The waiting room was still and slanted. Nurses switched rooms quickly without a glance out. Pokemon being taken back and forth, large ones, large enough their horns or skulls would touch the ceiling. A Snorlax came through, just like Red’s, eye swollen shut and purple like a plum. A young girl, reminded Franklin of Tina, had bug bites the size of plums on her right arm. Tears drowned her eyes as a nervous adult and the red haired nurse escorted her to a back room. All the panic in this Pokecenter, the red haired nurse never seemed flustered or bothered.

Vulpix had been checked into the Pokecenter an hour ago, the red haired nurse moved towards Martin, who was fiddling with change at a vending machine. Mumbling, the nurse did the majority of the talking and filled Martin with white pause that held his tongue. She walked away from him and he stood there. Franklin glared at him until Martin finally looked back.

“Vulpix is going to be fine.” Franklin felt the oxygen exits his lungs into the Center.

“However,” The air backtracked. “We don’t have the money to the pay the bill. Even at home, I don’t have the money.”

The white left Martin and entered Franklin.

“I only brought enough for food and a room. The bill is that, plus.”

Franklin raised to his feet and headed towards the exit of the Center. Tangelo Island was quiet and the streets bare and Franklin walked it.

The dock was old and missing a plank every other step. The sand was filled with Pokemon that Franklin didn’t know. His sandy blonde hair was blowing against the salty breeze. Martin stood having final words with the captain. Vulpix recalled and clenched tight in Franklin’s fist. Tangelo Island life in the city exploded in comparison to Valencia. Valencia only has a couple of stores, Tangelo Island is a large city shadowed by a tall mountain climbing over the city. Flocks of Pokemon soar over the city, screaming their call down into the city below.

“You ready to go, Frank?”

Martin walked into the sand and his left ankle sinks. Martin lets out a roar as a large orange crab erupts from the sand, ankle in pincer.

“Franklin! Go get help! This monster is gonna kill me!”

Franklin took a step towards the city and stops. Throwing his Premier ball into the air,

“Go, Vulpix!”

Vulpix released a sleepy cry and stared at the crab, and it released Martins ankle as he crawled in the sand in the opposite direction.  The crab swung its two pincers in the air and walked side ways smashing Vulpix across the head sending her flying towards Franklin’s boots.

“Get up and fight! Attack that crab!”

Vulpix stared blankly up at Franklin and cried. The crab charged again and opened its mouth and sent bubbles towards Vulpix. They popped on her skin, it sounded like a gun going off against bare ears, she cried and fainted.

Waves crashed against S.S. Sire. The captain stood at the helm with his companion, guiding the Sire into troubled tides. Land is gone from the naked eye: it is only the sea. Magikarps swim along side the Sire like a father.

Vulpix curled in a ball with her eyes closed only opening to the crash of water, her eyes were always open. Martin was the same.

“Ye alrite thr Martin?” Martins throat erupted and clogged at the last second.

“Are we almost there?”

“Onlyanhour and well be there.”

Franklin glared out into the sea staring deep at the Magikarps. Their eyes moved rapidly side to side, fearful.

“You know your mom isn’t going to be there. Right?”

Franklin can feel the shadow of his father across his cheek.

“I know.” Martin, unsure, responded coldly “Than why did you say that back on the pier?”

Franklin layed his head on rim, staring at the Magikarps stuggeling to follow the Sire.

“I need to find her.”

“Why? We could just stay home and you can play with Vulpix at home.”

“I can’t, dad.”

“I don’t understand, Frank, why do you have to find her? We haven’t seen her or heard from her in… in a long time.”

“I need to know.”

Martin walked to the rim and looked down at the water, maybe at the Magikarps, and met Franklin at the eyes.”

“Know what? What do you need to know?”

Franklin walked away and towards the restless Vulpix.

“Franklin?”

“I need to know why she left.”

Rays peaked through Franklin’s curtains creating a glow off the Premier Ball. Franklin’s dad left his backpack slightly open next to his new sleeping friend. Curled up tight in a ball, Vulpix rested on her sleeping pillow breathing slowly. The light touched the tip of Vulpix’s nose as Franklin scratched behind her ear. Vulpix slowly wrestled awake and stared at Franklin without a blink. Franklin picked up his backpack and recalled Vulpix into the Premier Ball. The lone picture frame of Franklin’s parents remained on the table, the three of them stood at the pier of Sunburst Island. The last day Franklin would see his mom before she went on her adventure.

Franklin’s dad stood just outside the front door leaving a stretch of sunlight imprinting on the wooden floor. A hand full of feed for Dad’s friend, the only Pokemon he’s not afraid of.

“Ready, son?”

Franklin stood backpack and Premier ball at hand, ready for the beginning of an adventure.

Valencia Island was fresh in March. The wind salt breeze didn’t carry a lot of bird Pokemon so dad never freaked out for Caterpie. The Jones next door weren’t home, yet, their Dodou sat under a tree behind a wooden fence. Dad thinks if the Dodou ever got free it would eat his Caterpie. He made the Jones’s build the fence just in case. They went to Tangelo Island often for supplies since the general store on Valencia is still closed.

“I wish your mom was here to walk you through this.” Dad stared empty, searching for answers that he didn’t have.

“I have to do this dad. I’ll find her.” The stare resumed and he quietly turned around heading towards the pier.

The pier was close to our home. Seagulls swarmed around fighting crabs not wanting to be the next meal. The ferry slowed into the aged pier to a halt. The Jones’s exited the ferry and sluggishly walked towards us.

“Hey, Martin.”

“Felix, Julia, shopping?”

“Yeah and Tina needed a new bow for Dodou.”

Tina couldn’t help but stare at the Premier ball clutched. Tina and Franklin were about the same age but Tina’s parents liked Pokemon. Tina spent a lot of her time with Dodou.

“Are you leaving, Franklin?” Tina asked.

“Yes, I need to find my mom.”

Tina stared down and walked with her parents off the pier. The captain stood where the Jones’s did. The captain was a tall man with a hairy chest and his hat was falling off.

“Ye reedy to set off Martin. Sire ss inna good mood. The ocean calls to meh.”

His buddy Pokemon stood behind him, a blue slippery creature with a wide flat tail and a dull face.

“Yes captain we are ready to set off to Tangelo Island.”

The wind brushed against the sand over the crabs and against the captains boat and into the ocean blue. The captain and his Pokemon returned to S.S. Sire and the ferry was ready to depart.