For one of Summer's training sessions, she had to help Koga find his friend's teeth in the Safari Zone. While searching in the grass, she learned that Blaze was having self-confidence issues and was almost caught in a Safari Ball by Carlos. Suddenly, she ran into Team Rocket, who attacked Koga and fled the scene. Although Koga was fine, Summer learned Misty was in trouble. Now, she is traveling to the Seafoam Islands to help her Gym Leader friend. Will Team Rocket be there, and will Summer save Misty in time?

Chapter 36: The Seel of Approval

Errol and I flew over Route 20 to reach the Seafoam Islands. I would have used Swirls to swim there, but the waters were too rough for her. Although the Owl Pokémon was eager to carry me for the first time, he was struggling to stay in the air after an hour.

"A-are we there yet?" he huffed.

I nervously scanned the ocean and saw three large rocks on three separate beaches. "I think that's it, Errol. Let's land on the middle beach."

Errol nodded and descended sharply. I grasped onto my Pokémon's neck and, once we landed, fell onto the sand in relief.

"I apologize, Ms. Summer," Errol embarrassingly said, rubbing his eyebrows.

I got up and brushed the sand off my clothes. "It's okay, Errol. You're not used to flying with someone on you yet."

"I will get better, Ms. Summer!" he confidently shouted.

I smiled. "And I'll help in any way I can. Get some rest, Errol."

He nodded and I returned him. I sent out Lightning, and she stared at the cave opening.

"Is this the place that was on the mural, Summer?" she wondered.

"Yeah, it's the Seafoam Islands, the Kanto resting place for Articuno. We should be careful if Team Rocket's still inside."

I let out Rocky, who took almost the entire stretch of sand. "Rocky, can you help us find Misty?"

"Sure, Summer. Let me look around first." He crawled through the opening, and after ten minutes, he popped his head out.

"I couldn't see anyone, but there are a lot of boulders that fell from the ceiling. It might become unstable if we disturb the rocks too much."

"Then let's be careful. Ready to go, you two?"

They nodded firmly. I put on my rock-climbing helmet, turned on the flashlight, and followed my Pokémon inside.

The cave entrance was covered with sand, and the walls were damp from the ocean spray. When I shined my flashlight over the wet surfaces, they slightly sparkled with light blue. I touched the walls and felt they had smooth, bumpy edges.

I can see why Articuno enjoys these caves. These look like the same stones from the room with the mural.

Although this floor looked untouched, when we climbed downstairs, the next floor was filled with fallen rocks, making hard to see where to go next.

Rocky, with his long body, peered over the boulders.

"Do you see anything, Rocky?" I shouted. Suddenly, the room began to shake, then stopped.

"Summer!" Lightning quietly scolded. "The cave's unstable, remember?"

"Oh, yeah… I forgot since Rocky's so high up."

Rocky bent down and whispered. "I see two Pokémon near a ladder going to the next floor. One's a pretty purple star and the other is white with a small horn on her head. It looks like the white Pokémon is trapped under a large rock, and the star is trying to help."

"Let's go help," I answered. "I think that star is Amethyst, one of Misty's Pokémon."

"Okay, let me lead the way."

Rocky guided us around the large stones, and I made sure to stay quiet and make light steps. After five minutes, I saw Amethyst, the Starmie, trying to push a five-foot boulder off the tail of a scared white seal Pokémon. Amethyst saw us and waved frantically, but all I could hear was a frantic "Hoh! Hoh!"

"I'm sorry, I can't understand you," I apologized.

Mental note, tell Professor Oak to update the translation app for genderless Pokémon…

"Do you know what Amethyst's saying?" I asked my slightly confused Pokémon. Rocky shook his head.

"Not really," Lightning replied. "I've never really talked to Amethyst before."

"Swirls, can you help?" I let out my Poliwhirl, and she listened to the Mysterious Pokémon.

"Dudette," she translated. "Amethyst' sayin' it was going to meet you when it saw this Seel was trapped."

"We can help, Amethyst," I told the Water and Psychic Pokémon.

It jumped with joy, and my Pokémon helped it lift the rock. I was about to scan the new Pokémon with my Pokédex when the Seel, overwhelmed by the number of strange Pokémon, yelled and struggled. This made the injury worse, and she winced in pain. Despite my curiosity, I knew I had to calm her down first.

Koga's right. I can't always rely on my Pokédex to understand Pokémon right away.

I slowly knelt next to her. She became more frightened and squirmed harder. "Please, Seel!" I quietly reassured. "You need to stay calm. It'll be alright."

I slowly stretched out my left hand as a way to comfort her. In defense, she quickly opened her mouth and bit my fingers. Although her teeth weren't sharp, they still hurt. I winced and took deep breaths, knowing if I screamed, it would've scare her, or worse, make the ceiling collapse.

As Seel continued to clamp onto my fingers, she saw my pained expression and slowly released her grip. She was still scared, but she didn't wriggle anymore. Rubbing my fingers would've eased the pain, but I knew I had to keep trying to comfort her.

I continued to move my hand closer, and this time, Seel allowed me to touch her right cheek. I smiled, and she returned it, happily nuzzling against my hand. We then saw the Pokémon carefully lifting the rock, and Rocky slowly crushed it into dirt. I was then able to see Seel's injury: her tail was badly scratched from the struggling, but it didn't look like any bones were broken.

"Are you okay, Summer?" Lightning asked, looking at my hand.

I took out my backpack and rummaged through it with my right hand. "I'm fine. I have just the medicine for both of us."

"Don't sweat it, little Seel," Swirls reassured. "Dudette will give you a hand with your injury."

Seel was a little confused by Swirls's jargon, but she nodded anyway. After feeling through my medicine pocket, I pulled out a Super Potion and a plastic bottle that said, 'Ointment for Instant Pain Relief and Healing.'

I still winced in pain, but I opened the Super Potion with my right hand and pointed it at Seel's tail.

She became scared of the strange bottle, but I smiled at her. "Don't worry, Seel, this medicine will help heal your tail. It'll sting but only for a little while."

My soothing words calmed her down and she allowed me to spray the Super Potion. When the medicine made contact, she anxiously nuzzled my left hand. I was surprised she didn't have the same reactions earlier, so I felt she really trusted me. Afterwards, I rubbed the ointment onto my fingers, and the pain and swelling instantly vanished. I flexed my fingers to make sure, and they felt stronger.

"How do you feel, Seel?" I gently asked. She looked at her recovered tail and happily barked.

I took out my Pokédex and scanned her. [Seel, the Sea Lion Pokémon. Seel hunt for prey in frigid, ice-covered seas. When it needs to breathe, it punches a hole through the ice with the sharply protruding section of its head.]

Good thing I didn't check the entry earlier. Nothing in there would've helped us.

"Thank you so much!" Seel barked. Her voice was slightly loud, but pleasant to hear. Luckily her voice wasn't loud enough to make the cave collapse more.

"You're welcome," I happily responded.

The Sea Lion Pokémon was slightly surprised. "I didn't know people can understand Pokémon. I thought the closest one was that girl with red hair."

"Girl with red hair? Are you talking about Misty?"

Seel clapped. "Yes! Is she in trouble?"

Amethyst fervently nodded and shouted, "Hoh! Hoh!"

"Amethyst wants us to tag along, Summer," Swirls translated.

I nodded and my Pokémon followed it. I was about to join them when I saw Seel was still having a hard time moving. I knelt down and asked, "Would you like me to carry you, Seel?"

Seel was surprised but nodded. "Sure, S-Sum-mer, right?"

I giggled. "Yup, that's me. You must be pretty young, huh, Seel?" I gently picked her up, and as I surmised, she was very light for her species.

"Yeah, Mommy said I was born during the full moon."

I walked over to the ladder and carefully climbed down. "The last full moon was a week ago. You must've experienced a lot." When I didn't get a reply, I saw she snuggled close to my chest, asleep. I was relieved she wasn't too traumatized and continued the descent.

Once I reached the bottom, I saw the cave was covered with ice and contained a large lake. The water would've been clear, but dirt and broken rocks made it murky. All of us then heard something splashing and a girl shouting for help. Rocky reluctantly stayed behind while Swirls, Lightning, Amethyst, and I cautiously walked towards the sounds.

As we approached, I heard, "Summer, thank goodness you came!"

Misty was lying against a boulder, grasping her right ankle. A long, white, angelic-looking Pokémon with a horn similar to Seel's anxiously looked at us. When she saw Seel, she happily clapped and shimmied towards us. I lowered my arms to the ground, causing Seel to stir. When she woke up, she was overjoyed to see her mother.

As they reunited, I took out my Pokédex. [Dewgong, the Sea Lion Pokémon and the evolved form of Seel It loves to snooze on bitterly cold ice. The sign of this Pokémon sleeping on a glacier was mistakenly thought to be a mermaid by a mariner long ago.]

I mused over the entry until I felt a pebble hit my arm.

"Uh, Summer?" Misty interrupted. "Person injured, here!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" I carefully made my way towards her, and Amethyst slumped with worry. I took out my ointment and squirted some onto Misty's open hand. She carefully rubbed the lotion onto her tender ankle, and after a few minutes, she was able to stand up and move her foot.

"Thanks, Summer. I'm glad you have that all-healing ointment."

"Glad to help. Why was Dewgong here with you?"

"Oh." She looked at the happy family. "I met her a few years ago when I first started training here. She sometimes helps me navigate the caves. When Team Rocket attacked, she and her baby Seel were separated. She wanted to go look for her, but she knew she couldn't leave me alone. I reassured her that you'll find her baby, and you did."

I smiled at the reunion as well. "I'm glad I was able to reunite them. Seel was pretty scared, but she warmed up to me after I showed her I wasn't dangerous."

Misty smiled and said, "We should get going. I need to update Koga on what happened."

"Okay, the cave still should be stable when we leave. How will Dewgong and Seel make it out?"

"There are underwater tunnels that lead to the other caves. Dewgong checked earlier, and it looked like she found a tunnel that wasn't caved in. They'll make it out safely."

"That's good." I then heard something light shuffle towards me. I knelt down and saw a crestfallen Seel. Her mother was in the water, waiting.

"I have to go, Summer…" Seel sadly said.

I petted her and smiled. "I know. Don't be sad. Maybe we'll see each other again."

She cheered up. "Okay, I'll grow up big and strong, and I'll make sure I find you when I'm old enough! Bye, Summer!"

She happily jumped into the water and waved goodbye. Dewgong nodded at her daughter, and they dove into the lake, leaving a trail of bubbles behind.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Misty asked, watching them leave.

I nodded, and we cautiously returned to the entrance of the cave. When we exited, the sunset and Koga greeted us.

"Excellent work, Summer," he praised. His right arm no longer had the cast, but he still had the head bandage.

I returned everyone, who were tired from the exploration and rescue. "Thanks, Koga."

He smiled, then turned to the female Gym Leader with concern. "Are you alright, Misty?"

Misty grinned. "I'm all right, Koga. You look a lot worse than me, though. What happened to you?"

"I believe your story is more important now. We must meet with everyone at Cinnabar Island."

Misty became serious. "I see, so it has come to this. I have the perfect Pokémon to take us there."

She took out a Great Ball and sent out a Gyarados. He lowered his head and allowed everyone to climb on. While Misty and I got into his neck, Koga let out Yatate and grabbed onto the Bat Pokémon's feet.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us Koga?" Misty asked.

"You know how I feel about traveling by sea, Misty," he grumbled.

She giggled. "I know. But if you fall, you have to join us."

The ninja smiled. "Very well. Yatate, ascend!" The Crobat nodded and quickly took off.

"Let's go, Gyara!" Misty shouted, pointing at them. He roared and swam behind them.

"I've never met Gyara before," I noted after a few minutes on the seas.

Misty looked at me and grinned. "He's been training with a friend of mine. Gyara actually helped him travel across the sea and battle against tough Trainers."

"It's nice to meet you Gyara," I said to the Atrocious Pokémon.

"Likewise, Summer," he replied in a deep voice.

Suddenly, my Pokégear rang. I picked it up and heard Koga, Now, Misty. I would like to listen to your story. I would have called your Pokégear but it appears to not be working.

"Yeah," she said sheepishly. "It got crushed by a rock slide in the cave. Anyway, remember I told you I was preparing to go on a trip, Summer?"

"I think so. You said you usually train at the Seafoam Islands, right?"

"Yup. While I was training, I was also waiting for it to come. Articuno didn't show until a week ago. It was hard, but I was able to befriend Articuno and promised to protect it. In return, it gave me one of its beautiful tail feathers as a present.

But a few days ago, I saw Articuno meeting with an man with slick black hair. He also wore a nice black suit. I think they knew each other, but I found it was strange he showed up so suddenly."

That is quite peculiar. Did you ever see the man's face?

"No, but I think he was trying to hide it from me. But I trusted Articuno's judgment.

Then earlier this morning, I was at the beach when I helped an injured Swimmer. He was thin and lanky, but he seemed to not be the right build. But before I could talk with him more, I heard something rumble inside. When I climbed down, I saw two Team Rocket Grunts trying to catch Articuno. I sent out my Pokémon to stop them, but Articuno kept using Blizzard and caused the rock slides. Thankfully, we were able to dodge, but that was how I injured my ankle. When I looked up, the Grunts and Articuno were gone…"

Misty angrily paused. "I should've been there sooner, but I couldn't leave that Swimmer alone."

There was a long pause. "Koga, are you still there?" I asked.

Yes I am, Summer. I am afraid the situation is escalating much faster than I have anticipated. The truth must be told to fix his mistakes.

"Who are you talking about, Koga?" Misty asked, confused. I was equally bewildered as her.

Once we get to Cinnabar Island, I must speak with them. Then we will tell you everything. We are approaching the island. Once you arrive, enter the Pokémon Laboratory. That is our meeting spot.

He then hung up.

What did he mean 'his mistakes'?

Suddenly, a large volcano caught my eye. We arrived at Cinnabar Island, the Fiery Town of Burning Desire.

Pokémon: Blaze (Combusken, male): Brave Nature, moves: Quick Attack, Double Kick, Flamethrower, Focus Energy

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, moves: Foresight, Confusion, Hypnosis, Peck

Swirls (Poliwhirl, female): Relaxed Nature, moves: Water Pulse, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Doubleslap

Lightning (Pikachu, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Sweet Kiss

Flower (Ivysaur, female): Gentle Nature, moves: Sludge Bomb, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Rocky (Onix, male): Lonely Nature, moves: Rock Throw, Slam, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Questions for the Chapter:

Will Seel and Summer reunite in the future?

Who does Koga want to talk to and what does he know about the events with Articuno?