[Hey everyone, sorry for the wait, I had to wait for a few folks on DA to submit characters, oh yea, I'm posting this story on DA as well, given people on there generally don't care about literature as much as folks on here do. Anyway I hope you came here with some time to kill as this is definitely the longest chapter I have ever written for a story. I just hope it's good lol. So, without further adieu, let's dive in]

The air smelt of the salty sea swaying just nearby. A smell that would be familiar to someone who lived in a town so close to it. Reggie peered around at the numerous faces across the waterfront for the chance that he might recognize some of them. To his surprise however, he actually seen a bunch of entirely new faces.

"Wow, so it wasn't just our town that got the invite. I've never seen most of these people before! This is gonna be so exciting!" exclaimed Shelby.

"Hmm, a bit crowded don't you think? I wouldn't imagine a resort like this giving out invitations for free let alone to so many people" said Tori with a frown.

"Awwe, Tori, what's the matter?" Shelby asked.

"Nothing, nothing. I just thought we were lucky" pouted Tori.

"What do you mean, of course we're lucky. It's not like everyone in the world was invited just us and a few other places. Even of they're gonna do this again sometime just think. We were some of the first people to ever get invited like this" said Shelby cheerfully.

"Well, I suppose that's true" said Tori thinking to herself.

Reggie paid little attention to their conversation as he continued to fathom what was happening. He was still a bit dumbfounded that he was invited to such a thing, not something he'd ever have dreamed of. He looked to the ship to see that the plank was still raised.

"Shouldn't they have started boarding passengers already?" Reggie asked.

"Maybe they're making preparations?" Shelby suggested.

"Ahh! Nooo!" Tori shouted.

"Tori, what's wrong!" Shelby asked in concern.

"No, no, no! my white ribbon! You know, the really long one I always wear for dances? I left it at home! I've gotta go get it!" Tori shouted as she began to run.

"Oh no you don't, there's no way we'd be able to get back here before the ship leaves. You'll just have to get one there" said Shelby, reaching out and grabbing Tori's arm.

"No, Shelby, you don't understand" said Tori trying to pull away.

"You don't need it, c'mon, we're going to the boat" said Shelby wrapping her arms around Tori and lifting her up. She then began carrying the struggling Tori to the boat.

Reggie just watched as this occurred and began to follow the two. As he peered around at the numerous faces he couldn't help but admire the vast collection of people and species all gathered for this event. His gawking was interrupted however when something bumped into him from the side. Turning his head to look he seen that it was a round pink creature, similar to Shelby in appearance though possibly a darker pink and did not share other traits common to most jigglypuff. It didn't take long for Reggie to determine that it was a puffball, a sight that took him by surprise. "A Puffball? Never seen one of them around here before" Reggie thought to himself.

The round pink creature looked up to him for a moment from his sitting position on the ground before looking to a bag he had been carrying with him. As if nothing had happened the Puffball stood up and seized his bag, carrying it with him along his way.

As the Puffball took off into the crowds Reggie followed Tori and Shelby to a bench nearby. As it was, there were two benches back to back. The one behind them contained yet another Pokemon with a single large briefcase resting beside her. As he neared he could hear her whistling to herself. The creature in question was green with a white belly and very snakelike in appearance. Reggie could identify the Pokemon as a Snivy, one that he vaguely recognized as well.

"Err, Jasmine?" said Reggie curiously.

The Snivy turned her head to Reggie peering hat him through a single green eye. The daisy pendant around her neck was a sure sign that that Reggie indeed knew who this was.

"Huh? Oh umm… Reggie right? How are you today?" the Snivy asked.

"Umm… well, alright I guess. Heading out on a trip that I didn't even know I was going on until about an hour ago… and trying to force away the thoughts that I might be forgetting something" said Reggie.

"Oh yea, hey Jasmine, how have you been?" Shelby asked excitedly.

"Oh, I've been good… hey, what's the matter with Tori?" Jasmine asked.

The toadette looked quite sick as she sat on the bench staring into space.

"She forgot something… we don't really have time to go back and get it unfortunately. Te boat's probably gonna be headed out real soon" said Shelby.

"Yea, I hope it does, I've been here all morning. But… I just can't wait, I've heard of Martyr Island and all that but I never dreamed I'd be able to go there. At least not for a few more years anyway… awe man, why can't we go already" wined Jasmine.

"Yes, it's quite exciting isn't it?" asked a voice to the right of Jasmine.

When the group turned to look they took notice of a green squirrel with red blotches of fur scattered randomly across his body. Out of his mouth stuck a pair of large buck teeth and he wore a white lab coat as well as a pair of goggles that seemed to be quite technologically elaborate. Unlike a regular squirrel, he was a bit taller than the pokemon sitting on the benches and stood on two legs. Nobody had noticed him standing there before.

"Of course! Are you going too?" Jasmine asked to the stranger.

"Oh my yes, well, I was already there earlier, took the boat over here you see. I thought it'd be wonderful to see how everyone responded to the news" the squirrel explained spiritedly without ever looking at the group.

"I see, so, who are you?" Jasmine asked.

"Oh, of course, introductions. I am Professor Baldwin, a scientist if you will. A colleague of mine and I have set up shop at the resort. At the behest of the owner of course. I must say however that I am surprised that he has initiated such and undertaking such a long time after founding the resort. I suppose he had his reasons of course" Baldwin explained.

"Wait, you mean he was going to send out these invitations earlier?" Shelby asked.

"Hmm? Oh, beats me. The prospect of bringing extra guests like this however seems like something he should have done earlier, if he was going to do it at all that is. But, then again it was never my business to begin with. I certainly hope the current guests on the island don't feel intruded upon by the lower class moving in. people can be so sensitive to that sort of thing. Anyway, it has been rare that I've seen so many species in one place it truly is marvelous to see how everyone behaves towards one another… hmm… perhaps it's more to do with the atmosphere here than anything…" said the squirrel, pondering to himself after his rambling.

Suddenly, seemingly from out of nowhere the horn of the ship blew. at this, nearly everyone waiting on shore had turned their heads and looked to the ship. Then, a single plank began to descend to the ground. At their point, whether it was because they were sick of waiting or were simply excited to board the ship, everyone began to make their way towards it.

"Yeaha! Finally! C'mon, let's go!" said Jasmine hurrying off of the bench and towards the boat.

"C'mon Reggie, let's go!" said Shelby happily dragging Tori by the hand. Tori had seemed to be feeling better now, at least, mostly.

Reggie remained silent and simply followed them with Baldwin behind him. Of course, it didn't take long for that single area around the boat to become a crowded mass of almost everyone who had been waiting… which was quite a lot of people. Only moments later did the attention become drawn from the crowd and directed to the sudden influx people already aboard the ship looking out over the edge to them. One in particular seemed to stand out. It was a light blue Kecleon wearing a jeweled necklace and a few other pieces of jewelry. The reason it seemed to stand out however was probably because it stood directly in the center of where people would end up if they were to climb the plank which to everyone's dismay, was blocked at the end with a chain, signifying that it still wasn't ready to be boarded.

"Greetings lucky ticket recipients. I am Luio, the person responsible for the tickets you all now hold. With the support and cooperation of wonderful Mr. Popper I am happy to be able to invite you to the first public opening of Martyr Island Resort. Now then, I will be in charge of your time there and am responsible for each of you. If you would kindly make your way up in an orderly fashion we can get this trip underway" said the Kecleon before scanning the area around the blocked plank "err, Professor Baldwin… umm, if you would kindly undo the chain"

"Wha? Oh, yes, yes of course, pardon me" said the squirrel who had been spacing out at the back of the crowd.

After making his way through the mass of people the squirrel reached the chain and unlocked it allowing for everyone to ascend. Of course, reaction was immediate and everyone climbed their way to the deck of the ship. As they reached the top they met Luio with two others at her sides. One was a large round pink and white creature wearing and a large white ribbon around her. This, the group could identify as a Blissey. The other however was more obscure. It was a round headed creature with a white and blue hat that resemble a Santa hat. The creature also wore a blue outfit with two large, yellow, oval shaped patterns on the front and a white cloth choker with a red heart pendant on it. It had no legs but black shoes on a pair of large feet and it's round hands seemed to float around at its sides. These three handed out slips of paper filled with information about their trip.

Josh and the group simply followed the crowd who had simply been left to wander around the ship. Currently they were on the main deck so it was only natural for most everyone to stay and look around. It was something truly impressive. The deck was massive. A trait that was obvious to anyone who just simply looked at the ship but being on top of it made it seem so much bigger. An immediate attention grabber was the massive pool with a few cement pillars jutting up through it to support a bed of plant life atop them. In fact, the placement of the plants was possibly what made this scene so impressive. Scattered all about the deck were these flower beds, it almost felt like one of the fancy pools one would find on an island beach resort, fitting for the place this ship belonged to. Before even exploring the ship some people simply dived straight into the pool or began lounging around on one of the chairs that covered the deck. Even with so much clutter the deck still seemed spacious.

"Oh my god… this… is incredible. It's just as I had imagined it… well, maybe a few more plants than I had figured but it's the most impressive thing I've ever seen! Gushed Tori, mouth agape with eyes that seemed to twinkle with befuddlement.

"Woo hoo! This is going great. See Reggie, aren't you glad I talked you into coming?" Shelby asked.

"Well, it's definitely nice, but you could probably afford to settle down a bit. I mean, this is just the main deck after all, we haven't even been inside. Heck we haven't even left port yet" said Reggie.

"Oh Reggie, you're such a killjoy sometimes. C'mon, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you should enjoy every second of it while you can" said Shelby happily.

"Oh, no, I mean. I'm excited but… we've only just started" said Reggie.

"So, what are you guys gonna do. I know I'm heading for the pool. I'll head inside and check out my room later" Jasmine explained.

"Yea, that sounds like a good idea. We don't want to end up with so much to do that we can't decide, so we should do everything we can when the opportunity presents its self" Shelby suggested.

"Meh, alright… just for a little while though. I wanna check out our room" said Reggie.

"W-wait you guys, I need to get changed first. Please, wait for me, I'll just be a moment" said Tori flustered as she took off towards a series of small shacks labeled 'changing rooms'.

"Awe man, she'd better hurry up, I don't wanna just stand around here all day" Shelby pouted.

Reggie took the time to peer around the deck to see the people from the port running everywhere. It was clear that many of them had no idea what they planned to do with their time. Now that Reggie thought about it however, he began to wonder how long it would be before they arrived to the island. At this he opened up the pamphlet that he was handed as he made his way onto the boat. Much of it consisted of information about the ship and a map for navigation. Apparently there were two more decks. The middle which appeared to contain exercise and other activity based equipment, and the top deck which contained a hot tub, another pool, a drink bar, and a number of other things. Unfortunately, most of it seemed to be only available at night.

"What's the matter kid, you look bored" said a voice from the right.

In response, Reggie and Shelby turned to see a round red skinned creature clad in a ragged cape, spiky dull red pauldrons, and a matching dull red mask with a deep gash and broken horn to its left. Reggie identified it as another puffball. The puffball was lying on one of the chairs looking up to the sky and beside him lied a metal rod wrapped in a worn out strip of leather.

"Shouldn't the two of you be off doing something, sure, the ship's fancy but you aint get'n much done gawk'n at it" said the puffball

"Oh, no, we're waiting for a friend of ours to come back" said Shelby.

"You are huh, heh, might as well kick back and relax then" said the puffball.

"Umm, not to be rude or anything but why are you so concerned with what we're doing?" Shelby asked.

"Meh, I aint really, you're just the only folks in range for me to bug. Everyone else is off do'n their own thing. So, either o' you ever been to Martyr Island before?" the red Puffball asked as he rose from his chair and made his way over to them.

"No, not us. Have you?" Shelby asked.

"Yea, couple times, that was before it became a resort though. After that, the rich folk wouldn't let me hang around anymore. Guess they didn't like the jokes I was make'n about them, or the fact that I cut in front of them in lines… or that I never actually bothered to buy a pass to get in in the first place. Man I can't wait to see em' again ga ha ha ha!" said the Puffball with a laugh.

"Well… alright… so who are you anyway?" Shelby asked.

"Ragnarok" the puffball replied.

Elsewhere, or rather, at the changing rooms, Tori had finished spending about fifteen minutes adjusting her blue one piece swimsuit. Before she opted to leave the room she was in however she had to seal the bag she had opened. As she did this she couldn't help but notice something, something that wasn't there that should have been.

"No no no! not again. No, I know I didn't forget it at home!" she shouted to herself as she dug around in the bag and eventually began skimming the floor.

She searched around frantically brushing the ground with her hand but could find nothing.

"Oh no, this can't be happening, I must've lost it!" Tori said growing angry.

At this she sealed the bag and dragged the rest out of the changing room with her in a rage. Her eyes skimmed the deck up and down but mostly around the changing rooms.

"Where is it, I know it's around here somewhere!… I know, I must've lost it when I put the pamphlet away… oh, but where did I do that… It's surely stolen by now… Hey, who has my silver sapphire bracelet! I swear if you don't return it to me this instant I will show you a wrath the likes of which you've never seen! Now who has it!" Tori shouted over the crowds. Naturally, her shouting drew attention, mostly just confused and awkward stares.

"Woah, hey, take it easy. What's the matter?" asked a voice from the right.

Tori turned to see that it had come from a slim, somewhat tall human wearing a pair of red sunglasses. The rest of his get up consisted of a green hooded jacket that was slung over his shoulder, a pair of black jeans, and white, red laced shoes. In the same hand he held his jacket he also held a large duffle bag.

"It's my silver sapphire bracelet, I lost it when I opened my bags somewhere. Someone probably stole it by now" Tori whined.

"Really? Well where did you open it?" the boy asked.

"I don't know" she said in a frazzle.

"Alright, well, why don't I help you look for it, if someone else picked it up we'll find em' alright? Now what's it look like?" the boy asked.

"You will! Thank you! It's a silver chain with a big sapphire on it, now c'mon, we need to search every inch of this deck" Tori declared as she began searching around.

The boy simply peered around across the area. Thanks to the clutter of plants and other various objects across the deck, it was no surprise that someone could have lost something in it all. To start off he began skimming the flower beds with this eyes and occasionally had to move some plants aside with his hands. Tori on the other hand was running mad through the crowds searching vigorously, even lifting other people's luggage and checking beneath it. It wasn't long however before something caught the boy's eye, a glint from a raised flower bed. At this he made his way over to it and retrieved what had caused it. Sure enough, it was a bracelet, and given the short amount of time they've been on the boat, the likelihood of it belonging to anyone else was low. With the bracelet in hand he made his way to Tori who despite being small was pretty easy to locate.

"Hey, is this it?" the boy asked.

As Tori looked to the object the boy was holding her eyes lit up and she hurried over to him.

"Yea, that's it! You found it, thank you so much!" said Tori snatching the bracelet from his hands with a smile.

"Eh, it's no problem. So, what's your name anyway?" the boy asked.

"Oh, yes. I'm Tori, and you are?" Tori asked.

"Call me Stu, Stu Jester" the boy replied.

The commotion that Tori had caused had been felt from across the deck, given that her friends had been nearby Reggie and Shelby immediately caught wind of it and had been looking for her. After the search which occurred during Tori's own search, the two were finally able to make their way over to her.

"What was all that about Tori?" Shelby asked a bit irritated.

"Oh, no need to worry about it now. I lost a bracelet and Stu here just helped me find it" said Tori.

"Oh, you're Stu? Nice to meet you, I'm Shelby and the antisocial one there is Reggie" said Shelby.

Reggie didn't say anything and instead glanced around. Of course, as soon as the commotion had ended, even more seemed to erupt elsewhere on the ship. And Reggie's eyes met the door into the ship two figures came bursting out of it. The first was a small black creature, humanoid in appearance with a round head, a pair of massive ears that were about the same size as the body, a pair of cloudy white eyes, and a monkeylike tail. In pursuit of him was a long dark haired person with a light caramel skin tone. Her outfit was a tight shirt that covered most of her torso aside from her pierced bellybutton and a black tattoo of a dragon. He also wore a pair of baggy jeans and a pair of dark brown lace up boots. The sudden rush of these two nearly knocked over a couple of people who were trying to get inside.

To those who weren't occupied with something, this outburst drew their attention, particularly Reggie's who had watched it happen. Curious as to what he was staring at the others in Reggie's group also turned to the scene as the two made their way directly towards them. In moments the monkeylike creature was at their feet proceeding to leap onto and over Stu's head and duck into one of the changing rooms. The pursuer however didn't seem to have the running speed to keep up with it. Instead the group noticed a number of metallic pieces extend from her back and release a burst of flame propelling her forward at a much faster rate. The extra boost quickly brought her to the room that the monkeylike creature hid in. the moment she opened it the creature leaped out at her and climbed over her head. As it jumped away she reached out and grabbed it's tail but to her surprise it was actually quite squishy and slipped from her grasp.

"Damnit, someone catch that heartless!" said the pursuer.

The creature stopped and glanced at her, tilting his head. Those who heard her seemed just about as confused.

"Heartless?" Stu asked.

"What, you don't know what a heartless is? They're creatures that come from the darkness in people's hearts, and that's what they look like!" she shouted, pointing towards the monkeylike creature who hadn't yet moved from the spot where he had stopped.

Somewhat surprised at this she quickly hurried after him again. Seeing this, the creature's massive ears stood up and he quickly continued running, weaving in and out of the crowd. Though the pursuer used her jets they weren't maneuverable enough for the situation. Fortunately for her, she took notice of the monkey like creature squeeze himself into somebody's bag. This was her chance to eliminate him, she hurried over to the bag and from out of her arm came the blade of a chainsaw that she immediately began to strike down at it. As her arm was still in the air however her attack was prevented by somebody clasping their hands on the bladeless sides of the chainsaw.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing! You're gonna destroy everything!" said the person holding her attack.

The person in question appeared humanlike but wore what seemed to be a high tech suit of armor that shone a faded turquoise color aside from helmet and shoes which were a standard version of that color. Other notable features were his two cyan colored ponytails and a pair of thick cable like protrusions from his back. The pursuer found herself surprised at this sudden interruption and ceased her attack.

"What are you doing, don't you realize that's a heartless behind you?" the girl asked.

The armored boy looked around then back to the creature behind him who had poked his head out of the bag and looked at him.

"What, that thing? You sure that's a heartless?" the boy asked.

"Ah, so you know what I'm talking about. I have never seen not heard of a creature like that, it must be a new kind of heartless" said the girl.

"Well, I don't know a lot about them but aren't they supposed to be violent or something?" the boy asked.

"You can never tell with these things, besides, I could swear I saw him attack someone" said the girl.

"I didn't attack nobody" said the creature, his voice fairly high pitched.

"What, you can talk?" the girl asked.

"Err… yea… why?" the creature asked.

"If you could talk then why didn't you speak up? I must've looked like an idiot chasing after you like that" said the girl.

"Huh… oh, I guess I just didn't think about it" said the creature tilting his head as if thinking.

"What is all the commotion about?" asked a familiar voice.

As the group looked it was Luio with the two who had been assisting her earlier.

"I was trying to get rid of a heartless, or, what I thought was a heartless anyway" said the girl looking to the monkeylike creature.

"Heartless? Oh, that's not a heartless, that's Kalgante. Though he does look like one doesn't he" said Luio.

"What's a heartless?" asked the assistant in the blue outfit.

"A Heartless? Umm, if you don't mind me asking, what is a Heartless?" the Blissey asked.

"You haven't heard of them either? Well, now that I think about it, I'm not surprised. Their not very common around here. Their creatures born of darkness, often from the cruelty and other dark features of people's hearts. They just don't seem to form much around here but seeing err… Kalgante? I couldn't imagine what else he would be" said the girl.

"Huh, well that explains it I guess" said Kalgante climbing out of the bag "Who are you guys anyway?"

"Just call me Eden" said the girl.

"I'm Ruebert, though, you can just call me Erase alright?" the boy asked.

"Oh, ok, hey, aren't we supposed to be heading out soon?" Kalgante asked.

"Umm… yes, we're supposed to be… Trevor was supposed to make a message though before we did" said Luio.

As this occurred Reggie and the group took notice that the situation had been resolved and chose to stay out of it. Instead they couldn't help but notice that despite having been here for so long they had yet to take a swim, things just seemed to keep happening.

"Well, I was gonna swim before I went inside, I take it you three were gonna too?" Stu asked.

"Yea, we were planning on it" said Shelby just as the speakers all across the ship came to life.

"Greetings Everyone. I am Trevor assistant guide and manager to Luio and her team. It's wonderful to see so many new faces all in one place. I must say, it is exciting to be able to make this event happen and I'm proud to be a part of it. Of course, none of it will be worth while if nobody is enjoying themselves so please, make yourselves comfortable until we arrive. Until then you have free reign of the ship and it's services. Feel free to indulge yourselves to your heart's content. Remember to check into your rooms at your earliest convenience, you will find that as much effort has been put into those as it has the rest of this wonderful luxury liner. I'm gonna hand the mic over to your captain now so please, relax and have fun" said the voice over the microphone, It sounded male.

It took only a moment for the voice over the speaker to change and it indeed, sounded like a captain.

"Greetings fine fellows, ye can call me Tusk, I be yer cap'n fer this trip ter Martyr Island. It brings me great pride ter be accepted fer this job and I hope ye all have a good time. We will be set'n sail very shortly now so prepare fer sudden movement beneath yer feet. We aint go'n on no cruise per say though, instead we be head'n straight fer the island. We should be there by tomorrow morning. So until then, enjoy yourselves, if ye aint, then ye be swim'n the rest o' the way there bwa ha ha ha. Nah, I kid but do have fun down there now. Cap'n Tusk, out" Announced the captain.

The announcement had garnered most of the attention on deck but the moment it had ended, Reggie's eager friends wasted no time to finally dive into the pool.

"It's about time you guys got in here, I was just about to get out and dry off. So, did you find your bracelet Tori?" asked Jasmine who had been in the pool the entire time.

"Yes I did… well, he did… hey, wait a minute, if you heard me why didn't you come help?" asked Tori sternly.

"I knew you'd find it. Besides, I thought you had it under control" said Jasmine.

"Tori never has anything under control" said Shelby.

"Hmph" Tori pouted.

"Hey Reggie, why haven't you gotten in yet?" Jasmine asked.

Remmie looked over to her and poked the water with his toe. The shift in temperature sent a chill up his spine and he pulled his foot back.

"Just jump in without thinking about it. You'll get used to it right away" said Shelby.

Reggie looked to her then to the pool before dunking his foot under which went a huge chill up his spine and caused him to retract is foot again. Suddenly he felt something bump him from behind sending him forward into the pool. Reggie immediately sank under water before swimming back up. As it was, Shelby was right, though he still had to see who it was that pushed him. As it was, the one who had pushed him was a human girl wearing a black t-shirt, a pair of cargo pants, and a pair of blue and white shoes. Her hair was brown with green bangs and she had a couple of piercing in her left ear.

Reggie's friends couldn't help but break into laughter at this along wit the girl who pushed him. Reggie simply ignored it and dove under water. The girl who had pushed him however proceeded to remove her outfit and reveal that she had her swimsuit on beneath it. She then dove in, in an attempt to make a splash that reached everyone. However, only Tori was close enough to be hit with it.

"Hey guys, how are you liking it so far?" the girl asked.

"It's awesome! I can't wait till we get going" said Shelby.

Just as she spoke however the horn of the ship sounded signaling that they were on their way.

"Woo hoo! Yes, I think I can say that at this moment, the trip has truly begun!" said the girl.

"Yea, definitely. So what's your name?" Shelby asked.

"Casey, yours?" the girl asked.

"Shelby, Tori, Stu, Jasmine, and Reggie" said Shelby pointing at the others respectively.

"Sweet, looks like I'll have someone to annoy on this trip after all" said Casey.

"Awe man, why is it me that everyone wants to annoy" said Shelby.

"Ha ha ha, people been bugging you all day or someth'n?" Casey asked.

"Well, no not really. Do you know anyone on this trip?" Shelby asked.

"Maybe. If I do I haven't seen them yet" said Casey.

The group swam around for a time engaging in occasional horseplay and diving off of the walls. One particular incident involved Shelby jumping in right on top of Stu. Of course, the Jigglypuff simply bounced off but left Stu stunned for a moment before he shook it off. Up on the bridge was Professor Baldwin staring out over the sea as the ship left port. After glancing at the ship's status he was addressed by Tusk.

"Wonderful aint it Baldwin? Sure it aint like take'n a fish's vessel out ter sea but there's a certain charm ter it wouldn't ya say?" Tusk asked.

Tusk was a pokemon, a Walrean to be exact. His fur was a maroon color and his eyes yellow with blue irises. His outfit consisted only of a black waistband around his flippers. One of the more striking features about him however was his left tusk which unlike the other, appeared to be made of some sort of ice.

"Hmm, well, I've never been on a vessel apart from research ones, the differences are quite remarkable, if a bit bothersome. Imagine the data we'd have if every ship carried even basic research equipment" said Baldwin.

"Wa ha ha, Research equipment on a luxury liner eh? Now wouldn't that be a hoot. I don't think the folks used ter take'n these things'd appreciate that" said Tusk.

"No no, perhaps they wouldn't. but you figure a ship this size could accommodate an area for such things without interfering with the passengers" Baldwin suggested.

"Well rich folks aint always partial ter such things. If it were me I'd have nets strapped all over this thing… ya know, it's funny, ere I am cap'n of a ship for the richest o' the rich yet I never took ter sail'n fer the sail'n. it be fer the adventure. Sail'n folks around aint so bad but feels a bit limited. Fortunately this be only a temporary job and I be free once we get back ter the island" Tusk explained.

"Yes… a lot of outside help for this event it seems" said Baldwin pondering.

"Hey Baldwin, there you are. Luio wanted me to ask you if you remembered to set everything up? This stuff's all new to her, even Trevor is a little confused by it" said a voice from behind.

"Oh my… hmm… yes I believe I calibrated everything before we hit port" said Baldwin without turning around.

"Oh, ok… yea, I seriously don't know why they need such elaborate set ups for a ship… but I guess I'm not the one in charge… oh, and she also wanted us to go check on the passengers in the ship. She's busy on deck right now" said the voice.

Baldwin stood still for a moment before turning. As it was, the one speaking to him was the blue clad creature who had been with Luio previously.

"Hmm, what is your name again?" Baldwin asked.

"You forgot again? Cleo" said the figure.

"Oh yes, Cleo… I should remember this as I know no other Poppy Bro's by that name. Alright then, said Baldwin leaving the bridge behind the Poppy Bro.

"Take care" said Tusk.

Cleo turned and waved her disembodied hand with a big smile as she and Baldwin left the bridge. The bridge appeared as one would expect, somewhat small but filled with the controls for the ship. Just outside of it however the practicality waned for the sake of luxury. Elaborate, high quality carpets, wallpaper, lights, and curtains adorned the halls. As it was, this section served as housing for bridge staff and thus wasn't as large as one may think. The two made their way down the stairs at the end of the hallway and ended up in a much larger one with people milling about. Although about half of the passengers still remained on the main deck there were still numerous guests milling about the area. Each of them seemed to be occupied with doing something. With flat mechanical device in spherical hand, Cleo made her way around to each of the guests taking names and marking them off.

Eventually they came across one that Baldwin recognized making her way down the hall. It was a silvery grey wolf dressed in a baggy black outfit consisting of sweat pants, a hooded sweat shirt, and pair of black shoes. Oh her hands were white bandages around the palm going all the way beneath the sleeves of her shirt. She was carrying a bag with her and staring at the pamphlet she had received upon boarding.

"Ah Feral, wonderful to see you how are you? Still avoiding everyone it seems" said Baldwin.

Feral looked to him and seemed a bit embarrassed at what he was saying. Cleo however took a look at the list and found Feral's name before checking it off.

"Alrighty, we're all set then. Hello Feral, you know Baldwin?" Cleo asked.

"Umm, yes" said Feral a bit reserved.

"Well it's good to meet ya, c'mon Baldwin, we've still got a lot of people to see to" said Cleo.

"Oh yes of course, Farewell Feral, see you when we get to land" said Baldwin before the two took off.

Feral stood around a bit awkwardly for a moment before continuing along her way. It was inevitable however that the two would come across some folks who almost seemed odd to be on the ship at all for example, the next person the group had come across was a strong looking make with blue hair. Clad in a set of blue armor with a red cape, he sat alone polishing his pauldrons.

"Good morning, Baldwin and I are making our rounds to confirm who is on the boat. Can I get your name?" Cleo asked.

"Ah, you are Ike correct leader of Greil Mercenaries correct. What might one such as you be doing here?" Baldwin asked.

"You know me? Yes, I'm Ike, to be honest, I wasn't going to come but my team insisted, practically forcing me to, said I needed a break. I'd much rather be back helping everyone but, well, here I am" said the man.

"I see, well, you're here so do enjoy yourself" said Baldwin.

"Hmm, yea, you too" said Ike returning to his business.

After a swim in the pool that continued on for longer than they had anticipated, Reggie and the group made their way out and dried off. By now the crowd on the deck had thinned out a bit as people had likely been going inside.

"Wow, it's been almost two hours already. I hope the trip doesn't go by this fast the whole time" said Shelby.

"Well, we still have plenty of time to check out the rest of the ship so it's not that bad" said Reggie.

Those who had actually worn a swimsuit, pretty much everyone except the Pokemon, took off to get changed turning to look back to shore Reggie could barely see the land shrinking in the distance. He couldn't help but start to feel a bit homesick, and question weather or not he brought everything he wanted to given the rush to get here. He knew it wouldn't matter though as it was far too late to go back. It even began to feel a bit exciting knowing that he couldn't go back. Instead, he was trapped to wherever this ship would take him, to a place he couldn't be familiar with.

"Hey Reggie, if you're done spacing out we're heading inside" said Shelby.

Reggie quickly snapped out of it and began to follow them inside. Immediately through the doors was a massive room filled with tables and counters containing various snack items. The décor consisted of gilded red carpets atop sleek marble floors, silvery walls, and elaborate red curtains along the ceiling, not to mention a massive glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was just as one may imagine a luxury liner to be. The group scoped out the room but the snacks seemed to be calling out to them. As such they wasted little time going for some and grabbing a table. As it was however, the table had already been occupied, evident from the filled plate and cup in front of one of the chairs, the first to sit down at it was Shelby followed by Tori, then Stu, then Jasmine, and finally, Reggie. It was moments later however, that the one who's table they intruded on returned to it. Instead of being bothered, the person sat down and prepared to chat.

The person in question was a fox with well kept green fur and a leather flight helmet complete with a pair of goggles that sat above her brow.

"Hey, that was quick, the people I was sitting with just left a few minutes before you came along. I was already starting to get lonely" said the fox.

"Really, well whaddya know. Who might you be?" Stu asked.

"I'm Lena, Lena Rickison, who are you guys?" the fox asked.

The group gave out their names again before the conversation returned to Lena's control.

"Well, good to meet you all. I take it you were all just in the pool?" Lena asked.

"Yep, I imagine we're not the only ones who came straight here afterwards then?" Shelby asked.

"Ha ha, nope, just about everyone has. I was gonna go for a swim but I thought I'd go ahead and to that later. I wanted to see my room" said Lena.

"Ooh, how are they?" Tori asked excitedly.

"They're great! So cool, if rich folk get to live like this all the time then I can't wait until I get there" said Lena.

"Get where?" asked another voice, one that was loud and growly.

Turning to see who it was it turned out to be Ragnarok making his way over to their table.

"You again?" Shelby asked.

"Yep, me again, you miss me?" Ragnarok asked.

"Err… you know him?" Tori asked feeling a bit awkward.

"Sorta, he's Ragnarok" said Shelby.

"Ha ha, that's right. Bring'n an end to the world. So, who're you foxy?" Ragnarok asked.

"Me? I'm Lena… nice to meet you?" she said a bit unsure.

"Likewise. Hey, any o' you guys seen a guy named Meta Knight around. I've gotta a joke to tell him that he probably won't laugh at, what a stick in the mud he is" said Ragnarok.

"Who's Meta Knight?" Shelby asked.

"Meh, looks like me, c'ept he's blue and dresses… kinda like that guy, you know, shiny armor and all that" said Ragnarok pointing to what appeared to be a human wearing a set of green armor with yellow trim.

As Ragnarok peered around the room he took notice of yet another person sitting alone at the far end of the room. His outfit consisted of a black three piece suit and a crimson tie. He himself was green eyed with a dark skin tone and a Fu Manchu style moustache.

"Heh, on the topic of making fun of people's clothes check out fancy pants over there. He don't look like the kind of guy who'd need an invitation to come here, heh, even people like that get stuff for free" said Ragnarok.

Elsewhere on the ship Baldwin and Cleo continued making their rounds, checking off people's names. As they did so they received a call over an earpiece from Luio explaining how she and Rebecca, referencing the Blissey, had tallied everyone on the deck. Baldwin and Cleo however were a bit behind, likely due to the elaborate interior taking so long to navigate.

"Cleo, if you would read me the names of the people we haven't checked off yet" said Baldwin.

"Well, let's see, there's Ness, Kai, Kawaiyami, Kirby, Blaze, Lucas, Draconis, Audia, Blightfire, John, Fang, Lee, Nagashino, Leo, Dean, Flint" Cleo listed before she was interrupted.

"You mention me?" asked a voice.

As it turned out the person who had spoken was a man that would remind anyone of a cowboy complete with brown hat, handlebar moustache, brown vest, red neckerchief, yellow shirt, brown pants, and brown work boots. At his side was a young blonde haired boy wearing a red and yellow striped shirt, wide legged blue shorts, and a pair of red and yellow shoes.

"Oh, maybe, who might you be?" Cleo asked.

"Flint, and this is my son Lucas" said the man.

"Flint and… Lucas, alright, you guys are checked off. Nice to meet you guys" said Cleo happily.

"Likewise ma'am" said Flint tipping his hat.

Cleo smiled and led Baldwin off.

"Well, I dunno, there's still some more on here but we'll get to them when we get to them" said Cleo.

They continued down the hall until something odd appeared in their path. The scene was Kalgante floating motionless in the air. Seeing this lead to the most bizarre stare from Cleo and Baldwin approaching him to inspect him. Afterwards Baldwin noticed a disc of some sort laying on the ground beneath him

"Ah" said Baldwin seeming to understand it.

Before he could explain it however they heard a voice from behind.

"So that's where he got to. Looks like this thing got what he deserved for take'n it" said the voice.

Cleo turned to see a man in what appeared to be an outfit with neon lights all over it. It was some sort of cloak with the lights being silver. He also wore a utility belt. his eyes were an electric blue color and his hair was short and silver.

"My yes, looks like a form of stasis" said Baldwin.

"Yep, you'd be right. I left my Identity Disc unguarded for a second and this little thing made off with it. Looks like he set it off too" said the man before retrieving his disc.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Cleo asked.

"Yea, should wear off in a moment" said the man.

"Oh wait! Before you go can I get your name for the list?" Cleo asked.

"Draconis" said the man before leaving.

"Draconis… kay, got it. Let's go" said Cleo.

Just as they turned they took notice of a small white creature with stubby limbs and a pair of large ears looking up at Kalgante.

"Kalgant-" she started to say before the stasis wore off and he landed on her.

Kalgante took a moment to regain his composure and shake off what had just happened. At this point, he realized he was on the white creature and got off.

"Whoops, sorry Kawaiyami" said Kalgante"

"What happened to you?" the white creature asked getting back up, using it's ears as legs.

"Well, I found a big cookie and when I went to eat it I started floating in the air" Kalgante explained.

Cleo couldn't help but giggle to herself.

"Ok, Kawaiyami. Mark that off Cleo and we can continue on" said Baldwin.

Kalgante and Kawaiyami simply watched as the two took off down the hall.

Back in the cafeteria, the group had finished eating and opted to use their time to explore more of the ship.

"So, the pamphlet we got says their's an exercise station up on mid deck, whaddya say we check it out?" Stu suggested.

"Work out, I wanted to see my room" Tori whined.

"Don't worry, I do too. Still, I kinda want to keep myself in suspense" said Shelby.

"But I'm tired of carrying around all this stuff, I think I've had enough of a workout already. C'mon, let's just go to our rooms" whined Tori.

As she finished he sentence Stu reached down and grabbed a couple of her bags.

"There you go, now, let's go" said Stu.

With little left to argue with Tori opted to go along with them. As with the rest of the ship, every area they entered seemed impressive and elaborate. Even now there were still numerous people present wherever they went, each of them still seemed excited as well. The same could be said for the group who despite some complications earlier were still just as lively as they had been when they arrived. Eventually the group came to the gym area. It had a large indoor section filled with exercise equipment, but it even extended to the deck which contained even more as well as a couple of climbing walls. One thing that drew the group's attention was an orange pokemon with a cream belly and flaming tail tip. Easily recognized as a Charizard. The real attention grabber of him however was the weights he was lifting, obviously designed for creatures such as himself though still impressive. They were simply enormous.

"Wow, you're a strong one" said Shelby cheerily.

The Charizard took notice of her and placed the weights on the ground.

"Heh, thanks, been trying to keep in shape. People at home always say I'm too lazy, but what do they know. Anyway, I need a break, I'll be see'n yas?" said the Charizard.

Stu was silent for a moment.

"Blight, yea I knew I recognized him somewhere" said Stu.

"You know him?" Shelby asked.

"Nah, I heard someone talking to him at the docks. Just seeing if I could remember what they called him" said Stu.

Only moments later did they take notice of something outside. A person on the climbing wall, nearing the top. Normally it wouldn't have been something worthy of note but as they neared the final rocks their hands slipped and they plummeted to the thick mats below.

"Ooh, that didn't look good" said Reggie.

In moments, the group raced out the door to check on the person who had fallen. Course, the fear came to a halt when the person sat up and looked at the wall.

"You alright?" Shelby asked.

The boy was fairly tall with hazel nut skin and short black hair. He wore a pair of black leggings, leather boots, red fingerless gloves, a red bandana, and a black t-shirt. He also had several noticeable burn marks on his skin and clothing. The boy sat for a minute and turned his head.

"Yep, I'm fine… but damn, almost there and my hands just slid right off, unbelievable… ah, whatever, I've hung out enough around here anyway. So who are you?" the boy asked.

The group again shared their names with the curious party.

"Alright, well, you can call me Pyro, and man, what a perfect name too. Anyway, what have you been up to?" the boy asked.

"Eh, a lot of swimming, we just ate and we were coming up here to see what it was like" said Shelby.

"Well, now you're here. I tell ya, this ship's got everything, first thing I did was eat, then came up here. Heck of a view too. Still, can't wait for tonight when they open the top deck. This trip's got me psyched!" said Pyro excitedly.

"Heh, you aint the only one. This who ship's full of people who just can't sit still" said Stu.

"Yea, I seen that. Well I'm gonna run. I've got some stuff I need to ditch so I guess I'll be see'n you around" said Pyro before taking off.

"Well, what are we gonna do. Wanna work out? Since we're here anyway" said Cleo.

"Hmm… nah, I'm good. I'm gonna go check out my room, might as well. I'll meet back up with you tonight at the top deck" said Reggie.

"Yea, I'm worn out enough as it is. I think I'll go take a nap. If I'm not at the top deck tonight then come wake me up. My room number is… C5" said Tori looking at the pamphlet she had received.

"Alright then, Stu, Jasmine, you in?" Shelby asked.

The two responded essentially with a yes while Tori and Reggie made their way to their respective rooms. At this point it was Reggie's first time by himself since he had gotten on the boat and the thoughts of the day were coming to him. Like this he realized that he was still a little bit unsure about this. He really only came along because Shelby had goaded him into doing it, his curiosity was only a secondary reason. The bottom line was that he simply was not prepared for something like this out of the blue. Reggie made his way into his room with his thoughts and shut the door behind him. As it was however, there was already somebody in here. A girl dressed in an orange long sleeved shirt, a pair of orange shorts, and dark orange shoes with a pair of long socks extending out of them. The girl herself had caramel colored skin with long choppy reddish brown hair and light orange eyes. The girl looked up to him with a stunned expression.

"Whoops, oh, I'm sorry. Is this your room, I'm in the wrong one aren't I?" the girl asked looking for her pamphlet.

Reggie scratched his head out of confusion and grabbed his own pamphlet. Checking the room number of C9 he was indeed in the right room. The writing beneath it however mentioned that some of the rooms mat be shared and if there was a problem with your bunkmate or mates, that you should bring it up with Luio.

"I dunno, we might be bunk mates" said Reggie.

"Oh, ok, sorry about that" said the girl after looking at her pamphlet.

"Err, yea. So who are you?" Reggie asked.

"Umm, Talim" said the girl.

"Alright, I'm Reggie" Reggie replied.

It was now that Reggie took the time to check out the room it was remarkable with even more décor than the hallways and a bit brighter too. Not only that but there was even a fish tank built into the wall alongside of a large television and several other luxuries you would have expected. Reggie also noticed three beds and plopped his stuff onto the one nearest to him. No sooner did he do that however did the door open again to allow entry of another person. This one, who appeared human, had light tan skin, brown eyes, and dark brown ponytailed hair with pointy bangs dyed purple and tipped with red and white. Her outfit consisted of a grey tunic, a pair of black shorts, tabi socks, and a red sash around her waist. She stopped and glaned at the other two in the room for a moment before she made her way over to the third and final empty bed to drop her stuff.

"So, you're gonna be my roommates for the night huh?" the girl asked.

"Umm, I guess so" said Talim a bit meekly.

"Looks like it. You'd think this ship had enough rooms to fit everyone individually" said Reggie.

"Some do I guess, course those are singles rooms anyway. I wouldn't think there'd be many of them on a cruise ship. So who are you two?" the girl asked.

Reggie and Talim both gave their names despite Talim being a bit hesitant.

"Reggie and Talim. Alright, I'm Kai. Either of you going to the top deck tonight?" the girl asked.

"Yea, I am, for a little bit anyway" said Reggie.

"Umm… well, I dunno" Talim replied.

"Why wouldn't you? We're only on the ship for one night so you only get one chance" said Kai.

"I know, but I'm just not much into parties" said Talim.

"Nobody said it was gonna be a party, I guess it kind of is but I don't think it's what you're thinking it is" said Kai.

Reggie watched as the conversation went mostly unconcerned about what Talim was going to do.

"Well, it's up to you. I'm just going to check it out, if you're at all curious you might want to do the same" Reggie suggested.

As the three conversed in their room, Tori had made her way to hers. This room also contained three beds and so far, Tori was the only one present. This room appeared much like the room Reggie was in aside from a few subtle changes. needless to say, Tori couldn't help but stare in wonderment at the room very impressed with it. Eventually her attention centered on the fish tank and she stared transfixed at it until she let out a yawn. She had come in here to take a nap after all. At this, she unloaded her belongings on the bed in the center of the room, poking through her bags to ensure that everything was accounted for. As she sealed them up again in preparation for her nap the door opened and left Tori a bit baffled. The person in question was some sort of green wolf like creature moving on two legs. He had brown spiky hair atop his head, wore a blue shirt, and a pair of white shorts. He immediately took notice of Tori and looked at his pamphlet. Sure enough, this was the right room.

"Just what are you doing barging into my room like that!" Tori scolded.

"Hey, calm down, this is my room too… apparently" said the wolf.

"Your room too? Wait, why? Shouldn't they have the boys and girls rooms separate?" Tori asked a bit annoyed.

"I don't know, it's as awkward for me as it is you" said the wolf.

As Tori argued with the wolf she noticed someone else standing just outside the room, just like the wolf and others had done before her, she was staring at the pamphlet, no doubt wondering if this was indeed her room.

"Yes, You're probably at the right place. It looks like their grouping people together" said Tori to the girl in the door.

The girl had long blonde hair highlighted in purple nearing her waist as well as a green tunic and matching outfit. Her eyes were purple and her skin, or what showed of it aside from the face bore a series of irregular markings.

"Oh, well, ok. Thanks, it was a bit confusing seeing you two here. So who are you?" the girl asked.

"I'm Dean" said the wolf.

"I'm Tori, now who are you?" Tori asked.

"I'm Juni, nice to meet the two of you. So, I guess we're gonna be roommates then" said the girl.

"Looks like it, oh well, so long as neither of you snore then I haven't got any problems… hmm, I was going to take a nap before tonight but it looks like that just aint gonna happen" said Tori.

The two set up their belonging upon the beds on either side of Tori's and the three conversed. As the daylight began to fade and the excitement of the trip began to die down only to be replaced by anticipation for the night, Baldwin and Cleo continued to tally names after having taken care of most of them.

"Ah, there you two are. My headset died so I had to search around for you. How's it going?" Luio asked approaching Baldwin and Cleo in the hallway.

"So far so good. Only a few more names it looks like" said Cleo looking at the pad.

"Hmm, well I did see some on my way in, couldn't mar any off thanks to Rebecca having our pad. Let's see now" said Luio taking the pad from Cleo.

"Ah, here's one I noticed Nagashino leaving the lobby with a small entourage of guards with him. Pretty unmistakable he is" said Luio.

"Nagashino? Oh yea, that was the guy in the black suit. I seen him at the port. I should've remembered him" said Cleo.

As they stood there, and just before moving on , somebody else made their way down the hall. One would recognize him as the person Ragnarok pointed out wearing the green armor. Of course, now would offer the opportunity to inspect his featured further such as his spiky black hair, green eyes, and light skin tone. After observing him for a moment the trio realized that they hadn't taken his name yet and approached him. Upon this the boy couldn't help but stop and look down at them.

"Excuse me sir but I don't believe we've gotten your name" said Cleo.

"Hmm? Oh, Luio right? From the docks. The name's Zane" said the boy recognizing Luio.

"Yep, that'd be me. Just going along seeing who we have on board. We've got another ship stopping by to pick up anyone who missed this one so it's useful information to know" said Luio.

"I can see why. You three take care now" said Zane continuing along his way.

"Luio, there you are. You don't happen to have another copy of that pamphlet do you. I think I might've lost mine" said another voice.

The person approached them from the front. It appeared to be a wolf with white fur and yellow eyes, clad in a blue shirt, black jacket, brown jeans, and a pair of red sneakers.

"Oh, yes, well I don't have any copies on me… but I can give you any information you need. What is your name?" Luio asked.

"Fang. I just need my room number" said the wolf.

"Ok, just a moment… Fang… alright then. I've checked you off and your room is A12. Need anything else" Luio asked.

"Nah, that's it. Thanks" said Fang before taking off.

"Hmm, well this was convenient. You think if we just stand here the rest of the people will come to us?" Cleo asked.

"Ha ha, not a bad thought but I don't think we'd get so lucky. Come on now. Let's try to get this done before it gets dark" said Luio.

The group continued on to take names though the numbers had grown much slimmer now and they continuously ran into people who's names had already been taken. Meanwhile, Shelby, Stu, and Jasmine had had their fill of exercise and were quite worn out.

"Oh no, I don't think we should have spent so much time here, it's almost dark and I'm already getting tired. The top deck isn't even open yet" Shelby complained.

"Well, we should still be able to make it. Just drop our stuff of and get ready to climb some stairs… well, you could probably just float up there if you wanted to" said Jasmine.

Shelby looked up to the top deck, from here she couldn't see anything that was atop it but that only seemed to deepen the intrigue.

"Well, we should probably get ready now you three. Not sure how much time we've got before it starts" said Stu.

"No objections here, c'mon" said Shelby beckoning for the two to follow her.

As they returned into the ship however, the gym that had previously had a significant number of people in it now contained only a single person. A long orange haired man with blue eyes and dressed in a leather jacket that was open in the front to reveal a white tank top. He also wore a pair of ripped jeans and a pair of vans. An unusual feature about him however was the long red reptilian tail that extended from his back and was tipped with silvery spikes.

"Umm, excuse me. Just to let you know that if you want to go to the party it's almost started" said Shelby.

"Yea, I know" grunted the man as he lifted weights on the bench press, shortly before he put them down.

"Oh, ok, just making sure, you know. In case you forgot.

"Yea, I hear ya. Man, you two have been out there for a while, I almost thought that you might have forgotten, ah well. Name's Lee by the way, who are you" the man asked.

Yet again the trio shared their names.

"Alright, well then. See you at the party" said the man.

Eventually the gym emptied and the group split up to go their own separate ways. Shelby made her way to her own room and just like Reggie and Tori before her, marveled at it. Unlike them however, she immediately left after dropping her things onto her bed. As it was, she was not the only one on their way to the top deck, instead, the halls were filled with people all moving towards the same destination. Fortunately the wide stairs that lead further up the ship prevented any sort of traffic jam and movement was easy. As she ascended, Shelby couldn't help but gawk at the hallways on the way up. each one looked the same for the most part aside from them growing smaller as they rose. Eventually she made it to the large doors that lead to the top deck and in Shelby's opinion, it was well worth the wait.

The set up of the top deck was a bit different than the rest of the ship, the main deck may have given a tropical feel but the top felt like a luau with tiki torches in place as well as an oddly shaped pool with a juice bar in the center of it. There was music playing as well as a dance floor, not to mention a hot tub visible at the far end of the deck. Still, most people seemed to be enjoying the pool and the drinks. Shelby however was set on searching for Tori and Reggie, without them, it just wouldn't feel complete. Instead of searching through the crowds of people, Shelby opted to ask if anyone happened to see them. As it happened, the first person she approached was talking with somebody else. One was a redhead who's hair fell into ringlets. She was fairly tall and her blue grey eyes shone through her blue frameless glasses. Her outfit was that of a blue and green argyle sweater over a green long sleeved t-shirt, a pair of khaki pants, and a pair of black flats. Her conversation partner was another human, a tall one with a muscular build and shaggy white hair. His outfit was a red sweater under a black jacket along with a pair of black dress pants and shoes.

"Excuse me, but you haven't seen a Pikachu wearing a green scarf or a Toadette all dressed in blue did you?" Shelby asked to the woman.

"A pikachu and a toadette… no, none that were wearing anything like that. You didn't see them, did you Leo?" the girl asked.

"Ah Blaze, always shoving the problems into my hands. Nah, nope I haven't seen them either, sorry about that" said the man.

"Oh, it's alright, I'll find them eventually" said Shelby.

As Shelby asked this duo for information, Reggie and Tori happened to be doing the same, this time to a different girl, one with brown hair and a tattoo beneath her left eye as well as a yin yang on her left arm. She wore a striped shirt with a pair of orange short shorts, a pair of long socks that extended past her knees, a pair of long white boots, a pair of striped gloves, and a heart pendant.

"So you're sure you didn't see her Kami?" Tori asked.

Kami fell silent, thinking to herself. That was before she peered around the area. It was now that she noticed the Jigglypuff that had been described to her talking with people at one of the bars.

"Wait, is that her?" Kami asked pointing out over the crowd.

When Tori and Reggie looked they found that it was indeed Shelby.

"Hey! Shelby, over here!" Tori shouted.

Shelby could barely make out what was being said but seemed to recognize the voice. Turning to look she smiled and hurried over to Tori and Reggie.

"Wheiw, there you two are. I thought I'd have to spend the whole night looking for you" said Shelby.

"Well I'm glad we could find you. Thank you Kami, you were a big help" said Tori.

"Oh, it was no problem. Hey, you guys wanna use the hot tub? Before it get's full that is" Kami suggested.

And so, the night went off extremely well, the trio spent most of the night bantering with Kami as well as each other. It was on occasion that they'd run into one of their friends they met on the boat but most of the night was just them. The lack of alcohol was a bit off-putting to some but for the group, it was just fine. Eventually the night had to come to an end and the group split up, making their way to their respective rooms. When Shelby found her room she was surprised to see people in it. One was a grey wolf who had already fallen asleep. The other was Kalgante who sat quietly staring at the TV.

"Hmm, what's going on?" Shelby asked.

Kalgante's ears perked up and he turned his head to her.

"Oh, hello. We're roommates… well, I didn't want to stay in my room so I cam here. It's just Feral and you" said Kalgante.

"Oh, well, that's fine I guess" said Shelby with a yawn.

"Ok, did you have fun?" Kalgante asked.

"Huh? Oh yea, loads. This has been a great trip so far and it's only been one day. But you know, I'm pretty beat. So much to do with so little time to do it" said Shelby.

"Oh. Yea, we should be at the island by morning. It's great there" so are you going to sleep?" Kalgante asked.

"Yea, I might as well" said Shelby making her way to her bed and hopping in.

"Ok then. Goodnight" said Kalgante who returned his attention to the TV.

Laying in bed, Shelby let the thoughts of tomorrow seep into her head, in fact, that was very much like how Reggie, Tori, and several others brought sleep to themselves tonight as well. They got a taste for things today but what would tomorrow bring? What awaited them in the days that would follow? Despite the excitement the thoughts brought comfort to the guests and one by one they had all fallen asleep in anticipation for the dawn.

[Well, finally finished, it was tough trying to find places to fit in every single character but there it is. So you know, the way I introduced characters has nothing to do with their part in the story, if your character only got a brief appearance don't worry about it, there's still a lot more story to go. That said, be sure to let me know how I did with your characters. Also, I will be adding more cannon characters to the story as it progresses so don't worry if you didn't see many. As for some of the other characters, Kami, Kawaiyami, Casey, and Kalgante (my own), are all from a group of mine on Deviant art. Speaking of deviant art, I may offer to draw your characters some time in the future when I'm not so busy. I also included a couple of my own OC's such as Baldwin and Ragnarok. Anyway, that's all for now. Let me know what you thought, farewell, and I shall see you in chapter 3!]