Shipping Problems

At the Olivine Port, a young girl among many sat in one of the wooden chairs. She had chestnut brown hair that hung far past her back. She was short enough that her legs swung under the chair as she sat. Her skin was slightly tanned from the sun. She wore a yellow-orange short-sleeve shirt and a skirt that reached just past her knees as she sat. Through the hole in the back of the chair, the girl was hiding a tail. It was a similar colour to her top.

On the lap of the girl, named Sora Hann, sat a Vulpix. Sora held the Vulpix close to her. She looked around at the people around her, clearly feeling out of place here. She was afraid people would ask her about her tail, of course, but was sure it could pass as a simple fur. In general, she was simply quite timid, though, so this was normal. Despite this, she was able to keep her composure and continue to smile. She seemed to hug the Vulpix a little closer for comfort.

The Vulpix with Sora seemed to be slightly larger than most Vulpix. In fact, the Vulpix even seems to dwarf Sora quite a bit. What was more unique, however, is that this Vulpix had but a single tail. The Vulpix looked up quizzically toward Sora, seeming to not understand her discomfort, then snuggled her head into Sora's neck.

From a hidden speaker, came a magnified voice.
"THE FERRY TO HOENN WILL BE LEAVING IN TEN MINUTES. ANYONE WHO IS BOARDING THE SHIP, PLEASE HAVE YOUR TICKETS READY."

Sora stood up, Vulpix leaping to the ground beside her, and they walked into the line to get on the ship. "Finally.. we'll be able to see Hoenn for the first time," she said. She took the S.S. ticket from her pocket, and followed the continually forming line. Her grey sneakers tapped on the wooden walkway, and she lifted her orange backpack to a more comfortable position on her shoulders. The worker took her ticket and let her pass to check in to a room. There, she got a card key specifically for her room. She paid a little extra for her room to be private.

Suite 38. Suite 38. She made an effort to memorise her suite number. She didn't want to go back and ask for the number to be repeated. It was harder that it was only told verbally. Finally, she found her room and set her stuff down. She didn't unpack anything, for she didn't expect her stay to be too long.

Afterwards, Sora, Vulpix following eagerly, made her way to the café. She cared little for mass produced food, but wouldn't mind letting her own food supply last a little longer. She took very little from the buffet counter, enough to make herself a sub sandwich. She took one of the tins of Pokémon food as well for Vulpix.

She sat at a low square table where her feet actually touched the ground, Vulpix sitting in the chair opposite her. Though Pokémon typically ate out of bowls, Sora took an extra plate for Vulpix at put some of the Pokémon food on it. As the two ate, Sora toyed with thoughts of seeing Hoenn. She was born in Lilycove, she knew, but she wasn't old enough to remember. At the same time, this was her first time on a boat. What should she expect while being at sea, miles from any trace of land?

Sora wasn't alone in the cafe. In fact, it seemed like many others had the same idea as she, and after dropping off their belongings decided to grab a bite to eat. Many idle conversations passed by, but nothing of noteworthy attention. It seemed like Sora and her Vulpix companion were the only ones without company. That is, until another person entered. He had no company nor a Pokemon like the girl, but his expression didn't seem too sad of the fact. Quite the opposite, for that matter.

He didn't seem too out of the ordinary, though his striking blue suit was uncommon among the other patrons. His black hair was as unkempt as the loosened tie around his neck. Though he entered the cafe, food didn't seem to be on his mind. Instead, he looked back and forth, sizing up the busy room before focusing on one of the only empty seats... Coincidentally at the table next to Sora and her Vulpix. He made his way over to it, and gratefully threw himself into the chair that had been tucked neatly against the tabletop. His elbows pressed against the hard surface, and his untucked dress shirt bunched up at one corner, riding up enough to barely reveal the boy's pale side.

After making himself comfortable, his wry gaze seemed to find Sora, despite any attempts she might make to escape his notice. That's when his most noticeable feature revealed itself. His eyes were a striking scarlet red, and even his over-grown bangs couldn't hide them. "Hello," he said casually, as if regarding someone he's met before, but who was on unfamiliar terms, "that's an interesting Pokemon you have with you." He seemed to be attempting small talk, though every few seconds, his odd eyes would shift, taking in everything around him. As he was glancing the other way, his elbow shifted, accidentally nudging the salt shaker atop his table enough to fall onto its side and off of the table. "Crap," he muttered, bending down to grab it.

With this one action, something became visible. If Sora was paying him enough mind, she'd notice the handle of something poking out from where it was tucked neatly into his belt. If she had an even greater eye, it could be shown that the handle was in the familiar shape of a gun, with the blunt of the object tucked neatly out of sight. If it weren't for the boy's loose shirt and his current position, it would have been virtually undetectable...

Character Reference!:

When the boy sat down at the table, Sora couldn't stop her curious eyes from looking in his direction. She was staring for a few seconds, and then looked away quickly once she realised it. She looked to her plate as if there were suddenly something very peculiar about it, clearly trying to remain unnoticed. When the boy greeted him, she felt her heart skip. She made an effort to appear as polite as possible. "Um.. hello," she said back, barely making eye contact. She could feel her cheeks redden. "Thanks, I guess.." she said, responding to his compliment. Those red eyes, she thought. Indeed, Sora was a little unsettled at the sight.

When the salt shaker thudded on the floor, Sora nearly jumped from her seat in fear. The Vulpix across the table looked at Sora with her head tilted quizzically. Vulpix's partner sure seemed to be acting off today, she seemed to think.

Just barely, Sora caught a dull glint of metal from the boy's side. Naturally, she looked toward it, and saw what looked like some sort of iron handle. Uneasy, Sora began cleaning up. "Er.. I should go," she said, suddenly enough to arouse suspicion. She began cleaning up her mess, though her sandwich was barely half eaten.

As the boy set the salt shaker back onto his table with a dull thud, he leaned back down and grabbed a pinch of the white grains from the floor, sitting back up and staring at it absentmindedly. "Now, was it the right or the left shoulder?" he murmured,  just then hearing Sora's departing remark. He didn't seem too keen into their conversation to begin with, but her sudden change of pace brought more attention to herself, despite her best attempts to beat a hasty retreat.

"Am I that unlucky with women? Running away at the first conversation, am I destined to be single forever?" he sighed to himself, a rhetorical question. His crimson gaze swept toward the hurried movements of the girl's hands, cleaning up what little mess she had created. "You've barely touched that sandwich," he stood, closing the gap between them, his face for a moment showing no expression. Then, a soft smile lit it as he rested one hand lightly against her own table. "If you're not going to eat that, I will. Oh, but where are my manners?" he broke into a nervous chuckle, apparently unaware of Sora's discovery, "I'll help you clean up."

He still carried a small amount of salt between two fingers in his other hand, and with a shrug, tossed it over his right shoulder. He was genuine in his offer to help, but by the time he made it, it seemed not much of a mess to get in the way. Instead, he fiddled with the loose tie around his neck, as if trying to muster something else to say. "Before you go..." he trailed off, "be careful. If a stranger approaches you, asking for help of some sort. Don't go with them, no matter what story they spin. The trusting are the gullible, after all." There was still a small smile on his face, but there wasn't any joking tone. They were strange words, from the one thing he was warning against. Sora could take them with a grain of salt, so to speak.

When the boy warned her, Sora wasn't sure what to think. Sure, she was a bit nervous. She couldn't tell, however, if it were just her normal timid self, or if there were something she really should be afraid of. The fact that she was at sea for the first time for the first time did not help, either. "Um.. thanks.. I think I've got it." She wasn't sure if he would really eat her sandwich, but wouldn't make a move to stop him from doing so.

 She could feel the long dip into the waves, and its heavy rise back above the surface. Of course, this was in her head. The mind was strong, however, and Sora caught herself off balance. If the boy didn't take the sandwich then, he would have lost his chance. Sora fell, catching herself with her hands, and thus chucking the porcelain plate to shatter noisily against the wooden floor.

Vulpix, startled, rushed over to her side, trying to help her stand. Of course she couldn't. Sora couldn't help the smile. Vulpix simply loved trying to be the big sister. On her knees, Sora wasn't really sure if she would be able to remain standing anyway. She felt as if her body were suddenly made of led. Am I really.. sea sick? Her face reddened at the thought.

Unfortunately for the boy, he hadn't yet grabbed the precious slab of meat between two breads. And he watched it fall with the plate, falling apart just as the fine dinnerware did. "Well," he mused, trying to lighten Sora's mood, "at least it wasn't a mirror, then you'd be as unlucky as me." He would have made a move to offer help back up, but he noticed the slight paling of Sora's face and the cringe of nausea. Smiling toward Vulpix, he knelt down and gave the fox one pat on the back before standing again and walking off to retrieve a small wastebasket. Returning after only a few seconds, he set the trash bin next to Sora.

"Just in case," he winked, "and I'll flag down a waiter to clean up your poor sandwich. Ah, it was too young to not get eaten." He glanced down toward its contents, "and ham, too. What a tragedy." This seemed to be his parting goodbye, as he turned with no intention of returning, at least for the time being. As he promised, on his way out of the cafe, he flagged down one of the kitchen staff, and they hastily made their way toward Sora.

"Er, miss..." a waitress said once she got to her. "I don't mean to be rude, but could you take..." she trailed off, gesturing toward Sora and the wastebasket, "elsewhere? This is a dining place, and customers may... lose their appetites if you do." She chuckled nervously, hoping she didn't sound rude. She did sympathize with the girl, but she also had a job to do.

“Er, thanks,” Sora said, though it seemed the boy had gone before she could say more. Her eyes fell on the sandwich, and she reflected on the conversation. What caused her to get nervous again? She remembered his expressed grief of staying single forever. She gasped, and her face reddened. “Was he… flirting with me?” She asked quite loudly to no particular person. Her thoughts were interrupted when the promised waitress came. “Oh.. er, right.” She was sure she looked strange sitting in the middle of the floor of a café. Quickly, she stood, brushing any dirt from her garments. “Please excuse me.” She grabbed Vulpix’s food container. Her sea sickness had faded as fast as it came, and she’d forgotten about it. The dropped sandwich, too, had apparently been forgotten, as she simply left.

She returned to her suite with Vulpix in tow. She slipped the card key along the slot, and a light above the door turned from red to green, and she herd the lock click. She was relieved to see her items were just as she left it. She set the tin can on the bed, which Vulpix jumped up to paw at, looking to Sora. “Oh.. you’re still hungry?” Sora felt bad for the fox Pokémon, and twisted open the food container to set it on the floor. Vulpix called out its own name cheerfully and jumped to the floor to her food.

Sora, though not tired, sat on the bed. The firm cotton bed was surprisingly comfortable, and she lay back. And then she heard something stirring underneath her. Startled, Sora jumped from the bed. She could hear something moving underneath. It seemed they weren’t alone. Rather nervous, Sora went on her hands and knees to look underneath the mattress. Vulpix, noticing a change in her partner, was attentive as well. Who – or what – was underneath her bed?

As Sora looked on with with concern, and perhaps fear, the rustling from under the bed continued, and eventually turned into thumping. There was a sudden loud 'thud' against the wall that the bed was beside, and a slight cry from whatever had caused the disturbance. Soon, the figure made itself known by rolling out from under the bed, entangled in one of the spare sheets that had been folded neatly underneath. The figure seemed to be struggling to escape the grip of the sheet, but every time it thrashed around, it only became worse. Its shape was small, no doubt-ably a Pokemon. It was more common than one would think, Wild stowaways who board ships to get free food and attention from humans who believe them to be the Pokemon of another Trainer. This one was easily judged to be wild, a human owned Pokemon would never be hiding under someone else's bed, nor would they have managed to get themself ensnared in a spare sheet.

"Dile!" it finally cried out in frustration, and something shined from within the thin blanket before a pair of metal-covered claws sliced the fabric into smaller pieces and half-freed the Pokemon. It revealed itself as a Totodile, who had used Metal Claw to try and free himself. His legs were still entangled, and he glanced toward Sora with surprise, not expecting a human in the room already. "Toto," he growled toward her and her Pokemon, a warning to not do anything they'd regret as he tried to get himself out of the rest of the blanket.


Pokemon: Totodile
Gender: Male
Level: 7
Moves: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Metal Claw [EM]
Ability: Torrent

She felt a bit bad for the Pokémon and cringed when she heard it hit the wall. The bed was dark underneath, and she didn’t see the figure until it came out from under the bed. She backed away from the creature swaddled in the sheet, not sure what to do. Sora was a bit surprised when the creature shouted. She got a bit closer to inspect the creature. A light then emitted from the sheet. Reflex alone allowed her to jump away from her knees to her feet away from the creature as it slashed its way from within the sheets, revealing a Totodile. Had it not almost left some pretty bad scratches, she would likely not have taken the small Pokémon very seriously.

It made eye contact with Sora at last, and growled at her. Not sure what to do, Sora stepped back. Vulpix, however, was already prepared to protect her partner. She stood in between her and Totodile, returning the growl. She looked back to her partner for instruction. Sora took a moment to remember what she was supposed to do.

“Oh.. right,” Sora said, just remembering what to do. She looked to the Totodile, and prepared her mind for the battle. The Metal Claw did look strong, after all. “Vulpix, use your quick attack,” she said, trying to stay calm. A light formed around the Vulpix as it prepared for its attack, and then moved swiftly to tackle the Totodile with its Quick Attack.

Totodile was still partially ensnared in the sheets, causing him to fall easy prey to the speedy Quick Attack. He held his small arms up in order to try and lessen the blow, but it had minimal effect, and he was knocked backwards, falling in a heap onto his back. Lucky for him, the force of the impact finally got the rest of the blanket out from around his legs, and he was finally free. Looking toward the door, he seemed to consider running away, but there was already a fight and he was no coward. Taking in a big gulp of air, he instead turned toward Vulpix and shot out a torrent of water toward her, a Water Gun at a distance.

Vulpix had expected a comeback and braced herself for the attack. The water made a clean hit. Her retractable claws found no grip on the wood floors, and she found herself sliding backward, and eventually slipping, landing on her side. It was a super effective attack. She stood once more, shaking a little, already feeling the effects.

“Vulpix, are you alright?” Sora asked, quite worried. She was quite a novice at Pokémon battles, and seeing Vulpix injured was still quite scary. She was relieved when Vulpix gave a nod and yipped in confirmation, regaining its composure. “Okay, then use Quick Attack once more!” She said. She wanted to avoid setting the ship on fire, but that only left them with one offensive move.

Once again, Vulpix glowed with a white outline, and it dashed off toward the Totodile to tackle it with its Quick Attack.