Heart of the Sea

There was no possible way you could sleep when you heard the sound of the sea dash against the shore, at least not if you were Jonathan Parkington. The sea held too many memories for any chance of drowsiness, especially on a night like tonight. It was on a night like this so many years ago that the tourist ship from Johto and come into port on Shamuti Isle, his homeland, and he saw Sabrina Viyani for the first time.

She was twelve at the time, he was thirteen. That summer night, the night of the Guardian Ceromoney, was his last night on the shores of Shamuti Isle; the next day his family packed all that they had and made the journey to Johto, where they started over. He rustled under the sheets of his hotel queen-size bed, remembering how envious he had been that the girl would enjoy the island in all it's glory while he was being forced back into civilization.

Gosh, it was no use, he couldn't reminensce here in the confines of his hotel room. Jonathan threw back the bedsheets, rummaged through his suitcase, and pulled on jeans, a t-shirt, and his boots. The hotel was quiet, so he slipped out without detection, walking down the shore and breathing in the salty air. He was quiet, deep in his thoughts again.

He remembered the dancer from that year's Guardian Ceromoney quite well: a girl with plain features and red hair, but what stood out most to him was the spunky light in her eyes. Even though he held no romantic feelings for her, he would never forget the way she danced, the way she seemed to make the legend come to life. Sabrina had been there, and she too loved the beautiful ceromoney. Deep in his heart, Jonathan knew that the dancer was destined for great things. As he stared out at the ocean, he wondered where she was now.

A few months after arriving in Johto, he recieved his first Pokemon, a sweet Squirtle that retained the spirit of the islands he missed so much. Now it was a Blastoise, still faithful as ever to his best friend. Years later, Sabrina returned to Johto and they married; three years later they were blessed with their first and only child. Her name was Roxanne Parkington, but Jonathan could almost sense from the beginning that she was both a budding trainer and a tomboy, so he shortened it to Roxy and she loved the name as she moved through her early childhood.

As the years passed between Roxy's birth and the present, work took up most of his time; he was always rushing off to the Orange Islands now, and he hated the thought of leaving his wife and daughter at home, but he had promised Roxy that he would take her to get her first Pokemon on her birthday, July 23, so he would see them then, and hope that getting a new friend would cheer Roxy up when he did have to leave.

Jonathan had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize his feet had carried him to a ridge overlooking the sea. It was mossy and covered with hibiscus flowers, perhaps he should take one home to Sabrina. He bent down to pick up the nearest flower, but a low moan coming from the horizon caught his attention.

As the sea began to grow into a large whirlpool, a shadowed form arose against the moonlight, its' wings spread to their full length. Jonathan stared; could it be the Pokemon only heard of in legend? It took a sharp dip and drew closer to where he was standing. Yes, yes it was...

Lugia was the essence of majesty and the symbol for what the Orange Islands stood for, but now its' gray eyes were angry, like the eye of a hurricane. Jonathan began to back off the ridge slowly, wanting to study every inch of this Pokemon, but before he could return to the hotel, the Pokemon had sliced across his left cheek, causing blood to run down his face and onto the mossy rock. The Beast of the Sea gave a sharp cry, pinning Jonathan to the rock, its' breath on his cheek.

"Let me go, I just want to study you!" he said, trying to suck in enough air to form the words as the beast's claw closed tighter on his throat. "I...I have a family back home that I love very much. I know you don't mean to do this, but if you can, tell Roxy that I..." Jonathan took in a gulp of air, to say two more words, but he was dead before the words reached his lips.

Lugia immediately realized his mistake and let go of the man, he was just wary of any humans that passed through his territory, and from a distance this man had scared him. A wave of guilt flooded him, he had killed a man that loved Pokemon for their friendship, but worst of all he had a family back home. He promised the human man that he would pass a message onto his family that the man was okay, but he never got the chance to carry it out, and that guilt would weigh on the beast's heart for the next five years.

He turned away and dove into the ocean, feeling the salty tears trickle down his cheeks.

***

"Where's Daddy?" five-year-old Roxy Parkington asked her mother, never leaving her seat at the front window as her mother put the finishing touches on the chocolate cake. In just a few minutes they would be walking up the street to Professor Elm's lab to get her Pokemon, and she couldn't sit still. He would be home, Daddy would come home...

The doorbell rang and Roxy skidded to the door to pull it open. "Daddy!" she exclaimed happily, expecting to be lifted into his arms, but instead her innocent face met Officer Jenny's grave gray eyes. "You're not Daddy, where is he?" she asked as Sabrina Parkington pressed her daughter to the leg of her jeans.

"Is something wrong, Jenny?" she asked, brushing some brown hair out of her face.

Jenny bit her lip, nearing tears. This was going to be hard. "Sabrina, I have some terrible news..."