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| - The bright morning sun rose from the horizon as a new day began in the Hoenn Region. Mr. Briney's ship managed to reach the beachy dock in Route 109 late at night and everybody on board decided it would be a good idea to get a good night's rest before setting out into the city. After all, they were still extremely tired from their surprise encounter with Team Magma. Brendan sat up from his seat groggily and scratched his eyes vigorously as the salty sea air filled his nostrils. For some strange reason, he had a terrible nightmare. Remembering the events, he turned quickly to look at Grovyle lying next to him and was breathed a sigh of relief to find that it was not deformed and was instead sleeping peacefully. "Did you sleep well?" A male's voice asked. Brendan turned around suddenly to see that it was only Steven. "Wow, did I startle you?" "Sorry, Steven, I just had a terrible nightmare," Brendan sighed. "A nightmare?" May asked and joined the two. "What was it about?" "I don't know," Brendan shrugged. "I was just on an island and this voice kept telling me that I was worthless." "Was there anything else?" Steven asked. "Well, Grovyle was deformed, but I guess that was just part of the nightmare." "Argh, I've heard some legends of a Pokémon that causes nightmares," Mr. Briney said and walked over to the trainers. "They say it comes to trainers who believe that they are stronger than they truly are and wreaks havoc on their dreams." "A Pokémon that causes nightmares?" Brendan asked. "What kind of Pokémon would do something like that?" "Nobody knows," Mr. Briney shrugged. "For all we know, it might just be another legend of scurvy." "Has anybody ever seen this Pokémon?" Steven asked. "I am quite intrigued by this." "I have never met anybody who has seen this Pokémon with their own eyes," Mr. Briney answered. "But I do know of one trainer afflicted that was afflicted by it some time in the past." "Who was that trainer?" Brendan asked. "I wanna know how to end this crap." "The lad's name is Aiden," Mr. Briney answered. "But I haven't seen him in years." "I think I know Aiden," Steven asked. "I presume that you are speaking of the Aiden with wild red hair." "Argh, that be the lad!" Mr. Briney exclaimed. "You know him?" "We have been friends for a while," Steven answered and looked to Brendan. "I can talk to him about this if you'd like." "That would be awesome," Brendan nodded. "I'm not trying to lose sleep while on a journey with my Pokémon." "I guess Steven can do that while we look for this Captain Stern guy that he told us about," May shrugged. "That sounds like a good idea," Steven agreed. "I've already seen all there is to see about Slateport. I'll let you guys do the touring while I call him up." "Thanks, Steven," Brendan smiled lightly. After leaving the boat, Brendan and May headed through the commercial beach of Route 109 into the busy streets of Slateport City. As a beachside resort city, there were lots of tourists out and about exploring things. In fact, the entire city seemed to revolve around a beach theme. Brendan had been following May around as she spend all of her time exploring the bustling bazaars of the city for what had seemed like hours. She was intrigued by the souvenirs that were on sale and wanted to pick up a few things to give to her parents when she went back home. However, her incisiveness was starting to get on Brendan's nerves. "Don't you think we should be doing more important things?" Brendan asked with a groan. Before he realized it, May had run for another tent. "Are you kidding me? I mean come on!" "Oh, don't be a spoiled sport," May said and looked at the different PokéDolls that the vendor had on sale. "Oh look, it's a Torchic doll!" "If you really want it, then buy it and let's get out of here!" Brendan exclaimed. "Fine, fine," May groaned and rolled her eyes. She picked up the doll, gave her money to the vendor, and put it in her pouch. She looked to Brendan afterwards. "What did you want to do here that was so important, anyways?" "Don't we have to meet this Captain Stern guy?" Brendan asked. "After all, it was you who said that 'networking' was such an important thing..." "Don't use my own words against me!" May exclaimed defensively and placed her hands on her hips. "Can we just get a move on it?" Brendan asked. "Fine, whatever..." The two of them navigated the streets of the city aimlessly. Despite Brendan's desire to meet this Captain Stern person, he had no idea where he was going. The title "Captain" in addition to the city being themed on the neighboring sea led Brendan to the conclusion that Captain Stern probably had something to do with ships. As such, he found directions on the Slateport's main directory in the heart of the city to a place called "Stern's Shipyard." He planned out the blocks and concluded that the building was not a far walk from where they were. After a little bit of navigating again through the city, the two of them could see a large industrial styled building situated next to the sea. Large, rusting boats had lined up the side walls of the building. "Are you sure this is the place?" May asked as they stood at the building's door. "I mean, it's called 'Stern's Shipyard', how can it not be the place?" Brendan asked redundantly and opened the door wide. "After you." "Thank you..." May mumbled and walked into the building. The building had old ships held up on stands with machines that looked like they were deconstructing them. Additionally, it looked as if some other machines were salvaging boat parts to make new ships. Like its name suggested, it was just a shipyard for dismantling and reconstructing ships. There was an old looking professor with gray hair and a scraggly beard who seemed to be running the machines as he examined a blueprint. Brendan assumed that he was probably Captain Stern and the pair walked over to him. "Um, excuse me?" Brendan asked and tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you Captain Stern by any chance?" "Oh, hello there!" The professor exclaimed and turned around suddenly. "You scared the bejeezus out of me! Unfortunately, I'm not the Captain Stern you were looking for." "Well, do you know where he is?" May asked. "Brendan over here insists that we go see him." "He's probably at the Oceanic Museum adding a new artifact on the display," the professor answered. "A rare looking pearl washed up on shore the other day and Captain Stern thought it would be good for a new display." "Do you know where the museum is?" Brendan asked. "We've never really been to Slateport before." "It's only a few blocks north of here," the professor answered. "It shouldn't be too hard to find." "Thank you, we'll go find him," Brendan nodded and began to walk out of the building with May. The two of them left the shipyard and walked in the directions that the professor gave to them. Eventually, they could see a grande building designed in an aquatic blue by the sea. Brendan realized that they had made it and excitedly ran for the door. "This must be it," Brendan said and held the door open for May. "After you." "Thank you..." May mumbled to herself again. When they walked inside, they could see that there was an entire army of Team Aqua Grunts peacefully checking out the displays. Confused, Brendan walked over to the front desk and looked at the receptionist curiously. "What's going on here?" Brendan asked. "Aren't we supposed to be keeping Team Aqua away from here?" "What's Team Aqua?" The receptionist asked. "And unless you're part of that group, you have to pay an admission fee." "She has no idea what we're talking about," May whispered to Brendan before looking back at the receptionist. "Yes, we're a part of that group." "Oh, then you'd better be quick!" The receptionist exclaimed. "You don't want to be late!" "One more thing," Brendan jumped in. "Is Captain Stern here?" "Yes, he should be upstairs," the receptionist answered. "He was fixing up a new display." "Thank you!" May smiled and walked away from the desk. "How did she not know who Team Aqua was?" Brendan asked when they were out of the receptionist's earshot. "Maybe they haven't done as much damage as we thought," May shrugged. "Anyways, we should go find Captain Stern." The two found a large staircase at the end of the first floor and climbed it. Once they reached the second floor, they could see a middle aged man with dark brown hair in a lab coat messing around with one of the displays. They figured that he was Captain Stern (for real this time) and walked over to him. "Um, excuse me?" Brendan asked for the second time and tapped on his shoulder. "Are you Captain Stern?" "Why, yes I am!" Captain Stern turned around and faced the duo. "What brings the two of you here?" "Someone we met named Steven told us to come meet you," May answered. "He said we could learn a lot about the ocean from you." "Ah, anything for the friends of the good son of President Stone, of course. Well, if I do say so myself, I am probably the most educated man when it comes to Hoenn's seas," Professor Stern answered with a light chuckle. "Whether it's undersea Pokémon, tidal weather patterns, or just a general question about the make-up of our seas, I can answer all." "Actually, we do have an important question now that we're here," Brendan started. "What's Team Aqua doing here?" "Team Aqua?" Captain Stern asked with a puzzled expression on his face. "Yeah, we ran into them before in Rustboro City and they were up to no good by stealing the Devon Goods," Brendan shrugged. "I figured they were up to no good here as well, but they're just peacefully looking at the displays." "What's Team Aqua?" Captain Stern asked again. "I've never heard of them." "We really don't know either," May answered. "We know they want to awaken the legendary Pokémon of the seas, but that's about it." "The legendary Pokémon of the seas?" Captain Stern asked with one eye squinted. "You mean Kyogre?" "I'm not too sure what it's called," Brendan said. "But if that's the one that caused a big war a long time ago, then yes." "Are they out of their minds!?" Captain Stern asked loudly. "That's disastrous!" Just then, they could hear people running up the stairs. In an instant, two Team Aqua Grunts rushed over to the three of them and pulled their PokéBalls out. "Captain Stern, hand over the submarine's blueprints!" One of the Grunts exclaimed before noticing Brendan and May. "You two! It was you two that meddled in our affairs in Rustboro!" "We're gonna make sure you stay out of our way this time!" The other Grunt reiterated. "What are you two going to do about it?" Brendan asked and pulled out a PokéBall. "Yeah, you guys are nothing but a nuisance to the peace in the Hoenn Region!" May exclaimed and pulled out a PokéBall as well. "And we're gonna make sure you disappear forever!" "Then let's get right down to it!" The first Grunt exclaimed and threw a PokéBall forward. "Poochyena, get 'em!" In response, the second Grunt, Brendan, and May all threw their PokéBalls forward. "Zubat!" "Whsimur!" "Corphish!" All four Pokémon burst free out of their PokéBalls in a flash of bright white light and took their positions on the battlefield in front of their trainers. "Crap, I didn't bring any Pokémon of my own!" Captain Stern exclaimed and hid behind the teenagers. "Poochyena, use Bite on Corphish!" "Zubat, use Leech Life on Whismur!" "Whismur, use Uproar on Poochyena!" "Corphish, use Crabhammer on Zubat!" Poochyena leapt for Corphish but was stopped dead in its tracks when Whismur opened its mouth. It directed a powerful shout at Poochyena before Poochyena could attack Corphish but was then silenced as Zubat bit tightly onto one of its ears. Corphish used this opportunity to slam its pincers at Zubat to free Whismur from its grip. "Wow, this battle is ugly," May commented. "Corphish, use another Crabhammer on Zubat!" "Zubat, dodge it and use Wing Attack!" Corphish charged its pincers and tried to slam one into Zubat. However, Zubat used its aerial advantage to flutter out of the way of the attack. It screeched loudly and flew towards Corphish with glowing wings. Fortunately for Corphish, its other pincer was still charged up and it whacked Zubat before it could use its Wing Attack. "That's how we do it!" May cheered and pumped her fist. "One more Crabhammer!" "Whismur, back her up with annother Uproar!" Brendan added in. "Poochyena, get in the way of the attack!" Corphish charged its pincers again and launched itself at Zubat. This time, however, Poochyena was there to listen to its trainer's commands and stood in the way of the attack. Instead, Corphish ended up slamming its pincers into Poochyena. Poochyena was thrown out of the way just in time for Whismur to open its mouth wide and roar at the top of its lungs. "Brendan, you've gotta teach Whismur to tone it down a bit!" May shouted and held her palms to her ears. "I can't hear you!" Brendan replied with his hands on his ears as well. As Whismur's attack grew in power, it started to kick up a wind. The wind blew Poochyena and Zubat away and the two Pokémon slammed into the wall with two loud thuds. When Whismur finally quieted down, the two Pokémon slowly slid down the wall and fell to the ground, unable to battle. Everyone in the room took their hands off their ears as they could finally hear again. "Glad that's over," Brendan sighed and called his Pokémon back. "Good job, Whismur!" "You too, Corphish!" May smiled and stuck her Pokémon a thumbs up. She called it back, as well. "Damn it!" The Grunt who owned Poochyena stomped the ground in frustration and called his Pokémon back. "We'll get you next time!" The other Grunt threatened them and called back his Pokémon as well. Before the two Grunts got the chance to flee the scene, another man emerged from the staircase. He looked almost like the Grunts except for the fact that he was larger with a blue bandana, a pirate captain's outfit, dark black facial hair, and a golden anchor strapped around his neck. He took slow, loud steps as he approached Brendan, May, and Captain Stern. "You pathetic fools!" He shouted at the teenagers. "You keep insisting on wiping the floor with my Grunts, eh?" "And who might you be?" Brendan asked as he stood up bravely to the man. "Your breath smells terrible by the way." "You dare talk like that to Archie, the leader of the great Team Aqua!?" Archie roared in anger. "I will finish you off!" "I doubt it," Brendan chuckled. "We'll take you out just like we took your pathetic Grunts out." "Brendan, take a chill pill," May whispered to her traveling companion. She could sense his overconfidence getting the best of him again. "May, I know what I'm doing," Brendan whispered back to her before looking at Archie again. "So what is it? Do you accept my challenge or are you gonna run away like a baby?" "I suggest you shut it," Archie warned him. "Or else you'll regret it. Luckily for you, I have more important things to do." "So you're gonna run away like a baby?" Brendan asked with a smirk. "Brendan, shut up!" May tugged on his sleeve. "If you'd like to call it that, then call it that," Archie said calmly. "But you will regret calling me names the next time you cross Team Aqua's path. Mark my words, fool!" "Leave!" Brendan exclaimed as the two Grunts started to leave the building behind Archie. "And stay out!" "Brendan, you really need to think before you say stuff," May told him. "You're gonna get us killed one day." "Trust me, May, I always back up my shit talk," Brendan reassured her. "And besides, what are they? Water-type masters? I'm sure Grovyle can take them out with no trouble." "Brendan, please stay level headed..." "Thank you two for saving me," Captain Stern interrupted before he felt like the scene would get ugly. "Honestly, if you two weren't here, I'm not sure what would have happened." "It's no problem, Captain Stern," May nodded. "But why did they want your submarine parts?" "It may be for the underwater cavern we discovered," Captain Stern explained. "If you said they intended on waking up Kyogre, then they must feel like the cave has a connection to it." "That must be it..." Brendan mumbled. "Anyways, I should really head back to the shipyard," Stern said. "My crew needs to know of this attack so we can take proper measure to protect our mission!" "Good luck!" May exclaimed to him as he left and looked to Brendan. "You know, you should really stop getting so ahead of yourself. Who knows what Archie is capable of?" "Whatever, I'm not listening," Brendan blabbered and held his hands to his ears. "Brendan..."
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