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Chapter 83 - The King Of Gyarados?!

Stopping by the entrance to the bridge, Captain Rostron and his officers on hand were going over all the monitors, pointing out the mysterious swarm encircling the ship beneath the surface. Listening in, Chris heard Rostron mutter something about "coming from every direction..." as they went over plans to sail off. Noticing the Chief and other officers coming up the steps, Chris backed the girls away from the entrance to the bridge as they rushed by, Captain Rostron bringing them up to speed on the events surrounding them. "Whatever is going on, it's not good." Chris murmured, using the binoculars and seeing the darkness in the water spreading more and more, noticing it slowly trailing around the ship. "Somethings gathering..." he thought to himself, Rose whimpering while clinging to his coat as Alicia's already dagger like pupils sharpened all the more, her leaves shooting up as her gaze darted in every direction. "We're in danger alright. Something huge is out there, and it's summoning some kind of swarm." the snake explained. "What do you mean?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're not one of us so you can't pick up the call, but whatever it is that's out there, it's calling its friends, and the one doing the calling is absolutely colossal." she told him. "Can sense anger. Whatever out there, it want to kill. And it telling others to kill too." Serenity said, keeping a tight grasp on Chris's arm. "It's... Telling others to kill...?" Chris asked, looking out to sea once more. Jolting, Alicia tapped Chris on the head and point out the sky above, the clouds beginning to swirl over head as another round of thunder made the ship quiver as if it too were afraid, the people below growing all the more weary as they looked around and at the ominous sky above. Looking in the bridge, Chris glanced at the girls and took them inside.

"Captain, sir! If you don't mind, I think the girls can help shed some light on what's going on." he spoke up, the Captain and the others pausing and looking their way. "Out with it lad, what have you got for us?" Rostron asked, he and the others walking up. "Alicia here say's there's something huge out there calling out, and Serenity added to it saying whatever it is, it's telling others to get ready to kill." he explained, Rostron and the others going wide eyed before heading to the window and looking into the horizon with binoculars of their own. "That dark area is still spreading, you can see it all around us now." one of the officers muttered. "The largest spot is still ahead of us, that must be where the leader is." another point out. "Whatever it is, it's got some power to knock out Dragonair and influence the atmosphere like this." Chief Smith added, pointing out the sky as it grew darker and darker before unleashing another round of thunder, the glass rattling as the floor trembled. "Not good... We've got to get the Guardian out of here." Rostron muttered, the officers and Smith nodding in agreement before taking their positions at the controls. "Uh, hey Captain? If you want I'd be glad to help out in some way." Chris point out, Rostron and Smith looking at one another with a nod. "I'm about to give the order for passengers to head below deck. If you don't mind, help those who need it inside." Rostron ordered, Chris nodding in response. "Just be sure to keep what's going on between us, we need everyone to remain as calm as possible." Smith added. With a solute, Chris and the girls headed out and quickly made their way down the stairs, watching as the clouds above spiraled more and more, the wind slowly starting to pick up as thunder roared and the metal stairs rattled beneath their feet.

As they reached the bottom, Chris and the girls heard the speakers throughout the ship click on followed by Rostrons voice. "Attention passengers, due to oncoming inclement weather we've decided to resume our trip ahead of schedule. We sincerely apologize and ask that everyone please return inside the ship immediately as a safety precaution. I ask that all available crew aid in seeing everyone safely inside the ship, and expect further commands soon." the Captain ordered, everyone looking at each other nervously before quickly heading for the various entrances. Looking around, Chris was trying to plan out where to start first, only for one of the waiters to walk up and hand Chris a communicator to put in his ear. "Captain Rostron wants to keep in contact with you. He says to let them know of any further developments your Pokemon sense." the waiter said, giving a bow before hurrying off. "O-Okay then." Chris muttered, putting the device in his ear and pressing the tiny button on it. "C-Captain? It's Chris." he said. "Good! That was fast. Alright, we're about to head off so do what you can for the passengers, and again we appreciate the help. Have your Po... Er... Young ladies picked up anything else?" the Captain asked. "Got anything to update me on girls?" he asked, looking at the three. "Been using mind to sense motion. In front, heading this way." Serenity said. "They're getting ready to go on the offense. Whatever's down there isn't happy at all. It seems we've intruded." Alicia added. "Well lad? Anything?" the Captain asked. "Whatever's down there is heading for us. Apparently we're being targeted because we've intruded or something." Chris answered. "Intruded? There aren't any known locations around here to intrude upon!" the Captain replied, Chris hearing the officers and Smith in the background conversing, bewildered by the events around them.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Use For Rest Of Chapter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi6tvcDInVY - Run Away!!

"Alright, we're getting the engines ready now and we'll make haste away from here, our crew will do their best to get everyone to safety as we pick up speed. Good luck down there lad." Rostron said before cutting off his end of the line to focus on ordering other crew members. "Alright, everyone to safety..." Chris muttered, looking around at all the elderly and disabled passengers in the crowds. Looking at Serenity, he went wide eyed and smirked. "I've got an idea! Serenity, think you could handle expanding your range of telepathy throughout the ship for a little while? While the Captain orders his crew, we can give orders to the Pokemon!" he grinned, the girls looking at one another and grinning as well. "Can do! Not sure how long, but do best!" Serenity replied before closing her eyes. Her body giving off a feint aura for a moment, she let out a sigh and rubbed her head as the aura faded. "Okay! Ready!" she told him with a thumbs up. Nodding, Chris put his hand on her head and closed his eyes. "Attention!! This is an order for every Pokemon on board!! Can you hear me?" he asked through his mind, all of the Pokemon suddenly freezing up and looking around in surprise both outside and within the ship, bewildering their owners. "This is Chris, I'm one of the humans on the ship. We've got trouble on our hands and I need all of you to lend us a hand with keeping everyone safe, think you can do it?" he asked. All of the Pokemon nodding in response and letting out shouts. "I need all Pokemon strong enough to carry people up on the top deck, this includes any of you capable of using psychic abilities to carry others into the ship. Hop to it everyone! All other Pokemon, stand by!" he ordered. As everyone watched their Pokemon act on their own, some tried to stop them to no avail. After a moment, the Pokemon both on the deck and from within the ship marched towards Chris and the girls, arriving as if following a beacon and surrounding the group at attention. "You have your orders! Don't come to us, go help whoever needs it! Move!" he told the Pokemon, all of them saluting with a shout before running off.

"Lad, what's going on?! We're getting complaints of Pokemon going crazy!!" Rostron shout through the earpiece. "Agh!!" Chris shout in surprise, rubbing his ear before turning on his end of the line. "Don't worry sir! I've got all the Pokemon under my orders. You focus on your crew and I'll put the Pokemon to use! Let everyone know they're just helping me out." he replied. "A-All under orders...?" Rostron asked bewildered. "Explain later! Action now!" Chris replied, Rostron letting out a quick "Right!" before the line went dead again. Looking up, lightening was beginning to flash within the clouds, the wind picking up all he more. Running towards the bow, Chris used his binoculars to check the horizon, and sure enough something was stirring up the ocean ahead, rapidly advancing towards them like a wave of rage sending water shooting high into the air. "What are they...? The whole ocean is swamped..." Chris thought to himself, looking around as people were quickly rushed off by Pokemon, the Captain reassuring everyone by making Chris's announcement on the speakers. As everyone disappeared inside the ship bit by bit, Chris and the girls remained at the bow keeping an eye on whatever it was ahead of them. "Alright lad! We're getting out of here! You lot best either hold on tight or head inside the ship as well!" Rostron warned before they heard the ship come to life and saw it start turning away from the threat ahead. Looking around, only a few people were left, mainly seniors the psychic Pokemon were rapidly collecting and flying into the ship. With the decks abandoned, Chris put his hand on Serenity's head once again. "Alright everyone, good work! Now stay safe with the humans until you hear from me again!" he ordered. "This way bad!" Serenity panicked, signaling Chris to look into the horizon Rostron had steered them towards. The sea looking as if raging towards them ahead, Chris turned on his communicator. "Captain! This way's no good either! Whatever it is, it's coming from this direction too!" he warned. "We're aware lad! Working on a plan of action now!" he assured, the group watching the horizon as the ship turned once again.

"What are we gonna do? They're heading for us from every direction." Chris muttered, Rose keeping a tight grip on his coat. "Going in circles isn't going to do us any good." Alicia added, looking around, her eyes remaining sharper than a dagger as her tail seemingly rattled. "There's no clearance, if we want out of here we'll have to make one." she went on. "W-We don't even know what's out there! How do we fight something we have no idea about?!" Rose panicked. "She have point. I not know what is, but... Might can show." Serenity point out, the others looking at her surprised. "You can show us what's out there...? You should of done that sooner!" Chris lectured. "Not help it! Not know everything I can do yet!! I not use power much!! It not like you let me..." Serenity snapped back, crossing her arms and grumbling as the raging water grew closer and closer from all around them. "A-Alright, sorry. Show us?" he panicked, Serenity nodding before holding out her hands and moving them in a motion as if molding clay, a psychic aura appearing and slowly taking shape. "There... This one." she said, finally showing a creature that looked like a Gyarados yet... Different. "And lots and LOTS of these." she added, crafting an image of a normal Gyarados before them. "So THAT'S what..." Chris muttered before turning on his communicator. "Captain! We know what's out there!" he shout. "Excellent lad! What are we up against?" Rostron asked. "Serenity say's it's a huge swarm of Gyarados! Problem is there's one I've never seen before, and it's a reeeeal beast sir." Chris replied. "Gyarados swarm? Impossible!! There's no record of this being part of their territory!!" the Captain shout, Chris hearing Smith and the officers shouting over the discovery as well. "For years its been law to report any and all locations where abnormally high numbers of them gather!! I'm aware the law was set in place to avoid this area after the Arceanic vanished but there was nothing regarding a Gyarados habitat!! The company would never approve a journey into such lethal territory purposely!!" the Captain went on, the others in the bridge getting all the more riled up in the background as the ship continued turning, the Captain trying to find a way out of the swarm charging in faster and faster.

Suddenly, a beeping could be heard within Chris's coat pocket. Taking out his Pokedex, it flipped open and displayed a hologram of Gyarados. "WARNING!! WARNING!! Abnormally high gathering of the Atrocious Pokemon, Gyarados!!" the device warned. "Once Gyarados goes on a rampage, its ferociously violent blood doesn't calm until it has burned everything down. There are records of this Pokemon's rampages lasting a whole month. Immediate course of action, escape!!" it went on. "They're close enough for the Pokedex to pick u..." Chris said, pausing as he suddenly went pale and wide eyed. "The passengers!! Everyone's Pokedex are gonna pick up on the swarm!!" he panicked, turning on his communicator. "Captain!! Problem!!" he shout, hearing the officers Pokedex repeating the same warning in unison. "We know lad... I overlooked that." Rostron replied in a stressed tone, letting out a groan as Chris heard countless lines ringing off the hook in the background. "Oh man, everyone's going to freak out." Chris muttered, listening to the officers taking the calls. "All we can do is rely on the crew to keep the peace until we figure out what to do." Rostron said, quickly regaining his composure. "Do we have anything to fight them off with?" Chris asked. "This is a cruise ship lad. We have defenses but nothing for offense. You don't build a ship meant for vacation with war in mind." the Captain replied. "So we're stuck in the center of a Gyarados swarm and no means of fending them off..." Chris thought to himself. "I'm putting in a call for help now. We're the only ship granted access into this territory so it could be some time before anyone arrives. We just have to hope for the best and keep the beasts at bay as long as we can until then." Rostron replied before cutting off his end of the line.

"What are they going to do...?" Rose asked nervously. Looking down at her, Chris glanced at the horizon once more, the raging swarm now within several miles from the ship and rapidly progressing from every direction, the sea appearing as if being shred apart by the vicious beasts. All of a sudden, they heard the sound of an ear piercing roar come from the horizon the ship was originally pointing towards, akin to the sound of thunder but all the more intimidating causing the ship to rattle as if ready to fall apart, everyone covering their ears including the Captain and his officers in the bridge. "Dear God!!" Smith shout, rubbing his ears and rushing towards the windows to have a look as rain suddenly began pouring, Chris and the girls rushing for cover under one of the overhangs. "Ninetails, what have you gotten us into?!" Chris shout in his mind, getting no response as he looked around nervously as the rain battered the ship, noticing the ocean beginning to swell as well. "It's no use lad, we've got to stop the ship and focus on defense until help arrives. We've sent out a few calls for aid already, no response yet however but we'll keep sending word out." Rostron said. Nodding silently, Chris heard the line in his ear click off as the girls looked around cautiously, all three clinging to him. "No response... Just like..." he muttered before looking up at the sky, the already terrifying clouds continuing to grow all the more ominous by the second as they swirled above the ship. "Alright, lets head inside and see what we can do for now. It's bad enough out here without people likely hurting themselves out of panic inside the ship." he told the girls, all three nodding before they rushed towards the first class entrance. Heading inside, all of the first class passengers were huddled in the lobby, the crew desperately trying to assure them everything was fine as they questioned the warnings continuing to come from their Pokedex devices. "Oh man, and first class has the fewest passengers. Imagine the other parts of the ship." Chris muttered, the girls looking around cautiously.

"Time to live up to your name Captain..." Chris thought to himself. Suddenly, the speakers clicked on throughout the ship once more followed by Rostrons voice. "Attention passengers. Due to worsening conditions the outside decks are now off limits until further notice. We ask that everyone remain calm and feel rest assured we'll do our best to provide you the best entertainment possible within the ship in the meantime. However, due to the rising swell in the sea I must ask that all passengers please find a place to sit for safety reasons as our crew tend to all of your needs." he told everyone calmly. "Also, by now most of you have also received an alert via your Pokedex revolving the Pokemon called Gyarados, we want to assure you there's nothing to concern over. As we speak continuous calls for aid are being sent as nothing more than a mere precaution, and we'll be safely on our way momentarily. Until then, enjoy a variety of free entrees on Platinum Stars behalf for the inconveniences. Even first class meals will be provided free to anyone wishing for a delectable treat while we wait to be on our way. Thank you." he finished, the speakers shutting off as the crowd looked at one another cautiously and began sitting wherever available, the ships crew swarming into the lobby taking orders from the countless wary passengers as musicians also showed up to play music for everyone, TV's flashing on to show cartoons for the younger passengers. "Guess there isn't too much we can do in here then after all." Chris muttered, looking around before heading back up the stairs. "Uh, excuse me? Where are you going?" Alicia asked. "Back out, we're gonna do what we can to help." Chris replied Serenity and Rose quickly following. "He say not go out. You be in danger!" Serenity reminded as they reached the exit. "Inside or out, we're in danger no matter what." Chris affirmed, the girls looking at one another cautiously as Rose squeezed her ears and whimpered. Looking down at her, Chris rubbed the rabbit on the head with a smile. "Hey, don't worry. We'll be at the valley enjoying the scenery before you know it." he assured with a thumbs up, Rose facing down with a nervous nod.

Stepping outside, Chris was caught off guard by how powerful the wind had become, slipping down the deck before being caught by Serenity and Rose as they clung to the door frame and held him by the coat, pulling him back. "Th-Thanks. Picked up pretty quick out here huh?" he told the two, a sudden bolt of lightening crashing down into the sea near the ship causing the group to jump back. "Not go out!! Not go out!!" Serenity panicked, pulling him against her tightly. Looking back at her, Chris hesitated for a moment before they suddenly heard another fearsome roar, now even louder than before due to how close the swarm had gotten, several windows seemingly ready to shatter apart at any moment as the ship itself groaned in response. "You're daft if you think I'm setting foot out there!!" Alicia snapped, jumping out of his shirt and slithering around the corner behind them against the wall, peeking nervously as Chris rubbed his ears with a groan. "They're right in a way. Even if we did go out there, what could we do against thousands of...!!" he said, pausing wide eyed as he finally saw the Gyarados, now close enough to make out as they charged onward. Looking at them all silently, Chris slowly stepped out onto the deck, stumbling along before grabbing a post and looking around the ship. No matter where he faced, all he could see, was not ocean, but a horizon covered in thousands of bloodthirsty Gyarados as they swam so fast it was as if they were easily slithering and thrashing across the water, ripping the surface apart as if the sea itself were nothing more than an enemy in their way, smashing into one another without hesitation as they grew closer and closer to their target, the only thing on their minds being the first to attack the ship before them. "I... I can't stop something like this... What do you want me to do?!" Chris panicked in his mind, still getting no response from Ninetails who had seemingly abandoned him herself. "You told me to get on this cruise!! What do I do?!!" he shout, looking around as if trying to find Ninetails on the ship itself, the girls watching concerned from within the first class entrance.

"What you have always done, surprise me." he finally heard her voice echo. "Danger and fear have never limited you before. If you're telling me I've underestimated you, then I suppose, regrettably, this is where your servitude comes to an end." she added, going silent again as Chris's eyes went wide and a pale color returned to his face once again. "N-No way..." he muttered. "This isn't some random attack in the woods!! This isn't just a 50-50 leap off a cliff!!" he panicked. "You fear death now? After willingly facing death head on not long ago?" she reminded him. "You mean the truck? I was the only one who would have died then!! We're talking about thousands of people!! Thousands of Pokemon!! My family!! What am I supposed to do?! There's a difference between saving one life and ALL THESE!!" he snapped. Watching him arguing at the air, to them at least, the girls looked at one another growing all the more concerned. "I suppose it was a mistake to develop some shred of interest in you then if this is all it takes to make you cower with your tail between your legs. After what I've seen thus far I thought I could expect something greater from you. My overestimation will be the end of you and those who stay by your side then." she told him. "Live up to my expectations, or don't live at all. It's up to you to determine your worth in this life, otherwise you're better off in the safety of the next if the reality of your fate is too much for you to bear." she finished before going silent once more, leaving Chris with a dumbfounded look on his face, his eyes remaining wide as he watched the Gyarados swarm all the closer. "Chris!! Are you okay?!" Rose shout, the rain nearly muting her voice. Remaining still, Chris kept his eyes on the swarm, trembling from the sheer number of the Pokemon and how they were relentlessly climbing all over one another as they progressed.

As a precaution, Rostron activated a program that tinted all the portholes black and locked them so passengers and crew within the ship couldn't see the growing danger outside, giving an announcement that it was merely a precaution due to the developing lightening outside. Facing one another once more, the girls, including Alicia, nodded and decided to run to Chris's side, the snake quickly slithering back in his coat. "G-G-Get moving y-you i-idiot!!" she shout. "Come on!! Danger!!" Serenity panicked, pulling on his arm. "Please!! You gotta move!!" Rose shout, pulling on his coat until his grip on the pole finally slipped and he stumbled back against Serenity and Rose, shaking his head and blinking as if lost for a moment. "I-I think can save us!" Serenity shout through the rain and thunder. Looking at her, Chris simply blinked silently in response, still out of it due to the army around them and Ninetails apparent abandonment. "Can save us! Can fly away! You, me, Rose, Alicia, we get away! We be okay!" she told him, shaking Chris by the arm. Hearing this, Chris jolt and shook his head. "N-No!! We can't!!" he shout back, all three caught off guard by his sudden snap back to reality. "W-What? WHY?! We be saved!! WE LIVE!!" Serenity screamed. "Yeah, WE live!! What about all the other people here?!" he shout back. "Not care about other humans!! Let die!! You live!! You important!!" she argued, Chris going wide eyed from her statement and taking a step back. Both remaining silent for a moment, Serenity retained a stern glare until being caught off guard when Chris yanked her close by her drenched coat, his teeth grit enraged as the rain battered against them. "Did I let YOU die when YOUR life was in danger?!! Did I just leave YOU and save MYSELF?!!" he reminded her, both Serenity and the others wide eyed and taken back by his sudden reaction.

"I didn't let you die, I didn't let Alicia die, I didn't let Rose die! When all of YOU needed help, I was there! I stayed and did what I could! I... I..." he argued, beginning to stutter as his eyes widened and he slowly released Serenity, looking onward in silence as the girls looked at one another in surprise. "I did what I could... That's it." he muttered, suddenly grabbing Serenity by the arms. "That's it!! This time... This time it's about what WE could do!" he shout through the rain, the girls equally bewildered and slightly nervous due to his behavior. Looking towards the bridge, Chris went silent for a moment. "On my own maybe not but... With you girls lending a hand, especially you Serenity, maybe we have a chance here." he added, Serenity blinking and pointing at herself confused until suddenly they were all blown across the deck and slammed against the wall near the first class entrance. "Ouuu-ch-ch-ch." Chris groaned, the girls rubbing their heads as well. "How we help? What I do?" Serenity asked. "Y-Yeah, it's just us against..." Rose added, looking out at the swarm around them. "Don't worry, I'll think of some..." Chris replied, pausing when they noticed the Guardian seemingly died all of a sudden. Next thing they knew, they heard a loud humming sound come from beneath the deck. "What's that?" Chris muttered, the girls looking around curiously as well. "I'm not familiar with human creations, but I do believe it sounds like something's charging." Alicia point out. "My fur feels funny. I think it's electricity." Rose added, pulling up her sleeve showing her fur standing even in the intense rain. "Well, the Captain did say the ship had some kind of defenses. Maybe that's it." Chris replied, looking around as well. After a moment, they heard something coming from the hull of the ship. Cautiously, he made his way along the deck, holding onto whatever he could along the way until reaching the railing and clinging to it tightly.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly leaned over for a look, and near the waters surface countless hatches were opening up and large metal rods were extending from within the ship into the sea. After a moment, the humming growing louder and louder every second, he watched as a colossal burst of electricity shot out from the rods and lit up the sea for at least half a mile in every direction, creating a line of defense against the massive swarm. Looking into the distance, Chris watched with his fingers crossed, taking a deep breath as the Gyarados carelessly charged into the electricity and came to a standstill as it surged through their bodies, the sound of their suffering roars echoing all around them as the front line was shoved further and further into the current by those behind, causing the electricity to run through the rest of the swarm causing them to fall back just beyond the currents reach. "Captain! That did the trick!" Chris shout into his communicator. "That you lad? Wait... You saw our defense system?! You mean you're still on deck?! What in the world?!" Rostron shout in a panicked tone. "I couldn't help it! We couldn't just sit inside while all of you tried dealing with this on your own!" he replied. "Well, we won't be dealing with it for very long I'm afraid. Our ship is powered on solar energy and reserves from said energy. In order to extend our defenses as far as possible we had to shut down the ship in its near entirety save for locations that are absolutely necessary to remain powered. The system takes up an extraordinary amount of our reserve, and I'd say we've half an hour of charge if we're lucky. We're sending out distress calls faster than you can imagine but we're not getting a single response! Even with today's technology we can't tell if a single message has gone through." Rostron explained. "Captain, you remember the records of the Arceanic and how nobody could understand why it felt like a one sided conversation? I think this is the reason the ship never got any responses! The way the atmosphere is so messed up, back in the day the ship probably didn't have anything powerful enough to allow it to receive messages in such crazy conditions!" Chris point out.

"Plus back then, your ability to hear was key in receiving messages especially, and with how loud the storm and these Gyarados are even inside the ship they probably couldn't hear much of anything. If you can, could you amp up your communications? You might be able to receive something if you force the ships system to push its signals through this weird atmosphere!" Chris suggested. "That might be lad... As far as our system, we've been trying that but we can only power it up so much before the whole thing will blow out. We'll go with the suggestion anyway and see what we can get if we push a little more." Rostron replied. "So, half an hour huh?" Chris muttered, he and the girls looking around at the Gyarados as they tried pushing through the current despite the pain to no avail. "If you're going to tell us your plan, now's a good time!" Alicia reminded him, snapping her fingers. "O-Oh! Right! Serenity!" he shout, the Pokemon jolting in response with a quick "Y-Yes!", a pose as if standing at attention. "I know it puts strain on you, but I'm gonna need you to expand your telepathic range again. You're gonna have to endure keeping it spread for a while though, could you handle it?" he asked. "I think. It hard, but not too hard. It like trying to blow big bubble, have to be careful." she replied. "Good, you work on widening the range through the ship again then. Meanwhile we'll head up to the bridge so we can be with the Captain and officers, that way they can be more up to speed on everything we do. With this weather I'm worried this thing's gonna short circuit and fry my brain." he told her, taking off the communicator. "Wait to expand the range until after we get to the bridge, the less strain on you the better. Hate to put it on your shoulders, but this time it's me AND you that will be doing the work." he explained, Serenity nodding in response.

"Wish we could help..." Rose said, peeking out from behind him at the Gyarados nervously. "Right now I just need you to be brave and stay close, alright? That goes for you too Alicia." he replied, rubbing the rabbit on the head and looking down at the snake. "Brave? Don't you worry about that. I wasn't afraid of them, I just didn't want to be out here in the freezing rain was all!" she scoffed, waving her hand before glancing away and ducking down into his clothes. "Alright, lets get to work then. To the bridge!" he shout, pointing towards the location of the stairs before hurrying along, hand in hand with Serenity and Rose as the wind smashed into them time and again. Repeatedly slipping, falling, and stumbling along, they had to cling to whatever was nearby as well, the ship beginning to sway along with the wind as the sea grew more and more chaotic, making the trek to the bridge staircase all the more challenging. Once they finally reached it, Chris clutched the railing tightly and pulled the girls up, helping them grab on as well. "Th-This is crazy..." he muttered, glancing up at the sky and noticing the swirling clouds had expanded far into the horizon, the entire sky looking like one colossal spiral of darkness as lightening shot down all around them. "Almost there girls! C'mon!" he coaxed, taking the lead and helping pull them along up the steps, making their way inch by inch as the weather seemingly did everything it could to hold them back. Once they were halfway up, the terrifying roar heard before suddenly echoed once again, its power besting the storm itself as it rattled the ship, the group doing their best to try covering their ears as the sound came from ahead. "Sounds like the leader's ready to take us head on..." Chris thought to himself. Deciding to have a look before continuing, Chris leaned against the railing and squint his eyes towards the bow.

Only seeing the swarm of Gyarados continuing to suffer at the border of the defensive currents, he was about to continue up the steps when he suddenly saw the Gyarados splitting, seemingly making way for something... Putting back on his communicator for a moment, he called for the Captain once more. "We can't keep getting on the line like this lad! I'm grateful for the help but we've got a lot on our hands!" Rostron said. "Captain, we've got a problem. Have you guys seen what's going on beyond the bow? They're moving for some reason." he warned. Having his officers and Smith take a look on the other end, Chris could hear their feint voices in the background. "Alright, we see it. Looks like..." Rostron said, suddenly going silent on the other end. "Captain? H-Hello? Captain?!" Chris panicked, only to hear "Dear God..." from him in response. Going wide eyed, he leaned against the railing of the stairs once again and saw a colossal Gyarados raise its head from the water. "Th-That's..." Chris stuttered, his eyes following the Gyarados as it raised higher and higher, going far above the ships height and continuing to rise as if it were a God itself. "WHAT IS THAT?!!!" Rose screamed, pointing it out. "It... It not Pokemon... It monster..." Serenity muttered, her eyes as wide as the others. "My word, I've never seen any of our kind reach such a spectacular size..." Alicia added, all of them continuing to look up until the Gyarados finally stopped its ascent. "C-Captain, I th-think we know what ha-happened to the A-Arceanic..." Chris stuttered. Getting no response, Chris trembled before taking a deep breath. "A-Alright girls! W-We gotta get to the bridge! N-Now or never!" he shout, quickly trying to help pull them along. As the colossal Gyarados looked at its army, held back by the ships defense, it tried to move forward itself only for the current to rip its way through its massive size, keeping even it at bay.

"Good, looks like not even that demon can pass." Chris heard Smith say on the other end of his communicator. "Good news girls! It can't reach us either!" he grinned, giving them a thumbs up. However, the girls retained their terrified expressions, causing Chris to raise an eyebrow. "What's...?" he began, cut off as they all point towards the giant Gyarados. "It not need to reach us..." Serenity said. Afraid to look, Chris let out a groan before slowly turning, and when his eyes met the mighty beast, he saw its mouth open as wide as can be, drawing in energy for some kind of attack. As a massive charge of energy swirled in its maw, the group noticed the air growing colder as some of the rain began coming down as tiny drops of hail. "That attack..." Chris muttered, quickly taking out his Pokedex and holding it out towards the beast. Flashing and flipping open, it scanned the Pokemon before beeping and showing a hologram. "Mega Gyarados!" it began, Chris and the girls going wide eyed. "MEGA?!! HOW?!!" Chris shout, looking up as the Pokedex revealed more data. "Moves currently in use, Ice Beam, Hail." it went on. "This Pokedex has no information on this Gyarados in particular. It is possible this Mega Gyarados is the metaphorical king of Gyarados. Data indicates it surpasses all previous records for the Gyarados breed! Many Pokemon have a metaphorical ruler, usually determined by size and power. This device suggests retreat over confrontation, as odds are undoubtedly against favor." it finished before flashing and shutting tightly. "Th-The king...?" Chris muttered. "THAT'S what's considered royalty?! It's a demon if I've ever seen one!!" Alicia shout. "Chris... What... What we do?" Serenity asked nervously. "We can't beat a king!! Not one THAT big!!" Rose panicked. Looking back at the girls, he was about to say something as he faced forward, only to see Mega Gyarados release its massive Ice Beam and send it cutting through the air towards the ship, the Captain and Smith along with the officers heard shouting on the other end of his line. "I-It's heading for!!" Chris panicked, quickly turning on his line of the communicator. "CAPTAIN!!! GET OUT OF THE...!!!" he screamed, only to watch the attack slam into the bridge.

As the group watched wide eyed, jagged ice shot out from the bridge where the glass was, shredding the rest of its structure as well by ripping through the material and sticking out all over. Suddenly seeing a flashback of the images on display below deck, Chris muttered "the ice..." as the girls noticed the debris raining down towards them. "Chris!! Danger!!" Serenity shout, pulling him and Rose against her before forming a barrier around them as the debris landed all over the stairs and deck below, crushing part of the stairs leading to the bridge. Uncovering their heads, Serenity dissolved the barrier as they looked around. "The bridge, it's wrecked." Chris said, turning on his communicator. "Captain!! CAPTAIN!! Rostron sir, Smith, can you hear me?!!" he shout, looking up at the structure as the rain continued turning into hail, snow slowly mixing in as the wind whipped against them and made the stairs creak and loosen all the more from the wall. "Look! The electricity's still down there!" Rose point out excitedly. "Maybe the means the bridge isn't completely wiped out." Chris thought. Looking back up, he nodded with a stern look on his face before continuing his climb along the stairs remains. "What doing?!" Serenity panicked. "We've gotta get up there!! If we don't reach the bridge we can't do anything for them, ourselves, or anyone else!!" he replied, looking back and holding his hand out. "Hurry up before it sends another attack our way!!" he shout, the girls looking at one another nervously before nodding and following. Working together to toss aside the debris, consisting of both small and massive parts of the bridges structure, they made their way up the twisted metal, having to perform leaps of faith over missing sections. Eventually, they finally managed to reach the remains of the balcony that surrounded the bridge, carefully avoiding the jagged ice surrounding it.

"The entrance, it should be here." Chris said, looking at the collapsed debris blocking their way. Thinking of going around, Serenity shook her head to the idea and instead held her hands out, slowly pushing the debris upwards instead of pulling it out to avoid further collapsing the entrance. "Go in!!" she shout, Chris and Rose nodding before rushing inside, Serenity following before adjusting the debris in a way that would support the entrance somewhat. "F-F-F-Freezing..." Alicia stuttered as they looked around the icy remains within the bridge. "It's like an ice box in..." Chris added, pausing as they heard groans coming from the door where Dragonair was kept. Making their way through the ruined room, Chris struggled to open the frozen door, instead having Rose kick it open revealing the Captain, Chief, and the officers laying sprawled out on the floor, Dragonair coiled around the Captain shivering having escaped her now frozen tank in time. "Rostron!! You guys alright?!" Chris panicked. "C-Couldn't make it..." Rostron replied, clutching one of his legs while his other arm lay limp. "Cursed b-beast." Smith added, trying to raise up only for his back to crack causing him to shout in pain and lay back down. "D-Damn this old..." he groaned. Looking at all the officers, they all had sustained wounds keeping them on the floor, two of them out cold from having slammed into the frozen tank from the looks of it. "Thought we could make it... Blast hit right when we got to the door. Sent all of us flying in..." Rostron explained. "Th-The ship lad! The defenses!!" he panicked, trying to raise up as Chris had the girls look over everyone, himself going up to the Captain. "Easy there, the ships fine, and the current's still strong out there." he assured, Rostron sighing and laying back against Dragonair who was whimpering in pain herself. "My whole team, out of commission at once." the Captain groaned, looking over his men. "Smith! How's the back?" he asked. "Th-Think something's dislocated, maybe a bit broken. Can feel everything just fine though, UNFORTUNATELY... In short, nothing this sea dog hasn't endured before in some way or another." Smith replied. "Sorry Captain, but looks like I'm down the rest of the voyage, and doesn't look like the men are in any better shape... Almost made it, didn't we?" he laughed in a somber tone, the others trying to laugh as well before groaning in pain.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - A New Captain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jquJLs0wdFk

"The ship, the crew, the passengers... All these years my family has focused on my grandfathers failure, praised as he was nonetheless. Now look at me, the anniversary of his failure, and here I am, Rostron the second, in the same position. Only now, it's my own ship I've failed." he said, laughing at himself sadly before suddenly shedding tears. "Welcome aboard Captain, I know the exact feeling." Smith replied, groaning before sniffing himself. "What a curse, what a curse." he added before shedding his own tears. Noticing the officers struggling to retain their grievances as well, Chris slowly stood and looked at them all before turning to the bridge, walking back out towards the controls. "L-Lad? C-Careful!" Rostron warned, raising his hand from his leg only for shooting pains to force him to cling onto it again. "A curse huh...?" Chris muttered, looking at all of the ice and at the controls, still operational yet frozen over, same for the helm. "Guess the only way to fight a curse, is with a curse." he added before heading for the helm and placing his hands on two of the frozen handles. "Ninetails! You want a surprise, then lend me a hand!" he shout. "What? Ninetails?" one of the conscious officers muttered. "That's right, he mentioned something about it." Rostron added. Looking through what part of the now missing and shattered windows he could, Chris saw the Mega Gyarados continuing to recover from its attack and the current below combined. "As long as it's still feeling the sting from the electricity we should be safe a little longer, just enough time to put everything into motion hopefully." Chris said to himself before closing his eyes. "Well? You want a surprise or not? Give it to get it." Chris muttered. After a moment, he began glowing, slowly enveloped within a golden aura once more that rapidly dissolved the ice on the helm and controls, the jagged ice sticking out of the windows disappearing as well giving him a clear view through the bridge. Picking up the helms communicator, the girls walked in and stood at his sides as he turned on the speakers throughout the ship, the Captain and others watching. "Here we go..." he muttered, looking back at the men before pointing at Rostron and motioning for his hat. Giving him a surprised look, the Captain faced the others, and although bewildered, they nodded at the Captain. Handing his hat to Serenity, she returned to his side as he took it and looked at it silently before placing it on his own head. "Don't worry guys, I'm not gonna let you down." he assured, giving the Captain and his men a thumbs up before raising the communicator in his hand.

"Attention crew and passengers of the S.S. Guardian! This is Chris, and as of now I'm taking over this ship! Follow my orders and we MIGHT make it out of here alive! Hate to say it, but we've got an army of Gyarados to push through, AND the king of em' all to boot!" he revealed...