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Pokémon:

Quest of a True Master

Chapter 3

The S.S Julia set sail right on schedule the next morning. Having woken up bright and early, Mark and Randy made it aboard in time; the previous night, Randy had to go home to pack and find a house sitter, arriving back at the motel well into the night; Mark had offered to let Randy stay at his motel room, since Mark had been given a two bed room anyway. Randy happily accepted, and after being woken up by Mark around five o'clock, joined him when they headed to the pier.

They almost missed the boat, thanks to Mark having some trouble getting his truck registered at the car lot outside the dock; the office didn't open until after six, and by then he was already supposed to be on board. They made it just before the gangplank was due to be raised, and were shown to their cabins.

Randy settled in and took a nap, having not been given proper sleep, while Mark did his daily routine; he let Vitesse, Coal and Fang out of their Poké Balls and went jogging around the ship after it set sail, running with the Blaziken, Charmeleon and Mightyena. The ocean breeze made Mark feel energized, and he enjoyed every moment of the run, greeting a few joggers he met along the deck -one of whom was jogging with his Pokémon as well, a Hitmonlee. He offered Mark a battle, but the trainer politely declined, saying he'd had his fill over the last two days.

This was true; between his match with Randy yesterday and that half-competent biker the day before, Mark had satisfied his thirst for some action. Although some of his Pokémon were probably still hungry for some excitement; he made a mental note to let them out when he finished his run.

He came back around to the stern of the ship, and produced all of his Poke Balls, releasing the Pokémon inside of them and letting them get a taste of the fresh, salty air of the ocean. The first, and easily most excited of them, was Siren; the Milotic was fully alert and squealing gleefully as she realized they were on the ocean; she made a beeline right for the railing, peering out to the open ocean, though Tanker nervously moved away from it, staying as close to the middle of the boat as he could...

And suddenly, the floorboards under him began to creak ominously.

"Oh shit!" Mark exclaimed, immediately fumbling for Tanker's Poké Ball as he realized what was about to happen. "Tanker, return!" He commanded, aiming the ball towards him and calling back the Steelix before the floorboards gave way beneath the Steelix and caused catastrophic damage to the ship. "Aw damn it... that was close."

"You there!" A voice called, catching Mark's attention. He turned towards the source, and saw a plump-bellied man in a sailor's outfit, gray hair and mustache, a blue jacket and a hat running up to him, eyeing him irritably. "What is the matter with you, letting a Steelix out on a wooden deck like that?!"

"I'm sorry sir; I just wanted to give him some air," replied Mark. "I guess I overestimated how much weight the boards could handle."

"No kidding!" The man yelled. "Do you even know how much a Steelix weighs? Close to nine hundred pounds!" He shook his head at Mark. "You could've put a hole in the bottom of this vessel!"

Mark frowned. "With all due respect, sir, the hull of this ship is solid steel; I think that could withstand a Steelix," he stated with a firm tone. "I already apologized, and I won't let him out again."

"See that you don't," the man warned him. "If you cause any damage to this vessel, you're getting off at Dewford. Do I make..."

"Albert!" A voice blurted out.

The fat man immediately stood at attention, like a marine addressed by his commanding officer. Which, was most likely not far off, because the person who approached the two was in fact the ship captain, whom Mark had met when he'd arrived on board -he had been greeting passengers at the gang plank, and it was actually thanks to him that he and Randy had not missed the boat; when the captain saw them running towards the ship he told the crew to hold the gangplank another moment, allowing them to make their trip. He was an average height, bone-thin man beyond his prime, easily in his late forties or so, with platinum-blonde hair and a shaved face, showing a slightly wrinkled but fair-skinned face, shadowed somewhat by his hat.

"Captain! What can I do for you, sir?" The fat man asked.

"For one, you can stop making a scene while chewing out one of our passengers," the captain stated. "Now, what's going on here?"

"This boy let out a Pokémon that far exceeded the weight limit of the flooring, sir," the fat man, Albert, began. "A Steelix, to be exact, which is clearly on our list of Pokémon not to be let out on the deck; he put this ship at risk."

"It was an accident," Mark defended himself. "I was not shown any sort of list when I came on board; I didn't know the deck couldn't handle my Steelix."

"Then you should have come on time!" Albert scolded.

"Take it easy, Albert," the captain reasoned. "We're all late sometimes. And it was my oversight not giving him the list; I saw him and his friend come on board and did not think to give it to them. At least he corrected the problem before anything happened; let us just call this a mishap and let it go." He eyed the plump man curiously. "It's not like you to be so quick to anger, Albert; what's wrong with you today?"

Albert scoffed. "Nothing... just my age I guess; maybe I should consider that retirement soon," he said. "I'll get back up to the bridge, sir."

"Dismissed," said the captain. At his word, the fat man turned and walked away, heading up the deck without looking back at the group even once. When he was out of earshot, the captain turned to Mark. "Please let me express my apologies for my First Mate's behavior; I don't know what has gotten into him today."

"He's not usually like that?" Mark asked, pocketing Tanker's ball as he listened to the captain.

"No, not usually," replied the captain, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "He's always been something of a grump, but beyond that he's usually quite patient and quiet. Today, though, he's been very jumpy and a little stern with everyone, even going after passengers for such minor things."

"Well I admit, my Steelix going through the floor would have been far from minor," replied Mark. "I just wanted to give Tanker some air; I promised him I wouldn't leave him cooped up in a ball on this trip."

The captain grimaced. "I'm afraid you'll have to, young man; Pokémon like Steelix, Snorlax or Metagross are much too heavy to be let out on the deck of this ship. But at least you noticed this before something happened to the ship, or your Pokémon for that matter; I used to use Steel-Types myself, and have a rather soft spot in my heart for Steelix."

Mark smiled. "Thank you for your understanding, sir," he said, but still sighed. "Just wish I didn't have to break my promise to Tanker."

"Steel-types are tricky to live with because of that," the captain replied. He studied Mark's expression for a moment before giving him a soft smile. "Tell you what," he began. "We'll be making port in Vermillion City; there's a couple there who run a Pokémon Beauty Parlour I used to take my own Pokémon to. Take your Steelix to them, and tell them old Captain Raven sent you to them. Ask for the deluxe Steel treatment and tell them it's on me."

Mark eyed the captain with some surprise. "Really? You sure?"

"Of course; they owe me a number of favors I'll probably never use, so, I might as well give you the chance to make it up to your Steelix for him being cooped up for this voyage." He rolled his eyes in thought. "Actually, even better; one moment." He reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a notepad and flipping through several pages before he picked his pen from the same pocket, writing down something before tearing the page away and handing it to Mark. "Give that to them, so they know for certain it was I who sent you."

"Well... thank you sir!" Mark said, gratefully. "I'm sure Tanker will love it."

"Oh, I know he will," returned the captain, tipping his hat. "Enjoy your day, young man. Might I get your name?"

"It's Mark, sir; Mark Taylor."

"Taylor?" The captain repeated, arching an eyebrow. "Well now I wonder; a famous Pokémon trainer like you, not knowing your Steelix couldn't be on a ship?"

"I..." Mark chuckled nervously. "It's... actually my first time ever being on a boat," he confessed. "Whenever I travelled by water, it was usually on the back of Siren there." He gestured to the Milotic still looking out at the ocean over the railing.

The captain laughed. "Haha! That, I can believe; most trainers do use their Pokémon for sea travel rather than a ship." He tipped his hat to Mark once more. "I best be off; good day, Mr. Taylor."

"You too, Captain," returned Mark, waving his hand to the man as he headed off up the deck. 'Wow; good to know the captain is friendly,' he thought. But what is the deal with that First Mate?' He didn't think about it for long, though; maybe the man was just having one of those kinds of days. He pulled out and looked at Tanker's Poké Ball. "Sorry big fella," he said, honestly. "I have to keep you in there for now. But I will make it up to you."

Mark had never known if a Pokémon could actually hear the voices of their trainers from inside their Poké Ball; he liked to think they did, but to anyone who didn't, he probably looked pretty stupid, talking to a ball. Still, he didn't really care; Tanker had been stuck at home and cooped up in his Poké Ball for weeks, and it was a wonder the iron-clad serpent hadn't gone mad with cabin fever. Mark also made a silent vow he'd let Tanker roam around when they got to Kanto.

Returning the ball to the holster hidden in his vest, Mark turned back to the rest of his Pokémon. Siren was still staring gleefully over the railing, while the other Pokémon were already basking in the sunlight -especially Palm Tree; he had already fallen asleep, and Fang was playfully running around the deck, being chased by Coal, while Vitesse was sitting on the deck with her back against Palm Tree's flank, staring up at the sky.

Mark walked over to Siren, who glanced at him excitedly as he reached over to put the back of her neck. "Glad to be near the sea again, girl?" He asked.

As if to answer his question, she suddenly shot past him; in a split second he felt a gentle pressure around his midsection as she curled around him with her tail, giving him a firm squeeze and nuzzling his face, her cold skin running over his cheek.

"Ah! Okay, okay girl! I'm glad you're happy; try not to smother me, alright?" He pleaded to the Milotic, reaching up and petting the side of her head affectionately.

She licked his cheek, and uncurled from him before, unexpectedly, she dove over the railing. Mark watched in stunned surprise as the Milotic left the ship and plunged towards the ocean water. "Siren!" He called out, just before she splashed into the sea and disappeared below the surface of the dark ocean water.

He watched for her, wondering what she was doing and feeling a little confuse; why had she done that? He watched until she appeared back above the surface, swimming alongside the ship for a moment before coiling up and launching herself out of the water with a downward-aimed Hydro Pump, soaring up the side of the cruise ship before she spun back over the railing, squealing excitedly as she slid all about the deck in a figure eight pattern, practically chasing her own tail and spreading salty sea water everywhere.

Mark laughed at Siren's almost childish behavior. "Well I guess that answers that question," he muttered. "You just really missed the ocean."

She reared up on her tail and squealed again, nodding her head to him. He walked up to her, petting her on the head again before walking over to a nearby, vacant deck chair where he could keep an eye on his team. "Mental note; take Siren to Slateport Beach as often as possible," he mumbled as he tucked his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and letting his tension unwind.

It was quiet and dark in the cargo hold as Marvin stuck his head out from behind the stack of crates, peering carefully throughout the cargo hold for any sign of witnesses. He waited patiently, listening attentively for even the slightest hint that anyone unwanted was in the room.

When he was satisfied, he stepped out, walking to the middle of the room and tapping his foot twice against the metal floor. All around him the shadows suddenly seemed to come alive; men and women garbed in dark clothes stepped into view appearing as if from nothing. He stood, quietly waiting for the group to gather, twenty five grunts, armed with stun batons, net launchers and the combined skills of the six most infamous organizations in the world, all in one place, for a single purpose.

"Now, you all remember the plan?" Marvin asked.

"Yes sir." They replied in unison.

"You remember your assigned groups?"

"Yes sir."

"And have you all discussed with your teammates, your individual tasks?"

"Yes sir."

"Outstanding," complimented Marvin. "Group A is first; get up to the bridge, take the captain hostage and force him to make the announcement and transmission. Group B, while A does its job, you will head to the electrical rooms; cut power to the communications and, when we reach the island, to the engines -make sure this ship stays dead in the water. Group C, once the announcement has all passengers herded into the dining area, you are to seal the doors; stun anyone who tries to stop you. I'll be coming along personally to ensure we don't fail to trap them there.

"Once they are in there, start collecting Pokémon and all of their money -keep it separate, thank you; we don't want a mix up," continued Marvin. "Then the sub will come to get us at the Seafoam islands; we must be ready before they arrive, or our leader will be very displeased with us for our tardiness." He glanced at his watch. "Now, we're still a few minutes from international waters -take your time getting to your posts, but do not attempt capture of any Pokémon until we have them all cornered; trainers will fight back if we catch them in the open, but they won't endanger a clustered crowd in a confined space like the dining hall."

Marvin straightened his vest. "Now, if there are no questions, let the heist of the S.S Julia begin, men and women of the Syndicate!"

The enforcers before him saluted him as if they were personnel of the military, before methodically turning on their heels towards the door, departing in their assigned groups out of the cargo hold and heading for their positions...

"A-Attention Passengers."

Mark jolted awake, not even realizing he'd been napping, when he heard the loud-speaker projected voice bellowing out. He shot upright, quickly getting a bearing of his surroundings, and saw his Pokémon gathered around him, all of them becoming alert as well when the voice sounded through the speakers.

"Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking," the message continued. "It appears there was something I forgot to do earlier today; I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to a mandatory safety meeting in the dining hall. I repeat, everyone is required to report to the dining hall immediately. Please recall all of your Pokémon; this is strictly for the passengers. I repeat, this is your captain speaking," and the captain began to repeat the message.

"Mandatory safety meeting," Mark repeated. "There was nothing in the brochure about that... and how could the captain possibly have forgotten something like that?" Having met with the captain personally, it struck Mark as odd he could forget something so important; he had likely been running this ship for years, all routine tasks becoming habit -practically timed in his brain. So forgetting something so important... that just didn't seem possible.

Still, it was mandatory; he should probably at least go check it out. "Alright guys, party's over," said Mark, producing all of his Poke Balls. "Come on back." He began recalling them one by one; Siren seemed especially reluctant, but she complied without any complaint. However, just as Mark was about to recall Fang, the Mightyena suddenly leapt away from the beam as it shot towards him, avoiding it.

"Hey!" Mark scolded. "Fang, I said come back." He tried again, but once more Fang dodged the beam. "Hey what's gotten into you?"

Fang turned towards the loudspeaker, growling slightly before looking back at Mark, giving him a low whine. Mark eyed his Mightyena carefully, studying the look on his face; he seemed bothered by something. Mark had had Fang for a long time, and he could tell from experience when he was trying to tell him something; it was the only time he ever acted this way -other trainers might mistake it for misbehaving but Fang was always obedient, even when he had evolved from a Poochyena.

"Something wrong, boy?" Mark asked, standing up from the deck chair and pocketing Fang's Poke Ball. "Alright, show me."

Fang barked at him before turning about and running across the deck; immediately Mark sprinted after him, wondering what it was that Fang sensed...

Meanwhile, outside Randy's room, a pair of dark-clothed men were walking by when they happened to see into the young trainer's window, spotting him lying sound asleep in his bed. "Hey, one of 'em is still 'ere," one said.

"Can't have any wandering around; kick the door open and let's get him out."

Randy jumped out of bed abruptly as his door suddenly flew open; he threw off his covers and veered his gaze towards to door to see his intruders were two men in dark clothes. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he addressed the two men in a tired voice. "What the hell's going on; I was napping!" He protested. "And don't you know it's rude to barge in uninvited; didn't anybody teach you guys some manners?"

"Maybe you didn't hear, kid, but there's a mandatory safety meeting going on in the dining area right now," one of the men said. "Get up and get moving; this isn't an option."

"Kind of excessive to kick down a door over something like that, don't you think?" Randy asked, scratching his scalp. "Can I at least brush my hair first?"

"I said get moving, kid," the man warned. "Or I'll drag you there."

Randy looked up at the two men, his sleepiness draining away as his instincts began to tell him that something was wrong. "I don't seem to recall there being a 'mandatory' anything when I got on board," he pointed out.

The man produced a small, cylindrical object. "I gave you the chance to come along quietly, kid, but I don't have time to stand here discussing this with you -I got a job to do. Now get your ass up..." The object suddenly became longer, the tip of it sparking with electricity. "Or this is going to get very painful."

"Oh, bad idea," stated Randy. "See, I kind of have this watchdog in here, and you're probably making him mad."

"Oh yeah? Where?" The first asked.

"Oye, guv'ner," the second one interjected, looking over his shoulder.

"What?"

"This bookcase behind us," the second said, turning his gaze to the first. "I just noticed it..."

"What about it; see a comic book you like?" The first asked, scornfully.

"Cruise liners don't keep book cases in the rooms..."

The man with the baton eyed him curiously, before slowly, both men turned to look at the bookcase, only to find that the bookcase was no longer there. They instead found a pair of light blue eyes staring back at them, eyes with blood-red sockets, and a fox-like face bearing a devilish grin.

Both men screamed; the first swung his stun baton at the Zoroark hiding in the corner, but missed the Dark-type Pokémon completely, and the Zoroark retaliated with a slash of its claws, cutting the baton clean in half before backhanding the man to the ground. The other reached for his weapon, but Randy jumped him from behind, giving him a kick in the buttocks and sending him face-first into the wall next to the Zoroark, smashing his nose into the wall and knocking him unconscious.

"Good thing I never go to sleep without one of my Pokémon handy to let me know if I have company," Randy remarked. "Nice move with the bookcase trick, Shadow."

The Zoroark elicited a pleased whine to its trainer, before his ears flicked up and he turned to the door just as a Mightyena appeared in the doorway, barking at the two downed gangsters before sniffing one of them. Seconds later, Mark appeared at the door, nearly stumbling as he overshot the opening, whirling around and then peering inside, seeing the two downed men lying on the floor.

"What the heck happened in here?" He asked.

"Uninvited guests," returned Randy, plainly. "What's going on out there?"

"There's some kind of meeting or something happening in the dining hall," replied Mark. "But Fang seems to think something else is going on around here." He looked at the two strangers again. "And I'm thinking it's a good thing I listened to him."

"I'm thinking so too," agreed Randy, looking at Shadow, the Zoroark nodding in agreement. "Alright, so, what's the plan?"

"Still thinking of one," replied Mark. "Going to the dining hall is probably a bad idea right now." He put a hand to his chin, thinking carefully.

"Maybe we should head up to the bridge and see the captain," Randy suggested. "He's got to know what's going on."

"_That's_a good idea," agreed Mark. "Fang, lead on."

The Mightyena barked in reply, dashing back out of the room and making a left before he charged down the corridor. Mark was quick to follow, along with Randy and Shadow, who strode after the two as they headed for the other end of the hallway.

But just as they came to the fork leading to the next corridor, another man appeared in their path. He jumped as he saw the two, terrified eyes peering out from under his hat as he went for the collapsed baton at his belt, but his hand didn't even get near it before Fang pounced at him, knocking him to the floor before leaping back off of him again and continuing up the hall.

"Hey!" The man yelled after the Mightyena, and started to sit up.

"Excuse me!" Mark called as he sprang over the man, deliberately kicking him in the face as he leapt over the man.

The gangster's vision exploded with stars as he was kicked, and back down he went, grabbing his face and howling in pain. The howl turned to a pained grunt as Randy stepped on his chest, followed then after by Shadow stepping on his stomach. The man let himself lay sprawled out on the floor, groaning in exasperation.

"Maybe I'll just stay right here..." The man mumbled.

At the dining hall, all of the passengers had gathered as instructed on the announcement, having called back all of their Pokémon and helping themselves to some bottles of soft drinks that had been left out in buckets of ice. Many began to chat, mostly inquiring about what this 'mandatory safety meeting' was all about; most were disgruntled by the interruption, others mostly curious as to what could be so important that the captain would gather them all here.

They were completely unaware of what was coming.

On the floor above, standing at the rail of the balcony, Marvin counted the head of the passengers as quickly as he could, getting a rough estimate of the people in the room and satisfied that their plan had worked so far; everyone was in one place, enforcers were taking positions at the three doors into the rooms. At his side, a Magnezone floated, its cyclopian, center-eye and two additions eyes on the shoulders of its limbs peering down at the passengers as it bobbed from side to side, waiting for when its trainer needed it.

Satisfied that everything was in place, Marvin gave the signal, holding up his hand and gesturing to the grunts at the three doors to the room. At that prompt, the doors were suddenly slammed shut, catching the attention of all the people in the room as the doors banged noisily, three dark-clothed figures standing in front of each door, brandishing their stun batons, their expressions cold and stern.

Several panicked, others began asking what was happening. Marvel clapped his hands loudly, calling out to the audience with his voice elevated. "Your attention please, your attention please," he chimed, eventually gaining their undivided attention after a second attempt. As he addressed them, he continued to absently toss his gold coin up and down in his right hand, flipping and twirling it dextrously as if it were second nature, unhindered even as he spoke. "Welcome one and all; I thank you for accepting my gracious invitation. I regret to inform you all, the Captain will not be joining us for this little... party.

"The S.S Julia is now under the control of the International Pokémon Crime Syndicate; I, Marvin, your host, am proud to stand here as their representative. Aboard this vessel are some noteworthy Pokémon Trainers I am sure; this little get-together is all for you, as you're going to generously donate your rarest Pokémon to the Syndicate, and any money and valuables you have on your person."

"Like hell!" A young man barked from the audience.

"You expect us to give up our Pokémon to some two-bit thug? Get real!" Another added.

Many more joined the protest, raising their voices to the point they drowned out Marvin. He scowled, and held up his hand in front of his Magnezone before pointing towards the defiant trainers. Magnezone crackled with electricity, before bolts of electricity surged out from its body, showering the trainers and stunning them. They spasmed and collapsed, groaning as they curled up against the carpeted floor, their entire bodies hurting from the low-voltage electrocution the Magnezone had given them.

Many people moved to help them; two more gangsters leapt down from the balcony, brandishing their batons and waving them threateningly at the crowds. Another trainer from the group stood his ground, though. "Come on, people; there's twelve of them and hundreds of us! We can take 'em, and we've got our Pokémon to help us!"

"Your Pokémon can't help you here," Marvin returned.

"Oh yeah?" The defiant trainer returned. "Go ahead and send that Magnezone after me; all of my Pokémon are Fire-types; they'll make molten scrap outta that junk heap!"

"Very well, if that's what you want," Marvin replied, grinning smugly. His Magnezone began to levitate down to the main floor, hovering over the balcony and descending down to eye-level with the trainer, hovering a short distance from him. The trainer began to reach for one of his Poké Balls, carried on his belt, but he paused as Marvin spoke again. "But, there's one thing you may want to consider first."

"Yeah, what?"

"What do you think will happen if we have such a climactic battle in here?" Marvin remarked. "Look around you; carpeted floors, draperies over the windows... crowds of people wearing flammable clothing, perhaps?" Marvin tossed his coin up higher, catching it and slapping it onto the top of his other hand, keeping it covered with his first hand. "Heads, you risk the danger of causing great harm to everyone in this room while battling my Magnezone, or tails, you surrender now and do as I say, boy."

The trainer visibly hesitated, and looked at the ball in his hand. Could he really chance it; a battle with a Pokémon as powerful as a Magnezone was sure to cause some damage, but if he tried it in here, trapped with so many other people, who else could get hurt? Was it really worth the risk?

"Oops, my coin landed on tails, it seems," Marvin remarked.

His statement was followed shortly after by a jab from the stun batons of one of the gangsters; he convulsed, and immediately fell to the floor, cringing in pain and sending his Poké Ball rolling away. But it didn't stop there; the assailant went on to kick the trainer in the stomach, making him curl up and rolled to the side, suffering another kick in his hip and back. The kicks continued until he begged for mercy, and Marvin ordered the enforcer to stop.

"Make no mistake, any of you," Marvin called, his previously smug look now becoming a scowl. "We_are in full control here. You all can't risk a Pokémon battle without the attacks of your Pokémon endangering the other passengers in this room, but my men and I are not so concerned. Now you will all cooperate, or you will suffer dire consequences. Below this balcony are two containers," he pointed down, to a table where a pair of plastic bins sat empty and waiting. "Left ones are for Pokémon, right are for valuables; _do keep them separate as sorting through them can be such a bother.

"And one last thing," Marvin carried on as the two gangster below forced the defiant trainer to his feet. "Do not think for a moment that you can trick me by placing empty Poké Balls into that container; there is a sensor in it that will detect whether or not the ball is actively housing a Pokémon at all. If even one empty ball is put into that bin, that person will get the nastiest shock of their life."

At the cue, Marvin's Magnezone made another displaying, sending bolts of electricity towards the ceiling that shattered countless lights, raining shards of glass down on the passengers and making many of them duck in cover in fear of the sharp fragments, or perhaps in fear of the Magnezone with its recent display.

"Now if there will be no further interruptions," Marvin declared. "You may begin with your donations and you..." He pointed down at the defiant trainer, who had gone to retrieve his Poké Ball; hearing the words directed at him, he looked up at Marvin. "To make an example, you shall be the first to surrender your rarest Pokémon to the bin. And make sure it's a rare one, because if I find a commonly seen Pokémon in there, I promise you it'll meet a fate you will never forget when we take it back to our base, because with the IPCS, only the strong will survive."

The trainer looked at the Ball in his hand, feeling sick down to his bones that he was even considering doing what the gangsters were telling him to. A slap to his side with the baton urged him towards the box, and he stood, staring at it as if the box were hiding some horrible creature that would leap out and rip his Pokémon from his hand. He walked slowly up to it, looking at the ball in his hand just one more time before he peered over his shoulder at the two gangsters, who eyed him with greater hostility as he hesitated.

"Please, don't make me do this," he said. "My Pokémon mean a lot to me."

"Put it in, now," they warned, pointing their batons at him.

He stared at them for only another moment, before turning away; looking around for some alternative some means of escaping and stopping himself from doing what he was about to, but there was none... Marvin's Magnezone was right above him and watching him for any sort of resistance, the windows were at the wrong angle for him to throw the ball out in order to save his Pokémon from the cruelty of these thugs, and the two men were right behind him, ready to stop him if he tried to run away. Nobody else in the room looked ready to stand up to them now either; those who were had been knocked down.

The trainer looked at the ball in his hand, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes as he tried to quell his emotions. "I'm sorry, Magmortar," he said, before he held the ball over the empty box, hand shaking until he finally lost his grip, and the Poké Ball dropped in...

The captain sat in the corner quietly, watching as the four strange men on the bridge of his ship took the controls and led the ship off of its intended course; he didn't know where they intended to take it, but whatever their scheme he desperately wished he could do something to stop them. The glare on his face, however, was not for them; it was reserved for a fifth man, standing at the ship's wheel, steering it as directed by the hijackers, without a single sign of reluctance in his actions.

"You're in this willingly, aren't you?" The captain asked, a sense of betrayal evident in his voice. "You're working for them!"

"Yes, captain, I am," Albert returned. "It's nothing personal, sir."

"Nothing personal?" Captain Raven repeated in disbelief. "You and I have been sailing together for twenty years and you tell me this isn't personal?!"

"I wasn't making much progress towards my retirement, Raven," Albert returned. "At least not the way I would've liked; the amount these men are offering me, I can not only retire comfortably, but I'll never have to worry about my financial security 'till the day I die, just how I wanted it."

"So this was all just for money," said Raven. "You hijack a ship filled with four hundred people, for money?" He looked at the window. "Where are you even taking them; what are you plotting?!"

"Don't worry for the passengers, Captain; I have the promise of the leader of these men they'll come to no harm as long as they cooperate," Albert replied in assurance to his former captain. "We're just changing course to the Seaform islands near the Kanto mainland; when we arrive there we'll drop anchor and wait for transport... once we finish collecting everything we came for, of course."

"Hey, fatso," one of the hijackers snarled. "Keep your lips sealed if you want to get paid; don't go telling our hostage what all of our plans are."

"Relax," Albert returned, ignoring the 'fatso' comment. "He can do nothing to stop us at this point; communications are offline, and..."

A yelp of pain, followed by the sound of someone hitting a wall, was heard through the door. The four hijackers turned, brandishing their weapons and staring at the bridge exit. No movement was seen through the window; one of the men closest to the door walked over and peered through before looking back at the others.

The same one who had spoken to Albert before pointed at the door, "go see what that was!" He ordered, and at his word they slowly opened the door and stepped through, a second one following them out to get their back...

The rest on the bridge could see out into the hallway as the two walked down the corridor, turning a corner and vanishing from sight for a moment. All was quiet, until the sound of their voices echoed back.

"Geez, what happened to this guy?"

"Looks like he's out cold; we better tell..."

"GGRAAAAR!!"

_ _ "Whoa crap! It's a Scepti-IKES!!" One of the gangsters came flying into view, hitting the wall with concussive force before flopping to the floor, moaning as they held their throbbing head.

A big, green, bipedal reptilian creature with a long neck appeared around the corner, the other gangster nowhere to be seen as it appeared, craning its large neck to peer into the bridge with semi-circular, red-rimmed yellow eyes. The reptile's arms were long and skinny, with two sharp-looking, grass-like protrusions sticking out from each wrist, and a red belt-like pattern over its belly. Its body became thicker lower down, and its legs, already thick with muscle, were raptor-like in shape, angling back at the knee before coming to a curved foot.

It was a Sceptile -a BIG Sceptile, barely able to fit in the corridor with its bulky form, and equally bulky tail ending in the likeness of a pine tree as big around as a person.

"Shut the door, now!" Albert screamed in terror as the Grass-type Pokémon began to stalk down the corridor towards them.

One of the hijackers ran over to the door, pulling it shut and quickly bolting it, holding it closed. He was dripping beads of sweat, startled by the sudden appearance of the Sceptile, as he looked back at the leader. "Where the hell did that come from; I thought we got all the passengers?" He asked.

"Shut up! One of them must not have gone!" The boss replied.

A metal grate suddenly fell to the floor at his side, making him jump in fright as he looked at the grate in confusion, before hearing up to a guttural, croaking sound. "Ackackack."

_ _ "The hell?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling, seeing the vent where the grate had fallen free, to see a pair of blue, reptilian eyes looking back at him. He started to react, but the eyes suddenly rushed towards him; a figure spewed out of the vent and tackled the man from above, sending him dropping to a floor as the red-skinned creature attacked.

"Boss!" The other cried out, and moved to run and help, before his attacker sprang up and revealed itself. The assailing Pokémon was a Charmeleon, who growled ferally at the man, making him panic and run back over to the door, completely forgetting about the Sceptile beyond as he opened it and tried to run out only to run face-first into the Sceptile's chest.

He looked up at the Sceptile, which grinned diabolically at him. He screamed again and ran back into the bridge, to find the Charmeleon standing with its back against the console, arms crossed and examining its claws pompously before rolling one eye over to the hijacker, giving him a grin just as devilish as the one the Sceptile had given him.

The hijacker was scared out of his mind now, truly caught between a rock and a hard place with a Sceptile behind him and a Charmeleon in front of him. He put up his hands and dropped to his knees. "I give up, I give up!" He begged, crying like a baby as he pleaded for mercy. "Call them off, for crying out loud, call them off!"

"Coal, stay," a voice called from the corridor, followed by a second one.

"Cool it, Thorn."

Both Pokémon relaxed. The Sceptile stepped aside allowing two young individuals and a Zoroark to step in; Captain Raven recognized one of them instantly, rising to his feet as they made eye contact. "Mr. Taylor!" He exclaimed.

"Captain Raven," Mark returned as Coal stood watch over the hijacker that had surrendered. "Good to see you're alright."

"The same to you my boy; I'm glad you didn't get caught in their trap." He looked at Randy. "And who's this?"

"My friend, Randy," replied Mark. "Randy, meet Captain Raven."

"Ahoy," Randy returned, giving the Captain a sarcastic two-fingered salute.

"Hello, young man," returned Raven. "But... how did you boys not get lured into the trap?"

"Always listen to your partners," replied Mark, looking down at a Mightyena that appeared at his side. "Fang here sensed something was wrong when you made that announcement."

"I assure you lad, I'm not involved," Raven promised, before turning and glaring at his first mate. "Him, on the other hand."

"Captain, I can explain..." Albert pleaded as the angry old man stormed up to him.

"You already did," said Raven before drawing back his fist and delivering a painfully audible punch right across Albert's jaw; the man hit the floor like a beached Whailord, letting out a long groan before passing out. "Consider that your notice of termination, first mate." He shook his hand in the air, knuckles red and throbbing. "Ow."

"Oh, that's one mean right hook you got there, Captain," Randy remarked.

"Thank you, lad," returned Raven. "Now, let's see about getting this ship back on course and calling in some help. Mark, take the wheel."

Mark's eyes widened. "W-wait, me?! I don't know how to drive a ship!"

"It's easy, m'boy; just turn the wheel to the left, make sure it rotates three full spins before you stop; that'll get us back on course towards the mainland," Raven instructed. "Randy, you're on watch; keep an eye on the radar and let me know if you see anything that doesn't look like a Water-type Pokémon; we don't want to hit a reef."

"Aye aye, sir!" Randy returned, dashing over to the navigation console. "Thorn, if anymore of those thugs show up, shoot 'em up with Bullet Seed."

"G_rar!"_ Thorn complied, turning back towards the main door and keeping an eye out in the hallway.

"Coal, stay put," Mark instructed. "You're Thorn's backup."

"_Ack!"_The Charmeleon returned, standing at Thorn's side.

"You too, Shadow," added Randy, who went to join them as well.

Raven headed over to the radio at the other end of the room, seating himself and taking off his hat before placing the headset on his head over his ears, tuning the radio as he held the microphone up to his mouth. "Mayday, mayday, this is the S.S Julia calling the Kanto Coast Guard; we are under attack by an unknown group. They have taken hostages and seized control of the ship; we require assistance at once!"

Nothing. No sound, no static, no response or anything; the earphones were completely silent.

"Kanto Coast Guard, please respond; this is the S.S Julia calling, S.O.S!" He tried again, but still received only static. After a third failed attempt, he slammed down the microphone. "Damn!" He tore off the headset and threw it down to the table in frustration. "The radio's dead; they must've cut it to keep us from calling for help!"

"Can it be fixed?" Mark asked.

"Won't know unless I go down to the electrical room and see what they did," replied Raven. "But I can't leave the bridge; they might come back."

"One of us can go," offered Randy.

Raven shook his head though. "First thing's first; we must ensure the safety of the passengers," he stated. "I'm not much good in a scrap in my old age, but I can at least keep the ship going where it's supposed to be; both of you go, and I'll stay here."

"But you'll be unprotected," Mark said, concerned.

"No, I won't," corrected Raven, reaching into his shirt and producing a Poké Ball from an inside pocket, tapping the button and tossing it into the air; the ball popped open, and out of the white light that emerged formed a six-legged, insectoid Pokémon resembling that of an ant, with a body covered from head to thorax in metal, with two red eyes peering out from under a pair of metal antennae, and clicking its mandibles together, mandibles that looked like they could bite through the door of a car without any difficulty. Its six legs, all of them covered in black metal and each ending in a claw, twitched as it stepped about the room, getting a feel of its surroundings.

"Whoa, never seen that Pokémon before," said Randy.

Mark pulled out his Pokédex, angling the scanner towards the insect Pokémon and activating the device, seeing an image of the Pokémon appear on the screen. "Durant, the Iron Ant Pokémon. Durant lives in colonies within mountains, using powerful mandibles and thick armoured carapace to protect themselves from predators. They are notorious for swarming, and work well in groups."

_ _ "It's from the Unova Region," Mark commented. "Where'd you find that?"

"I've been all over the world, son," Raven replied, smiling. "And I always bring a friend as a memento. Now, you two have work to do; get moving. I'll keep the ship on course. Save our passengers from these thugs. Head to the engine room first -make sure they don't stop this ship; I'm going to get use close enough to land and set off a flare; hopefully someone will see it."

Mark and Randy both nodded to the Captain, and Mark let him take the wheel before gesturing to Fang and Coal to follow him as he charged out of the bridge, followed promptly by Randy, Thorn and Shadow. Raven looked at his Durant. "Unless it's them, don't let anyone in here unless I say so," he instructed. He glanced over at the still conscious hijacker and his downed friends. "And keep your eyes on them," he added as he grasped the ship's wheel. "Been a while since I've been at once of these... let's hope I'm not as rusty as my gears."