Malie drifted out of another cat nap to find both her and her Slakoth soaked head to toe in ink. Not an unusual occurrence, but this was the kind of thing she had hoped to get [i]away[/i] from on a vacation. Tilting up her sunglasses, she took stock of the situation, noting that the good doctor had ducked behind the door of the ship's wheelhouse and was, for his part, completely dry. Almost as if he had known this was coming.

"Hey doc, this happen often around these parts?", she asked, wringing out her hair.

"I was hoping to explain before we reached the islands. These, Team Red-"

"-Team Snakewood-"

"-These, Team Snakewood, are the, ah, bandits we've been having trouble with."

"You're joking."

"Oh no, I'm quite serious."

Doctor Aquarius stepped out of the wheelhouse, now covered head to toe in a heavy-duty rainslicker, and continued his exposition.

"These children have been plundering smaller vessels for the better part of two months, and we're still no closer to actually tracking down their hideout. I guess you folks are a good luck charm!"

He turned around and raised his arms, shouting so the children could hear.

"OH NOOOOO, THEY'VE GOT US GOOD! I GUESS WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SURRENDER TO THESE DIRTY LOW-DOWN SEA DOGS, NOTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT, NO SIR!"

"Brycen-Man, eat your heart out...", Malie muttered under her breath.

[b][LATER, AT THE SECRET BASE][/b]
 
Well, it was official. Team Topaz (co-starring Doc Aquarius) had been captured by a gang of small, annoying children. That being said, it was a pretty swanky secret base. They had been blindfolded on the way there, but it was definitely some kind of sea cave. The smooth, naturally-carved walls pulsed with a faint blue light, supplemented by a number of imported Alolan tiki torches. Decorative plushes originally bound for the Celadon department store littered the floor, along with several crates of novelty pirate costumes, toy swords, and approximately half a ton of Rage Candy Bars. The current captain lounged atop a halfway-assembled jungle gym, Team Topaz' pokemon having been thrown into a makeshift cage and guarded by the kid's Chatot. As for Team Topaz themselves, they sat cross-legged in the center of the cave, hands bound together by the finest of boy scout knotsmanship.

"Brilliant plan, doc."

"We made it in, didn't we?"

"Look, I'm gonna be straight with you: If this ink stains my favorite shirt, these kids are gonna be the least of your problems."