Chapter 32: Legend of the Azure Flute
It felt strange for Lucas to be in Solceon Town again. After getting his sixth badge, the teen Trainer went to Sandgem Town to pick up a package from Professor Rowan as a favor to Professor Oak. The package was to be delivered to a woman in Celestic Town, but to get to Celestic Town required going back to Solceon. It was now over a month since the last time the young man was here. Last time he was in the tiny, one road city it was with his rival/friend Morgan. When he was on his way to the Gym in Veilstone, she parted ways with him at the cafe up on Route 210 to go to Celestic Town herself. This time he was all alone, Morgan now on her way to Hoenn. She had said Celestic Town was a place known for ancient supernatural forces and it made him curious to see what was in the package the old professor had gave him.
If it were up to the teen, he would have gone straight to Celestic Town, however, having never been there before he had no way of guiding his Pokemon to the city via flight. The Trainer would have to hoof it, and the trip would take several days. Not wasting any time, Lucas went to the task of restocking provisions. As his purchases were rung up he realized his funds were beginning to grow low, it had been a while since facing another Trainer, and without the winnings from the Gym in Canaclave, his budget was growing thin. Maybe the long trip wasn't such a bad thing, it gave him plenty of opportunity to stumble across some traveling Trainers and both restock his coffers and strengthen his Pokemon. With just two Gyms to go, the threat of facing the Elite Four and their highly skilled teams was growing close. There would be no lucky moves or last-minute gimmicks that would save Lucas against them.
With food for himself and medicine for his Pokemon now weighing down his heavy duffel bag, Lucas headed back to the cafe at the top of Route 210. He stood facing the cafe for several minutes, debating on whether or not to stop in for a meal before beginning his trip. This had been the restaurant that he and Morgan ate at before parting ways the first time, and a piece of him was nostalgic to go back in, but in the end he decided against it. Between his shrinking funds and the long trip ahead of him, a detour for memories' sake simply didn't make sense.
Accessing the Pokevice again, the teen double-checked to see if there was a faster way to his destination. There was no way around it, even at a fast walk it would take two days to get to Celestic Town. He picked up his pace slightly when he got an idea. He pulled his red and black bicycle out of his bag and started peddling. The well-intentioned but ultimately bad idea didn't last long when turning a corner, the teen ran into a patch of thick, tall grass like a natural shag carpet that snagged his spokes and sent the boy flying over the handlebars. Two days it would have to be, like it or not. Dragging himself up from the cushioned landing, the Trainer put his now damaged bike away and worked on shoving himself through the virtual forest of tall grass.
Towards the afternoon as the sun was getting especially hot, the heat seemed to get aggravated as a swampy mugginess filled the air. Soon the humidity transformed into fog, slowing Lucas down even further. First not being able to ride his bike, then struggling through the grasslands and now the fog. The trip looked like it was going to last closer to three days instead of two. Now that it was official that he wasn't going to get where he needed to in a hurry, the teen finally accepted the situation and started walking at a more leisurely pace. Lucas recognized immediately that this was the Pokemon-caused fog and though still none of his Pokemon knew Defog, he was more prepared to handle the obstacle.
The teen tread carefully as he discovered the route to Celestic Town was fairly hazardous. Between patches of grass so thick it was like walking through a fur coat, there were various cliffs and narrow paths that navigated around the rock formations that got bigger as Lucas approached Mt. Coronet once more. The thick fog also allowed for Pokemon ambushes from bad tempered Golbat and nasty Machoke that kept the Trainer on his toes. The tough terrain, the Pokemon and the strange whistle Lucas kept hearing in the bushes made the teen hyper-alert, expecting a new danger with every step. As Lucas passed underneath a tall fir tree, a black blur swooped down and ambushed the teen. He finally discovered what was behind the eerie whistling, it was Swablu, the tiny bird Pokemon that had feathers like fluffy clouds. Lucas added the Pokemon to his collection and felt himself ease up slightly, until another black shadow appeared behind him. The afternoon was winding down and the shape was unlike any Pokemon the young man had ever seen. Silently the shape approached, trapping Lucas between the narrow cliff he just navigated and unknown terrain ahead.
"I've been waiting for a Trainer to pass by here," said a Youngster as he stepped forward, his image clear now that he was closer to the teen.
"Jesus Christ! You scared the hell out of me!" Lucas yelled clutching his chest, "You shouldn't sneak up on a person like that in this fog. I could have fallen off of this cliff, or just thrown your ass off of it,"
With the underhanded approach Lucas was more than ready for a fight. The now more experienced Trainer made short work of his opponent. The Youngster's two Bibarel were no match for the teen's team. Though the match was short it proved valuable for two reasons. First, Lucas' funds were finally getting restored and secondly Lucas learned to anticipate Trainers in certain areas.
After the first Youngster, Lucas ran into a few more and discovered a pattern. Every time there was an area that was especially safe: outside the grass, just beyond the small ponds and just past the cliffs there would be a Trainer. No longer surprised by the random attacks, Lucas could pick up his pace again.
With the fog it made gauging his distance with the Pokevice difficult, but for the first day he figured he was past most of the marshy areas and the rest of his trip would take place on and between the largest of the rock formations. He would know that he was almost at Celestic Town when he would cross a long bridge that was built in front of a waterfall, similar to the one he passed when first arriving in Hearthome City with the Coordinator Ashley and her friends. Lucas made camp for the night and prepared for the next day's travels.
The second day was similar to the first, the Pokemon-created fog not letting up and shrouding all obstacles and hazards. And like yesterday, Trainers would position themselves in places most convenient to ambush unsuspecting Trainers and try to take advantage of the surprise in their battles. Lucas was now fully ready for these people, not allowing such minor head games to affect his strategies. Though not caught off-guard, the battles were becoming harder and harder as the Trainers he ran into proved to be stronger and more experienced than the Youngsters he had dealt with the previous day. This road also contained the Ace Trainers, people around his age who had several years experience and well trained, well balanced teams as well as the Dragon Tamers, the black-clad and caped Trainers who were experts in dragon-types. Even with these new challenges Lucas continued to succeed and move forward to his goal of Celestic Town. It wasn't until the afternoon of the third day that Lucas ran into real trouble.
Though the Trainers close to Celestic proved stronger and stronger the closer he got to the city, the teen still focused on his other goal of training his Buneary, Stella. In each battle, even against the difficult dragon-types the normal-type became a more powerful fighter, a testament to her strong bloodlines from Ashley's Pokemon, but her attitude towards Lucas didn't seem to improve at all. Though Lucas tried his hardest to treat the Pokemon with love and happiness after every battle, she still showed no signs of liking her Trainer.
After a victory against an Ace Trainer whose team was made up of a Probopass, an Ivysaur and a Floatzel, a battle sealed by the now powerful, but still bad-tempered Buneary, a small rock slide erupted behind the Trainers. Both Lucas and his opponent dodged to the side, unharmed by the falling rocks, but as the dust dissipated into the fog the Mohawked teen noticed his Pokemon had gone missing. Ignoring the winnings offered by the Ace Trainer he had just beaten, Lucas ran off frantically, recognizing the shrill scream Stella always gave off in fear. The rock slide had startled her as badly as it had the two Trainers, and in terror she ran off into the unknowns of the thick fog.
"Stella! Stella!" Lucas screamed into the murky mist, racing the keep up with the pace of the shrieking Pokemon that was still running blindly away from him. He could still hear her, but her screams were becoming less frequent, she was calming down slightly and slowing down, but the Trainer still couldn't see his lost Pokemon. He continued to cry out her name, sending out Gizmo to help with the search. He cursed himself in the increasingly thick fog, furious that he was unable to win his Pokemon's affections, especially in this time when he needed her to like him most. Her initial fear from the rocks may have ended, but soon her fear from unfamiliar surroundings would overwhelm her, and her fear of him would outweigh any obedience she had for her Trainer. He stopped calling her name, realizing his voice was not helping the situation, but he continued the search, focusing his eyes into the fog hoping for any sign of her.
He was so concentrated on concern for Stella he didn't notice the edge of the cliff just ahead of him. Gizmo let out a desperate 'Vii!' but Lucas heard it too late. He tumbled over the edge, his back and limbs slamming into the rocky walls until he mercifully landed in a patch of softened dirt. Fortune prevented him from any fatal injuries, he didn't even break any bones, but his face and back were cut to shreds and bleeding, and the wind was entirely knocked from his body, leaving him struggling for air.
Gizmo hopped down the rock walls, running to check on his fallen master. Lucas was unable to speak, only a hacking rattle coming from his mouth as the Eevee worryingly nudged him. The teen tried to concentrate on relaxing his diaphragm to bring his breathing back to normal and gauging how badly he was hurt. While bleeding profusely, the cuts on his back weren't deep. The worst cut was the one on his face, it ran from near his temple all the way to his chin. With a shaking hand he could it feel it flapping slightly, it would definitely require stitches. He still wasn't able to move yet, but his breathing was beginning to steady and his lungs could take in more and more air. In between Gizmo's sounds of concern Lucas suddenly registered a second noise.
"Bun, bun," Lucas tipped his head over to the right and looked between two boulders wedged together. Stella was in a small crevice under the boulders crying and shaking in fear. Lucas immediately forgot about his own pain and worried about Stella.
"Stella!" He croaked, his voice altered by his limited breath. The Pokemon looked up towards her Trainer but didn't move, too frozen in fear to think clearly. Lucas looked sadly at his terrified Pokemon, still just as scared of him as she was her surroundings. He still was unable to move very well, his limbs as stunned as his lungs, so he lied there, staring at his Pokemon, "You know, this reminds me of the day you were born. It was raining and I couldn't see where I was going and I went ass over teakettle off a cliff just like right now. I was all mad and stupid and then I realized I landed on your egg. I was so terrified when I saw the cracks. I was sure I'd hurt you. Then the shell fell away and you squinted in the rain and you looked up at me with those big eyes of yours. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life," As Lucas spoke the frightened Buneary continued to stare back at him, her expression difficult to read as she stayed frozen in her hiding spot, "Then I go and do it again. When you ran off I was just as scared as that day, I didn't pay attention in this pea soup and just about broke my neck. And then I see you and suddenly all that doesn't matter any more. I really don't ever care if you like me, I'm just glad to see you okay. I think that's all that will ever matter to me,"
Lucas closed his eyes with a sigh when he felt something soft bump his hand. He opened his eyes and lifted his head slightly to see Stella nudging his fingers. Gently he lifted his hand up and put it on her head, stroking her soft fur. She nuzzled closer to him, her eyes closed and completely relaxed, all her fear gone.
The fog cleared up almost instantly as Lucas walked into Celestic Town, opening up to a bright blue sky shining down on a small traditional town in the shadow of massive Mt. Coronet. Most of the people were dressed in kimonos and hakamas and even those in modern street clothes chose more muted colors. It reminded Lucas strongly of Johto with cities like Violet and Ecruteak frozen in a past time. The city was built in a circle, the Pokemon Center clashing with the old wooden buildings with sliding doors and thatched straw roofs. Though the teen Trainer intended to first hit the Center to heal his Pokemon as well as get his own wounds checked, he found himself drawn to the middle of town.
Going down a set of steps to the town's center Lucas came face to face with a small wooden altar in front of the entrance to a cave. The altar was similar to the one Lucas had heard about in the Ilex Forest back home, built to honor the mythic time traveler that was said to be the area's guardian. The teen wondered if this altar served a similar purpose. The young man passed the altar, its shelf set with offerings of flowers and Pokemon food, into the cave itself. Though the cave was natural, the walls were covered with man-made drawings. The cavern was small and was devoid of Pokemon, not even Zubat rested inside. Passing a small pool of water that shimmered in the small streams of sunlight coming from cracks in the ceiling, the Trainer quickly reached the back of the cave and carefully examined the large mural. In an ancient style were three strange-looking creatures surrounding an unfamiliar symbol. The teen stared at the image, still wondering what the shrine represented.
"Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie, the three Pokemon who were said to be creators of the human mind," a voice behind the teen spoke suddenly. Lucas spun around to come face to face with a tall, beautiful, blond woman in black clothes. She had a seriousness and poise that made her seem glamorous like a model. Though she was older than him, Lucas could feel his face reddening and the cut on his check start to bleed again from the sudden rush of blood to his head, as well as other places.
"Um, oh man, I'm sorry. Am I not supposed to be in here?" the teen boy babbled stupidly.
The woman smiled gently at him, making his knees weaken slightly, "No, you're perfectly fine to be in here, Lucas,"
Lucas managed to think past his new-found feelings temporarily, "Hey, how do you know my name?"
"When Professor Rowan called me he said I'd know his delivery boy because he'd have a red Mohawk , an Eevee and was very kind to Pokemon. In this town you might see someone with one or the other, but very rarely both. And that Buneary sleeping in your arms makes three for three," The woman's smile widened even further as she pointed out the normal-type curled up in his arms and the Eevee on his shoulder.
"I guess that means you're Cynthia,"
The woman nodded, "That I am," She stepped towards Lucas for a more formal greeting when she spotted his injuries, "Goodness, what happened to your face?"
"I took a spill off a cliff on my way over here," Lucas suddenly remembered his task and carefully navigated his duffel bag between his two Pokemon to pull out the package Professor Rowan had given him, "Here's the thing the professor wanted me to give back to you,"
Cynthia took the package, "Thank you very much, Lucas. But I think it would be best if you came with me to my house,"
"Y-your house?" Lucas stammered, feeling his face get even redder. Cynthia gave him a cheerful nod and without protest the teen followed the older woman out of the cave to the largest house in town.
Cynthia slipped off her shoes and Lucas followed suit as they entered the traditional wooden house set on stilts. The house was made of few rooms, with straw mats on the ground and low-built tables and cushions in place of the taller tables and chairs the teen boy was more used to. The only modern-looking piece of furniture he could see in the home was a large glass display case that held three large glass orbs on cushions and an empty cushion on a second shelf, "Have a seat at the table, I just want to put this away first," Lucas did as he was asked and the blond woman opened the box to pull out a long, richly blue flute made of some kind of translucent stone or glass. Running down the side of most of the instrument was a long crack that made Lucas' heart sink.
"I am so sorry!" the young man blurted as the woman unlocked the display case, "When I fell I must have landed on it. Professor Rowan told me how valuable it is, but it really was an accident. My Buneary ran off and-"
"Lucas, it's alright. This crack has been on the side of the Azure Flute for at least the past two hundred years," Cynthia smiled reassuringly as she finished putting the item away and relocked the case.
"Azure Flute?"
"Yes, the Azure Flute was created hundreds of years ago, it is said that when the instrument is played at the Spear Pillar, the Creator will appear," the blond woman explained but then changed gears, "Those wounds do look fairly bad. This town doesn't have a normal doctor, but my grandmother is the local healer. I've learned quite a lot from her so let me take care of those cuts for you. You don't want an infection,"
"Um, sure, I guess that's okay," Lucas said more shyly than he would have liked. Though he wasn't tripping over himself like he did with Ashley, Cynthia's beauty was still very intimidating to him. As the woman brought in a tray of jars and clean rags, Lucas looked back over to the display case, "Summoning the Creator? Then why would Professor Rowan care about something like that? He studies Pokemon myths, right?"
Cynthia knelt down next the teen and began cleaning the wound on his cheek. The liquid she used didn't smell like any disinfectant Lucas had ever encountered before, it smelled more like a very herbal cologne, "That's because Creator is supposed to be a Pokemon, hence the professor's interest. Sinnoh legends state that in the beginning there was nothing but darkness. Then a great egg appeared. When this egg hatched, the Pokemon Arceus was born. It then created the Palkia the Pokemon of space, Dialga the Pokemon of time and Giratina, the Pokemon of Chaos. These Pokemon went around, shaping stars and planets and the rest of the universe. When Arceus had finished, it was supposed have gone to rest and created a great mountain for its sleeping place, Mt. Coronet, and thus created the Sinnoh region. When the Azure Flute is played at Spear Pillar, the pinnacle of Coronet, Arceus is supposed to awaken,"
"Wow, the idea that a Pokemon created a universe, that's really something to think about," Lucas said in wonder. Now Cynthia had rubbed the wound with a salve that smelled like rotten lettuce and made his face almost completely numb as she was getting ready to stitch it.
"Virtually every region has its own creation myth associated with Pokemon. Hoenn believes that the sky, the land and the sea were created by a trio of Pokemon that if they every met again would cause a war. Kanto believes that all living things come from a single Pokemon. Johto believes in the wanderers who cross the land and serve the Guardian of the Sky, as well as the King of the Sea who watches the waters. It makes sense that especially powerful, mythic Pokemon would be regarded as kinds of deities by ancient peoples. Professor Rowan was studying the flute to see if Arceus is even real. Of all the Pokemon studied by researchers, we know the least about Arceus,"
"Did he try the flute at Mt. Coronet?"
"Unfortunately there isn't much point to try. The flute hasn't been working for hundreds of years. It is said it was broken on purpose to prevent the hubris of trying to summon the Creator. The professor wanted to study the age and the material of the flute to see if it could be reproduced, or if it possessed any kind of attributes that would make it particularly appealing to Pokemon. We may never find Arceus, and if the legends I heard growing up in this village are true, it's probably for the best," Cynthia snipped the remainder of the suture as she finished the last stitch, "The salves may be traditional but this suture is modern medical technology. You won't need to have them removed, they'll dissolve on their own. And since I'm done with your face, I now need to look at your back. You're going to have to take off your shirt for me to get to it,"
As Lucas registered what Cynthia was telling him what to do next after hearing the legends, the teen could feel his blush spread to his shoulders and chest.