Rose Petals in the Wind

Chapter 2: Trouble on Deck

After boarding the S.S. Eliza, May immediately ran to the cafeteria to get lunch. The caterers were a little concerned, hearing her order enough food for a whole family, but nonetheless gave her one of the best meals she'd ever had.

A glance out the window gave her a magnificent view, the kind only an ocean liner could bring. Crystal-clear waters stretched to the horizon. A Mantyke leaped out of the waters, smiling. (Imagine a wild Mantyke in SwSh)

May gaped at its beauty. Inspired, she headed to the balcony to get the full picture. (Now imagine that scene on the S.S. Anne in Let's Go P/E)

The view up there was ten times as magnificent as what she saw in the cafeteria. Shades of blue and sparkling white filled her vision. The cloudless sky was overwhelmingly blue. The blue was all around her, it surrounded her, enveloped her. The spots where the sunlight hit the shimmering waters reminded her of soda bubbles, effervescent yet calming. Sea breezes took her breath away, drifting them away like a bottle on the waves. A trio of Wingull overhead vanished behind the bulky ship. She found herself lost in heaven, away from anything and everything.

As she stood there, an idea hit her. She made a camera gesture with her hands. The movement was like meeting an old friend. She hadn't done this in what seemed like forever.

"Welcome back to May's Expeditions! Today, we're aboard the S.S. Eliza, a luxurious cruise ship on a course to Johto." She mimicked taking a panorama shot of the deck. It wasn't very crowded, but there was a pair of seamen making out in a corner, so she didn't feel a need to dwell on that scene.

"Let's focus on Mother Nature." She laughed awkwardly and looked away. The moment her eyes hit the waters, its beauty washed over her again, almost freezing her in place.

'So refreshing. Just what I needed after that maddening encounter with Harley.'  She leaned over the edge to breathe in the ocean's salty air. Any breezes that came her way felt exemplified, more cool and comforting than ever. A sigh of pleasure came out of her.

'I sound like a stereotypical Hoenn native.'  Her mind teased, but she didn't mind at that moment.

'I wanna stay here forever...' 

"EVERYONE OFF!" A staff member yelled.

"What's going on?" May asked frantically, running to him.

"Miss, are you blind? Look at those clouds, you wanna get soaked? Get below deck NOW!"

"Ok! Ok!" May cried as she scurried back indoors.

'Now what? Maybe I could challenge someone to a battle? Who would I even use?'  She fumbled with her PokeBalls. Her mind was too engrossed in pondering strategies and recalling as much of her past experiences as she could. Foolishly trying to hold the Poke Balls of her entire Team in her arms, May was nearly knocked over by an enthusiastic child pulling her mother along.

"C'mon, let's go- Wow, that girl is juggling!" The child exclaimed.

Embarrassed and caught off guard, May dropped all her Poke Balls, sending them rolling down the stairs. She rushed to collect them, barely retaining enough balance to not tumble down with them.

There was so much noise downstairs. It turned out there was an ongoing battle between a Lady and a Youngster. 'Guess I wasn't the only one with that idea.'  May thought. There's a line of Trainers behind the Youngster, waiting to challenge that Lady.

With a powerful Psychic attack, the Lady's Duosion knocked out the opposing Raticate. Recalling his partner, the Youngster walked off sulkily, as the Lady switched out Duosion for an Espeon.