CHRIS

"Six skips." Chris smiled as he watched the smooth stone skip across the shimmering waters. Marshtomp went right up to a larger, twenty pound rock and hurled it into the sea. No skips this time, just a big splash. Chris couldn't contain his laughter at Marshtomp, and the blue Pokemon knocked his Spirit Partner into the shallow, salty tides.

Slateport's beach to the south of the village and his home was Chris's favorite place to be, but being a Prince wasn't as easy as it appeared to be. His mornings were spent studying histories, his mid-afternoons were filled with spear and sword training. His evenings were the worst. He hated attending the nightly courts with his mother, Lady Luna Love. The talk of fishermen and trade and politics bored him to no end.

Today was a rare day that Prince Chris Marsh of Slateport was able to have his own time at the beach. He heard a sweet little laugh behind him. He turned and smiled at his little sister, Princess Lily Marsh, playing in the sand. They had guards stationed everywhere, but always five-year-old Lily was happy as can be. She never went anywhere without her Egg.

The Egg was to hatch into a Mudkip, who she would surely form a Spirit Bond with. The Marsh family was a Great House after all. Chris remembered when his Egg had hatched into a Mudkip, who had since evolved into Marshtomp seven years ago. His egg had only taken one and a half years to hatch. Then again, some eggs needed more time than others.

"I wish I could spend my life here, boy," he said to Marshtomp, whose head fin sliced through the water as his Spirit Pokemon gracefully swam through the shallows. The Water Pokemon spit a fountain of salt water into the air. "Please don't evolve."

I don't plan on it, was the look Chris received from his Spirit Pokemon. Chris Marsh knew that when the day came and Marshtomp evolved into Swampert, he would be crowned King of Slateport. With a Kingship came responsibilities, and the thought absolutely bored Chris.

Chris often snuck out of the wooden hall that made for Slateport's palace to visit friends he had among Slateport's Citizens. Among his friends was a warrior-in-training, Ryan, and a fisherman's son, Hector. He wouldn't see them tonight, though. They would be having visitors.

Chris and Marshtomp climbed out of the shallows to dry on the sand. The warm sun beat down on his bare chest. His skin was darkened from his time in the sun, and the air was cool as the water evaporated off of his lean yet muscular figure. Marshtomp fell asleep there on the soft beach.

It wasn't yet ten seconds before Chris heard the familiar shuffle of little feet in the sand. His little sister had cutely ran up to him, her Mudkip egg seemingly enormous in her little hands.

"It hasn't hatched yet," Princess Lily Marsh said. She handed it to her older brother of nineteen years. "Listen to it, brother, how much longer?"

Chris smiled and put his ear up next to the Egg, pretending to listen. Lily still thought that he could talk to the unborn Pokemon inside, so why crush her little dream? "'Not today, Lily,' little Mudkip says," he told her. "If you're good tonight, maybe tomorrow." Lily sat down on the sand and began to massage Marshtomp's orange cheeks, much to the Water Pokemon's delight.

"I promise I'll be good. I can wait as long as I have to for my Spirit Pokemon," she said. There was nothing more important to Chris than his little sister. As long as she was happy, he was happy too.

Chris observed the sun in the sky, it was getting late. "Come, Lily," he said. "Being good means being on time and ready for our guests tonight. Mother won't like it if we're late."

The Prince of Slateport playfully sprinkled sand on Marshtomp's head to wake it up. He put his little sister under one arm and her egg in the other like one would carry a ball, and began to dash back from the beach, Marshtomp following behind.

Lily was gleefully laughing as her voice bounced with each step. The Prince's guards lifted their spears out of the sand and briskly followed suit, as well as the few Crawdaunt: big lobster-like Pokemon who guarded Marshtomp in turn.

Their mother, Luna Love, and her Gardevior greeted them at the back entrance to the great wooden hall. "Do you have no sense of time?" she scolded as she took the egg in her hands and attempted to straighten out Lily's tangled hair.

Chris reached out to rub Marshtomp's head fin. "The dinner is in five minutes and you should have been back earlier to clean and prepare. How are you supposed to be presentable with sand in your ears, Chris Marsh?"

Chris felt his eyes roll. His mother could never understand. She was from Oldale, where her brother Apollo Love ruled as chief with his Gallade by his side. Neither they nor their Spirit Pokemon could understand a Marsh's love for the sea.

Lily now held the egg tightly in both of her arms. "Who are our guests, Mama?" she asked as Gardevior led them into the bathing rooms.

"I must have told you a thousand times, my sweet," she said as Gardevoir helped to untangle her hair with its Psychic powers. "King Marcus Spark of Mauville is coming to grace us with his presence. He was your father's old friend."

Lily had never known King Sam Marsh, but Chris did. Wise, strong, and loving, Chris never forgot the lessons he had learned. Even now, Chris was revered as great with a spear, and deadly with the sword. His teachers were exceptionally proud of him, but Chris didn't care. The Prince of Slateport knew he had to learn so that he wouldn't die like his father. The day he received the news of his father's death, he swore he would never give mercy to a fallen enemy. That was where the old King was wrong. Mercy had killed him in Meteor Falls.

Eventually, Chris draped a blue cloth over his shoulder that left one side of his chest bare. It was his father's once, the customary Slateport garb that the old King Marsh had worn on his wedding day.

The hall was bursting with excitement. Voices of people and Pokemon alike filled the great wooden room. Prince Chris spied Hector and Ryan from across the hall and waved his hand at them. He was about to join with his friends when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was one of his mother's guards.

"Lady Love requests you take your place at the high table."

From the high view, he could see that all of his other loyal chieftains from around the Kingdom were present. When he sat on the tall sandstone throne, the entire hall silenced. Chris quickly waved his hand to let the tribesmen and women know that they could resume their festivities. Lady Love, however, quickly interrupted again, her voice magnified by Gardevoir's Psychic powers.

"Let us recognize the lords from around the great Kingdom of Slateport who have traveled here today," she said. She began the introductions by pointing in the direction of a tall man with a Gallade, her brother of Oldale. All the other chieftains of the Slateport Kingdom were then recognized. Old Chief Granite of Dewford and Aggron, Chief Wood of Petalburg and Slaking, and Chieftess Howl of Littleroot and Mightyena.

Marshtomp playfully sat on the arm of the sandstone throne. The cooked fish was good tonight, and Chris had almost forgotten about the reason for the festivities until he heard a horn cut through the cheer of the wooden hall.

His mother stood up alongside himself as the hall greeted a small group of travelers. Their leader wore yellow traveler's gear and had a great beard and a smiling face. He rode in on a blue four-legged Pokemon with a yellow, diamond shaped mane. Chris always smiled when he met with King Marcus Spark of Mauville and his Spirit Pokemon Manectric. The king was his father's dear friend.

Another young girl accompanied his side, also riding on a smaller Manectric of her own. "Good friends of Slateport, lovely Lady, and High Prince, thank you for welcoming me and my company into your hall."

Chris's mother was going to speak before little Lily called out to the jolly King of Mauville. "I heard you were bringing gifts!" The whole wooden hall bursted into laughter at the innocence of the Princess.

The friendly, booming voice of King Spark carried over the friendly laughter.

"You heard right, my dear. I bring the most precious of gifts: the gifts of eternal friendship. The people of Mauville offer their allegiance in blood. My Prince of Slateport, rightful heir to all the Hoenn Seas, I bring you my daughter, Sarah to take as your bride, so that we may join our kingdoms as family as well as friends."

The silence was rather awkward as Marshtomp fell from the arm of the sandstone throne. Chris looked from his mother, for once at a loss for words, to the young girl with braided dark hair sitting on her Manectric. Their eyes met. Sarah's face was cute yet hard to read, and Chris was thankful his mother was finally able to break the hush.

"What a surprise, indeed, my lord," she called to King Marcus with a warm smile. "Please seat yourself, and enjoy the food, we must speak about this after dinner, for sure."

Chris looked at his mother, mouth wide open. Marshtomp let out an unsure whine. "I know, boy. I hope this is all just a dream, too." The fish didn't taste as good anymore.