Here's the twentieth chapter of Escape from Thunderhead! It's a bit on the shorter side, but it will get us over the 100K-word mark, and I'm pretty happy about that. Of course, words aren't everything; it's how you use them.

I would like to thank everyone who has read this far, and I hope you all appreciate Chapter 20.

Current music: I Got You - Split Enz

LUCAS' POV

"How did that get there?" Janelle half asked, half shouted as she looked at the boat that traveled alongside ours at roughly the same speed.

I gave her a weird look. "Well, someone was driving it, and they decided to move right alongside us. That's the way it works sometimes."

"Yeah, but how did they find us?"

Sionne shook her head. "I think I'm going to hurl again. This conversation's giving me a headache."

After a good night's sleep in the cabin, I had hoped that Sionne would recover from her seasickness. Evidently, it had been wishful thinking. For all our disagreements, I hated to see her suffer like this, but I didn't know how to help.

"What are you doing there?" Leopold bellowed from behind us.

For a moment, I thought he was addressing myself and the two girls, but a Raichu came out from behind the console on the other boat. He looked up at us sheepishly, dark circles beneath his eyes.

"We were following you," he said simply.

"I surmised that much," Leopold replied. "But that doesn't mean it's okay. Please, just tell us what you want. And who you are, too, but I want to know what you need from us first so we can send you on your way faster."

The Raichu gestured behind himself, and an Oshawott stepped out from behind the console as well. The two of them climbed off of their boat and onto ours.

Janelle narrowed her eyes. "Are you two pirates or something?"

"What? No!" the Oshawott yelped, sounding like someone who's just been subjected to great pain. "We're not pirates whatsoever!"

"Then why did you get on our boat?" the Village Elder responded gruffly. "Your own boat's going to sink, you know."

Sure enough, the motorboat on which those two Pokémon had arrived was beginning to take on water. It would only take a few minutes for it to be completely submerged, and then they'd be without an escape route if we were bloodthirsty.

Luckily for them, we weren't Arkoon.

"We are desperate," the Raichu explained. "My name's Kai, and he's Otto."

The Oshawott, identified as Otto, glared at Kai. "I can introduce myself, you know. Anyway, I'm Otto, like he said."

"Whatever" Sionne responded weakly. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go spill my guts out. I'll be back."

Otto grimaced. "Spill her guts? This isn't a fight to the death, is it?"

Leopold shook his head. "Unfortunately, this voyage has not been kind to Sionne. Motion sickness can strike anyone on a trip like this."

"True," the Oshawott replied. "But it shouldn't happen to a Water-type like me."

"So what do you guys need?" I asked. "Just tell us."

"We need food and water," Kai said bluntly. "Without it, we won't survive the trip."

"Where are you guys going?" Janelle asked testily. "We're hundreds of miles from the coast, probably."

"I could ask the same of you," Otto told her. "But I won't, because we're both desperate."

I hesitated. Would it be wise to tell Otto and Kai our mission? For all I knew, they could be representatives sent by the Seablast Corporation to sabotage us however possible. Surely that was more plausible than a random encounter.

Leopold narrowed his eyes. "Well, I wouldn't withhold aid from those in need. And I'm certainly not going to chuck you overboard after your boat sank. We've got water on board - bottled water, though."

"Nothing wrong with that," Otto said in a raspy voice. "Beggars can't be choosers, after all."

A few minutes later, we sat around a table in the rec room, drinking bottles of water. Leopold stressed how important it was for all of us, particularly Sionne, to remain hydrated, not that I didn't already know that from Health class.

"So what are you four doing on the high seas?" Kai asked eventually. His voice seemed stronger, perhaps more electric if you get my drift.

I didn't expect Leopold to answer at first, but he did. Clearly, he felt that there was no reason not to do so.

"Well, we're traveling north to save Zeraora. It's currently being held on Thunderhead Mountain in the Eastern Archipelago of Sinnoh."

Kai and Otto both looked as though they'd just been told they were sitting next to hydrogen bombs. Otto in particular sprang upwards like his chair was a trampoline.

"Why do you need to save Zeraora?" Kai asked, pounding his fists on the table.

Janelle gritted her teeth. "Because it's the right thing to do," she replied flatly.

"The climate all over Nexus has been very odd ever since Zeroara was imprisoned" Leopold explained. "In our own village of Chilly Waters in the Fulan Region, a wildfire forced us to begin our voyage early."

"You'd know more than we do about that," Kai replied. "We've been holed up inside for quite a while."

"Where?" I asked, dreading the answer. I had a feeling that I knew what they were about to say, and I wouldn't be pleased about it.

The Oshawott glared at the Raichu, who sighed deeply. It seemed that Kai wasn't eager to answer as well, but he had to.

"Well", he said simply, "we used to work for the Seablast Corporation. It's a mining company based in Coronet City, with offices all over the world. Have you heard of them before?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, do I?"

"All too well, I'm afraid" the Village Elder responded. "We're not going to leave you out here to die of dehydration, but I'm just confused…why did you leave? It seems as though you don't agree with their mission anymore?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, sir," Otto told Leopold. "We decided to stop supporting the group. But we didn't think…it was just because we didn't know what this machine we were designing did. And that's why we abandoned ship."

At those words, Sionne looked like she might faint. Of course, that could have been a function of her motion sickness rather than what Otto had just said.

Leopold, on the other hand, grunted, his eyes gleaming with anger. But it wasn't directed at either Otto or Kai.

"Our intelligence in the village of Chilly Waters has determined that the Seablast Corporation, headed by one Roy Pyroar, are the ones who have taken Zeraora hostage atop Thunderhead Mountain. It's a good thing you two left - your conscience can remain as clear as possible this way."

Kai grimaced. "It's still not clear at all."

Leopold narrowed his eyes. "I said as clear as possible. That doesn't mean 'clear' in an absolute sense."

"Anyway", I jumped in, "we've got plenty of food and water here. At least, we have way more than enough water. So why don't you join us?"

Of course, Kai and Otto had no choice but to accept our olive branch. By this time the boat they'd driven here on was no longer visible, having descended far beneath the waves to a depth that would crush any non-Water-type who went that far down.

"Let's do it," Otto said. "Let's right our wrongs. I'm in."

"And I am too," Kai told us. "If I can just get some water, that is."

Leopold smiled. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm a man of my word. I don't make any promises I cannot keep. It's part of the Pyroar honor code."

"You know", I replied, "I would love to read that honor code someday. After all, I'll probably evolve at some point if I stay here long enough."

Otto frowned. "What do you mean by staying here?"

I shook my head. "It's a long story." I didn't want to relitigate how Janelle and I had ended up in this world, on this particular ship, not least because I didn't fully understand it myself.

"We've got time," Kai replied with a wink. "In fact, we've got nothing but time here. What gives?"

"Don't make him cover it all," Leopold said, saving me from that terrible fate. "It doesn't matter right now."

Thank you so much, Chief.

Ferguson: When you saw Kai and Otto on the other boat, why did you take them in so readily? I've always thought of you as a pretty cold-blooded person.

Defendant: Well, maybe you need to rethink your perception of me. Besides, it wasn't just my decision. Leopold would have vetoed me in a split second if I said no.

Ferguson: But you weren't going to say no, were you?

Defendant: Why would I? They were in need, and besides, their ship was literally sinking right before our eyes. I'm a lot of things, but I'm not heartless enough to do that.

Ferguson: That would seem to contradict your more recent actions, wouldn't it?

Defendant: Shut up, Darren.

(The audience gasped.)

Ferguson: There could be a bit more decorum here, Lucas, could there not? You're only hurting your own case whenever you insult me like that.

Defendant: You don't need to tell me that, Darren. I'm not as heartless as you think I am.

Ferguson: Perhaps you thought you could get something out of welcoming them? You weren't going to do this out of the goodness of your heart.

Defendant: I'll concede that I thought we could get some value out of Kai and Otto. Six pairs of eyes is better than four. Or rather, five is better than three; Sionne was too focused on not throwing up.

Ferguson: Is there anything else you'd like to say about these two Pokemon? Man, I hate saying that word, just because this whole story's so outlandish.

Defendant: Outlandishness aside, yes. To this day, I'm forever grateful to those two. I owe them a lot.

Ferguson: What do you owe them, Mr. Teller?

(The defendant did not respond.)

Ferguson: Well? What did they give you?

Defendant: Thank you so much, Otto. And that's not hyperbole. Without him, I don't know where I'd be.

Kai and Otto, from that point on, became our friends. Perhaps friends is too strong a word, but at a minimum, they were aligned with us. We had the same goals, even if we had gotten here in different ways.

We spent most of the rest of the day in the rec room, playing pool. I had never considered myself experienced in the field of billiards, but Kai showed me how it was done, and I was able to consistently defeat Janelle at this pursuit.

Sionne's seasickness did not, however, seem to abate. She spent the entire afternoon in our cabin, occasionally coming out in order to hurl over the side of the yacht. (That could not be good for the marine ecosystem.)

The rest of us, however, were content to play near-endless games of pool and foosball as Leopold drove us steadily further north. When we got sick of this, we sunbathed on the deck, letting the rays warm our fur against the pleasant ocean breeze.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. This became evident towards the end of the day as the sun began sinking.

You see, dark clouds had begun encircling the disk of fire in the sky. They were the type that I always associated with three things: Rain, thunder, and lightning.

"That looks rather ominous" Janelle muttered, pointing at the clouds above. "You don't think we'll have lightning, do you?"

"Hell no," Kai replied. "The only one who makes lightning here is me."

I snorted. "I wish I shared your optimism, Kai. But the reality is, I don't know if I can. Arceus has control over this domain as well."

Otto turned over onto his stomach. "Then talk to Leopold. He'd know more than we do."

I did just that, making my way into the control room, where Leopold remained, typing in commands. Every few seconds, he'd grunt and look out the window at the dark gray clouds, then frown.

"Hey, Leopold?" I asked.

I'll give the Village Elder credit; he did not seem startled as he turned to me. He simply sighed and said, "Yes, Lucas?"

"Do you think a storm's coming? Those clouds look pretty dark; aren't they called cumulonimbus or something?"

Leopold narrowed his eyes at the horizon. "I'm afraid it is likely. But one should not be surprised by this; after all, we're heading further and further from the tropics, towards a lawless domain. They say Arceus no longer has control over the islands of Sinnoh."

I gulped. "Really? I thought God was all-powerful."

"Your God might be, Lucas, but not Arceus. The Creator of Arceus has His limits too. Perhaps that's the reason Roy Pyroar decided to imprison Zeraora there."

I shivered as the Village Elder's words sank in. I didn't want to believe it, but reality doesn't always conform to one's desires.

"So we should expect…what, exactly?"

Leopold shook his head. "I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine. Make no mistake about it, though: With every mile we travel, we'll need to be even more vigilant than we were the previous mile. Hell, at a certain point, it's like one of those commercials: You'll know the difference immediately!"

I didn't laugh; I couldn't find the stomach to do so.

"You should have some dinner. I feel that, for better or worse, tomorrow is going to be a big day."

After bidding Leopold goodbye, I went back downstairs to find that a very light rain had already started to fall. The others had returned to the rec room, where they were engaged in a very competitive game of darts.

I started with the innocuous greeting, "Hey, guys, what's up?" But it hit me right away that this was far too casual for the moment.

Janelle swiveled around. "What's going on?" she asked.

I sighed. "Leopold says we should expect a storm tomorrow."

"Well, duh," Otto replied. "Just look at the sky."

"Sionne isn't looking at the sky right now" Janelle said, her eyes widening. "The sea's going to be way rougher tomorrow…oh, Arceus, I don't envy her."

Since when does Janelle care about Sionne so much?

"I'm sure this yacht's been through far worse" I told the others, trying to inspire some confidence. "It's part of the Fulan government's fleet, after all. If it wasn't truly seaworthy, we wouldn't be taking it."

I wanted to believe my own words, as difficult as it was. But I think Kai, Otto, and Janelle could tell that I was employing the classic strategy of "fake it 'till you make it."

After dinner, I was the first one to head back to our quarters. We would see what tomorrow brought.

Contrary to what one might expect, I actually slept pretty well that night. It's entirely possible that this was because I knew my body needed rest to prepare for the next day.

When I woke, I was in a state of what felt like near-total bliss. I never wanted to leave this bed, as necessary as it was to face the day.

So I kept my eyes closed for a few more minutes, wondering if it wouldn't be so bad to fall asleep again. After all, there was nothing I needed to do until we reached Sinnoh.

I was about to snuggle back up beneath the covers when I remembered what Leopold had said yesterday about the weather. Namely, that there was a storm on the horizon.

As soon as I threw back my blanket, I realized that there was a chill in the air. The air was far cooler than it had been yesterday, which was already saying something. We must have made great time so far.

I shuffled outside, at which time I felt, rather than saw, the torrential downpour of cold rain. I also heard large waves crashing against the yacht, and I had to spread my body out to prevent myself from slipping as the ship listed from side to side.

Probably best to stay inside today, I thought.

So I headed into the rec room, where Janelle sat next to Sionne. The poor Pyroar had a bucket beside her chair, the purpose of which should be obvious to anyone who's been paying attention.

"Hey" Sionne said weakly as she saw me enter the room.

"Hello" I replied with a smile. Yes, the weather outside may have been unpleasant, but it felt great to be in here. As long as we remained indoors, we were safe from the storm.

"Where are Kai and Otto, by the way?" I asked as this occurred to me.

Janelle shrugged. "They're probably still asleep. Apparently they were up all night the other day, driving their boat to ours."

"Staying up all night…" I began. "Couldn't be me."

"Anyway," Janelle replied, "I was going to start a game of poker, but it seems like Sionne feels too sick to do it. So we'll just have to wait out the tempest with our favorite people."

I snorted with laughter. "Our favorite people, huh?"

The other Litleo shook her head playfully. "You know what I mean, Lucas. Anyway, I wouldn't wake Kai or Otto yet - they've earned their beauty rest."

There was then a giant crackle of thunder, loud enough to be heard within the rec room. If we'd been trying to talk to one another, our conversation would have been totally smothered.

"That didn't sound good" Sionne rasped once the thunder had subsided. "It's pretty close."

"Trust me, we'll be okay" I insisted. "Leopold's a very capable captain. He'll get us there without a hitch. In fact, I'll make sure he's fine right now."

"Careful out there!" Janelle warned. "If the swells are tall enough, they might make the deck wet."

I winked at my fellow Litleo, whom I may or may not have been developing feelings for. "Careful is my middle name, buddy."

Without waiting for Janelle to respond, I made my way back to the deck, beyond which I could barely see. Not only was the rain continuing to pound like hammers against the deck, but a thick fog had also set in. I could, however, see giant waves cresting over the railing, pouring seawater all over the floorboards.

A waterfall cascaded down the steps to the control room, and I knew I'd probably break my back if I tried to climb them. That effort would have to wait until the rain and waves subsided; I just wished I'd known how long that would take.

I turned around, intent on returning to the rec room, but it was at that exact moment that the ship lurched dramatically rightward, to the point that I was swept off my feet by the torrential rain and ocean water.

Tumbling downward, I tried to grab onto anything I could, but I kept doing backwards somersaults. As a kid, I would have thought that was the coolest thing ever, but right now, not so much.

Finally, I grabbed onto the railing, but it was too slick to maintain a firm grip. Try as I might, my limbs were burning, and I didn't expect to hold on for very long.

But I must hold on. Otherwise, I'm going to fall into the drink, and that'll be the end of me!

And yet, I lost my battle seconds later. My grip loosened, and I plummeted into the sea, making contact with a giant splash.

I wasn't prepared, so I swallowed some saltwater immediately, burning my throat and resulting in an increase in my heart rate. I thrashed about, trying frantically to reach the surface.

But every time my head managed to make it above the surface, every time I got a tiny breath in, a wave would sweep in and fill my nose. Perhaps that's what waterboarding feels like.

And the panic set in. After everything that had happened to me over seventeen years of life, is this how it would all end? Drowning in a choppy sea in a world most Earthlings didn't believe existed?

I thrashed my legs some more, desperate to get just a bit more oxygen. Just a few more seconds of breath could give me the strength to stay afloat for a longer period, which could be enough time for me to be rescued.

But then I remembered that the Windwhistler was still moving forward, at least as far as I knew, and they might not stop for me. Hell, Leopold probably didn't even know I'd fallen overboard.

Every time I got my mouth above water, I sucked in as much air as I could, but my chest hurt before long. Even when I was able to breathe, doing so hurt more and more. And yet, I had to do it just to stay alive.

There was another splash not far from me, but I don't know if it was from someone else falling (or jumping) in, or if it was just from my fruitless efforts to avoid sinking further.

And then the sky suddenly brightened for a split second. Lightning.

This realization caused me to flail even more, because as horrifying as drowning might be, it wasn't the only risk in this ocean. I knew from science class that water was a powerful conductor of electricity, and just one lightning bolt would be enough to fry my Litleo body.

I have to get back to the boat. Otherwise, I'll meet a fate that I don't even want to imagine.

Just then, another massive wave came. I wasn't ready for it.

The wave knocked me back underwater, and this time, I didn't know which way was up. I'd already taken in quite a bit of water, but I got a mouthful of the sea right then and there.

My joints felt leaden, but I kept pushing. I was not going to die like this; of that much, I was determined.

The quest for Zeraora felt secondary to my goal of getting back up to air and light (well, relative light; the clouds above were still a dark purplish-gray color.) I almost didn't care what happened to the Mythical Pokémon as long as I survived this ordeal.

I kept swimming, but to this day, I'm not sure if I was getting closer to the surface or further from it. All I know is that at some point, the lightheadedness set in, and I could no longer think clearly.

It wasn't more than a few seconds after that when my vision went black, and, not long afterwards, so did my mind.

What felt like seconds later, I came to on a flat service, shaking back and forth. Not only was the surface itself tilting side to side, but I found myself shivering as I sucked in as much air as I could.

Suddenly, someone kissed me…was that Janelle? If I were being snogged by the other Litleo, I wanted to be fully conscious to experience it.

I opened my eyes to find an Oshawott's face just inches above mine. His eyes were frantic as he breathed right into my mouth and pushed down on my chest.

"Get off me, dude" I muttered weakly.

Otto backed away, allowing me to lean over and vomit an immense amount of water all over the deck. Even though I felt like shit, though, Otto appeared greatly relieved, like he'd just been told that a terrible piece of "news" he'd heard was not, in fact, news.

"Lucas!" Leopold boomed. "Is that any way to treat someone who just saved your life?"

As my eyes opened wider, and the haze of unconsciousness began to subside, I was able to piece it all together. Let's just say that it made me feel even more like shit.

"I'm sorry" I rasped, coughing a bit more seawater up. "I wasn't processing everything. I…I really thought I was about to…".

"I know, Lucas," Janelle responded, giving me a back massage. "You must have been terrified, so I don't blame you for being a bit rude when you came to."

"I do" Otto responded sharply, which made a (somewhat lesser) panic rise in my throat.

The worry must have shown in my eyes, because the Oshawott then chuckled. "Just kidding, man. Glad I was able to resuscitate you."

"No kidding" a rather feeble voice sounded from a short distance to my right.

I turned to find that Sionne was the bearer of that voice. She looked at me with a mixed expression; overjoyed to see me alive and conscious, yes, but also disapproving.

"I didn't jump in on purpose" I told Sionne preemptively, hoping she didn't think I had a death wish. Because in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

"I believe you" the female Pyroar responded. It may have only been my perception, but her cheeks appeared a little less green now. "But please be more careful from here on out."

Leopold frowned at me. "Why were you on the deck, anyway? That wasn't a very wise move, Lucas."

The events leading up to my tumble and near-drowning came right back to me. And I gave my answer gingerly, knowing that if I wasn't careful with what I said, the old Pyroar might lash out at me.

No, he's not going to do that, Lucas. Stop worrying about it. That's fake news.

In the end, I just told him the truth. After all, don't they always say that honesty is the best policy?

"I was going to see you," I told the Village Elder. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Leopold snorted. "Well, that ended in us having to make sure you were okay. So please, next time, think before you act. And that goes for the rest of you, too."

Janelle glanced up at the Village Elder. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Janelle Litleo."

"My last name is Wilson, you know."

"Same thing. Anyway, I expect the five of you to wait out the rest of the storm inside the rec room or your quarters. Please don't come to me about any issues, or to make sure that I'm doing okay. If there's a problem, I'll come to you."

I nodded to show that I understood. Then, I tried to stand up again, only to find that dark spots danced before my eyes. And I shivered, too.

"Of course!" Otto exclaimed. "You probably got a little cold in that water, too. I mean, besides the fact that you weren't breathing, so there was less oxygen in your body, the ocean itself is a bone-chilling temperature, forty-six degrees today."

I flinched. "How do you know that?" Honestly, I'd been too frightened to even notice that the water was chilly.

The Oshawott shrugged. "You'd be surprised at all the perks of being a Water-type. I can sense things others can't."

Well, I guess I should take what Otto says at face value. He did get me out of that death trap, after all.

But what if he just wants you to trust him? Maybe he's merely trying to lure you into complacency, then strike like a cobra.

No! If he wanted me dead, he could have just let me drown! It would be as easy as that!

Shaking my head, I shivered further, my teeth chattering. Another attempt at forward momentum had me hitting the deck, literally.

"Take your time," Leopold instructed me.

Getting back up took a good fifteen seconds as I realized just how exhausted my Litleo body felt. I was in no shape to be freeing Zeraora right now.