Michaela would be spending the day with her father. This allowed Aubre something very rare these days—alone time. She slept an hour more than normal. After that, an hour was sunk into a book she’d left alone so long dust had bloomed on its bookmark. But wasting hours just sitting there filled her with guilt.

Maybe she could transform this ‘me-time’ into ‘me-and-my-Pokemon’ time. Peeking into their room, she quickly noted Alister hogging the game controller. Ricardo, looking impatient in his pom-pom form, sat next to him. “Good morning, guys.” A chorus of noises came back, all of them with a similar sentiment. “Do any of you fancy a walk?” The lizard waved off the invite and the bird did the same. Arthur, still asleep and half under the bed, just turned away. Maggie seemed interested, though nervous.

The two water types jerked their heads up with no small measure of interest. “Marsh! Marshtomp!” Serena crowed with glee as she jumped off the bed and toddled towards her trainer. The Kabutops, trying to look above everything, waited a moment before doing the same. Aubre nodded thanks to the pair, grateful her worries about being left alone were unfounded.

“I will leave some money on the table. You can grab a pizza if you want.” Hopefully, the smart-aleck Helioptile didn’t just buy a small one and pocket the money. Maybe it was worth saying something. “And, you better tip this time.” A look of faux insult covered the electric-type’s face as he pointed to his chest with an aghast expression. He was a great customer.

Sometime later—thanks to the help of a friend of a friend—Aubre landed where Mars was fishing. "Thank you for the ride, Ulysses." A grateful nod was given to her husband's dragon as it took off. There was something about shores like this—wild and unkempt—that seemed more beautiful than the white sands of a resort. It felt more right somehow. Realizing she was staring at the fishing man, debating if she should say something or act like he was invisible. She wished more people treated her that way.

Or, well, she would, if it did not make her worry so much. A small weighted harness with an extensive tether kept Maggie from blowing off in a brisk sea breeze.

“Excuse—” Before she got her words out, a streak of blue shot by on her left. Her youngest Pokemon didn’t seem to want to admire thewater as much as she wanted to submerge herself in it. “Serena, wait!” The water-ground type turned as she neared the water. But her unease in this new form made stopping difficult.

Splash! The Marshtomp rolled into the water with a noise and a flurry of flippers. Water splashed up on the fisherman’s perch, likely coating his ankles. And, without a doubt, scaring off any interested fish.

Aubre wilted as she rushed forward, tugging the Hoppip’s string to her chest like a security blanket. “I am so sorry, sir.” She swallowed, peeking into the depths. Her cheeks colored with embarrassment. “She’s just—very—extremely—llike that.” Just before her heart filled with worry, the Marshtomp burst from the water with something best described as laughter.

Much more reserved in his approach, the Kabutops slid silently into the water a dozen yards away from the slumbering Dragapult.

The weight in her chest eased at the softness of Mar’s smile. Though she realized that was silly. Her husband had made a similar expression as he lied to her about everything. Still, the salve’s effectiveness did not seem to fade, no matter how often it stung. Maybe it was how badly she faked these things. Her forced grins were brittle, like poorly fired pottery.

Though her words scolded, her gaze itself was soft. “Thank you.” Anger for her rarely made a long-term stay. “I love Serena’s enthusiasm, I just wish she would be more polite in how she showed it.” Her mind was quick to pipe up in its mocking, nasty tones. Like what? Said excuse me as she half drowned the man? Green eyes observed the sea ahead of them, pinpointing too-blue bubbles of a Seismotoad. But it was the Dragcloak that truly held her attention.

“Wow, what a stunning creature you are.” Aubre could not stop herself from murmuring. Realizing she’d said that out loud—and that it could be misinterpreted as flirting (oh, Arceus, no!), the doctor hastened to correct herself. Scarred fingers patted at the air like it was a static-filled cotton ball. “I have never seen a Dragapult of that shade before.”

The sound of water drew her gaze back out to the water where her Marshtop was probing a hole in the rock. “Tomp?” A water gun smashed into her face with a splash, the arm of a Sliggoo temporarily visible. The redhead huffed. “You cannot just go barging into people’s—Pokemon’s holes (that did not make it better) like that, Serena. It is rude.” Instead of being offended, the axolotl just turned a big green to its trainer, backflipping back into the surf.

Seeing no battle was imminent, the Kabutops lowered his blade back beneath the water. The Hoppip continued to bob above her head, enjoying its risk--free post.
“I was.” She paused for a moment. “Or, well, they were taking me. I did not really have a destination in mind.” Apparently, they wished for a little seaside holiday.

With a somewhat pained noise, the redhead lowered herself to the rocks a yard or two away from Mars. “I always did like gazing out at the water, though.” She smiled softly, remembering her beloved sister the Mantine. The way being on her back felt like flying. “It makes problems feel so...insignificant.” Maybe even the ones that left her wedding finger bare.

The Kabutops passed beneath their feet, eyes locked on a waving stream of plants a bit further down shore.

Just staring at the fishing rod brought back memories. Some of her cousin Madeline and her unwanted fishing shop. Some elderly gentleman had hired her to work in it. Then, the old man fell ill, and it’d become her whole life. But closely after were memories of her own youthful forays into fishing. Or, well, foray.


The silly star-covered rain boots she splashed in the shallows back home. The loving and gentle way her father showed her to bait and cast the line. All of this was followed by a brief moment of triumph as she tugged something out of the water. “Poppa! Look!” This excitement ended when she saw the little Arrokuda’s eyes. It was scared and—oh Arceus—it was bleeding. “Oh no! We gotta help it!” After that, she just gave out food for free.


So, when the young man put the rod away, she was understandingly grateful. “It really is hard to stay mad at her though,” Aubre admitted with some reluctance. “Serena is a good girl.” Luckily, with her attention on the Dragapult, the redhead missed the smirk. This let the conversation continue with only the slightest bump in the road. “Is he? I've never had the privilege. And, well, it kind of fits Dragpult. They were once kings of the deep sea.” Not that this sleepy beast fit that bill. “I wonder if it has any effect—” Before she could finish her musings, the Axew burst from the undergrowth.


“Aww—” A bright flash of light left her blinking away stars. Then, just as quickly as it’d appeared, the Axew vanished in a burst of red light. Her lips pursed ever so slightly, the expression mostly invisible to her companion. How brusque. The poor dragon type was treated like some mindless collectible without any kind of agency. It was basically a slave, luxury ball or not.


Aubre did not comment aloud. An entire industry had been built around treating Pokemon like tchotchkes. Protesting it wouldn’t change anything. It’d just upset this man—who could easily drown her. Then again, so could a particularly determined Flabebe.


Relaxing the fists in her sleeve, the doctor turned to watch the Illumina pokemon and its trainer. “It really is quite—” In another circumstance, she’d have said beautiful. “--efficient.”


A gentle hand was extended towards the dragon-type and its offspring.


The woman tried to track an approaching wave as it neared the shores. “I just have to avoid thinking of what's under there.” A little relaxation was lost when you remembered possessed anchors and hungry Carvanha could be just underfoot. It was then that Aubre saw the second black fin above the water. A Marshtomp approached Serena with a flirtatious grin.


“Ah, it seems someone decided to make a—” Before she could finish the statement, a water gun smacked into the other water types face. This guy just bugged her. Fortunately, though her heart tightened, the other Marshtomp seemed more hurt than anything. So, with a splash, he vanished out of sight. “Well, at least he’s a gentleman.”


Though his manners may have been helped by the silhouette of the Kabutops just out of sight.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SWOOBAT APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] UNAWARE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SIMPLE BEAM	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]HEART STAMP
[attr="class","wildtabox"]GUST	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]CONFUSION
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Martín del Mar Aubre McKenna-Settentrione

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SEISMITOAD APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] POISON TOUCH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]GROWL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SUPERSONIC
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BUBBLE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]FLAIL
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Martín del Mar Aubre McKenna-Settentrione

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Martín del Mar SUCCESSFULLY CAUGHT AXEW!

After the introductory hand received no response, it folded back into its owner’s lap. There, it picked idly at the few trailing threads on the bottom of her hoody, Big green eyes focused on the rolling seas before her. One that her own family could be staring at halfway around the robe. Somehow, that idea gave her a small sense of comfort.

While normally content with silence, holding it with a stranger felt wrong. Should she say something? Was this his way of telling her off? Fingers tapped at her knees to an inaudible song. Maybe it was just an urge to not come across as unfriendly. Not that anyone had ever accused her of that. Not out loud, anyway. She was sure people thought all kinds of terrible things.

Fortunately, the man spoke before her Chinese finger-trap brain could conjure up some sick, twisted omen. The talk of diving drew a smile. “I really enjoy it, especially shallow diving.” The real monsters rarely came up to the land’s edge. It was in the mystery of the abyss that the real terrors dwelled. Well, those who were not people anyway. “I haven’t done it since I—I used to have a Mantine.” Surprisingly, though it still ached to mention the water type, the sting wasn’t raw and aching. It made Aubre guilty. “And I’ve seen far worse up here than down there.”

Maybe it was a good thing that 70 percent of the oceans were untouched.

Way to be depressing, Aubre. Can you avoid death for 10 minutes? Honestly. Quickly—and awkwardly—the doctor tried to pivot away from the topic. “Do you dive just for fun, then? Do you do salvage?” With the region’s rich aquatic history, gods only knew what lurked beneath the waves. The return of the earlier Seismotoad was ignored. Though the arrival of a Swoobat in a nearby tree was met with a small, peaceful smile. After a night of flitting, the little creature was no doubt exhausted. The bags under its eyes were almost larger than hers.

Hopefully, the Marshtomp's splashing didn’t keep it up.

At the talk of Mantine, Aubre allowed her eyes to lift to the bright blue sky, half hoping to see one floating up there. “They are beautiful Pokemon—body and soul.” Elouise had been a sweetheart in every sense of the word. Her loss at the maw of that Houndoom was due, in part, to that dangerously pacifistic nature. “Or, well, at least all the ones I’ve ever met.” Though, in this case, maybe the word was love. “Ellie and I used to love transitioning from sea to sky.” Her bare feet felt so safe curled against the Manta Ray’s back as they transitioned from one frontier to another. And, no matter how many times she jumped, those big eyes were there waiting for her.


The talk of danger drew a shake of her head. The place she’d lost her trust had been a well-lit, low-crime area. Her father’s injury came from his second home. “Monsters come in all shapes.” Which was a large contributing factor to her paranoia. “Ignorance really is bliss.” Her mind thought back to a pair of big, trusting baby blues. Not one for religion—not after everything that had happened—Aubre did spare a prayer for her daughter. Oh, Arceus, may she keep her innocence longer than I did. A scarred hand skipped a rock across the waves, a petty little act of vengeance.


“It really is stunning.” The quiet of the ocean brought with it a sense of peace and wonder. It also reminded her of just how little they knew and just how small people were. Maybe that’d been why when she contemplated an end, she’d chosen a cliff above a sea just like this. “I just wish that feeling stayed a little longer.” But once you emerged you were gifted not with peace but skin that smelled of fish, chilly winds, and damp hair.


Aubre turned towards the Dragapult with a frown. “Is everything—” Green eyes followed blue as she spotted the beautiful white stork. By the time she identified the bird, stones were falling on her and her Pokemon. The man’s call gets her to her feet, though that isn’t easy. “Shoot!” A rare bit of profanity emerged as Aubre felt a rock slide into her cheek as she scrambled back from the shore. Out in the water, her comparnions disappeared beneath the surface. “I've had worse," Aubre murmured, allowing herself a moment of indignation. "Ugh, they really are such ill-tempered—”


Before she finishes the sentence, something large and orange smashes into the water just offshore. A Dragonite—its head gushing from an earlier wound inflicted by that same bird—had finally lost the battle with its waning consciousness. “Roman! Help it!” Aubre panics as she slides off the rocks and to the moss-covered rocks below the ledge, not caring as her pants grow damp. Out in the water, the Kabutops manage—with help from the Marshtomp—to buoy the unconscious dragon to the water’s surface.


She wraps her fingers around the edge of a Pokeball, almost guilty. But that creature was heavy. “I’m sorry.” Aubre murmurs as she draws her arm back and tosses it at the injured dragon type.

NOTES:
Catch Dragonite