“That was amazing, kid!”, the lifeguard said right before returning to observing the ocean. He had to make sure that nobody had been swept away by the big splash caused by both Pokemon landing.
“You really charged after a Magikarp that already evolved into a Gyarados, Jessica”, her friend joked.
“Yeah, didn’t expect my best move to fail”, she said with a sigh.
Some also noticed Lucas.
“Professor Rowan really chose some powerhouses this year eh!?”, an older man stated.
“No, no, I’m not at that level yet”, Lucas responded, shaking his head.
“What’s your Trainer number? I want to check out your other battles”, another Swimmer from Jessica’s group asked.
Harrison only smiled and said, “You and everyone else will find out soon enough”, omitting the fact that he just became an official trainer and had no records.
“How confident”, she said as he had just implied that his placement in the Lily of the Valley Conference was guaranteed. The majority of people stopped at four badges as afterwards, the difficulty of the Gyms ramped up significantly. Pastoria was intense, Hearthome was tricky, and Canalave was tough as Steel.
The next filter was the 7th badge as only exceptional Trainers could obtain them. Traditionally, the last badges were the Snowpoint Gym which required braving through the vast frozen landscapes in the north and the Sunnyshore Gym which was manned by Volkner who could qualify for the Elite Four. Both were steep challenges which kept many Trainers from reaching Lily of the Valley and the position of Ace Trainer. Arguably those that start in Snowpoint had it easier but the start of their journey was far more difficult than most as they still had to brave the frost to get to the rest of Sinnoh.
Once all the fanfare from the battle started to die down, Harrison summoned Lapland. Before any questions could begin, Lucas hopped on and he grabbed Jessica by her hand and dragged her aboard. Harrison then ordered the Lapras the Surf away as the beach had already used up a lot of time.
Jessica then turned away and waved goodbye to her friends.
“I’ll be back in the evening”, she shouted.
Her group of 4 friends then turned to look at one another.
One of them then said, “You think she’ll be alright. She didn’t bring anything with her”
She then motioned towards her stuff which was still on their collective beach towels. Swimwear really disabled one’s ability to have an inventory.
“She has her Pokemon and her Poketch. Only thing she’s missing is food”, another then replied with a laugh.
Harrison pulled out a compass and pointed Lapras south.
The three then sat on the shell atop Lapras’ back. It was relatively spacious as each of the trio had a bit of personal space but it was the same distance as sitting on a dining table without the table in between.
“So…”, Jessica began as she looked at the Lapras and noticed its power.
“A Lapras, huh… I realllllly underestimated you”, Jessica said apologetically to Harrison.
“It’s not my Pokemon”, Harrison stated, slightly amused.
“We’re borrowing it to see the ocean”, Lucas clarified.
“Oh thank Arceus. I thought you two were still rookies but if you already had a Lapras this strong then I’d have to really reassess how I evaluated other Trainers”, Jessica said in relief.
“Haha, we are still rookies. Not a single Badge yet”, Lucas revealed.
“I just started training in advance”, Harrison added.
Her eyes widened.
“I know some people don’t get a starter and train ahead of their journey but they don’t train them this well”, she said a bit embarrassed.
“I even have four badges and I still lost to you”, she sulked a bit.
“I might have lost if you used your full team. Only two here and Stratus could not have continued after the first battle”, Harrison said and hesitantly glanced at her belt.
He then immediately looked away in embarrassment. There was no belt. All four Pokeballs were clipped onto the bottom half of her bikini and somehow held on firmly.
Is this a part of their technology or just advanced clothing design?
Lucas then jumped into the conversation.
“Four badges?... That’s awesome. Can you tell me how each challenge went?”, Lucas asked with great interest.
“Sure. But before that, what part of the ocean are you headed to?”, she asked Harrison.
“Sea Route 220. Anywhere there’s land”
The three then sat back and enjoyed the sea breeze.
“So Eterna was the hardest for me. I lost twice and only won on the third attempt when my Piplup evolved”, she began.
She then talked about her experience as a Water lover. Oreburgh was effortless, Veilstone was a challenge, and Pastoria was difficult but she had an advantage as her Water types were at home in the gym.
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They watched atop Lapras as flocks of Pelippers and Wingulls flew by and schools of Magikarp splashed alongside their path. A Wingull even attempted to take Lucas’ beret which he held onto with great fervor.
A large Mantine then jumped out of the water and flew across them. Lucas enthusiastically pointed out the Remoraid attached to the bottom of the fins.
“Lap!”, the Lapras cried.
Harrison then looked forward as a small sandy island came into view. It was too small but it didn’t hurt to check. The two then watched as Harrison walked around for a while before leaving. A dud.
A loud roar and the sound of explosions could be heard.
Harrison watched with great interest as a Gyarados brawled with two large Tentacruel in the distance. A hyper beam contested against two blasts of Water Pulse. The ferocious beast then struck down both of the humongous jellyfish with its tail as it raged through the poison before submerging back into the deep. The display disturbed Jessica who immediately steered towards a place in the opposite direction.
After a good distance, it seemed she had arrived at a certain destination. She then leaped off the Lapras and gestured for the two to join her in the water. The two boys then reluctantly entered the deep ocean only to climb back onto the Lapras. They had no confidence in their swimming when the water was so deep that an Onix could drown.
Harrison then put his head under the water and could barely make out something pink and rocky. He then spent the rest of his time squinting and trying to get the water out of his eyes.
Lucas sighed.
“We should have gotten goggles”
“Agreed”, Harrison stated in an exasperated tone.
Jessica then surfaced with a Corsola in her hand.
“Look what I found”, she boasted and raised the Corsola above her head.
“Cor-Corsola”, the coral said. She then laughed and sheepishly asked, “Do any of you have a spare Pokeball?”
Harrison then suddenly burst into laughter. Clearly, it was only that one swimmer that had a secret place to put her Pokeballs.
He then gave her one of his 40 Pokeballs which he recently purchased while the two struggled to understand the humor in the situation.
“Is… he okay?”, she asked.
“I only met him an hour before you did”, Lucas stated, revealing that he wouldn’t know any better than she did.
“Oh…”
Another small sandy island. And then another one. They then went to three more. One even had a fellow Swimmer on it whom Lucas battled. Despite the type advantage, he narrowly lost.
They then arrived at the correct island. It was also sandy but far larger than the other ones. There was a large rock formation which could’ve led to a cave if there was an opening along with another rock formation which wasn’t as large to the north.
Harrison then stepped onto the shallow land which threatened to sink back into the ocean. Nothing out of the ordinary and nothing to see but sand and rock. However, he could sense it.
He then looked at the other two. They didn’t notice anything and he could tell.
He then retrieved the Old Rod he got in Jubilife from the man that frequented Route 218. Harrison lent the Old Rod to Lucas.
“Try fishing here. Maybe you can get something better than a Magikarp. This is the ocean after all”
Lucas then headed to where it wasn’t so rocky to fish and Jessica followed along to provide tips.
While the two were gone and with Lapras swimming around the island out of boredom, Harrison sat closer and closely examined the grains in the sand. After a considerable amount of time, he stopped as nothing other than sand grains could be seen. He even slightly dug into the sand where he sensed the divine. But nothing.
With great intensity and a solemn tone, he chanted, “When the universe was created, its shards became this Plate.”
A low but deep rumble resonated from deep within the sand. It was strong but somehow had no range. If he had not been standing exactly where he was, he could not have sensed the vibrations in the earth.
Harrison was cautious though and had his hand on Nova’s Pokeball. Perhaps, other Water Pokemon would be able to sense it and he might have to contend with a school of Gyarados.
The sand then began to part and from deep within emerged a deep blue stone tablet that was as large as a table.
As Harrison was wondering how he was going to transport it, he then came into contact.
The sounds of the waves ceased, the Pokemon were gone, and all that was turned into a deep body of water which stretched across the horizon. There was no more land but the water teemed with life. The small, the large, the mysterious, the unique, and the terrifying leviathans of the deep. An incredibly dense drop of water then entered the ocean and sank all the way to the deepest trenches below. The waves that resulted could drown continents and…..
Harrison then returned. His mind slightly dazed. The plate was gone but within his palm was a deep blue rectangular plate. It had shrunk but was still hefty and most importantly, possessed deep power which resembled the ocean itself. He then stashed it away and awaited with great trepidation.
He called Lapras back and sat on the beach awaiting a reaction from the deep. Surely, that emanation of power must’ve been felt by those in the Water more deeply than he could.
But nothing appeared. He was about to go get the others when something emerged from the water with great force.
He then looked with great trepidation but all he found was a red flopping fish that jumped surprisingly far. Right where he had taken the Splash Plate from.
“Karp-Karp”, the fish said as it flailed. Nothing was there but it had sensed it.
Harrison then waited but no other Pokemon approached from the water or from the sky.
He then grabbed the flailing Magikarp and put it on the edge of the water.
“Karp-Karp!”, it cried as it refused to return, likely having noticed something.
“You sensed it?”, Harrison asked.
“Karp! Karp!”, the fish splashed with greater force. It even seemed to make an angry expression which didn’t fit on a Magikarp’s face.
Impressive, Harrison thought. The power was deep but very subtle. And to be the only one that sensed it in the entirety of the vast ocean indicated this Magikarp was special or had potential.
Harrison then took out a Pokeball and held it out in front of the Magikarp.
“I’ll give you a choice. Join me and you’ll gain the power to rule the ocean or leave, keep your freedom, and continue on. Either way, coming into contact with it should have changed you in some way”, Harrison solemnly stated.
The Magikarp stared at the Trainer and then looked at the Pokeball. It considered for a while. Then it turned around. And slapped the button on the Pokeball with its tail.
The fish was consumed by a red light. The ball then shook once, twice, and thrice. Capture complete.
Lucas then returned with Jessica and he carried a large blue and yellow slug. Harrison visibly grimaced and distanced himself from the Pokemon. Harrison threw a spare Pokeball on the ground for him to use.
“I caught a Shellos!”, Lucas exclaimed.
“Yeah but with an Old Rod?”, Harrison asked which made Jessica beam.
“Secrets of the trade”, she said with considerable pride.
“But isn’t this the West Sea and not the East Sea?”, Harrison then asked.
“Yeah uhhh I can’t really explain that. Maybe this little guy here got lost”, she said.
“Shellos!”, it cried and oozed.
The trio then hopped onto Lapras and began to head back to Sandgem Town. The sky began to darken and along the way back, they marveled at the lights of Chinchou and Lanturn illuminating their way back.
