Fiery Lands and Stormy Seas (Pokemon Watty Award Winner 2014)

Chapter 27

CHRIS

This morning was the same as the last, and the one before that. Solomon Forrest and Sceptile would be there when Chris woke to discuss dreams and other things. His dreams were all the same, though, much to the apparent dismay of the Prince of Fortree.

In his dreams he was Swampert. He could feel his Spirit Pokémon's never-ending hunger. He knew the rocks and valleys and hidden pathways along the jagged pass around Lavaridge town as well as anybody, now. Chris had spent his free time making maps. He thought he knew exactly where the little cave that Swampert was sleeping in, if he could just find the trail when he got there.

After Solomon had his talk of dreams and left, his sister, Susan, would enter with Grovyle. They would talk of little things as she changed the wrappings and applied the smooth paste on his arm that warmed the still-healing bone beneath his skin. Or was it her smile? The King of Slateport thought.

In the back of his mind, he knew what he had to do. He would leave today, with Prince Solomon's blessing or no. Chris felt honored by the invitation to Susan's wedding. Who wouldn't? A member of one of Hoenn's royal families was to be wed to the Chief of Mt. Pyre. Chris Marsh knew what his duty was. As long as Swampert was still in Mt. Chimney surrounded by enemies that would harm him, his responsibility was to his Spirit Pokémon.

His father had forsook safety to help his friend, Marcus Spark, repel Brightflame invaders during the first great war. Swampert was a part of himself, however. If something happened to his Spirit Pokémon, Chris would die himself. He felt well enough that he could have left to find Swampert two days, ago. It felt like there was something keeping him here, however. There was a certain feeling of safety as Susan treated his arm and changed his leafy bandages.

Father wouldn't have lingered here when important matters were on the line. He remembered how his mother, Luna, had begged Sam Marsh to let Sootopolis secede. It wasn't worth the fight she had said.

"There are merchants and families who are losing their livelihoods to her new taxes," he remembered his father saying. "She promised her people equality, yet the equal thing these taxes create is shared misery." Chris was only fourteen at the time, and he remembered how his father had sent an envoy to demand the reasoning behind the heavy financial burden Sootopolis had placed upon the traders and citizens. It was less than a week later that the envoy's head was sent back by a Pelipper. War followed soon after.

If I am to protect my people like my father, I should have the means to protect them. I've already failed my family... He thought of his mother and dead sister. His father hadn't failed to protect them, but Chris had. And today he was going to take the first step to fix it.

Susan was massaging the paste on his arm. It didn't even hurt in the slightest anymore. Chris's mind had wandered while she was undoing the crisscrossed wrappings. For some reason, he felt like he was wasting his time and Susan's by not holding a conversation.

"I'm leaving today," he finally said. Her delicate hands stopped massaging for a split second. She looked up at him with her dark eyes.

"I figured," she sighed. "My brother tells me you long for Swampert. Nobody bears you any ill will for the decision you make one way or another. I couldn't imagine if Grovyle was taken from me." The green lizard Pokémon nodded its head in understanding. "Or my own little sister." She took another handful of paste out of the little bowl she kept it in.

That's three handfuls, Chris thought to himself. She knew this would be the last time she could tend my arm, so she brought extra so its effects would last longer. "Solomon would have me wait," he said quietly as Susan worked the warming paste into his arm.

"Solomon is cautious," she answered. "He says plans are in the works to secure Swampert and all the hostages the new King of Mt. Chimney holds." She massaged his hand that sometimes swelled because of the cast. "But the choice is yours. You have the final say when it comes to Swampert." She looked up at him and smiled again. "The girl you are to marry, she's lucky that you chose her. I'm sure she is worrying about you. If you reunite with your Spirit Pokémon first, perhaps you would like to bring her to my wedding?" The last words seemed to come out forced and shaky to Chris.

He had almost forgotten about Sarah. His days were filled with arm exercises and calming peace after his captivity in the Mirage Desert. His nights were consumed by his dreams of being Swampert. He had barely thought of her, and Chris felt ashamed.

"I'm sure we would love to come, my lady," he said, meeting Susan's eyes again. Her hair fell in perfect tumbles to her shoulder, and those eyes sparkled like the evening sea back home in Slateport.

"Tell me about her." Susan began applying the new leaf wraps now.

"She's willful, that's for sure," Chris smiled. "She's the best archer I'd ever seen. She could have been a foster brother of mine, I think, if she had been born a boy. She fearlessly helped look for my friends during the battle of Mauville. She's been a good friend, and I know she'll make a good Queen..." his voice trailed off. "Tell me about Chief Specter of Mt. Pyre."

Susan had to move from her chair to the mattress to get the cool wrappings up around his shoulder. "He's twice my age, for starters," she said unhappily. "Father says he has a temper, that's why I had to marry him. He was worried Chief Specter might re-align with Sootopolis if he didn't stay invested to Fortree."

Chris felt sad inside. It was almost as if he and Susan and even Sarah were just tools to be auctioned off to whatever tribe their lord parents chose, just to command their loyalty.

Chris Marsh welcomed the firmness in the way Susan wrapped down his arm, as if her hands were still massaging it. "Sometimes I wish I had been born a simple fisherman, like my friend Hector. There would be no responsibilities, no wars, no trying to please your subject Chiefs." The privilege of marrying for love, he thought silently to himself.

Susan laughed and the sound was music to Chris's ears. "My sister, Caitlyn, acts as if her sole purpose in life is to climb trees and race on Absol's back through the forest. I pity the man father has her marry, mother always said she never acted like a proper princess." She smiled as she tightened the wraps and tied them together with the stems of the leaves.

"I guess not," Chris said softly as he locked eyes with Susan. "Doubtless your mother has much approval of you?"

"Yes, we're different people; my sister and I." Susan's hand tested the wraps, but she never broke her gaze with Chris. "In some ways I envy young Caitlyn... I never wanted to marry Chief Specter."

Chris's heart began to beat faster. "I don't want you to marry him either."

Later that evening, the Forrests said good-bye to him as they went their separate ways. Caitlyn laughed and shared some berries she had picked for him. They were spicy berries, she said, and could even make dirt taste good. Chris had no doubt she knew that for a fact.

Solomon had given him dark green, almost black, clothes to wear to blend in with the jagged pass around Lavaridge. Solomon smiled sadly, Chris could tell if the Prince of Fortree had the final say, he would accompany the Forrests as they set out for Mt. Pyre. Chris smiled as he was presented with his great spear. "With this thing I feel sorry for the Mt. Chimney soldier who tries to stop your quest," he placed an arm on Chris's shoulder, and Chris did the same. "I never had a brother," Solomon said. "Come back, friend, when your mission is done."

"Gladly, friend," Chris said. We are more brothers than you know, he thought.

Lastly, as he turned around to depart, he met Susan's eyes and they shared a last look together.

I'll be expecting you and Sarah at my wedding, her eyes twinkled like the sea again. Or were those tears?

Chris nodded, fighting the urge to call out his thanks for treating his arm... fighting the urge to take her with him. I will be there, he answered with only a look.

The King of Slateport turned into the sunset and began his lonely journey to Lavaridge to reclaim his Spirit Pokémon, to reclaim himself, to reclaim Hector and the others if he could, and to reclaim hope.