CHAPTER 33

The group dragged the raft ashore and carefully examined the small island, making sure it was indeed safe before settling there and setting up camp. The Pokémon quickly began to pitch their tents, with the exception of Gallade, who decided to look over the island a bit more before pitching his own.

Rylan had managed to set up his tent effortlessly, something he had never been able to do before now despite all of the instruction from Vulpix. As Vulpix looked over at Rylans' tent, she gave her friend a smile.

"Looks great!" she said. "You've really gotten the hang of it!"

Rylan smiled back. "Heh… Thank you," he chuckled.

"I still can't figure this out," said Zorian as he struggled with his tent. He looked at Rylan's tent and laughed. "Perhaps you should be teaching me how to do something for once, bro."

"Alright," laughed Rylan. He walked over to Zorian's mess of a tent and attempted to fix it.

Vulpix sighed and smiled, feeling much delight from seeing Rylan and Zorian having a good time with each other.

"Hey, Vulpix," said a voice. Vulpix turned and saw Nidoran sitting nearby.

"Oh, hello, Nidoran. What's going on?" Vulpix asked.

"Not much, really…" Nidoran replied. "I just wanted to ask you something, if it's all right."

"You can ask me anything," said Vulpix.

"When I told Rylan I was interested in him, I really meant it," Nidoran said. "You know him better than I do, though. Do you think he would be interested in me?"

"To be honest," Vulpix replied, "Rylan is…an odd one. I wanted him to join our team because I could tell he had a kind soul deep down, but as far as what he likes, what he tends to think about everyone…I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea."

"I'm not too worried," said Nidoran. "If he isn't interested, I'll understand."

"If you want my opinion," said Vulpix, "I don't think he would be interested in you."

Nidoran tilted her head. "Vulpix, that's…unlike you. I've never heard you say something like that. You're usually sweet and supportive."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to come off as rude," Vulpix said. "You have to think about this. Rylan used to be human, and I doubt he's going to think Pokémon are attractive."

Nidoran sighed. "You're probably right. I shouldn't get my hopes up."

Vulpix stood up, walked over to Nidoran, and sat back down next to her. "Don't feel so down about it," she said.

"If you don't mind me asking," said Nidoran, "how do you feel about Rylan?"

Vulpix looked down at the ground, pawing at the sand softly. "I…well… I like Rylan. He's very trustworthy and dependable. Seeing the way he acts around his brother, I like being able to see his more loving side."

"Are you interested in him like I am?" Nidoran asked. "I'm not jealous, I'm just curious."

Vulpix blushed. "Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little interested," she admitted. "It's hard not to like him."

"Then it must take a lot for you to admit to yourself that Rylan is off-limits," said Nidoran.

"Yeah, it does," Vulpix replied.

A few feet away, with his head protruding from the opening to his tent, Buizel had heard Vulpix and Nidoran talking, and had listened to their conversation. Upon hearing what Vulpix had to say in response to Nidoran's question, his heart sank and he retreated back into his tent. He did not like Rylan at all, and felt rather hurt and jealous that Vulpix had feelings for him.

Buizel shook his head, trying to shove aside his jealousy. Rylan was his teammate, first and foremost, and he knew he had to cooperate with him.

Outside, Rylan had just finished helping Zorian set up his tent. Zorian stood back and looked it over, smiling at the finished product.

"A masterpiece!" he chuckled. "I shall take pride in this accomplishment forever!"

"You?" Rylan smirked. "I did most of the work."

"Oh, you're always ruining my fun," Zorian laughed, prodding his brother playfully on the shoulder.

Gallade had returned from his walk around the island. He sat down near the campsite and started to set up his tent.

"Where have you been all this time?" Wingull asked.

"I found some food on this island," said Gallade, "so I decided to stock up and replace what we've consumed today. There doesn't seem to be any signs of danger, and we're the only Pokémon on this island. I'm positive that this will be a safe place to rest tonight."

Everyone who was listening nodded. Gallade looked over at Rylan and Zorian, who were talking and laughing.

"You two are awfully cheery," he said.

Zorian looked over at Gallade. "Well, you know…" he started. "Sure, the world's in trouble and all, but we can't let that get our spirits down. If we don't have morale, we won't make it far."

"He's right," said Rylan. "I have friends I can trust, and now I have family with me… Nah, forget that. You're all my family, and I trust everyone here. We've got each other's backs, right?"

Gallade laughed silently. "You remind me so much of the Guildmaster right now. He always used to say something along those lines during every mission he and I went on together." He stood up and stretched. "Of course we have each other's backs. That's something to feel confident about. I know we'll see this task through if we all combine our efforts."

Zorian gave Rylan an odd look and scratched the back of his head. He never would have expected Rylan to refer to the other Pokémon as family.

Gallade looked up at the sky. "It is getting quite late now. We should sleep."

"Good idea," said Zorian.

"Bedtime, everyone!" Gallade called out to everyone. He then yawned and crawled into his tent to sleep.

Everyone followed suit, entering their own tents and relaxing, waiting for sleep to come. As Rylan entered his tent to lay down, he started to think about the next day and what might happen. He wondered what Kyogre was like and hoped that the legendary Pokémon of the sea would be able to help.

The time he spent with Zorian that evening had definitely lifted his spirits and renewed his confidence. He smiled as he closed his eyes to rest, happy to be with everyone on this journey.

The soft sound of the ocean waves helped ease the Pokémon into a comfortable slumber.

Rylan woke up the following morning feeling his arm strength renewed. He opened his pack to grab a couple of things to eat, then proceeded to exit and disassemble his tent.

Buizel and Gallade had woken up before he did and were already working on putting away their tents. As soon as Rylan finished his own, the other Pokémon woke up and got to work on their tents. Zorian, of course, needed help with his tent, and Rylan was more than willing to assist him.

"So, then," said Gallade, "if everyone is ready, let's keep going."

The Pokémon carefully pushed their raft back out to sea and resumed the same positions as before; Wingull took to the air, Buizel jumped into the water, and Gallade and Rylan situated themselves on separate ends of the raft to propel it through the ocean.