My reviewers make me smile. I'm sorry I'm giving you a filler chappie, though. Not only that, but this has been edited only minimally, so... there're probably errors in places.

Random Visitor Girl: I'm an evil author like that, mwa ha ha ha.

FireMightyena: Ha ha, thanks for the praise, I really don't deserve it. Also your speculating was very enjoyable to read, I'm glad you can see it! My next update is now, sorry for not PM-ing you – I'm just never sure when I update, it's sporadic at best.

pokefan113: Hhhng, you are so kind friend, your lavish praise is so wonderful and I feel almost guilty because it's like I'm fishing for compliments. But yes, I need to get this done so I can focus on A Question of Faith, and once that's done, neeeeew project! Whooooo~

Whismur Publishing House: You will always be VP to me, WPH, just saying. But don't argue about Maxie and Archie, I needed them in the same place for reasons, and it will work out (read: it will not work at all) in the end and then it will make sense (read: it will not)!

Namine Rose25: Thank you! :D I've been practicing with capturing personalities for a long time, and it's wonderful to see that it shows!

CrimsonSnowScarletFate: The end was the easiest part to write, and I still don't know how it came to me so quickly.

PokeCritic: Thank you very much~ :) Only one ship is sailing in this fic for certain, and that is Franticshipping – you'll have to search elsewhere to find other ships, I'm afraid! Maybe one day, though.

Gems of Amber: *shrieks loudly* THANK YOU I AM SO FLATTERED THIS IS THE FIRST STORY YOU REVIEWED THANK YOU THANK YOU HAVE A HEART EXCEPT FANFICTION DOESN'T LET THE LESS THAN SIGN BE USED (I'm sorry, I'm hyper).

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but I own the plot.

"Wingulls!"

Emerald's sharp cry was held all across the deck, and everyone paused in their work to look up into the sky. Indeed, a flock of Wingull and Pelliper were coasting high above their heads; Ruby had never seen a more beautiful sight, because those very same birds meant that solid ground – civilization – was nearby. A cry of pure happiness came from somewhere, and he turned to see Gold fall to his knees, then right onto his front, as Crystal pursed her lips some distance away, unimpressed.

Someone walked past him with a swish of light fabric, and then Black's arm swept out in an arc as he sidled past him and shouted, "Prepare for docking!" Ruby wished he knew how to get back into the boatswain's good graces, but the brunet had been acting distant and had gone out of his way to avoid the Hoenn native after his – prophecy of sorts. He couldn't blame the Unovian, but at the same time, it had been five days since then, and he'd been hoping for some closure.

In any case, he hurried to go about his duties, meeting up with Pearl to climb up the ratlines with a grace and speed that had developed over his short time on the crew. Together they brought the full sail down to half, and then threaded their arms through the lines, swinging slightly in the breeze. They were to wait for the call to pull up the sails entirely, so the ship would cease movement completely, and Black would tell them when it was time.

"These things hurt," Pearl complained, his voice carrying easily over to Ruby due to the slight breeze. Indeed, the ratlines had been mostly salvageable, though some had to be replaced with the braided fibers they'd made on the deserted island. The material was smooth to the touch, but stray fibers would poke and often cut their hands and bare feet. "I'll be glad to get actual rope."

Ruby murmured assent with a quiet "me too" as he cast his eyes across the landscape. They were near Vermillion City, so it seemed, and Emerald had already replaced the Jolly Roger flag with a noncommittal white one instead, so they should theoretically be fine. However, Sapphire didn't want to take any chances, and as such Silver had traced a path where they could dock in a secluded lagoon instead. He could just make out the edges of it from here, and he pointed this out to Pearl, who grinned widely at nothing in particular.

"I'll be glad to be on solid land again," he said with a laugh, and it was so infectious that Ruby could not help but smile in return.

A bellow sounded from below them. "Pearl! Ruby!"

The two scrambled to get back to work, the two managing to get the sails all the way up. The Water-type Pokemon below on deck blasted water into the ocean to slow the Zaffiro down, Zuzu among them, and soon enough the sloop lowered anchor in a small, quiet indent, protected from the ocean's winds but close enough to easily return to its expansive waters. The two then shimmied down the ratlines as quickly as possible, earning a few cuts along the way. Who knew ropes could be such a luxury?

Once Ruby's feet hit the deck, Pearl's echoing just a heartbeat after him, Sapphire appeared from essentially nowhere, and gestured for him and several others to come over. "You're to scout for information on a ship, people's families, and purchase food if possible," she said, resting her eyes on the five people gathered around her with equal intensity, even on him. "Platina, Dia, and Bianca, I want you to focus on the food portion, but keep an ear out for the others. Blue, you do the usual. And Ruby – you're on spy duty."

The why me? didn't even have time to escape his lips before she was jabbing his chest with a finger and saying, "You're the stealthiest out of all of us, plus you don't bring as much attention to yourself with a small Pokemon like Zuzu. Don't argue." He closed his mouth at that and rolled his eyes when Blue giggled, probably at some aspect of his relationship with the girl captain again, and Sapphire's cheeks flushed a furious red as she scowled at the older Kanto native.

He called Zuzu to him with a snap of his fingers, as Blue, Platina, Dia and Bianca returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and together the five of them carefully slipped down the sloop's sides with the ropes hanging off of its worn hull, landing in the water with a splash and swimming and wading to shore. They didn't spare anytime wringing out their clothes, much to Ruby's chagrin, and immediately set forth towards the city.

Upon arriving close enough to hear the collective noise of the crowded town, Blue looked back and nodded; the five then split into two different groups, with Ruby and Blue in one and the other three in the other. The pair made their way to a different, smaller entrance to the city while the others entered through the main one; they darted in with little fanfare and, once well within the city's boundaries, Blue bid farewell to him with a small tap on the shoulder and a sly smile. Before he could even blink she was gone, blending in with the nearby buildings as if she were one with the shadows.

Time to get to work, he thought, and with Zuzu sitting primly on his shoulder, he began to make his way to the center of town, his steps light and his breathing quiet. He hated how he slipped into a stealthy positioning nigh instantaneously, having had much practice back at the estate in Petalburg. Back when his father was in control of his life.

He refused to let the man's image flash across his mind, and though Zuzu chirped at him, concerned at his master's sudden change in disposition, Ruby continued onward, merely gritting his teeth slightly at the thought. There was no reason to worry about his father, he told himself as he neared the town's city square. He wouldn't find him, and he wouldn't worry about him, there was in fact no reason that he would be anywhere near here, as Vermillion City was in an entirely different region than Petalburg City was –

As he slipped into the afternoon crowd of Vermillion's public square, however, the barest of whispers brushed past his ear: Gym Leader… Petalburg… Ruby's lip curled in a scowl, and even Zuzu tensed slightly from his position on his master's shoulder. There was no reason he was here, Ruby insisted once again to himself, as he roamed the streets, waiting for a gaggle of people that were conveniently close to a hidden spot where he could eavesdrop. He found one presently and tucked himself around a corner, Zuzu leaping from his shoulder to sit quietly at his feet.

When he heard what they were talking about, his bones slowly turned to stone and his blood to ice.

" – the Petalburg Gym Leader?"

"Yeah. They say that he's gone missing, right?"

"But his mansion hasn't been completely remodeled yet from the fire, though! Where would he go?"

"Maybe he went to find his son." Ruby swallowed hard and willed himself to stay completely still – not that he could move a muscle if he tried.

"I doubt it," the first speaker said, his tone almost condescending. "It's been over a couple of weeks since then."

Another snapped back, "That doesn't explain where he's gone, though."

"I can tell you." The new voice is authoritative and deep, and the others' hush as it continues on. Ruby felt it run chills down his spine, and he could barely feel Zuzu nuzzling his ankle in concern. "The pirates on the Ingenium got him." A series of gasps filled the air, and Ruby felt the blood drain out of his face, as the person continued, "They let Petalburg a few days ago; I saw their ship sail due south with its black, tattered sails."

The conversation then moved into ships and sails, but Ruby was unable to hear them. Instead, he slowly sank down to a crouch, his back pressed against the wall, his eyes wide and unseeing. Zuzu pawed his knee with one of his forelegs, letting out worried little squeaks all the while, and Ruby mechanically picked him up and stroked the lithe Mudkip, his fingers shaking uncontrollably.

Deep breaths, a voice said in his mind, the logical part, and he obeyed, breathing in deeply through his nose and exhaling carefully through his mouth. He repeated the procedure a few times, waiting to regain the feeling in his body and for his blood and face to warm, his hand running up and down his Pokemon's back all the while. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall over, he shakily rose to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall for support.

Then without a word, he turned his back on the busy town square, slowly making his way out of the alley, past the Gym, past the officers patrolling the city, and out of the town the same way he'd come in.

When he clambered back on board sometime later, having gotten lost briefly in the woods, he hit the deck hard and immediately went up the ratlines, barely pausing when Yellow called his name. He went a fair distance, out of theoretical earshot, and dangled from the ropes, looping his elbows through the squares and digging his heels into the bottom of the twine. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall to his death, he ran everything he had heard through his head.

The first thought in his head was Dad's been kidnapped by the pirates on the Ingenium – not a bad start. Not to mention he had a vague location of where the ship was, which was helpful in the fact that Sapphire wanted to find it. They both wanted to find it, since they both knew that the one who'd scarred their childhood and changed their life forever was the captain of that very same ship.

He needed to tell Sapphire, but his heart felt so heavy he could barely get himself to move from where he was. Instead, he cast his eyes toward the horizon, the visible portion of the sea from the lagoon, and watched the orange colors swirl with the pale clouds and the darker sky, a palette he'd never really enjoyed until he'd been able to see a sunrise high up on the crow's nest.

He jumped when someone began to climb the ropes, shaking them slightly as they did so, and he easily flipped himself around and pulled himself higher until he had come up to one of the upper decks, below the crow's nest but still relatively high. There he sat on the edge as the other person came into view, and he wasn't surprised to see it was Sapphire.

"You all right?" she asked as she easily pulled herself up besides him. Almost unconsciously they both leaned into each other, shoulders touching, heads close together but not touching, and with a noticeable hesitation she took his hand in hers.

"Yeah."

"Liar."

He looked over at her, red eyes slightly narrowed, brow furrowed. She was staring right back, blue eyes wide and full of innocence, and then she added, "Did you learn anything?"

Suddenly his tongue felt like a giant stone in his mouth, and it was so hard for him to form the simple word of assent. Eventually, though, it worked itself out of his mouth, and he said, "Yes."

"Elaborate, then."

Once he got started, it wasn't hard at all. He relayed what he'd learned about his father with only a hiccup here and there, and her fingers tightened around his when he told her about where the Ingenium was located. He felt drained afterwards, as if he'd run a thousand miles, though he had no idea why; it had been a short story, and it hadn't been too difficult to tell it to her.

"You wanna tell the rest of 'em or should I?" She was looking at him with a hyper-focused gaze, her eyes as blue and deep as the sea itself, and without really meaning to his free hand rose up and his fingers lightly dusted her cheek. She leaned into his touch, just ever so slightly, and then she added, "I'll do it. You look a little frazzled right now."

"Thanks." The word was barely audible, and she nodded in understanding. He barely registered her brief but tight hug before she made her way back down the ratlines, going by so quickly she was on deck in mere seconds. He watched from his perch as she called the crew members together, and as she conveyed the message he saw a few of them look up at him, Yellow specifically in concern.

He would talk to them later. For now, he allowed himself to fall flat on his back, his knees still hanging over the edge, and stared up at the rapidly-darkening sky. It was going to be a long night.

LOOK HOW SHORT THIS THING IS. FILLER CHAPTER, INDEED. There will be more action next time around!