I can’t breathe.

The smoke scratches my lungs and the hand holding me prevents me from jumping back into the flames.

Wooden beams flicker, ash flutters through the air, and I have to cough. Every breath burns in my throat. Someone tugs at my arm as my little fingers try to reach for the far door. It is open.

If I could just get a little further...

“■■■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■” My voice breaks through the smoke, but I can’t hear anything.

The next breath barely makes it into my chest.

And for a moment, I know I’m going to suffocate.

I hastily break through the surface. The powerful cough burns like fire in my throat and the brief unconsciousness caused by the water gun is driven away by the rising adrenaline with every passing second. Still, I’m wobbly on my feet and the monster in front of me doesn’t give me a chance to gasp for air.

“I will swallow you!” the threat thunders in my skull and although I can hardly believe this Pokémon is supposed to be special, it’s difficult to process that this thing is probably an oversized Wishiwashi.

Just as it flaps its mighty tail fin and the waves slosh up to my waist – the water has long since gone far ashore – I realise, however, I need to join the others. If I stay here, this Pokémon will drown me – with pure pleasure.

A slap on my thighs awakens the stiff muscles and allows me to get moving. But my reactions are slow, leaving me with only my Pokémon.

“Raya! Provoke it with ember! Coro, you’re hitting its body with your beak!”

Zorua can’t do anything. She still lacks attacks for long-range, so I can only rely on the other two. A quick glance at Amethio brings Ceruledge to the fore. He has called his Flying-type Pokémon back. But the circumstances turn out to be unsuitable for him too. Corviknight is still too wet to fly and Ceruledge, like Zorua, seems to be bound to land.

The only hope we have is my speedy return to land so we can pack our things and leave. But the Wishiwashi monster doesn’t care about the little fireballs that bounce off it like raindrops, nor about Coro’s powerful blows from his beak. All it needs is a strong turn, and Coro is forced to dodge the mighty cascade of water. The Pokémon’s tail fin rises so high it sends the water shooting towards me in a wave as it comes down. It reminds me of surf, only that this creature doesn’t go with the wave.

I can hold my breath just in time as the water crashes down on me. Simultaneously, the wetness tugs at my body, following a wave and sweeping me away before I can escape. The whirlpool, which forces me straight to Wishiwashi, squeezes the breath out of my lungs. My fingers struggle to claw at the ground, but the pull is too strong for me to get up and run away. The waves convey the image that this pool is filled up to the shoulders. It’s already slapping against the stone that encloses the shore.

It’s amazing that a pool in which I could previously cool my calves suddenly seems as deep as the sea. And the maelstrom the Wishiwashi has conjured drains all my strength.

I am going to die. For sure. My hands can no longer hold on. Each finger is slowly slipping.

But when I actually lose hold, nothing happens. I can’t see anything and can barely hear, apart from the rushing water. The only thing I notice is how the maelstrom briefly lets go of me and someone pulls on me with force. The next moment I bump into warm fabric.

A cough escapes my throat as I gasp greedily for air and catch sight of Amethio, who supports me until my legs can carry me halfway.

“We have to get out of here!” He’s at least as dripping wet as I am, so he brushes his hair out of his face in one movement and pulls me along behind him. But my legs wobble terribly and he has to grab my shoulders twice to prevent me from falling flat on my face. Only when we reach the shore, I believe I can step firmer and before I know it, we are both sitting behind a rock, panting and soaked to the bone.

“Thank you,” I gasp out between rattling breaths. “But how... did you manage that?”

He wrings the water out of his hair. “Ceruledge took a leap to attack it from above.”

“And where are-“ I don’t get to ask my question as Ying and Raya appear next to me. Only Pikipek is still trying to launch an attack or two.

Ceruledge lands in front of us barely a second later.

“And now what? If we try to run away, it will surely catch us with a water gun and push the water even further over the shore. It will get us.” Just the thought sends shivers down my spine. “And we don’t have an Electric-type Pokémon.”

“It might calm down if we wait and see.”

“I doubt that. It’s angry. Really angry. It called us poison and tried to ‘swallow’ me.”

“You can hear it?” Amethio’s eyes widen slightly. He sees something I can’t make out, so I just nod.

He glances round the rock briefly before taking a deep breath. We both know it’s just a touch of mercy that this monster hasn’t fired an water gun to shatter this rock.

“Find the source of its rage,” Amethio finally demands. “This is our best chance.”

I don’t want to go back out there, I really don’t. But he’s right. We have no other choice.

A sigh escapes me one last time before I raise my hands in the air and slowly scramble to my feet. The Pokémon stares at me for a moment, but quickly realises that I am completely unarmed. At least it seems to want to hear my last words before it rips my body in two.

“I’m sorry if I did anything to upset you.” When you have no idea why someone is angry, apologising works nine times out of ten. “You said I was poison. Why?”

My words cause its body to bloat. Simultaneously, calm seems to return and the next water attack doesn’t materialise.

“You understand me?”

“Yes... But that’s not normal... Normal people can’t hear your words.”

Water bubbles as it sinks slightly in its place. “And now you want to beg for mercy?”

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“I want to know what made you so angry.”

It hesitates for quite a while before its deep voice sloshes back into my senses. “You humans are polluting our home. The tourists throw money and cans into our water, sometimes food that has killed some of my comrades.” It rises again. “You throw things at us, laugh, and don’t care about our pain!”

I understand its problem, but there is nothing I can do. Stopping all humans from doing wrong is as impossible as catching all the criminals in the world. This Pokémon carries anger I can’t ease.

“Look at my body!” the misshapen Wishiwashi continues. “They threw a stone at me and it got stuck between my scales.” It turns to the side so I can see blue bumps and a reddened area that almost fades into the background. “It hurts. Day in, day out. And before I knew it, my body had grown and grown! I can hardly find food because I’m too big for the edges and nooks. I had to eat other Wishiwashi to survive!”

My hands drop. This creature has been driven into a corner. Its appearance is nothing more than a mutation. It suffers from the careless actions of humans and it gives the strange impression of no longer being angry. The sadness beneath its scales is greater than the rage.

“There’s not much I can do for you,” I begin slowly as I take a step towards the Pokémon. “But if you let me, I’ll heal this spot for you. Who knows, maybe you’ll even change back.”

We are probably both aware none of this will help change people’s behaviour. But the Wishiwashi now exudes a calm that at least conveys it no longer blames me for what has happened. It lets me walk to the shore without saying a word and only when I stop does it speak up again.

“I won’t attack you again,” it promises. “I believe you.”

Its reassurance is comforting, but I have to admit my need for water is covered for the next four years. Still, I force one foot in front of the other, finally lower my hands and come to a halt next to the mutated Wishiwashi.

A closer look at the reddened scales brings a water-blue stone to the fore. My fingers want to reach for it, but flinch as I realise that Wishiwashi only moderately trusts me.

“I’ll get it out now. It will probably hurt, but please try to stay calm.”

It doesn’t answer, so I place one hand on the Pokémon’s side and grab the stone with pointed fingers of the other. Its slippery exterior makes it difficult to get a good grip and I slip twice without success. In the end, I grab the hem of my blouse and pull it up high enough to grab the foreign object. The sticky fabric makes things easier, and before I know it, I’m plucking the problem out with a tug.

I can feel the Wishiwashi breathe a sigh of relief and as I take a step back, I hold the stone right in front of its eyes. “Mission accomplished.”

“Thank you. Thank you!” There is a gleam in its eyes.

“Next, I’ll heal you. I just have to go to my backpack and get the potion.” Which I bought with all my money and which will now be spent on another Pokémon. My luck is truly limited.

But when I turn around, Amethio is standing behind me, holding the same phial he gave me. The powder inside is powerful.

“That will be enough.” He doesn’t ask, instead he’s gauged the circumstances and just gives me some of the stuff I’ll probably never be able to afford.

“Thank you.” I have no choice but to accept his offer if it means I get to keep my potion. Unlike me, he seems to have enough of this miracle powder.

As I turn my attention back to the Wishiwashi, the other thoughts fade into the background. “I’m going to sprinkle this on your tongue and then you’ll have to swallow ... water.”

It sounds stupid, especially as this Pokémon is a fish. But it seems to understand my description and opens its fanged mouth a little so I can spread the powder. It dives immediately afterwards.

“I hope it goes back to normal,” I murmur quietly.

“Has it changed because of the stone?” Amethio hears me anyway and his gaze fixes on the crystal resting in my hands.

A second glance at the culprit reveals it must be a Z-Crystal and this time Amethio’s Rotom is faster than mine on land.

“Waterium Z. Can trigger a Z-Move with a water attack.”

“Another one of those useless things I can’t use.” My sigh seems endless as my companion picks up the Rotom and reads through everything it has to say about Z-Crystals. As I know from experience, that’s not a small amount.

The next moment, the Wishiwashi reappears. “Bitter...”

My brows lift only briefly before I turn the situation in a different direction. As nice as everything is improving right now, I can hear this Pokémon and that also means I can gather information.

“Do you have ... by any chance ... a Ray-“ I stop. Maybe the Pokémon has no idea what a Rayquaza is. I can hardly blame it. After what this tourist has told us, it’s hard to shake off the thought. “Have you perhaps seen a black dragon?”

“A dragon?”

“Something ... like an ... oversized Dragonair.”

It looks at me for a moment, as if I’m suddenly speaking a distinct language. However, I don’t know any Pokémon that is typical of Alola and can be compared to Rayquaza.

However, Amethio sees the circumstances differently. It’s probably easier to describe Rayquaza in terms of water Pokémon in general. “Longer than a Milotic, with a head that remotely resembles a Golduck.”

Wishiwashi remains silent for a little longer until it finds certainty in its thoughts. “I think so.”

“It was here?” The sudden hope that makes my heart beat faster pushes everything else aside.

“It was here to drink,” the Pokémon replies. “Its presence intimidated me ... so I stayed underwater.”

The air I had been unconsciously holding is forced out of me in a gush. As for Amethio’s stare, it’s a sign of patience I shouldn’t overstretch.

“It was here, but apart from that, Wishiwashi doesn’t know anything either.”

“That means we’re on the right track.” There still seems to be hope in him, which is why he turns and wades through the water back to the shore.

I say goodbye to the Pokémon before following him. Back on land, Ying and Raya bring me my boots and as I sit down on the wet stone ground, sun drying doesn’t seem so wrong. Part of me doubts Wishiwashi will try to drown my sorry ass again.

“Shall we stay a little longer?” Tilting my head to the side, I turn my attention to Amethio. He’s still holding the Rotom and when he looks up, all I get is a curt nod. His clothes are sticking to him just as much as mine are to me.

“As soon as we’re drier, we’re going back to Paniola Town.”

“Do we have to?” I’d hoped never to set foot in that hellhole again – not least because of the argument we left there. “Isn’t there anywhere else to rest?”

“None nearby,” Amethio crushes my ray of hope. “Conia will meet us at the lodging and bring clothes.”

At least that’s good news. After all, I’m wearing my spare clothes right now and have nothing left that shouldn’t be in the wash first. Even if Conia will probably only bring a few worn scraps of cloth for me, that’s good enough.

Half in thought, I scratch over my arms until I notice the bumpy skin. The crust, which has grown thick over the scratches, has softened. The areas I’ve carelessly peeled off are bleeding slightly. The rest itches unbearably. I briefly entertain the idea of trying out the healing potion for my Pokémon on myself. However, I’m definitely not in the mood for any more problems, so I discard the tempting idea and lean my head back.

Alola’s sky is as blue as the sea; as blue as the eyes of some people, in whose vastness you can lose yourself. The sun is giving my skin a light tan and I’m sure I’ll soon look like Hau and disappear among the inhabitants of this island. Amethio’s pallor will hardly do otherwise, although part of me believes he will remain on the lighter side of the possibilities.

I would argue it’s peaceful enough in these seconds to want to stay. The rush I felt at my father’s side fades with each additional breath I spend away from him. I’ve been on the loose for three days now – running away from my promise like a bratty child – and the urge for adventure no longer crushes me. I still want to see the world and be free, but there are many things here I need to deal with at the same time. Little things I imagined would be easier – like the fights with my partners. The moment between Ying, the Magnemite, and me was the last glorious one, I would say.

Since then, nothing but crap has happened and all I can do is run away and make the wrong decisions. The clearer my thoughts become, because I’m no longer just thinking about escaping, the better I understand I’ve been cocky. Everything I thought I would do better than other deluded kids turns out to be more and more stumbling blocks; problems that complicate my circumstances. I’m hardly better than most of the other runaways.

The sigh on my lips weighs heavier than a Geodude. I can’t think about the things I’ve messed up. I have to look ahead and move on. Lessons can be learnt without always thinking about failures. That’s why I simply forget them – or rather, I do so with some force.

The clear air and the heat dry our clothes in almost half an hour. My hair is sticking out a little and my bun is definitely loose, but it’s nothing compared to Amethio’s tangled waves, which have probably become knotted.

I don’t want to know how much a brush hurts at a time like this.

As he rises under my gaze and circles his shoulders, it becomes clear we’re about to leave. Today has probably been stressful enough and I’m fine with that. As long as they keep me and pay for my room, I will obediently follow the tasks assigned to me. Even when I can think of better things to do than wander around the island.