text: [Themes: edutainment, socially important]
  
  "Pokémon - I Choose You!"[2] (ãƒÂケモンï¼Âãã¿ã«ãã'ãŸï¼Â Pokémon! Kimi ni Kimeta!?) is the first episode of the first season of the Pokémon anime series. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997 and was first broadcast in the United States on September 8, 1998.
  
  In the episode, Ash Ketchum gets his Pokémon journey off to a rough start when he receives his first Pokémon, the reluctant Pikachu.
  
  Ash Ketchum is about to receive his very first Pokémon from Professor Oak. At the age of ten, boys and girls like Ash can get the license to become Pokémon trainers. On the day he is supposed to get his first Pokémon, Ash accidentally breaks his alarm clock and oversleeps.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > go downstairs and see your Mother
  You see your Mum, she was sitting at the table thinking about how her life will be different now you are leaving today. You walked over, sitting next to her and think about what to say.
  
  "Mum, I just want to say thank you for all the things you have done, things you are doing and things you are going to do that have helped me and will help me on my Pokemon Quest," you declare.
  
  "Oh Angel," your Mother exclaimed sadly. "You know this will always be your home, unless I sell it and moved to Las Vegas to fulfill my childhood dream of working as a go-go dancer while you are gone. You will always be in my heart, in my brain and any other organs of future significance. Go now, go found Professor Oak and live what you dreamt."
  
  Rising to your feet you went out the door.[Themes: fantasy, fantasy]
  
  Your name is Leo Trapa (which you have had legally changed from Cleo Trapa to sound more manly) and you have recently gained great fame after sailing your ship Adventurer completely around your world of Magellan from north to south. The Adventurer is a tough little ship, large enough for a Crew of 30 and with enough space to hold 30 days worth of supplies. Though you are only twenty years old you have already received the rank of Commander in recognition of your superb ability and are widely respected as one of the greatest sailors of your homeland, The Kingdom of the Three Islands.
  
  The World of Magellan on which you live is mostly water and for this reason the people of The Three Islands have a rich naval tradition. Gunpowder is a recent invention and though your ship is armed with four cannons and all of your crew carry muskets these are slow to load and highly inaccurate when fired making the sword your crew's primary weapon. A dozen Colonies have been established on Islands beyond your people's borders but these vary from well-organized and thriving settlements to frequently-massacred outposts of civilization.
  
  Your ship can only carry a maximum amount of Food for 30 days, which will make finding and obtaining sources of Food your top priority. If you ever run out of Food (your Food number reaches 0) then you and all your Crew will starve to death and die. You will almost certainly lose Crew members on this military expedition and you must take care that your Crew number never falls to 0: that will mean that you and all your Crew are dead.
  
  Though not as important as during your previous voyage you will still want to make your journeys in the shortest number of Days possible. Queen Anne-Marie is keen to encourage efficiency and rewards those Captains who complete their voyages swiftly with additional Crew and Food. You are sailing as one of the ten Ships in the War Fleet, commanded by Queen Anne-Marie, and you will find details of your fellow Captains and Commanders in the List of War Fleet Officers provided below.
  
  Surviving this voyage will not be as easy as it may appear... those who do will receive 1 Score Point while those who run out of Crew or Food during their voyage and die win no Score Points. Your Score will be shown if you leave a comment when you have finished this story. As in previous adventures you might find it useful to make a map as you sail as the information might be useful for future voyages and adventures in these waters...
  
  So good luck reader, make wise and strategically sound choices and with a little luck, a good course and a fair wind you might live to see your homeland again!
  
  [Author's Note: The Great Reef has been breached and your people are pouring out into a vast new world: a world of opportunities, adventure... and danger. Explorers and traders establishing new colonies on the islands discovered by you and your fellow sea-farers have come into conflict with warlike and deadly Natives and blood has been shed. In response Queen Anne-Marie has assembled a vast War Fleet to sail out to meet with these Natives and establish land ownership by diplomacy or force. As a member of this great expedition you will travel once more into an unknown and dangerous world in the greatest undertaking in your people's history... do you have what it takes? Author's Note: This story can be read by itself but useful background information is provided by reading Magellan 1: Race into the Great Unknown first. In an effort to try to respond to the feedback of readers I have specifically tried to create a greater interaction between the strong-willed and unique personalities of you and your fellow Captains and also changed the main character's name from Cleo to Leo to make him more... manly. I hope you enjoy reading this :)]
  
  > click here to begin your adventure (pick up the List of War Fleet Officers first!)
  Queen Anne-Marie looks round at you and her other assembled Officers with a steely gaze, as if measuring each officer's worth.
  
  "Your voyages so far have accomplished great things", she announces. "Many Islands have been colonized, many more islands discovered and I am confident that with sailors such as you under my command many more will be found. We do however have a problem: the Lapau as they call themselves. A vast confederation of allied tribes by force or reason we must come to a favorable treaty with them and establish where the border between their lands and ours lies. To do this we must explore their islands, see where they are, how strong they are and how wealthy they may be."
  
  You glance round at the other officers, both those you know and those you don't. Grey-bearded and softly-spoken Commander Cuthrew is gazing intently at Queen Anne-Marie as she speaks, nearby Donald Trevers is cleaning his spectacles nervously. Your friend Esme Hale, the attractive fire-haired maiden of the sea, catches your eye and winks at you. You smile back but quickly pay attention as Queen Anne-Marie gives you a disapproving glance.
  
  "During The Great Race and The Second Race most of our problems were caused by lack of Food," she declares. "I have had those of our Colonies which lie in our path well-stocked with food and my vessel, the Monarch of the Sea, has been specially constructed to carry vast amounts of Food which I will allocate among you all based on your performance and speed during this voyage. We must try to learn from our past experiences."
  
  Anne-Marie pauses again and you quickly glance round at those Officers you are not personally familiar with. Thomas Finch and Richard Quarrel stand behind the Queen, Finch is straight-backed and hard-looking while Quarrel has the face and manner of a pickpocket. More impressive are the cousins Swift and Mason, both fair-haired and smart-looking young ladies. Standing aloof to one side and scowling at something is the tomboyish Eva Freer. With her short purple hair and wiry, slender figure she's quite good looking you think...
  
  "The first leg of our voyage will be south through the Southern Passage, past Trever's Island and we will rendezvous on Burnt Island," Queen Anne-Marie declares. "We will sail at dawn tomorrow morning and woe betide you if ten Days from now we are not all anchored off Burnt Island. I know you are all good Sailors and if you serve me well then together we can make this world ours... very well. See to your ships Commanders and we will sail on the dawn tide."
  
  The next day the early morning fog is just clearing as you order the anchor raised aboard the Adventurer in readiness to sail out of Golden Sands. The packed crowds on the quay remind you of when you set sail on The Great Race around the world but then the crowds were cheering while today they are oddly subdued and silent... you sense that deep down everyone knows the War Fleet has not been assembled for diplomatic reasons and there are many husbands and fathers aboard it's ships that will not come home again.
  
  Some individual ships are still capable of raising a cheer, your Adventurer is one and when Hale's Merry Company sets sail the cheers and shouts are deafening. The Sea Ghost rapidly pulls away from the harbor, vanishing to the south, followed in a group by The Royal Escort, Indefatigable and The Monarch of the Seas. The cousins Swift and Mason are sailing together and you watch with a smile as Trever's Lucky nearly collides with Freer's Gambler prompting a string of imaginative and and biologically detailed insults from that colorful Commander. With a sigh you watch your homeland vanish from sight as you sail the Adventurer once more into the unknown.
  
  > Sailing South
  Sailing South for three days you soon come to the Southern Passage, a channel mined and blasted through The Great Reef which surrounds The Three Islands, which together with the Northern Passage and the newer Eastern and Western Passages allow access to the outside world. As you approach the Passage you see the Explorer and Maverick sailing through, not being personally familiar with either Commander Swift or Mason you hang back until they are clear before guiding the Adventurer through. On a relatively flat corral shelf a wooden watchtower and cabin has been built, above the tower flies the royal emblem of Queen Anne-Marie. A soldier in the tower waves cheerfully at you and you remember Anne-Marie's claim she'd had the colonies and outposts along the War Fleet's route supplied with large caches of food. You could drop anchor and try to beg for food but it would cost you 1 Day.
  
  > drop anchor and try to claim fresh Supplies
  Anchoring in the Passage you lead a party of sailors ashore to meet the two friendly soldiers who garrison the watchtower, each working 12 hour shifts.
  
  "Expedition is underway then?" one asks you cheerfully. "I have to say Commander Trapa I don't envy you. I served in the Colony on Burnt Island I've seen those Lapaw come out in those little canoes to inspect us. They look a tough bunch, even with ten ships and three hundred men behind me I wouldn't like to go against them."
  
  "Have you any food to spare?" you ask politely.
  
  The guards cheerfully supply you with a barrel of salted pork which you take back to your ship and thaking them you sail on.
  
  > South to Trevers Island
  Leaving The Southern Passage behind you continue on your course, occasionally sighting the sails of your fellow officers on the horizon. At one point you overtake Donald Trever's Lucky, which is zig-zagging erratically. "Rudder broke off on some corral" Trevers shouts across to you when you sail closer but waves you off when you ask if he needs some help. He is still in sight when you reach the island that was named after him after he spent some time marooned there after one of his previous ship's caught fire and sank. The pleasant tropical island is now inhabited by a small village of colonists who grow crops and fish. You are pleased to see Esme Hale's Merry Company is already anchored there, her crew loading barrels of fish aboard her ship.
  
  "Esme, you will never reach Burnt Island if you stop for food every time you are hungry," you shout to her when the Adventurer pulls alongside. Hale laughs.
  
  "What's the point of rushing?" she asks. "I'd rather get there in good shape than rush and miss out on all this nice fresh fish. Why don't you come ashore, we're having a goat hunt tomorrow!"
  
  As you consider your answer you catch your crew looking at you with hopeful eyes, clearly keen to spend a day larking about with Hale's sailors.
  
  > drop anchor off Trever's Island
  Dropping anchor you and your Crew go ashore the next morning and join Hale's hunt. Esme is a fine shot and goat after goat falls to her deadly musket balls. The local Colonists don't get too many visitors and are glad to make you welcome though while resting at their village at lunch time you notice work is underway to build a small wooden fort nearby.
  
  "A dozen of them came in canoes one night and killed one of our fishermen," one of the colonists explains nervously. "We had to pluck seventeen arrows out of him."
  
  You and Esme exchange frowns and decide it is time to get moving. Loading your fresh goat carcasses on board you both sail on South to the rendezvous at Burnt Island.
  
  > Burnt Island
  Your short voyage comes to an end when you drop anchor off the island Donald Trevers managed to so thoroughly destroy with fire during his last voyage here. You arrive at almost exactly the same time as Esme Hales's Merry Company and drop anchor near where the wreck of Trevers's previous ship Lady Fortune is still visible beneath the waves. The Sea Ghost is already there and over the next few hours most of the other ships arrive until finally the last one arrives after dark: Trevers's Lucky, still zig-zagging wildly thanks to it's broken rudder. There is a small colony on the island and Queen Anne-Marie arranges for the colonists to supply all of the ships of the War Fleet with a few supplies while her Officers attend a Council aboard her ship the next morning.
  
  > Burnt Island
  One by one the Commanders of the War Fleet row up to the towering sides of the Monarch of the Sea and ascend rickety ladders up to it's deck. Arriving on deck you find Cuthrew already there, looking more elderly and pale than you remember. Brisk and business-like Finch leads you down to Queen Anne-Marie's cabin where Quarrel, an unpleasant-looking man with a mocking smile is already waiting. You are soon joined by the cousins Mason and Swift and up close you can tell they are related as both have fair hair and pale complexions. Hale, Trevers and finally Freer arrive, up close she is even more attractive than she was in Golden Sands. When you are all assembled Queen Anne-Marie enters and the Council begins.
  
  "The closest Lapau-inhabited island that we know of lies directly Southeast of here," she declares. "The first thing we need to do is sail there and see if the Natives are willing and able to discuss the relations between our two Nations in a meaningful way. When we anchor offshore I will go ashore with one hundred men and humble these hut-dwellers into submission. Commander Cuthrew will command the Fleet during my absence but any of the rest of you who wish to come ashore with me can... remember at all times that we are superior to these Lapau and we must prove it to them."
  
  Following Anne-Marie's speech you are all sent back to your ships and the resupplied War Fleet sails Southeast as one group towards the lands of the Lapau.
  
  > Meeting the Lapau
  For three days the War Fleet follows a Southeast course until dusk on the third day when they drop anchor offshore.The small tropical island has a large village of wooden huts on a beach and in the dusk you watch the tall and strong-looking semi-clothed Natives gathering on the shoreline to silently inspect you. The next morning a well-crewed longboat containing Queen Anne-Marie sets out from the Monarch of the Sea, as you watch four more boats containing Commanders Quarrel, Swift, Mason and Freer also set off for the shore.
  
  > go ashore with the diplomatic mission
  Taking a dozen Sailors into your Longboat you join Queen Anne-Marie and the other Commanders as they lead their men ashore to where a crowd of Natives stand silently waiting. Anne-Marie, dressed in her best clothes with a sword and two new-fangled single-shot "pistols" at her belt leads the way in confident strides up the beach. A small group of men move forward to meet her, their elaborately tatoed bodies are naked except for loin cloths and they carry spears and shields. Richard Quarrel calls out a warning to Anne-Marie but she strides on towards them regardless.
  
  It is quickly recognized that neither you nor the Lapau understand one another's language: the Lapau speak in deep, rich, musical voices and though Anne-Marie attempts to use sign language this just seems to cause confusion. Anne-Marie tries presenting gifts like expensive jewellery to the Lapau but after examining them briefly they hand them back. The Lapau offer no gifts in return and as the meeting drags on without either side able to understand the other they mutter among themselves and give you all unfriendly looks. Finally giving up Anne-Marie leads you all back to the boats.
  
  Returning to your ships Queen Anne-Marie seems unsure what to do next. She issues no orders except to remain on alert and going down into your cabin in the Adventurer you stay awake for a long time, wondering what will happen next. Finally you drift into an uneasy sleep...
  
  > A rude awakening
  You are woken in the middle of the night by a scene from the depths of your nightmares.
  
  Hundreds of screams and shouts fill the air all at once followed by the muffled bangs of musket shots and springing to your feet you race up to deck to find utter pandemonium has engulfed the War Fleet. Hundreds of little one-man canoes surround the Fleet's ten ships like ants around sandwiches and brightly-painted figures are rapidly climbing up onto the decks, jabbing their spears through the sides of the ships or firing arrows up at them. Aboard all the ships men are grappling as spears thrust, swords swing, muskets fire and men are cut down screaming and gurgling to fall to the decks or into the sea.
  
  The Adventurer was not anchored close to the Island and consequently seems to have received little attention but still a dozen Lapau Natives have hauled themselves on deck and are grappling with your Crew, three of your men already lie motionless on the deck. Drawing your sword you order your men to fire their muskets and as guns bang the Lapau Warriors are killed or dive from the ship to the safety of the sea. With the Adventurer secure at least you look round and find things are worse for most of the other ships in the Fleet.
  
  A lot worse.
  
  Commander Trever's ship Lucky is on fire: blazing fiercely and sinking as the flickering flames light up the silhouettes of men grappling and fighting on her decks. Commander Freer's ship Gambler is also sinking fast: pierced by dozens of spears it's sailors are diving from it's decks into the sea all around. Commander Hale's Merry Company is being swarmed by so many Lapau it seems impossible the ship does not sink under it's wait. A row of several cannons aboard the Monarch of the Sea boom into life but it too is heavily overrun and trying to get to her aid the Indefatigable has also come under heavy attack and a small fire has broken out amidships.
  
  Not all is chaos however: the Sea Ghost is under sail and gliding smoothly through the chaos delivering organized volleys of musket fire at the thickest groups of Lapau and the Royal Escort, though still at anchor is also delivering volleys of musket and cannon fire. Anchored nearby, like you the Explorer and Maverick have also only been lightly attacked and are trying to clear their decks for action. As your sailors manage to hoist the anchor the wind fills your sails and the Adventurer glides forward.
  
  You can scarcely believe it: the whole War Fleet has fallen victim to a night attack from hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of deadly spear and bow-armed Lapau Warriors in canoes! Aboard the Adventurer you know your must go to the aid of one of your fellow Commanders: the Monarch of the Sea, Indefatigable and Merry Company are all in need of immediate help and the Lucky and Gambler are sinking already.
  
  > sail towards Queen Anne-Marie's embattled ship Monarch of the Sea
  Feeling that the protection of your Queen is your first priority you steer your ship straight towards the towering Monarch of the Sea. Cannons explode madly in the darkness and as you get closer you can see the ship's crew have been driven back to the stern where they are fighting desperately back against their attackers with musket shots and sword points. You spot the distinctively-dressed figure of Anne-Marie calmly aiming and firing muskets at the attackers, which are being loaded and passed to her by two of her sailors.
  
  As you pull alongside your men fire a volley of musket and cannon shots into the Lapau that cuts down most of the great crowd on the main deck. With a cheer Anne-Marie's crew counter-attack and the surviving Lapau abandon the ship, diving back into the sea all around. As you spin the wheel to avoid a collision with Anne-Marie's ship a deafening burst of fire lights up the night. The Lucky has just exploded spectacularly, launching scraps of wood and bodies high into the air. The explosion has completely destroyed the ship and a few moments later the Gambler sinks beneath the waves too. With cheers the Lapu abandon their attack and returning to their canoes they paddle back to their island to celebrate their victory.
  
  > The Aftermath...
  Dawn illuminates the horrors caused during the night.
  
  Bodies bob slowly up and down on the gentle waves in all directions as far as the eye can see while wreckage from the sunken Lucky and Gambler litter the ocean. The Monarch of the Sea, Indefatigable and Merry Company have all been seriously damaged and aboard all the ships of the fleet bodies of sailors and Lapau alike are being pitched into the ocean. Occasionally a musket shot rings out as a wounded Lapau is discovered and killed. At noon you and the other surviving officers are summoned to a Council of War aboard the Monarch of the Sea.
  
  Commander Donald Trevers is dead, killed along with the rest of his Crew when the Lucky's gunpowder store exploded. Esme Hale is devastated: two thirds of her crew have been killed in the fighting and sitting there white-faced with a bloodied bandage wrapped around a hip wound she looks the very picture of misery. Eva Freer has been wounded too, stabbed in the shoulder as she swam to safety from the sinking Gambler, only a handful of Crew have survived. Anne-Marie and Quarrel have also suffered heavy losses amongst their crew: altogether nearly one hundred men or a third of the War Fleet's manpower have been killed. The fact that the Lapau suffered similar casualties is small consolation.
  
  "None of us expected this attack," Anne-Marie says grimly when you have all gathered. "The Lapau have declared war on us and from now until they surrender we will show them no mercy. We need to make new plans though: this Fleet has been badly damaged and needs to refit and reinforce itself. There is not a danger that the Lapau will attack our colonies. These savages have proven more dangerous than we expected and another battle like last night's fight might destroy our Fleet."
  
  Anne-Marie pauses for a moment. "I am dividing this Fleet up. Commander Hale and myself will sail back to Golden Sands to get more men and supplies and to have Commander Hale's wound treated. We will be gone about three weeks. In our absence I want you Commander Cuthrew to sail east pst this island and locate other Lapau-occupied islands near here. We must know where their settlements are so we can attack them. There is no one but you I would entrust this mission to."
  
  Anne-Marie glances round at the rest of you. "Commander Finch, I want you and Commander Quarrel to co-ordinate an attack to destroy all Lapau resistance on this island and convert it into a base from which we can launch our assault on other Lapau Islands. Rely on musket and cannon fire, keep a safe distance and the Natives here will be destroyed. Commanders Swift and Mason, I want you to ensure our colonies are safe: sail with me and Commander Hale as far as Trever's Island and then when he turn north sail west to Sandy Island and then back to here where you will render Commanders Finch and Quarrel any assistance they might need."
  
  Finally Anne-Marie turns to you and Freer. "Commander Freer, you will join Commander Trapa aboard the Adventurer, your remaining Crew will be assigned to Commander Hale's ship. You will assist Commander Trapa in any way he sees fit."
  
  Freer starts to protest angrily but Anne-Marie cuts her short with an angry clap of her hands.