Chapter One: A Change of Lifestyle

The ship sailed swiftly. The front cut cleanly through the glass like surface of 
the ocean easily leaving a foamy wake. At the bow of the boat a large black and 
tan growlithe sat proudly. Salty had done quite a bit of growing in the last two 
years and was now a beautiful example of a growlithe despite her odd coloring.

The wind was stirring slightly and Salty leaned into it let her silky fur 
ruffle. The smell of saltwater stung her nostrils pleasantly and her eyes 
watered slightly at the disturbance.

Cocking her ears Salty picked up on some creature sneaking up behind her. 
Thinking it was Captain she sat still until the very last moment. She then leapt 
around and barked loudly in a surprised white face.

Ratha the ship's persian jolted in shock but didn't leave the ground because her 
claws were deeply embedded in the deck's surface. She looked scared and annoyed. 
Swishing her tail angrily she narrowed her eyes. Salty winced.

"What in the name of Mew were you thinking? You know I hate coming on deck. It 
terrifies me and you are not needed with your petty little games." Ratha hissed 
in a deep voice. She hated water, the ocean, and the deck.

Salty's white muzzle curled into a smirk which she pushed into a frown. It 
amused her that the big, bad kitty was afraid of harmless water. Her frown 
deepened and a thought struck her. Why hadn't Captain come up and where was he? 
Salty turned to Ratha to ask, but the pokemon had already retreated.

Salty sighed. Now she would have to go after the cat to find out what the 
message was. Why couldn't she be more mature about teasing others? This wasn't 
the first time it had gotten her in trouble.

As she turned to find the feline she noticed a ship out of the corner of her 
eye. It was big and dark. Puzzled she stopped to examine it. The mast held the 
information she was searching for. A black flag with a red R whipped freely in 
the wind. So that was the reason for the alarm.

The Ramrod had never been attacked before, but all sailors had heard about the 
pokemon poachers. It seemed on land that they were a prominent source of trouble 
and crime. On the seas they were worst. Law enforcement was scare and spread so 
thin that they were impossible. Without a force to stop them the Sea rockets ran 
wild. They poached any pokemon they deemed important enough and attacked cargo 
ships. Their ships were armed with cannons,  hooks, and the other necessary 
equipment to make them successful in their conquests.

Salty bit her lip gently as the ship sped forward. The Ramrod slowed and Salty 
know that they would have to fight. The Ramrod was simply too slow to out run 
them even with a head start. The ship shudder to a full stop and sat patiently 
waiting for the coming bombardment.

Salty turned towards the cabin that led down to the galley. She need to help 
protect the cargo of eggs that Master was to deliver to Pallet Town. 
Unfortunately she misjudged the ship's speed and was bucked overboard as Ramrod 
was rammed forcefully by the rockets.

The coldness of the water hit her full force as she belly flopped into it. Her 
head was dunked before she managed to surface. Clearing the stinging fluid out 
of her dark brown eyes she swam in circles. The water no longer hurt her and she 
loved swimming. Even so it was cold and the salt was weighting down her fur. 
Despite her stamina she couldn't paddle for long in the frigid ocean.

A red and white lifesaver plummeted down from somewhere up above and Salty 
gratefully draped her numb body over it. The lifesaver was pulled up gently and 
steadily until it hit the rail. With a rude jolt Salty spilled over onto the 
wooden desk.

She looked up happily expecting to see old Captain or Master. Instead a cruel 
looking ninetales sneered downwards and a equally cruel looking man peered down 
from behind it. Salty turned her head around and noticed she was surrounded by a 
half dozen rough men. Each had a pokemon of some sort. The whole lot looked evil 
and Salty realized that she had been rescued by the enemy!

"It'll do." The man with the ninetales grunted and spat over the side. His 
ninetales echoed his sentiment in a less vulgar manner by snorting in disgust.

"Didya see the doggie in thy water?" Another man put in sounding impressed. He 
was younger than the others and was clean-shaven. His speech labeled him as a 
foreigner.

"Well of course it's good with water. That growlithe is a sea dog. It was raised 
on a ship. Water surrounding one gives them the notion that they must learn to 
swim. Not only that but her Master most likely used her to win battles against 
sailors. Therefore she is immune to ice and water. Quite a catch actually. Do 
you man realize how hard it is to capture one of these ship devils? A young one 
at that." A woman in a suit explained in admiration. The murkrow on her shoulder 
agreed and gave a nod every other word.

"A catch huh? How 'bout we give her a little test?" The first sailor snarled. 
Hatred and jealousy poured off him in waves and Salty cowered at the sheer 
intensity of it. The ninetales also radiated with the same feelings.

"No. She needs to be in prime condition for the boss." The woman executive 
snapped sharply. She took a ultra ball off her belt and tapped Salty on the 
head. She was sucked in without resistance. Once inside she battered the walls, 
but it was too strong.

"That was easy."

"I very much doubt she has ever seen the inside of a pokeball. Ship Masters 
rarely confine their pokemon." The executive said seriously.

"What about the ship? Should we attack?"

"Yes, be careful though. Just because we got lucky don't forget that for each 
sea dog there is almost always a feline counter part." The woman advised.