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Chapter 82 - What Lurks Below

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Goodbye Caterpithia... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYw6ZjjtPA

As Captain Rostron steered the Guardian into the night and Chris guided the Caterpithia illusion along its way, the passengers gradually simmered down from the initial excitement of the moment and began showing somber expressions little by little as they watched the Caterpithia glowing next to them. "Why humans look sad...?" Serenity asked, tilting her head as Chris kept his focus ahead, firing another blast into the night sky, the Caterpithia doing the same. "It's because of what this cruise, and what I'm doing stands for." he replied, the crowd silently watching the blast soar upwards and drop before fading away, their faces lowering slightly. "For one hundred years the Arceanic, and the relatives on board have been on everyone's mind. Now, they're each dealing with their grief and regrets in their own ways. The first time the Caterpithia showed up here, it was for the sake of saving lives. Now... We're just trying to reassure those who died that they haven't been forgotten, that they aren't alone even after all this time." he explained. As the girls looked around, they saw the crew, officers and Smith all taking off their hats and holding them against their chests, their heads down while some passengers put a hand on their chests while others held their hands together, everyone having a moment of silence to themselves. In the bridge, Rostron and the officers remaining alongside him took the same stances, their hats on their chests with somber looks on their faces as they cruised along the sea. "Not only did I want to do my part in showing those who died they haven't been forgotten, but I wanted to remind everyone that, even though their families on that ship died, help DID try to come as fast as it could. I wanted to do something to make the crew and all feel... Better, about themselves, their family names and all. The people working here have been so down and hard on themselves, so I figured this way I could pay respects, and make them see they don't have a reason to be so self loathing. Now everybody working knows how much they're still appreciated, even to this day for what their relatives did all those years ago. That their names mean they're related to real heroes, not failures..." Chris smiled.

Looking at one another, Serenity and Rose smiled as well before walking up to Chris and hugging him together, causing him to jolt and blush slightly. "I love you." they said simultaneously. "H-Hey, no distracting!" he laughed, nudging them back. Looking down, he was curious about Alicia being so silent. Feeling around his torso, he noticed how still she had become. Pulling on his collar, he looked inside his shirt finding her curled up and sound asleep, his body heat having soothed her into dozing off after having been out in the cold. Smirking, he returned his attention to the horizon ahead of them, dimly lit by the glow of the moon and stars combined along with the light from the two ships as they sailed along. Eventually, just the slightest hint of the sun rising could be seen from behind the Guardian, the sign that they were arriving at the Arceanic site on cue, the same time the Caterpithia arrived the morning following the ships disappearance. Throughout the night, nearly everyone who attended remained on the bow, enduring the frigid air to pay their respects and show their appreciation for what Chris had done, not wanting such a mystical moment to go to waste. As the Caterpithia illusion began sailing ahead of them, Chris realized Rostron was slowing the Guardian down, and with a nod he slowed the Caterpithia as well until both ships were crawling at a snails pace along the water. "Looks like we're pretty much here. We'll probably be stopping at any time now." Chris muttered, noticing Smith and his officers checking their watches and muttering among one another. Taking out his Pokedex, Chris looked up the coordinates of where the Arceanic reported her final position and asked Smith to help point out the exact location ahead. With a thanks, Chris held out his staff and fired a blast that rocket far into the horizon, and after a moment it suddenly burst into what looked like a massive star, shining over the location they were meant to stop at for the day like a guiding light with a tail that reached down and softly touched the sea, everyone smiling touched and letting out "awww" sounds in response.

"Ooohhh, that pretty too." Serenity said quietly, her eyes widened, Rose showing the same surprised look on her face as he chuckled and rubbed them on the head. Looking down, he nudged Alicia and called her out, the snake groaning and slowly popping her head out with a yawn and rubbing her eyes. "Pardon me, didn't mean to fall asleep like that." she apologized. "No worries. Look, we're almost there." he smiled, pointing out the star he'd made. Looking ahead, Alicia jolt in surprise, the star reflecting in her eyes. "I take it you craft that as well?" she asked. "Yeah, gotta admit Ninetails really is the best for letting me do all this. I really gotta find a way to thank her sometime. Even though it was just making some illusions, I know it drained her doing this all night non-stop. She's got an amazing heart deep down." he chuckled. Within his consciousness, Ninetails listened and yawned, her eyes slowly growing weary. "Once in a blue moon..." she thought to herself, resting her head with a slight smirk. After a moment, Chris nodded at the girls and turned, about to return to the podium only to find the passengers and crew having lined up before him. Tilting their heads curiously, Chris and the girls looked at one another with a shrug as Smith walked up. "They'd like to give you their thanks. Is that alright with you?" he asked. "Th-Thanks? That's not necessary." Chris smiled nervously, waving his hand only for the first person in line to walk up and take his hand, giving it a shake before stepping aside for the next person. Blinking in surprise, Chris nodded in response, finding his hand taken by passenger after passenger as the girls smiled. Looking towards the light coming from the sun that had yet to peek over the sea, Alicia showed a slight look of surprise on her face. "He pulled that off all night?" she thought to herself, looking up at him as he smiled nervously and gave a quick "You're welcome" to each person who took his hand. With a smirk of her own, Alicia nodded proudly before returning inside of his shirt. "Not bad Mr. Hopeless, not bad." she thought to herself, curling up once more.

Standing at the tip of the bow, Chris shook hands, accepted hugs, and endured hearty pats on the back for what seemed like forever, the girls finding their hands shaken as well by various people until finally all that was left were the crew. Standing together, with Chief Smith at the front, they men stood tall and gave him a solute, the women curtseying together with a simultaneous "thank you" from each of them. Smiling in response, Chris nodded with a "no problem!" response as Smith walked up and offered his binoculars, pointing out the bridge. Tilting his head curiously, Chris looked through them up at the windows and saw Captain Rostron and his remaining officers standing with a solute as well, Chris grinning in response and nodding. "I'm glad everyone enjoyed it!" he chuckled, handing the binoculars back to Smith before heading up to the podium as the sun finally began peeking out from the horizon behind the ship, the star ahead growing closer and closer. Clearing his throat, Chris turned on the mic and looked over the crowd. "I'd like to thank all of you for coming to see what I'd set up for everyone. It means a lot that you showed up like this, and it means even more that you endured the night air and stayed out here until the very end. And it's not just me that's thankful, but I'm sure everyone working on board the Guardian appreciate what you've done, just by being up here and shouting your thanks. Its been a tough ride for many, especially for those under Platinum Stars employ, so for those on duty I hope this time off really meant a lot to you as much as it did me, and for those on vacation who offered up your time and bed rest to be here, I'd just like to say you're the best, and thank you for letting those on duty hear and feel the appreciation they truly deserve." he told the crowd, everyone smiling and nodding in response. "With that out of the way, I'm afraid it's time for my show to come to an end, so those on duty can prepare and host everything they've got set up for all of us. Thank you again everyone, and lets spend the day ahead continuing to show our respects not only to the Arceanic, but the Caterpithia as well." he smiled.

Turning around, Chris held out his staff and closed his eyes, and all of a sudden the crowds eyes went wide as the Caterpithia slowly rose from the sea, sailing through the sky over the Guardian while raining down its shimmering light as if it were raining pure gold over the ship, everybody holding out their hands before watching the Caterpithia fly into the horizon towards the star, until suddenly both the ship and star disappeared with a bright flash as if it had sailed through a gate back to the great beyond leaving only its golden trail raining down until it too was gone. With his surprise now over, the aura around Chris finally faded away, leaving him feeling suddenly drained and dizzy as he stumbled, Serenity and Rose catching him as he shook and rubbed his head. "Whoo, suddenly felt anemic." he smiled nervously. Giving the crowd one more thanks through the mic, Chris waved at everyone before stepping down and walking along, the girls cautiously keeping close and helping him along. "You okay?" Serenity asked. "Y-Yeah, just suddenly felt the punishment for staying up all night once I got cut off from Ninetails. It's like drinking a ton of energy drinks and in a split second every ounce of it just poofs out of your system." he smiled nervously. Noticing the stairs to the bridge, Rose stopped and gave Chris a tug. "Sit over there until you feel better." she coaxed, Serenity nodding in agreement before having him take a seat. "R-Really, I'll be fine." he assured them, waving his hand. Looking around, they watched as the passengers and crew made their way all over the ship, most returning inside to warm up at last. After a moment, one of the waitresses came up to the group with hot chocolate, offering each a cup while giving Chris another thanks before leaving them. "Huh, that was nice of her." Chris muttered before having a sip and shuddering. "Oh yeah, that's good." he cooed, the girls enjoying their own drinks and nodding in agreement. "Yo, Alicia! Want something warm?" he asked nudging the snake causing her to pop her head out curiously as he held his cup up to her. "I already had a sip, hope that's alright." he smiled nervously. Looking up at him with a slight blush, she shook her head before allowing him to hold it against her mouth, giving her the smallest sip before rubbing her on the head.

"I know the cold was harshest on you more than anyone, but you still stuck with me. Thanks for being so awesome too." he chuckled, the snake blushing all the more before clearing her throat. "Y-You put plenty of work into it. I couldn't let those two stick by you and just stay behind." she replied, waving her hand. "Still, thanks for having such a big heart too." he grinned, scratching her under the chin causing the snake to jolt and shudder. Looking at the others, he motioned for them to sit next to him and gave both Serenity and Rose a hug. "You too girls. Thanks for sticking by me." he told them, both blushing slightly the same as Alicia and nodding. "Like she say, you work hard, put lot of time into surprise. It turn out really nice, so it worth seeing!" Serenity replied with a thumbs up. "Yeah! Plus after everything you've done for us we can't just let you work so hard and ignore it! All part of loving you so much!" Rose added, leaning against his side and rubbing against him causing Chris to blush slightly and scratch his cheek. "G-Geez, you girls." he chuckled, offering Alicia another sip of his cocoa. Spending their time relaxing, Chris was about to take the girls to the stern to watch the remainder of the sunrise only to hear someone calling Chris's name, turning to see Rostron and his officers climbing down. "O-Oh! Hey there sir! Enjoy the show?" he asked, smiling and raising his cup to the Captain. "Enjoy it? Lad that was beyond anything our lousy company could have come up with!" he laughed before jolting and nervously telling Chris to keep the statement between them. Laughing, Chris assured him he was safe before the two shook hands, the officers offering to shake his hand as well. "But come now, you must tell me how you pulled off such an extraordinary show! What was that odd glow surrounding you during the event?" he asked. Looking at one another, the girls gave Chris an "it's up to you" kind of expression.

Looking at them before facing the Captain, Chris smiled and nodded. "Lets just say I'm not exactly a normal person. Have you ever heard of Ninetails and the curses they can put on people?" he asked, Rostron and the officers blinking at him before nodding. "Yes, something about their tails I believe. A bit of a taboo to lay a finger on them if I'm not mistaken." Rostron replied, rubbing his chin and thinking it over. "Well, my old man, that is my grandfather, he snatched one by the tail a long time ago in order to save its life. Because of that, I basically wound up the one chosen to carry a curse as his descendant. Although I like to think of it as a blessing. So... Now I have a few tricks up my sleeve because of that!" Chris grinned with a peace sign. "But you keep that between us too, deal?" he asked, the Captain and his officers raising their eyebrows with doubtful looks yet smirking together nonetheless and nodding. "The explanation's a little out there, but considering what you did was WAY out there, I think I can stomach that as the truth." the Captain chuckled, his officers agreeing. "As far as everyone else, I'd just like to let them think of it as smoke and mirrors, just your average modern day technology kind of show." he told the Captain, getting an agreement before they tipped their hats to him. "Well, we'll be off then. I wanna see the sunrise with the girls before we head back down to rest for a bit. Looking forward to paying our respects later on." Chris told them, bowing with the girls doing the same. "Ha ha, and we're looking forward to having you and yours joining us." Rostron smiled, all of them shaking Chris and the girls hands once more before waving them off and heading back up to the bridge. "Gotta admit, it's a major load off my shoulders knowing how much everyone liked what I did. You did kinda make me nervous beforehand Alicia." he said, the snake glancing away. "Y-Yes well, I suppose in the end the lecture wasn't necessary. My trust takes time to earn but, you're taking the right steps." she replied, clearing her throat before motioning for more of his drink.

Once they finished their cups, they tossed them in one of the nearby trash cans and went to the stern, with Chris leaning against the railing while Serenity and Rose leaned against his sides. "Pretty great trip so far, huh?" he asked, enjoying the sunrise as the girls smiled and nodded. Looking around, he still couldn't see Dragonair anywhere, only the short trail drifting behind the ship as it crawled along. "Weird, she was all over the place up until now." he thought to himself before the group suddenly heard the ships whistles blaring, jumping and shouting together in surprise and covering their ears before hearing the speakers throughout the ship click on. "Attention all passengers! The S.S. Guardian has now arrived at the R.M.S. Arceanic site! We'll be stopping here for the day while we pay tribute and will resume our cruise come the am hours tonight. Until then, please join us for the next 24 hours as we honor her legacy and the countless lives of all who journeyed aboard her decks that fateful night! We'll be setting up special events throughout the day both within the ship and outside on our upper decks. Thank you, and we look forward to serving you!" Rostron announced before the speakers shut off. "G-Geez, those things are loud." Chris muttered, digging in one of his ears as the girls rubbed their own. "Owww. Too loud." Serenity complained. "Imagine how I feel!" Rose snapped, feeling as though the horns were still blaring in her eardrums. "I could do without another one of those outbursts myself." Alicia shuddered, shaking the ringing out of her ears. Looking behind the ship, they saw the trail shrink more and more until the ship came to a complete stop. "That's that then... Guess we'll get some shut eye for a bit and come back later on. Sound good to you girls?" he asked, getting a simultaneous nod in response from all three.

Watching the sun for a moment more, they made their way towards the first class entrance to the ship, heading down the stairs and stopping in the lobby when they saw countless passengers and off duty crew filling the seats and couches, fast asleep from their night on the bow. "Poor folks, couldn't even make it back to their rooms." Chris smiled nervously, noticing the crew that were on duty making their rounds covering people with blankets. "They did get pretty excited, it's no surprise they're as worn out as you." Rose point out. "They yell a lot, make lots of noise. Throats should be sore." Serenity added. "How anyone could be so energetic in such frigid temperatures is beyond me." Alicia said, her voice muffled by his clothes. "You can come out now. We're inside the ship you know." Chris told the snake, her head suddenly popping out of his collar. "Oh, so we are." she muttered, slithering out and along his shoulders. "This is more like it! I vote for staying in here the rest of the journey!" she suggest with her hand up. "Ha ha, sorry. Not gonna happen. I especially wanna be out there when it starts snowing!" Chris grinned, the snake groaning with a slump. "I hate how enthusiastic you are when it comes to frigid weather." she grumbled. "Oh come on. I know it's not your thing but even you'll love how it makes everything look! Especially in the right amount of sunlight. You haven't seen ANYTHING when it comes to a sunrise and sunset until you've seen everything covered in that stuff. Just... So awesome." Chris sighed, imagining the scenario in his mind. "Yes well, don't expect me to go out of my way just for a pretty view when we arrive at this valley place. Once we reach a warm place that's where I'm gonna stay put at and you lot can freeze for all I care, I'll be playing it smart." Alicia affirmed. "Work for me. Have him all to self." Serenity replied, grabbing his arm with a giggle. "I watch pretty sun with you aaaannny time." she teased, rubbing her nose against his cheek causing Chris to shudder and quickly pull away with a slight blush. "I've got clothes AND fur so we can do whatever you want in the cold!" Rose point out, holding his other hand. "What you mean whatever he want?" Serenity asked with a scowl. Looking up at her, Rose didn't quite get what Serenity was hinting at, until finally clicking it in place and facing down with a flush. "W-Well, that too if he wants, maybe..." she replied quietly, Alicia rolling her eyes while Serenity gasped and Chris groaned in humiliation.

Once they reached their room, Chris and the girls made a straight shot for the bed, all four falling asleep in no time at all after the lengthy night before. Although originally intending to enjoy a short nap, the group found themselves sleeping through most of the morning, only waking shortly after noon when Chris heard knocking at the door. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and found all three girls sprawled out across his legs, having to inch his way out before quickly finding out who was knocking. Opening the door, Chris saw the ships Chef and several other cooks and maids waiting for him, the Chef rubbing his hands together with a wide grin on his face and bowing. "Good sir! I can't zank you enough for ze extraordinary gift I received on your behalf! To see dear old grand-père again was a shock, oh t'embrasser! Zat is, I could kiss you! Oui?" he told Chris. "K-Kiss? Ah, ha ha." he replied, taking a step back and waving his hand. "Oh non, do not worry sir! Just a figure of speech. No no, instead I have a surprise for you in return! Please accept this délicieuse cuisine instead! That is, very good food, oui?" he laughed before motioning for the others to hurry in several rolling trays full of covered platters. "Each spécial is guaranteed to make ze taste buds explode! Please, please! You and yours, have your fill and take your time! Zis is c'est gratuit on behalf of yours truly! Zat is, free of charge!" he assured Chris, patting him on the shoulder. "F-Free?! All that?! I couldn't!" Chris panicked, the Chef suddenly showing a stern look. "I say is free, so is free! You take, yeeeees?" he insisted, holding a spatula at Chris's face and squinting his eyes. "A-Ah, y-yeah! F-Free! Thank you!" he smiled nervously with slight sweat on his face, the chef backing away with a smile and a nod. "You order more food soon! I make it toute hâte! That is, very fast for you!" he assured with a thumbs up, clapping his hands and ordering his crew out before motioning for Chris to go eat and closing the door, leaving him standing with a nervous laugh and waving in silence before turning to the various trays of food. "G-Geez, didn't do it for rewards." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head and sighing before looking at the girls. "Ah well, can't do much when you have a burly old guy waving a weapon in your face I guess." he laughed nervously. "Wait. That... Doesn't sound right." he thought to himself, his eye twitching before quickly shaking his head and having a look under the various lids seeing different meats, pastas and cakes along with other side dishes and treats for Pokemon.

"Well, guess I don't have to worry about ordering anything then." he muttered, noticing a large kettle and opening the lid, smelling tea inside. "Ooohhh excellent." he grinned before returning to the bed. "Alright girls, up and at em'. Nap times over and we've got a lot of food to get through." he said while shaking them awake. Sitting up one by one, they rubbed their eyes and yawned, looking around curiously. "How long we sleep?" Serenity asked. "Long enough, it's a little past noon already. Good thing is the chef brought us uh... A ton of free food." he smiled nervously, pointing out the trays. Getting up and having a look for themselves the girls looked at one another and turned to Chris. "We like food, but this is kind of..." Rose laughed nervously. "I know. He gave it to us because of what I did but I tried to explain I didn't do it for this kind of treatment." Chris replied, an uncomfortable look on his face as he walked up and looked everything over. "He insisted, so I accepted. Lets uh, dig in." he told them before helping fill several plates full for each of them. By the time they had filled themselves to the brim, they still had an abundance of leftovers remaining. Deciding to save it for later, Chris had the girls help him put everything in containers and stash it in the fridge before having staff return to take the trays away, giving their thanks while seeing them off before making their way out themselves. "So now what we do?" Serenity asked, looking around at the people crowding the corridors as they made their way along. "Well, the Captain said they had things set up to pay tribute to the Arceanic, so I'd like to see what they had in mind. First we'll see what they've got set up below deck, then we'll see what's outside." he explained, the girls nodding while Alicia muttered "good" in response, not in any hurry to return out in the cold.

Heading downstairs, they stopped at the shopping deck and found the entire area lined with displays featuring the Arceanic, including a replica model of the ship in the center of the corridor, photographs and art on display, along with countless notes on the ships construction and journey. Heading to the encased replica first, Chris and the girls looked it over curiously. "Sure was beautiful, huh?" he smiled, the girls pressing their faces against the glass and nodding. Suddenly, all four jumped back in surprise when the ships windows lit up, one of the crew members backing away and rubbing the sweat off his face having finished working on the wiring beneath the table. "Ooohhh that's cool!" Chris muttered, both he and the girls stepping back up to the replica and looking over all the tiny lights. "I bet it would have been AWESOME to walk on it at night." he grinned. "This ship is really old now right? If it's so old, how come it looks prettier than this ship?" Rose asked, looking up at Chris curiously. "Well, back then ship building was more of an art for people. Every ship was built as if it were something straight out of a painting. But... Nowadays they're just built to look high tech and stuff. They have nice details here and there, mostly on the inside, back back in the days of the Arceanic they REALLY went all out." Chris explained. "This ship in particular was meant to be the biggest and most beautiful of them all. It was the ship made straight out of peoples dreams, inside and out. You can't imagine how much they spent on it. It really was the queen of the sea." he smiled warmly, putting his hand on the glass. "Wish we on that ship instead of this one. It really nice." Serenity smiled. "W-Well, can't say I'd wanna be on it considering what happened in the end." he reminded, all three girls laughing nervously with a "riiiiight" in response.

"It's a shame humans have devolved their designs for so many things over the years. Evolution is fine, but not if it means abandoning the parts of ones past that were most extraordinary. I've looked at many books and watched many shows, and I can say it's a pity you humans aren't as extravagant as you once were." Alicia point out. "Well, it's like I said, everything's about simplicity and modernization now. I guess in a way stuff like being artsy just gets in the way. Would be nice though if we could see ships like the Arceanic again. Heck, even our cars today look boring compared to how they designed them years ago. It's no fun having the latest stuff if it has no visual appeal to it if you ask me." he admit, nodding in agreement with the snake. "Cars are just like everything else though, fancy on the inside but, in a way, the same as any other on the outside. Humans are advanced, but... I guess very generic now. Sticking with what works and not really willing to do anything... Different with what we make. Instead of giving everything a special look to it, we just make things work better, but look the same. Humans just prefer that kind of comfort nowadays I guess." he shrugged, Serenity and Rose blinking at him slightly confused while Alicia gave him an impressed smirk. "I guess that's why, when we look at things like old ships, old cars, castles and stuff, we think back on these things fondly because of how bold we used to be. We miss how unique we once were. We've got awesome technology now, but everything looks so much alike, we don't really have as much as we used to as far as distinguishing ourselves from anyone else. We're all, well, the same." he went on, touching the glass again. "Even though we wouldn't have the things we do today, I think I'd rather live in a primitive world full of imagination than an advance world full of technology yet nothing to really make you feel special, nothing that sets something or someone apart from everything, and everyone else out there." he added. Looking at the girls, he jolt and laughed embarrassed. "S-Sorry about that. I got too wrapped up in the moment." he confessed, all three smiling in response as they looked back at the Arceanic model for a moment before moving on.

"Humans are generic now... Huh." Chris thought to himself, reflecting on his own words as they looked at all the pictures and paintings throughout the deck. Once they reached the section of the gallery featuring the site the Arceanic was lost, Chris took a close look at the various glaciers captured, looking over the pictures showing fields of ice drifting on the sea as well. "I gotta say, it looks really weird." he point out, the girls tilting their heads curiously and looking as well. "What weird? Just ice." Serenity replied. "I know but... Look at the shapes of the glaciers. Most of them look really jagged and stuff. No matter how you look at it, they just don't seem natural." he explained. "Icebergs and stuff like that CAN look pointy, but the shape of these goes way beyond how they usually look. It's like they just shot up in an instant." he added Looking at one another, the girls shrugged before moving on, Chris remaining behind until noticing they had left him, quickly catching up and shouting out as they looked at other paintings and pictures instead. Eventually, they reached a display featuring a colossal chunk of ice people could touch. Looking at it curiously, Chris went up to the massive piece, cut in the shape of an ice burg and found a plaque standing next to it. "Hey girls, listen to this." he said, motioning for them to come over, each of them touching the chunk of ice on display. "On the night of April 14th, 1912, the waters where the Arceanic sank were below freezing, registering at 28°F. Because saltwater freezes at a lower temperature than freshwater, the saltwater ocean that night was colder than the freshwater iceberg before you. As a result, most of those who likely wound up in the ocean did not die from drowning. They died of hypothermia, a rapid mental and physical collapse that accompanies the lowering of body temperature." he read aloud, the girls eyes going wide as they pulled away.

Looking up at the ice before them, all four showed somber expressions as they touched it once more. "All those humans... The water was even colder than this?" Rose asked. "Not just humans, Pokemon too. There's a ton of pictures of the ones that disappeared with the ship on display." he point out. "I not like humans much. But... Still not want humans to die like that." Serenity added, glancing away as they stepped back from the ice. "When someone suffers hypothermia, especially in waters that cold, most of them were gone within 5 to 15 minutes time. I can't imagine what it was like... Especially thinking nobody even cared about them at all the whole time they were..." Chris said, pausing and looking down for a moment before sniffing suddenly, wiping one of his eyes as the girls looked at him and gave him a pat together. "It okay. Lets go see other stuff." Serenity smiled, Chris clearing his throat and nodding in response. "Don't get too emotional on us now." Alicia added, slithering atop his shoulders and patting the back of his head with her tail. Leaving the ice behind as others came up to examine it, they continued browsing the memorial gallery before finally heading back towards the Grand Staircase, making their way upwards causing Alicia to show a disgusted expression before quickly shooting down inside Chris's clothes, causing him to jolt and laugh as she slithered about and settled herself in a comfortable position against him. "W-Warn me before you do that, would ya?" he lectured. "Hey, at least I'm going out period!" she snapped back. "She wimpy." Serenity muttered. "Well, she's a snake after all. The cold's dangerous for them, deadly even if they're not careful, more-so than it is for any of us." he reminded her. "Guess having fur makes you guys jealous then!" Rose grinned, Chris looking down at her with a smile and rubbing her head as they made their way to the top of the stairs and stepped outside. Walking along the deck, the Captain had countless stalls set up that were serving the same meals they provided on the Arceanic cruise, allowing passengers to enjoy even the meals originally intended only for first class on the Arceanic.

"Maaan, a lot of this stuff is seriously oooolllld school." Chris muttered, poking his face in various stalls, the girls doing the same. Some of the foods they found available included Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs, Punch Romaine, Baked apples and buckwheat cakes, mutton chops and countless hors d'oeuvre to pick from... Everything served on the Arceanic was now available to every class on the Guardian in a single event, the entire deck lined with stand after stand people were swarming to in order to enjoy the flavors of a time long past. "I kind of regret accepting the Chefs gift even more now." Chris muttered, the girls hearing and rubbing their stomachs with a groan and a nod in response. At the stern of the ship, they found a chapel like scene set up for passengers to pay their respects, security ensuring noise and activity around the stern was kept at a minimum, while at the bow, Platinum Star Lines arranged for relatives of the deceased to receive special 100th anniversary souvenirs on behalf of the company, given by Captain Rostron and Chief Smith themselves, with both them and several officers from the bridge shaking hands with and saluting those who received the gifts. Walking along, Chris and the girls curiously glanced at what people had received. "Ah! There you are lad!" they heard Rostron shout, giving them a wave to come over. Looking around nervously, Chris point at himself, the girls looking at one another just as nervously as they followed, cautiously passing those who had been waiting in line only to find everyone smiling at them as they went by. Standing in front of Rostron, he shook Chris's hand excitedly with a grin on his face. "I really can't thank you enough for what you've done on this cruise. That piano performance alone was inspiring, but to witness the amount of effort you've put into this journey following that has been nothing short of remarkable." he began, Chris smiling shyly and scratching his cheek.

"Granted you lot have caused a bit of mischief along the way, but even that has been a laugh and a half for us all on a cruise we thought would be tough from start to finish. You've done an unbelievable job of lifting the spirits of our passengers and crew alike, a better job than I probably could have ever done in a situation like this, and that's why, blood relation or not, I'd like to present each of you with these gifts as well, not on behalf of the company, but myself and my men and women who owe you our thanks for the kindness you've shown us all. These gifts are truly from the bottom of our hearts." he smiled, Smith and the officers nodding as Chris and the girls looked at one another curiously while the officers brought up a small box for each of them. Looking inside, they each received a silver medallion showing the Arceanic sailing along the sea, with the ship itself in full color and lit up as if sailing through the night. However, in Chris's box there was a folded sheet of paper as well. Looking at one another, Rostron and the Chief smiled along with the officers as he took a look. "To you and yours, thank you for sailing with us aboard the S.S. Guardian." he muttered, the girls smiling with an "aww" in response. Looking at the paper silently, Chris saw the signatures of Rostron, Smith, and all of the officers included. Showing a smile, he looked at the Captain and the others with a nod. "Its been a great trip. I'm just glad I could come along and pay my respects in my own way with everyone." Chris replied, folding the paper up and closing it in his coin box before bowing, the girls standing next to him and doing the same. "I not like humans much, but you not bad. You nice and make him happy, so you okay to like." Serenity said. "Thanks for the shiny thing! It's pretty!" Rose giggled, rubbing her medallion. "I'm not really one for such trinkets, but it couldn't hurt to accept a quality souvenir such as this. My thanks as well." Alicia told the Captain with a nod. "But really, you guys don't have to do anything in return for me just being myself. We've all had a good time and that's all that matters." Chris added, shaking their hands once again. Looking back at the line, Chris and the girls moved aside so others could accept their souvenirs as well.

"I uh, had a question though. I haven't seen your Dragonair in a long time, is anything wrong?" Chris asked, the Captain shaking a passengers hand and giving thanks before glancing at Chris as he worked with the others. "Oh, she's up in her own section of the bridge. Poor girl seemed a tad woozy so we put her in a heated tank to warm up and relax." he explained, handing out another box. "It's as I said, she's getting on in years. I'd wager the frigid waters got to her, we haven't been this far up north together in years so she likely wasn't ready for just how cold it would get down there. A lot like humans some Pokemon are. Once they get used to a certain climate it can be a shocker suddenly jumping into another." he smiled nervously. "Feel free to go up and visit, you'll find a door in the back of the bridge. We've got security on duty while we're down here so you'll need your papers and such of course. Just let them know I gave you the okay as an extra measure. I'll send word up as well." he added. "You lot just behave yourselves up there and touch NOTHING!!" Chief Smith affirmed, giving the group a glare. "Ah, ha ha. N-No worries." Chris assured, waving nervously before heading off with the girls, leaving them to finish handing out souvenirs. Opening their boxes again, the girls looked over their medallions while Chris read the letter again, typically stumbling into one of the benches due to the distraction and getting a lecture from Alicia out of it. Heading for the stairs leading to the bridge, the group climbed their way up, this time with Chris in front, pushed ahead by an embarrassed Rose. Along the way, they met with security and were escorted into the bridge, led to the door where Dragonair had been contained. Thanking the security, Chris and the girls went in and looked up in awe at the colossal tank before them, finding Dragonair curled up at the bottom.

"You doin' alright girl?" Chris asked, walking up and putting his hand on the glass. "Captain Rostron let us come pay you a visit! You're not doin' too bad are you...?" he asked nervously. Jolting in response, Dragonair raised her head and turned, her face showing an extraordinary amount of fatigue as she let out a raspy noise in response. "Ooohh, you do look pretty rough. Hope it wasn't the food I gave you the other night, honest I thought it was still good." he smiled nervously. Shaking her head, Dragonair let out another raspy noise, poking the tip of her tail against the glass, pointing out the door behind them. "You want us to leave?" he asked, Dragonair shaking her head once again before resting her chin on the bottom of the tank. "She not sick." Serenity point out, walking up next to him. "Wadaya mean? She looks out of it to me." Chris replied, tilting his head before facing Dragonair again. "She say something out there make her feel bad. She say something making weather hard to control." Serenity explained. "Out there? The weather?" Chris muttered, looking around and towards the ceiling. "Nothin' seems wrong to me. Weathers been same as always the whole time we've been at the site, just like the way its been the rest of this trip. You sure you heard her right?" Chris asked, Serenity scowling at him in irritation. "S-Sorry, sorry." he smiled nervously. "So something in the ocean is making you feel rough? Guess we could have a look around, we're pretty high up after all. Wadaya think?" he asked, looking at the girls and getting a nod in response. "Alright then, you just try getting some shut eye, we'll have a look around and see if we spot anything weird." Chris smiled, putting his hand on the glass before heading towards the door, Dragonair letting out a concerned sound as they left and looked around the bridge. Finding binoculars hanging nearby, Chris went out on the balcony with the girls and looked at the water around the ship.

"Don't see anything." he muttered. "Serenity, think you could sense anything down there?" he asked. Looking at him and tilting her head for a moment, she thought over the request before getting down on a knee and putting her hands on the deck. "Can try, let see." she replied, closing her eyes and showing a sudden stern look. Sending several pulses of energy through the ship, they spread out below the sea line. Several times she tried sensing something in the sea, and as she put more and more effort into widening her range, Chris started hearing something beeping in the bridge. Curiously, he walked back inside and looked around the controls, pausing when his eyes hovered over the radars. "Huh, looks like there is somethin' out there." he muttered, having a closer look as Alicia slithered off him and onto the dash. As he watched, a dot repeatedly flashed into view in the far distance ahead of the ship, and after a moment, one became two, and two became three... Little by little more and more appeared, all in the same area ahead of them and slowly spreading like a wall. "...That doesn't look too good." he muttered as the guards walked back up to the entrance and noticed him, quickly rushing in to pull him away. "H-Hold up! The ships picked up something!" he warned, pointing out the radar. Having a look for themselves, they started muttering among themselves and pointing out the dots as they continued appearing and spreading. Next thing they knew, Dragonair could be heard letting out a scream from her room, the guards jumping and heading for the door as Chris looked at the radar himself. Next thing he knew, Rose was tugging against the side of his coat, a worried look on her face as she pointed towards the exit. "What? Is it Serenity? She get something?" he asked. Nodding in response, she pulled him back outside, Alicia following curiously. "Yo! Rose says you found something." he said, walking up behind Serenity as she remained on her knee with her hands against the deck.

Waiting for an answer yet getting only silence in return, Chris tilt his head and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's up? Or... Down?" he asked. Once again finding himself left with a silent response, Chris raised an eyebrow and scratched his head confused, Rose tugging his coat again and leading him in front of Serenity. Squatting down, he smiled nervously and cleared his throat. "H-Hey! Serenity! What's the de...?!" he asked, pausing and looking at her in surprise when he saw her eyes widened, pupils trembling as she slightly sweat. "S-Serenity?" he asked in concern, giving her a slight shake on the shoulder. "She just suddenly... Did that. Frozen and not blinking or anything." Rose said, able to use her telepathy once again. "She's weird on a normal basis, but this is a bit much." Alicia added, walking under Serenity and waving her hand yet getting no response. Suddenly, they heard the door in the bridge leading to Dragonair slam open, the guards rushing out. "Dragonairs collapsed!! We can't wake her!!" they panicked into the mic on the dash linked to the Captain. "Calm down lads, I'm sure the old girl's just tired, she's worked hard all this ti..." Chris heard Rostron reply on the other line, cut off by the guards. "This isn't fatigue sir!! Something... Off is happening to her orbs. The coloring looks... They've never done that before." one of them replied. Standing at the entrance, Chris listened in while Rose clung to his coat, Alicia slithering over his shoulders and coiling around his neck. "Alright, alright. I'm on my way up. Just don't cause any unnecessary panic." Rostron replied calmly. "I'm sure she's just ill. Let me be the judge of the situation." he added. Looking at Rose and Alicia nervously, Chris walked along the balcony and around the front of the bridge, using the binoculars to look into the distance once again, Serenity still frozen in place next to his feet.

Looking down, he saw Rostron casually leave the bow and head for the stairs, not wanting to cause any concern himself as he made his way along. "I don't get it. I don't see any..." Chris muttered, looking into the horizon again and pausing when he saw a dark area in the water. "Hold up, looks funny over..." he said, adjusting the binoculars for a better look. Once the Captain arrived, he noticed Chris and the girls first, raising an eyebrow before walking into the bridge to get a summary of the situation. After a moment, he came out and walked up to Chris with his own binoculars, having a look for himself. "Smart lad, got anything for me?" he asked, Chris and the girls jumping in surprise. "Y-Yeah, the radar showed something weird ahead, think I found it. Look waaaaaay over there." he point out. Nodding, Rostron looked around before pausing, noticing the dark area himself. "Looks like a gathering of some sort." he muttered. "Gathering sir?" Chris asked. "Pokemon to be precise. And by the looks of it, a lot of em'." Rostron replied. "Could be just a large school of fish Pokemon, can't say it's something to fret over too mu..." he said, pausing when clouds slowly began appearing over head. "Just your... Usual school of Pokemon, right sir?" Chris laughed nervously. On the lower decks, all of the passengers and crew remained oblivious to the changes around them, only taking notice when the sun began randomly disappearing as the clouds gathered and darkened little by little above. Looking at one another curiously, they shrugged it off for the most part and went on enjoying themselves as Chris and Rostron continued looking towards the horizon. "...May need to cancel staying the day." Rostron said, turning and heading back into the bridge. Looking back, Chris groaned while looking back up at the sky, the blue slowly being swallowed more and more by the ominous clouds.

Turning towards Serenity, Chris walked up and gave her another shake. "Hey, come on. We need to make sure we're out of everyone's way up here." he told her. Pulling her up, Serenity remained wide eyed, facing down for a moment before slowly looking up at him. "L-Lots." she murmured. "Huh? What now?" Chris asked, tilting his head. "Big, lots. LOTS!!" she panicked, suddenly grabbing his coat. "Lots!! Lots!! Danger!!" she continued, nearly shaking Alicia off his shoulders. "E-E-Easy!! M-Making me s-sick!!" Chris replied, pulling her hands off and holding them while Rose whimpered and held him all the tighter below. In the bridge, the Captain was making a call for Smith and the other officers to come to the bridge, only for everyone on the decks and in the bridge to suddenly freeze up as the sound of thunder roared in the distance, loud enough to make the ship seemingly shudder as it remained still. "I don't like thunder!!" Rose panicked, pulling her ears down as Alicia looked around nervously. "Even I'm starting to feel wary." she muttered.

As Chris watched Smith and the officers leave the bow as well, they had other crew take over their positions as they made their way along, yet another blast of thunder shaking the ship while the clouds above thickened and darkened all the more...