Would've gotten this chapter up a little earlier, but here it is today as you can see.

I'm quite satisfied how I ended it.

My mind's still half-awake here... Oh well, let's get started!

Chapter 45
Acquaintance

Riding the vagabond ocean winds underneath his wings, Marina's Fearow fluttered high above the waves. Now far larger with a narrow neck and beak, Kenya no longer had a stubby figure, as his long brown feathers proved every time he flapped his wings. With the same friendly yet alert eyes he had since he was a Spearow, he glanced at his Trainer and preceded to fly in rapid loops around her and the Pokémon she rode on.

Marina waved at him as he rocketed into the aesthetic white sky. The wind was a bitter cold that breathed constantly in the girl's face, making her bundle up in her jacket. She waited as Kenya came to a midair stop right beside her; her Lapras merely shot a reflexive glance as this happened.

"You saw Cianwood City much clearer this time, right?" She asked with a friendly smile.

"Oni," the Pokémon squawked in his hoarse voice. He unsteadily settled on the rough shell of Lapras as they floated along. His feathers shivered and he folded his wings, and Marina petted his back with her free hand. She let out a quick sneeze that made Kenya flinch in surprise.

"Geez… Sorry," Marina apologized, "I guess you should go back to your Poké Ball. You look cold standing here, Kenya."

Closing his eyes with his head bent, Kenya remained huddled next to Marina until she recalled him. Once he had vanished, she put the ball back on her belt.

She sighed, taking in a breath of icy air as she stared into the morning scenery, though there wasn't much to see aside from the gray ocean, the pale sky, and the beach that she could see off in the distance. Shaking off a weak cough, she crossed her arms and hugged her knees.

It really does feel like the beginning of winter, she thought. A sweet smile played across her lips as she let her windswept pigtails flip loosely in the wind. She nearly dozed off if it were not for her conscious urging her awake. I almost can't wait for Christmas...

Upon hitting the shoreline, Lapras watched Marina try to outrun the thin waves that followed her heels. The Pokédex she held firmly to her chest was in her constant grasp ever since the night before—in hopes of coming across the gigantic sea creature. She did see some large whirlpools and a Mantine, the latter which she captured after some effort. But she neither saw nor heard the mysterious Pokémon. This did not damper her spirits, and she smiled gratefully at Lapras even if she only got an apathetic nod in return.

The Pokémon suddenly turned her head in an apprehensive manner; being typically on edge about anything, it was a normal thing for her to do.

"You did really great, Lyra. Thanks for ferrying me here," Marina complimented. She grabbed Lapras's Poké Ball in order to return her like she did Kenya.

No response came, just the alert and concentrated stare that failed to connect with the girl.

Her Trainer sighed. "I guess I should—," she paused abruptly to sneeze, "Bless me! ...But really, good work Lapras."

"Raa," her Lapras almost hissed.

At this, Marina grinned somewhat uneasily and recalled her. "Return."

She spent a moment looking at the cyan and silver ball. Aside from the blatantly obvious color change, it worked like an ordinary Poké Ball. Dizziness swept over her, but she expelled it from her by shaking her head and, with a flick of her wrist, put the ball away. She grabbed her PokéGear to check her location, which made her smile as it was confirmed that she had made it to Cianwood. Specifically, she made landfall on its unpopulated northern portion.

I guess I just need to walk down this beach, then, she concluded. Marina faced southward, spotting the cluster of houses bearing roofs of a cyan to indigo color. From where she stood, the city looked smaller than Olivine, and the distinguishable red Pokémon Center could be seen far off. Relieved and eager for the warmth of its lobby, she began to stroll down the beach.

A slow but graceful thump crunched into the sand behind her. When it reached her ears, so did a chilling breeze that passed its frigid fingers by her neck. The rolling waves stirred beside her without rest.

Marina shivered, holding her Pokédex tight. She turned and nearly tripped over the sand.

The beautiful Suicune was poised on a small ledge, facing her directly as it had once before. Its flowing violet mane shifted as it tilted its head ever so slightly. Another gust of wind graced them, and Suicune's vigorous streamers almost seemed to reach out to her.

It was very close to the stunned girl, who remained perfectly still. This was what her Lapras was staring at; Marina would have realized this if her mind wasn't frozen in awe.

"Sui…Suicune," she murmured the Pokémon's name. She was somewhat amazed, somewhat fearful, and somewhat uncertain just how many emotions were going through her at that moment.

There wasn't a sign of misgiving from Suicune, who stood straight with wondrous elegance. In a calm expression of greeting—or perhaps trying to get a better look at the human—it gently lowered its head and further showed its sparkling hexagonal crystal. Its intense crimson irises were reading her, anticipating the girl's next action.

Oh my god...it's standing right here, so close...!

Marina glanced at her Pokédex for a second, afraid that Suicune would flee if she were to break eye contact for too long. So, her gaze on the beast, she shakily lifted her hand and flipped open her red device. The Pokémon twitched, causing her to do the same, but Suicune still denied itself of motion with the exception of its beautiful ribbons and mane.

Clicking the device on, Marina listened as the Pokédex began to recite whatever data it had. Suicune deemed it harmless, apparently, and remained to hear it out with slight intrigue.

"Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon. Type: Water
A Legendary Pokémon. This divine Pokémon can instantly purify filthy, murky water. Said to be the reincarnation of north winds, it races across the land, always in search of a pure reservoir."

A pure reservoir... Marina repeated the last words in her mind. She gazed at Suicune with a growing smile, letting its powerfully graceful image fill her eyesight. Holding her Pokédex tighter, she built up some courage and began to speak.

The legendary Pokémon lifted its head, as if having waited for the moment.

"Suicune, I—."

However, Suicune suddenly leapt to her side, causing the girl to recoil skittishly. The water and wind-wielding legend soared into the air toward the ocean as it bounded away. From there it frisked across the waves, galloping weightlessly with a trail of bubbles accumulating behind it. Within seconds, Suicune vanished into the horizon, leaving Marina breathless and humbled.

But before she could process what she had encountered, a human voice called out to her.

"You there!"

As Marina turned, she paused with a gasp. Approaching her was a familiar young man draped in purple attire and a short white cape.

Oh no, it's him! The guy that was with Morty at the Burned Tower! She glanced around her, realizing that she was caught in a corner; from behind the small cliff was another that was far taller than her. The ocean beckoned jeeringly at her situation, as though telling her that fleeing like Suicune would not get her out of an unfavorable situation this time.

The man had yet to recognize her, however; he was focused on the water. His chest heaved as he caught his breath from running, a sincere smile spread on his face, which seemed quite handsome when not corrupted with frustration.

"Wasn't that Suicune just now?" he asked excitedly. "I only caught a quick glimpse, but I thought I saw Suicune running on the waves! Suicune is beautiful and grand, and it races through towns and roads at simply awesome speeds. It's wonderful... You should feel honored; I want to see Suicune up close."

With an almost dreamy expression on his face, he turned to Marina, who jolted a little as he introduced himself, "My name's Eusine. I'm on the trail of...

"Hey, it's you!" Eusine roared, thrusting out his arm and pointing at her.

"Ah!" Backing away, Marina watched helplessly as the man rushed over, his once pleased expression iced away with his scary severity. Gripping the Pokédex with both her hands now, she watched with a sort of timid fear that gave in as Eusine crossed his arms begrudgingly.

His azure eyes lessened in his intense stare, however, and he backed off a little. Uncertain of what to say, Marina tried to deflate her urge to run as she spoke.

"Um... I know, it's me. Look, I'm sorry I—."

"Where have I seen you before?" Eusine asked her before the girl could finish.

"…What?"

He doesn't remember me, after acting like that? Hesitant of whether to answer the question, she did so regardless.

"We met in Ecruteak!"

"Ecruteak?" Raising an eyebrow, he shifted his eyes away.

"Yes, at the Burned Tow—."

"I remember now! You're that girl Morty and I salvaged from the Brass Tower!" Eusine exclaimed, once again interrupting as he suddenly remembered.

"Yeah exactly...eheh..."

Is 'salvaged' really the right word to use here?

"Never mind that. I'm sorry if I frightened you. For ten years I've chased Suicune; getting recent proof of Suicune's existence after so long makes me so elated that I can hardly think straight," Eusine said all this with a surprisingly calm tone.

He held out his hand with the same composure. "So let's start over. My name is Eusine, Suicune hunter and expert on Johto legends. And you are...?"

"Um," hesitant at first, Marina took his hand, "I'm Marina, Marina Shimizu."

"Marina? Glad to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too," she responded with a relieved smile.

"How close did Suicune appear before you?" Eusine asked attentively while maintaining a positive energy.

"It wasn't too far from where you stand now, actually... This is the second time I've seen it, but it still surprised me." Marina let the second sentence slip due to her temporary comfort, and she pursed her lips.

The young man perked at this nevertheless, turning to her with surprise.

"Really! ...Now that I think of it, I heard that the legendary Pokémon of Ecruteak test chosen humans by allowing them to get close." Eusine stared at her for some time, studying the girl Trainer that watched him back curiously.

He seems okay, Marina thought, smiling. At least he's not mad at me. And we both love Suicune too. ...Though I've never spent any time searching for Suicune before—definitely not ten years—and I've already encountered it twice.

"I've decided," stated Eusine suddenly, "I'll battle you as a Trainer to earn Suicune's respect!"

"Huh?"

Eusine turned away, shuffling through the beach's sand with care as he pulled out a Poké Ball from his sleeve. "Come on, Marina, let's battle now!" He said, full of class and determination as he turned to her.

"Um...I have quick question."

"What is it?"

"How can you battle to earn Suicune's respect if...well," Marina waved her hands toward the ocean beside them, "Suicune's not here to watch?"

For a few moments Eusine's face didn't change, his thin eyebrows raised. As he relaxed slightly, his gaze was fixed and thoughtful. Then he began, "If you put it that way—."

The girl sneezed, turning away as she did so.

"God bless you," Eusine stated politely. Afterwards, there was some silence, and he failed to finish what he was saying earlier.

"Thanks... Are we still going to battle?"

"Of course! Send out your first Pokémon; ladies first."

Grabbing a Poké Ball, Marina asked with only a small smile, "One-on-one or three-on-three?"

"One-on-one is fine," confirmed Eusine with a nod.

"Good," Marina sighed.

Some of my Pokémon are tired from the trip, especially after the training we did in one of the Whirl Islands. Slipping from her thoughts, she threw her Poké Ball overhead.

"Go, King!"

Within the explosion of golden sparkles, her crimson Quilava shook his head and barked excitedly, rearing to go as the fire on his head and hide erupted with life.

"Drowzee, come out!" Graciously Eusine tossed his own sphere to summon his stout yellow Hypnosis Pokémon. Brown and yellow with a short trunk over its mouth, Drowzee stood on two legs wearing a sleepy face.

Checking Drowzee's data on her Pokédex, Marina snapped it shut again and grinned at her fire ermine. "Alright, King, start it off with a Swift attack!" She watched as King made only a brief dash to approach his opponent and began to fire the glowing, star-shaped bullets from his mouth.

"Confusion, Drowzee!"

Drowzee grunted and took the Swift attack without much of a budge. Then, holding out his three-fingered hands in King's direction, its eyes flashed white. The attack hit its mark, causing King to cringe. As the attack ended, his footsteps became unstable as he wobbled a little to try and regain stability.

"King! Are you okay?" Marina asked aloud, to which her Pokémon only dizzily made a glance and slipped in the sand.

Confused already...? Ugh, that's not fair!

"Perfect, now use Hypnosis!" called Eusine, smiling triumphantly.

"Avoid it, King! We can do this, just hit Drowzee with Flame Wheel!" Marina ordered her Quilava with a determined stare.

Catching this, the giddy King stumbled and faced his opponent. His gaze was too inconsistent to keep the image of Drowzee, which attempted to entrance him with its flowing arm movements. With a sudden glint that matched Marina's, King ignited his crimson flames and spread them over his body, tackling into his enemy.

Drowzee called out in shock, snapping out of its sleep-inducing trance.

"Drowzee, Confusion!"

"Flame Wheel again, King!"

Another fierce blaze sparked from King, dancing around him once more. He shot toward Drowzee and slammed into it as his opponent fired its psychic wave. They both staggered and tripped onto the ground in a small puff of sand. After a second of letting his burning body incinerate it, the Quilava rolled away until he bumped into the rocky ledge. He stood on all fours and stared with the same wavering spark that won over his condition. Drowzee, however, remained unmoving.

"Drowzee?" Eusine, astonished, let out a sigh. "I hate to admit it, but you win," he said and he recalled his fallen Pokémon.

"Great job, King!" Marina rushed over to her Pokémon and hugged him tightly, holding him upright with a little snuggle. "I knew you could fight that confusion. That was a good, quick fight!"

"Ma...Magu," King managed to utter with a shaky nod.

"Return," she said with a grin, and he vanished from her side. She held his Poké Ball close before clipping it to her belt and standing. Eusine approached and handed her a small bundle of prize money, which Marina accepted bashfully. "Oh, thank you!"

"You're amazing, Marina. That Quilava was like one I've never seen before! You worked well with him during that battle... It's no wonder Pokémon gravitate to you," Eusine praised her, though he went somewhat quiet as he profoundly crossed his arms, "I get it now, why Suicune would choose to appear..."

"Thanks, but it wasn't that big of a deal," Marina replied, "King just managed to fight through his confusion. I was lucky."

"Hm. Either way, I'm going to keep searching for Suicune." Making a quick turn toward the ocean, Eusine made an unfaltering grin as he retrieved another Poké Ball. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"Alright." Nodding with a smile, Marina watched as he sent out the ghost-type Pokémon Haunter, which flew low and grabbed him. Her eyebrows rose at this. "Where are you going?"

"Wherever Suicune goes, of course!" Eusine was lifted into the air, and he gave her a farewell wave. "See you around!"

"Ah, good luck!" Marina responded as she returned the gesture. She was acknowledged by another flick of the man's wrist and she watched as he and his Pokémon flew over the choppy sea.

Well, that worked out better than I thought it would, she thought.

She shook off another sneeze and headed for the main part of Cianwood. The sand below her feet hardened, yielding to the brick roads of the petite city. She passed multiple cute homes, followed by a few duplexes and a single condominium.

"I wonder which would be the pharmacy...?" Weaving through the buildings aimlessly, she stopped at a bulky building that stood tall and large compared to the others. Marina sprinted to the front of it.

Oh, here's the Gym. She read the sign in front of Cianwood's Pokémon Gym. Cianwood City Pokémon Gym. Leader: Chuck... "His Roaring Fists Do the Talking"? He specializes in the fighting-type then? This challenge is Kenya's for sure!

"Excuse me." An older woman approached her. Carrying a large handbag on her shoulder, she looked at Marina with expectancy. "You're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I just got here," Marina answered.

"I thought so. You crossed the sea to get here?"

"Yup."

"That must've been hard. It would be much easier for your Pokémon knew how to Fly you from place to place...Here." The woman dug through her bag and swiftly took out a small transparent box that contained an HM, which that Marina recognized before she even read the label.

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm just a random Pokémon Trainer passing by," Marina said. The disc was pushed into her free hand that paused to take it, and she held it with a look of wonder.

"Yes, but you're a Trainer who looks ready to battle the Gym Leader here," the stranger responded somewhat sternly, "I'm not a Trainer myself, but I can feel vibes from you similar to another young Trainer who swept the floor with my hubby just the other day. He's getting to training a lot more because of it.

"I'm glad; he's been getting a little chubby lately," she whispered the last line with a laugh.

"I...I see," Marina said with a smile and a giggle.

So there are other Trainers who decided to brave the storm? Or that's Silver she's talking about…

"Aside from that, there's a tropical storm coming, and it looks like it'll hit this city."

"A hurricane?" At this, the girl Trainer eyed the woman in shock. "Another one?"

"Weaker than a hurricane, but yes. The storms here are always strange. The one that brushed by us fell apart before it hit Olivine. It's like they have minds of their own," she told her with a sigh. "We're not going to be lucky this time; tropical storm Ophelia will land us some trouble. She's a slow one, too. It's going to be a painful week, and that's why no one's about."

Marina looked around, only seeing a few people out walking, most on the beach on the other side of town. "When will it hit?"

"In a day or two, I suppose. If you defeat the Gym Leader today, you can use that HM to use Fly and get back to Olivine City in no time. You can completely avoid the storm that way."

"Oh, so that's why you gave this to me?" Marina looked down at the disc—labeled HM 02—and grinned happily, bowing. "Thank you! I'll teach it to my Fearow right away. Oh, do you know where the pharmacy is here?"

"Of course! The pharmacy isn't too far from the Pokémon Center. It's a cute little place and there's a sign in front, so you can't miss it. I must be going myself. Good luck, hon!"

"Alright," Marina turned with a nod and went on her way, "Thanks again!"

"There aren't many rooms available right now, but I'll see what I can do," Cianwood's Nurse Joy informed as she handed Marina her Poké Balls.

"Ok. Thank you."

The nurse turned away, busily tending to her computer that rested on the reception counter. Marina simpered and walked through the lobby filled with other people and Trainers. Due to the oncoming storm, tourists who did not have a place to stay remained at the Pokémon Center, hence the lack of space.

Hoping to get her business done in Cianwood that day, she opted to go to the pharmacy. She left the Center and headed for a unique little shop that stood on its own. Like the other houses, it maintained an indigo roof, though it was far more noticeable with an odd satellite dish fixed onto it. All around the azure-colored building were bushes that grew like a protective wall against intruders.

As the girl reached the front, a small hanging sign that rested above the doorstep read "Cianwood City Pharmacy." Smiling at this, she let out a quick cough to let the urge out before entering. A brief bit of a conversation leaked into her hearing as two young men at the front desk came to her view, one casually leaning on it while the other stood freely.

"...Any day now, in fact; I'm sure of it," said a cheerful man with very short red hair. But he heard the bell that rung upon the door's opening, and his large round sunglasses were in full view as he turned around. "Oh, look, a visitor."

Making a smile, Marina bowed. "Hello."

"Haha! You're so young, and look at those pigtails," the man spoke with a rather curious laugh. He whipped away from the desk and waddled over to her, his hands on his hips. "What is it, little girl? Here to buy some Trainer supplies?"

"Actually, there's something I want to ask you."

"Your Pokémon appear to be fine," he said observantly as he gazed at her Poké Balls, "Is something worrying you?"

"How should I put this...?" Marina looked around at the many bottles and herbs that sat on the shelves behind the front desk. She turned back to the adult before her. "The Pokémon in Olivine City's lighthouse has been really sick for a couple of weeks, and no type of medicine seems to work. The Gym Leader there sent me to see if you have something to fix it. Do you?"

"Yes, I've heard of that... What other symptoms did you notice?"

"It has a fever," she frowned, "and it's having a hard time breathing too."

"Hmm… I've got it!" With a twist, he turned and rushed to the other side of the room, where an employee's only door sat behind the cash register. He looked at his coworker. "Mind her and the shop for me, Keel; it might take me a while to find it, if you know what I mean."

"Sure," his colleague responded.

As the redhead made haste through the backdoor, the boy stood from his leaning position. His dirty blond hair flicked when he turned in Marina's direction, revealing his piercingly confident yellow eyes. As he looked at her, his face grew slightly more thoughtful, never losing his initial stunning gaze.

"So...who are you?"

Muahaha… So "Keel" meets Marina.

Marina's Pokémon:
King the Quilava
Prince the Espeon
Kenya the Fearow
Muu-chan the Misdreavus
Amber the Plusle
Lapras

In PC/Prof. Elm's Lab:
Phany the Donphan
Etc.

Review only if you please. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Until the next time we meet, dear readers, within that same pharmacy...