•
Chapter 1

"I want to be brave..."

It was a dark and stormy night. At least, it seemed a lot like it. It was actually midday, with the time barely reaching past noon. The skies, once as clear as crystal and blue as the ocean, was covered by an enormous layer of storm clouds. Following that, the usual soft, gentle breeze had intensified into a vicious squall, threatening to carry away anything that wasn't heavy enough to avoid its windy clutches. Finally, and worst of all, the bright golden sun, warm and calming, was replaced by an unceasing rainstorm. What would've been a wonderful day was transformed into an icy, windy and horrible nightmare.

I sprinted down the empty, rainy streets of Treasure Town. It's strange. Just a few hours ago, the entire town was loud and bustling. The streets were filled to the brim with lively cheer and happy activity. Now, it's just cold and lonely. Once the storm had reared its ugly head, everyone in town quickly packed and rushed for shelter.

The town was being ravaged by the storm. A lot of random objects were being picked up by the rampant winds. Stuff like wooden chairs, signs and even tables were flying around the streets, crashing into walls and knocking into other objects and flinging those off into the air too. It was a terrifying mess.

It took every single drop of willpower I had to push myself forward, step by step. Every second, with every single step I took, I felt like I was going to break down on the spot and start crying. Every nerve in my body was shouting at me, telling me to stop and hide. To give up on this foolish task and just go home.

But my gut refused. I wanted to cry, I wanted to run away and forget this entire thing. But... deep inside me, I knew I would never forgive myself if I just gave up. It was my cowardice that put myself in to this situation, it was all because of I just wasn't brave enough to defend myself..

"It's an Eevee! The footprint is a female Eevee's!"

Startled, the small fox-like creature leapt off the wooden grille she was standing on. The Eevee nervously searched for the source of the voice, looking to her left and right with a panicky look on her face. All she could see around her, however, was a pair of large, burning braziers, totem poles with the features of several different Pokémon carved into the wood, and a couple of dry-looking bushes. Everything else around her was the edge of a cliff and a breathtaking panoramic view of the early morning horizon.

However, most striking of all, was the massive tent that stood imposingly in front of her. The Eevee timidly looked up at the entrance of the tent. The top of the canvassed building was painted pink, and had two holes placed next to each other in such a way that it resembled a pair of eyes. Furthermore, several large strips of pink canvas were attached to the sides of the tent in such a fashion that it looked like arms and ears. Underneath the garishly pink top however, was an unfriendly-looking gate that was made out of thick dark wood.

The Eevee quivered as she stared at the tent. She slowly took a few steps back from the large gate and collapsed onto the dirt road.

"I...I guess I really couldn't do it..." She whimpered sadly, "Today...I thought today was my day..."

She removed the tiny bag that was slung around her body with her mouth and despondently pulled the flap open and took out what was inside.

"I even brought my precious treasure with me this time..."

In her hands was a small, odd-looking rock. From underneath, it looked like any other old mundane rock. However, the top of the rock was almost completely flat and smooth. The surface was extremely well-polished, almost glass-like in texture. What made the stone odd though was a series of strange, ornate patterns that adorned the smooth side of the rock.

The patterns were made up of a series of white colored swirls that coalesced into a tiny perfect circle in the center. Furthermore, a couple of large, block-like designs protruded out of the circle and stretched towards the edge of the rock, where they stopped just short of where the surface ends. It was a beautiful, yet mysterious work of art.

The Eevee sighed and gently laid her paw on top of her precious treasure. A small tear fell from her face and landed on the surface of the rock.

"I h-had hoped that..." She said, choking a little as she softly cried, "I was just a little braver..."

"Just a l-little bit of c-courage was all I wanted..." The Eevee said softly as she wiped the tear off the rock, "But...I'm just too much of a coward."

The Eevee scooped her little rock back into her bag and replaced it around her body. She took one more look at the tent's imposing entrance. She gulped and slowly got back onto her feet.

"I guess I'll come back tomorrow..." She mumbled despondently, "I don't want to give up..."

She wiped her face and silently walked away with her head hanging down.

"...meh, heh, heh..."

"...whoa, hoh, hoh..."

Two creepy laughs floated through the air as the Eevee exited the area. From behind one of the large braziers, two Pokémon came out from hiding. One was a small, blue bat-like creature. It perched itself on its partner, which looked somewhat like a very lumpy ball with had a skull tattooed on it.

"Meh, heh. Did'ja hear that Koffing?" Said the bat, "That little crybaby said that she had a precious treasure, didn't she? Meh, heh."

"Whoa, hoh, she did, Zubat." Koffing replied, smiling widely, "Whadd'ya say we go and find out what this treasure is? Hoh, hoh."

"You read my mind, meh, heh, heh..."

"Whoa, hoh, hoh..."

The two Pokémon grinned mischievously and silently floated off toward the crying Eevee.

I quickly skidded to a stop when I saw them. I recognized the two immediately, the one that looked like a tiny, flapping bat and his partner that resembled a beach ball that was left outside for far too long. The two of them looked like they were arguing with each other on the beach. The beach ball had my bag slung around his...head and was trying to float toward the town while the bat had grabbed onto the strap with his mouth and was trying to flap towards the other direction.

"Meh, heh, heh! I'm telling you! We should go this way and hide in the Beach Cave until it all blows over!" The bat shouted at his partner. An amazing feat, considering that he was also pulling the bag with his mouth.

"And I'm telling you," The beach ball shouted in response, "that we should go back to the boss! The boss'll be annoyed if we're gone for too long, hoh, hoh!"

"I don't wanna get blasted away by the wind while trying to go back!"

"And I don't wanna get yelled at by the boss!"

They kept tugging at my bag even though the storm was raging around them. I flinched as a large wave crashed against the beach, spraying me with sea foam and water. When I reopened my eyes, the two of them were still there and still arguing over the bag. They didn't even realize I was standing right here, watching them struggle.

I wanted to just run up and snatch my bag back. My precious treasure was inside it, after all. But as I imagined myself moving forward, my body hesitated. I felt my insides turn ice cold as fear overtook my senses. I tried to move, but it felt like my legs had become as heavy as concrete pillars.

I cursed my cowardice. Right in front of me were the two baddies that stole my precious treasure, and I couldn't even muster the courage to confront them. I grit my teeth and tried to dredge up as much bravery as I could, but it was as if my entire reservoir of courage had run dry. I wanted to move, I wanted to retrieve my treasure, but...

"I'm just too much of a coward... If I were just a little braver..."

Suddenly, everything vanished. A spontaneous white flash of light wiped everything away from my vision. I quickly closed my eyes, but the searing brightness still shone through my eyelids.

"Whoa, ho, hooooooo?!"

"Meeeeh?!"

"Eeek!"

We all screamed at the same time as the unexpected flash hit. Then, right as I was recovering from the light, an earsplitting sound exploded around us. It was as if hundreds of Voltorb and Electrode exploded at the same time! The sound was so deafening, I nearly fainted on the spot.

When I recovered from the shock, the first thing I saw was the thieving pair lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Between the two of them was my bag, the strap was torn into two pieces. They must have ended up tearing it apart during the chaos.

I gasped when I saw that the flap on my bag had fluttered open. My precious treasure had flown out and was half buried in the wet sand.

'Now's my chance', I thought, 'The two of them were still dazed from the explosion and unable to move. If I can run over there and snag my items now, I can get away without any trouble!'

I shakily stood up on my legs, pulling myself out of the beach. Shakily, I psyched myself up to make a dash over to the fallen items. I ducked my head down and kicked off the sand.

"Yeee-aaaah!"

I tripped. I yelped as my entire body flipped forwards into the air. I spun forward, screaming incoherently, and crashed back down onto the sand, face first.

"Ouch!"

I tried to pull myself out of the wet sand, but it was futile. My aching and freezing body immediately collapsed back onto the sand, and would move no more. All my fear, combined with all the running I did earlier must've finally caught up with me. My heart began to beat rapidly as I glanced up ahead. My bag and my treasure were right there, almost within reach!

'Just a little more,' I prayed, 'just a little more and I can do this!'

"Uuuurgh..."

My heart froze for a second when I heard a moaning noise from beside me. My eyes darted to my right. The gassy beach ball had begun to stir! I desperately tried to move, but my body was still as stiff as a board.

"Whoa...ho...ho..." He had a dazed, confused look on his face as he began to slowly levitate back up into the air. He turned around a few times, trying to get his bearings straight before his eyes locked directly on my prone body. A sickening smirk appeared on his face when he finally managed to refocus his thoughts.

"Well if it isn't the crybaby from town! I didn't think you had the guts to come chasing after us in this storm, whoa, ho, ho!"

I gave him the angriest glare I could muster, but he simply chortled and ignored me. He floated over to his still-unconscious partner and nudged him awake.

"Hey Zubat! Wake up and take a look at who decided to show up!" The gas ball said in a jovial tone.

"Meeeeh...heh?"

Zubat, finally roused and awake, awkwardly flapped his wings to fly back up into the air. He looked around to find out what his partner was talking about, before his gaze finally settled on my limp body.

"Meh, heh, heh! You're right, Koffing!" He said after making a shrill, annoying - sounding laugh, "It's the little wimp! What's the matter little Eevee? Too scared to move?"

"Aaa..ghh.." I tried to respond, but my mouth only made weird, gurgling noises at them. The two of them began to laugh nastily at my helplessness.

"Looks like you're still just a big coward, meh, heh, heh." Zubat said, mockingly, "Don't worry though, we'll take good care of your treasure for you! Meh, heh, heh!"

He swooped down and snagged my treasure with his teeth. With a swift flick of his mouth, he flung it into the air and it landed on Koffing, where it balanced precariously on the top of his head. Zubat then began to move away, towards the other side of the beach.

"We're going to hide in the cave, Koffing." Zubat shouted bluntly, "I don't care if the boss gets mad at us, I don't wanna get fried by that lightning!"

"Whoa, hoh, hoh!" Koffing chortled, "But what do we do with wimpy limpy here?"

Zubat turned and glanced at me. He sneered.

"Just leave her there, I'm sure someone will find her eventually."

"Cruel to the bone, Zubat. Whoa, hoh, hoh!"

"W-wait...!" I cried out, but my words fell on deaf ears. The two of them had already turned their backs and left for the other side of the beach. I desperately tried to move, but my body refused to budge even an inch.

To add insult to injury, another large wave came crashing down on the beach right then, spraying me with freezing seawater. I shivered as I felt a long, slimy strand of seaweed slip over my body as the wave receded.

Thankfully, I was just high enough on the beach to avoid being dragged away into the ocean by the waves. But that thought gave me little consolation as I laid on the wet beach, moaning and trembling from the cold.

With nothing I could do, and no one around to help me, I could feel nothing but despair. I closed my eyes and began to cry.

Eventually, I cried myself to unconsciousness...

I do not know how many hours had passed before I finally woke up. My body was aching, freezing, and above all else, tired. I shivered as I shakily got back on my feet and shook the seawater off my fur. I looked around to see if anything had happened since I fell asleep.

The storm had passed. The dark, thunderous clouds had finally parted, revealing the long-awaited sun. The entire beach was enveloped in a beautiful shade of orange as the sun slowly moved below the ocean. The rough sea was now calm and serene, a picturesque carpet of blue that stretched out into the horizon.

Everything around me was covered in debris and other refuse from the ocean. Piles of seaweed, chunks of driftwood and the occasional glass bottle littered the sand, making the once pristine beach look like a soggy garbage dump.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a few red creatures scuttling out of their hidey-holes and cautiously peeking around the rocky outcroppings that surrounded the beach. The Krabby, once they were sure that the danger had passed, began to fill up the cliffside in droves. Then, once they were all in place, every single Krabby turned to face the ocean.

One by one, the Krabby began to blow small, glistering bubbles out of their mouths. The bubbles floated towards the sun, reflecting the orange rays off their glistening forms onto the ocean and the beach. Soon, the entire beach was filled with hundreds of beautiful, marble-like bubbles floating in the air, shining rainbow colored lights all over the ocean.

"Wow..." It was a breathtaking sight. I watched as the flickering lights dance all over the ocean, making the water sparkle like a field of jewels. All the little nooks and crannies around the rocky beach was now brightly lit by the reflecting lights. Even the beach, with all it's junk and garbage lying around, looked absolutely magnificent during this spectacle.

I walked over to the edge of the ocean. The water gently splashed against my feet as I looked down into the sea at my reflection. I looked like a mess. My eyes were puffy and red from crying all day, my fur was matted and wet and a few strands of seaweed was draped around my neck like a bad scarf. I shook off the seaweed and tried to clean up my fur as much as I could, but the saltiness of the seawater prevented me from using my tongue.

I watched the bubbles float lazily towards the sun as I sat on the sand. I let the sun's warmth slowly melt the icy feeling inside me while the rolling waves caressed my sore legs. I could feel my prior sadness slowly fading away as I watched this relaxing scene. For the first time in hours, I felt my face curl up into a smile.

"It's so beautiful," I mumbled contentedly to myself. I moved my head slightly to try and make it more comfortable, I saw my bag lying in the distance. It was half submerged in the seawater, desperately hanging on to an upright piece of driftwood that was stuck in the sand. Its now useless straps were flapping in the wind like a pair of tiny wings.

I got up from my comfortable spot and walked over to my bag. The flap was open and all that was left inside was a few berries. Of course, my precious treasure was still missing. A pang of regret struck me as I stared sadly at the empty bag. Sadness and frustration washed over me as I pulled the bag off the piece of wood.

"If there's one thing I wish," I said to nobody as I stared out into the ocean, "I wish I could become...just a little braver."

"I'm tired of being a coward. I'm tired of crying and feeling bad for myself whenever I get scared. I want to...I want to be stronger, I want to be brave."

"Maybe it's impossible for me." I chuckled mirthlessly at my words.

"But...I don't want to give up."

I looked inside my bag and pulled out a small, white object. It was an old, broken badge. One side of the badge was completely shattered into pieces, and the jewel that was set in the center was missing. I held it up into sky, letting it reflect the sunlight off it's shiny surface.

"One day, I want to become an Explorer." I felt tears escaping my eyes again as I gazed longingly at the old badge, "I want to wear a badge like this, and call myself a real Explorer..."

I laughed humorlessly and let the badge slip from my paws. It landed in the sand, where it glowed dully in the sunset. I hung my head down and sobbed silently to myself. I knew, in my heart, that no matter how much I try to cheer myself up, I would always be too afraid, too scared to follow my dreams. What happened today was proof of that.

Angry at myself, I picked up the badge again and threw it as hard as I could towards the ocean. It sparkled in the sunlight as it traveled through the air before eventually disappearing into the sea with a tiny splash. I panted as I stared at where the badge had vanished. I reached into my bag again and pulled out an Oran Berry and prepared to toss it as well.

But then, something caught my attention. A small blue Pokémon was floating out in the ocean, near where my badge landed. It looked unconscious and was clinging desperately on a piece of driftwood. From where I was standing, I couldn't quite make out what kind of Pokémon it was.

Maybe it was because sense of worry overwrote my fear, because I suddenly found myself halfway in the middle of the ocean, paddling as hard as I could to reach the unconscious Pokémon. After a few seconds of frantic splashing, I reached the piece of driftwood that it was hanging on to. I took a quick cursory look at the Pokémon. It wasn't anyone I recognized from Treasure Town.

I couldn't quite tell if it was a boy or a girl. It was blue, and had a black mask-like marking that covered its face. It had a long snout and a pair of pointy ears. It was clutching onto the driftwood with two long arms, which had strange white bumps on the backs of them. The rest of its body was underwater, so I couldn't tell quite well what it looked like.

I shook my head. This isn't the time to be ogling. I wedged myself between the piece of driftwood and the Pokémon and transferred its grip onto my body. It was surprisingly light. As a result, I managed to paddle the both of us back to shore safely with little difficulty.

When I reached solid land, I quickly laid the Pokémon down in a dry part of the beach. I placed my head against its chest, trying to hear its heartbeat. To my great relief, it was still beating. It sounded slow and weak, but it was there. I quickly ran over to my bag and dragged it over with my mouth. I really wish those two didn't tear the strap, it was a little frustrating to have to pull it everywhere like this. I reached inside and withdrew the Oran Berry from earlier and held it in my mouth.

I glanced around the unconscious Pokémon's body, trying to figure out where its mouth was. With my paw, I pushed up its nose.

"Aha!" Finding its mouth, I opened it and shoved the berry inside. All it did, however, was give the Pokémon a chubby-looking face. Feeling foolish, I realized there was no way it would be able to chew while asleep. I opened its mouth again and retrieved the berry.

"Um..." I racked my brain as to how to do this correctly. Suddenly, I had a bright idea!

"Hold on, okay? I'll be right back." I assured the unconscious Pokémon and ran off.

I looked around the beach, searching for anything I could use. I pulled apart piles of debris and seaweed all over the beach. Then, lying there sparkling in the sand, I found one.

"Yes!" I pulled the small glass bottle out of the sand. Luckily, it was still in one piece. I peered into the mouth and found that it was nice and empty. Taking the Oran Berry, I placed it on top of the bottle's tiny mouth and squeezed as hard hard as I can. My efforts were rewarded when the purple juice from the berry began to flow into the glass bottle.

When the berry was completely squeezed dry, I carefully picked up the bottle with my teeth and brought it back to the unconscious Pokémon.

"Okay, here goes nothing..." I cradled the Pokémon's head carefully and placed the bottle against its mouth. I tilted the bottle so the juice would flow out of the bottle. I could see the juice slowly draining from the bottle.

Once the entire bottle was empty, I placed it into my bag and worriedly watched for any movement from the Pokémon.

After a few heart pounding minutes, the Pokémon began to cough. Seawater and Oran Berry juice flew out of its mouth as it gasped for air.

"Urrgh..."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me as the Pokémon slowly sat up. It opened its eyes, revealing a pair of bright red pupils. It looked around with a dazed expression on its face.

"W...where...?" It said. Its voice sounded shaky, but it was undoubtedly the voice of a male, "Where am I...?"

"H-hello! Are you feeling okay?" I quickly replied, feeling a little shy and foolish. He turned around and faced me, staring at me with his crimson red eyes.

"I'm okay...I think." He said, shaking his head a little, "Who are you?"

"I'm..." I replied. I paused for a second. Should I give him my name? I don't even know who he is. But, as I looked at him, I felt a strange emotion inside of me. Maybe, I thought, maybe I could trust him with something important like my name.

I raised up a paw to my chest and sincerely stated, "I'm.. Fée."

"Fée... Fée..." He repeated my name a few times, as if he was trying to memorize it.

"Um... if you don't mind me asking..." I said, snapping him out of his trance, "who are you?"

He deliberated for a moment, closing his eyes and turning away from me as if he was deep in thought. After a few seconds of silence, he shook his head and faced me again.

"I don't know... do you know who I am?"