Chapter 3: Sailboats
Dewgongtwo had just landed in the water, free from the Psychic energy that had brought her to this place. Flying was nice, but she frankly much preferred swimming. So, she was happy to do it again, in new waters that were now hers to explore. She was free now, no longer restricted to Mt. Quena. The only thing left for her to do now, was figure out where exactly she was. These waters were obviously completely unknown to her, so she figured she'd swim around and explore.
It felt good to swim again. She sped through the water, faster than any other Pokémon that she was seeing swimming around. She saw many Magikarp, Poliwag, and Tentacool as well as many other Pokémon that she had never seen before. Heh...they wish they could swim this fast. While Dewgongtwo wasn't necessarily happy with how she was brought into this world, she was happy about her superior strength compared to those naturally born.
She swam for about fifteen minutes before she saw what appeared to be an island. "Fantastic, time for some breakfast," she said, ready to find some food. She made a beeline for the shore and saw that there were many new Pokémon that she hadn't seen before, all going about their daily lives. Now, Dewgongtwo was ready to join them. She swam around the shore for a bit, looking for a good place to hop out. However, when she did, she saw something in the distance. It looked like a town, or whatever it was called - a place where humans resided. She looked at it for a minute before grabbing some berries from a nearby bush and began to ate. As she did, she looked back at the human place.
She had to admit, she was a tad bit tempted to check it out and see what the humans were like. The ones who weren't bent on using Pokémon for business or on journeys, anyways. The more Dewgongtwo thought about it, the more she wanted to see them for herself.
"Well, what's the worst that can happen?" She asked herself. "Surely, it can't be all that bad, can it?"
Having made her decision, she jumped back into the water and began to swim over.
Dewgongtwo jumped out of the water over and over on her swim to the town. She really felt free, and was happy to be able to explore these new places.
Once she arrived on the shore, the sun was out and people and Pokémon were roaming around. She saw many new Pokémon that she had never met before and a few that she recognized. However, one thing that Dewgongtwo did not recognize where some strange vessels that were heading out on the water. What were those? There appeared to be people on it, so where they controlling it somehow?
"They're cool, aren't they?" Dewgongtwo heard a female human voice behind her. "Hey there, not often we see a Dewgong around here! Welcome to Slateport City! Admiring the boats?" Dewgongtwo looked up at him. She was tall, tanned, and wore indigo shorts and a yellow shirt with pink and red flowers on it. She had brown hair, and blue eyes. On her feet, she wore blue slides.
Dewgong nodded and spoke, though the human only heard it as Pokémon sounds. So, they're called "boats," huh? And this place is called "Slateport City..."
"Yeah, they sure are great, aren't they? They can come in all kinds of colors and varieties and be really fun, or useful. Or both!" She started to walk towards some kind of platform over the water. "As a matter of fact, my friend and I are about to head out and deliver something to Sootopolis City. If you wanna come get a close look at our ride, you're more than welcome to!"
Dewgongtwo was curious, so she followed in the water and waited alongside a wooden platform built over the water. While she was waiting, she looked out at the water. It was blue as could be, with small waves moving with the wind. In the sun, it shimmered like the stars that she spent many nights looking at on Mt. Quena.
After about three minutes, the woman came back with a box, a Poké Ball, and a strange orange...thing. She walked onto the platform and beckoned for Dewgongtwo to follow her to the end of it. She followed her, and they stopped next to a very sleek, modern-looking vessel. "This here at the end of the dock is my boat!" She said with pride. Dewgongtwo looked up at the woman.
"Wow, this is yours?" Dewgongtwo asked her, hoping the woman would understand her somehow.
She seemed to, and replied, "Yep!" That there's our pride and joy!" The woman looked down to see a curious look on Dewgongtwo's face. She was confused what she had meant by "our." "Oh, yeah, I never properly introduced myself!" She put on a pair of sunglasses and smiled. "Name's Laura! And this..." she pulled out the Poké Ball and threw it up in the air. It popped open and a beam of energy came out which formed into a Pokémon in the water next to Dewgongtwo. It was a long, pink Pokémon that wore shells and had two white stripes on its tail. "This here is Lisa, the Gorebyss! She's a fast swimmer and my lifelong companion."
Lisa swam closer to Dewgongtwo and greeted her. "Lisa, the Gorebyss. Please to meet you, Dewgong!" She smiled at her and hopped onto the dock next to Laura. "I see you've met my Trainer! She's always been good with us Water-Types!" The two smiled at each other before Laura spoke.
"Lisa was born with very unnatural speed. Most Gorebyss aren't very fast, but Lisa's as fast as our speedboat!" Laura went to check if the cargo was properly secured. "Alrighty, lemme get my life jacket on and..." Laura started talking to herself while she got the boat ready. Dewgongtwo and Lisa began talking again.
"So...you were born with unusual speed?" Dewgongtwo asked. Lisa nodded and demonstrated. She practically flew to the other side of the beach and back again. Dewgongtwo was shocked.
"Yep! It's gotten me some compliments, and also some criticisms, but it's a part of me." She looked up at the sky and sighed. "And I'm fine with that. Nothing super detrimental has ever happened because of it."
Dewgongtwo looked away. Born with unnatural speed? Yeah, she kinda understood that. But, like Lisa said, it was a part of her. Lisa seems to have really embraced her...difference, Dewgongtwo thought to herself. Hopefully, she could learn to fully embrace her differences, as well.
"You said Laura was good with Water-Types. Does she have any other Pokémon on hand?" Dewgongtwo asked.
Lisa shook her head. "Nope, most of the other Pokémon we've befriended have been passerby's that stop for a rest and we offer them to stay the night." She looked a little sad but looked up again at Dewgongtwo. "But, maybe we'll be able to expand the team one day!"
Lisa then asked a question that Dewgongtwo did not see coming. "What about you? Have you had a Trainer before?"
This put Dewgongtwo off a little. She supposed that technically she did, but that was the last thing she wanted to talk about. She could not tell anybody about how where she came from. So, she responded with a simple, "No, I haven't." She began to think a lot about the potential outcome of telling anyone about her origins. She might be ostracized, or even hunted for her strength if the word got far enough. She didn't know what to think.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Laura called out to Lisa. "Hey, Lisa, it's time to go!" She started the boat's engine and connected her phone so she could listen to music on the way over.
"Well, it's time for us to head out," Lisa said as she began to swim alongside the boat. "It was nice to meet you, hopefully we can speak again soon!"
Dewgongtwo hopped onto the dock and waved a fin, and yelled, "Bye! Safe travels!" She was really starting to like these people. They were actually really friendly, and she was glad that they weren't like power-hungry Team Rocket.
Dewgongtwo was about to hop back into the water and explore some more when she heard Laura call out, "Hey Dewgong! If you can keep up, do you want to join us?" Dewgongtwo smiled a huge smile when she heard that. Would I? She thought excitedly. She could definitely keep up. She jumped back into the water faster than you could say "speedboat" and swam over to join them.
"You and Lisa seem to becoming pals, and it'd be awesome to have another Pokémon join us for the trip!" Laura said enthusiastically.
"Yeah! I think you're a nice Pokémon and it would be cool to get to know you more! Maybe we could be good friends, if you choose to stick in the area!" Dewgongtwo thought about it for a moment. Was she really making friends here?
She decided to take the chance. "I'm game!"
Laura and Lisa both exclaimed, "Alright! Welcome aboard!" And with that, the three headed off into the water on the way to make their delivery.
Dewgongtwo never imagined that she'd be swimming though such open waters, where she could be so free and alive. She and Lisa both jumped in and out of the water, doing flips, flying over the boat from one side to the other, and occasionally using their Water attacks to propel them for a short length. Dewgongtwo even used Ice Beam to freeze the water underneath her and slid on it, making a ramp to fly off of, and just having fun that she had never had on Mt. Quena. She also let Lisa try out her Ice ramps, which she enjoyed thoroughly. All of this, to the tune of loud rock music.
Dewgongtwo eventually asked Lisa, "Hey, what are you guys delivering, anyway?"
Lisa swam closer to Dewgongtwo so she could hear her. "We're delivering some medicine for one of Laura's friends. Her sister is sick, you see."
"Oh, no..." Dewgongtwo said sympathetically. "Well, it's a good thing we're fast on water!"
"Yep!" Lisa said as they proceeded to fly over the waves.
Dewgongtwo couldn't have felt happier. She was making friends, and was truly feeling liberated and alive. She was ready to admit something to herself now.
I am no longer Dewgongtwo...I am Dewgong. And I will make sure that Laura and Lisa make it to this Sootopolis City place safely.
As the three swam along to the rock music coming from the boat, Dewgong knew that she was going to enjoy her life in this new place. I'm staying here for sure, she thought to herself.