Yes! Yes indeed! It's time for… the return of the Tranquility!
Spoilers aside… I really have nothing else to say for the moment. Oh well, let's continue the story!
-.-.-.-.-.
The chamber doors opened with a *bang*. Stellar screamed in shock and dropped his teacup on the ground. The fragile cup shattered and spilled tea all over the floor.
It was Team Sunburst that stood in the doorway again, shadowed by the light that spilled into the otherwise dimly-lit chamber. Grace the Espeon looked distraught, Rex the Tyranitar looked grim, and Basil the Serperior looked vaguely troubled. All three of them looked like they regretted coming here.
The Jirachi calmed down after taking a deep breath and looked at the Platinum-ranked rescue team with a slight glare in his eyes. "Honestly, have you three ever heard of 'knocking'?" he asked with a surprising amount of sarcasm.
Basil pointed with his tail toward Rex and stated flatly, "He suggested it."
Rex snarled and pointed accusingly at his teammate. "And you went along with it," he replied.
The serpent drew himself up to his full height. "Not exactly," he replied with dignity. "If you recall, I made a passionate disagreement regarding the matter just a few short minutes ago. Unless the blow to your skull that accompanied it addled your already smaller-than-average brain." He smirked smugly as Rex stomped toward him, looking ready to explode.
"Will you stop your bickering?" demanded Grace, pushing them apart with Psychic. "I've seen Zweilous that got along better than the two of you!" The two huge reptiles shot each other a glare before standing quietly behind their leader once more.
"What is this all about?" Stellar asked before they could get into another verbal conflict. "Whenever you guys barge in and argue amongst yourselves like this, there's usually a reason for it."
The Espeon started to bow, but checked herself and stopped. "My – ahem. Stellar, we have several pieces of bad news that deeply concern the Guardians, and require your knowledge."
The Jirachi sighed heavily. "Ugh, you're always the same," he grumbled. "You march in here and start arguing, and then say that you have bad news. Can't you ever open with a friendly hello or even a joke once in a while?"
Rex shrugged. "Sorry, sir," he rumbled. "I don't know any good jokes." The reply he got came from Basil, who muttered, "That's because you have no sense of humor."
The Tyranitar heard and whirled on his comrade again, but this time Grace was quicker. She used Psychic to lift the two of them off their feet and position them upside-down. "Can we go through with our report now?" Grace asked them, shaking them a little bit.
"I talk better on my proverbial feet," Basil shot back, his white face coloring pink.
"I talk better on my literal ones," Rex replied.
Sighing, Grace put them down gently before turning back to an, indeed, amused Stellar. "Never mind," he snickered. "You guys are pretty good comic relief."
Not sure how to take this remark, the three Pokemon shrugged. Grace took a deep breath and began her report. "Stellar, we have two pieces of bad news for you. Rex and Basil have heard rumors that trade between Arthropod City and Desert Outpost is down."
The Serperior slithered forward and nodded. "That is indeed the case," he confirmed grimly. "Of course, they're only rumors, but we can't take any chances considering how valuable the two Factions are. Not to mention the lives that could be lost. Anyway, and I only heard this today, there's another rumor circulating that it is the Life Stealers that are behind it."
Grace and Rex blinked in surprise. Stellar's eyes widened. "Alright, that is pretty bad news," he admitted. "What's the other part of your report?"
Team Sunburst exchanged glances, and the Jirachi king could immediately tell that it was not good.
Hesitantly, Grace opened her mouth to speak, but paused. She was unsure if the young king should hear this. But she steeled herself and tried to force the words out of her mouth. After all, Stellar was their king, and he could certainly make good decisions.
"To be honest, I'm not sure if relaying this to you is a good idea," the Espeon admitted. "It's… well, it's even worse than what we just told you."
Stellar gulped, but forced himself to be brave. "This doesn't have anything to do with the Shards, does it?" he asked timidly. "Have the Raiders or the Darkfeathers gotten their hands on any more of them?"
Grace smiled at the child's worry. "No," she said. "It isn't as bad as that. But it's close."
Screwing up his courage, Stellar motioned for her to go on.
She took a deep breath, and let the words out slowly. "Our rescue teams in the Town of Peace haven't come back," she said, hating herself for every syllable. "When we sent out Team Searchers and Team Ice Age to find out what had happened, we tried to expect the worst. But it was worse" – here she swallowed thickly – "than anything we could have imagined. D-Diamond Island has sunk beneath the western ocean."
There was immediate silence.
Stellar's eyes were as wide as a Patrat's. He just hung there in the air, motionless and speechless. He seemed too shocked to speak. Grace was about to ask if he was alright when she got her answer.
The Jirachi blasted into the absolute worst panic attack they had ever seen.
It actually would have been hilarious if it wasn't so worrying. Stellar whirled around the room like a little yellow tornado, hysterical to the point of lunacy, talking to himself too quickly for any of Team Sunburst to comprehend and clutching his head in his hands. Although, they did pick up on phrases such as "end of the world", "we're all going to die", and "Arceus' domain".
"For the Distortion World's sake, calm down!" demanded Grace, grabbing hold of the Jirachi on his next pass and shaking him. Stellar immediately quieted down, although he still wrung his tiny hands together and muttered under his breath to himself. He looked far from calm.
Finally, Basil gently pushed Grace away from their panicking king with an I-got-this look in his eye. He raised his tail and said sternly to the Legendary, "Snap. Out. Of. It."
On each word, he forcefully slapped Stellar across the face with his tail. The series of loud smacks echoed slightly in the chamber. The Serperior's gaze wasn't angry or annoyed, but it was hard and unforgiving. It was clear that he didn't want Stellar panicking now.
Stellar was so shocked by Basil's aggression that he stopped jabbering and looked up at him. Basil's harsh glare immediately silenced him. It was only when Stellar was completely subdued did the Grass-type back off.
"Don't you see, you three?" the Jirachi whispered nervously, dangerously close to going right back into panic mode. "The legend… it's coming true! Remember, the legend of the Shards?"
He pointed to the far wall, the wall that held the mural of the five Shards. "The natural disasters are starting to destroy the world of Pokemon," Stellar gulped, the finger that he held at the mural trembling slightly. "Diamond Island is only the beginning of the end."
Grace shook her head. "Stellar, you know better than to lose hope at a time like this," she reprimanded him. "The world of Pokemon is counting on us to find the Shards and bring the Legendaries out from their sleep of shadows. We need the Shards, and more importantly, we need the Discoverers. And we Guardians are counting on you to lead us!"
The Jirachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Rex and Basil glanced at each other hopefully.
"You're right," Stellar finally said. "Alright, there's nothing we can do about Diamond Island, unfortunately. How long ago did it start sinking?"
Rex spoke up in his gravelly voice. "Team Ice Age pinpointed it at a little over a week," he replied. "They think it was an earthquake that sunk it."
The King of the Guardians thought hard. "Okay," he began cautiously. "I hate to say it, but there's really nothing we can do at this moment. Any survivors would have either escaped the island or perished. And as for the Life Stealers interfering with the trade routes, send a rescue team over to the Desert Outpost to formulate a different route."
The members of Team Sunburst nodded as one. Stellar looked at them and ordered, "You three take what missions you can from the Bulletin Board in the Great Hollow. The tougher the better – there are Pokemon in need out there, and you're one of the only Platinum-ranked teams we have."
Grace nodded and led her teammates out, closing the doors quietly behind them. Once again cloaked in the dim light of his chamber, Stellar sank into his chair, buried his head in his hands, and groaned long and loud.
Sometimes being King wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
-.-.-.-.-.
On the other side of the continent, in the middle of the western ocean, sat the once-empty Deepdark Island. It was infamous for being largely uninhabited ever since the supposed extinction of its people, and thus hardly anyone ever walked upon its rocky shores.
However, as of a few minutes ago, a group of Pokemon lay upon the beach. They were lying on their backs, gasping for air and thanking Arceus for sweet, sweet land.
The first to sit up and speak was Claw. "Well, we managed ta put some distance between them sea scum and us, maties," he said, clambering to his feet. "But we gotta hurry now, sailors. The JellicentKingdom undoubtedly has control o'er the entire western ocean by now, and will be after us."
The rest of the Pokemon got onto their feet as well. "How the heck are we gonna do that?" Pteryx squawked. "We're stranded on an island with no way ta get off! We only managed ta swim all this way 'cause of them Krabby and General Fang!"
The Sharpedo himself was still in the water some distance from shore. Lancelot noticed and walked toward him until he was knee-deep in seawater.
"Thank you for helping us," he said honestly. The general snorted and said, "It was the least I could do. As I said earlier, the Jellicent Kingdom can't be allowed to take any more lives."
Lancelot nodded, although he still didn't quite understand General Fang's apparent familiarity with the kingdom. "Is this farewell?" he asked tentatively. "We could use your help to get off of this island as well."
The Water-and-Dark-type shook his head. "No," he said. "There are other Abyssal Raiders that have undoubtedly escaped the clutches of the Jellicent Kingdom. I must find them and band them together. Maybe then, if you indeed manage to get off of this island… maybe we can be allies once again, Guardian."
And with that, General Fang slipped under the surface and was gone.
The Gallade walked back over to where the rest of the group was at. "So the Raider left?" Cliff asked. "I guess he went back to the trench to help his friends, huh? I sure wish he'll decide to grab my Shard as well… we didn't manage to get it back…"
Arthur nodded slowly. "Indeed, my friend," the Escavalier agreed. "Undoubtedly, the Shard you once carried belongs to those dark demons of the sea now." He looked grim as he said this.
"Now how in the name of Arceus are we going to escape Deepdark Island?" Okami asked worriedly. "We don't have a boat, and we don't have the materials to build something as small as a raft!"
But everyone noticed Wyvern and Terra suddenly exchange wide grins. They know something we don't, Gaby realized, sticking close to her father. Is there indeed a way to escape?
"You guys are not going to believe this!" Terra said excitedly, waving her tail. Wyvern folded his wings across his chest and added, "There's a boat right here on this coast! When my friends and I were separated during a storm, I ended up here, alongside with the boat we traveled in!"
Gaby, Pteryx, and Luke gasped and looked at each other, amazement present in their eyes. "The Tranquility is here with us?" Gaby asked, believing it too good to be true. "What luck!" Luke agreed, pumping his fist victoriously.
"Well, what're we waitin' for?" Boomer the Clauncher demanded loudly. "If there's a boat that needs a-fixin', look no farther than Team Crustacean, mates!"
Everyone was filled with new hope as Wyvern and Terra led them down the beach. Indeed, as they drew closer to their destination, each of them began to see the wreck of the Tranquility sitting pitifully on the beach. Next to it was a pile of logs, both thick and thin, just as Wyvern and Terra had left it.
"This is just too good to be true!" Pteryx cawed, voicing Gaby's thoughts. "It's miraculous!" Jowl piled on. They all reached the boat, observing the terrible shape it was in and just what needed to be done to repair it.
"What're yeh waitin' for?" Claw boomed. "This ship ain't gonna fix herself! Let's get ta work! Now, Wyvern, jus' how did yeh crash the poor girl?"
Within moments, the beach was a-bustle with working Pokemon. Team Crustacean proved to be invaluable, as they knew watercraft like no other. They quickly took charge of the repairs, whether it was cutting logs with their claws or hammering the newly-made planks into the Tranquility's hull with sharpened stones. They knew just what length to cut the wood and just what size of planks they'd need to patch up the hull.
Terra was trying to get her tail flame hot enough to burn through the branches still attached to one of the logs. But no matter how hard she tried, she could only manage to singe the bark. Finally, she gave up and slumped against the log, exhausted.
"Need some help, mate?" asked Boomer, scuttling up the log to peer down at the Charmander. She nodded and griped, "I just can't get my flame hot enough to burn through the branches."
Boomer nodded understandably. "Your flame still ain't hot enough to burn 'em off," she said. "But no worries. Just let me do the cuttin' and go help Chet an' Lancelot trim the sails."
Terra was momentarily confused – after all, she couldn't recall having found any material to use as a sail. But as she wandered over to where the Gallade and Corphish were working, she saw that they indeed had a huge sail with them.
"Where did you get that?" she asked in bewilderment. Lancelot laughed and held up a part of the cloth to show her. "When my team and I crashed on this island – it was before you did," he explained, "we managed to save the sail and stash it among the rocks. We were going to build a raft, but then the Abyssal Raiders came calling. Right now, we're trimming the cloth to fit the Tranquility's new mast." He pointed down toward the boat, where Wyvern, Claw, and Arthur were working on the biggest of the logs.
Chet waved her over. "Come here," he told her. "I can't seem to cut through this knot. You think you could burn through it?"
Terra nodded. Cloth's easier to burn than wood, she thought. Better make sure I don't accidentally burn up the entire sail, though…
-.-.-.-.-.
It took hours, but their work finally paid off. By the end of the day, the Tranquility had been pushed into the water and successfully floated there without sinking. It was as if it had never been wrecked in the first place.
"Yeh've done yer mothers all proud," Claw said as he gazed out at the finished ship. "Tha' was some shipshape ship buildin' ye all did. Take it from an expert." He gestured to himself and chuckled modestly.
"We never coulda fixed this big beauty if it weren't for ya!" exclaimed Boomer. "Go on, pat yourselves on the back. That was mighty fine work ya did today."
Gaby smiled at the sight of her family's old boat, restored and ready to sail at last. "Shall we go then?" she asked.
"Aye aye!" said Claw, putting his smaller pincer around her shoulders. "Yeh heard the lass, didn't ye? Let us set sail fer the Guardians' isle!"
All of the Pokemon cheered. Wyvern flew to the deck of the Tranquility and set down the gangplank. It was large and sturdy enough for the others to cross one at a time, with Wyvern helping them all up on deck. When they were all accounted for, he put away the gangplank and found Gaby, Pteryx, and Luke standing next to him.
"All we need is Tortuga," Pteryx said with a grin. "Then the original gang'll be all here." Wyvern nodded and smiled back. He then bent down to Gaby's eye level and gestured at the wheel.
The Kirlia smiled at him gratefully and briefly hugged him. She then stepped behind the wheel and took a deep breath through her nose. This is it, she thought. I'm back on the Tranquility, ready to steer it to its next destination. And at last, that destination is the Guardians' secret isle.
The sun was setting as Jowl and Cliff hoisted the sails, allowing them to billow in the wind. Pteryx scuttled up the mast, and although it didn't have a Murkrow's nest, he seemed to be comfortable simply hanging onto it with his claws. Team Crustacean was at the bow, happy to have been of assistance in repairing this magnificent vessel. Lancelot simply smiled at the familiarity of his family's ship, the same ship his dear wife once sailed when she was on a rescue team.
In the hands of a good, loyal crew once more, the Tranquility set sail once again.
-.-.-.-.-.
Aye, the Tranquility is back, me hearties! But avast, the location of its destination lies shrouded in mystery, and our crew still must be wary of the aquatic devils that have seized control of the ocean!
Adventure and mystery await! So sit tight and wait for the next chapter!
Boomer: "It would be good of ya to review, mates."
Chapter Question #24: There seems to be a lot of evil or otherwise bad parents in this fanfic. I personally believe Darth Vader is the worst dad of all time, but can any of our villainous parents compare?
Vader: "Do not underestimate the dark side of the Force."
Vizeli: "You're kiddin' yourself, darlin'."
Khan: "I disagree completely, my good chap."