Enjoy Chapter 10! Moonlight Absol, I have a feeling you will especially enjoy this one
Chapter 10
Gibbs as well as many of the other crew members on the Black Pearl embraced their captain and Angelica. The two were in a fantastic mood but one would never know it just by looking at how dirty and beat up they were. “I must know. How did you two escape?” Gibbs inquired.
“We were able to swim to an island that was unfortunately deserted,” Angelica explained.
“You have a knack for ending up in that situation, don’t you, Captain?” Gibbs commented.
Angelica rolled her eyes. “And he’s not the only one. Anyway, we searched through the forest for hours until we came across this gigantic monster. We threw the Pokeball at it and almost captured it but it came out and tried to kill us.”
“What did this beast look like?” Tajiri asked.
“Twelve feet tall, trees on its back, dots on its face, if one could call it a face, and a very bad temper,” Jack described.
Tajiri rubbed his chin for a moment as he scanned the list in his head of Pokemon he knew. He then snapped his fingers. “Regigigas. That’s what it had to be. There’s only known to be about one or two in existence! How in the world did you find such a rare Pokemon?!”
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “We just stumbled upon it. Literally stumbled upon it as a matter of fact.”
“You guys tried catching it? Did you at least try to weaken it at first?” Tajiri asked.
“No because someone had to rush into things,” Angelica said as she glanced at Jack. “We were able to escape it by wrapping vines around its legs and tripping it up. Jack used his compass to get us out of the forest.”
“And that’s when daddy came to the rescue!” Jack concluded. “That’s who is following us in his ship at the moment.”
“Fascinating story,” Gibbs said.
“The story gets better” Jack said. “As it turns out, Angelica and I are expecting to…” He was interrupted by Angelica stepping on his foot. “What?” he asked.
“Don’t tell them yet,” she subtly mouthed to Jack.
Jack looked back at Gibbs and Tajiri, who were curiously waiting for him to finish his sentence. Jack then smiled as he thought of something to say. “We were expecting the fight to get the Pearl back to be a lot more difficult. But it wasn’t! Huzzah!”
Gibbs gave Jack a strange look. “Oookay, then. We’re just glad you two are safe. Welcome back.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gibbs,” Angelica said. She began walking to one of the main rooms on the top floor of the ship. “I need to get myself into a new outfit. This one is far too filthy for my liking. No bueno.”
Jack sniffed the sleeves of his outfit which was equally dirty. “I don’t see the problem. My outfit’s fine,” he said. “Go on ahead, then.”
In the lower floor of the ship, Pintel, Ragetti, and Scyther were all sitting in their hammocks. Scyther had his head down and was rubbing the side of it. He had a headache and was very confused. “Don’t know what now? Say please it again?” he asked.
“Alright,” Ragetti said as his glass eye rolled around in his eye socket. “You can do this, mate. Repeat after me: Hello, my name is Scyther.”
Scyther looked up and was concentrating hard. “Hello, name of mine Scyther.”
Pintel smacked Ragetti’s shoulder. “Ya gotta go a little bit slower for him. Try saying it in parts. Hello.”
“Hello,” Scyther repeated.
“My name.”
“My name.”
“Is Scyther.”
“Is Scyther.”
Pintel and Ragetti smiled. “There ya go, mate. Now put it together,” Ragetti encouraged.
“Hello, my name is Scyther,” Scyther said.
“There it is!” Pintel and Ragetti said in unison. Ragetti reached out for a high five and Scyther obliged. Unfortunately, his sharp hand cut Ragetti. “Yow!”
“Sorry!” Scyther said. “So sorry!”
Ragetti licked his hand, which didn’t look as bad as he originally thought. “It’s alright,” he said.
“I guess we need to find a new way to celebrate,” Pintel said. “Anyway, we’ve worked on greetings. Next we should work on declarations. Something like: ‘Watch out before I slice you up ya landlubbin’ scallywag!’”
Scyther looked even more confused. “What?”
“Gibbs knows the King’s English a bit better than we do,” Ragetti said as he popped his glass eye out and began cleaning it. “Maybe he should work with him.”
“Maybe he should work with anyone but you two,” a random crew member said as he passed by.
“Aw, come on!” Pintel said as he threw his hands in the air. “We ain’t been that bad at teachin’, have we Scyther?”
Scyther shook his head. “No. Appreciate help of you. Hello, my name is Scyther!”
-----
The Black Pearl went ashore near the largest area of civilization in Cinnabar Island. Hundreds of ships and workers were on the shores and docks as many of the richer folk went off to the taverns to enjoy themselves. Cinnabar Island had more buildings than any city Jack had ever seen including Port Royal and Spain. The crew went into the closest tavern they could find. Captain Teague and his men followed close behind.
Jack sat with Angelica, Teague, Tajiri and Gibbs sat together while the rest of the crew was separated into different tables. Scrum went off with his guitar to many different women hoping he could impress at least one of them with his songs.
“So Jackie, I saw you dueling against Barbossa and was quite impressed,” Teague commented before taking a gulp of his drink.
Jack adjusted his hat and smiled. “Thanks, Dad. It felt good being able to know he was watching me sail away with the Pearl. He’s made me do that to him thrice now. I’m just glad I have my superior sword-fighting ability.”
Teague chuckled. “You were great son, but don’t get ahead of yourself. You were still a bit sloppy. Especially your footwork. Why, even at my old age I could’ve wasted that one-legged man in half the time you did.” This comment drew smirks from Angelica, Gibbs, and Tajiri.
“Is that so?” Jack raised his eyebrows with interest and motioned towards one of the vacant storage rooms inside the tavern. “What say I prove my old man wrong? I’ll be the one teaching you a lesson. You’ll be surprised.”
Teague smiled as he banged his glass against Jack’s and they simultaneously took a long drink. “Yer on!”
Jack and Teague grabbed their swords and went off, leaving the three remaining at the table.
“So Tajiri,” Angelica said. “You know a lot about Pokemon, correct? Was that the infamous Kyogre that we just finished battling?”
Tajiri stiffened a bit at the question but realized that he never told her the story about his brother. He only told Jack. “Yes, that was Kyogre. Many say whoever catches it can rule the seas. That is Phantom’s goal.”
“Does that make it the most powerful Pokemon in the world?” Gibbs asked.
Tajri shook his head. “I don’t know but I wouldn't place a wager on it. I have heard many tales of a Pokemon that possesses power equal to and possibly greater than Kyogre’s. I have never seen it with my own eyes. I know from the stories I have heard that there is one that it rules over land the same way Kyogre rules over the sea.
“Pokemon ruling over the land and sea,” Angelica repeated as she tried imagining another being that could possibly have as much power as Kyogre.
“I wish I could tell you more but that’s all I know,” Tajiri said.
The group looked over when they heard a loud smacking noise. Scrum was rubbing his right cheek as a young woman stood up and quickly walked away from him. He shook his head as he walked over and sat at the table with them. “All I tried to do was play a song for her,” he moped. “She didn’t have to go and slap me.”
“It’s all right, mate,” Gibbs said. “You know how many women have slapped Captain Jack?”
“Or punched in the nose?” Angelica added.
“I know, I know, but Jack still finds a way to smooth talk women and I just can’t seem to,” Scrum said. He looked at Angelica. “Would you mind helping me out? I need a woman’s perspective.”
Gibbs stood up and began moving to another table. “Think I’ll just stay out of this one,” he said.
“Me too,” Tajiri said as he followed Gibbs close behind.
Angelica gave the two a look that said, “Please don’t leave me alone!” and then looked into Scrum’s pleading eyes. “So, what do you want to know?” she reluctantly asked.
“Well, what can I do to make myself a more desirable man?” Scrum asked.
Angelica tapped her fingers on the tables. She was trying desperately to think of something to say. “Well… I’d say just to act the way you normally would. You want a woman to like you for yourself, not because you act like someone different.”
“Yeah, but that ain’t been working,” Scrum responded.
“So? Don’t worry about it. You’ll find a woman eventually. Be patient.”
“But you didn’t answer my question. How can I get more women to like me?”
Angelica planted her forehead into her hands. “Ay, ay, ay. I’m getting nowhere with you.”
-----
“Try not to cross your legs too much when you parry,” Teague said.
“I’m just fine,” Jack responded. His dad swung at him with his sword from the right side and he twisted his body and blocked it. Jack then thrusted his sword forward. Soft enough not to risk hurting anyone but hard enough to try and impress his dad.
“That was better,” Teague said. “Let’s spar for real now.”
The two dreadlocked pirates crossed blades in a friendly sparring match. While the two were enjoying the father-son time, they were also trying to outdo one another. Jack twirled his sword around in a circle as a distraction before coming in towards the hands to try and knock the weapon out of his father’s hand. Teague took a step back and stuck his blade into the ground. He then stepped one foot onto the handle that was sticking up and used the leverage to flip over Jack’s head. Jack stood confused for a moment as Teague kicked Jack’s sword upward from out of his hand. Teague caught the sword and held it up at a defenseless Jack.
Jack’s eyes widened and he held his hands out. “Uhh, how old are you again?”
Teague laughed as he straightened his back. “Maybe that wasn’t too good for my body. Hope I didn’t hurt any muscles. Told ya there was still somethin’ you could learn from your old man. Just try working on that move, alright?”
“You got it,” Jack confirmed.
“Me and my men gotta head out now but it was nice seein’ you, Jackie. Until next time,” Teague said as he patted Jack on the shoulder and left the room.
Jack picked his sword up and waved it around in the air. While he would never admit it out loud, his sword fighting could use more practice and his father did know a lot more than him. “Crafty move, that is,” Jack said as he was still thinking about the flip technique that Teague showed him. He stuck his sword in the ground and took a running start. He stepped one foot on the handle of the sword and started doing a front flip. He didn’t put enough into it, however, as he landed on his back. “Bugger!” he said as he sat up and rubbed his back.
After more practice by himself, Jack decided to take a break. He brought a bottle of rum and a bowl of fruit into the room with him. He wanted to eat by himself for now as he wasn’t in the mood for all the noise in the other room at the moment. He went to grab an apple but it seemingly disappeared in front of his eyes. All he grabbed was air. He stood back curiously. “Hm?” Jack reached his hand for another piece of fruit but that one disappeared before he could take it as well. This time Jack swore he could see something swipe it and run. “Are there rats in here?” He stood up and looked around the room for the culprit. “Where are you, you little git? Nevermind, I’ll just go for some rum.”
Jack heard a slurping noise behind him and realized his rum was being stolen. “Hey!” He quickly ran to the bottle and it fell over with the remains spilling onto the ground. “Alright, who’s doing this? Come on out, don’t be a coward!” Suddenly, Gibbs walked into the center of the room. He couldn’t walk straight and he looked sleepy. “Gibbs, what gives you the right to get drunk on my rum!” Jack scolded. Gibbs didn’t respond. Instead, he transformed into Tajiri and then into Angelica within a matter of ten seconds. Jack stepped backward and put his hand on his head. “Perhaps I’m the one who’s bloody drunk.”
Angelica then transformed into a petite fox with black and red fur. It weakly howled, “Zooor!”
“Are you one of those Pokemon?” Jack wondered aloud. He took out another one of the Pokeballs that Tajiri gave him. “I’ll teach you to steal my rum!” he said as he flung the ball at the fox. A red light engulfed it as it was transported inside. The ball shook on the ground for a few seconds before stopping. Jack was still mad at the creature, but he couldn’t help smiling when he picked up the Pokeball. “Finally got me one!”
Jack walked back into the tavern towards his crew as he proudly held his new prize in the air. “I am the very best!” he declared. “Caught me a Pokemon all by myself!”
Tajiri and the rest of the crew gathered around. “Really?” asked a genuinely surprised Tajiri. “Let’s see it!” Jack released his new Pokemon. The fox was still feeling the effects of the rum as it was having trouble staying on its feet. “That’s a Zorua!” Tajiri said enthusiastically. “I must say I’m very jealous at how you keep coming across these rare Pokemon, Jack.”
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Sure,” he said. He couldn’t tell which ones were rare and which weren’t.
“So what status effect did you use on it to capture it?” Tajiri inquired. “Paralysis? Confusion? Sleep?”
Jack shook his head. “Drunkenness,” he answered. “A creature so small wasn’t meant to drink an entire bottle of rum.”
“So what does it do?” Angelica said, happy that there was a distraction to her awkward conversation with Scrum.
Jack lifted his finger in the air like he was going to say something intelligent but then stopped. “Hmm…” he said as he thought. “Well it did make itself look like you. Gibbs and Tajiri, as well.”
“That’s right,” Tajiri said. “Zorua’s power is illusion. It can make itself look like whatever it wants. Can be very useful for battle and trickery.”
Jack pointed at Tajiri. “Yes, what he said! What would we do without you, Tajiri?”
“Are you gonna call it Zorua or give it a nickname?” Tajiri asked.
“I’m quite fond of the name Penelope,” Angelica offered.
“No, no,” Jack said. “I’m not quite sure the gender so I think I’ll just stick with Zorua. I like the sound of that name, anyway.” Zorua walked over to Raichu, who hopped on the ground to size itself up. Zorua’s body flashed a dark color and it morphed into an exact replica of Raichu. The rodent Pokemon jumped back in shock and quickly climbed back on its master’s shoulder. Zorua snickered as it changed back into its original form. “I think I’m gonna like this little fellow,” Jack said. He patted himself on the shoulder. “Alright Zorua, up here!” he ordered.
Zorua turned its head and it walked around a little more as its legs wobbled. “Perhaps you should give it some time to sober up,” Gibbs said.
“Aye, don’t feel bad,” Tajiri said. “It usually takes a while for a Pokemon to warm up to its new master.”
Jack nodded his head and held his Pokeball up towards Zorua, transporting it back into the ball. He then stuck Zorua’s ball into his pocket. “Well, since my new Pokemon stole my first drink I’d better go get another!” he said as he walked towards where they were serving the drinks.
Pintel, Ragetti, and Scyther all sat at a table and watched the crowd gather around Jack. “Look at him,” Pintel said. “Jack got his fox, you got your dumb fish. When do I get a Pokemon?”
“What do you think I am?” Scyther asked.
“Well, you’re different, my friend,” Pintel explained. “You’re like one of us. Your speaking sounds a lot better. Me, Ragetti, and Mr. Gibbs done good for you, eh?”
“You should say: ‘Ragetti, Mr. Gibbs, and I did well,’” Scyther corrected.
Ragetti laughed. “Looks like he’s the one who should be teaching you!”
Pintel grunted and took a sip of rum. “Eh, who cares about all that grammar nonsense anyway?”
-----
Barbossa was drenched, beat up, and exhausted. In one day he went from being the captain of the grandest ship in the sea to the captain of a small rowboat. His only crew member was Jack the monkey. He felt his aching arms pulsating as they did everything they could to keep the boat rowing. Barbossa’s only consolation came from Jack the monkey and from humming his favorite tune. “Dundundundun and really bad eggs…” He tried remembering the words. “Drink up me hearties, yo ho,” he finished as he removed his pegleg bottle and took the last sip of rum that it contained.
Jack was perched on Barbossa’s shoulder, desperately looking for any sign of land. All the two saw for miles was water. “Not to worry, Jack,” Barbossa said, sensing the primate’s concern. “When Jack shot me at Isle de Muerta I was still able to come back and captain the Pearl once more. We’ve been through worse than this. We’ll be at the helm of the Pearl soon enough.”
