Chapter 117: I Broke a Man's Promise
Ryu was about to scold Corphish for not reading the room, but when he saw the usually carefree Pokémon lying on the ground choking back tears, he forgot what he was going to say. He turned to the thieves' ship, which was now sailing away.
[Recover].
Using the skill for the first time, a faint green light glowed around Ryu's body. The pain from using Extreme Speed earlier lessened significantly. He then looked at Corphish, who was still whimpering, and decided to give him some space. He picked up the egg and walked over to Tom, sprinkling some water on his face.
"Mmm..." Tom sat up, dazed. "Oh dear, how unlucky," he said, taking it all in stride. "Corphish, what are you lying there for?"
Corphish just turned his back to them.
"What's wrong with him?" Tom asked, looking at Ryu in confusion.
"I was about to ask you," Ryu shrugged.
"Speaking of which, where's my boat?"
"...I see. The boat is gone," Tom said after Ryu gestured to explain. He wiped his eyes and sighed. "Perhaps this is fate." He got up and sat down next to Corphish. "Hey, what are you so sad about?" he asked, patting his friend's back.
"Cor... (I broke a man's promise)," Corphish whimpered.
"Hahaha, that's nothing! Look on the bright side!" Tom laughed heartily, though tears seemed about to stream down his face.
"Cor! Cor! (You said it yourself!)"
"What did I say?"
"Cor! (A promise made by a man must be kept with pride!)" Corphish jumped up, angry that Tom had forgotten his own words.
"You still remember that?" Tom's smile faded. He looked out at the distant sea. "Doesn't this scene feel familiar?"
Of course, Corphish remembered. This was how they first met.
More than twenty years ago, the oceans were chaotic—the era of the Great Pirates. Tom was a rich young master who used his yacht to ferry refugees from the war-torn Hoenn region to the peaceful shores of Johto. But one day, they were intercepted by pirates who wanted to take the ship and its passengers as slaves. Tom was kicked overboard, and Corphish, just a hothead back then, charged the pirates to defend him. He was beaten half to death and thrown into the sea, an injury that left him unable to evolve.
They were left for dead on a large reef. It was there that Tom told Corphish about his dream of sailing the world, a dream the pirates had just stolen. From that moment on, Corphish made a silent promise to protect Tom and his boat with his life. It took them twenty years of working as fishermen in Johto to save enough money to buy the speedboat, a treasure that represented their shared dream. And today, it had been destroyed.
"Cor! (I broke a man's promise!)" he cried, the memory fresh and painful.
"Idiot!" Tom slapped him on the shoulder. "A true man doesn't dwell on things! As long as you've tried your best, you should stand tall and proud! Besides, from that day on, the most important thing to me has been you, you idiot."
"...Cor."
"It's just a boat! With our fishing skills, isn't it easy to buy another one? Are you doubting your skills?!"
"Cor!"
"Then let's challenge this vast ocean again!"
"COR! COR! COR!!"
The two brothers roared at the ocean, then began to sing a hearty sea shanty, dancing on the lonely reef.
"They really don't seem like they've been shipwrecked at all," Ryu thought, shaking his head. A promise made by a man... he lowered his head, feeling a little dejected about his own broken promise to Liz.
Slap!
"Hey! Are you two crazy?!" Ryu yelped as a hand and a pincer slapped him on the back.
"Don't look so down!" Tom boomed. "A man must face all hardships bravely!" The two of them forcefully dragged him into their wild dance.
Just then, the head of a ferocious Gyarados emerged from the sea. It looked at the three of them dancing and seemed utterly bewildered before quietly sinking back beneath the waves.
As night fell, the Pokémon egg in Ryu's arms flashed faster and faster.
"Is it going to hatch?" Tom asked, his face full of curiosity.
[Inorin Note:
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