Yo! What's going on, guys! So I know you've had to wait for a bit for this chapter after that cliffhanger but the next chapter is here! On top of that, I have two important announcements!

Announcement 1: Since this quarter will be busy with this difficult research methods class that I'm taking, updates will not be frequent so this is most likely it until Winter Break. I recommend taking your time and enjoying every correctly spelled word of this chapter (because I might've misspelled some words for trying to get this chapter out before I got really busy).

Announcement 2: So thanks to DJTiki we will soon have a Pokemon forum where we can discuss different topics such as our favorite stories, writing tips, and anything Pokemon-related! There will even be a section for topics outside of Pokemon. And guess what? We're going to have a section for creating OCs and another section where you get to roleplay with them! Anyways, the name of this forum is called The Starfield and both myself and Heart of the Anime will be helping DJTiki run the forum as moderators. It'll be up on October 20th, 2015 so be sure to check that out!

Now to respond to some reviews!

reven228: There was no captain. There were five students and two Pokemon on a fishing boat. Not sure what story you were reading, haha.

Martyn: I've seen you write that idea on multiple other review sections. If you're going to make suggestions, make ones that are going to help the story or you're going to make people raise their eyebrows at your suggestion like I did. Not being mean. Just being brutally honest as most of my readers are familiar with how upfront I am.

DJTiki: Well then…I'm going to go throw my laptop away now.

Heart of the Anime: Your prize is lemons ;) He kind of already has angered her already. Twice.

ThePrinceOfLight: No worries, all I ask is for my readers to enjoy this story.

Engraved in Time: Don't worry, I'm on the shipping-wagon too. And it's Sergio/Raven by the way. Not the other way around. Just saying.

Onwards with the chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Sergio's Guilt

It was past curfew when Randy knocked on Professor Cedar's cabin door. He hit his fist against the plaster quickly but softly, fearful of aggravating his employer. The only sounds were the rustling leaves in the wind and the cries of nearby Kricketot and Kricketune.

Finally, the door opened to reveal the tall headmaster standing in a white T-shirt and a pair of plain light blue pajama pants. He did not seem to be tired yet because his eyes did not hold the dullness that came from drowsiness, making Randy feel slightly better. Of course, he was still the bearer of bad news, which was a heavy weight that Aaron had placed on him when the youth informed the R.A. that Sergio and the others had not returned from their trip yet.

"Ah, Randy," Cedar started pleasantly with a hint of curiosity in his voice. It was rare for a resident assistant to visit his office. If students in the dorms caused trouble, the R.A. would just file a report. "What brings you to this side of campus?"

The stout brunette rubbed the back of his head, instantly regretting coming here.

"S-sir, I have alarming news." The dean cocked his head and knitted his brows in confusion. "It appears that some of the students have gotten themselves in deep trouble."

His confusion faded and he let out a heavy sigh, "Yes I know. The police told me about it when she brought them back to campus."

Now Randy was confused and it showed on his face. He had spent the previous ten minutes outside of the dean's residence preparing himself for yelling and crying – the latter would have come from the R.A. himself.

He blinked several times before asking, "So they're back safely now?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, this incident is going to result in more precautious rules around here. We can't let our students wander New Port City with criminals running about."

"New Port City? I was told that they were headed for Moonlight Island."

"The officer found them in the shipyard on Crescent Island. Who did you hear this from?"

"One of the students told me that the group went in a boat to Moonlight Island."

"Group? Officer Jenny only brought back two girls." Professor Cedar raised his voice with concern, "Randy, what are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?"

The ebony man was not in the mood to play games so he forced all of his authority into his voice, "Randy!"

Aw, I knew he'd yell, Randy whined to himself.

After the brunette explained what Aaron had told him, Cedar pressed his thumb and index finger against his temples in frustration. He felt like yelling – loud. Receiving news that two of his students were assaulted was incredibly bad but nothing could be worse than hearing that and that five more could be lost at sea or on an island.

Randy anxiously waited to hear his superior's response, desperately hoping for it to be calm but that was unlikely. Cedar wiped his hand downward against his face and let out a groan. This was all he could do. Yelling wouldn't have helped and his mind was scattered. Right before Randy arrived at his door step, the headmaster had a newly purchased movie in his DVD player and a mug filled with scalding hot chocolate. He had a rather peaceful evening planned out but some things were a little more important than that. Professor Cedar grabbed a coat and his keys before closing the door behind him and passing Randy.

"W-where are you going sir?"

"To my office. I need to make some calls."

Soft hazel eyes slowly flittered open as feeling returned to Kari – bits of sand clung to her wet form. Her hair had been mangled by the uneven waves and left lying wildly on the grainy terrain that she lay on. Olive fingers dug into the sand while the rest of Kari's body lifted off of the ground. Getting onto her knees, she tossed her hair aside as the first step to regaining her vision. The next would be blinking rapidly to escape her daze.

She soon came to realize that she couldn't see anything because it was night time and the only visible object was the moon sitting high up in the sky. She could hear the ocean waves though, and feel the salt water surround her legs with each tide.

It took a moment to sink in but Kari finally came to the conclusion that she washed up on an island. She was grateful to Arceus that she was alive but it did not take long for the panic to settle in. There were so many questions running through her head and fear overcame her thoughts. Fear of being stranded. Fear of her friends being hurt or dead. Fear of Chimchar being–

Kari immediately looked around the area, struggling to see through the intense darkness. The moonlight coming from above was very dim, barely allowing her to see her own hands in front of her.

"Chimchar!" She called – desperation sewed into her voice as it traveled up her dry, burning throat. "Chimchar! If you're around follow my voice!" Her raspy voice began cracking with every syllable she released. "Chimchar!" She started walking in a crouch with her hands on the sand in case her Pokemon's body was lying around nearby. "Chimchar! Please answer me!"

Her hand came in contact with a wet piece of cloth. She grabbed the material to feel it better and explored the body that it belonged to, finding it to be a flannel shirt.

"Alex! Alex is that you?!"

She pushed his body, growing more anxious the longer that he did not respond. After a few seconds of this, she laid him on his back and pressed her ear against his chest and was relieved when her head rose and fell steadily. He was breathing but he was unconscious and Kari had no idea when he would wake up.

It had just dawned on the olive-skinned girl that she had not even seen his face yet. For all she knew this could have been someone else.

Kari tossed a Poke Ball into the air to illuminate the area for enough time to catch a glimpse of the man's face. Fortunately for her, it was the emerald-eyed boy, resting peacefully before her.

She turned her attention to the floating pair of bright red eyes next to her, knowing well that her Misdreavus existed within the darkness.

"Dree?"

"Sorry, I just needed a bit of light to make sure Alex was here."

"Dreavus!"

The ghost-type nodded but Kari couldn't see it. She could tell by Misdreavus' tone that she was giving her consent. A soft breeze passed by, making Kari shiver and reminding her of her current situation.

"This is bad," she said. "Misdreavus, you can see in the dark, right?"

"Dree! Dreavus!"

"I'll take that as a yes. Can you look around the beach to see if Chimchar or any of the others are here?"

"Misdreavus!"

After the Screech Pokemon drifted off along the shore, Kari had nothing to do but sit down next to Alex and endure the zephyrs tickling away at her skin. She just sat there watching the moon and listening to the waves until she felt the water brush up against her ankles so she decided to move Alex away from the oscillating liquid.

The wheels turning in Kari's head had slowed down but they still turned, fueling her mind with questions, worry, and anxiety. She couldn't help it. One of her friends was unconscious and only Arceus knew where the others settled. She could only pray that they all made it out of the shipwreck alive.

The search lights on the rescue ship surveyed the waters from left to right as the vessel swayed over the current. It had to move slowly to prevent overlooking any bodies floating in the water. How would they explain to Professor Cedar that a student died because the boat hit them?

Officer Jenny stood on the main deck, carefully examining the ocean with focused eyes. After two students were almost kidnapped earlier, she was not going to let five more gets eaten by Sharpedo. The cold ocean breeze carried droplets of water and slammed them into her face, but she kept looking at the waters below, not daring to allow a single wave go unseen by her eyes.

"Officer, we've got something!" one of the crewmembers yelled.

She followed his finger to a lone motor boat drifting casually. When the ship neared it, they found two occupants lying unconsciously inside.

Officer Jenny yelled at the workers, "Hurry up and salvage that boat! Make sure those two get up here safely!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Professor Cedar sat in his chair with a robe worn over his pajamas and one of his students right across from him.

The dark man asked, "So where are your classmates, Sergio?"

The silver-haired teen could only look down at the mahogany desk before him as he mumbled, "I don't know."

Pikachu sat on Sergio's lap with a matching expression. He was worried about his trainer and felt absolutely powerless where he was at the moment. Just like Sergio.

"Could you elaborate on that? Because you said that you were still in the water when Pikachu shocked the Gyarados."

"I was…but I woke up and managed to get inside the boat. I was too exhausted to do anything else." His voice was starting to break and gained a rougher tone. "I couldn't even look to see if my friends were okay…"

Cedar assured, "Do not blame yourself. You were still weak and dazed when you awoke so it's only understandable that your body went into survival mode and the most logical action was to get to safety. I'm sure you would've swam all over the ocean to bring your classmates back to the boat if you could have."

Sergio remained silent for a moment before responding, "…I-I was in charge of this trip and I just let everything go wrong. They should all be back in their rooms sleeping soundly right now."

"We're doing everything we possibly can to find them. Whether they're in the ocean or on an island, we'll find them and bring them back safely."

"What if…" He paused and swallowed the oversized lump of saliva in his throat. "What if they're in a Pokemon's stomach?"

"Then I'll cut it open and rip them out myself. Those may be your friends but they're also my students and I have even more responsibility over them than you do. The shame you feel right now is something we both share." Several seconds passed by in which neither headmaster nor student spoke a word until Professor Cedar finally said, "You should get some rest, Sergio. You've had a long day. I'll let you know the status of our search in the morning."

"I don't have my room key. It must've fallen out of my pocket while I was unconscious."

"We keep spares. Normally, the school would charge you for a new one but given the – ahem – circumstances, this one is a courtesy."

The headmaster left Sergio and Pikachu for a few moments before returning with a bronze piece of metal in his hand. He gave it to the silver-haired boy and offered to walk him to his dorm but the adolescent refused, wanting some time alone. Once the administration office was out of view, Sergio dialed Aaron's number on his Holo Caster, thanking Arceus for waterproof technology and his parents for paying a little extra for it.

His first call went to voice mail so he had to dial again and on the fourth ring, a dreary Aaron answered, "Hallo?"

"Hey, Aaron, it's me, Sergio."

"Gio?" Aaron escaped his daze and shouted, "Gio?! Where are you?! Is everyone alright?!"

"Hey! Any louder? I don't think Kalos heard you!" he yelled in a whisper.

"Gio!" he growled.

"We need to talk about that. Meet me in the woods behind Terra Dorm in ten."

Sergio heard the call cut so he knew that Aaron was somewhere between nettled and livid. He'd prepared himself to face Aaron's wrath long before he decided to call him. After collapsing his Holo Caster and putting it away, Sergio walked towards where he and Aaron agreed to meet and after calling his name in a hushed tone a few times, the two boys met.

"Aaron!"

"Sergio! You're okay!" The silver-haired boy felt thick arms wrap around him and his feet lift off the ground as Aaron pulled him into a bear hug that an Ursaring would be jealous of.

Sergio struggled to say, "Y-yeah, I'm okay."

After setting him down, Aaron asked, "I'm relieved. So where are de udders?" Sergio quickly recounted the Gyarados attack and how he shamefully rescued himself as soon as he came to, but Aaron was just as understanding of his need to survive as Professor Cedar was. Aaron was too worried about the rest of his friends to put blame on Sergio. "I know you aren't gonna' just let Cedar handal dis."

"I'd be disappointed in you if you thought otherwise."

Aaron sighed, "So what's de plan?"

"Well I'm sure that things are going to get tighter around here once the sun comes up but we don't have any hope of finding them without any light and none of our Pokemon can provide enough for us to search with. Plus there's the blaring fact that Slowbro can't swim that fast and we don't have any Pokemon faster than your Poliwrath. The search would take forever."

Aaron nodded along to Sergio's train of thought but stopped when something occurred to him.

"Wait, what happened to Cecilia?!"

"Uh, yeah…about that. I'm really sorry but she's got some nasty scrapes on her."

"What?!"

Sergio put his hand over his friend's mouth and whispered, "I'm sorry! You didn't include a 'What to do in case of a Gyarados attack' in your boating guide, you know!"

Aaron was close to strangling him but stopped himself and stated, "Not important raight now. Well what do we do den?"

"I hate to drag others into this but do you think Vera would be willing to let us use her Gyrados?"

"No. Not if she doesn't get to come along. We tokked about goin on a rescue mission earlier and she was kinda excited about it."

"She did realize that the people you guys were going to look for could've been dead, right?"

"I don't know. Dat girl is someting else."

"Tell me about it. I'll give her a call. Hopefully she picks up."

Several rings later, Sergio returned to Aaron and said, "She didn't pick up. She most likely can't hear her phone."

"Well I hate to just leave dem out der but we wouldn't cover much ground."

Sergio bit his lips, anxiety demanding him to fidget while logic advised him to remain calm. He didn't have many options and going out into the ocean to get rescued again wasn't the smartest of ideas.

"I know how you feel. Let's get some rest and at the first crack of dawn, we'll heading out."

"Okay, I'll see ju in a beet."

"Yeah. See ya."

Pikachu lay somberly on his trainer's bed with his ears drooping, eyes distant, and tail lying motionlessly on the messy sheets. Alex hadn't done his bed the previous morning – or any morning for that matter – so Pikachu wanted to leave everything the way the brunette had left it. The boy's scent was strong, hitting the yellow mouse's nostrils harder than a Head Charge from a Bouffalant. Alex was incredibly messy, often leaving clothes hanging about his bed but Pikachu never loved that about him more than at that moment that he took in his master's essence.

Sergio zipped up his hoodie halfway like he normally did and looked over at the depressed Pokemon earnestly. After clipping his holster onto his belt, he reached for his Holo Caster which illuminated the dark room. He found Aaron's number, dialed it, and waited patiently until his friend answered.

"Elo?"

"Hey, are you ready?"

"Ya! Les meet up behind mai dorm again."

"Okay, I'll see you down there."

After ending the call, Sergio walked to the bunk bed and peeked his head over the top mattress, sympathy apparent in his eyes.

He asked Pikachu, "Hey, are you ready to go?"

The little mouse sluggishly turned his head towards Sergio and nodded slowly before standing up and climbing down the latter to trail behind the boy. As they reached the door, a brief ring caught their attention and Sergio felt his pocket vibrate. He found a text from the administration office occupying his screen so he swiped to unlock the device and opened the message. Pikachu watched as Sergio's eyes widened and his form became tense from frustration. He watched him expectantly, waiting for the silver-haired boy to tell him what the message said.

Without looking away from the screen, Sergio read aloud, "Dear students, this is a message from the administration office. As some of you may know, a group of criminals known as the Arachnid Attackers have been kidnapping people and Pokemon on Crescent Island so until further notice, no student is allowed to leave Star Island. The ferry that usually takes students to Crescent Island will not be available and the only boats to come here will be those that bring supplies. Resident assistants will be going to every room to check if the students are there and no student is allowed to leave their room until they have been checked in. Additionally, all students with a registered water-type or flying-type Pokemon must hand in however many of those Pokemon they have in their possession to their resident assistant. Failure to comply with these instructions will result in the minimum penalty of academic probation to the maximum being immediate expulsion."

Sergio never once looked away from the screen or even moved from his spot so neither did Pikachu. He just stood there waiting for the boy to move or say something. The yellow mouse found it odd when he saw Sergio smiling which was soon followed by chuckling, making him cock his head from confusion.

Silver locks wavered slightly with each shake of the boy's head as he said, "Damn it. He was one step ahead of us." The Holo Caster started vibrating again and the screen indicated that Aaron was calling him. "Hey."

"Did you get da message?"

"Yeah, I already read it."

"Cedar knew we would want to look for dem."

"But what he doesn't know is that I don't care what the punishment is. I already failed them once and if there's a chance I could find them, then I won't hesitate to take it. Also, I don't want you to risk your neck if you don't have to so if you don't want to come, I completely understand."

"You really tink dat I would jast leave mai friends out der?" Sergio couldn't help but grin at his friend's response. A knock on the door in front of Sergio interrupted his inner celebration and he was forced to walk deeper into his room and whisper to Aaron, "Hey, I'll call you back right now."

"Okay, mon."

After hanging up, Sergio took a second to think about how he would answer the door. He was clearly dressed for adventure and if a resident assistant or some other faculty was behind that door, they would know about his plans. He tossed his hoodie onto his desk, slipped out of his shoes, and swapped his jeans for a pair of shorts to appear as if he was sleeping. Before he could tell Pikachu to jump onto Alex's bed, the yellow mouse was already climbing the ladder and slipping himself underneath the sheets.

Sergio waited for another set of knocks before lazily walking to the door and with slightly shut eyes answered it, "Hello?"

On the other side stood Randy with a clipboard in one hand and the remaining piece of a glazed donut in the other. He stuffed the last of his treat into his mouth and asked, "Shorry about waking you up, but I'm here foh your Shrowbro." Sergio faked confusion so Randy clarified, "The school just sent out a message saying that we'll be collecting all water and flying-type Pokemon."

Sergio crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway, "I'm a little hurt that Cedar doesn't trust me to stay put."

Randy had just finished swallowing his donut when he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Were you going to?"

"If I was going to leave, I wouldn't be here right now in my jammies. I can't do much more than the police can."

"True, but we can't take any chances, you know?"

"Whatever. Hold on. Let me get Slowbro's Poke Ball."

Sergio returned to the doorway with a Poke Ball in hand and offered it to the R.A. Randy ordered, "Open it."

Grunting, the adolescent summoned his hippopotamus Pokemon which glared at Randy with that dopy look of his, making the plump man uncomfortable.

"Alright, alright, put him away."

Sergio did as he was told and handed the ball over to Randy who then said, "Alright, get some rest."

"Will do."

Sergio shut the door behind him and texted Aaron telling him what just happened and the ebony teen shared a similar experience with his R.A. He soon found himself on a call with Aaron again.

"Damn it! Cedar knew we'd be rational about this and that we would wait until we had light to search for them!"

"Dey wanted to make sure dat we wouldn't be able to get to de island."

"And now we can't even ask Vera to use her Gyarados and come with us because she'll get in trouble for it. Shit!"

Aaron sighed, "I hate to admit it, but we might have to jast let dem handle this."

Sergio was quiet for a long time before he finally took a deep breath and said, "I-I guess you're right."

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"I know you're beating yourself up about dis, but it isn't your fault. Der was no way of knowing dat a Gyarados would be passing by. Der was nothing you could have done to prevent dis. If anyting it's my fault for letting you use my boat. If I had been stingy and overprotective wit mai stuff, you'd all be here."

Sergio recognized the slight joking in his friend's voice, making him feel slightly better, but he still bore a Steelix-sized weight on his shoulders.

"I guess there's nothing left to do right now but get some sleep."

"Ya, we'll tokk latar, okay?"

"Alright. Later."

Sergio haphazardly dropped his Holo Caster onto his mattress and flopped onto it. For the two hours, he stared up at the ceiling without his eyes drooping even for a second. There were too many things going through his mind for that to happen.

The Wingull caws from above resonated in Kari's head, causing her hazel eyes to open slowly. She could finally see her surroundings and the first things she saw were Alex's neck and chest area – up close and personal. She lay there on the sand, held securely in Alex's arms, feeling his chest press against her with every breathe he took. He was rancid with the smell of salt, but his natural musk blended with it, making it easier to handle and almost comforting.

Feeling her cheeks flare, Kari remembered her situation and slipped out of Alex's grasp while trying not to wake him up. She stumbled backwards and landed on her bottom, facing her friend. Her hazel eyes glimmered with relaxation as she watched Alex's tranquil expression.

He didn't wake up at all? What a dope.

"Mis dreavus!"

Kari turned to find her ghost-type floating next to her and responded, "Good morning Misdreavus. I guess I fell asleep. Did you stay up all night watching over us?"

She nodded, "Drea! Drea!"

"I'm sorry. I um…did you find anyone?" Kari took a quick look around before Misdreavus could shake her head (or rather, her body). The olive-skinned girl sighed, "Okay, thank you for everything you've done. You definitely deserve a good rest." Kari recalled the Screech Pokemon into her Poke Ball and stood up from her spot on the sand.

After dusting herself off, Kari decided to scan the area. There was not anyone or anything on the beach other than herself and Alex but as her panorama shifted to the ocean, she noticed that there were islands visible in the distance but more importantly, there was a boat. Salvation! That was their opportunity to get off of the island and back to civilization! Without restraint, she yelled for help and ran as far as she could into the water to give her voice more power.

"Help! We need help!" Her arms moved back and forth of their own volition.

Alex groaned and his face scrunched up before revealing his emerald eyes to the world. He sat up, confused as to why he was on a beach and why his clothes were slightly wet. His ears nudged upon hearing someone yelling and he looked straight ahead at the beach to find Kari flailing her arms wildly above her head.

"Kari!" he called. She whipped around with wide eyes. "What are you doing and where are we?"

The bewilderment on her face changed to excitement as she yelled his name and waved over to him, "Come help me get this ship's attention!" He ran to her with questions left unanswered. When he reached her, he reiterated his question and she responded, "We both washed up on this island."

"Where are the others? Where's Pikachu?!" The heavy question dragged her arms down and her face along with them. The defeated look brought him concern. "What's wrong?" He lifted his head and looked around the area, calling, "Pikachu! Pikachu!"

She walked aimlessly and pushed her tangled locks behind her head as she sighed and said, "I have no idea, Alex. I woke up last night and had my Misdreavus look around for the others but she didn't find anyone." Her breathing accelerated, "I can't even find Chimchar. I don't know what happened to them and I'm really worried."

Alex stopped her mid-pace by placing his hands on her shoulders. As best as he could, he tried to comfort her.

"Kari, everything will be okay. We don't know where the others are but we're okay. We're not hurt and that means we can go and look for them together." He took her by the hand and pulled her towards the sand. "Come on, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can find them!"

His optimism was very much welcome, but Kari resisted his pull and asked, "What about the boat? We need to get their attention so we can get some help." Alex stopped to hear her out. "We can come back to look for them with more help because I'm sure the academy must be searching for us right now."

Alex nodded and said, "Well if you think that's the best thing for us to do, then we should do it. Wait!" He pushed past her and ran further into the water, waving and yelling at the fleeing boat. "No! Come back! Don't leave! Kari, what are we going to do?! What are we going to do?!"

"Alex, you have a Charizard."

"Oh yeah! Good thinking, Kari! Alright, let's go!" He grabbed her by the arm again but met more resistance. "What are you doing?"

"I, um…I think you should go alone and have the boat come for me."

"Why? It'll be quicker if we both ride on Charizard."

"No, no, we'll just slow him down and I don't want to risk him getting tired while we're above water, y-you know?"

Alex looked at her quizzically, "Kari, why are acting so weird?"

"W-weird? What do you mean? I-I'm not acting weird."

Alex continued gazing at her until he finally just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

She raised an eyebrow and responded, "Really, Alex?"

He chuckled, "Oh…right. Well don't touch something that you don't recognize, 'kay?"

"Alex, I'm fourteen, not four."

"Hey, I'm just concerned for my buddy." He lightly punched her arm and she gave him a vexed look in return.

"Alex?"

"Yes?"

"The boat."

"Oh, right!" Deciding not to waste any more time, Alex called forth Charizard, jumped on his back, and sped off after the boat.

Looker stood inside the command deck of the ship with the captain and several crewmen nearby. A map of the Milky Ocean was laid on a table so they could decide where to look next.

The captain anxiously looked at…Looker, whose knitted eyebrows and frown gave him a goofily serious expression. The worry lines on his forehead did not help either. Looker's gaze was unbreakable and his thoughts unreachable until a flying lizard with an adolescent teen on its back passed by yelling wildly to get the ship's occupants' attention. Looker bolted out of the room and looked up at Alex and Charizard who hovered expectantly from above.

"Hey, are you the captain?"

Looker shook his head. "No, that would be that man over there." He pointed at the real captain of the ship but continued, "We are looking for a group of students. Are you one of them?"

"Well I'm pretty sure unless some other students got themselves into trouble." Alex chuckled a bit, "Wouldn't that be crazy?"

You don't know the half of it, Looker thought to himself. "Are any of the other students with you?"

"One is. She's back on that island over there." Looker briefly followed Alex's finger but then returned his attention to the dragon-rider. "I don't know where the others are."

"One of your party members, the boy with silver hair, is safe at the academy."

Alex's eyes widened and his chest felt tight as he failed to find the words to describe his relief. All he could do was croak, "W-were there any Pokemon w-with him?" He could not express his gratitude towards Arceus for allowing Sergio to make it safely back to the island. There was still the question of where Mark, Rafi, Pikachu, and Chimchar were but soon he'd know if two of them were safe and hopefully they were.

His voice was weak but Looker heard him and responded, "Yes, a yellow mouse was found with him inside the boat that you all used to leave the island."

Alex let out a deep exhale, "Oh, that's a load off – wait! Did you say inside the boat?" We were all out of the boat when Pikachu zapped Gyarados. Why would he be inside the boat?

"Yes, it appears that the mouse landed inside the boat and that the boy awoke sometime after you were all left unconscious and entered the boat, yes! That is what he did with the little strength he had!"

W-was he just going to leave us? No, of course not. We must've already been far by the time he woke up. I know he wouldn't just leave us…

Looker noticed the bewildered expression on his face and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah. Um, my friend…can we go rescue her?"

"Yes. Come onboard. After your friend is where we'll go! Captain! Set course!"

He sluggishly responded, "Yes sir."

Anxious. That was the word that Aaron and the others would have used to describe Sergio at the moment. His usually focused onyx eyes were distant and occupied, he kept biting the inside of his lower lip and tapping his foot against the cafeteria floor, and he constantly passed a hand through his silver locks, making it messier and messier every time. He just kept gazing at the entrance hoping for his missing friends to walk right through it and that having a stare-off with the double doors would somehow make his desire come true.

A baby carrot occupied his field of vision, making him back his head away to look directly at it. The carrot was being held by a sun kissed hand that he followed to find a head of blonde hair and calm silver eyes staring right back at him. A sweet smile appeared on Cherilyn's face. That was honestly all she could do for herself and her friends. It was difficult, but she knew that it was necessary to keep them all from bursting through those doors and running straight into the ocean to find the missing students.

"Opening ze fridge multiple times will not make food magically appear."

Sergio looked at her confusedly so Stacy clarified, "Staring at that door is not going to increase the chances of them walking through it." She ever so elegantly pierced a cherry tomato with her fork and popped it into her mouth. She then lifted her napkin and patted her face to cleanse it of any residue.

The silver-haired boy was already accustomed to her proper etiquette so he didn't even pay any mind to it as he responded, "I know but can you blame me for worrying?"

"Of course not," responded Aaron, "We're all worried baht der's nutting we can do about it raight now. Dey took any transportation we could have used to look for dem."

Sergio knew that but that didn't stop him from blaming himself for what had happened. Even his gurgling stomach could not distract his mind long enough to relieve it of any angst. He returned to staring at the door so his friends decided it would be best to just leave him to his devices. They could only try to convince him to ease his mind. He wouldn't actually do it.

Some five minutes later, the door opened, prompting his heartbeat to accelerate regardless of him knowing the probability to all four of his friends walking through that door unscathed was incredibly low. When he saw who walked in, his heart nearly popped out of his chest from pumping so quickly.

His eyes drooped when he saw that it was just a random group of students going to get lunch. It was impossible for him not to get his hopes up.

The silver-haired boy stood up from his seat, prompting Stacy to ask, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to my room. Pikachu's probably hungry."

A sympathetic expression fell upon Cherilyn's face.

"He still won't leave Alex's bed?"

Sergio shook his head, "No, after they took our Pokemon, any hope that he had just…died. I tried picking him up but he shocked me."

"Can I go see him?" the blonde asked.

"Sure."

Cherilyn was taken aback. Sure, Sergio was not a womanizer or a major flirt but he would've made some snarky comment about her wanting to go to his room.

She did not let this show by putting on the best smile that she could and asking, "Would two you like to come along?"

Stacy shook her head, "Vera is on her way so I will wait for her here."

"And I'm not done eating so I'll see you guys latar."

Sergio had already grabbed some fruit and was almost to the door so after saying her goodbyes, Cherilyn pursued the silver-haired boy so that she wouldn't be left behind. The walk back to the dorms was strangely quiet with the blonde trying multiple times to bring up a subject that the two could talk about. Sergio would give her short responses and the conversations would instantly turn into dead ends.

When they finally reached Sergio's room, the researcher dug his tanned hand into his pocket and grabbed the keys inside. As he pulled them out, his hand shook uncontrollably which only raised Cherilyn's concern for him. She watched as he searched for the key with one hand until he finally held it between his thumb and index finger. His stand was still shaky as he tried inserting it into the door handle, missing a couple times before suddenly dropping the keys and slamming his fist against the door.

"S-Sergio…" He pressed his head against the door and his body began trembling. "Sergio, what's wrong?"

His voice was shaky and barely audible, "I-I can't go inside."

"Why not?"

"How can I face that hurting Pokemon when I'm the reason his trainer is nowhere to be found."

"Sergio…" she raised her hand but hesitated in touching him. She couldn't decide whether trying to comfort him would help or worsen the situation. Sergio was clearly feeling guilt and he was harboring it all despite understanding that there was no way of him knowing that his departure to Moonlight Island would result in this.

"Sergio! Cherilyn!"

Sergio's onyx eyes snapped open and he slowly turned to the approaching brunette sporting that signature goofy grin of his. The silver-head's body trembled and he struggled to speak while the blonde had no control of hers as she blurted out "Alex" and ran towards him. The brunette was not expecting the tiny blonde to literally jump into his arms and hold him tightly. After the shock subsided, Alex found himself standing with Cherilyn's face buried into his chest and her arms wrapped around his torso. His arms slowly lifted and eventually wound themselves around her petite frame.

"I'm so glad you're okay…" she muttered into his shirt.

His head cocked backwards and he asked, "C-Cherilyn…you were worried about me?"

Cherilyn pulled herself away from him, placed her hands on her hips, and yelled, "Of course I was! You could've been dead! How could I just go on about my day knowing my friends were in danger?!"

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Still…" his cheery mood was broken. "Some of our friends are lost."

"Well Kari's back in her room right now and Sergio…" he looked up at his roommate with an unreadable expression.

Sergio looked back at him but found it difficult to maintain eye contact.

Suddenly, Alex smiled and approached the violet boy, "It looks like you're okay too, buddy!"

"A-Alex…" He clenched his fists and hugged the younger boy who returned the gesture. As they parted, Sergio said, "I'm relieved to see you and to hear that Kari's okay."

"Me too. Now it's only a matter of time before they find Mark and Rafi!"

Sergio smiled solemnly. His friend's optimism was welcomed and, to a degree, needed because it was something difficult to have at the moment and somehow here he was with the upmost confidence that everything would turn out okay for everyone and that they would get a happy ending.

"So where's Pikachu?"

Sergio pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and responded, "In our room. He's been worried about you."

Alex grinned, "I've been worried about him too."

After picking up his keys, Sergio was once again faced with the dark green door. Knowing that Alex was okay gave him the strength to insert the key and unlock the previously unconquerable obstacle. He pushed the door open to find Pikachu right behind. He must've been curious as to what slammed against the door before.

The yellow mouse stood on all fours with his tail firmly held high. This was Pikachu's signature battle position but upon seeing his trainer, he dropped his guard.

"Pikachu!" Alex opened his arms for the little mouse to jump into them and embraced his Pokemon.

Sergio and Cherilyn couldn't help but smile at such a beautiful sight as a trainer and his Pokemon reuniting.

"Hey guys, I'm starved! Are they still serving lunch?"

The others laughed and Sergio responded, "Yeah, you can still get food. Pikachu, I brought you some food." He held up the fruit in his hand for Alex to take.

"Thanks Sergio! Let's go much on this downstairs. Okay, buddy?"

"Pika!" he cheered enthusiastically.

Raven walked into the lobby of the Aqua Dorm – her mind preoccupied. She had tried to forget about the events of the previous day but everywhere she went on campus, students were talking about the new rules on campus and how no one was allowed to leave. They would all throw out their speculations, some of which were pretty close, but Raven would smile at the irony that she knew the reason for the lockdown. Or at least she thought she knew.

As she approached the elevator, she noticed Kari waiting patiently in front of it. Raven found it odd that her hair was tangled and her clothes looked damp.

Paying no mind to it, she said, "Hey Kari."

The girl turned to her with tired eyes, further befuddling Raven.

"You look like shit." The bluenette stated bluntly. "What happened?"

Kari shook her head, "It's a long story." Raven could tell by her tone.

She took a moment to examine the olive-skinned girl, remembering that she and the others were supposed to go to go on an excursion the day before.

"Wait did you guys barely get back from Moon-whatever Island?"

Kari was taken aback by how quickly Raven caught on. She looked around the lobby, taking note that there were students around.

"Like I said, it's a long story. But…do you want to hear it?"

With a shrug, she responded, "I'm not doing anything else right now."

"But not here."

Raven confusedly replied, "…Okay?"

The elevator doors slid open and students shuffled out of it with Kirsty among them. The black-haired girl immediately noticed Kari and the condition she was in and without subtlety, criticized, "Oh look who decided to show up. Why weren't you in the room last night? Out with those boys? I wonder why," she said sarcastically implying that Kari would do perverted things with them. "Not that it matters because I finally got some peace and quiet!" The Sentret on her shoulder merely nodded her agreement.

All Kari said was, "Kirsty. Shut up."

"I don't have to shut up if I don't want to." The short girl's mouth fired off rounds of words and sentences so after sharing a look, Kari and Raven turned to grab Kirsty and push her back into the elevator. "Unhand me you peasants! Don't make me call the cops!" Sentret protested along with her trainer but did not do anything to stop the other girls.

"Nothing to see here folks," Raven said before the elevator doors shut closed, leaving the other students confused.

Kari took Kirsty and Raven back to her room and explained what had happened the day before. After hearing the story, Raven understood that the lockdown was more in response to the shipwreck incident than her situation.

While filing her nails, Kirsty scornfully said, "Why couldn't that Gyarados just eat you?"

"Hey Kirsty," Raven started.

"What?!" she snapped.

"Do you think you could not be a bitch for thirty seconds or is your mouth not programmed to stay shut for that long?"

"Hey, I'm pretty sure she was going on and on with her boring story for more than thirty seconds and did I interrupt her?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Multiple times," Kari added.

Kirsty simply crossed her arms and huffed.

Ignoring her, Raven asked, "So no one knows where Mark and Rafi are?"

"No. Thankfully, Alex and I wound up on the same island and Sergio and Pikachu were found in the boat we left this island with."

"How did he get on the boat?" Raven asked.

"I'm not sure. I could've sworn that he was in the water with the rest of us."

"He probably just did the smart thing and saved himself," Kirsty said.

Sentret nodded, "Tret, tret."

Kari adamantly denied, "Sergio wouldn't do that."

"I know he's your friend, Kari," Raven started, "But if he was in the water when you all passed out, what was he doing in the boat? He couldn't have been that far from it when he woke up which meant none of you could've drifted that far away. He could've at least tried to get someone onto the boat."

The seeds of doubt were being planted inside Kari's head but even though logic was telling her that Sergio tried to leave them, her faith would not let her believe it.

The room was silent for a few moments until Kirsty placed her filer on her night stand, hopped off of her bed, and said, "Well I need to eat now, so bye."

As she passed by Kari, the brunette grabbed her thin wrist and sternly said, "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Uh, what did I say about touching me?"

"Kirsty."

Kari's steely gaze got the message across to the short girl.

"Ugh," she threw her head back, "fiiiiiine. Just let go of me." She ripped her arm out of Kari's grasp and asked herself, "Where did I leave my hand sanitizer?"

"Go to the mess hall," Raven said.

"Uh, why would it be there?"

"No. Go eat, wait a few hours when you have to go to the restroom, turn around when you're done, and it'll be right there."

Kirsty looked at her with disgust and said, "You know, you two animals would be friends. Speaking of which, where's that little monkey that's always with you?"

Kari's gaze fell and her form became rigid as she shakily said, "Just go eat."

Violet eyes widened slightly from understanding but she quickly regained her egocentric attitude and strutted out of the room.

Raven gave Kari a bit of time before asking, "So what happens now?"

"We wait and hope Chimchar, Mark, and Rafi are okay."

The bluenette just nodded apprehensively.

He was in complete darkness – the void where nothing existed. He felt cold and it was difficult for him to breathe. Why was it so hard to breathe? It was almost as if he was lacking oxygen. He never had asthma so then why did it hurt to inhale?

Voices. There were muffled voices nearby but he could not hear what they were saying. He could not even identify if they were speaking his language. At this point, any sound was foreign.

Suddenly, the void was not so dark and he could feel. He could feel the air rushing into his nostrils when he breathed and the softness of a mattress underneath him. His clothes felt heavy and slightly cold as if they had been wet some time ago.

Then he felt himself regain control of his body. A small slit of light broke through the darkness as his crimson irises were exposed to the outside world. He was blinded by the brightness until his eyes brought the sight into focus. He was looking directly upward at a rectangular light source surrounded by gray tiles.

"Guys, I think he's waking up," said a feminine voice. To his relief, they spoke his tongue. Soon, a figure appeared above him, outlined by the ceiling lights. "Are you okay?"

He could make out some of her features. Her dark hair, bronze tan, and…red eyes.

All he could mutter was, "S-Sarah?"

Yup! Cliffhanger! So some of you guys who read Pokemon Academy probably just had a heart attack when you read that last word. Rest assured, all will be answered in the next chapter. So what did you guys think about the aftermath of the shipwreck and its repercussions? What about the interactions between different characters that I showcased in this chapter?

QOTD: Another author on here, DJTiki, and I communicate with each other frequently and we've found that we both watch the UCL on YouTube so I'd like to know, who else watches it? For those of you who don't know, the UCL is a Pokemon League created by a bunch of YouTubers who happen to be friends with each other and they basically make their draft picks at the beginning of a season like in professional sports and battle it out for several weeks to get into the playoffs and at the end, one team will be the winner. There are other, more competitive, leagues but this one is mostly for fun because the battles are between friends (fans can take it a little too far though).

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review about what you liked or didn't like or what I can work on or you can also leave a question or answer the QOTD. Until next time! Legacy, out!