When the day of departure arrived, all the Pokémon on the island who knew Cole gathered to bid him farewell, bringing gifts of fruit and other provisions.
Some offered practical items for the sea journey, like spider silk and vines.
After boarding the raft with Gardevoir, Cole waved to the Pokémon on shore, "Goodbye!"
Who knew if they would ever meet again?
Deep down, Cole knew setting out to sea on a simple raft was dangerous, but he had no choice. He had no idea where this island was located or how far it was from human civilization.
He couldn't just wait around hoping someone would sail by — he might end up like Robinson Crusoe, stranded on the island for twenty years.
Who could bear that?
Under Gardevoir's psychic control, the raft drifted out to sea as the Pokémon on shore slowly faded from view.
To avoid getting lost at sea, he had crafted a simple compass using a magnet given to him by a helpful Magnemite.
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Drifting at sea was incredibly boring and lonely.
After sailing for half a day, Cole lazily spoke to Gardevoir.
"Mom, let me give you a name. Humans all have names, like how I'm called Cole Sage. Even though you're not human, as my mom, you should have one too."
When they reached the human world, it would be strange to call a Gardevoir "mom". Though he didn't mind telling others she was his adoptive mother, some overly curious people would inevitably ask too many questions.
Rather than having to explain over and over, it would be better to avoid arousing people's curiosity in the first place.
If she had a name, he could just call her by that name, and it wouldn't seem so strange.
Gardevoir found this interesting and nodded in agreement.
"Garde~" — Alright!
"What name should we choose?" Cole furrowed his brow in thought, "I'm called Cole Sage, and since you're my mom, how about Daisy Sage? It suits you, since it's a beautiful white flower."
And the surname was mandatory — how else could he show she was his beloved mother?
Gardevoir was sweet and innocent, always going along with whatever her son said. Besides, she didn't understand what names sounded good or bad anyway, so she happily agreed.
"Garde~" — Alright!
Mother and son chatted idly to pass the time.
After a while, Daisy looked at Cole with a troubled expression and asked.
"Garde~ Garde~" — Can I rest for a bit? I'm so tired!
Cole sternly refused, "Didn't you just take a break? Why do you need another one? This is training for your psychic powers, don't you know? Why are you always trying to slack off? Have you forgotten that you're a great mother?"
The words to sweet-talk his mother came easily to him.
Daisy: (o﹏o)
Gardevoir could only grit her teeth and persist.
Just then, Cole suddenly felt the raft begin to shake slightly. He poked his head out to look and saw six or seven Magikarp vigorously slapping their tails around the raft.
Splash~ Splash~ Splash~
The Magikarp frantically used their Moves (Splash), but aside from making the raft shake harmlessly, nothing happened.
"Oh boy, looking for trouble, are we? I choose you! Mom, teach them a lesson. Use Psychic!" Cole acted dramatically — from his tone, you'd think they'd encountered a Gyarados!
"Garde~" Daisy was also interested in picking on the little ones.
Her eyes flashed with blue light, and in an instant, eight Magikarp landed on the raft one after another.
{T/N: She's using simple Psychic ability, not a Move from the Pokédex.}
Plop~ Plop~ Plop~
They were still earnestly using Splash, but their movements were so clumsy they couldn't even flip themselves over.
"Hehehe~" Looking at these eight energetic Magikarp, an "evil" idea formed in Cole's mind, "Mom, grab me a vine!"
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Snap snap snap~
"Swim faster, no slacking off!"
Ten minutes later, Cole wielded a small whip made of vine, directing the Magikarp that were tied to the front of the raft with spider silk. Afraid of being whipped, the Magikarp swished their tails rapidly, pulling the raft along at high speed.
"Woohoo~ Awesome!" Feeling the sea breeze rush past his ears, he let out a cheer. This speed was much better — water Pokémon were naturals at sea travel.
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Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The vast ocean stretched endlessly in all directions without a hint of coastline, making Cole increasingly anxious.
The Magikarp continued their hard work, pulling the raft tirelessly.
But their effort wasn't unrewarded. During rest periods, Cole used his special ability to enhance their source energy.
Though simple-minded, they instinctively sensed that this strange big creature was helping them grow stronger, so they worked eagerly even without the threat of the whip.
The Magikarp pulled so diligently that Cole lost track of how far they had traveled over the past few days.
When the sun reached its zenith, Cole and the others stopped for lunch.
Chewing on his fruit, he realized he had almost forgotten the taste of human food. Daisy had raised him on berries.
These past few days, she had seemed restless. During meals, she would absently break apart her fruit and feed pieces to the Magikarp.
After several days of being nourished by Cole's special ability, the Magikarp had grown magnificent — their red scales now brilliant as fire, their once-dull eyes sparking with life.
"Milu~"
A long, ethereal cry pierced the air as a rainbow appeared on the horizon. At its end, a long, slender figure was faintly visible.
"Milu~"
The cry echoed again, and the rainbow vanished, replaced by a serpentine Pokémon of supreme beauty.
"Whoa, a Milotic!" Cole gasped.
This was his first glimpse of such a beautiful creature in reality. Its gorgeous scales gleamed in the sunlight, too beautiful to seem real.
Only now did he truly understand why Milotic was called the most beautiful Pokémon. Pictures and game models paled in comparison — only seeing it in person could reveal what ultimate beauty meant.
The Milotic noticed them too, turning its head to look their way from afar with a calm, unruffled gaze.
"Milu~"
Milotic's voice carried an ethereal quality that washed away all the anxiety Cole and Daisy had built up over the past few days.
They watched in amazement as Milotic disappeared beneath the waves.
It took quite a while before Cole and the Pokémon came back to their senses.
"You guys should work harder too — try to evolve into Gyarados soon." After Milotic vanished, he felt a sense of loss and couldn't help but pat the Magikarp's heads.
Seeing that evolved Pokémon had naturally made him think of Gyarados.
"Alright, let's continue after we finish eating."
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Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the previously calm sea suddenly grew windy. As time passed, the waves swelled higher and higher, tossing the small raft back and forth. If not for Daisy stabilizing it with her psychic powers, the raft would have capsized long ago.
BOOM!!!
A flash of golden light streaked across the sky, followed by a thunderous roar. Cole looked up to see dark clouds roiling overhead like intertwined dragons, seemingly ready to tear a hole in the sky.
Crash!
Torrential rain poured down, and the small raft finally splintered apart under the merciless pounding of the waves. Though Daisy tried her best to defend with her psychic powers, it was all in vain.
Sometimes human effort is simply too insignificant against nature's might.
Cole and Daisy plunged into the water together.
Too young to fight such massive waves, Cole was immediately knocked underwater.
Daisy tried to save him, but another massive wave struck her head-on, sending her under as well. With stronger powers, she could have lifted him straight out of the water with her psychic abilities.
But at her current level, that was impossible!
The Magikarp fared somewhat better, being Water-type Pokémon. After Cole went under, they fought against the waves to reach him, trying to lift him to the surface.
But they were too small, and the waves too violent — soon they were scattered by the churning waters.
Am I going to die?
With lungs full of water, Cole's consciousness began to fade.
Suddenly, a white light blazed over the sea, startlingly bright against the dark and oppressive sky. In the light, one of the Magikarp's form stretched longer and longer in the crashing waves, transforming into a fierce blue Pokémon.
A Gyarados! One of the Magikarp had evolved in this crucial moment!
"ROAR~" The newly evolved Gyarados raised its head to the sky and roared, as if venting its frustration, then dove into the water.
When it surfaced again, Cole and Daisy were lying on its back.
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After some time, Cole slowly regained consciousness and opened his eyes.
Am I... not dead?
Then he realized he was lying on the back of a blue beast.
"Gardevoir~voir~" — Baby, you're awake!
Seeing him awake, Daisy rushed over excitedly to hug him.
"What happened? Was it a passing Gyarados that saved us?" Cole asked, his mind still foggy.
"Gardevoir~Gardevoir~voir~"
She explained about the Magikarp's evolution, leaving Cole amazed at their good fortune.
The storm had passed now, and the sea was peaceful again — the earlier chaos seemed like a distant dream. Brilliant sunlight broke through the clouds, turning the seawater to gold.
Gyarados carried them across the vast sea without direction, their compass lost to the waves.
Growl~
When Daisy's stomach rumbled, Cole could only offer a helpless "Just bear with it". The storm had taken everything — their compass, food, and fresh water all swept away by the merciless waves.
"Gardevoir~Gardevoir~"
Suddenly, Daisy jumped up from Gyarados's back with a cry of surprise, pointing excitedly into the distance.
Cole followed her gesture and spotted a ship approaching in the evening light.
A ship! People! We're saved!
"Gyarados, catch up to that ship!" He called out eagerly. At this point, whether the crew was friendly or not hardly mattered.
"ROAR~"
Gyarados nodded, gathered the slower Magikarp into its mouth, and surged forward with a burst of speed.
Half an hour later, they finally caught up to the ship, Gyarados panting heavily. Being a Gyarados-type Pokémon, it lacked endurance, making this sustained swim quite remarkable.
"Hey!!!" Cole shouted and waved frantically at the people on the ship. A sailor on deck quickly spotted him.
A child, a Gyarados, and a Gardevoir? The sailor wondered how such a young child could be out here in the vast ocean. Must be a shipwreck survivor.
The sailor quickly pulled out a Poké Ball, and in a flash of white light, a Pelipper appeared beside him.
"Pelipper, bring that child up here."
Cole looked down at the Pokémon below him, "Gyarados, do you all want to come with me?"
After spending several days together and being saved by them, he had grown attached to Gyarados and the seven Magikarp.
Gyarados hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook its head.
"I see... then this is where we part ways. Take care, you and the Magikarp." Cole felt both sad and somewhat relieved.
He was sad to part with Gyarados and the others, not knowing if they'd meet again. Yet he felt relieved — his future was uncertain, and perhaps it would have a better, more carefree life in the ocean.
Climbing onto Pelipper's back with Daisy, he waved one last time to Gyarados, "Goodbye, and thank you for all your help these past few days!"
Gyarados and the seven Magikarp watched him ascend, then dove beneath the waves and disappeared.
When Cole boarded the ship, he found several people gathered on deck, all talking at once.
He froze — he couldn't understand a single word they were saying.
Seeing him staring blankly, one sailor frowned, "This kid hasn't gone simple from being in the sea too long, has he?"
Captain Sanders crouched down and asked kindly, "Child, what's your name?"
The child just kept staring without a word. Then, something seemed to dawn on him. He spoke strange sounds to the Gardevoir beside him and smiled.
Could this child really be simple-minded? Sanders wondered.
Of course, Cole wasn't simple-minded — he was smiling because he'd made an interesting discovery.
While he couldn't understand this world's language, the Pokémon could. He could understand what the others were saying through Daisy's translation.
Cole wondered why Pokémon could understand both his Earth language and this world's language — perhaps it was some innate ability they possessed.
Yet even with this linguistic bridge, true communication remained impossible since the others couldn't understand Pokémon speech.
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