Alright, how was the group going to manage making it all the way to the 2nd gym of Hoenn anyway. It was across the bloody sea! Looking over at Kibbles, Kat didn't admire her chances of staying afloat if she taught him to surf. So...how. Maybe she could make a raft and have Kibbles pull it along. It could work, she guessed. So she asked around for some wood and rope, which thankfully the poke center had rope for her to borrow and an axe to cut down some logs from the forest. Then she headed back onto route 4 and crafted the boat with the help of her team.

"Kibbles, tightened the logs closer together. Wouldn't want the water to steep through," she commented, the water type Pokemon nodded his head as he pulled the logs closer together with his newfound strength in his larger form. "That's good enough, Dawn," she commented to the psychic type, who had been struggling - but managing - to levitate the logs over as Buttons bounced behind her - holding the axe between her ears. Surprisingly, the Pokemon had excellent grip with those appendages and she was at no risk of being hurt. The last member of the group, Glimmer, was slices pieces of rope with her Air Slash.

After enough pieces and rope were secured into place, the base was ready. So with some struggle, Katherine was able to make a mast out of the last piece of wood and some cloth that she used as bedding when they camped outside if they weren't near to a poke center. After that, she got Kibbles and Buttons to push it into the ocean with their respective strong appendages - Kibbles' large front-feet and Buttons' ears. Then she grabbed it and tied a piece of rope to the mast that was also tied cautiously around Kibbles for pulling the raft along. It seemed sturdy enough, she decided before calling the other Pokemon over.

After everyone was settled down, Glimmer resting on her trainer's head as she looked nervously at the water below her. However, Katherine didn't really notice as she told her 'starter' Pokemon to begin moving the raft so they could get on the move to Dewford island. "Alright, whilst we've moving. Lets think up strategies for the gym. It's a fighting gym based on my research," she scanned over the pokedex. "So, best bets would be Glimmer and Dawn," though a wisp of a frown appeared on her face as she looked at her beloved pet/friend. "Do you think you have enough control?"

"Espy espeon eon eon (I'll manage, plus I could always learn Dazzling Gleam)," there was a nod as she pawed at the pokedex to show the move she mentioned as a hue of a smile appeared amongst her purple fur. Katherine nodded at this, knowing that she'd need some time training when they reached the island anyway. She wanted to visit Granite Cave anyway, as it would be a great place to train for Brawly's tendencies to make his gym super dark as a challenge. Maybe she could teach Glimmer Flash in the process, it would certainly come in handy as a defensive strategy.

"Emolga...emol...(Kat, I'm scared...)" said Pokemon cried from her location on her trainer's head, the group had drifted quite far from the main land now and had arrived in the middle of the ocean. There was no turning back, Glimmer knew that. But the water unnerved and unsettled her, like she knew she would fall into it and potential drown. Noticing her Pokemon's discomfort, Kat took her into her arms and held her close in attempt to comfort her.

"Do you want to go back into your poke ball," she grasped the love ball tightly, looking down at the young Pokemon with worried eyes. Sometimes, she wanted to know the true depth of Glimmer's past. Why didn't she trust water, you think she would be brave and proud over the water territory as she could easily dominate the water types with her electric typing. Yet, here she was, cowering like a baby that had been separated from its mother in a shopping center. But at the same time, she didn't want to really know as she knew it must have been traumatizing and harsh to force this poor Pokemon into this mentally crippled - not even mentioning the devastating rips on her wings - state.

Eventually, she recieved a low moan and whine that she couldn't translate well. Looking at Dawn, her confusion seemed to get through to the psychic type. Since the psychic type was able to translate words well, even without her telepathy that her species and type were known for, she ripped some of Kat's note paper and began to write. Much like how Buttons was able to read, Dawn was capable of writing. A trick that Kat had taught her in her various attempts to help the psychic type prove her worth to her father. None of it ever worked, to him; a psychic type without its psychic powers was worthless in this world. Kat read the note when the Espeon finished. "So she said 'no'?...Does she want to be brave perhaps," she looked down at the whimpering Pokemon, there was a hint of bravery there - especially a second later when she pushed away the love ball. "That's the spirit, just don't overdo it. Alright?"

After a minute, Glimmer managed to pull herself away from Katherine's embrace and slowly walked over to Buttons - the deaf Pokemon was sat to the side and casually freezing her ears with her ice beam (Author's note: Last chapter I accidentally gave Buttons' Icy Wind, this was a mistake as Buneary cannot learn this move. So lets pretend that she learnt Ice Beam). Maybe she was trying out if she could manage Ice Punch again. Who knows with that Pokemon most of the time. But the ice punch attempts to proven when she began to punch forward with the power of her Drain Punch once again, so was she attempting to master Ice Punch? But it didn't seem like the actual move, but rather Drain Punch with the freeze effect that Buttons' iced ears could give.

"Emol emolga? (Why you freeze your ears?)," the young electric/flying type asked, she was still knew to the ground and wasn't quite accustomed to the fact that Buttons wasn't capable of hearing her. The smart Pokemon turned to her friend, seeing the curiosity in her eyes and tried to figure out what she was asking without being able to understand it.

"Bwun...bwun (Um...uh...)," there was panic in her ruby eyes as she stared down at her blue eyed friend, the Emolga looked so keen to find out why she froze her ears and yet Buttons didn't even know what the question was. "Bwunary bwun! (Dwawn, help!)," she eventually yelped out, calling for the Espeon. The psychic type turned back, sighing and writing what Glimmer had asked on a piece of paper.

"Bwun...(Oh...)," the Buneary seemed deep in thought for a second before managing to get out another raspy line of. "Bwun bwunary (Ice Punch)," before coughing a little, her voice finally catching up on her and making her go silent. It wasn't used to be using this much and this hurt a little to use. She much preferred to use facial expressions to communicate stuff, since she couldn't hear anyway to have a conversation.

There was curiosity in the Emolga's eyes even after Buttons answered her question, but she soon asked another question. Again out loud, but she realized her mistake and covered her mouth straight after the question left her mouth. "Emolga emol emol gaga? (But why freeze your ears, instead of your paws?). The paws over her mouth weren't just for the fact that she remembered that Buttons couldn't hear her, but also cause of how potential insensitive the question about her ears could be.

However, this didn't stop Dawn from relaying the message to Buttons. In the background, Kat was watching curiously as she struggled to work out what they were talking about. It was times like this that she really wished she could speak Pokemon. Maybe then she wouldn't feel as lonely as she did occasionally. Pokemon rule, humans drool. That was always her motto, ever since she realized how much she despised people for their treatment of her team. Back with Buttons, the moment she saw the question; there was a grimace on her face as she rubbed her iced ears. The ice had began to thaw out due to the heat of the region's sun, but it was still quite prominent on her ears. "Bwun-bwun bwunary (Can't hear...so what's the use in ears?...)," there was a smile sad that emerged on the normal type's face as she said this. "Bwunary bwun bwunary (Much rather freeze them and give them a use...)"

After she said this, Buttons hopped off to the other side of the raft to lean against Kat. Maybe for comfort, the girl wondered after she asked Dawn to see the questions. It was reasonable that the Pokemon would want some comfort. As for Glimmer, the electric type was now sat at the edge of the raft on her own and gazing out into the sea in deep thought (Otherwise, she would have rushed to lay back on Kat's lap). She had hurt her new friend's feelings, right? She should apologize, but she didn't know where to-

Her thoughts were promptly stopped when a small wave rushed into the raft and sent it rocking against the breeze. Said breeze rushed straight against Glimmer's able wing and sent her flying off the raft, as she yelped out in fear. "Glimmer!" Kat yelled in shock as she saw the Pokemon struggling against the waves, clearly unable to swim as her species weren't meant to. Glimmer was letting out wails for help, as she struggled against the waves that were threatening to push her under and pretty evidently succeeding. If she went under, she'd either drown or be eaten by one of the many water types that lived under the sea.

Back on the raft, Kat was panicking as she looked around through her supplies for spare rope or anything that she could. Despite being a rich kid, she had never been aloud in the pool as she had been too young prior to Dawn's evolution and afterwards - her father had decided to forbid both her and Dawn from going into the back yard as he didn't want them tainting the beautiful gardens and pool water. Thus, she was unable to swim to save her new Pokemon on her own. What was she to do. But as she heard a determined yell, she turned and gasped at the sight.

Buttons was going for the rescue, by pounding at patches of water until it froze so she could walk on it and get towards Glimmer without entering said water as she wasn't able to swim either. Each pound at the water was full of determination, the same emotion that flared up in the ruby orbs of the rabbit. No matter if Glimmer had hurt her feelings, she wasn't about to watch her new friend die on her. That wasn't right, she had to do something and she had to do it herself. It hadn't been the Emolga's fault, it was just a innocently insensitive comment and she had seen the panic emerge on the Pokemon's face afterwards. She knew that it wasn't on purpose.

At this point, the electric type was nearly under with only a paw above the surface. However, just as the paw went under, Buttons reached and grasped at it with her ears and with a strong tug the rabbit pulled her friend back towards the raft into the safe embrace of the slightly dampened wood. The electric type was frozen in fear, tears emerging in her eyes. However, she looked up at Buttons when the rabbit walked back. After a moment, she yelled out. "Emolga! (Buttons!)," she hugged the normal type, as she sobbed out the same line over and over. "Emol emol! (I'm sorry!)."

It seemed like Buttons didn't need a translation, as even though she was surprised initially - she soon moved to begin comforting the sobbing Pokemon. Not once did she say a word, she just kept moving her little paws over the back of the crying Emolga's head over and over with such care that Kat had to smile. She was so grateful that Buttons had been able to learn Ice Punch in such a short period of time. She had briefly showed her capabilities with ice before the gym, when she began to use Ice Beam as if copying Kibbles' Icy Wind. However, Kat had never anticipated using it as a combination with Drain Punch to form Ice Punch.

She walked over and took Glimmer into her hands, smiling down at the rabbit-like Pokemon as she did. "Glimmer, I think she knows. Don't worry, I'm sure she accepts your apology. Now, lets continue on to Dewford. I'll let you rest in your ball for a while," this time, instead of attempting to act brave, Glimmer let out a tired nod and entered the love ball without complaint. It was clear that the incident had taken it out of her. "Alright, Kibbles. Keep on going, we're safe now."

Dewford, here they come!

Sorry if this chapter feels a little fast paced, I wasn't quite sure how to structure it...Might re-write it if the audience wishes me to. It's up to your comments.