"YAY ADVENTURE!" Kip cried, jumping up and down.

We had just broke the news of our mission to everyone, and they were taking it well. Some better than others.

"Oh dear, I'll have to put Swanna in charge while I'm away as head of intelligence, Rattata will have to watch my equipment. I'll have to plan transportation, supplies, find the location--" Pidgey rambled on, while Charmander was throwing things randomly into his bag.

"I'll need this and this, and about seven oran berries for each day we're gone, then the rest of the food for you guys, my pillow, my toothbrush, my joke book--"

"You can't read." Zoura pointed out bluntly.

"So what? I can't have nice things?" Charmander replied. We were all in my room, and it was in the middle of the night.

"I cannot believe you just sprung this surprise trip on us! Do you know how out of shape those troops will get when I leave!?" Snivy yelled, getting in my face.

"Everyone calm down! Zoura and I have arranged everything. So CHILL!" I roared above the noise, and everyone went quiet.

"Is there really going to be a secret cult in the woods that attacks Pokemon?" Kip asked, eyes wide with fright. I leaned down and looked him in the eye.

"Kip, you have bitten a maniac bent on world destruction, fought wild Basculin, climbed a Ferris wheel to high jack a helicopter, and lived to tell the tales. I think you can handle some nutcases that live in the woods." I reassured him gently, and he smiled modestly.

***

"On the road again! Oh, just can't wait to be on the road again!" Charmander sang in an off key pitch. We were riding a Lapras away from Freedom Island, towards the mainland. The journey had finally been able to start, and we had said goodbye to the other Pokemon. I rested against the large Pokemon's giant shell and sighed, amused by Charmander's song.

"If you sing that song one more time, I'm going to kill someone before we reach the shore." Snivy snarled, clamping her hands over her ears.

"I like it." Kip piped up.

"Technically, we're on the sea." Pidgey interrupted.

"Oh, okay. On the sea again--"

"CHARMANDER!" Snivy and Zoura roared.

Charmander quieted down, and mumbled something about wet blankets.

"Not to interrupt," The Lapras who's name was Cress, interjected smoothly in that soft soothing voice that all Lapras have. ", but I believe we're being followed." His large brown eye gazed behind him.

I squinted and realized something splashing pathetically in the water far behind us, desperately trying to keep up.

"Wait a second-- Charmander hand me your spy glass real quick." Snivy ordered, also peering at the thing. Charmander obeyed and Snivy looked through the telescope.

She slammed it shut angrily. "Shoot. Cress! Turn around." She ordered. The large water type obeyed and we circled back to the floundering speck. As soon as we got close enough, Snivy dipped her vines into the sea and pulled out the object.

The yellow thing splatted onto Cress' grey shell and spluttered for breath.

"PRIVATE PSYDUCK?" We all yelled in unison.

The little Pokemon stood up and wrung the sea water out of his bandanna and saluted. "Reporting for the top secret mission ma'am. You almost left without me! Good thing I caught up with you right! Right? Things got kind of blurry, but I'm sure I swam great!" He exclaimed.

"What in the name of Reshiram above are you doing here?! I told you to stay on the island!" Snivy roared. Psyduck looked genuinely scared.

"But I wanna help!" He stuttered.

"No way. You're just a rookie, kid. For Zekrom's sake man you're a water type that can't swim for more than five minutes! You're going back to Freedom Island, and I'm putting you on fertilizer duty for a month!" Snivy snapped in his face and turned to the Lapras.

"Cress, take us home." She ordered.

"Sorry general, but a storm is coming in soon. If I turn around, we'll be put right through it." His deep gentle voice explained.

"I'll have to take you all the way to Unova." I looked back to Freedom Island and sure enough, the island was swamped by a dark storm cloud. Psyduck perked up immensely.

"So that means I can stay!?" He asked. Snivy growled.

"It means we're stuck with you." She replied sharply. Charmander put one arm around Kip and the other around the Private.

"This road trip is off to a good start!" Charmander said excitedly. I just sighed and put my head in paws as the ocean waves rocked Cress back and forth, and Chrmander began to sing again, Kip joining in.

"On the road again, just can't wait to be back on the road again. Just sittin' here chilling with my friends. I just can't wait to be on the road again."