Chapter 45: Cool Stories

Important Characters

Roma (Female Lapras, Jessie's kid)

Cyan (Female Primarina, the new girl)

Jessie (Male Tentacool/Ex-human, the protag)

Chatty (? Tentacool, they're chatty)

Mayor and Nurse Joy (Humans)

? (You'll see :)

-"And remember kids, if you find yourselves in danger, call an adult. If you get lost, keep swimming in one direction, then go around the Kelp Forest to find your way back here. And lastly, death is just a strongly worded suggestion. Alright, now go have fun!"

A plucky looking Mismagius who serves as something like a park ranger addresses the child pokemon with a well practiced speech. The fish all cheerily dive headfirst into the kelp, along with Roma and Cyan. Jessie takes a moment to rest just outside the forest to catch his breath.

'Man, I love that girl, but she is a real bundle of energy! Ah, it's a good problem to have though. A happy problem.'

-"You look plumb tuckered out there, old man! Need a glass to go with all this water?"

"Haha, no thank you. Just catching my breath."

-"It's a skilled man that can catch his breath underwater! I see you and your mate have your fins full, so I guess I can't blame you. Never had the guts for parenting myself. Not that I have guts anymore, har!"

"Oh, we're not mates or anything. Ms. Cyan is just helping out with my daughter for the day. It's good for her to have a good woman role model in her life. Too many guys back home."

-"True true, I don't believe I had any kind of role models in my unlife. Now I live in a run down old boat! Think I could steal away your lady friend?"

"You're welcome to try, you're welcome to try!"

-"Aye! Settles that then!" The ghost gal gives another hearty laugh before escorting Jessie to his little girl.

The children seem to be scurrying about, leaving Roma to count down while they find a good spot to hide. Cyan picks an easy spot to hide in, but not so easy that the little one can't have a good time finding her. Following her lead, Jessie mimics a rock and moves his tentacles in time with the currents.

Mismagius just goes invisible, the cheat.

-"I do say, Ms. Joy, it was quite kind of those fishermen to loan us their boat. Quite the fine gentlemen we have welcomed into our town!"

-"Oh this isn't a free loan, we will need to pay them at a later date."

-"Ah... yes, that. Well we can always dig a little deeper in our town's funding I suppose. Though I haven't even looked in that little jar in my office since paying the repair crew. It stares dauntingly at me from atop my filing cabinet, I dare not raise my eyes too high for fear of seeing that shiny, empty glass."

-"Please notify our treasury department when we get back... And don't keep the town's funds in a jar!"

-"I will endeavor to do just that! I cannot believe my own cowardice. It renders me speechless, speechless I tell you!"

-"If only that were the case, Mr. Mayor. By the way, why did you bring that chatty Tentacool with you?"

-"I find I've grown attached to the little fellow, Nurse Joy. It's quite charming, when you get to know them. Charismatic little fellow, aren't they? A chip off the old block!"

The tentacool, having been chattering away in the boat's holding tank for the entire length of the journey, looks over to the kindly mayor with what can best be described as a smile.

-"Well, you two do make a good pair, I'll give you that."

-"I take your compliments to heart, Nurse Joy! I, no we, thank you for your tremendous patience, your grace, and your-"

The whole boat shakes and the mayor is thrown from the ship's wheel.

-"BY ENTEI'S FLUFFY MANE! What happened to the ship, Nurse Joy?"

-"Look down there, seaweed! It's completely tangled our ship's propeller!"

-"Drat. Double drat! And a third drat for good measure! We're dead in the water, lost and adrift with no land in sight! Doomed! Damned! In a pickle, even!"

-"I wouldn't go that far, Mr. Mayor. Remember, you brought along your new friend, didn't you?"

-"Ah, quite right you are, Nurse Joy! There goes your fabulous mind again, always a marvel! You there, my chatty friend, you must quickly make for the nearest settlement and request emergency aid! Let them know that their dear mayor, pillar of the community, is in need of dire assistance! Suicune's speed to you, little jellyfish! AWAAAAY!"

*bloop*

After an afternoon of playing games and enjoying snacks, the group of children head home.

-"Laaap."

"Now now Roma, they all have families to get back to. We can't keep them here all night."

-"Lapras..." They look down dejected.

"Aw, it's alright. Say, there's still one more camping activity we could try out."

-"Lap?"

-"Prima! Prim Primarina!" Diving into her pack, Cyan draws out a small pack of glowsticks and gives one a crack, illuminating a circle around them."

"Way to set the mood! Okay, so who wants to hear a spooky story?"

-"Lap lap laaap!" The tiny Lapras snuggles into a thicket of seaweed to use as a makeshift blanket and sidles up to the glowstick.

"Alright alright, gather round. This is a story I heard from a friend of mine who lives out near Goldenrod."

It is said that there lives a monster in the waters near that city, fed by the trash and waste produced by such a huge settlement. Once it was like us, a pokemon, one who only lived as it pleased and could swim freely through the waters of the world. But once it got a taste of the food that only humans can make, it became addicted and could no longer leave. Eventually, it would even grow so large that even if it wanted to go, it could never escape the tight circle of rocks surrounding that stretch of sea. And so it would continue to stay put, growing and changing, learning to hate the people who fed it and caused it to become trapped.

But on cold, misty nights, when the moon is black and the city grows quiet, one can sometimes hear it moving around. An eerie creaking like something pushing against wooden gates meant to keep pokemon out.

*creeeak*

And one day, one day soon, it may even grow large enough to-

-"BOO!"

-"LAAAAAAP!"

"Mismagius! Please don't use Astonish on my daughter!" Jessie clutches his tiny daughter tightly, the poor thing shivering with her eyes welling up.

-"Har har, sorry sorry! I just couldn't resist! I am a ghost type, you know? We have an instinct to give the occasional spook and scream!"

"Well knock it off, will you? Roma, you alright? We can-"

*creeeak*

-"Prima prima!"

-"Wh- it's not me! Honestly, do you think I would trick the same group twice?"

-"Prim?"

-"Consecutively I mean."

-"L-L-L-Lapras?" Roma points a fin out into the kelp where a subtle movement can be seen just for a moment. A quick flash, then it's gone.