# Chapter 2: Drifting at Sea
On the day of departure, all the Pokémon on the Island who knew Bai Feng came to see him off, and they all gave him parting gifts, mostly food, including various kinds of fruit.
There were also some things that might be useful for sailing at sea, such as spider silk, vine, and the like.
After Bai Feng boarded the raft with Gardevoir, he waved goodbye to the Pokémon on the shore: "See you later!" It was hard to say if they would ever meet again!
In fact, Bai Feng knew that going out to sea on just a raft was very risky, but he had no choice. He had no idea where this Island was located or how far it was from the Continent where humans lived. He couldn't just hope that someone would pass by on a ship, could he? If so, he might end up like Robinson Crusoe, having to wait on the Island for over twenty years.
Who could stand that!
Under Gardevoir's control using Psychic Power, the raft slowly drifted towards the sea. The figures of the Pokémon on the shore gradually disappeared from Bai Feng's sight.
To avoid getting lost at sea, Bai Feng specifically made a simple compass. The material was a Magnet given to him by a Magnemite on the Island.
Drifting at sea was very boring and lonely. After sailing for most of the day, Bai Feng, feeling bored, said to Gardevoir:
"Mom, how about I give you a name? Humans all have names, like I'm called Bai Feng. Even though you're not human, as my mom, you must have a name."
When they reached the Human World, calling a Gardevoir "Mom" would inevitably seem strange to people. Although he didn't mind telling others that Gardevoir was his adoptive mother, some overly curious people would inevitably ask a lot of questions.
Instead of repeatedly explaining the situation to people, it was better not to arouse their curiosity in the first place.
As long as Gardevoir had a name, and he called her by that name directly, it wouldn't be so strange.
Gardevoir found this idea novel and nodded in agreement: "Gardevoir~" Okay!
"What name should I give you then?" Bai Feng furrowed his brow in thought. "My name is Bai Feng. Since you're my mom, how about Bai Ye? Maple Leaf... I feel like our names match quite well." Though, wasn't it a bit odd for a mom and son to have the same surname?
Gardevoir was naive and sweet, always agreeing with whatever her son said. Besides, she didn't understand what names sounded good or bad, so she happily agreed.
"Gardevoir~" Okay!
The mother and son chatted idly to pass the time. After who knows how long, Bai Ye looked at Bai Feng with a troubled face and asked: "Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~" Can I rest for a while? I'm so tired!
Bai Feng put on a stern face and disagreed: "Didn't you just rest? Why do you need to rest again? Don't you know this is training your Psychic Power? Why are you always thinking of being lazy? Have you forgotten that you are a great mother?" The good son's words to trick his mother came out effortlessly.
(ó﹏ò) Gardevoir had no choice but to grit her teeth and persevere.
Just then, Bai Feng suddenly felt the raft begin to shake slightly. He poked his head out and saw six or seven Magikarp violently slapping their tails around the raft.
Splash~ Splash~ Splash~
The Magikarp frantically used their Move, but nothing happened except for the raft shaking harmlessly...
"Well, look at that, picking a fight, are we! I choose you! Bai Ye, show them what's what. Use Confusion!" Bai Feng was getting dramatic, anyone who didn't know better would think they had encountered a Gyarados!
"Gardevoir~"
Bai Ye was also very interested in bullying the little ones. Blue light flickered in her eyes, and in an instant, eight Magikarp successively landed on the raft.
*Plop~ Plop~ Plop~*
They were still trying their best to use Splash, but their movements were so clumsy they couldn't even flip over.
"Hehehe~"
Looking at these eight lively Magikarp, an "evil" idea arose in Bai Feng's mind.
*Clap clap clap~* "Swim faster, no slacking!"
About ten minutes later, Bai Feng waved the small whip (vine) in his hand, driving the Magikarp tied to the front of the raft with spider silk. The Magikarp, afraid of being hit, quickly swung their tails, pulling the raft forward at high speed.
"Woohoo~ Awesome!"
Feeling the sea breeze rushing past his ears, Bai Feng cheered. This speed was much faster. Things in the water really had to be handled by professionals in the water.
Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. The vast sea was still boundless. Bai Feng didn't see even a hint of a coastline, and he couldn't help but feel a bit irritable.
The few Magikarp were still toiling away, being exploited for their labor.
However, Bai Feng didn't let them work for free. When they rested, he would use his Golden Finger to help the Magikarp sort out the Origin Energy within their bodies.
Although the Magikarp were silly, they instinctively knew that Bai Feng had given them great benefits, so later they hardly needed Bai Feng to crack the whip. They worked extremely hard.
Because the Magikarp were working so hard, Bai Feng had already lost track of how far they had drifted at sea these past few days.
Seeing the sun directly overhead, Bai Ye and they stopped to eat lunch.
Biting into the fruit in his mouth, Bai Feng felt like he had almost forgotten what human food tasted like. Bai Ye had raised him on berries.
Bai Ye had also been very irritable these past few days. While eating, she idly broke apart the fruit in her hand and fed it to the Magikarp piece by piece.
After being nourished by Bai Feng's Golden Finger for the past few days, the Magikarp looked more spirited. Their red scales were as bright as fire, and even their originally dull eyes had a hint of sparkle.
"Milotic~"
Just then, they suddenly heard a long, distant call, and immediately a rainbow appeared in the sky. At the end of the rainbow, a slender figure was faintly hidden within it.
"Milotic~"
The call came again, and the rainbow disappeared, replaced by a serpentine Pokémon of extreme beauty.
"Holy crap, Milotic!" Bai Feng couldn't help but exclaim.
This was the first time he had seen such a beautiful creature in reality. Its body of brilliant scales shimmered under the refraction of sunlight, so beautiful it didn't seem like an earthly creature. At this moment, Bai Feng truly understood why Milotic was called the most beautiful Pokémon in the Pokémon world.
There was an insurmountable gap between pictures, game models, and the real thing. Only by truly seeing it could one understand what it meant to be beautiful to the extreme.
That Milotic seemed to have noticed Bai Feng and the others. It turned its head and looked over from a distance, its eyes calm and waveless.
"Milotic~"
Milotic's voice carried an ethereal quality. Soothed by this voice, all the irritability that Bai Feng and Bai Ye had accumulated over the past few days was swept away.
Under Bai Feng and the others' dazzled and mesmerized gaze, Milotic disappeared into the sea.
After a long while, Bai Feng and the few Pokémon gradually came back to their senses.
"You guys need to show some spirit too, and strive to evolve into Gyarados soon." After Milotic disappeared, Bai Feng felt a sense of loss. He couldn't help but pat the heads of the few Magikarp.
Seeing Milotic, he couldn't help but think of Gyarados.
"Alright, let's continue after we finish eating."
Time flew by again, and two more days passed. On this day, the sea, which had been calm and waveless, suddenly became windy. As time went on, the waves grew higher and higher, tossing the small raft back and forth. If Bai Ye hadn't stabilized it with Psychic Power in time, the raft would have probably capsized long ago.
*Rumble!!!*
A golden light flashed across the sky, followed by roaring thunder. Bai Feng looked up at the sky and saw dark, oppressive clouds rolling back and forth, like giant dragons intertwined and full of anger, glaring menacingly as if they wanted to tear a hole in the sky.
*Splash~*
Then, torrential rain poured down. The small raft finally broke into pieces under the merciless pounding of the waves. Although Bai Ye had tried her best to defend with Psychic Power, it was still useless.
Sometimes, human power is simply too insignificant in the face of nature's might.
Bai Feng and Bai Ye fell into the water simultaneously.
Bai Feng was too young and couldn't even struggle in such huge waves, being directly swept into the water by a giant wave.
Bai Ye wanted to save Bai Feng, but a giant wave came crashing down, and she was also swept into the water. If her strength were greater, she could have used Psychic Power to fly out of the water with Bai Feng.
But with her current strength, it was clearly impossible!
The situation for the few Magikarp was better; they were Water-type Pokémon after all. After Bai Feng was submerged, they swam to his side through the giant waves, trying to push him out of the water.
However, their bodies were too small, and the waves were rolling too violently. Soon, they were scattered by the impact of the seawater.
Am I going to die?
Having swallowed a belly full of water, Bai Feng's consciousness began to blur.
Suddenly, a white light shone on the sea. This light was so conspicuous under the dark and oppressive sky. In the light, a Magikarp's body stretched longer and longer under the pounding of the waves, finally transforming into a fierce, dark blue Pokémon.
Gyarados!
A Magikarp had actually evolved into a Gyarados at a critical moment.
"Roar~"
The newly born Gyarados raised its head and roared at the sky, as if venting its dissatisfaction, then plunged into the water. When it surfaced again, Bai Feng and Bai Ye were already lying on its back.
After who knows how long, the unconscious Bai Feng slowly opened his eyes: I... didn't die?
He then found himself lying on the back of a giant blue beast.
"Gardevoir~ devoir~" Baby, you're awake!
Seeing Bai Feng wake up, Bai Ye excitedly pounced on him and hugged him.
"What happened? Were we saved by a passing Gyarados?" Bai Feng, whose mind hadn't fully caught up, asked Bai Ye.
"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~ devoir~" Bai Ye told Bai Feng about the Magikarp's evolution, which made Bai Feng sigh about how lucky he was.
At this point, the wind and waves had passed, and the sea had returned to calm. The turbulent scene from before felt like a dream. Dazzling sunlight shone directly through the clouds, dyeing the seawater gold.
The Gyarados carried Bai Feng and Bai Ye, swimming aimlessly across the sea. Having lost the compass, they were now lost.
*Grumble~*
Just then, Bai Ye's stomach rumbled. Bai Feng helplessly comforted her: "Just bear with it." Not only was the compass lost, but their food and freshwater had also been swept away by the waves to who knows where.
"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~"
Suddenly, Bai Ye let out an exclamation. She abruptly stood up on the Gyarados's back, pointing and jumping towards the distance.
Bai Feng looked in the direction Bai Ye was pointing and saw a ship slowly approaching, accompanied by the afterglow of the setting sun.
It's a ship! There are people! We're saved!
"Gyarados, catch up to that ship!" Bai Feng excitedly said to the Gyarados. As for whether the people on the ship were good or bad, now was not the time to think about that.
"Roar~"
The Gyarados nodded, took the slower-swimming Magikarp into its mouth, and then suddenly accelerated, quickly chasing after the ship.
After about half an hour, the Gyarados finally caught up to the ship, panting. Gyarados are not known for their stamina, so swimming for so long without stopping was very difficult.
"Hey!!!"
Bai Feng shouted and waved vigorously at the people on the ship. A sailor standing on the deck quickly spotted him.
Hmm? A child, a Gyarados, and a Gardevoir? How could there be such a young child in the vast sea? Could it be a shipwreck?
The sailor quickly took out a Poké Ball from his body. With a flash of white light, a Pelipper appeared beside him.
"Pelipper, bring that child up."
Bai Feng looked at the Gyarados beneath him and asked: "Gyarados, do you want to come with me?" After spending a few days together, plus the life-saving grace, Bai Feng had developed feelings for the Gyarados and the few Magikarp.
The Gyarados hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook its head.
"I see... Then we'll have to part ways here. You and the Magikarp need to take care of yourselves."
Bai Feng felt a bit disappointed at this moment, but also a little relieved.
He was disappointed because he had to part with the Gyarados and the others, and he didn't know if they would ever meet again in the future. He was relieved because his future was uncertain, and even if the Gyarados followed him, they might not have a good life. Perhaps they would be more carefree living outside.
Climbing onto Pelipper's back with Bai Ye, Bai Feng waved goodbye to the Gyarados below again: "Goodbye, thank you for your help these past few days!"
The Gyarados and the seven Magikarp looked up at Bai Feng, who was getting farther and farther away. After a while, they dove into the water and disappeared.
After boarding the ship, Bai Feng found that several more people had appeared on the deck. They all gathered around Bai Feng, talking over each other.
Then Bai Feng was dumbfounded, because he couldn't understand a single word they were saying.
Seeing Bai Feng staring blankly at them, one of the sailors frowned and said: "Could it be that this child has been in the sea for too long and gone silly?"
Captain Sanders squatted down and looked at Bai Feng gently, asking: "Child, what's your name?"
However, the child just stared at him blankly without saying a word.
Just then, he saw that the little boy seemed to have thought of something. He saw him chatter away a string of strange sounds to the Gardevoir beside him, and then a smile appeared on his face.
Could this child really be silly? Sanders couldn't help but think.
Bai Feng was certainly not silly. He was smiling because he had discovered something interesting.
Although he couldn't understand the language of this world, Pokémon could. So, as long as Bai Ye translated, he could understand what the other side was saying.
As for why Pokémon could understand both the language of Bai Feng's original world and the language of this world, Bai Feng didn't know. Perhaps it was a special talent.
However, even so, the two sides still couldn't communicate directly, because the other side couldn't understand the Pokémon's language.
(End of Chapter)