9. Sacred Rite

The first thing Raios saw was a huge, familiar, white and purple friend standing over him.

"Welcome to the world within," Lugia said, gazing down at Raios with a warm smile. "You look wonderful."

"Oh," Raios said, examining himself. Lugia liked the blue and gray coat more than Raios did. "I didn't know we'd be like this."

Lugia shook his head. "This is no mere dream," he said, sitting down so that he didn't have to tower over Raios. "We are deeper than that, and we can only be ourselves here."

"You mean I can't transform or anything…"

Raios was very poor at concealing his unhappiness in the inner mind environment. "To be honest, you're stuck with a very agile form," Lugia said, hoping to cheer his friend up. "At any rate, I'm impressed that you could get us this far."

"Where are we, anyways? It looks like a lake… but it's huge. And it's pretty cold."

Lugia glanced over his shoulder, at the body of water that stood still as stone. "Oh. Let us investigate this first, then." He waded into the chilly, opaque waters, eager to swim… but even after many paces forward, the lake only went up to Lugia's ankles. "What a disappointing body of water. It's more of a giant pond than a lake."

"Is this how we find your son?" Raios asked, hovering over the lake to follow Lugia. The air was cold, and Raios's thin down covering didn't help much. "We just wander around?"

"He must be here somewhere, and the only way to find him is to search. As we do so, I will explain certain things to you in greater detail." Lugia walked on through the lake, dragging his tail through the water and filling the body of water with shallow waves. Raios hovered at Lugia's side, by his shoulder—and even up there, Raios still felt small. If only he could be a Lugia too, living big and happy with a father… he would even have a brother—

"I suppose you could transform into one at some point," Lugia said. "I would not like for you at all to abandon your own kind, though!"

Raios felt very warm all of a sudden. "You read my mind!" he blurted out.

"This brings us to the first thing about which I meant to warn you. I wish I had spoken sooner—since our minds are distilled and exist in a purer form, strong feelings show through you. I just heard what must have been a longing of yours."

"I'm sorry…"

"No, no. I… I'm touched that you would still have me as your father, after all this time. I think my son would enjoy your company, too. But you know that it isn't natural for you to change yourself in such a way. I remember telling you on the night we parted ways that—"

"Forget I said anything," Raios said. "It was just a random thought. I'd rather hear more about where we are right now."

"…Very good." Lugia gazed ahead—the lake seemed to stretch on forever. Lugia spread his wings and lifted into the air, assisted by his own telekinesis. After a sideways glance to see that Raios was following, he continued his description. "As you know, we are in my son's unconscious. It seems far disconnected with reality, but it is surprisingly consistent and convincingly lifelike. However… the landscape is barren. The one thing that cannot be fabricated here… are other living beings.

"That is mostly true, at least. My son's unconscious could manifest itself as a person, or even multiple lifeforms. It is the one in control of this world, for the most part—we can infer from the stability of the environment that my son's mind is stable as well. The cold… could either be a matter of preference, or a sign of his decreasing health. I am not sure."

"So… what's this whole thing about?"

"Ah, yes. It is a journey that marks the very start of the passage into adulthood. If I were doing it properly, I would enter this realm with my son, and we would seek out his unconscious. The goal is to interact with it until it personifies itself, at which point my son would speak with it."

"This whole thing… is so your son can talk to himself?!" Raios said. He was so intrigued that he hardly noticed the cold air biting at him as it rushed by. It must be a fascinating thing to talk to your own unconscious, he thought.

Lugia continued, saying what came to his mind. "I remember my own journey. My father called it catching up with my soul, but I would describe it as self-discovery. The world inside my head was oceanic, but altogether lifeless. We had no luck finding any manifestations of my unconscious, and my father seemed unhappy about it.

"Suddenly, he stopped. He told me that I had failed some test, and that I was not… that I was not a clever enough Lugia to proceed. As he abandoned me, he said that the only way I could redeem myself was to continue alone. I cried after him and tried to give chase, but he escaped.

"I wept as I flew then, listless and dejected. I had no inkling of what puzzle there was to solve, and I felt terribly incompetent and lonely. My father had told me previously that all Lugia succeeded, and that there was nothing to worry about—yet I had still failed. I soon gave up trying to uncover the puzzle, and alternated between frustrated tantrums and fits of unrestrained, childish wailing. I didn't resent my father—in fact, I apologized repeatedly to him for being such a poor Lugia and son. I considered drowning myself in the endless ocean below, wondering if death in the imaginary world would still end my life." He paused to read Raios's expression, and saw him tearing up. "But! As I gazed down at the sea, challenging myself to plunge in and not come out, someone splashed out from the water and confronted me.

"It felt like speaking to my own reflection. We both asked simultaneously if we were the same person—and then we both laughed. 'You must be the outside me,' my twin said, and at that moment I understood what the journey had been for. We were to connect with each other.

"So we relaxed in the sea and chatted. I tried to ask my unconscious what it was that he did, but he couldn't describe it. Then, surprisingly, he asked me what I did, and I tried to explain the real world to him. 'It sounds rather tough,' he told me. 'I'm glad that you're out there, dealing with the unpredictable things beyond our control.'

"Soon he proposed an exchange of information. He wanted to know some of the best and worst things I had done in the real world, and in return he would share with me his greatest fears as well as what makes him the happiest. The assumption was that those qualities existed internally in me as well."

Lugia paused, and Raios knew what he was worrying about. What came next would be unbelievably personal. "You don't have to tell me what you said," Raios reminded him.

"I know… thank you." Lugia decided to skip ahead. "It ended when we embraced, there in the water. In that moment of love, I felt something rise up in me. I had become filled with psychic power, though I only learned that later."

"So you awakened your powers by hugging yourself deep inside your head?"

Lugia chuckled. "It only sounds awkward when you phrase it like that, friend. Afterward, I came to in the real world, and my father immediately returned to his own body and embraced me, asking for forgiveness. I did—I did forgive him, but I childishly made him promise not to ever lie to me again.

"I wanted to know why he would do such a cruel thing. He explained that since no physical fears had ever presented themselves during our journey, he had been forced to create emotional turmoil by abandoning me. He thought my greatest fear was of failure." Lugia's voice went faint. "But… actual… being… alone… unloved."

"So facing your worst fears is what draws out your unconscious person?" Raios asked, respectfully ignoring what must've been an emotional slip.

"It worked in my case. There may be other methods. I believe the father is responsible for figuring out the right one for his son."

"…Do you know? For yours?"

"Perhaps."

They flew on, leaving the huge lake behind on their way to a snowy mountain range in the distance. Raios didn't exactly look forward to heading somewhere even colder, but Lugia was leading the way—and here, he was in charge.


"It's s-s-so cooold," Raios complained, slowing to a stop.

Lugia landed in the snow and felt an immediate chill rise up his legs. "Landmarks such as these mountains must carry some significance, so I hope to find someone here. At the tallest summit, possibly, or this cavern ahead. Can you press on with me, friend?"

"Of c-course," Raios said, hovering past Lugia into the cave's entrance. The wind died down, but the air didn't seem much warmer. "Don't tell me you can get s-sick in this world."

"That is doubtful. But you seem very cold, and the air at this altitude is thin. Those factors can certainly sap your strength." Lugia ducked his head and followed Raios into the cavern. "Remember—if you see any living beings, it is a manifestation of my son's unconscious. He has been here for a while, so it seems likely that such manifestations are following or interacting with him."

"Got it." Raios felt better without the wind tearing at him, but the cavern grew steadily darker as they went deeper into it. Despite Lugia's interest in it, the cave seemed little more than a jagged tunnel through the rocky mountain—lifeless but for the hollow sound of air emerging from its depths. Soon it angled sharply downward, and Raios felt like he was descending into utter darkness. "Lugia?" he called. "Are you sure we can keep going? I can hardly see."

Lugia, still hunched over, walked past. "Let me check ahead… oh, it seems that there is water here! The cavern is flooded past this point."

"This is all you, then…" Raios followed Lugia to the edge of the water, trying to see it. But it just looked like part of the darkness. "I can't hold my breath that long, and you can probably see better. So…"

"I am not going to leave you in the cold."

"Just go for a swim, you," said a figure from the water. A light appeared, dangling just above its head, bathing the walls of the cavern in a yellow glow. "Cold as snowballs out there. But this water's niiiice and warm. Thanks to the mountain."

"Look Lugia, it's a Lanturn," Raios said, happy that he could identify the owner of the voice.

"Yes, I see." Lugia waded into the water to get a closer look—it really was warm—but the Lanturn backed away. "Who are you, Lanturn?"

The glowing fish turned off her light, and everything went dark again. "Just go by Lanturn," went her disembodied voice. "Was what my Trainer called me. Before he released me. Into the sea. Was… a wimpy Trainer in a way. But I give him credit."

"Do you… do you know Typhus?"

A splash in the water. "Uh-huh, course I do!" Lanturn cried. "Best friends."

"Could you please lead us to him?"

"Haha, no. Doesn't want to see you. And I don't have time to hear how sad it makes you. That your son is gone. Should've thought about that. Before kicking him out."

Lugia let out a soft whine, pleading with the darkness. "I want to reconcile with him. He needs to hear me out."

"Doesn't want to hear from you. Ever again. And that's final."

"Please…" Lugia felt tears forming. "I refuse to believe that my son has rejected me so deeply! We have had just as many good times as hard ones! No, more!"

Lanturn paused. "Get lost," she said after a moment.

"No—if he wants to reject me, I must hear it in person!"

Raios didn't think Lugia's agitation would help at all. "What if I go?" he called out.

The yellow glow returned, and Lanturn watched Raios as he drew closer to the water. "Who're you?"

"Raios."

"Oh!" Lanturn's light glowed even brighter. "Yeah. Very interesting. Okay, follow me."

"What?!" Lugia cried.

"I don't even know," Raios said. "I guess I'll… meet up with you later."

"I… I guess our roles have reversed. I will wait behind." Lugia gave a shaky smile. If the unconscious would only accept Raios, then so be it. "Good luck. Remember what I told you about the unconscious."

"I will."

"Let's go," Lanturn said. "Through tight spaces, so Lugia can't follow."

"How far do we have to go?" Raios asked. "I have to hold my breath."

"Not very far. If you swim fast."

"I think I can do that."

"Good. I like fast swimmers." Lanturn darted off, down through the water, taking the light with her. "Keep up!"

"Bye, Lugia," Raios said, taking a few deep breaths.

"Take care, friend. My son really was interested in you."

Raios nodded, and dived into the warm water. He followed Lanturn's light—the fish led the way through various rocky passages.

After a little more than a minute Raios signaled with telepathy, "I'm running out of air!"

"Almost there." Lanturn glanced back to see only a struggling Raios. "Lugia doesn't seem to be following."

"Faster…" Raios sped on, struggling to keep his mouth shut. When they reached a cavern with air, Raios darted from the water and gasped hard. "I need… to practice… diving…"

"Glad to be a fish," Lanturn noted to herself. "Anyhow, you made it. You were pretty fast."

They were in some sort of underground, watery cavern, similar to Lugia's secluded oceanic home. The main difference was that the only source of light was the glowing orb dangling over Lanturn's head.

"Who is this person?" said a new voice. A blue creature with a gray shell on his back drifted on the water over to Raios. "There are never strangers around here."

"I'm Raios."

"Why… I've heard of you then. Nice to meet you—I'm Lapras."

"The loser," Lanturn interjected.

"Don't listen to Lanturn, Raios. I know she brought you here, but… it's only because Typhus is interested in you. Otherwise, she would've told you to get lost."

"Hey. I can leave you all in the dark. If that's what you want."

"No… just let us talk for a bit, Lanturn." Lapras sighed. "Raios, I hope you can help us settle our differences."

"What differences?" Raios asked, looking from Lapras to Lanturn. The fish seemed to be pouting at Raios for talking to the wrong person.

"It's about Typhus's father," Lapras explained. "Lanturn loathes him."

"Good reasons to," shot back the glowy fish. "Should've seen how much Typhus cried."

"We're both trying to take care of him now, in a way. But Lanturn and I tell Typhus practically the opposite things. He doesn't know which to follow. It's not working out."

"Lapras, I'm back," called a relatively small Lugia. He popped his head out from the water and took a huge breath. "I hit another dead end. These caves are all the same, if you ask me."

"Welcome back! Come and meet this newcomer," Lapras said. "His name is Raios."

"Raios?" The Lugia splashed forward. "I've heard of you! You're a Latios, aren't you?"

"I guess…"

"Cool. I've always wanted to see you." The young Lugia dipped his head. "I'm Typhus. Call me Typh. You know my dad."

Raios joined Typhus in the water, so they could speak closely. "I've been looking forward to meeting you too," he admitted. "Except… we're in a pretty special situation."

Typhus tilted his head, looking just like his father. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you're asleep right now. This is like a dream, but more… deep."

"What?" Lapras said.

"Isn't a dream," added Lanturn.

"Don't you two know?" Raios asked Typhus's partners. "I thought you were…"

"I'm Typhus's friend. From when he started diving really deep. His dad forbid him from seeing me again."

Lapras glared at Lanturn. "I don't think that's true," he said. "I'm also a friend. I met Typhus on one of my great ocean journeys. I also met his father, and he was quite kind." Those last few words seemed to be aimed directly at Lanturn.

Neither friend had a clue that they were manifestations, Raios realized. The empty world in Typhus's mind was just the world to them. "Typhus, did your father ever tell you about a special rite?"

"Call me Typh," the young Lugia repeated. "But yes, Lapras keeps telling me that I'm in the middle of a sacred rite. The thing is… my dad isn't here. And neither is my unconscious whatever. So even if I'm in it, I got left hanging."

Lanturn brightened her light. "Exactly," she said. "No reason to complete or even start. Typh is disowned."

"…Your father disowned you?" Raios asked, thinking of Lugia. It just didn't seem possible, that big guy being at all wrathful toward his son.

Typh nodded. "Uh-huh… it's a long story, actually. But he did say that I wouldn't be his son anymore. I said some mean things too, but…"

"It's okay, Typh," Raios reassured the suddenly subdued young Lugia. "Your father came here with me, and he wants to make things better. Lapras is right about the rite."

"Right about the rite…" Typh laughed. "Okay. Dad told me a lot about the thing before, so it made sense when you said I'm asleep. I could be. From what I know, though, I'm supposed to meet my unconscious. But instead I found Lanturn and Lapras, and they're definitely different people from me. They're my friends."

"They both have to be your unconscious, then."

Lapras frowned. "Are you kidding me? We're markedly different from each other, even more than we're different from Typh."

"Can't believe you just called me same person as Lapras," Lanturn sighed.

Raios shook his head. "I don't know all of what's going on, but there has to be an explanation for it."

"Wait, Raios, so my dad's in here too?" Typh said. "If he wants to just talk… I want to talk to him. He wouldn't have come if he still didn't want me, right?"

"Yeah!" encouraged Raios, but then he remembered what happened. "Well, he'd be here with me, but Lanturn kept him out."

"Whaaaaaat?" Typh whined. "You did that, Lanturn?"

"Doesn't love you!" countered the fish. "You even said you didn't want him either!"

"But I was just—"

"I thought we had finally gotten past. Past the sadness about your father. No way I would bring it back."

Lapras cleared his throat. "Since it's clearly back now, Lanturn, I think you should go get Typh's father so he can settle this all for us."

"No."

"There's no possibility that he still doesn't love Typh!" Lapras argued. "He's here for a reason. This is our chance to make everything good again!"

"I'm not going."

"Do it!"

"Said no!"

Lapras fired a beam of energy into the water, right at Lanturn. The fish seemed too stunned to even cry out. "I won't ask you again!" Lapras ordered, trying to establish his dominance. "I know you don't want to, but think of Typhus! It'll make him happy!" Lapras hesitated, and then attacked Lanturn a second time. "Are you or are you not going to help? Lanturn?"

Her light went out, leaving everybody in darkness. A chill spread through the water. Typh began to whimper, so Raios reached out and touched him reassuringly. "Lapras," he urged, "doing that isn't good either!"

"It's what has—"

A monster's deafening roar flooded the cavern, and the water around Raios and Typh drained away before slowly coming back. It was the movement of an immense wave, of which Lapras seemed to be on the receiving end.

"Raios! Typh! Help—"

The wave smashed into the far wall of the cavern, silencing Lapras.

Typh clutched onto Raios in terror, and since Raios was the smaller one they began to sink into the increasingly stormy water. Raios quickly used telekinesis to lift Typh and himself up, but not out—the water was the only thing keeping them from being utterly lost in the dark.

"I'm—I'm still here!" coughed Lapras. "Lanturn turned into a monster! You need to—aaaghh!"

Another bellowing roar, and thrashing in the water. Something slammed hard into something else, and Typh started to cry, squeezing Raios tightly. Raios didn't notice—he was trying to find Lapras psychically, but something blocked his efforts.

"Lapraaaaas!" Typhus wailed.