Chapter 10: We're All Different

"Piplup!"

The sound of a small blue penguin Pokémon, followed by the sound of running feet, ran out of the cave and jumped right into the water. The Piplup was then quickly followed by a Squirtle, Mudkip, and Oshawatt.

But while the Squirtle and Mudkip jumped with a little splash, the Oshawatt jumped for its biggest cannonball it could do.

Then, a Pichu, with a Lapras by his right side, walked out of the cave's entrance, or for the Lapras' case, dragged out of the cave.

"The storm seems to be done." Sparks said as he looked up to see fewer and lighter gray clouds above.

"Wish me and you could say longer to watch small Pokémon." Melody sighed as she looked toward the playing Pokemon.

"Me too." Sparks agreed as he looked toward all of the water types.

"Well, we can't... A-CHOO!" A voice called from behind them. "Because we're going to go straight to...wherever we're going, so you and I can get home." The Luxio said as he then appeared outside the cave and walked to Sparks' left side.

Melody glared straight at Bolt across from Sparks.

"I know, Bolt." Sparks said in an annoyed tone before things could start to go sour. "You don't have to keep reminding me about it."

Melody then turned her face away from Bolt and dragged her body into the water. Sparks then ran onto her gray shell.

"Sparks." Melody quietly asked. "Why are you bringing him?"

Sparks sighed; he knew that Melody was talking about Bolt. "Well, he's my brother."

"He hates you."

Sparks didn't say anything at first and took a moment to think of what to say. "Look, what I did, freeing you, was wrong to a lot of Pokémon, like Bolt. But I didn't believe it was wrong because I saw something in you. And I want to show that to others, starting with Bolt."

Sparks finished as he looked into his bag. Melody blinked. "You want to change Bolt's mind?"

"Yeah. As much as I can. I don't fully think it'll work, but it'll at least make Bolt think about Wild Pokémon a bit more, right?"

"Hey! Don't think I don't see you guys talking!" Bolt called out.

Sparks groaned. "Don't worry! I'm just talking to Melody about how you're going to ride on her shell with us."

Bolt and Melody's eyes shrank on the spot as they both cried out, "What?!"

Sparks looked into Melody's eyes. "It'll help with Bolt, please."

Melody let out a sigh. But then remembered what Sparks could go through if Bolt didn't change. "Alright."

Bolt looked at the Transport Pokemon, he had been running and fighting for the entire day, so the thought of riding on it did sound relaxing, but Bolt didn't really trust that Lapras after getting stuck.

"Fine, but no Ice Beam. Alright?" Bolt said as he yawned. He then walked up to the Lapras when she moved away from Bolt.

"Hey!" Bolt yelled as he almost tripped into the water. Sparks was caught off guard by this and was going to ask Melody what she was doing, but then Melody spoke.

"Say sorry to me." Melody told the lion.

Bolt blinked, "Sorry? You were the one freezing me, you-"

Sparks quickly jumped into the conversation before Bolt said anything more (and Melody got mad and fired an Ice Beam again).

"I think she means the time that you helped Gator to capture her! Right?"

"Yes." Melody nodded.

Bolt felt sick went he heard the word 'Gator', but he swallowed his pill. "Okay, fine. I'm...sorry." Bolt spoke.

Bolt looked at the Lapras, expecting it to come closer to him, however the Lapras still looked mad and had a cyan light in its mouth. Bolt panicked and felt his small Shinx side take control over him for a moment.

He closed his eyes and fell to the ground out of fear. "I really am sorry! Please! I was just following what Gator said! Don't freeze me!" Bolt pleaded. Bolt kept his eyes closed, just waiting for something to happen.

But nothing did. Bolt slowly opened his eyes, and he saw the Lapras in front of him, with its fins right at the shore. "Good, now get on shell." She ordered.

Bolt started to pick himself back up and slowly walked onto the gray shell, and he couldn't help but notice seeing the Lapras' big smirk across its face, and it looked like she was... holding in laughter.

Bolt put his teeth on top of one another as he put two and two together. "So that's how she wants to play." He angrily thought as he hoped on the shell. If the shinx character was real, he would have punted him across the island. If he wanted to feel proud, he'd have to show that part of him his place.

Bolt then turned towards Sparks and asked, "So, where am I sitting?", noticing the small amount of room on the shell.

Sparks sighed. "You'll sit on the shell, I'm gonna go up on top of her head." Sparks said, with his head turned away from Bolt.

The Luxio watched his brother grab his small brown bag from the Lapras' shell, then hop onto the turtle's head.

"Bye you guys!" Sparks cried out as he waved to the small Pokemon. To Bolts surprise, they too started waving as they saw Sparks and the Lapras about to leave them. As if they understood...

Bolt just sighed and laid down to rest and forget about this stuff, but then he felt something bump him on his chest. He slowly got back up and saw his own brown bag dangling under his belly.

Bolt groaned and took it off to tie it onto a spike. He then laid down again but couldn't take his eyes off of the bag. He tried to turn away from it, however, then he could hear Sparks and his friend talk. "So, it is alright to leave all of those Water-Types behind, right?" Sparks asked.

"Yes," Replied Melody, "They only scared about storm, but storm over now. And they go home." She said as they started moving down the current. And Bolt still couldn't get over the fact how it could talk! And it just made him think about Gator even more and about what he said about Wild Pokémon.

He was still hiding the fact that Gator was the whole reason he had found Sparks, as if Gator didn't recommend where to look, Bolt could still be looking for Sparks for who knows how long! And he knew that if the Lapras found out...Bolt honestly feared for his life, as he barely stood a chance against it back at the cave, and there was no telling what a Wild Pokémon could do to him without Sparks to control it.

He was only barely able to sneak the compass right under their noses, thanks to his quick thinking, kind of like his mom. Although, that still didn't help him not to think about it. But then Bolt thought about Gator a bit more, about what Sparks and the Lapras would say about him.

But then he thought about how Gator's recommendation led him to, not only Sparks, but the missing Lapras too. Gator, doesn't know Sparks stole Melody...right?

Oh great, now Bolt had to find that out too. Oh well, the sooner, the better.

"Hey Sparks?" Bolt asked without looking at him. "Did somemon see you when you broke out her last night?"

Sparks turned his head to Bolt. "No, I always had a mask on and nomon took it off. Why?" Sparks answered curiously.

Bolt sweated. "Just wondering." Bolt thought about another question he could ask as he responded. "I just don't want to be in trouble for something I didn't do. That's all."

Sparks narrowed his eyes at his brother, but then remembered a question he wanted to ask Melody, and how it would be the perfect time to ask that.

"So, I don't think I asked this yet but, what did Gator do to you?" Sparks asked, hoping to also get Bolt to listen in on the question.

Melody lowered her head and went silent for a while, but then rose it back up. "Gator use me as 'Small Ship.' I move big boxes down small currents."

"Wait, that's it?" Bolt turned to the both of them. "That sounds pretty easy to me, it's sounds like a good job honestly."

Melody took a deep breath in. "Job?"

"It's a... Something you do, and then you get Poke for it, or something you want." Sparks answered.

"Well, I didn't like job. And got nothing. Had to do it, or I get hit by whip. Could not talk, or say no, or I get hit by whip."

Bolt rolled his eyes and turned his head away from the Lapras. "How long were you there?" Sparks asked her.

"Many days and nights. Just wanted to go home."

Sparks looked toward his brother. "See Bolt? You can't just treat a Wild Pokémon like this! Force it to work for you and hurt it for standing up, that's just cruel!"

Bolt got up and turned to Sparks. "Sparks, are you TRYING to make me feel guilty? Guilty for something that only ONE Pokémon says? And a Wild Pokémon for that matter?!"

Sparks crossed his arms. "And you believe Gator?"

"Yes." Bolt said.

"Really?"

"Yes." Bolt slightly fibbed.

"One-hundred percent?"

"...Well, he hasn't tried to kill me yet. So yes." Bolt pointed out.

"I just don't get how you could have the nerve to think..." Bolt clears his throat, "Hey, that one Lapras looked really sad, I bet it's just really a nice Pokémon who was captured and just wants to her own way!" He says to mock his little brother, "So, I'm gonna break it out from a bunch of other Pokémon who have their reasons, because I like Wild Pokémon more than anything else!"

Sparks felt his blood boil for a moment but remained calm. "First, I do not sound like that. Second, I didn't do it 'because I like Wild Pokémon more than anything.' She asked me to help her, Bolt."

"Sure, she did." Bolt said with plenty of sass.

"Bolt, you should know that OUR mom and dad would always say, 'We fight for those who can't."

"You think Mom and Dad would do this?" Bolt asked.

"Yes, 110%" Sparks firmly replied. Bolt looked at his brother, and saw no sign of doubt in him, which was better than what Bolt thought about believing Gator.

Bolt just groaned. Sparks smiled, knowing Bolt was thinking about his answer, so he decided to continue his reasons. "Bolt, after you yelled at me, I ran all the way down to the ship so I could find a way to get over what you said to me."

Bolt...slightly felt that as he continued, "I was in tears, knowing that you had ALWAYS hated me. And I went to see the Lapras because...well, I thought it would make me feel better. I cried to her, not even knowing if she would understand me, and I'll never forget when I said that I needed help."

Bolt started to feel something in him.

"And she spoke to me. The first time I had ever heard a Wild Pokémon speak, was 'help.'"

Bolt didn't know whether to cringe or feel sorry for Sparks.

"I looked at her, and she asked for my help." Sparks paused for a moment, and then looked to Melody. "Why did you ask me for help?"

The Ice-Type looked up, and then at the Luxio. "W-well..."

"Okay, you know what?" Bolt said to change the subject. "If you're trying to convince me with your cheesy stories, you're doing a good job, but it's not going to work on me! Unlike you, I don't try and twist what Pokemon said into my favor."

Bolt looked at Sparks. "Here look, I'll make my own reason right now. In my eyes, The Lapras stormed the ship, but then was caught by Gator. And now Gator's holding it until it pays back for the damages it caused him."

"Didn't hit ship! Ship hit me! Ship take me from home!" Melody yelled with her mouth ready to use Ice Beam.

Sparks raised both of his paws up. "Bolt would you stop it! You're gonna get frozen again if you say things like that!"

"Sparks, you're not going to tell me what I can and can't say like I'm some kind of kid while you take full advantage of that. And you can't trust somemon you just ran into yesterday! Plus, it's a Wild Pokémon! It could go wild on you at any moment!" Bolt pointed out.

"Well, I'll have you know that Melody has been very kind to me from the moment I helped her! Unlike you for as long as I can remember." Sparks said with his arms crossed.

Oh, Bolt really felt that.

The Luxio looked at Melody, he had to admit that the Lapras was protective toward Sparks, even if it was a bit too protective really.

"Alright, fine. You know what, let's just not talk then." Bolt said calmly. "I think it'll be best if we all do, and stay like that."

"Good!" Melody agreed as she turned away from Bolt.

Sparks just looked at the both of them upset, but then sighed as he wasn't much help either.

"Well, that didn't work out." Sparks muttered. Bolt sat back down on the surprisingly comfortable gray shell, and looked away from both his brother's and the Lapras' face.

"Glad I got that over with." Bolt thought. He then yawned as he decided to close his eyes for a bit. But then his eyes opened again.

Gator.

Bolt put his paws on his face. "SHUT UP BRAIN!"

Gator looked ahead at the bright blue sky above the darker blue sea below. The Feraligatr turned his head toward his crew.

"Wave!" He called out toward them. Suddenly, a Warturtle ran across the ship and to the captain.

"Yes, Captain?" He asked nervously.

"How's our ship sailing after its rushed repairs? Any problems? Leaks? Are we missing something?" He wondered.

Wave took a sigh. "Well, I can safely say that there doesn't seem to be a problem so far. At least nothing we can't handle."

Gator sighed in relief. "And what about Bolt's parents? Has that been taken care of?"

The turtle looked at the captain. "Aaa...Bolt?"

"That one Luxio that came to us this morning? I told him that we'd tell his parents that I sent him on a mission, but they never showed up." The captain explained.

Wave suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah, I sent one of our Wingulls to their home to tell them when they get back."

"Good."

"Sir?" Wave asked. "Do you really think that Pichu stole our Lapras? I mean, from what it seems, that Bolt Pokémon gave it all away to you. Doesn't that seem weird?"

"Wave, all of these things can't just be lining up together for nothing. At a point like this, I need to think a step ahead if I'm going to outsmart somemon who outsmarted us first."

"But didn't they say that they were brothers?" Wave pointed out.

Gator sighed. "When I was a small Totodile, I kept secrets from my family. And besides, the two of them are very different from each other."

It was pure silence for what seemed like forever between all three of the Pokémon. Melody and Bolt didn't even bother looking anywhere close to each other, Bolt and Sparks didn't talk to each other either, and Sparks wasn't even in the mood to talk to Melody, even though Bolt had fallen asleep a while ago, he kind of ruined the mood for Sparks.

Melody, however, didn't like the silence from the mouse, it was as if he was actually...thinking about what Bolt had said to him about her.

She sighed. Sparks definitely needed help, and if she was going to help him, she'd need to make sure that he's on her side.

"Hey, Sparks?" Melody asked quietly.

Sparks' left ear went up. "Ya?"

The turtle took a breath in. "What you thinking?"

Sparks sighed, knowing what she was probably talking about. "Look, I don't believe Bolt, if that's what you're thinking." He answered. "Sure, he may have some points here and there, but in reality, he's just making that stuff up because he's stubborn toward me...and just stubborn in general."

"Family stubborn too?" Melody questioned.

Sparks looked at Melody. "No. Of course not!" He said louder than normal, causing somemon to move.

"But what about Bolt? He will say bad things to you." Melody asked.

Sparks was about to answer her back, but then he thought about it. He then turned his head toward Bolt. Bolt really can just ruin his life forever when they get back home, just feeding a Wild Pokémon was a crime, and Sparks had done that dozens of times. But stealing one out of a ship, the charges Gator could press on his family, the trouble Sparks could be in, he could be thrown into jail for something like that, could he?!

Melody looked at Sparks quietly panicking and saw her moment. "You could come with me." She offered.

Sparks stopped thinking. "What?"

Bolt's ears went up. "What?" He thought.

Bolt started to wake up, all he heard were the words 'come with me.' Bolt decided to pretend to still be sleeping, so he could listen in on the conversation, and not get caught by the overprotective Lapras.

"You could help more Wild Pokémon talk." Melody started. "And live with me so you can see more Pokémon too. And help us talk so we could come back here more."

Bolt's eyes shot open. She's going to do what? Sparks went silent for a second.

"It would be cool but..." He said in a little worried tone. Sparks was thinking, now was Bolt's chance to stop everything before the Lapras could say anything more.

Bolt stood up and made a louder than normal yawn to make sure they heard him. Sparks and Melody stopped talking and started to look away from each other to look like they weren't talking, but Bolt knew otherwise.

Just as planned. Now he just needed to change the subject.

Bolt looked down at the shell. "I got a admit, sleeping on your shell is kind of nice actually." He said truthfully, as he expected a far worse nap on a rock hard surface.

Sparks and Melody just looked at each other, surprised by the Luxio's comment.

Bolt needed to try something different to talk about. He looked around to find something to talk about. He saw the light gray rocks, the slightly darker stone walls with a bush or two growing on it, and...

Bolt looked ahead of them to look for more things that he could talk about, but nothing.

How does Sparks find something to talk about all the time? He looked past the turtle's long neck and saw something up ahead.

A nice green, healthy berry bush on a patch of grass by a cave.

Perfect. Bolt looked up at the Lapras. "Hey, let's stop by that bush by the cave so we can get some berries."

Melody looked back at the lion and followed his eyes to the same bush. She looked closely at the bush, and then at the cave. "No." She stated.

"Good, cause I'm-" Bolt blinked, then looked to Melody. "No?"

"Right, no." She firmly answered.

Bolt looked at the bush as they were about to pass by it. Bolt stomach growled. He needed to pass the time by with something, and now after talking about the bush, he guessed he made himself a bit hungry. He had nothing left in his bag, so he really needed something in his stomach right now.

Bolt saw the land, he bent back, and got ready to jump onto the shore. Sparks noticed Bolt bending down. "Bolt, what are you-"

But Sparks didn't finish, as before they came in front of the small beach, Bolt jumped, and with a small splash he landed just short of the sand.

Dang it. The cold water was touching his belly as he walked his way up the shore, and he was not fond of that. Sparks saw all of it as he felt Melody go a little faster.

He looked at Melody. "What are you doing!" Sparks asked.

"Leaving no Bolt is good. Bolt make me mad." She answered.

Sparks looked cross and decided to go to Bolt, before they got too far. Melody turned and saw Sparks just as he too jumped off her shell.

"Sparks, wait!" She called out, as she started to turn around. But it was too late, he too had jumped onto the edges and used quick attack to catch up with his bother. Bolt came up to the bush, with another great batch growing on it.

His mouth watered as he looked down to grab his bag. But he realized it wasn't even there.

Shot, he was in such a hurry that he had completely forgotten that he took it off when he was sleeping, he looked back toward the Lapras, and saw Sparks running towards him.

Double dang it.

"Bolt!" Sparks gasped as he ran up to him. "Why'd you jump off like that?"

Bolt looked at Sparks, then looked at the bush, and then back at Sparks. "To get some berries."

"Ya, but Melody said no." The Pichu pointed out.

"Well, all I've been doing is being push around by you two because apparently, you know better." Bolt scoffed.

"But don't you at least trust her?" Sparks asked.

"Stop! Come back!" the Lapras called toward them, trying her best to warn them about the cave.

It, however, failed to catch the attention of the two brothers. "Look, it's not like I don't trust her-"

"You clearly just jumped off because you didn't." Sparks stated to Bolt.

"Well- That-" Bolt grunted. "Look, what's so bad about being safe and getting more food?"

"Pokémon!" Melody cried out. Bolt and Sparks stopped and looked at Melody.

"Behind you!" She yelled.

They then turned the other way and saw a yellow bee Pokémon right in front of them. An annoyed Beedrill.

Sparks froze when he looked at its face, he then took a step back, not wanting to make the Pokémon more mad than it looked already. Bolt, however, stood still and strong.

The Beedrill remained in the same spot, looking at the bush, it then turned to Sparks, which made the Pichu's eyes shrink. Sparks held his breath to stay as still as possible, the only movement he made was the poor decision to look at those drills the Bee Pokémon had for paws. Which just made Sparks think about being poisoned even more.

But after a few heart-pounding seconds, the Beedrill looked away from Sparks, and turned its focus toward Bolt. The two looked eye to eye, staring with the same strong faces against each other.

The Beedrill then looked at Bolt's body, it then gasped.

Sparks started to back away faster. "Aaa...Bolt? How about-"

Suddenly, the Pokémon charged at the lion with its drill pointing at Bolt. But fortunately for the lion, Bolt was preparing for this, as he jumped over the attacking Pokémon.

Bolt than landed on the ground and prepared to use Thunderbolt on the Pokémon. "You ready for this?" He teased with his eyes full of electric.

Sparks panicked, knowing that attacking would just make things worse for them. "Bolt, no!"

*Crack!* A streak of lightning shot out from Bolt and flew straight across the air and hit the Beedrill hard.

The Pokemon was then blasted into a stone wall. Sparks just looks at the bee in concern, as it doesn't look like it has much energy left in it, Bolt however, is more let down.

"That's it? Huh, that was fast." He said as he started to go back to the bush, barely thinking about what he just did.

Sparks looks at disbelief at his bother. "How could you just do that!" Sparks yelled.

"Hey, it's not my fault, it attacked us first." Bolt replied, not even turning to his bother.

"It could have attacked YOU for a reason! Like for the bush!" Sparks said.

"If it was because of the bush, it wouldn't have stared at us for so long. To be fair, I think it was looking for a fight from the look it had." The Spark Pokemon said.

Sparks just grunted toward Bolt and looked at the Beedrill, he got an idea and then reached into his bag, which makes Bolt turn to Sparks. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to leave an Oran Berry for the Beedrill." Bolt was about to say something, but then he realized that Sparks might go on about his 'wild pokemon' reasoning. He knew better.

"Cave! Cave!" Melody cried out.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it!" Bolt said with a fuss. "You want us to get back on your shell."

He felt something light tug on his back leg, but he payed no attention. "Look, I already took care of the problem, so why don't you shut up and-"

The same tug then shot some electric through, and Bolt, while not being hurt by it, knew it was his brother.

He twist and snap, "What is it?!" At his brother. But one look at him and he saw that Sparks wasn't even looking at him, and instead, at the cave.

That made the Bolt get a shinking feeling as he slowly turned his head to see what Melody was warning them about. A dark black cave, with dozens of red glowing eyes, staring straight at them.

"Triple dang it." Bolt thought.