Chapter Seven- Better Feared Than Loved

"What… are you?" Draco interrogated, his eyes wide with shock. The rotund Feraligatr trotted down the staircase, each step causing the wood to creak.

"Can't ya tell?" The Feraligatr chuckled, showing off his array of jagged teeth. "I'm the captain of this here vessel. The Dutchman if ya will." He informed, holding his arms out. "I'm the boss of these folk. Name's Captain Feral!"

"You're a Pokemon!" Mailys gasped, her expression the same as Draco's. "But… how can you talk!?"

"What's the matter? Pokemon can't be like ya humans?" Feral laughed, his grin growing wider. He looked down on them, stroking his massive jowls. "I am pretty special though, I'll give ya that!"

"Should we throw these two in a cell like the others?" Mr. Blythe asked, taking a step back. The Feraligatr approached the duo, kneeling in front of them.

"Go ahead." He snickered, holding is claw to Draco's cheek. "And don't you try anything." He pulled his claw away swiftly, slicing open Draco's cheek. A small red stream trickled down his face. "Understood?"

Draco grimaced at the pirate as he was hoisted up. The group of men and women led him and Mailys down a hatch, taking them away.

"I'll go interrogate the man with the dragon." Blythe informed, bowing before his captain.

"My hearing's pretty sharp. Remember that." Feral threatened, pointing to a slit behind his eyes. "Don't ya try anything either, got it?"

"Sir." Blythe tipped his head, before heading down the hatch himself.

…...

Fafnir awoke in a wooden cell. He lifted himself from the ground, looking around. The cell was made entirely from wood, save for the door, which was metal. He could only see a row of cells beside his and a staircase leading up. A window and a bed sat on one corner of the cell. Captain Wake sat on the bed while his son leaned against the wall. Fafnir rushed over to the window, attempting to pull on the bars.

"Tried that." Indigo informed in an annoyed tone. "We're lucky to even have our shirts."

"Great…" Fafnir grimaced, looking out to the sea. A massive shadow followed, hidden beneath the waves. He was able to make out its shape, realizing that it was a Wailord. "So the sea monster was a Wailord?"

"Honestly, kind of disappointed…" Captain Wake chuckled, a sullen expression scrawled on his face. The three of them shifted to the sound of footsteps. Draco and Mailys were escorted down to the cell.

"Draco. Mailys." Fafnir greeted, averting his gaze. "Sorry."

"It's no problem." Draco smiled as they were forced into the cell as well. Wake sat up as he noticed Draco's bleeding face.

"You alright there, son?" Wake inquired, checking his wounds.

"It's no big deal." Draco disregarded, rubbing his cheek. "Gonna take more than a cut to the face to stop me." He boasted. "But when I see that big scaled freak again, he's gonna wish he did worse!"

"Big… scaled freak?" Fafnir tilted his head, bewildered.

"The talking Feraligatr." Mailys spoke up as she sat next to Wake.

"There's a talking Feraligatr?" Fafnir gawked, curious at the kids' statement.

"Yeah." A man in a red coat spoke up after the rest of the men and women left. He carried a small wooden stool in his arms. "And I wouldn't challenge him, kid. Those jaws of his are quite strong."

"Who are you?" Fafnir interrogated. Another man with a skull bandana stood behind the man in the red coat, writing in a journal.

"I am Douglas Blythe." The man introduced. He turned to gesture to the man behind him, before taking a seat on the stool. "This is- Quit writing!"

"Sorry boss…" The man grimaced, handing the journal to his superior. "It helps calm my nerves…"

"What were you writing?" Fafnir interrupted, prompting the two to face him.

"A… a diary." The man confessed, his face a slight red. "Another crewmate told me to do that every day, back when I first joined. It sorta became a habit."

"It's sadly become a trend amongst my recruits." Blythe groaned, scribbling something in the journal. He held it up to Fafnir while still speaking. "Anyway, this is Fredricks."

Read this.

"Nice to meet you, Fredricks." Fafnir greeted, keeping his eyes on the page. Blythe turned it back around to continue writing.

"Here's your journal." Blythe deceived, while still writing in it. "I don't care what you do with it."

"Thank you, sir." Fredricks played along, leaning back to watch the entrance of the room. "Now I can finish my poem of the day!"

"What's it about?" Fafnir inquired, shifting his weight slightly. The rest of the group remained silent, watching conversation go back and forth.

"My… fear of Sharpedo." Fredricks admitted as Blythe held out the journal.

The lizard has good ears. Don't say anything stupid.

"You're afraid of Sharpedo?" Fafnir snickered as Blythe returned to writing. "An interesting fear."

"Yeah…" Fredricks sighed.

"If only a certain group of sailors didn't use them so often." Blythe growled, glaring at Captain Wake. "Then my greatest man wouldn't be shivering in the middle of a battle."

"Thanks for the information." Wake chortled loudly. "Can I have my pipe back?"

"No." Blythe refused.

My crew revolted once I was defeated by Feral. I want your help.

"You can see why they're scary, right boss?" Fredricks attempted to rationalize.

"No." Blythe repeated, turning to Fafnir. "What about you? What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Fafnir paused. Blythe held out the journal with no sign of pulling it back. "Depends on the situation. They can be pretty cute."

"Maybe…" Fredricks groaned, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry. This was an interrogation wasn't it, boss?"

"Yeah. Get back to writing." Blythe commanded in a stern voice. Fredricks returned to watching the entrance as Blythe wrote more. "Anyway, why were you in the waters?"

"Seems pretty obvious." Fafnir shrugged, crossing his arms. He glanced out to the window for a brief moment. "That Wailord of yours had people pretty spooked."

"Not mine." Blythe informed. "'Captain' Feral has been using it to destroy cargo ships. It's… not a normal Wailord."

If you help me, I can let you go.

"I see." Fafnir nodded in affirmation. "What's so strange about it?"

"It's… stronger than most of its ilk that I've encountered." Blythe informed. "That thing defeated my entire crew before Feral decided to take a piece of my leg." He pointed to his leg, which was bandaged. "That's why I told your boy to watch out for that bite."

"Must've hurt." Fafnir commented. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Yeah." Blythe continued. "You're Fafnir Fang, aren't you?"

I have plan to take care of Feral.

"That's right." Fafnir confirmed. "What of it?"

"Your clan has a lot of treasure, doesn't it?" Blythe inquired. "I'm sure you and Feral could work out an... 'arrangement.'"

"When can we arrange a meeting?" Fafnir questioned.

"I'll get back to you on that." Blythe answered.

My old crew is mostly egged on by Mags, a woman with metal teeth, and Slugg, a man with rotten teeth.

"Any reason you decided to take two kids with you?" Blythe stalled for time.

"There was three." Fafnir corrected.

"Yeah, where's Airi?" Draco interrogated, visibly angry.

"Pink hair. Really loud." Mailys described.

"I couldn't tell you that." Blythe shrugged, before popping his neck. "She most likely drowned. I'm sorry."

Take out Mags and Slugg and the rest of the crew should fall in line. Then we'll overpower Feral.

"That's quite the claim." Fafnir growled. "Nothing's that simple."

"She's… very persistent." Mailys laughed nervously.

"You must have know this Airi very well." Blythe smirked, a confident grin on his face. "Once you spend enough time with someone, you know how they'll react."

"Eh… it was more like a few days." Draco smiled, laughing nervously as well. "Hopefully she's alright…"

"We'll have to see what happens." Fafnir stated, his tone cold and sharp.

"I guess we will." Blythe agreed, getting off of his stool. "How about we go and prepare the meeting?"

"As long as you don't try anything, pirate." Fafnir threatened.

"Don't worry, I won't." Blythe sneered wickedly, handing Fafnir a Pokeball as Fredricks unlocked the cell and placed a satchel inside. He tossed the journal back to Fredricks, before gesturing for Fafnir to follow him. "Now just follow me."

"Alright." Fafnir accepted, following Blythe.

…...

Airi jumped to life, coughing up the water in her lungs. She picked herself up from the ground, surveying her surroundings. She was on a beach that lined a thick forest.

"Fi." A gently cry rang out from the sea behind her. Airi twisted around to face the speaker, a small blue Pokemon. It floated in the sea, revealing its round head and two antenna. "Fi." It spoke once again, before disappearing into the ocean.

"Thanks…?" Airi hesitantly waved goodbye, looking out to the water. She noticed a considerably large wooden boat on the horizon. She looked around her vicinity once again, before throwing her arms up. "Where the heck is everyone!?"

She puffed out her cheeks and began to wander along the shore. Numerous shells and twigs lined the beach, being constantly rotated out by the waves. She paused as the sand became rock, turning to look into the forest. A heavy mist covered it, making visibility near impossible. The stares of thousands of territorial Pokemon pierced through her, forcing her to look away. She looked back to the rocks, noticing an odd patch of green. She stepped onto a large rock in front of her, allowing her to see. The patch of green belonged to a green haired man in his twenties. He sat alone on the rocks, wistfully staring out to the sea.

"Aha!" Airi exclaimed, waving at the man. "Sir! Where are we?"

The man slowly turned to her, revealing his sharp red eyes. He cloaked himself in a long brown coat and a small, darker brown mantle. "Well, this is certainly unexpected." He expressed in a slight deadpan, slowly standing up. "How did you get here?"

"I think a Pokemon saved me." Airi answered, shouting over the sound of waves. "Where are we?"

"This is the Northern Island." The man informed, jumping to her with absolute ease. He was noticeably tall, most likely reaching slightly under six feet. "It's the one north of the mainland, as the name suggests."

"Never heard of it." Airi admitted, putting her hands on her hips. "Anyway to leave?"

"...Possibly." The man shifted his gaze out to the sea. He watched the wooden ship in the distance with mysterious intent. "Depends on what those people do."

"Those are…?" Airi pondered, waving her hand to get the man to answer.

"Pirates." He answered.

"P-pirates!?" Airi panicked, slipping off the rock. She closed her eyes and braced to hit the sand, but instead felt arms beneath her. She opened one eye to look at the stern expression of the man. Airi glanced back to where he was and to where he was now, realizing that he got behind her in a mere second. "You're… really fast!"

"I guess I am." The man sighed, placing her down. "It'll be night soon. There's a little… cottage to the east of here."

"It better not be cramped and icky." Airi growled, crossing her arms.

"Oh certainly not princess." The man scoffed as he began to walk through the forest. Airi hastily followed behind, diligently trying to keep up. "The bed is stuffed with rose petals."

"Oh, haha!" Airi scowled. As they walked through the hazy forest, Airi spoke up once again. "By the way, I know this is random, but what's your name?"

"...Valiance." The man informed, giving her a glance from the side. "And... you are?"

"Airi Tailor!" Airi boasted, taking her pose while walking. "The cutest girl in all of Spes!"

"Heh." Valiance chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. They eventually stopped in front of a small stone cottage with a wooden roof. There were four pillars around the cottage, each seemingly absorbing the mist to clear in the area. Valiance made his way to the front door, pushing it open, before stepping away. "I have things to do. Sleep here. Don't leave."

"Uh…" Airi paused, nervously taking a step back. Valiance let out a brief sigh, rubbing his eyes.

"This isn't a kidnapping." He elaborated, leaning on the wall. "The creatures here won't hesitate to hurt you."

"Creatures?" Airi inquired, tilting her head. "You mean Pokemon?"

"...Yes." Valiance sighed, shaking his head as he began to wander off. "They're not normal. Just stay in the cottage." He flinched as a small beeping noise came from his pocket, prompting him to pull out a small radio. "Mary. The mist is thick. You never warned me of this."

"Oh!" A young woman's voice came through the radio. "I… thought you knew, Valiance! What's going on?"

"...Found a girl." Valiance informed, watching Airi closely. "I'm letting her stay in my cottage."

"I see!" The woman spoke. "Well, don't scare her away, Mr. Scowler!"

"...Anyway." Valiance scowled, curling his lip in annoyance. "I haven't found Big Blue yet. How did you lose such Pokemon anyway?"

"Look! Not everyone can spot a giant, blue, bipedal lizard running away!" The woman snapped.

"I have to go." Valiance groaned, putting the radio away. He turned back to Airi. "I'm a detective of sorts. I hunt down lost Pokemon. My current target is a Feraligatr." He informed, waving once as he turned leave. "I have to get back to my search. Don't leave the cottage."

"...Okay?" Airi reluctantly accepted, watching Valiance as he slowly disappeared into the forest.

…...

Fafnir sat at a small table in what appeared to be the captain's quarters. It was a relatively large room with a king sized bed, a massive cracked window to see out the back, two bookshelves, a long counter filled with miscellaneous baubles, and a small desk with a mirror. The curtains, bed sheets, and walls were all torn up by large claws. The window and floor beneath it were stained by a red substance. Blythe wandered over to a broken picture frame and placed it on the desk, revealing the image of a beautiful brown haired woman. He turned to lean on the wall by the door as loud, thumping footsteps approached from the entrance. Feral forced open the door, nearly ripping it off of its hinges, before letting out a roar.

"Hello there, Dragon Trainer." Feral hissed, beginning to circle around Fafnir. "I've been told that ya want to… negotiate, was it?

"Yes." Fafnir confirmed, watching Feral without flinching. "Perhaps we can come to an agreement for my acquaintances' safeties."

"Oh I'm sure." Feral chuckled, continuing to circle around the room. "Here's what I want. I want yer Pokemon, to eat of course, dragon's are apparently quite tasty. Second, I want yer money."

"...I can provide you with an adequate amount of money." Fafnir informed in a calm voice. "And I'm sure I can provide you with some form of food, not my personal Pokemon of course."

"That's no fun." Feral growled, showing off his massive teeth. Blythe stretched for a moment, stealing a glance out the door. "But, I'll allow that under one circumstance."

"And that would be?" Fafnir questioned, keeping eye contact with the massive lizard.

"Yer wife." Feral snickered, a large grin on his face. "A great man like you must have a pretty nice lady!"

"...I don't have a wife." Fafnir expressed in a slightly somber tone. "And that's all we'll speak of that topic."

"Oh don't be so reserved." Feral commanded, stopping at the desk with a mirror. He reached over to pick up the broken picture frame, running his claw by it. "Blythe's gonna give me this lovely lady in exchange for his life. Surely you'd do the same."

Blythe narrowed his eyes at Feral, his fists tightly clenched.

"I have no interest in speaking of… that topic." Fafnir asserted, tilting his head back and crossing his arms. "I will grant you what I can. I can't grant you something that I don't have."

"Ya just don't know how this works, do ya?" Feral slammed his hand on the desk, shattering the picture, glaring directly at Fafnir. "Ya give me what I want, and I don't kill ya!"

"Once again, I cannot give you something I don't have." Fafnir repeated.

"Cap'n!" A woman with metal teeth ran into the room. Her eyes were wide with panic and confusion. "There's a flare coming from the island!"

"Huh?" Feral gasped, turning to the woman. He stomped out of the room, shoving her out of the way. Blythe and Fafnir quickly marched outside, looking out to the island to the north. A bright red ball of light slowly faded from the night sky, causing Feral to let out an audible snarl, before turning to the crew. "To the island! Now!"