Freya Stark

There weren't many people on the boat to Saltview, not that many people were in the city of Iron Well to begin with who would want to leave their filthy style of life. But I did find it odd more people didn't want to take the shortcut around Drucan to get to at least a close by airport. I glanced over the edge and down at the water below, I could faintly make out the shadowy forms of water types swimming below but there were too many waves to make out what specific pokémon they were. Turning my gaze to the direction we were heading in I could faintly see Ethereal Isle up ahead along with disruptions in the water. The fisherman steering the boat said he knew how to navigate those like the back of his hand and considering what I'd researched from past customers like us; he wasn't just saying that.

"Pika?" Pikachu jumped up onto the railing to stare out at the water with me.

I smiled. "Ready to see Ivan again? Think he got his gym badge?"

"Chu!" He nodded and gave out some sparks from his cheeks.

I rubbed his head before moving away from the edge of the boat and back over to where Soren and Jay had been. At the moment Soren was the only one sitting in the makeshift chair of burlap bags as he looked down at his game, completely engrossed in whatever it was he was playing. Jay was probably off somewhere below deck training with one of the few other passengers in order not to get bored. I would miss them when I had to leave. Xelen was the last stop I had with them before leaving to go train to be a pokémon Rescue Member in Nolk, a small town in the mountains where the only thing they had was honestly the PRM's training facility. After that... I didn't know where I'd be. Other regions of course, learning from organizations like the pokémon Rangers and Aether Foundation to see how the Rescue Members compared to them. The last email I had been reading last night had told me I wouldn't be trained in their methods but I would be required to see what they did.

"There's another ship approaching." Soren's voice broke me out of my thoughts and I looked back over to see Hoodini had flown over from somewhere to get his attention.

I walked over to join him, though the ship had gotten so close and was big enough I could've easily seen it from where I had been. "That's weird. It doesn't look like a fishing boat."

"Could be pirates." Soren commented. "I mean, look at the style of ship, looks like a cliché pirate ship to me."

"We should find Jay then. If the ship is being attacked we need to stick together, I'll warn the captain while you go look for her." I turned and went in the direction the captain should be in, quickly going up the stairs and opening the cabin door.

The man wasn't there. The wheel had smears of blood on it with some splattered on the floor but the captain himself wasn't in sight... we already had a thief or pirate on the ship. I ran back out and quickly motioned to Pikachu to join me as I went below deck to find Soren and Jay. Water filled my shoes and I looked down to see the salt water rising from a leak in the hull somewhere. Pikachu looked down at it from my shoulder worriedly but stayed silent as I continued going, eventually finding Jay and Soren cornered by two of the other three people on board with us- the third was already dead and beside the captain's body, staining the water red with their blood.

"Don't move!" The shorter one turned away from my friends to glare at me, her watchog and Furret moving to threaten me as well while her partner kept the other two at gunpoint. "These supplies are under the confiscation of Valhalla to be put to use for our purpose. Get in our way and we will kill you."

Her partner laughed before speaking, his voice dripping with malice. "We can kill them anyways... Dead men tell no tales, right?"

Soren shifted further in front of Jay. "We won't tell anyone."

The man moved closer to them, grabbing Soren by the collar of his shirt before resting the muzzle of the gun to his head. "Not anymore."

"Don't." A new voice spoke from behind me and I glanced back quickly to see a well dressed male in a pirate getup, well minus his glasses and book, drop down the last step and scanning the situation. "These are the three Alice and Clara were talking about... we can take them in with us. I'm sure they'd be glad to see these trainers again."

"As you wish, Captain." The man shoved Soren away before backing off.

The woman in front of me relaxed and nodded as well. "Of course."

"Excellent. Take their pokémon and tie them up, be as rough as you'd like, the girls won't mind their toys being a little roughed up."

"Chu!" Pikachu gave a cry of anger and jumped up before using thundershock at the captain, shocking everyone while doing so.

"So, you want to play a game." The man stood back up and took out a pokéball. "Fine, you made your move, now it's my turn. I think you'll learn that I'm not a man to trifle with. You two, get the supplies to the ship, I'll handle these three."

"Yes, Hero!" They stiffly got up and ran out before Pikachu could attack again.

I got back to my feet as well, my pokémon giving me a sorry look for shocking me, but I understood what he'd been trying to do. Jay moved to my side, Curse in her arms. "Let us deal with him, Pikachu will fry all of us."

I was glad to have the excuse to leave the lower deck. The water was getting too high for my liking and I wasn't the best at swimming. Hero still stood in our way through, blocking my path to leave, and seemed unconcerned that the water was up to our thighs. He threw out his first pokémon, a Lapras, before waiting expectantly for our own pokémon.

"Hoodini, take it down!" Soren ordered.

Jay looked at Curse. "I'm counting on you."

Hero smirked as if finding humor in something we didn't know about. "Raine, be a dear and use ice beam on the bird. Show these children how rude it is to gang up on one pokémon."

"Dodge!" Soren said. "Then use razor leaf."

"Swift then use confuse ray."

I made sure Pikachu was balanced on my shoulder before taking out Gengar's pokéball. I wasn't going to let them handle this alone, especially not when I promised to help Gengar get revenge. "Gengar, sucker punch the lapras!"

"Foolish children." Hero seemed unconcerned about our team up on his pokémon, who actually did handle the attacks better than expected-especially after Hoodini had his wing frozen- and He took out several more pokéballs. "Archelon, Barbaracle, Clawitzer, Simipour, get them."

We were outnumbered now and I couldn't just let Pikachu zap them without hurting all of us. I shuddered, the water was lapping at the bottom of my ribcage and I could feel the boat starting to tilt as it sunk... I had to get off the ship. Should we just surrender?

"Finn, Schicksal, Basilisk, help us out!" Soren brought out more of his own pokémon. "Defend Hoodini."

Jay shifted Curse onto her shoulders before taking out a pokéball and releasing Torracat into her arms. "Torracat, burn us another exit alright?"

"Ra!" He didn't seem too afraid of the rising water but I could tell the fire type was tense, not wanting to get wet as he shifted into a better position.

"Gengar, keep them away from those two." I ordered. "Use sucker punch and then confuse ray on the Clawitzer."

"Barbaracle, razor shell on the torracat and umbreon." Hero still had a calm demeanor. "Clawitzer, dodge the attacks and help Raine with her confusion. Simipour, Archelon, do your thing."

The carracosta dove under the water and out of sight while the simipour continued her attack on Soren's pokémon. I tried to command Gengar to fall back and defend Jay but the barbaracle was too fast. Torracat's embers stopped burning through the deck above us as the three figures went under water, the razor shell also puncturing another hole in the hull and allowing more water to flood us. Gengar's attention focused on Hero and my pokémon attacked him directly. I didn't like how he wasn't listening but at least now we had a way out.

"Soren, help Jay up and let's get out of here!" I started moving as fast as I could to the exit, nearly tripping, before pulling myself up the stairs.

I could hear Soren and Jay behind me and moved aside to help them if needed. From this new position I couldn't see where Hero was but I could still hear our pokémon battling below. Soren returned his once we were out and Jay was about to follow, holding Torracat in her arms, but the carracosta launched itself out of the water knocking into them. Jay didn't appear harmed when she resurfaced but Torracat was gone. She made as if to dive back down but I quickly restrained her with Soren's help.

"Jay, don't!" I started dragging her away. "The gravity it's creating will pull you under, you won't be able to swim up again, just return him to his ball like you did Curse."

"I can't... it fell in the fighting." Jay struggled against us as we dragged her further away, Soren leaving me to handle her for a moment to return his own pokémon as the water got too deep for them to battle. "Let go!"

I wanted to. I didn't want her pokémon to die but if I did she would drown as well. I turned to see Gengar appear from the lower deck. "Gengar, can you find Torracat?"

"Gar." It sunk below again in obedience but one of Hero's pokémon blasted the hull again and made the ship lurch sharply.

I saw the Valhalla member escape with his pokémon as the three of us fell, unable to grab something to keep our balance. Gengar appeared again at my side in fear and I returned him quickly before falling into the water below, the force of the water flooding inside pushing me down further towards the bottom of the ship. I panicked and tried to swim, barely able to see the other two who were doing the same thing, before passing out.