Chapter 55: Skyler's Secret
"It had to be Tentacool..." Lucas grumbled as he looked across the half-sunken hull of the grounded cruise ship.
After leaving Dewford Town by sea, Lucas and Skyler got caught in a killer storm. Forced to seek shelter, they discovered a cruise ship stranded on a coral reef. Much to their shock and confusion, they found the vessel entirely abandoned by both human and Pokemon. Only as they explored the ship did they find any signs of life, the sunken hull full of the jellyfish Pokemon Tentacool, and a single evolved Tentacruel trapped under a collapsed girder.
"Well, that explains why there aren't any other Pokemon here. During high tide more of the ship floods and with all these Tentacool here the water gets so toxic even other poison types would have a hard time sticking around. You saw what happened to our shoes in the water. And I don't know a single person in their right mind that would want to mess with a Tentacool nest, which is why no one ever bothered to salvage the ship. It's probably just easier to leave them be," Skyler observed.
"I certainly wouldn't have ever come if I knew all these things were here," Lucas frowned. Of all Pokemon that Lucas loved, Tentacool and its evolution were nowhere on the list. After a nasty sting from one as a child, as a rule the tattooed Trainer avoided the creatures whenever possible, "But now that we're here what are we going to do about that Tentacruel? I mean, it's its own damn fault it's like that, obviously their acid is eating through the metal and made that beam weak, but we can't just leave it like that,"
Skyler turned to his companion with some surprise, "You mean you still want to help it even with this weird vendetta you have?"
"It's like you asked earlier, I don't even want to see Tentacool hurt. And you can see every time the tide goes it starts to dry out, and while this thing is clearly all these little bastards' leader, it will probably starve to death if it can't get out of here soon," Lucas explained, "Come on, let's see if we can push the beam off of it,"
Though the hull was flooded, there was a small ledge of metal just above the water line that allowed a person to carefully tread it if they clung to the wall and stood on their tippy toes. Lucas lead the way as he clutched the rusting walls of the ship and edged towards where the Tentacruel remained trapped. The Tentacool in the water watched the two humans carefully with suspicious glares as they got closer and closer to their leader. The tattooed teen hopped off to the platform where the evolved Pokemon lied trapped with the taller young man just behind him. As the two approached, a sharp, angry hiss reverberated through the hull as the pack of Tentacool gathered around their leader.
"Attention hell spawn!" Lucas boomed back loudly, "We are here to help your demonic buddy over here. If you want us to get out and leave him to die, by all means, attack us. However, if you actually want him to stop being in pain, tentacles back!"
Whether they understood him or simply feared the ferocity in his voice, the gang pulled their stingers back and the unnerving hiss stopped. With no more danger of the Tentacool attacking, the two teens turned their attention fully to the trapped Pokemon. They approached slowly, with hands up to show the creature they meant no harm. While Tentacool stings hurt like a MoFo, a Tentacruel's sting could be downright fatal to a human, especially stuck in the middle of the sea like these two were. The Pokemon narrowed its eyes, but made no effort to resist, either out of good faith or simple exhaustion. The two began pushing at the girder, trying to shove it off of the injured Pokemon.
"It's no good, it won't budge," Skyler remarked, wiping the sweat from his brow from the effort, "We need a different strategy. What about using one of our Pokemon?"
"Not possible. There's no space and that water burns like hell. Diablo was playing hot foot in the hall and the poison wasn't as nearly concentrated as it is here. I think my only option is to catch it," Lucas replied.
"You sure that's a good idea?"
"It's not my favorite plan but if it goes in a Pokeball, even if it breaks out again, it'll get moved from under that girder," Lucas reached into his bag and pulled out an unused Pokeball. With a lofty pitch he hurled the ball at the trapped Pokemon. The Tentacruel was sucked inside with a red light, the fallen beam landing with a loud din that shook the entire vessel. The ball rolled away from the collapsed girder and began to shake. Once. Twice. Three times. Four. And then the triumphant click signaling the Pokemon was now captured. The Tentacool had originally pulled back out of self preservation when the beam fell, but now that the dust cleared and they realized their leader was missing, they began closing in on the two Trainers. Lucas snatched up the Pokeball and put his hands up defensively, "Whoa. Whoa! Everybody calm down. I did not come to take your leader. Look, I'm releasing him right now. Stay back!"
Lucas threw the new Pokeball and the Tentacruel materialized in the water. It still appeared exhausted and hurt, but already significantly healthier to be back in the water. The jellyfish-like creature looked around at its subjects and then towards the human. It lifted one of its tentacles out of the water and lunged it towards Lucas. Skyler cried out in fear but was unable to do anything as he was too far away. Lucas stood stock still, his heart in his throat as the horrifying pain flashed in memory on that beach in Olivine. He closed his eyes to avoid seeing his doom, pressing himself back against the ship's metal walls, but much to his surprise, the tentacle touching his arm wasn't causing him any pain. He opened his eyes again in shock and locked gaze with the Tentacruel. The Pokemon then turned to the smaller jellyfish around him and growled as though it were giving the other Pokemon orders. The Tentacool pulled back and bowed, clearing a path for the two humans to travel. The Tentacruel then closed its own eyes and returned to the Pokeball that jumped into Lucas hand.
Skyler ran over to his friend, "That was incredible! I guess that Tentacruel was so grateful you saved it that it decided it wanted to be your Pokemon! Lucas, dude, you're amazing!"
The person he was so attracted to calling him amazing finally snapped Lucas out of his shock. And with his face bright red, he smiled.
Once the storm had passed the rest of the trip to Slateport City was smooth sailing. They landed on the picturesque beach that brought so many from the non-Pokemon world to Hoenn. Trainers and tourists looked at the two curiously as they headed for the Pokemon Center. Being a port city, Slateport was huge, bustling and diverse, and the second largest city in Hoenn. According to Lucas' digital guidebook it was home to a large international market, a museum, night clubs, restaurants, a special event called the Battle Tent and the Hoenn chapter of the International Pokemon Fan Club, in addition to several public and private beaches, as well as ferries to all the major port cities of the region. Lucas was curious to see all of it, but before then the place he wanted to see most in the world was the Pokemon Center so he and his friend could rest and recover. As they were walking up a street to get to their destination, Lucas started to hear something familiar that made the color drain from his face.
"Hi, I'm Lucas, the new Champion of the Sinnoh League. I became Champion through hard work, trusting my Pokemon and never backing down from a challenge. But along my Journey to the top, I got a lot of help from this, the Pokemon Device..."
"Oh my God..." Lucas groaned into his hands. In all the busyness he had experienced in the past couple of weeks he had almost forgotten about the commercial he recorded for Steven, the CEO of Silph/Devon Inc. He had already felt silly enough for doing it, but now seeing it on a real screen made it a hundred times worse. And to further make himself feel like throwing himself off of a bridge, when he lifted his head up and glanced over, he saw that Skyler was watching the commercial intently. When the commercial ended Skyler looked over to his companion and started laughing.
I wonder if I can convince Franky to bite my head off. It doesn't even need to come off, just one fang through the skull and this humiliation will end. Lucas thought to himself. Normally Skyler's cheerful, contagious laughter would make his stomach do back flips. Now it just made him want to crawl in a hole.
"I knew you were the Champion, but all this time my new traveling buddy is a celebrity! That's so awesome! How come you never said anything? Or was it because you didn't want me to treat you like one? No, that actually makes a lot of sense," Skyler smiled brightly. Lucas' will to live returned and he smiled sheepishly in reply.
"No trust me, I'm not anyone special," Lucas replied. Memories of all the times he disappointed his family, his community came back like a flood that threatened to drown him.
"A Champion, doing commercials, being hounded for interviews, that sounds like you're somebody to me," Skyler said jovially. Lucas looked into Skyler's gray, almond-shaped eyes and that comforting, easy-going smile and the flood drew back. The taller teen had the power to make the former delinquent instantly feel better about himself, a power that for the longest time only Pokemon had. It was an incredible thing to have in a friend, but that frustrating, awkward ache returned as well. The more time he spent with Skyler, the more he wanted to be with him.
They arrived at the Pokemon Center a few minutes after the commercial aired and Lucas was more than thrilled to have his Pokemon healed and be able to rest himself and sort out his thoughts. Becoming the Champion had become more complicated than he realized, creating new problems he didn't even dream about when his focus had been simply showing up his brother and proving to his family that he still had some good left in him. And add in traveling with someone he feared was going beyond infatuation, and turning into love with someone who might freak out if he realized tough guy, foul-mouthed Lucas was bisexual, not to even mention the recent problems with Gizmo was proving to be more stress than he could handle. As a nap almost overtook him, he heard a bunch of commotion going on in the Center. Both Lucas and Skyler came out of their rooms to see what had gathered everyone's attention. A large group of people were gathered around a Trainer, whispering in awe. Over the crowd Lucas could see the Trainer had a Dragonite that seemed to be scanning the crowd curiously. As the crowd parted the teen could see the Trainer was a man in his thirties dressed all in black with spiky red hair. There was something familiar about him, but Lucas' exhausted, overtaxed brain couldn't make the connection. Skyler seemed to recognize him instantly, his face paling.
He grabbed Lucas suddenly by the shoulder and in a hissing whisper begged, "You don't know me, you've never seen me,"
Before Lucas could open his mouth to ask what had turned his cheerful friend so serious, the Trainer ducked into a utility closet. He intended to follow when another Trainer talking to his friend got his attention, "Oh man! That's Lance! He's like the most powerful Trainer from Johto and Kanto! He's been bi-region Champion at least three times in his career. I wonder if he's here trying to become Champion of Hoenn,"
Lance! That's why Lucas thought he looked so familiar. Lance was a legend back home. He had been a member of the Elite Four, Champion and one of the Trainers instrumental in taking down Team Rocket once and for all. He moved through the crowd, his black cape flapping behind him and his Dragonite in tow. He scanned the faces of the Trainers seriously and when he finally spoke he talked with such authority that even though his voice was at a normal level the entire Pokemon Center heard him, "I do not wish to bother anyone but I am looking for a Trainer who has been traveling around the Hoenn region. He's nineteen with blue hair and Trains dragon types. His name is Skyler,"
The living legend then made eye contact with Lucas. Lucas had a few thoughts in that brief moment. He realized a lot of his friends have asked him to cover for them when looked for by people. He wondered if Skyler was in trouble. Though Skyler said a lot about Blackthorn City and his Pokemon, he didn't say much about himself or his personal life. He wondered if Skyler was like him, a troublemaker trying to make a new life. In that moment he decided he would protect his friend no matter what the cost. He also noticed there was something increasingly familiar about Lance that Lucas just couldn't place, something beyond simply recognizing the Trainer's face and name.
The Dragonite let out a puff of air and motioned his head towards the utility closet. Lance eyed it thoughtfully and in a swirl of black fabric lunged into the closet and snatched Skyler by his tank top. Skyler smiled weakly at the other Trainer, and raised an arm in greeting, "Hi Lance, long time, no see," It was strange, but also a bit endearing to see confident, cheerful Skyler act so nervous.
"So I've finally found you. Skyler, I have been searching all over this region for you. You know the rules, you mustn't leave Blackthorn without the Clan's permission," Lance said seriously. Lucas watched carefully. Champion or no Champion. Legend or no legend. If Lance would try to hurt Skyler he would have to go through the shorter boy first.
Skyler slumped his shoulders and pressed his hands together, pleading like a misbehaving child, "Please Lance, don't you get it? The Clan is never going to give me permission to leave the city. I'm already nineteen years old and some of the younger kids have already been allowed to leave before I have. It doesn't matter what I do they still won't let me,"
Lance loosened his grip on the other Trainer, crossed his arms and scowled like a disapproving parent, "That's because when you constantly run away you still seem like a child!"
"I only run away because they won't let me leave!" As Lucas continued to watch the back and forth between the two Trainers he realized there were a lot of similarities between the two. Similar hairlines, same skin tone and very similar profiles and that's when it hit the Trainer. Skyler and Lance were related!
"The Clan only does what it does because we worry about you. You are a kind soul but very naive. Even with a Pokemon by your side the world is a dangerous place. Dangers you aren't ready to face," Lance's tone softened.
Skyler took in a deep breath and continued to plead his case, "How am I supposed to prepare for the outside world if I'm not allowed to experience it? Each time I run away it takes you longer and longer to track me down. I can handle this. And I'm not even traveling alone this time! I have a friend. And, um, we're doing the Gym Challenge!"
"You are?" Lance replied skeptically. He then turned his attention from his relation to Lucas standing nearby, "Is this true?"
Lucas knew this was a blatant lie. Skyler wasn't doing the Gyms, he was hunting a legendary Pokemon, "Of course. We just came from Dewford Town. Not only did we get Knuckle Badges he helped me with a Pokemon League assignment,"
Lance raised an eyebrow, still not convinced. He turned back to Skyler's hopeful face and sighed, "All right. If you're doing the Gym Challenge I can try to stall the Clan. Try telling them that I haven't found you yet. But once you try the Elite Four, win or lose, you are coming home. Is that understood?"
"Oh thank you Lance, you're the best," Skyler put both hands on Lance's shoulders. Lance patted the younger boy's hand in reply.
"Do not thank me for letting you do something this stupid. I am your guardian after all, you are my responsibility," the Dragon Tamer shook his head with a smile and a sigh. His face hardened back up and turned to Lucas, "I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with you, Trainer, but if you are Skyler's friend I expect you to watch out for him. Keep him out of trouble,"
"Don't worry. We're keeping each other out of the fryer," Lucas nodded. The former Champion looked over Skyler one more time, let out one more head shake of disbelief and gestured to his loyal Dragonite to follow him back outside the Pokemon Center. While the rest of the Trainers followed Lance to watch the him fly away, Skyler slumped on the nearest couch as though all his strength was sapped. Lucas sat down next to him.
"I'm sorry about that," Skyler said weakly.
"Sorry about what?" Lucas responded.
"Making you lie for me like that, not telling you the truth about myself," Skyler sat up straighter, his smile and cheeriness starting to return.
"Pff. Don't worry about it. No law says traveling buddies have to know everything about each other. Not like I've talked about every time my ass itched or what kind of toothpaste I use," Lucas smirked.
Skyler let out another one of his laughs. Lucas was slowly learning that Skyler laughing like that meant he was made very happy. The Trainer stretched out his arms, "Still, I should probably tell you the whole story, so we don't run into any more 'surprises'. Especially since I don't want to do anything that might screw over your getting more badges.
"When I said I was from Blackthorn City, what I neglected to mention is that I'm actually one of the Dragon Tamer Clan,"
"One of the oldest Pokemon Training families in all of Johto," Lucas interrupted.
"Exactly. I'm one of the Dragon Tamers, and Lance, the Lance, is my first cousin. And the Clan Leader is my grandfather. When I was a kid, my parents traveled to improve their skills, so me and my older sister moved in with my cousin. We're very close. He's like the older brother I never had.
"Like kids who graduate Pokemon School, at ten we get our first Pokemon. Except instead of a regular starter, everyone in the Dragon Tamer Clan gets a Dratini. Except unlike a regular Journey, you must get permission from the Clan's Leader before you can leave. My family is huge. Not everyone gets permission or wants it. But I have been begging since I was ten years old to go on a Journey. And they've never let me. Lance could and he's the Clan's heir, and my sister did and became the city's Gym Leader, but no matter how many times I've asked the Leader's permission, I have not been allowed to leave the city. Like I said, Lance is like my older brother, and always worries about me, but he still sees me as a little kid, and I think the rest of the Clan sees me the same way.
"And that's when I started running away. I figured the only way I was going to get the leaders to see that I'm not just some weak, helpless little boy is if I go out into the world and prove it to them. Problem is, Lance keeps catching me, I keep getting sent back, and they still think I'm too immature to handle traveling even though I'm already legally an adult!"
"So that's the big reason why you want Rayquazza," Lucas concluded.
"Exactly. If I catch a Legendary Pokemon, a Legendary dragon Pokemon, then the Clan will have no choice but to see I'm more than mature enough to handle the life of a Trainer and let me travel, let me explore. I'm just not built to stay in one place for so long," Skyler sighed.
"Well, if it's any consolation, I think you're really mature. Hell of a lot more mature than I am. I've got the temper of a three year old, and the patience of a toddler," Lucas laughed.
"Thanks Lucas," Skyler said with a clap on the smaller boy's shoulder, "You're a great friend,"