Orange Islands

Chapter Six

After the Orange League we head back to Pallet Town on Nessie. Along the way Nessie steered off course, "Nessie what's wrong?" Nessie cooed and I looked ahead and see a school of Lapras swimming ahead of us. Nessie rushed to greet them but they refused to get close to us. Nessie is saddened by this and I can tell that her mother would love to greet her baby, but the head Lapras will not allow it. They don't trust humans and me on Nessie's back is not helping. Even if I let Nessie go by herself they still will not take her in.

I guide Nessie to land on the closest island, so that she may rest. While in the Center I over hear Officer Jenny talking about a school of Lapras. "If you don't mind, that school of Lapras that are around this area will stay around for a while?"

"Why would you like to know? So, you can poach them."

"No Officer, I have a Lapras and she was apart of that school and when we found them earlier they had nothing to do with my Lapras. Most likely because I was riding on Lapras' back."

"Oh, well sorry, but recently there has been a band of pirate poachers and they have been after that school of Lapras. This is a no capture zone and the Pokémon around here feel safe, but now I don't know what to do."

"I know that Nessie would love to go back to her family, so I'm going out there and finding Nessie's family." Grabbing Nessie's Pokeball I make my way to the shore and release Nessie. "Let's go find your family Nessie. No matter what they are family. I might not know how we are going to convince them to take you back, but we have to try. I know your mother misses you and I can't separate you from your mother any longer." Hopping on, we ride to where we last seen the school and head from there. After a while I spot Nessie's school, but not to far behind them is a pirate ship and they're shooting Pokeballs with Tentacruel in them. So they really are using a pirate ship. I need to get Officer Jenny, so we can put a stop to this. Taking out some paper and pen I write a quick note and turn to Maren, "Maren I need you to head back to the island and give this to Officer Jenny and show her the way back. Will you please do this for me?" Maren took the note and leaped off Nessie, heading back for the island. "Alright Nessie head toward your family ."

Once close enough I called out Kaida. "Hyper beam at the Tentacruel Kaida." Kaida blasted the Tentacruel with a hyper beam and got their undivided attention on us now. "How dare you attack my Tentacruel."

"You decided to poach a school of Lapras especially in a no capture area. You have no right."

"You pipsqueak ain't going to ruin my poaching. Light the cannons and fire when ready." Real cannon balls were shot out this time, "Dodge them Nessie." Dodging the cannon balls I release Cove and have Cove and Kaida attack the ship. While they are distracting and destroying their ship, I get Nessie to fire a water gun at the leader and lead them away from the Lapras, "Swim away now Lapras and find some place safe to go." I hope they understood me. Even with Nessie's speed they catch up and surround us, the owner then orders them to us supersonic, the sound they produce makes my eardrums ring and start to give me a headache from the consistent ringing. Out of the corner of my eye I spot the leader of the Tentacruel charging forward about to attack.

Then a beam of blue shot toward the Tentacruel and froze it. The ringing stopped and the rest of the Tentacruel were frozen. Looking off to the side I spot the Lapras, seems they saved us. The Lapras gathered around and Nessie's mother nuzzled Nessie. "You have a wonderful mother Nessie." Hopping onto the ship where the poacher are I find Kaida glaring down at them, making them stay put. "Good job Kaida." After a while Officer Jenny shows up and the poachers were tied up and the Tentacruel released from the hold. The Tentacruel left and I had to say goodbye to Nessie.

"Just think you won't have me on your back any more." Before I could get another word in Nessie threw me off her back. "Love you too Nessie." Bending down Nessie licked my cheek and lifted me on Officer Jenny's ship. "I'm going to miss you. Take care and don't forget about me." Cooing one last time Nessie swims off towards her mother and rejoins her family. I am going to miss her.

Turning toward Officer Jenny, I give her everything she needs to know and head off on Kaida's back for Pallet Town.

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Touching down in Pallet Town, I head for Professor Oak's lab. Once inside I head for the lab portion and find Professor Oak talking with Lance, "Xavier, welcome back. How was the Orange Islands?"

"Great, also here is the GS ball."

"GS ball?"

"That is what Professor Ivy decided to call the Pokeball." Handing over the GS ball, Lance and I say goodbye and we head for my house. Once there I head out back to the dome and release my Pokémon, but as soon as I do Helia ran straight for me, and once Luna seen me she latched onto me as well. "Seems that they don't like to leave your side."

"You can say that again, but I understand why they do this," I lead Lance to the large tree in the middle of the dome and sit under it, "Their trainers abandoned them, and they think that I might too. So they latch onto me and show me how strong they are in hopes of not getting abandoned. But I will never do that, so I'm patient with them when they are like this."

"You know most trainers would not take the time and get their Pokémon to understand they're not going to abandon them on a whim. But more often than not they do. Cause they can't handle them."

"You're right, but I don't mind putting a little more work in. Back when I was going around and doing recitals, I had to have patients with my music teacher and when the recital was delayed and I had another not to long after that one."

"That is one of the things that I love about you." I know I'm a blushing mess right now.

"Oh, and before I forget, thank you for the hat I love it."

"I am glad. I had no idea what to get you, so I got a little help."

"Lorelei told me. I meet up with her on an Island in the Orange Archipelago and she told me there."

"Let me guess she was trying to get details about everything."

"Hit the nail on the head with that guess."

"She loves to pry in my love life, for some reason." I can only laugh at Lance's misfortune, but now that I think about it she will be hounding me now. Seems it's Lance's turn to laugh now. We spend the rest of the day in the dome and let our Pokémon mingle about. By nightfall the Pokémon was asleep and we just finished having dinner. We settled in the hammock among the branches in the large tree. I have to say I quite like this, and it's nice to have someone to call yours. Now I'm not going to say that stereotypical line 'I never thought I would find love.' I knew one day I might find someone to call mine, I just thought that work came first. The recitals were for me was work, so I put all my energy into that and thought of nothing else.

The only reason I started my journey was to get away from the stress of having a schedule and no change. This journey was my change and I'm glad Maren was the one to change that. The only thing that could make this better was if Mom was here.

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