Combusken, Floatzel, and Staryu

Blitz the Combusken let out a dramatic sigh, bringing his orange wing arm up to his forehead. Yellow sand scatted from his feathers, as he was lying down on the beach. "This day has come out to be a total tragedy," he said to no one in particular. "Me and my loyal teammates, my old war buddy Jetsam the Floatzel and a native newcomer Celine the Staryu, are now lost and unable to call for rescue…"

"Hey Blitz," Jetsam said, coming over and knocking some more sand onto him.

"Quiet, I'm starting a soliloquy," Blitz snapped. He looked up into the bright and cheery blue sky which, by the rules of drama, should actually be gray and treacherous. "After our resounding successes in the Sapphire Reef dungeon, including the recruitment of our newest member, we were headed back to the mainland when we were waylaid by pirates. Dozens of them!"

"Four is dozens?" Celine queried, hopping in the sand closer to the team leader.

"Yes!" Blitz insisted, back-punching the sand with his fist.

Jetsam leaned down and held his paw up to whisper, "He won't want to admit that he got beat by a Grass type, even if it was a Ludicolo."

"A mass of pirates on a strange and threatening ship, bearing an enormous black sail and twenty cannons," the Combusken went on. Celine nearly mentioned that the pirates only had a raft with a small yellow sail, but the Floatzel stopped her. "We first tried to outrun them, but they overcame us. We fought bravely of course, with mighty kicks, sharp ice, blasts of water, bursts of fire, and all the usual attacks. But to no avail; they stole a good chunk of our treasure and destroyed our ship. We managed to wash up on this lone deserted island, but it's too small for even a mini dungeon to form. It looks as though we're going to be stuck here for several days until the Guild realizes that Team Champs has been gone for much too long."

Coming into his vision, Jetsam gave him a questioning look. "Done now?"

Blitz clicked his beak before replying, "For now."

The Floatzel then pointed out to the ocean. "And of course, two of us can swim this ocean without breaking a sweat."

"But that's not as dramatic as being shipwrecked!" Blitz said.

"Dramatic?" Celine asked.

"He thinks his life is a movie," Jetsam said, sitting down in the sand and opening up their map. "So he's always looking to do things that will entertain his audience."

The Combusken threw his arms up, pointing off to where he thought Treasure Town was. "The guild master is in on it! Ever since the day that I hatched, I've been followed by invisible Shuppets with cameras. And many people get messages from the director to put obstacles in my path, and to keep me from suspecting that things are off. I've caught onto them, so I'm giving them a good show. But someday, I'll flush them all out, even the director." He looked over to the Staryu, with her red gem showing a glare spot form the sun. "Didn't you get contacted?"

Scrunching three of her arms in shyly, she replied, "No…"

"Ah. Well sorry to drag you into this. It's no big deal, really. It's a kind of reality show, but I have to exaggerate things so they can make the movies more interesting in editing."

Next to him, Jetsam put down the Wonder Map and pointed out a route. "The tides shouldn't be too bad on our way, and there's a full moon tonight. It'll be a longer trip than having our raft, but we can make it. You agree?"

Celine looked at it. "The distance is not as short as here."

"It's a map," he said. "It can't be full scale, or we couldn't carry it around. This is, oh, around twenty-nine miles."

"How long is a mile?" she asked, reminding them that she had been a wild Pokemon up until this morning.

Jetsam flipped his tail in the sand (working to hold back an insult) before folding the map back up. "You should be fine," he said. "You'll be able to keep up with me."

"You swim fast," she said, uncertain.

"I won't be able to swim as fast this time." He nudged Blitz with his foot after getting up. "Come on, celebrity boy. We're going back home."

The Combusken sat up, looking at him incredulously. "Oh sure, you two can just swim. But what about me?"

Chuckling, Jetsam tapped the yellow sacs on his shoulders and back. They began taking in air to puff up to a fully inflated state. It gave him quite a boost in size, which would be enough to ferry Blitz across, barely. "I'd like to see your crew hide out on the open ocean."

"They're invisible Ghosts; of course they can hide." Blitz got up and shook sand out of his feathers. "Fine, if you're offering, I'll be brave and cross with you."

They entered the shallows of the sea. With his flotation sacs inflated, Jetsam stayed right on the surface. He flipped around in the water to get sand off, then swam in place to let Blitz clamber onto his back. Celine used all of her body muscles to swim around them, then followed close by as the Floatzel lead the way.

Being in the open ocean, they didn't run into many wild Pokemon. It wasn't a boring trip, though. Blitz would have none of that. As the sun lowered in the sky, he recounted many of the greater exploits of Team Champs. Ever since he had founded the group as an enthusiastic young Torchic, Blitz wanted to go on the most dramatic and amazing adventures ever. It was all for the sake of the 'audience', of course. Jetsam often corrected his partner's exaggerations, but the pair was amused by exchange.

As the night took over, the red gem of Celine's body began to glow red. It drifted in and out of brightness, giving the dark waters a red glow. "Could be night predators out," the Staryu said quietly.

"Don't worry about that none," Blitz said. "I'll kick them in the jaws and send them packing."

"From my back?" Jetsam teased, holding his snout above the water to speak. "You might fall in. On the other paw, I could dive down and hunt them; it's in my ancestral blood. But not right now. I still wouldn't worry; they're not likely to come out with this noisy windbag yapping."

The Combusken sat up straight and proud. "Yeah, I'll intimidate them all. Especially if I do this: RAAAAHHHKKK!"

In response, Celine's gem pulsed quicker. The waves sent back faint echoes of the cry. "That would intimidate," she said, a bit shakily.

"You're one of us," the Floatzel said. "We wouldn't hurt a teammate."

"Hmm?" Blitz leaned forward. "Hey, are there aliens under the seas? That would make such an awesome subplot."

"Not that I know of," Celine replied, puzzled.

"Are you talking about those lights in the water?" Jetsam asked. "I think that's her kin."

She made a splash on the surface. "Oh yes, it's another group of them. The brighter light is a Starmie too."

Making another splash with his paw, he asked, "Well could you go down and ask for directions to the nearest shore, Celine? There isn't another island in sight to check the map."

"I can see the shoreline," Blitz said, pointing towards a black mass ahead of them.

"Yes, but I'd like to know where it's closest," Jetsam said. "I do have to swim and carry you, so you surely don't want me to get exhausted."

"Okay, I'll be back," Celine said, just before diving down to send light signals down to the other Staryu.

"She's a pretty good novice," the Combusken said. "She'll get used to our ways in time, I think."

"I hope so. You've gained and lost more novices than any other team leader."

He crossed his wings over his chest. "It's not my fault if they can't deal with the pressure of being on a reality show movie."

A minute later, Celine came back to the surface. "They say we're not far," she said, indicating a particular direction by jabbing one arm. "And the tide is low, so sandbanks will be high."

"Good, then let's get there," Blitz said. "Don't worry; I'll fight anything on the trek back to town."

Not far turned out to be nearly an hour later, but the three Pokemon got onto the sandy shore. Blitz hopped off as soon as he found it feasible, even though he ended up waist deep in water. He hurried out and onto less sandy grounds, to use his fires to dry off quicker. Jetsam and Celine took their time going up the beach. "Is he really your team leader?" Celine asked. "He seems… odd."

The Floatzel chuckled. "We don't call Blitz crazy," he said. "He's harmlessly eccentric. I call him the team leader, although I'm the one who always fills out the mission reports and makes official decisions. He can hardly be counted on to retell a story accurately."

"He-ey, you'd better not be tired yet!" Blitz called out to them. "We're going to arrive in town proud and strong, even if we only have a few treasures left from the pirate attack. It's gonna make for a great story arc."

"Of course, boss," Jetsam called back.

Celine did her best to twist her body and waddle faster. "Be right there."

…

Sapphire entry: Combusken battles with intensely hot flames it spews from its beak and outstandingly destructive kicks. This Pokemon's cry is very loud and distracting.

Floatzel Pearl entry: Its flotation device developed as a result of pursuing aquatic prey. It can doubt as a rubber raft.

Staryu Heart Gold entry: At night, the middle of its body slowly flickers with the same rhythm as a human heartbeat.

Remember to check on my profile and vote for the first fifth gen Pokemon to show up here. It has some interesting results so far.