Lugia Chronicles, Season one: Terror of the Seas


Episode three: Training begins


"Aurora, Jesse, come on! You can come pick your Pokemon now!" Professor Sumac called, walking out into the room where they had been waiting. She led them into a back room.

"Um... Professor? If it's OK with Wani-sama, can I bring him along for my starter?" Jesse asked.

"Think you can handle him? Because if it's OK with him, it's OK with me. He needs the exercise. Wani-sama, what do you think?"

Wani-sama flashed the peace sign and jumped up onto Jesse's head.

"Well, Jesse, looks like you've got yourself a Pokemon!" Aurora said, smiling. "I choose... Chikorita!"

"Here you go." Sumac handed Aurora the PokeBall and gave the two their licenses. "I suggest you stay in Pewter and go down to the forest to train. There's also a field just by the entrance to Pewter where you can find Pidgey and Rattata."

"How high should we try to train our Pokemon?" Aurora asked, tossing her PokeBall from one hand to the other.

"About level 13 should work. Then you can try to take on Brock. All right?"

"Cool. Where can we stay here?" asked Jesse. Wani-sama was rummaging around in Jesse's backpack.

"Well, I do have some extra rooms. You can stay here until you get the Boulderbadge. Then you can move on. But be sure to call me, OK? I'll give you all the information from my latest research projects and information on each of the gym leaders." Sumac showed them the guest rooms. They were huge, with Pokemon wallpaper, soft carpets, and huge beds.

"I get this one," Aurora said, jerking her thumb towards the room on the left.

"Kay," said Jesse. "Hey, Wani-sama, what d'you think about this room?" Wani-sama jumped off of Jesse's head to feel the carpet. "Wani! Wani!"

"Glad you like it. We're gonna stay here a couple days, OK?"

"Wa ko!"

Aurora looked around. The wallpaper was just like the painting on her ceiling back home. The same stars and moons and Pokemon, the same shadow blotting out part of one of the moons. The ceiling was a partially transparent sky-blue dome. The carpet was hunter green. There were three huge bookshelves pushed against the back wall. Aurora walked over to examine them, scanning the books. They had titles like "The Anatomy of a Mew," "Experiment Gone Wrong: The Complete Story and Analysis of Mewtwo," "Master Ball Technology," and "Homemade Potions and Other Healing Items." Then one of them caught her eye: "Legend of the Lugia." She pulled it off the shelf and looked at it. On the front cover was a Pokemon she had never seen before.

Aurora stared at the picture. The outline matched the shadow on the moon that was on her wallpaper. She flipped the book over and read the summary:

"Lugia, the fourth legendary bird, is one of the rarest, most majestic Pokemon ever. It has inspired Pokemon trainers and fanatics for generations, but very few have ever seen it. This is the story of the making of a legend."

Intruiged, Aurora flipped back over, opened it, and began to read.


"Very few have seen the Lugia, but those who have have seen what must be the most beautiful, entrancing sight ever."

It was a good beginning. Aurora began to read again when Jesse called to her from the hall.

"Aurora! I'm going out to buy stuff at the mart and then train Wani-sama. Wanna come?"

"Sure!" Aurora replied. She grabbed her backpack and the PokeBall and ran out to join her friend.


*


"Chikorita, tackle attack!" Aurora shouted. Chikorita lunged at the Pidgey, but it quickly evaded and sprayed sand in Chikorita's eyes. "Try it again!" Before the Pidgey had time to react, Chikorita was on it, pinning it down. "PokeBall, GO!" As the ball rocked gently, Aurora crossed her fingers. "Please..." She whispered.

PING! The ball was still. "Chiko! Riiiiii! Chikorita!" Chikorita cheered, jumping up and down.

"We did it, Chikorita!"

"Chiko!"

Jesse was training at the other side of the field. "Hey, Aurora, it's time to head back!"

"Okay! Just a sec!" Aurora called back. "Chikorita, return!" Chikorita was pulled back into the PokeBall. Aurora clipped the Pokemon to her belt and she and Jesse ran all the way back to Sumac's lab.

*

Aurora flopped down on her bed. She resumed reading the Lugia book, and was soon pulled into a realm of legend...


Episode four: Myst - A Legend Beginning

Lugia were always rare, though there is only one today. It is believed that there were small groups of Lugia, around three of them each, traveling the seas, eating fish and resting on small unexplored islands.

One of the first, but certainly not the last, person to study the history of the Lugia is Professor Anna Sumac of Pewter City. The 17-year-old professor rode the S.S. Anne to Porta Vista, where she picked up facts of nearby islands, some of which had sunk underwater thousands of years ago. She borrowed a submarine and hurried out to the former site of Unika Island. The sub dove down thousands of feet, at which point she discovered the former Unika Island.

She found that Unika was one of the favorite Lugia rest stops; Lugia wingmarks were found in the rock. Sumac carefully removed a few of the impressions and they are currently on display at the Pewter City Museum of Science.

About ten years ago is when the last group of Lugia died out, except for one survivor. The survivor has been nicknamed Myst, short for Mystic.

At first, survival was tough for young Myst; he had to learn to hunt and care for himself. Myst was estimated to be about one year old. However, he soon learned to use his great power wisely, and by the time he was three, he was more powerful than any Lugia had ever been.

Myst frequented Taikou island and its neighbors, where he would sleep on the high ledges. Each time he slept there, he would leap off and test his wings, finally gaining enough strength to fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.