From: "Rob" <robfrompw@yahoo.com> Subject: [PW!] [SST] Hoennward Bound! Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 10:29 PM "Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and Pokemon - this is your captain speaking," the voice of Captain Briney is heard throughout the S.S. Tidal since there are so many speakers on the giant cruise ship, "The ship will be leaving Olivine Port in just a few minutes. Weather conditions are fair so we should be arriving in Hoenn's Littleroot Town in approximately 48 hours. Feel free to eat whenever you want in the various all-you-can-eat buffets on the ship. You can also spend time swimming or tanning on the Main Deck. Feeling lucky? Then you should visit the ship's very own casino - we have slot machines AND roulette tables, so there's more than one way for you to win TMs or Pokemon dolls here!" "See?" Marvin, a middle-aged man wearing only blue swimming trunks with white stars on them, looks down at the Mawile seated next to him on a couch in the ship's Lobby, "Captain Briney might like joking around about killing me since we're buddies, but he's actually a nice guy!" "Maaaaaaw..." The large-jawed Mawile doesn't believe Marvin, especially considering the way Captain Briney ignored her after she delivered Marvin's message to him. She just figures the captain is pretending to be nice since it's part of his job description. "Oh, one more thing." The captain's voice is heard once again throughout the ship, "Tonight there's going to be a Guest Talent Show hosted by our cruise director, the man who designed the very ship you're on - Captain Stern! Remember, folks, if you have any complaints about the way the ship's laid out, he's the man to talk to, not me. Anyway, if you wish to participate in the talent show, be sure to fill out a form in the Lobby that asks for your name and your talent and drop it off at the front desk. The show will be at 10 PM at the Wingull Lounge on the Lobby Deck. If you sign up, be sure to be there! If you don't sign up, be sure to be there anyway to see your fellow guests exhibit their talents! Those are all the announcements for now. I'd like to wish you, on behalf of all of the ship's crew members, a wonderful, fun-filled day on the S.S. Tidal!" "A talent show, eh?" Marvin asks, stroking his chin with one hand, "This is my big break! I bet I can rig up a magic show using the stuff I had hidden in my tuxedo when I left Goldenrod City... Then maybe some of the passengers will have pity on my lack of clothes and give me nice tips!" "Maw ilemawile!" Marvin's Mawile nods her head, thinking it's a better idea than battling Trainers for money. She knows that Trained Pokemon tend to be stronger than wild ones and she was concerned that she wouldn't be much help to Marvin if he gathered funds that way. Feeling that she could help him with a show, she offers her services, "Ile maw!" Since "Ile" sounds like "I'll" and "maw" is a one-syllable word, Marvin gathers what his Mawile just said from context, "You'll help?" Mawile once again nods her head, her huge jaw barely moving as she does. "Excellent! I'm going to go fill out a form right now! After that, we can head up to the Main Deck to lounge by the pool for a few hours then go to the cabin at around seven to rig up a show." Having planned out the rest of his afternoon and evening, Marvin pulls himself away from the couch, quickly fills a Talent Show Form he finds on the front desk, and hands the form to the receptionist sitting behind the desk. When Marvin waves to his Mawile, letting her know that he's filled out a form, she hops off the couch and follows her friend to the elevators. Five minutes later, Marvin plops himself down on one of the many lounge chairs on the S.S. Tidal's Main Deck, leaving the back of his chair up so that he can have a clear view of the large swimming pool where many pretty young women are hanging out. Concerned that Marvin's pasty white skin might get burned, his Mawile drags her jaw over to a nearby umbrella stand. She grabs a large umbrella with her giant maw, drags it over to where Marvin's sitting, and she sets it up with her long yellow fingers. "Thanks, Mawile! I didn't think of... protection... from the... sun..." Once again Marvin is distracted by the sight of a pretty girl who's getting into the pool. Mawile shrugs and hops on the lounge chair next to his. She places her steel jaw in a position that blocks her entire body from the sun, preferring that to setting up another umbrella. -Marvin