Pokemon: Resurgence Chapter 24

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. Lucas meets another familiar character when he boards the cruise ship.

Chapter 24

A few days had passed since Lucas had said his farewells to the Ketchums and moved out of their house. He was standing on the dock with Meowth perched on his shoulder alongside the other passengers. They were waiting their turn to board the S.S. Anne cruise ship, scheduled for departure from Viridian City in just a short while. It was midday, and the temperature was unusually warm for this time of year, and clear skies promised a beautiful day on the open sea ahead.

Lucas looked up at the ship, his hands shielding his eyes. Despite being smaller in comparison to his old world's modern standards, it still had a commanding presence. He estimated that it could hold a few hundred people. The ship had several levels beneath the main deck and three levels above it, including the bridge. The levels above the main deck contained all the necessary amenities, including bars, restaurants, and shops. It is also where, as the cruise promoted, all of the activities would take place.

He was lucky to get a free ticket because cruise ship fares weren’t cheap. The most expensive accommodations, suites, could cost tens of thousands of pokedollars, depending on the length of the voyage. Aside from luxury, the primary reason for these exorbitant prices was security. To ensure the safety of its passengers, the cruise line hired individuals with powerful Pokemon teams capable of handling any potentially hazardous situations that may arise at sea.

In contrast to the land, the sea was a vast and uncharted realm teeming with Pokémon of all levels. There were Pokemon that could easily sink a cruise ship, such as the Wailord, the world's largest Pokémon. The giant variants have the potential to grow to the size of a cruise ship, making it all too easy to imagine the terror one would experience if they came into contact with one.

Lucas handed his ticket to the crew member before ascending the ramp to the ship. He made his way through the crowd and up the stairs to the main deck. He positioned himself by the railing, eager to see the ship leave the harbour.

"I'm going to take a look around, Meowth.”

Lucas grabbed Meowth before he could jump off his shoulder. "If you go running around now, you will be apprehended by security. Wait until the ship leaves the harbour.”

Meowth hopped up on the railing and started licking his paw. "I am going to have to do a lot of maintenance to keep my fur in good shape."

As he waited for the ship to depart, he perused his menu. He had been debating whether he should improve his ItemFinder function further. Despite its hefty price tag of fifty thousand pokedollars, he believed it would pay off in the long run. The upgrade would increase the variety and value of the items he could find, so the sooner he got it, the better. Although it would deplete the majority of his funds, he would earn some of it back during the cruise.

After making his decision, he spent the Pokedollars to improve the Itemfinder functionality. Lucas checked to make sure no one was looking before pulling his guidebook from his inventory. He flipped through the pages until he came across the new entry. As expected, the itemfinder's range had increased to ten metres, as had the variety of items. But there was another surprise in store for him.

He was now able to find hidden items in urban areas. The upgrade was more important than he first imagined.

Lucas hadn’t found a single hidden item in either Pallet Town or Viridian City, and he assumed that would always be the case. He continued reading through the entry and learned the items would manifest differently than in the wilderness, where they were buried underground. The hidden items would take on the appearance of a small shadow in the shape of a pokeball, and he was the only one who could see them. He only needed to touch the shadow with any part of his body for it to be automatically deposited into his inventory.

"Does the ship also qualify as a location with hidden items?" Lucas mused.

"Why don't you try it out?" Meowth rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Later," Lucas replied. "I want to take in the scenery first."

The ship's horns blew ten minutes later, signalling that it was leaving the harbour. Lucas stood there, watching as the ship slowly sailed out into the open sea. A cool breeze brushed against him, sending shivers down his spine. He had a sense of foreboding as if he were approaching an unknown danger.

Lucas frowned as he tightened his jacket around him. Why did he feel like he was forgetting something?

"Come to think of it, why would they give away free tickets so easily? Even if they are only for the cheapest cabins on the bottom deck, it must cost several thousand pokedollars at least."

“Six thousand pokedollars, to be exact,” a male voice informed him.

Lucas's eyes widened as he saw a young man standing beside him, one he recognised almost immediately. He was dressed in brown pants, an orange shirt, and a green vest. However, what truly made him recognisable were his spiky brown hair and narrow eyes.

It was Brock Harrison, one of Ash Ketchum's companions, who appeared in the anime's first season.

"Did you also get a free ticket?" Lucas asked.

“That’s right. I’m not going to pass up such an opportunity for a free cruise.” Brock took a step closer to Lucas and whispered. "Especially with all the lovely ladies on board. This is my chance for some romance.”

"How old are you? Fourteen? Fifteen? I have a feeling they won't be interested in you."

Brock spread his arms out wide. "The ladies don’t care about such things. Why are they on cruise ships in the first place? Most of them are looking for romance."

"Uh, huh," Lucas deadpanned. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Lucas.”

Brock shook his hand. "My name is Brock. An aspiring Pokemon doctor and ladies' man.”

"What exactly is a Pokemon doctor? There are plenty of methods for healing Pokemon, so I wouldn’t think such a profession was even necessary."

"No, that isn’t the case. Even with the most advanced technology and Pokemon capable of healing, new medical conditions emerge that cannot be treated conventionally. They are mostly inherent to certain evolutionary lines, but some conditions are caused by environmental factors as well."

“Interesting.”

Brock leaned against the railing. "Of course, treatments are secondary to the primary goal of a Pokemon doctor, which is nutrition. In reality, they are a subset of Pokemon Breeders who specialise in finding the best nutritional meals for Pokemon. Some trainers will hire them to research and prepare a meal plan for their team."

“That sounds lucrative,” Lucas said.

It was something he could look into doing for extra income, though he didn’t have any advantages over others in this regard. His insight skill revealed only a Pokemon's favourite food, not their optimal nutritional food.

"It certainly is, especially once you attract the attention of the powerful trainers competing for the championship. By the way, do you need a meal plan for your Pokemon?”

Lucas drew his jacket back to reveal his breeder's licence badge, which was pinned to his shirt. He got it in the mail yesterday and hasn’t taken it off since.

"I have got my Pokemon's nutrition under control, thanks."

"That’s unfortunate," Brock said. He turned around to see a beautiful woman standing alone a little further down the deck. "Please excuse me; I need to meet someone."

Lucas observed Brock as he spoke to the woman. It didn’t take long for the woman to reject him and walk away. He smiled and shook his head. Brock was a hopeless case.

“That guy is a loser,” Meowth snorted.

“More like a hopeless romantic. Seriously, the woman appeared to be twice his age. What did he think would happen?"

Lucas wondered what Brock was doing here on the ship instead of in Pewter City. He was aware that some things would differ from the anime. Brock couldn’t hold the position of gym leader at fifteen because it had important responsibilities outside of battling trainers. But he still had to look after his younger siblings. Perhaps his father was in the picture, contrary to how the anime began with him not being present in Brock's life. In any case, it was none of his business.

“I’m going to dump my stuff off in my room,” Lucas said.

“And I’m going to explore.“ Meowth jumped off the railing and ran away.

Lucas descended to the lower deck, where the single cabins were located. His room was quite small, with only a small bed and some shelving for storing his belongings and hanging his clothes. At the very least, he had a window that was almost eye-level with the turbulent waves. But staring at it for too long made him queasy.

His belongings were unpacked and placed on the shelves. He didn't have to worry about being robbed because all of his valuable items were kept in his inventory. He changed into a pair of board shorts but left his shirt off. In addition, he outfitted his harness and placed the Vulpix egg inside its pouch. He never passed up the opportunity to gain favour with his Pokemon in waiting.

Lucas left his room to begin exploring the ship. He activated Itemfinder so he could search for hidden items at the same time. The only issue he saw with having hidden items on a ship was that they could be locked in other people's cabins. Unless he wanted to break into them, he wouldn’t have a way to access them.

Lucas returned to the middle of the ship, where the staircase led to the other decks. A flight of stairs led to the lowest deck, which housed the engine room. A security guard stood nearby, barring any passengers from entering.

He approached the woman. "Is it possible for me to see the engine room? I’m interested in seeing how it works.”

The woman raised an eyebrow. "What is there to see? The engines are powered by electricity, and the cruise ship uses dozens of electric Pokemon to charge them. They work in shifts to make sure they get enough rest in between."

“So there’s no way to see the engine room?”

"There is a guided tour starting at three o'clock," the woman explained. "Because there aren’t many people who are interested, there are always enough spots available."

“Alright. I will come back later.”

Lucas continued his exploration of the first deck, but there was little to see. His ItemFinder went off several times, but he could not get to them because they were hidden behind the locked cabins. There were bathrooms on either end of the ship, and he got his first item from one of the men's bathrooms. It was a strange location for a hidden item, but he wasn’t complaining.

The first item was zinc, which increased the special defence of a Pokemon by one. It was a pill created by alchemists, but they were extremely rare due to the rare ingredients needed and the difficulty in producing them. He could use these items to strengthen his Pokemon's weaknesses while also enhancing their strong points. Upgrading ItemFinder was already paying dividends.

Lucas searched decks two and three and found a protein, two full heals, a super potion, and a great ball. The latter increased his chances of capturing a Pokemon but was significantly more expensive than the standard pokeball. Even though he was leaving items behind, he was still getting lucky with the items he was finding. Was it because of the location or just the upgrade?

He chose not to explore the fourth deck, where the suites were located. It had several security personnel on patrol, so he wanted to avoid drawing attention to himself. Based on his appearance, it appeared unlikely that he was a guest staying in one of the suites, and they might become suspicious of him.

He returned to the main deck. Seeing that others were releasing their Pokemon, he did the same. As long as they were below a certain size, they were allowed to hang out on the main deck.

Icarus and Icari immediately took flight and joined the other flying Pokemon in the air. They body-checked each other but it didn’t erupt into a fight. Their relationship was slowly improving, but it would take a lot of work.

Max and Saphira looked around in interest. As soon as she saw the pool, Saphira headed straight for it, and Lucas and Max had to hurry after her. He wasn’t going to leave her alone, as he could see she was gathering a lot of interest from the people on the deck. Lucas sat on the side of the pool and placed his legs in the water.

There was an older gentleman who eyed Saphira in the water. He even began slowly wading over in her direction, only to receive a warning from Max.

“Kid!” Electricity sparked on Max’s horns, causing the man to retreat hastily.

“Good work!” Lucas patted Max’s head. “Saphira can look after herself, but I appreciate the gesture.”

“KId!” Max nodded. He began marching down the side of the pool, looking at every person suspiciously.

The sight made Lucas smile. Saphira already had Max under her spell and was constantly bossing him around. Max was so laid-back; he didn’t seem to mind as long as she didn’t overdo it. Icarus was stubborn and refused to be pushed around. Meowth marched to the beat of his own drum and refused to obey anyone's orders, including his own.

A shadow fell over Lucas, and he looked up to see a green-haired woman in a bikini standing beside him.

“Hello, handsome!” The woman sat next to him uninvited. “My name is Miranda. Does the Dratini belong to you?”

“Yes.” Lucas cast a glance at the woman. He had a feeling the woman was going to irritate him.

"There aren’t many of them around anymore," Miranda observed. “Where did you find it?”

"On the beach near Viridian City. I was lucky to find her.”

Miranda laughed. “You don’t have to make up stories just because you don’t want to tell me the truth.”

"Why should I care what you think of me when you are a stranger? If I didn’t want to tell you, I would just say so."

Miranda leaned in closer, pressing against him. "We could easily get to know each other better. How about I take you to my suite and we...talk?"

Lucas was about to say something when Brock rushed over. "Miranda, there you are, my lovely princess. How about I take you to get a meal?”

Miranda scowled. “I thought I told you to leave me alone, brat.”

"Don’t be like that," Brock said, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. “I even wrote a poem specifically for you.”

Miranda quickly got to her feet and walked away, waving to Lucas. “I will find you later, handsome.”

“Thanks for the assist,” Lucas said as Brock sat down. "I have a feeling she would have been difficult to get rid of."

“If only I had your problem,” Brock grumbled. “I would love it if she showed a lick of interest in me.”

“I think she had more interest in Saphira than me. She didn’t even ask for my name.”

Saphira swam over and slapped her tail on the water, splashing water all over them. She trilled with delight and swam away.

“You’re lucky to own a Dratini,” Brock said, wiping his face. "But I don’t envy the attention you are getting from some people around here. There are some shady people on this boat. I encountered a guy trying to sell me Magikarp for ten thousand Pokedollars.”

“That is shady,” Lucas agreed. "Although there may be some rich individuals on board who are stupid enough to buy them."

Brock looked up as Icarus flew overhead, the powerful beat of his wings creating large ripples in the water. A chair fell into the water, and some people shouted out in displeasure.

“Don’t fly so low, Icarus!” Lucas yelled, sending everyone an apologetic look.

“Does he belong to you as well?." Brock asked. "You must be a fantastic Pokemon breeder. I haven’t seen a Pidegeotto this big in a long time."

"I only finished my exams a few days ago," Lucas admitted. “I haven’t produced an egg yet. I am aiming to do so with my two Pidgeottos.”

"So you paid for that egg in your harness?"

"That is correct," Lucas said, smiling as he touched the egg. “It’s a Vulpix. I couldn’t resist the temptation because Ninetales is one of my favourite Pokemon. So, how about you? What Pokemon do you have?”

Brock took a pokeball from his belt. "Well, primarily rock-type. I can’t release my Onix here, but I can show you Geodude.”

Brock released the Pokemon onto the deck.

“Geodude!”

>Species: Geodude

Level: 23

Condition: Perfect

Threat Level: Zero<

“He looks close to evolving,” Lucas observed.

“Good eye. Only a bit more and he will evolve into Graveler.”

They spent the next half hour in companionable silence. Lucas decided to spend the first day relaxing, as he had been working so hard for the past few months that he had little time to take a breath. The battle event wouldn’t start till tomorrow, so there wasn’t much else to do but explore and browse the merchandise.

The battle event was more like a battle arena than a traditional competition, except you could choose your opponent. There was also no limit to how much you could wager because it was not restricted by laws like it was on land. However, there was security present to ensure that no one was bullied by stronger trainers.

After sunning in the sun for a few hours, Lucas and Brock headed to a restaurant to get some lunch. They had struck up an unlikely friendship in a short amount of time. Although he suspected Brock had some hidden motives for hanging around him. Since Lucas attracted so much attention, the teenager wanted to use that to increase his chances with the ladies. Brock was so transparent, it wasn’t even funny.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Lucas followed the chief engineer down into the engine room. Only four other people bothered to come along with him, and three of them already appeared to be regretting their decision. His ItemFinder pinged as soon as his feet stepped off the stairs, and he went out of his way to discreetly collect the item while listening to the chief engineer speak.

The engine room was split into two sections. There was the propulsion engine, a cylindrical behemoth that took up a lot of space. The battery was attached to the back of it, and the most noticeable feature was a large metal plate. It didn’t look like a typical electric battery from his previous world. The other section was an insulated room in which all of the electric Pokemon were striking the plate with electricity.

The old man was a cheerful fellow named Samson who spoke at breakneck speed. He was passionate about his job and liked to share that passion with others.

"The S.S. Anne was one of the first ships to have an entirely electrically powered marine engine. Previously, all ships had to rely on the antiquated wind and sail method of propulsion. This engine fully complies with Arceus' clean energy decree, and engineers have been working to improve the engines' design ever since."

"Why is the battery designed in this manner?" Lucas asked. “Why isn't it designed to store energy rather than merely functioning as a device to transfer electricity?”

"Good question," Samson said, beaming. "The simple answer is that before the war, storage batteries were made with lithium. Because the mining of this metal has a significant environmental impact, we were unable to use it to continue manufacturing batteries with it. This is the next best thing. We use the battery to transfer energy, which means we need a lot of electric-type Pokemon on board to keep the engine running."

“Don’t we rely on electric-type Pokemon for most of our energy needs?” A woman asked.

“That’s correct,” Samson replied. "Using Pokemon remains the best source of clean energy. Did you know that after normal and water-type Pokemon, electric-type Pokemon are the most common type in the world? They are in high demand. Other technologies, however, are emerging to reduce our reliance on Pokemon, as they are too expensive to maintain."

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked.

“By using solar energy,” Samson explained. “We can meet twenty percent of our energy needs for this ship alone by harnessing it. The ship's entire roof is outfitted with solar panels that absorb energy from the sun.”

Another engineer approached Samson and whispered something into his ear. Lucas, who was the closest, could make out what the man was saying.

"Sir, there appear to be some anomalies with the engine readings. We are experiencing power fluctuations, which are affecting the ship's speed."

“Is the Pokemon producing enough electricity?” Samson asked quietly.

“Their output is normal. It’s something else we can’t determine.”

Samson nodded and then spoke up. "Alright, I am afraid we will have to cut this tour short because I have some business to attend to."

Lucas made his way back up the stairs, wondering what was wrong with the engine. There was nothing to worry about in the brief exchange, so why was he experiencing the same sense of impending doom as before?

He stopped to open his inventory to see what item he had obtained, and it turned out to be a rare candy. It had been a good idea for him to venture into the engine room for this alone.

While he was returning to the main deck, a sudden, loud rumble jolted him as thunder roared in the distance. Soon after, a heavy downpour ensued. The weather was quickly taking a turn for the worse. There wasn’t supposed to be any wild weather forecast for today, but the ocean was unpredictable.

He used the next few hours before dinner to continue exploring the ship and searching for items. One of the items turned out to be five thousand pokedollars. It was an amazing find and it cut out the need for him to sell off the valuable items he found. With his inventory nearing capacity, he decided to upgrade his inventory by ten slots for ten thousand Pokedollars. The extra space would soon become necessary as he accumulated a more diverse array of items.

It was only as he was heading to the restaurant for dinner that he remembered that he hadn’t seen Meowth since he had run off earlier that morning. What could that rascal be up to?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Meowth peered through the curtain, keeping a wary eye on the two men sprawled out on the sofa. They were well past inebriation after drinking and gossiping like old women for the last few hours. It was hard to listen to, Meowth.

He wondered how he had ended up in this situation. After leaving Lucas, he immediately went in search of loot. He initially avoided the suites because the security guards were no joke. But, after getting bored exploring other areas, he returned to the fourth deck to see if he could sneak into one of the suites. Everyone who stayed in them had to be filthy rich and could afford to miss a few items. He could hide his loot in his partner's inventory and never be discovered. It was the perfect crime.

But, after sneaking into the suite, he was almost caught when the occupants returned. He hid behind the curtains, fully expecting them to leave after a short time. That wasn’t the case, and he was now slowly dying of boredom. He could try to escape, but there was only one problem. There was only one exit out of the suite, which was guarded by a Raticate. Although the Pokemon was too stupid to notice him hiding here, there was no way he could get past it without losing his life.

There was a window behind him, but it was a thick pane of glass that was tightly sealed. He might be able to open it, but he would make too much noise. He would only have a few seconds to open it before the Raticate reacted and attacked him. Besides, he had no idea how difficult it would be to climb up onto the main deck from here. He didn’t want to end up in the sea, Meowth.

His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast this morning. He drooled uncontrollably as he imagined his partner dining on fish in the fancy restaurant. Dinner, however, had long since passed, as he estimated it was past midnight. Was his partner looking for him at all?

Sometimes his occupation wasn’t worth the trouble, Meowth.

There was a knock on the door. Meowth retreated deeper into the curtain as one of the men staggered to his feet to answer the door. A blonde-haired woman entered the room, looking at the two men in disgust.

"What in the world do you think you are doing?" The woman kicked the standing man, knocking him to the floor. “We have a big operation tomorrow, and here you are getting shit-faed drunk.”

“Come on, Miranda,” the man on the sofa whined. "We were simply unwinding after a stressful day. Tomorrow is going to go off without a hitch. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“You morons,” Miranda growled. "Everything has the potential to go wrong. If you screw up tomorrow, I will feed you to my Ariados."

The men shuddered.

“Do you know what I saw earlier? A Dratini. It alone is worth the entire operation. There will be a slight change in plans. When the operation begins, I will go after its owner, so make sure you do your job correctly."

Meowth almost made a noise when she mentioned Dratini. She must be referring to Saphira, because what were the chances of a second Dratini being on board the ship? He needed to warn his partner because he was in danger. Escaping was more important than ever.

The Raticate approached Miranda and rubbed its head against her leg. It froze and stared in the direction of Meowth's hiding place.

Not good, Meowth.

It chittered and dashed over to the window. Meowth exploded from the curtain, startling the occupants and narrowly avoiding being skewered by the Raticate.

“Catch him!” Miranda yelled, reaching for her waist.

Meowth jumped, grabbed the door handle, and yanked the door open. Feeling an itch between his shoulder blades, he wasted no time and dashed into the corridor. He slammed the door shut behind him just as something struck it, splintering the door. Without looking back, he dashed down the corridor,  towards the staircase that led to the lower decks. The sound of running footsteps echoed behind him, confirming his fear that he was being pursued.

A security guard appeared from an intersection up ahead, accompanied by a flying Golbat. Meowth, who had initially felt relieved, became alarmed when the Golbat suddenly launched an attack in his direction. He managed to avoid the assault thanks to his quick reflexes, but it was clear that Golbat wasn’t taking him seriously. The force of the attack ripped up the floor, leaving a large hole and exposing the deck below. Without even hesitating, Meowth leapt through the opening and fell to the lower deck.

He landed on all fours and continued running. What was he supposed to do now, Meowth?

Outside, the storm continued to intensify.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Sabrina jolted awake with a gasp. She sat up in bed, and an overwhelming sense of dread washed over her, although she couldn't pinpoint its source. Fragments of a nightmare lingered in her mind, but when she tried to grasp them, they vanished into thin air.

Feeling her heart race, she pressed a hand against her chest. Her skin was soaked with sweat as her nightgown clung uncomfortably to her body. She pushed away her blanket and swung her feet out of bed.

Suddenly, Salem appeared beside her, its head tilted curiously at her.

"Aren’t you supposed to be devouring my nightmares, Salem? After all, they are a rather delectable delicacy for you."

"It was a dream that you were supposed to see."

"I can’t even remember what it was about," Sabrina exclaimed, frustrated. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Sabrina didn’t know why her thoughts had wandered to Lucas at that precise moment, but she reached for her phone, feeling something was about to happen to him. She dialled his number, urging him to answer his phone. When he didn’t respond after a minute, she sent him a text message, warning him that something was wrong on his end. She had no idea if she was correct or even if he would receive the message. But she had to give it a try.

She got dressed and started gathering some supplies. Unfortunately, she couldn’t use Alakazam to teleport herself directly to the ship because it didn’t have a beacon to guide him. She would have to rely on a flying Pokemon to get to the ship, which would take some time. Furthermore, she had no idea where the ship was at the moment. She could make an educated guess, but it was still like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Sabrina reflected on how she had let herself develop feelings for him, despite her reservations about starting a relationship with a man due to her history. She wondered if he would still be interested in her once he found out about her past.

She shook her head. That was something to worry about in the future. Right now, she needed to get to him and make sure he was safe.

So, what do you think? There’s going to be a lot going down in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading.