, Rascal is still sound asleep, undisturbed by my return. I stuff the Bibarel into one of the cupboards for safe-keeping. It will provide a hearty breakfast in the morning, but for now it was time for me to rest. The day had been long and arduous thanks to Rascal, but I could not place the blame entirely on the poor mite.
To end the day, I peer out of the window in a last ditch effort, purely out of wonderment, to try and distinguish the cause of this uneasiness that fills me. I stare out into the abyss, twinkling lights glisten in a long and scattered trail across the ocean like stars in the night's sky.
So captivating… yet paranormal.
I gaze at this image for minutes on end, wondering what could create such a phenomenal view. With the answers unable to be found in my current state, I rest my head on my hands, allowing myself to drift off to sleep, slowly floating away from the window in the surrounding water.
End Of Chapter.