A few hours later, the ocean had settled into a steady, rolling rhythm, just enough motion to remind everyone they were on a boat, but not enough to make anyone miserable. The sun hung high over the water, sparkling across every wave like someone had dumped a bag of glitter over the entire sea.
May leaned over the railing, hair whipping in the breeze. "Okay, I'll admit it," she said. "This is… actually kind of nice."
"See?" Ash said from where he sat cross-legged on the deck. "Told you it'd be fine."
"You also told us Mr. Briney would take us even though you didn't know him," Max reminded him, lying sprawled on his back with a defeated sigh. His hair still stuck up at random angles from Peeko's earlier assault.
"Details," Ash said, waving a hand dismissively.
Brock was sitting near the cabin, grinding herbs with calm focus like only Brock could manage on a rocking boat. "At least Peeko seems calm now," he noted.
Peeko, perched smugly atop the mast, glared down at Max like this was personal.
Max glared back. "She's plotting something."
"That's just your paranoia," May said. "Also your fault."
"How was that my fault-"
"Because you asked a lady her gender," May and Mr. Briney said in unison from different parts of the boat.
Max sighed, defeated. Meanwhile, Ash let out some of his Pokémon, his Horsea into the water so it could enjoy swimming, Slakoth from under his jacket so he could enjoy the sun, and his little Ralts, who looked around in wonder before hopping onto a railing to watch the sea with stars in her eyes.
May saw Ash do it and released her Torchic and her own Ralts, although her Ralts quickly hid under a bench upon realizing she was somewhere new, still very shy.
Ash also let out his Torchic and Treecko, but the moment they were out, they took one look at each other and immediately looked like they had beef.
Treecko flicked his twig and smirked, "Tree-cko. [Heh. Look who crawled out of the rotisserie. Didn't know they let barbecue mascots onto boats.]"
Torchic puffed up to twice his size, "Tor-chic! [EXCUSE me-?! At least I don't look like a half-priced celery stick!]"
Treecko stepped forward, dramatic shadows somehow forming despite the bright sun, "Tree-cko. [Say that again, chicken nugget.]"
"Torchic! [Ohhh, so you're the fancy grass-stick who thinks he's all high and mighty? I'll roast you alive, twig-boy! And you'll thank me for it!]"
Treecko cracked his tiny knuckles, "Treecko! [You'll regret this, drumstick. Try me.]"
Torchic stomped, sparks flying off his tiny wings, "Torchic! [Bring it, leaf-face!]"
Slakoth, sprawled lazily on the deck, yawned, scratched his head, and looked away, "Slakoth… [Seriously, you two are ridiculous. I'm not getting up for this.]"
So yeah, they were off doing their own thing. Meanwhile, Ash did the only normal thing and ignored all of that, looking forward. "Anyway, Mr. Briney, how long before we get to Dewford?"
Briney looked out over the water. "If we keep going, we should get to town before it gets too dark. There should be enough time for you young'uns to find a place to spend the night."
"Sounds great," Brock called out from his seat as he petted his new Lotad on his lap. "I think there are some nice hotels with resorts on Dewford."
"Yeah…" Ash said, looking at Brock. "By the way, Brock, I've been meaning to ask, you said you didn't have another Pokémon that wouldn't cause massive collateral damage. Didn't you have a Vulpix? I haven't seen you use her in a while."
Brock froze and scratched his cheek. "Ah… right. Well, after the…you know… after I had to go for training… I didn't want Vulpix to think she needed to get stronger. So I left her with Suzie… and just never called her back to get her."
Ash looked at Brock, and May, Max, Briney, and even Peeko gave him a look like they were wondering if he was stupid or just insensitive. Only Ash knew the full context.
"Brock… buddy," Ash said, putting a hand on Brock's shoulder. "And you wonder why we bully you…"
"Hey, in my defense, look at what happened in the… you know," Brock said, referring to the entire tournament.
"Uh-huh… sure. So did you know it was gonna happen?" Ash asked.
Brock looked like he had just bitten into a lemon, making Ash sigh. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Okay, well, I forgot. It's not my fault."
"I dunno, from what I hear, it kinda sounds like your fault," May said.
"Okay, fine. When we get to Dewford, I'll call and get Vulpix back, okay?" Brock said, exasperated.
"...Sure. Good luck with that, buddy…" Ash said, silently praying for Brock.
"Well, ignoring that," May started, giving Brock a side-eye before looking forward, "the sea is so nice right now. It makes me want to go swimming."
Mr. Briney noticed and gave a little smile. "Well, if you kids would like to swim, I suppose a little detour wouldn't hurt. I know a good spot, if you all don't mind."
Hearing this, May and Max immediately looked at Ash, who was scrolling on his phone. They pushed his phone aside and leaned in close, pleading with their eyes. "Ash!"
Ash opened his mouth for a second, then gently pushed them back by their foreheads. "Don't do that. And sure, I don't care. It's not like I'm going to say no. Besides, I know I promised your mom I'd take care of you, but I'm not your babysitter. Democracy is a thing here, you know."
Ash sighed, wondering why it was always the group asking him permission, first Yellow and Misty, now May and Max.
"Yay!" May and Max cheered as Briney turned the boat off their original path and headed toward what looked like a crescent-shaped island.
Once they got there, Briney looked out over the water. "Ahhh, this place takes me back. You know, I found this secret spot when I first became a sailor, and sometimes me and Peeko come here to relax."
"I can see why," Brock mused, leaning on the railing. "Must be nice."
Meanwhile, May, who had disappeared the moment they stopped, came out from inside the boat and opened the door wearing a new pink one-piece swimsuit.
"Ta-da! What do you guys think? I bought this while we were in Rustboro. What do you think?"
"Wow," Ash said. "Pink suits you, May." He said it casually, still leaning on the railing.
May struck a dramatic pose. "Of course it does! I'm a fashion icon in training, you know."
Max groaned, shielding his eyes as he dug through his bag for his swimsuit. "Do we really need to see this much? I'm already blinded by the sun and your confidence." He headed into the ship to go change.
"Pssh, you're just jealous," May said, tossing her hair.
"Sure, sure," Ash chuckled. "So who's getting into the water soon?"
May and Max exchanged excited glances. "Us!" they shouted in unison, diving into the crystal-clear water before anyone could stop them.
They resurfaced and looked up. "Come on, guys! Water's great!" May called out.
"Err…" Ash and Brock glanced at each other.
"Uh, sorry, not right now. I, uh… don't have my swim trunks," Ash said, thinking about the scar on his chest. He wasn't ready to reveal that yet. Even thinking about it made him scratch at his chest.
Brock coughed; since he knew about it too, he couldn't let Ash take that excuse alone. "Yeah… same here. I left mine in my bag. Maybe later."
May pouted, splashing water toward them. "Aw, come on! Don't be party poopers! It's so nice out!"
Max chimed in, already treading water with a grin. "Yeah! It's perfect! Don't tell me you two are scared of a little water!"
"Sure, tell yourselves that," Ash said casually as he scanned the water with Aura. He remembered something about this episode. Normally he wouldn't risk it, but… well, Ash had more than a few plans.
Which was why he reached into his bag and pulled out something very valuable he'd brought for this situation… a few rocks. Don't question it. More importantly, he returned Horsea to his Poké Ball since he was just a baby.
About thirty minutes passed while May and Max splashed around. Ash felt what was coming. He whistled for Ralts, lifted her up beside him, and whispered something in her ear. Ralts let out a tiny gasp, then grinned and nodded.
Before anyone could ask what Ash had told her, the water suddenly shifted. A blue-and-yellow fin broke the surface. Then another. And another. And another. Within seconds, May and Max were surrounded by dozens of Sharpedo and Carvanha.
"HELP!" the two siblings screamed, hugging each other in terror.
Brock and Briney shot to their feet the moment they realized what was happening, shouting for May and Max to swim back. Brock fumbled with his belt for a Poké Ball, and Briney was about to call Peeko to dive after them.
But just as a Sharpedo charged, its roar drowned out by their terrified screams, a rock came flying in and struck it right on the nose, sending it spiraling away.
May and Max blinked, whipping their heads toward the boat.
Ash stood there, tossing and catching a few rocks in his palm, his eyes faintly glowing blue from the Aura he had infused into the throw. He called out:
"You know, usually people try to get away from Sharpedo attacks, right?"
"Not the time!!!" everyone yelled in unison.
Ash rolled his eyes and threw another rock, shooting it like a missile. It smacked a Sharpedo that had been sneaking up behind May and Max, knocking one of its teeth out.
Ash whistled, and Ralts raised her hands and chanted, her body glowing purple. May and Max started glowing as well, rising out of the water, Ralts was lifting them with Confusion.
As Ralts brought them over, their trouble wasn't over yet. Three more Sharpedo leapt from the water, snapping at them. The siblings clung to each other tighter, screaming.
Ash just raised another rock and smiled. "Ethan taught me this one. Try this."
He threw the Aura-infused rock. It hit the first Sharpedo on the nose, ricocheted off, smacked the second, then bounced again and struck the third square in the jaw, knocking all three back into the water.
As they fell, Ralts brought May and Max close enough for Ash to jump to the edge of the boat and catch them in his arms. The instant they were safe, he whistled again, and Pikachu understood. Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder and into the air over the water.
Five Sharpedo and Carvanha burst upward to attack him. Pikachu rubbed his cheeks and shot a [Thunderbolt] straight down, electrifying all of them, and yes, Ash meant all of them.
Every Sharpedo and Carvanha seized violently, then floated belly-up at the surface like dead goldfish, except they were just knocked out.
Ash blew a stray strand of hair out of his face, his usual casual grin firmly in place. "Well… that was easier than I thought." He looked down at May and Max, who were still clinging to him like barnacles. "You two okay there, or planning to move in permanently?"
May gasped, indignation and embarrassment mixing together. "I'm not-! I mean… obviously I was just… scared! It has nothing to do with you being-ugh-heroic or anything!" She buried her face in Ash's shoulder.
Max, meanwhile, clung on with a mix of awe and stubborn pride. "I'm holding on because, obviously, you're the strongest person I know. And also… I kind of want a piggyback ride," he admitted.
Ash chuckled, giving May a playful side-eye. "See, May? Even your brother gets it. He knows who the real hero is."
May's face turned bright red. She shoved at his chest half-heartedly, but didn't let go. "I am not swooning! You-ugh! You're so annoying, Ash!"
Ash leaned back slightly, teasing. "Aw, c'mon. Don't tell me a little danger doesn't make me look cool. Admit it, you're secretly impressed."
"I am NOT!" May shouted, though her voice cracked just a bit, betraying her. "And stop calling it 'cool'! It's… it's… just luck, okay? Total, absolute, 100% luck!"
"Suuure," Ash said as Pikachu dog-paddled back to the boat, climbed on, and shook his fur dry. Ash hopped back onto the deck. "You two done with swimming for today?"
"Yes!" May and Max said in unison.
"Great… now get off," Ash said, since they were still clinging to him.
Ash set them down gently on the deck, and both siblings scrambled to their feet, brushing water off themselves like that would solve anything. May shot Ash a glare that could melt steel, but it was mostly half-anger, half-embarrassment.
"I'm fine," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Totally fine."
Max adjusted his wet hair and glasses, still holding onto his pride as much as possible. "Yeah, fine. But… that was kind of amazing. I mean, did you see the way those Sharpedo got wrecked?"
"Huh… you know, I've never seen anyone handle a situation like that," Mr. Briney said, still stunned.
"Yeah… honestly, I don't even know how I get surprised at this point," Brock sighed.
Mr. Briney cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. Usually there aren't any Sharpedo or Carvanha in this area. Something must have pushed them here. I'm really sorry, I'll contact some Rangers to investigate when we get to town."
"Yeah, don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault; you didn't know," Ash said, waving a hand, even though he wasn't the one traumatized.
"Yeah… I think I'm gonna stick to beaches for a while…" May mumbled, sitting down on a seat looking exhausted.
"I guess that ends the trip. Again, I'm sorry. Well then, I'll get you to Dewford Town lickety-split," Briney said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, yeah, gimme a second," Ash said, looking out at the Carvanha in the water. He scanned them for a moment, stopped on the one he liked most, and threw a Poké Ball. The Carvanha went in, floated on the surface, rolled three times, and closed with a ding.
The recall feature activated, and the Poké Ball zipped back to Ash's hand.
"Alright, now we can go."
"Did… did you really just catch one of the Carvanha that attacked us?" Max asked slowly.
"I mean yeah, it's a Carvanha. I'd be dumb not to get one," Ash said earnestly.
May shivered. "Um, so remember when you promised you'd help me train… just, maybe we can train with not that one?"
"Maybe. Depends on how I feel at the time," Ash teased.
"Ash!" May yelped.
"Kidding… maybe" Ash teased further, reaching into a bag and pulling out some towels. He draped one over May and Max. "Now get dried. And maybe change, unless you wanna stay in your swimsuit. Not that I mind either way" he added playfully as he walked away.
May squeaked in embarrassment, quickly wrapping the towel around herself and darting inside to change.
Mr. Briney chuckled and looked out at the sea as he revved the engine. "Alright, kiddos! Next stop, Dewford!"
The boat hummed to life, pushing forward across the now-peaceful water, leaving behind the floating, fainted Sharpedo and Carvanha.