Chapter 33: Myth of the Mystic Milotic
After a difficult struggle from Solceon Town to Celestic Town Lucas managed to achieve two very important goals. The first being that he finally got his Buneary Stella to love and trust him. The second, he had delivered the package from Professor Rowan to its recipient, a woman named Cynthia. In Celestic Town he discovered several things: that the package contained the Azure Flute, an object said to be able to summon the creator Pokemon Arceus and that Cynthia was a very beautiful woman that Lucas had quickly developed a crush on. Which is what made his current situation especially awkward for him.
He was sitting in Cynthia's living room, shirtless, as the woman tended the wounds on his back he had received after tumbling off of a cliff in the foggy conditions outside of Celestic Town. The blond was now dabbing the deeper of the scrapes with a cotton ball soaked in an herbal medicine. Lucas tried desperately to focus his brain on something besides the fact that he was half-naked around a gorgeous woman, but when he let out an involuntary yelp, Cynthia blew on the solution to try to lessen the sting. For Lucas, an act like that did not help him in the least. He tried to bring his focus back to the glass display case Cynthia kept in the front room of her home. The bottom shelf was the resting place for the Azure Flute, the object he had delivered, but on the top shelf were the three glass orbs that he had seen earlier, and after hearing about the flute, he wondered what these objects were for.
"Done." Cynthia announced, "You can put your shirt back on,"
With great relief Lucas dressed. For all his cockiness, it seemed like he would never shake the awkwardness and shyness he felt around people he found attractive, "Thanks for doing that,"
"No, thank you Lucas for bringing the Azure Flute back. I'm just sorry you got so hurt on your way here. The fog does make coming here quite dangerous, which is why most people choose going through Eterna rather than here to get to Snowpoint City. I assume that's where your next stop is. If Professor Rowan was correct, you are going there for your seventh badge," Cynthia put her medical supplies away except for a small clay jar. She came back with a tray of tea and Japanese sweets.
"Yeah, that's right," Lucas eyed the tea tray nervously. He had never had any kind of formal tea before, and manners in general were not his forte. Cynthia smiled graciously at him and prepared him a cup. She made slow gestures with her own tea and the teen mimicked her actions. When it looked like he understood how he was to behave with small thoughtful sips and small bites of the treats, the woman continued the conversation.
"The trail to Snowpoint City is very long and very arduous," She explained between her small refined sips. Though Lucas had gotten a hang of how to handle the food, he still moved the cup in his hand more than drink from it, "There are no Pokemon Centers between here and Snowpoint. It takes at least a week to get through the mountain, if not longer if there have been cave-ins, and once you get to the northern face of the mountain it's still several more days to get to the city. It may take you as long as two weeks, if conditions are clear. But during this time of the year there are frequent blizzards. It's extremely important that you are as prepared as possible before you start the journey, because even turning back will be difficult. Fly won't work in the mountain, and many Pokemon have a hard time flying in the snow. In addition to medical supplies for your Pokemon it is vital as well to have plenty of food and supplies for yourself. It seems you prefer shirts without sleeves but make sure that have a good coat and protection from the snow and ice. And make sure you are extremely well rested and healthy before even starting the trek. I wouldn't even think of it until your back and face are healed at the very least. There is a Pokemon Center in town but you are more than welcome to stay with my grandmother and myself if you need to,"
The last offer had Lucas just about drop his small ceramic cup. He knew staying with Cynthia would not be a good idea, he would never get a moment's rest being under the same roof where she slept, especially if his mind started wandering towards what she slept in—or didn't sleep in. "Thanks a lot Cynthia, but it's probably best if I stay at the Center,"
The blond woman smiled and nodded, "That's your decision. In the meantime I want you to take this salve with you and put it on your face at least three times a day. It will help prevent that cut on your face from scarring. And please stop by before you leave for Snowpoint,"
Cynthia pushed the small clay jar containing the salve towards Lucas. He nodded gratefully and placed the jar into his bag. Scooping up Gizmo and the still sleeping Stella, the teen headed for the Pokemon Center, "Thank you Cynthia, and I will,"
Following Cynthia's advice, Lucas stayed in Celestic Town to rest up for his journey to Snowpoint. It was the first time he had properly rested in months, and it was only then that he realized how much of a strain he had put on himself since starting his Journey. He even found himself sleeping into the afternoons again because he was so tired. He also started stocking up on as many Pokemon medicines and as much food as he could carry, as well as investing in a thick coat that the shop owner had promised was both heavily insulated and waterproof. Lucas was religious about applying the salve Cynthia had given him. After seeing the full extent of the damage in a mirror at the Pokemon Center, the teen both appreciated his luck for not getting hurt worse, and for Cynthia's help. Lucas still found himself deeply enamored by the beautiful, older blond woman, but it helped to not be staying at her home. After nearly a week when most of the scabs on his back were gone, he decided he was ready for the mountain, and ready to see Cynthia one more time.
He met her at the edge of Celestic Town, just where the rock formations start up again in the foothills of Mt. Coronet. With her gentle, sophisticated smile she greeted the younger man, "I'm glad I'm able to see you off, Lucas,"
"Yeah, thanks for all your help and advice. I really appreciate it," Lucas replied awkwardly, not entirely sure what else he should say.
"I appreciate you bringing back the Azure Flute. And it was a great pleasure to meet you. Both Professor Rowan and Professor Oak told me a great deal about you before you arrived here. I've heard nothing but good things," Cynthia smiled widely and added ominously, "I expect I will be seeing you again fairly soon,"
Lucas gave one more smile back and headed past her to once again enter Mt. Coronet.
It had been months since the teen Trainer last set foot in the mountain. The last time he had been here was when he was on his way to Hearthome City for his third badge, a time that now felt very long ago. Last time the trip had taken about three days, already a long time without access to a Pokemon Center, a situation aggravated by the presence of Team Cosmic. Cosmic on his mind again made him think back to what their superior, Major Mathias, had said they were doing in the mountain. Looking for something that was supposed to sleep here. Lucas then thought back to the Azure Flute, wondering if there was a connection between the two. The idea made him shudder.
Lucas refocused on the current journey. This trip would take far more than three days. He would have to pace himself and watch his supplies more carefully than any other of his travels. The first few days the Trainer spent time navigating past large boulders and misty caverns as he headed deeper and deeper into the bowels of the mountain. He knew he had to be careful. The police officer from Oreburg City had warned the boy even the marked paths were easy to get lost in, and with the artificial lamps guiding him it was still easy to get disoriented. As he entered a large cavern on his fourth day in, he found something he never would have expected. People.
Dozens and dozens of people. More accurately it looked like most of them were the Fisherman Trainers. They had set up the cavern near a large underground lake like a festival. There were tents for resting and sleeping as well as booths selling fishing gear and food like some sort of surreal convention. As the fishermen chatted amongst each other and cast their lines in the cloudy mountain water, Lucas spotted someone familiar. It was the Fisherman he met outside of Eterna the day he caught his first Pokemon, the Fisherman who gave him the beat-up rod he used to catch Franky.
Lucas ran over to the man cheerfully, "Hey! What's going on!"
"Well if it isn't my old friend, Lucas. How're ya young fella?" the man clapped the teen on the shoulder so hard he just about knocked the boy over, "And how's that Magikarp holding up?"
"It's been a long time," Lucas admitted, "And I'm great. I'm on my way to Snowpoint for my seventh badge and Franky is a Gyrados now if you can believe it,"
"Wonderful, just wonderful! You wouldn't mind showing an old Fisherman your Pokemon, now would you?" The Fisherman asked eagerly.
"Not a problem," Lucas released his happy Gyrados to show the man. Franky demonstrated his sweet temperament and even allowed the man to rub his belly. But the easygoing Pokemon seemed oddly distracted by the large underground lake, constantly staring back to the water every time his Trainer tried to catch his attention. Confused but unconcerned about his Pokemon's behavior, Lucas changed back to his original subject, "What's going on around here, anyway? Some kind of festival or something?"
"Nah, even better. Rumor has it that there's a wild Milotic around here," the Fisherman said excitedly.
"Milotic?" Lucas replied in confusion.
The Fisherman reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a dogeared guide to water Pokemon for fishers. The man flipped to a page that showed one Pokemon that looks like an emaciated Magikarp with sickly gray scales, deep circles under its eyes and a vacant expression. Next to it was an arrow pointing to a beautiful serpent-like Pokemon with rainbow colored scales and elaborate head markings, "Milotic are extremely hard to get Pokemon. They only evolve from Feebas, which despite their looks are next to impossible to find. In Sinnoh you can only find them in this underground lake. To get one to evolve requires all sorts of grooming to improve its Beauty levels. A wild Milotic is unheard of. So now that there's a rumor that there's one out here, every Fisherman in Sinnoh is trying to catch it,"
"Wow, a wild, rare Pokemon," Despite himself Lucas found himself caught up in the contagious excitement of the fishers, and decided to try to go after the Pokemon himself. After all, Professor Rowan encouraged him to work more on filling his Pokedex, including more fishing. Like the rest of the Fisherman, Lucas went to the water's edge and started casting his line.
After several hours, none of the Fisherman caught sight of the Milotic. Lucas got the opportunity to see many wild, far worse tempered than Franky, Gyardos as well as Barboach and Goldeen that the teen added to his collection. Soon due to fatigue and frustration, Lucas decided to quit for the day and make camp. As he set out his sleeping bag and checked on the rest of his team, he found that Franky was still staring wistfully at the water. Lucas scratched his Pokemon's scales in the way he liked and even offered to throw a stick, but the normally sweet Gyrados seemed virtually depressed, "What is it, boy? Something wrong?"
Franky gently headbutted his Trainer reassuringly, so Lucas skeptically went to bed, still frequently checking on his water-type until sleep overtook him. With the teen finally asleep, the Gyrados slithered closer to the water's edge and sighed. The reason for his sadness was simple. Before being caught by Lucas and taken across the region by his loving Trainer this lake was originally his home. And he missed someone very terribly.
This lake connected to many of the small streams and ponds in Eterna and many years ago Franky had left for one of those streams. Life was always hard for Magikarp. They were weak Pokemon, often mocked by humans and Pokemon alike, but Franky had one special friend, someone who knew the hardships of life in the tumultuous lake and the hurt of mockery for their appearance and their strengths, a female Feebas that he spent all his time with.
He remembered the first time he met her, a school of Goldeen were teasing her terribly. Calling her ugly and stupid, slapping her with their tails until she swam for dear life to the hiding spot Franky was using. At first she was worried he'd kick her out, but when they got to talking to realized how much they had in common. They both were mocked and chased, and they both dreamed of the day they would evolve. Franky would become an all-powerful Gyrados and would take revenge against the Pokemon he hated, she would become a beautiful Milotic while the Goldeen she hated would just turn into stupid, fanged Seakings no prettier than any other Pokemon. One day when life became too hard for Franky, he swam the difficult underwater channels to the calmer waters of the ponds outside Eterna City, leaving the Feebas behind. He felt bad for her, but he couldn't take life in the lake anymore.
Then one day a funny-looking human with metal in his face and ink on his skin caught him on his line. Unlike the others he didn't throw him back or complain. The human greeted Franky with joy and asked the Pokemon to join his team. He gave him a name and praised him after every battle, even if all he could do was flop helplessly on the ground. Franky grew to love Lucas, the human who smiled whenever he saw him, whose Pokemon team greeted him as a friend. All that hate and anger vanished, even when he became the Gyrados he always dreamed to be. Traveling with Lucas had been a wonderful experience, but now that he returned to the underground lake, Franky began to be filled with regret. Did someone ever catch the Feebas? Did she survive the harsh life of these waters, or was she gone forever? Franky continued to look to the water, when a pair of glowing eyes matched his just below the surface. But just before the Gyrados could take a second look, the pair of eyes were gone.
The next morning Lucas tried his luck again with fishing. There were more people in the caverns now as the rumor of the wild Milotic spread. The teen was worried someone would catch the Pokemon before he even had a chance to see it, but it seemed like this would not be the case. Despite the now hundreds of people whipping fishing line in and out of the water, snagging every kind of water-type imaginable, not a single Trainer spotted any sign of the Milotic. Time wore on people's patience, including Lucas'. Between the constant Gyrados attacks and the depressing, sensory distorting effects of the sunless cave, people started giving up and leaving the cavern. After several days the fishing carnival seemed to pack up and all but the most stubborn Fisherman remained as not a single sign of a Milotic in the lake existed. Lucas was seriously considering quitting as well, realizing he was delaying a journey that would take several more days just to leave the mountain, it was foolish to stall leaving for what was quickly proving to be just a hoax. Yet a gut instinct told him something was definitely still in the water.
An instinct Franky shared. During the day he would help Lucas fight off the angry Pokemon that were caught on the line instead of the Milotic while at night the Gyrados would wander around the water's edge looking for any sign that the friend he abandoned could still be in the lake. While he couldn't find her, he couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching him from the water. One Lucas' fifth day of fishing, Gizmo stretched and wandered away from Lucas' side to talk with his teammate.
"What's wrong? Lucas is getting worried about you. And honestly I am a bit, too," Gizmo chirped to the much larger water-type.
"I'm looking for someone I left long ago, but I'm beginning to think she's not here anymore," Franky replied sadly.
"Have you tried doing something besides looking?" asked the Eevee.
"Like what?" the Gyrados replied in confusion.
"This water is very deep, right? That's why Lucas can keep catching all those other Gyrados and never catch the same one twice. I can't imagine your kind would like cramped conditions much, so that water must go on a long time to fit all of you in it," Gizmo proposed, "Looking just at the water's surface would be like going through a house and not looking behind any doors. Maybe you need to call for your friend instead of just looking for her,"
Nodding in agreement Franky let out a low rumble from his throat. Once again a pair of glowing eyes appeared below the water, but before the Gyrados could get a better look, the eyes vanished.
By the seventh day by the lake Lucas had to make a decision. If he didn't leave that day he would have to march all the way back to Celestic and restock his supplies again, slowing his progress to Snowpoint by possibly another two weeks. Gut instinct or not, he couldn't afford to waste time when the next leg of his journey would be the most hazardous. But he had to try one last time. He sat by the water's edge and cast his line a final time, Franky curled around his body and looking into the water just as intensely. Franky insisted in staying outside of his Pokeball, and with his crestfallen state, Lucas decided to humor his Pokemon. Once again the cast was a bust, nothing on the line but the umpteenth Whiscash the teen Trainer had run into. He quickly got it off the line again before it could use its Earthquake attack and got up to walk away from the lake. As he turned away Franky let out a desperate roar. Spinning on his heels Lucas focused his eyes on the middle of the lake to a head breaking just above the water's surface. He recognized the Pokemon instantly from the picture in the Fisherman's guide. It was the Milotic!
He wasn't the only one to spot it. The few remaining fisherman rushed to where Lucas was standing and yelled to each other. The eager Trainers shoved the teen out of the way and began throwing their lines in at a frenzy to try to snag the Pokemon. Realizing its danger, the Milotic dove back into the cloudy lake's water. Before anyone could react, Franky let out another sad growl and dove into the water himself.
"Franky!" Lucas screamed out after his normally loyal Pokemon. The young man was very worried now. The Gyrados' strange behavior of the past few days left him greatly concerned, but now that Franky ran away Lucas had no idea what to do. He had no other water-types on his team to try to go after him, and he couldn't go back to the Pokemon Center in Celestic and risk the Pokemon being on his own for so long. All he could do was wait and hope that nothing serious would happen to the first Pokemon he ever caught in the wild.