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The warm, beaming sun kissed their skin, without a single cloud in the sky. Warming them when they'd just recently been bitter and blue. Gentle breezes brushed the sea water from their bangs, when they could no longer be bothered to dry them. The gentle, rocking tide of the vast Alolan seas nudged Lana's boat, to and fro, when she and Ash were too tired and sore to do much of anything themselves. Their breaths were heavy, and salty seawater clung to their lips.
Their Pokémon all snoozed soundly. Rowlet sat perched atop the boat's cabin roof with Meltan nestled into his feathers, clinging to the same metal railing. Torracat and Lycanroc basked in the sun on the deck's floor. Peeks was curled up atop the faux leather seating, leaning into Ash's side. Primarina rested her head in Lana's lap, the latter gently stroking her new, beautiful mane. Lana's Eevee, Sandy, had joined Torracat and Lycanroc to dry her abundant fur.
They were grateful for the cozy comforts of the high seas that they wouldn't take for granted. Not after the whims of nature had snapped at them so brutally.
Ash leaned back against the railing behind his seat. A grown man at a healthy twenty-four with striking brown eyes, olive tanned skin, wild black hair having grown out to match his chin strap beard, framed by lightning-bolt bangs that hung over his ears. All of that, pushed down beneath a vermilion baseball cap with a white brim, and a half Poké Ball pattern. His clothing was lax and casual for the Alolan weather; a white t-shirt, with baby blue sleeves, and the number "25" on his chest in the same color. Light, baggy blue jeans, sneakers to match his shirt, and an onyx Z-Power Ring on his left wrist. His physique was pronounced, but toned from many adventures.
His eyes lingered on the woman beside him; Lana. Still just as short as the day he'd met her, but she made up for her height with toned muscles from her years of fishing and exploring the deep, despite her petite frame. Admittedly, he liked those. Her hair, as well, had taken a slightly darker tone of blue; something even he was surprised he'd noticed, and was slightly wavier than in her teen years, though it retained its barbed ends. Her bangs were pinned to her left by a pin styled like an anchor. With a slightly longer face, she looked a lot like her mother, Ash thought. Lana's sense of style was somewhere between hers and her younger sensibilities; a white top hanging over one shoulder cut at the midriff, with purple swimsuit straps pulling over. Baggy pants with wave decorations and purple sandals made swimming easy, at a moment's notice.
She sported her own Z-Ring on her right wrist. Ash's eyes lingered on the Waterium Z, like the one he'd earned from her, five years earlier. The hand bearing it still lingered on Primarina; her prized partner who'd gone so far to help her. She'd done so back then, and done it again today.
"Now, that's the face of someone who's earned their rest," Ash remarked.
"Mmm." Lana hummed affirmatively. "She was… so, so helpful. We wouldn't have lived without her. Wouldn't have reached Kyogre."
Mere hours ago, while exploring the coral reef, they and their Pokémon encountered the legendary Sea Basin Pokémon, Kyogre. The one responsible for shaping the world's oceans. They'd fallen ill and into a critical state, having been badly poisoned by Pokémon Hunters. They ambushed Kyogre, but were brought to justice by Ash, Lana, and their partners, who refused to let such an injustice pass. With Ash's support, Lana was able to feed Kyogre a concoction that cured them of their illness.
But, nature didn't respond kindly to being disrespected. A nightmarish storm crashed in the hunters' wake, stirred by a furious Kygore. Black skies, torrential downpours, bitter ice, and unforgiving currents. Multiple times, today, every one of them had contended with the very real possibility that they might've died.
But, they hadn't. Thanks to Lana's stubborn resolve to reel in Kyogre, and Primarina's determination to save her trainer resulting in evolution, they'd caught up to the Sea Basin. Kyogre was calmed by Primarina's song, and saw the former Trial Captain's heart for what it was. She shared an embrace with the ocean's greatest deity, before they departed peacefully.
"Ain't that something?" Ash asked. "You finally, actually fished Kyogre!"
"...I did." Lana echoed the thought. She was still digesting it all. For all of her grand proclamations, actually following through on one of her grandest had been beyond her wildest dreams. Yet, here she was. She'd done it, and with witnesses, at that. She showed a hint of a smile. "And to think I've reeled in Lugia, too."
Ash snorted and sat up, stretching his arms behind his head. "When you see them again… Tell 'em I said hi."
He never could have expected Lana's strong hands colliding with his chest, and pushing him overboard. Nor the crash of the sea's surface against his rear. He surfaced afterward, coughing.
"What the hell was that for!?"
Lana leaned over the railing, pouting heavily. "My lies aren't fun when they can never manage to shock their victim." That, of course, being Ash. How did you stun and take someone for a loop when they'd seen every oddity imaginable!?
Primarina hung over the side of the boat, awakened by the ruckus. She shook her head at her trainer's immature behavior.
Though, she'd at least been kind enough to catch his hat. She held its brim between her fingertips. She also leaned over the boat's edge to offer her hand, which Ash took.
Neither expected just how difficult it'd be to pull the Kantonian aboard. Both of them were very physically fit, and on a good day, could've done so with ease. But, they'd just fought for their lives, and only did so, this time, with plenty of struggle.
Her boyfriend had sent her a nasty glare for her mischief after landing on the deck (much to his team's concern). In response, she stuck out her tongue, before fetching him some towels.
Ash cloaked himself in the warm towels. "Y'know, I met Lugia, pretty much the same way."
Lana took it upon herself to climb into his lap, straddling either side of the seat with her knees. "Oh? You've never told me about that."
Their two starters knew to give them their space, wanting little to do with the PDA. Given all that, Ash pulled her into the towel shroud, and draped his arms around her waist. "Yeah. Now that I think about it, it happened a few different times."
"You don't say."
"Actually, it was a few different Lugia."
"Of course it was."
"Mhm. First, a 'Pokemon Collector,' he called himself. He tried poaching the three legendary birds of Kanto to awaken Lugia and take them, too, in the Orange Islands. Then Team Rocket tried to do the same, in the Whirl Islands."
"The real Team Rocket? Or those three friends of yours that defected?"
"Real Team Rocket. They were after a Lugia and her baby, Silver. We helped rescue 'em."
"I see…" Lana replied, at first. "Did you feel it, too?"
Ash blinked. "Feel what?"
"The complete disbelief and disgust," she muttered. "I could see Kyogre's pain. A beautiful force of nature, tethered by greed. I felt so much love, and so much hate all at once. For them to treat Kyogre so horribly…"
A sort of sadness filled Ash's eyes. Half-lidded hues lingered on his girlfriend's pained expression. He'd felt it all before. It compelled him to leave a kiss on her forehead to soften her mood, if only a bit. "Some people're too arrogant to understand what kind of harm they're doing. Some just don't care that they hurt others at all."
"If I had it my way, they would've been dragged into the depths," Lana replied.
"Arceus, that's morbid." Ash recoiled, and his stomach turned at her response. Though he didn't exactly have anywhere to go, with the seat to his back, and Lana taking up his lap. The pain in her expression had been replaced with wrath; shadows inexplicably hanging over her eyes, despite the clear sunny skies.
"Maybe so," she replied. "But, nature is morbid. The number one rule of the ocean is to treat it with proper respect and reverence. Water can take everything and pull it under in the blink of an eye. Falling prey to that fate after disrespecting it is only natural."
"Yeah, well… The seas did defend themselves," Ash replied.
Lana tilted her head, waiting for an elaboration.
"Primarina struck back at the hunters. You did. The seas sent you to handle it!"
Lana held a closed fist to her lip, biting her thumb in thought. "The sea sent me…"
Ash grinned, pressing his forehead to hers. "Yup! The Devil of the Sea."
"Devil!?" Lana pulled back, tilting a brow at Ash. Begging an explanation.
"Well, yeah," Ash said, laughing. "I think it fits! You're scary. Talkin' about dragging evildoers to the depths."
Lana gave it a moment of thought, and nodded. "True. You're the Angel of the Sea, then."
"Because I'm your conscience?"
"Well, yes. That and…" The former Captain's complexion turned a dark red, and she mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?" Ash asked, leaning in close. "You're being too quiet, I couldn't hear it."
"Because you've watched over and protected me," she muttered out quickly. She was going to great lengths to avoid eye contact.
Ash wasn't sure what he'd expected to hear, but that definitely hadn't been it. He snickered.
"It's not funny!" Lana fumed. She'd worked up so much courage to say it, too!
"No, no! It's not! It's just…" Ash trailed off, shaking his head. When he'd met her on Akala, ages ago, he'd learned that in some ways that Lana was as brazen as they came. She openly daydreamed about 'reeling in strapping sailors' during his very own Island Trial with her. Hell, she hadn't changed much from those days, either. But, showing the slightest bit of vulnerability about her own feelings made her clam up and blush like a tamato berry. It was awfully cute.
Ash couldn't keep the smile off his lips. "It's just… we make a very good team."
Lana seemed to calm down, from there. "Yes," she agreed. "We do." She leaned back into Ash's embrace, tossing the towels aside to nestle into his shirt. They'd been wetter than his clothes, by now. "I love Kyogre. I love the sea. It's too beautiful to be defiled by greed."
Ash nodded, gently running a hand through her hair. Occasionally playing with her ponytail. "That's how I feel about the whole world. Humans and nature… Pokémon… they should be in harmony. That's one thing I really love about Alola. Almost everyone gets that here."
Lana closed her eyes, and hummed. "You've been bringing that back to your home, I think."
Kanto, that was. Earlier this year, after endless efforts, big and small in scale, Team Rocket had collapsed. Its leader defeated, for the entire region — nay, the world — to see. It had taken many hands to see to their end. Friends, allies. People who loved Pokémon and believed in justice, the region over. Without Jessie, James, and Meowth, even, Ash wasn't even sure if they would've brought their former boss to the final stage in the first place.
But, there was no question that he'd been a driving force.
"I think you'd be a big help with that," Ash said. "If you ever take a break from the high seas."
Lana frowned, pulling back to meet his gaze. "And what of the seas, then?"
"It'll find someone new. Just like it found you," Ash replied without missing a beat.
"...I'll think about it," Lana answered. The signature gleam of mischief in her eyes returned. "Although, I'll have to warn you, traveler. Fishing me up will be quite difficult."
"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Ash said, grinning. Lana could only imagine what made him so confident… If not for his own brazen demeanor to begin with. "I have just the lure to deal with you."
"Oh?"
Ash's smile stretched his cheeks. "It'd put the biggest smile on Misty's face, if you did!"
"H-hey! That's…!" Lana gasped, cupping her mouth behind her hands. Her face was even redder than it'd been before; practically steaming. "Two fishermen from Kanto would put up a tough fight… Although I should reiterate, it won't be easy…"
Ash laughed a rancorous laugh. One he could only get away with without stares miles away from land. He cupped the nomad's cheeks, and pulled her into a kiss.
"I'd expect no less from the woman who caught Kyogre on her line."
Bonus art! Complete with their described designs.
