Squirtle and Buizel

A small flame from a lighter burst to life. A small shelled Pokemon nearby watched it warily as it bowed into the wind. While its only purpose was to light the cigarette in the stranger's hand, the Squirtle shuffled to the other side of his Trainer.

The boy looked down at him. His pale peach skin was unscarred, but that was due to skilled surgeons. "Todd, you... I never knew a Water type that was afraid of fire," he grumbled.

"Water can't put out a grease fire," the Squirtle replied shyly. He might be able to put out that lighter. But still, it was too soon.

He touched the collar he was wearing. A small silver bell hung off it, chiming gently when moved. It was a soothing thing to have, even if he wasn't sure why. A quiet call from the spirit world, perhaps, telling him that everything would be okay, that he wasn't a bad Pokemon. Sometimes, though, it was hard for him to believe that.

The collar had been given to him by a kind man who had visited Todd and his Trainer while they were recovering from massive burns. It had been an accident and he had tried to stop it. Unfortunately, he made the fire worse. His relationship with his boy had been strained ever since. Todd sometimes wondered why he was kept around after what happened.

In fact, he suspected that this trip was to turn him over to a Ranch. But he didn't say anything. Things might be better that way.

The boy Trainer sighed and leaned over the edge of the ship. He brought out an old pocket watch. Its golden gleam was brilliant in the sun. Like fire? Todd trembled. The boy's eyes softened. "Grandpa. I wish you were still around. I wonder if you would have taught me how to use this for hypnosis." He swung it gently back and forth.

Todd watched it for a moment. Could something that simple really work? He tapped the bell on his collar and watched.

Another watched as well, a Wingull. But it was not drawn into falling asleep. It was drawn by the gleam. The bird Pokemon swooped down and snatched it out of the boy's hands.

"Hey!" the boy shouted. "Give that back!"

Todd leaned out from the rail and shot a Water Gun at the bird. His aim was perfect. The Wingull squawked, dropping the watch right into the ocean.

'Oh drat, now you've gone and made things worse again,' he thought, angry at himself. He jumped into the sea without a second thought.

"Todd!" he heard his Trainer call, but he swam hurriedly into the vibrant blue sea. It was warm and salty, not like the lake he had known before. It gave a different resistance, but he paddled with his four paws and darted for where the watch had fallen.

For a second, he spotted the golden gleam. But then a reddish-brown body darted in and grabbed it. It continued swimming on.

Todd turned right quickly and raced after. It was harder to see in these waters, but he could still feel the ripples from the thief. Then he saw the reddish-brown fur again. This time, he could see the Pokmon better. She had a yellow skin that hung limply around her shoulders, like a neck brace.

"Okay, thief, give back the watch," Todd demanded.

"What watch?" she asked, playing clueless.

"The gold watch you stole! It dropped into the water and I saw you grab it."

"But I don't..." She put a paw to her chin. "Oh, I think you mean my brother. He takes stuff from time to time and I saw him just now zooming along."

"I need to get that watch back; it belongs to my Trainer."

"I'll help. Follow me. I know where he hangs out."

The strange Pokemon twisted up her two tails, then dashed ahead using them as propellers. Todd had to hustle to catch up, but then she was swimming normally. Apparently their tails were good for getting a burst of speed, but not for long.

After a minute, they came upon her brother, floating on the surface. She surfaced, then inflated the yellow skin for use like an inner tube. When Todd came up and started treading, he saw that the guy had the watch. He was examining it by shaking it while floating on his back. "Hmm. I'm not sure this is food."

The sister bonked him on the head with her fist. "You bad Buizel! That's not food! It's a human thing, a watch."

"Well how was I supposed to know that?"

"You do now. You need to return it to this Squirtle and apologize."

"Why should I? It just fell into the water and I got to it first, so it's mine."

"It belongs to my Trainer," Todd insisted, causing his bell to jingle as he nodded. "It's very important to him, so give it back, thief."

He huffed. "I'm not a thief! I didn't take it from nobody."

She bonked him on the head again. "I say it's not yours. Give it back."

"Cut it out, sis. Okay fine, here." He turned upright in the water and handed the watch over. "And sorry."

She frowned at him. "You didn't mean it."

"I didn't steal it, so I don't have to mean it."

"Yes you do. Now I'm gonna punish you."

He blanched. "Ack! I'm sorry! Okay?" He dashed off with a blur of tails.

She pursued him. "You'd better stop taking stuff that's not yours!"

Todd watched them rush off across the sea's surface. "Huh. Now I'm glad that I don't know any of my siblings." Then he swam back for the ferry, carrying the watch in his mouth.

Partway there, the space around him turned hazy. It reverted to his Pokeball space, a small sandy beach by a pretty lake. He was released onto the deck of the ferry almost immediately, still holding onto the watch. His Trainer knelt down by him. "Todd, what was that... huh? You got Grandpa's watch back?"

He took it in his forepaws and held up out. "It's still ticking."

He took the watch back and opened up the cover. "It looks like it's working. These old things do work the best."

"I'm sorry," Todd said, hanging his head. "I keep messing up."

"Oh Todd." He picked his Squirtle up and hugged him. "Thanks for getting it back. And I'm sorry about blaming you for the fire. You're a good Pokemon."

Todd hugged him back. His bell jingled as it was knocked around. Things had been bad, but they would get better.

…

Emerald entry: Its shell is not just for protection. Its rounded shape and the grooves on its surface minimize resistance in water, enabling Squirtle to swim at high speeds.

Buizel Pearl entry: It swims by rotating its two tails like a screw. When it dives, its flotation sac collapses.

At this point, I had covered a quarter of the Pokedex (up to fourth gen). It took me a bit to translate how Buizel swims from that entry.