Sunny

  Even as the shock of cold water hit her, as she clung onto Hector’s slippery back to the best of her ability, Sunny’s thoughts were on the future. It was not a little daunting having stepped out into the wide world, realised there were so many possibilities, and still feeling held back by her lack of an impressive academic record and of stable, financial support. Not that she had a clear answer to what she wanted to do, but she felt she was nearing one. Her success in the Silverwind tournament, and she very much did consider it a success, was enjoyable. Once the thrill wore off, she didn’t feel the hunger for more that Darren spoke of. She didn’t want to make a career out of battling, at least, in the circuit. There were some fights worth fighting, no matter how much they scared her. The fulfilment she got from hearing the storm over Popplio had broken eclipsed any and every victory in battle she’d attained.

  It had been on everybody’s tongues that morning. The storm that had been ongoing for over two months had disappeared overnight, as if that was normal weather behaviour. It might have been a little arrogant of her to take even the most partial of credit for that, but she had been there when they rescued Meloetta. She had contributed, however slightly, and she refused not to take pride that her actions helped result in such significant outcomes.

  The morning news had reported the end of the storm with as much awareness of the true going-ons as a Slowpoke. There were several comments on the extraordinary nature of it, then the conversation quickly moved on to Popplio and the refugees. Rebuilding would take time. The state the town was in was still uninhabitable. From a pleasant, touristic spot, it had become a swamp. At the same time, the mayor of Caprice – the city in which the vast majority of refugees resided – was saying they didn’t have the funds to accommodate them for longer than absolutely necessary. Not surprisingly, the call for volunteers to help reclaim Popplio was already out, and with it, several lucrative bounties that attracted national attention.

  They hit the seafloor, and Sunny was distracted from her ruminations by Dewey tapping her on her shoulder. He pointed with a thin green leg, and upon turning her flashlight in that direction, Sunny saw a Pyukumuku struggling against a plastic bag. The round, black blob with pink spikes was waging all-out war and losing, the plastic having a stranglehold on her, even covering her mouth. It might have been funny if Sunny didn’t worry that Pyukumuku was in real danger. Hector brought her closer, and she crouched over the thrashing Pokémon. Gently, so as not to panic her more than she already was, she pinched the bag and began to unwind her. Pyukumuku resisted, flailing even harder and making the job more difficult than it needed to be. The sticky slime on her skin, thicker than Hector’s even when he had been a Wooper, didn’t help either. Every time she thought she had a grip on things, it slipped away from her like butter. She persevered, though, and in the end, her effort paid off. She separated the plastic from the Pokémon and was about to enjoy the pleasantness of having helped someone when Pyukumuku vomited a white fist that smacked her right in the stomach.

  Being winded underwater was not an experience she wanted to go through ever again. Unable to breathe, and with the water pressing down on her, she really did feel like she was drowning. It didn’t take long to regain her composure, and with Hector and Dewey around, she was never in any real danger. She put a hand on a bristling Dewey before he could retaliate against Pyukumuku.

  She wasn’t as studious as Calla, but Aria was teaching her things these last few days, and she was pretty sure Pyukumuku preferred shallower waters than the ones they were in. Sure, Lake Rin wasn’t ridiculously deep, even where they were, but Pyukumuku, to her knowledge, tended to stay by the shore.

  What are you doing here, little girl?

  Wary of another fist to the stomach, she approached once more. Pyukumuku was trembling. Whether it was because of the human stranger in front of her, the ordeal with the plastic bag, or, as Sunny was beginning to suspect, unfamiliar surroundings, it was clear she was terrified. Attempting to grab her only put her on guard. It reminded Sunny of something Aria told her. Some Pokémon were dumb as rocks, and her duty as a coast guard sometimes included fighting them for their own good. After all, a violent Pokémon couldn’t be helped. The words had stuck in her mind, because it was soon after Calla had confided in her that she now thought Pokémon in general were a lot smarter than she previously did.

  It didn’t matter if Pykumuku was an idiot or a genius. It was clear she had no intention of moving, a trait Sunny vaguely remembered was consistent with her species, and Sunny was sure leaving her there would mean she had just about as much future as Sunny felt she did.

  Alright girl, I’m getting you out of here, and we’ll make a future together. How about it?

  An immediate attempt to capture her resulted in her hand being smacked away, and the pokeball within drifting out of the torchlight. Before she could curse wasting so much money, Dewey kicked off after it and presently returned with it between his two forelegs. He offered it to her, and after she accepted, he turned to Pykumuku. He Pounced at her and dodged the Counter. He ended up behind her and grasped her with all six of his legs. She wasn’t hurt. Pykumuku’s defences were high enough to ward off anything Dewey could throw at her, but she was restrained, and that was all Sunny needed to tap the pokeball off her. She was absorbed in a flash of red, and after a few tense shakes, the ball clicked.

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  Aria said as soon as she was finished with this Clamperl mission, she was going straight back to Popplio. She had been restless all morning on the boat out, and if she didn’t have such a strong sense of duty, Sunny was sure she would have already left. When she did leave, Sunny was going with her.

  It was a decision made that moment, as the pokeball sealed in her hand. She got along well with Aria, and she looked up to her as a mentor and as an inspiration. Aria liked her too, she knew. And she said the coast guards were essentially an offshoot of the main ranger association. She said the rangers were always looking for new people nowadays. The implication that Sunny would be welcome couldn’t be more obvious.

  It was going to be what was best for her. She liked the job, at least, what she had been exposed to so far. She knew she would find it fulfilling. And it was about as good as she could hope for career-wise. There wasn’t anything else she wanted to do. It was going to be what was best for her, even if it meant separating from Darren. And Calla and Jade and even Luca, now. She could feel herself becoming lonely, and as alone as before. But she would find people there. Aria would be there. And it wasn’t like communication wasn’t possible through video calls and so on.

  The rest of her search for Clamperl was relatively uneventful. Even distracted by her thoughts on her decision, and of whether she should release Pykumuku after all or if she would find a place on her team and all the other worries bubbling around her brain, she still found time to enjoy the sights Calla and Luca had spoken of so passionately the day before. Pokémon as free as could be nestled in the rocks and under sand, and swam or drifted in the currents. Only the bag that was Pykumuku’s nemesis, tucked into her belt, reminded her that humans were anywhere near. She would dispose of it properly when she got out, of course.

  Surfacing from the depths and her thoughts, she took a lungful of fresh air and looked for the others. Her first inkling that something was not quite right was when she spotted two, not one, boats floating on the lake. Hector swam her to the ranger’s motorboat, where the rest of them were already gathered. Luca and Calla helped her onboard, where she was able to take better stock of what was happening. The five rangers plus Aria were having a staredown with the two men on the other boat. They were some distance away, their faces barely visible, but Sunny thought she could make out rather wide grins.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered to Calla, receiving a shrug in return.

  “Everybody’s here?” asked Peter, getting everyone’s attention. Everybody was, so he continued. “Alright, my team are familiar with those two men. They are brothers, Canis and Felix Twinley. They’re smart and slippery bounty hunters who enjoy toeing the line between the legal and the illegal. We are certain that they have crossed that line more than once, but any investigation into them has returned no evidence. However, you can be sure that if they are here, then the Clamperl nest is real, and they are profiting off of it. While harvesting pearls from Clamperl without a permit is illegal, enjoying a boat ride in Lake Rin is perfectly fine. We’re going to leave, and Aria, when we’re far enough, I’m going to have to ask you to go back and trail them. You are the most familiar with the water out of all of us. If they decide to go to the Clamperl nest today, even after seeing us, I want you to collect as much evidence as possible of their involvement with it. The rest of us will go back to Silverwind, and now that we know who we’re looking for, we can work with the police to see if we can find any illegal shipment of pearls. Any questions?”

  “Isn’t it unlikely they’ll go today?” asked Calla. “They must know we’re going to be keeping an eye on them.”

  “True,” said Peter. “It’s good to cover our bases, though. And now they know we’re here, they might decide staying around is too risky. It’s not impossible they’ll get greedy and want one last dive before packing up.”

  “I’ve a question,” said Sunny. “Can I go with Aria?”

  The suggestion took Peter off guard. He glanced at Aria, who gave a small nod. After looking from her to Sunny and back again, something seemed to click and he accepted.

  “If Miss Bloomtide is responsible for your safety, it’s up to her,” he said.

  Kayla turned on the motor and they began speeding back to Silverwing. On the side of the boat with a towel wrapped around her, Sunny sat beside Calla and Luca. The two got along well, which, even after getting on cordial terms with Luca, still felt strange to Sunny. They were squeezing water out of their hair over the side of the boat. Sunny was going back in, so she didn’t bother. In the process, Calla left glimpses of her scars visible to anyone looking. She had become much less conscious of them in the time Sunny knew her, though she still kept her braid covering them.

  “You’re going with Aria?” asked Luca.

  “I am, why?” said Sunny.

  “Nothing, it’s just, I think you’re brave.”

  Sunny didn’t think she was being brave. If anything, she was just testing out if she had any potential as a Coast Guard. With Aria directly overlooking her, she didn’t have a better opportunity. Calla replied for her before she could.

  “She is brave,” she said. “Did I tell you how she rescued Coral. She jumped down the side of a cliff to save her from a flock of Wingull. It was very cool.”