Milotic and Dusknoir

Ghosts are everywhere; you just can't see them most of the time. There are ghosts like myself, Pokemon who have earned the blessing of the Guardian of the Dead and come back into the world in a new form. Most of the others are spirits of the newly dead, lost and confused without the presence of their body. These ghosts generally figure things out on their own and find the final path that leads to an unknown world. At least, unknown to you.

But there are plenty of spirits that can't or won't start on that path. The lost souls of children cannot grasp their death and latch onto people like those they left behind. The bitter souls of murder victims can harbor intense hatred and seek revenge, even when they cannot identify their murderer. Mind you, this is only a sampling. There are many more reasons why a spirit will not leave this world.

Some can be coerced into leaving this world by a sympathetic listener, but most people are too afraid. Or the ghost may be particularly stubborn. This is where I'm called in, me and my kin. I am one of the Dusknoir, chosen to be a Reaper. Nothing to be frightened of, I assure you. We deal with the lost souls of the dead, not the living. It's a very important job, but one that you shouldn't ever notice. A good Dusknoir will find the lost souls before they can become a problem.

Still, even the best of us can miss a troublesome soul. Then people who would normally avoid mausoleums and spirit towers will come in search of us. They're afraid, but I understand why and tolerate any cross-making or warding signs they make. I don't mind if they avert their eyes; I hold no illusions that I am anything like attractive. I simply get the information I need, then seek the spirit out.

Most cases I get from humans. But one that stands out in my mind actually came from a fellow Pokemon. It was in the last weeks of a terribly hot summer. Even the nights were scorching, with stored heat rising from the ground, only to be replaced by a merciless sunny day. I was spending the afternoon in a fairly new graveyard. All of the stone markers were clean, bearing few signs of weathering or cracking. The memorial gardens were pristine. It wasn't my preferred place of rest, but it was where the dawn had caught me.

Having slept my fill, I was passing time in a shaded pavilion, waiting for the sun to sink low enough for me to venture out comfortably. I noticed her enter the graveyard and was quickly aware that she was unfamiliar with the place. She slithered along the path at a hesitant pace, watching around as if not certain what may have been there. Not only that, but in all my life, I had never expected to see a Milotic, especially one out of water.

I'm sure you've heard of them, or see one of the many artworks featuring them. So I don't need to tell you that she was one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. The front half of her body was pearl-toned peach, while her tail end was covered in scales of the rainbow. Still, even I could tell something was wrong with her. Her eyes were dull and her long antennae, which should have stood tall, were hanging low behind her head with her red hair.

I wondered what would bring a Water Pokemon this far from their normal habitat; there was a reflection pond out front, but nothing lived there yet. I made a motion to catch her attention, then waved her to the pavilion. The fact that she came right over gave me a good idea of what she wanted. "Have you come looking for my help?"

"Yes," she replied. Her voice was weary, but still sounded as lovely as she looked. "I've come a long ways, but there isn't anyone where I live that could help."

"Come rest in the shade." It seemed like she needed a moment to arrange her thoughts, so I added, "My name is Dusty."

She came in and circled around so she could face me in her most stable land stance. She held her wide tail fin up and waved it slowly to alleviate the heat. "I am called Luna. I live in a lake west of here, in a valley the humans don't live in. It's usually quiet, but..." she looked anxious.

"Take as long as you need," I told her. You don't get to be in a position like mine if you don't have patience.

"Thank you." She was quiet for a minute, then told me her problem. "I can deal with most spirits. They come when they hear me sing and I know how to bring them peace and acceptance. But there is one that has persisted, staying for months. I thought it simply needed time to come to terms with death. It reached out to me and I thought nothing of it. However, I've become fatigued and weakened somehow. It got to the point where I had to leave my lake and come here, to seek healing.

"When the doctor looked over me, he said that something has been draining my energy. It's only little bits at a time, apparently, but it could come to the point where it might kill me. I'm afraid that this lost soul is the cause of this. But if it stays because of me, I need someone else to get it to move on."

Luna stopped then, looking tired out from talking at length. I nodded. "Very well, I will come with you. You should rest for the last hours of the day. I believe the reflection pond out front is shaded by some trees."

"Yes, I saw that."

I followed her out to the pool. She was asleep as soon as she settled herself into the manmade pond, just large enough for her to fit in. During that time, I noticed that she wasn't sleeping well. Her mind was restless and tried to wake her up, but her body was worn out. That is a sign I notice on those who are haunted by lost souls. It can persist for a nearly a month after the ghost is taken away, depending on the strength of the haunting.

As the sky was turning orange, she came awake and wouldn't go back to sleep. Luna and I set out to her lake. There were still many questions I had to ask her to know what I was getting into. "Do you have a mate who lives with you?"

She lowered her head and shook it. "No... I am a widow."

"My apologies, but I must ask: could it be your mate's soul hanging on?"

Her reaction was stronger. "No, it couldn't be. He would never harm me. And he died nearly a year ago."

I didn't quite believe that. Ghosts can do harm without realizing it. That is, in fact, the most dangerous thing about them. They can see a living person suffer, but not understand that it is their presence causing that suffering. They can try to help the victim, but only make things worse. But I said nothing more about this. In my duty to the dead, it can be just as important to deal with the living.

We traveled for two nights. The distance we crossed, I could pass that in a half-night on my own. But Luna was in a weakened state and needed to rest often. That, and traveling across land was difficult for her. I was of no mind to push beyond her limit.

Around two in the morning of that second night, we arrived at her lake. It was a charming little place, allowed to grow free and natural. A stone shrine was on the east end of the lake. I knew the place as a sacred lake to the humans, which was why they only visited there. Over the years, I've rarely found spirits there. It's likely because Luna has her own ways of calming such ghosts. So it wasn't part of my normal travels.

She slipped under the water, grateful to be back home. I followed after her; water affects me no more than air does. The lake was deep and clear, lit brightly by the full moon overhead. As we went deeper, my senses alerted me to several lost souls underneath the surface. Most of them seemed puzzled, as if expecting her to be there.

There was one that was different. This one had been badly confused by his death. He had a deep-seated loneliness and a yearning for something he missed. I was certain that this was the one causing her problems. He was trying to grasp life as tightly as he could when it had left him. I kept alert to feelings from him as he circled the bottom of the lake.

At the bottom, we came upon a human structure. It was curious to find something like that on the lake bed. It had a square floor made of white stone and twelve tall columns made of the same. A few of these had fallen over while others had damage, but some were still whole and standing. Extra rubble scattered around seemed to indicate that it had a roof at one point, but no longer.

She settled herself on the stone floor. "This is where I live and sleep."

"Why is such a structure underwater?"

"I'm not certain. It's always been here as long as I've known this lake. The humans say it used to sit on the surface, but they did something wrong and the lake swallowed it whole."

"I see. Now, when do the ghosts usually show up around here?"

"They would come whenever Edwin and I were singing at night. We were fine with that, bringing peace to restless souls. But they've never caused problems like this before."

"Would you mind singing now, to bring it out?"

"No, I understand. Give me a moment." She took a little while to catch her breath and prepare herself. Then she started singing.

I think it was simply practicing her scales, but it was still lovely. The ghosts were attracted to that beauty and began to gather. Most seemed content just to hear the music. But that one still paced around, his heartache only deepening to the sound.

That confirmed my suspicions. "Would you sing something you used to with your mate?"

She got anxious. "Oh, well... there's some songs I haven't sung since his death. It'll be hard, but I'll try."

Then she began singing a song I'd never heard before. I'm not certain, but I think these are the words:

I saw her caress your shining scales,
But it was just the silver moon.
I saw her tease at your gentle hair,
But it was just the silver moon.

The silver moon,
Witness to our love.
The silver moon,
Keeper of secrets.
The silver moon,
Our friend in the sky.

That may not be right. I've never been much for music or songs. But that's what I remember it being like.

That caught his attention. As she started in on the chorus, he came to the columns with the rest of the souls. As she started a second verse, he began singing with her.

She recognized him. I gave her a hurried sign to keep going before her faltering turned into a full stop. Her voice was shaky and weak for a few lines, but as the chorus came back, she stopped worrying and put her heart into singing with her mate Edwin once more.

The pain in his voice turned the song bittersweet. He circled around her, trying to find some sense of normalcy and failing. His form became clearer to me as the song went on. He was a Milotic, just like her. Beauty was his strength as well, although his hair and antenna fell shorter. Noticing her weakness, he became fretful and worried. He drew closer to Luna, trying to reach out and comfort her.

But he couldn't, not without hurting her. "Stop it, Edwin," I told him.

She stopped singing mid-line, shocked at having his identity confirmed. By then, he had grown visible enough for untrained eyes to see as well. He was furious with me. "How dare you interrupt us like that! Who do you think you are?"

"Dusty's one of the Dusknoir," Luna explained, uncertain of what she should do now. "I brought him here."

I drifted over to him, stopping when his posture got too defensive. "You have passed the divide of life and death. You cannot cross back this way. When you try to touch her, you wind up hurting her little by little."

He shook his head violently. "No, I'd never harm her! I couldn't ever do that..."

"I realize that you wouldn't. But like this, you can hurt her without knowing it."

"Edwin," Luna cried softly.

The ghost Milotic turned to her. "Don't believe what he says. I'd never hurt you. But it's been so long since I've seen you. Sometimes I hear your voice, but I've been lost in dark tunnels. I... I don't know what's happened, but I'll never leave your side again."

In response, she lowered her head. A warm pink glow formed around her body. I wasn't sure what that indicated, but then she started in on another song.

I wouldn't dare write down this song. It's probably not one that should be written by someone like myself. It's a holy song, I know that much. I had heard of this kind of power before, a different form of what I use to calm ghosts. But that was the first time I had felt it in person.

And I did feel it. I am still a ghost, even if I have a heart that beats once again. The holy song added to the aura she was emitting gave us a sense of peace and expectation. It is something like being at the end of a long journey and seeing your home in the distance. You are not there yet, but seeing it begins to ease your heart and your soul feels eager to feel welcomed home at long last. It might be something like seeing the Gates of Heaven. I wouldn't know; I haven't been that far down the final path.

For a little while, I had completely forgotten why I had come to the lake. The other ghosts around us were able to take that song and find the final path on their own. However, it didn't affect Edwin in the same way. Perhaps it was because he had done this himself many times in his lifetime, but he became horrified. "No! That's not it! It can't be..."

His panic grounded me. Luna was faltering again. She wanted to comfort him, but realized that she shouldn't touch him. Being unaffected by such powers, I went over in her stead and put my hand on his head. "It is so. You died a year ago."

He began wailing. It was obvious that her song wouldn't be enough. So I used my own touch to strengthen it. I've always used touch to calm lost souls. I'm one of the few who can do so. It is often a thing they miss.

After five minutes, Luna couldn't keep up her aura anymore. Edwin had subsided into trembling while looking between us uncertainly. His heartache had taken on a new turn, as he was realizing that he could not stay with her. "You seem ill," he said.

She brought her tail up to her nose, shyly. "I'll get better. But you never did."

He started forward, but hesitated. "I don't want to leave you."

She brought her tail down and smiled sadly. "I... it'll be okay. Our hearts are connected. I'll find you again."

"We will find each other. Then... I must go."

"I can bring you to the path you must take," I told him. "The rest is up to you."

"I see." He hesitated a bit longer, then added, "I don't want to say goodbye, so... I will swim with you again someday, Luna."

She nodded. "Yes, we will swim with each other then, Edwin."

He then released his hold on this world and I was able to bring him out of it. I can enter that world from anywhere, but can only return to this one at certain points. So, I never saw Luna after that. I am not sure what came of her.

Even if I do see her again, I wouldn't ask for anything in return. I usually want some kind of payment, most often in the form of food. But in that case, I don't mind. The holy song she sang still echoes in my soul. I know, should I ever find myself unable to return to this world, that I have nothing to fear. That song promises me peace.

…

Sapphire entry: Milotic live at the bottom of large lakes. When this Pokemon's body glows a vivid pink, it releases a pulsing wave of energy that brings soothing calm to restless spirits.

Dusknoir Platinum entry: It is said to take lost spirits into its pliant body and guide them home.

I was going for a film noir kind of feel here. Here's a tissue.