"Why are you still holding that little guy?"
As Cheryl and Mira walked down Route 201, Mira couldn't help but notice that Cheryl was still holding her Turtwig tight in her arms.
"What do you mean?" Cheryl asked.
"Well," Mira explained, "shouldn't Turtwig be in its Poke ball?"
"I tried to return it to its Poke ball," Cheryl replied, "but it appears to dislike going in it quite a lot. So I'm just going to hold him."
The Turtwig was undoubtedly adorable within Cheryl's arms.
"Makes sense," Mira quietly said to herself as they continued on.
For a couple of moments there was silence between the girls.
Before Cheryl broke it up.
"So, I overheard you mentioning a couple of times that you were going to try and take on the Pokemon Gyms."
"Yes!" Mira replied, "Mira has been dreaming for a while now about taking on the Gym Leaders, and Mira's mum finally allowed her to go on a journey to catch Pokemon and defeat them all, before battling the Elite Four and becoming the Champion!"
Cheryl smiled. "It must be great to know what you want to do with your Pokemon."
"Huh?" Mira said, confused at Cheryl's response.
"You see," Cheryl told her, "I'm not really sure what I want to do with my life. I could take on Gym Leaders, I could do Super Contests, I could even be a breeder, but none of those ideas have ever appealed to me. I need to find something else. Something I genuinely enjoy."
Mira shrugged. "You seem very interested in Pokemon. Maybe you could do a job involving that?"
"I don't know," Cheryl replied, "maybe. I'll just wait until the day I realise what I should do."
Both of them looked out to the Route in front of them.
"Going by our shadows," Cheryl said, "it's about an hour until midday. We should reach the lake in a couple of hours."
Mira nodded in agreement.
As both of them continued walking, Mira started up another conversation. "Mira is so excited that she's going on her first ever adventure! Mira is also happy she has a travelling companion!"
Cheryl chuckled, while her Turtwig cried out with glee, which caused both Mira and Cheryl to burst out in giggles.
A couple of hours later, both girls came across a gap in the trees of Route 201.
"Here we go," Cheryl told Mira, "this is the path that leads to Lake Verity."
The gap in the trees led to a small dirt track that had been formed from people walking up and down it on numerous occasions.
Mira and Cheryl followed the path, Cheryl acting rather calm while Mira was trying to hide her squealing of happiness (and failing).
The dirt path turned a small corner, before the trees began to thin out, before eventually dying down altogether.
"There," Cheryl exclaimed, "is Lake Verity!"
Mira rushed up to her friend's side, and gasped at the beauty of the sight that was before her.
Lake Verity was a lake of tranquility, where the only disturbances were Magikarps swimming lower down and the odd kid trying to skim stones across the surface. The beaming sun that had been shining that day let its rays fall onto the water, which caused it to glimmer in the most stunning fashion. The water looked as pure as white, while the trees surrounding it gave an air of security, like this was a small haven where nothing came to harm and people could sit and read books while Wingull flew over the horizon.
"Mira thinks... this is an amazing view."
"I would agree," Cheryl chimed in, "I've been to this lake more times than I can count and it still amazes me every time."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden noise of someone clearing their throat.
Both girls looked away from the lake to see a young man with sky blue hair and a grey-and-black jacket standing about a metre away from them.
"Step aside," the man told the girls dismissively, "you're blocking my way."
If Mira hadn't been so intimidated, she would've probably told him something about not being rude, but seeing as she was, she and Cheryl both stepped away from the entrance, allowing him to pass.
As he left, he began quietly talking to himself. "Time... space... it will all be mine... legendary Pokemon of the lake bed... remember the name... Cyrus..."
He continued mumbling as he walked along, but he was too far away for Mira or Cheryl to hear what he was saying.
"What a crackpot," Cheryl said, "he's probably just a little insane, not making any sense..." she crossed her arms. "And besides, nobody could possibly even get near the legendary Pokemon in the lake, let alone touch it..."
"What?" Mira asked suddenly. She hadn't been aware of any legendary Pokemon being present in the water.
"The lake guardian of emotion, Mesprit, lives in a cave that is placed in the middle of the lake," Cheryl explained, "and is known to be one of the first Pokemon to ever exist. It taught humans how to feel emotions. At least, that's how the legends go."
She looked out onto the water. "However, the legends also say that nobody must dare touch it, otherwise that person who dared to will be drained of all their feelings. Due to this reason, Mesprit likes to hide in the lake's cave, so nobody will dare try to touch it. Of course, the legend is most likely fake, but it keeps people away from the lake's cave, so there must be some kind of truth to it..."
She turned back to Mira. "That man must have been hit on the head by something nasty if he believes he'll ever get the lake guardian of emotion. Or any of the other lake guardians, for that matter..."
Mira stared back at Cheryl, a small grin on her face. "Woah... Mira thinks that legend is amazing! And you said there were more? Mira is very interested in knowing these legends!"
Cheryl shrugged. "I don't find myself to be the best storyteller, but I guess I could let that pass. Come on, let's sit by the lake, and I'll tell you the legends of the other lake guardians."
Mira nodded. "Sounds like a plan!"
Both of them walked out to the lakeside, and sat down together.
"So," Cheryl began, "the next lake guardian is named Uxie. It, along with Mesprit and the final lake guardian, was one of the first Pokemon alive. According to the myths, Uxie was the being that taught humans knowledge. However, this Pokemon too had a curse. If anyone were to ever see its eyes, they would have their memory completely erased. This is why Uxie is often depicted with its eyes shut, and is also the reason it hides away in a lake. The lake Uxie is rumoured to lurk in, however, is right up north in the Sinnoh region, so its unlikely you'll see said lake anytime soon."
Mira stared up at the older girl in wonder. "And the final lake guardian?"
"The final lake guardian," Cheryl answered, "is named Azelf. It coexisted with Mesprit and Uxie, and is supposedly the teacher of willpower to humans. Like the other two, this Pokemon unfortunately was given a reason to hide. If anyone dares to harm it, that person will lose all of their strength and determination. This is why it avoids humans - because it fears Pokemon battles, where it will be harmed and most likely cause harm in return. It, too, hides in a lake, but like Uxie's lake, it is located on a completely different side of the region, and so you won't encounter that for a while, either."
Mira was completely entranced. "So these three Pokemon are supposed to be the reason why Mira is who she is today?"
Cheryl nodded.
"Awesome," Mira said quietly.
The two of them stared out at the peaceful lake for a while.
Then Cheryl spoke up again.
"I think it'd be interesting if we ever met those three Pokemon, and if they really did exist. I mean, nothing really beats seeing a legend with your own eyes, right?"
"Yeah," Mira mumbled.
"Come to think of it," Cheryl said, perking up suddenly, "how had you never heard of the lake guardians before? They're one of the most important trios in Sinnoh's history."
Mira looked at Cheryl. "Mira didn't originally come from Sinnoh."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Mira used to live in Kanto, in Viridian City. Mira and her mum moved to Hearthome City a few months ago because Mira's mum thought that Sinnoh would be the ideal place to start a Pokemon trainer's journey!"
Cheryl smiled. "Well, you seem to be enjoying it so far."
Mira nodded. "Of course Mira is!"
"Anyway," Cheryl said, standing up and taking Turtwig from where it had been munching on grass blades, "we should probably get moving. It won't be long before evening comes, and we want to be back at my place if we're gonna be comfortable tonight. Then I can prepare tents and food for you for tomorrow."
"For Mira?" Mira asked, "but why not you?"
Cheryl looked slightly taken aback. "I thought I was only taking you to the next town, but if you really want me to then I guess I could stay with you?"
Mira shot up from where she was sitting. "Yes! Mira wants to go on an adventure with her friend!"
Cheryl grinned. "Glad to be with you, Mira."
The walk back to Cheryl's house was full of chatter between the two girls. About the lore of Sinnoh, about the adventure they were going to share together, and almost anything that sprung to mind, really.
They reached Twinleaf Town again as the sun was beginning to dip below the trees.
Cheryl sighed. "This town always feels so relaxing when it's the evening. It's like everyone is getting ready to rest throughout the night. It's honestly one of the best times of day for someone to pop outside to view the sunset."
Mira nodded, taking in the calming atmosphere.
The two of them found their way to Cheryl's home, and opened the door quietly so as to not disturb the neighbours too much.
Cheryl stepped in first, while Mira followed after.
Cheryl let her Turtwig out of her arms, and it happily landed on the floor before it began exploring every nook and cranny the house had to offer.
"Feel free to make yourself at home," Cheryl said to Mira, "you can sit by the TV and watch documentaries, you can read one of the books I have upstairs, or you could do something else. I'll find my tents and prepare us some food - for this evening and for our adventure."
Mira smiled and nodded, closing the door behind her. "Mira will go see if there are any books she is interested in."
Then she wandered up the stairs to Cheryl's bedroom, and found her way to the bookshelf.
Several choices piqued her interest.
But the one she chose to go for was one named "The Creation And Lore Of Sinnoh".
She carefully pulled the book out from its position, and walked over to Cheryl's bed. There, she sat, and opened the book in front of her.
"According to legend, the first Pokemon to exist was born from an egg hatched in the very beginning of the universe. This Pokemon, which has been dubbed Arceus in old manuscripts, was said to be gifted with great power. This power it used to create Dialga, Pokemon of Time, Palkia, Pokemon of Space, and Giratina, Pokemon of antimatter."
Mira didn't know what antimatter was, but she continued anyway.
"While Dialga and Palkia still run space and time, Giratina was said to have been banished to an alternate dimension known as the Distortion World, where logic is bent and nothing makes any sense at all, becoming the Pokemon of that world instead. Soon after this incident, Arceus gave another egg. From this egg hatched three separate Pokemon - Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf."
Mira smiled to herself, for she already knew about the lore of the lake guardians.
Soon she became engrossed in the book.
An hour later, as she was still reading through the pages, Cheryl walked up the stairs to find the younger girl with her nose practically stuck in it.
"You seem to be enjoying that," Cheryl informed her.
Mira, who had been focusing on every last word of the book until that point, turned to Cheryl and nodded. "Mira is enjoying it very much! Mira has discovered much more about the Sinnoh region than she knew before."
Cheryl smiled. "Anyway, I brought you up some homemade soup. I've prepared all of our things for tomorrow as well. I'd recommend eating up, since the food we're going to get while travelling is not going to be as good quality as this."
She walked to Mira's side and held out the soup for her.
Mira smiled, took the soup and tried it.
"Mmm... this is delicious! Mira approves of your food!"
Cheryl blushed slightly. "Thanks a lot. Anyway, when you're done, just put the bowl on the bedside table and I'll come to clear it up. After that, you should definitely rest. We've got a big, big thing going on tomorrow."
After bidding Barry farewell, Mira and Cheryl found themselves heading to Lake Verity to see the beauty of the water. However, due to a strange encounter with an unknown man, the topic of the three lake guardians surfaced! Cheryl recited the old lore to her younger friend, and at that moment Mira realised how much she wanted to go on her adventure with her new friend! As the two became a proper duo, the sun set on Mira reading some interesting lore about the Sinnoh region... will this lore play a role in future? And who was the mysterious man the girls encountered by the lake? The journey continues!
Hello reader! I don't have much to say this week, except I hope you enjoy the way I'm taking this fic!