Azumarill and Swanna

This place was strange to the Azumarill. Its water was hard with minerals and salt, but not salty enough to be the ocean. Due to the rockier lake bed, the water was clearer. Due to being part of a river, the water flow was quicker than he was used to. The Pokemon here were different too: striped fish called Basculin and colored jellies called Jellicent where here instead of frilly-tailed Goldeen and the simple Magikarp. He couldn't even find Marills here. While he could find food, what he couldn't find was home.

Home... he could remember it so well, a quiet freshwater pond in a quiet human town. There had been a Pokemon Gym there, but as it wasn't a Water type or one where Water did better, it had never mattered much. The smell of the ocean was often in the air, as it wasn't a far walk to reach that larger body of water. Here, there was often the smell of smoke and human industry. Where was the pond he called home?

It could be anywhere; it felt far away. He had been captured as a Marill by a Trainer, raised up to be an Azumarill by winning many fights. And then... he wasn't sure, as it seemed like he had woken up from a long hibernation without actually hibernating. He had woken up to complete chaos in a human building where many Pokemon were appearing and awakening without warning. The humans had been frantic in trying to find something to do, to fix a machine that someone had gotten into. Not liking that crowd, he had bolted out of the building as soon as he could and headed for water. But then he seemed to be in a completely different land.

After having traveled for a full moon cycle, he had found many rivers and waterfalls, but not many ponds. What should he do now? He could keep searching. Maybe if he went to the ocean and explored the waters there, he could find his proper land. But the ocean was said to be so large that no Pokemon could explore its entirety in one lifetime. His home would be like a small island compared to that. He could settle down here. But these waters not to his liking, even though this area had slower currents than others. On his travels, he had found some Marill groups, but they spoke and acted differently than he was used to. They didn't mind the swift water.

What to do? He thought about talking to the locals and asking for advice on where to find a pond, but according to his ears, there were mostly the Basculin around. Those Pokemon were rowdy, always looking for a fight much like the Carvahnas. But as he felt the water vibrations, he also picked up on a group of larger Pokemon on the surface. They seemed to be Flying types, but they were swimming in unison, like a rhythm. Curious about that, the Azumarill swam up to the surface to see them.

The water's upper level was filled with orange light, reflecting the sunset sky. He surfaced under the shadow of a great red bridge. Not far from he was, there was a group of seven lovely white Pokemon. They must have been the Swanna he had heard about. To no music that he could hear, they appeared to be dancing on the water. One of them stayed in the center, twirling on the spot and sweeping its wings around. The other six swam around it, turning while they did and moving their wings in response to their dance lead. Not one of them made a mistake; their movements blended together into a graceful whole. The Azumarill stayed where he was for some time, dazzled by the spectacle.

After the sky had grown dark and the humans' lights above grew bright, the Swanna flock noticed him. The one in the center waved one of them to swim over and meet him, while discussing something quietly with the others. "Good evening, stranger," the white bird said. "Praise be to the guardians of our land."

"Um, yeah," the Azumarill said, uncertain of who he meant. "Good evening, Swanna. I happened to feel your dance underwater, so I came up to watch. It was beautiful, thanks."

He shook his head. "It is in thanks for this day, and in hopes for a good day tomorrow. One must always show gratitude to the spirits who keep us safe."

"Right," he said. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm in my homeland anymore. I don't know what spirits you dance for."

"Spirits of the wind and land," the Swanna said. "The wind spirits especially, we keep them happy with the dance. If they get bored, well, there's troubling weather to come. But, you are away from home? That is most unfortunate."

The Azumarill felt a lump in his throat at the memories that came up; his ears drooped over his face. "Yeah. I just ended up in this land, a free Pokemon although I had been with a Trainer. I'm okay with being free, but... I miss my home, and I can't find any ponds to settle in if I want to make a new home."

"There are some ponds around, but not near here. Where do you come form?"

"I don't know the name of it, but it was a wonderful island in the ocean." He splashed the surface of the water. "There were no great wide rivers like this, but there were many ponds, small rivers and streams, and hot springs. I lived in a pond with fresh muddy water. Since I don't know where I am, I don't know how to get back. Where are the ponds of this land?"

Pointing his wing to the southwest, he said, "In that area. If you follow the river, you will come to a great city on the east bank; it is the biggest of the land, where the buildings reach into the sky. On the west bank there, by following the human roads, you could find the area after some travel."

"Really?" He looked over in that direction, but all he saw on the shore was forest. "I don't think I've searched that area. Thanks, I'll go search there for a new home."

"It would be a long travel for you, I believe," the Swanna said. "If you have been searching by yourself, you must have faced much hardship already." He spread his wings out. "I could carry you that way, if you wish."

"Would you?" the Azumarill asked, not sure if he should believe it as an offer. There were some Pokemon who would say they could do something, but wouldn't, or they wouldn't unless there was a battle involved. Feeling homesick as he was, the Azumarill didn't want to get into a battle at this time.

"Let me ask my flock leader," he said. "But I think it would be acceptable. If one wishes to see the world enter an ideal state, one must live out those ideals." He swam around, then looked back. "Come, you should at least introduce yourself."

"Okay," the Azumarill said, swimming after the Swanna. "Thank you so much; all this traveling has been wearisome and stressful."

Because he had been polite, the Swanna leader agreed to have the Azumarill flown to the area that had several ponds. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to stay here or to keep searching for a way to reach his homeland. But with a more suitable pond, he was able to stop wandering aimlessly for a while and figure things out.

…

Black entry: Swanna start to dance at dusk. The one dancing in the middle is the leader of the flock.

Azumarill B2/W2 entry: Its long ears are superb sensors. It can distinguish the movements of things in water and tell what they are.

For the seventh day of Christmas... a story about being a good neighbor. And sorry about missing yesterday; it was unavoidable.