Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet
Chapter 4: Masks
"Way to go! For a second, I thought you were both goners!" Nemona sighed with relief, grinning at the two of them. Milo nodded and opened his mouth to respond, only to notice that the strange creature that had saved him was now staring intently at the lighthouse about a hundred yards away from where they were now.
"I wonder what it's looking at the lighthouse for…" Milo said as Nemona tilted her head in confusion, noticing it as well. The creature walked out of the cave, but only made it about ten steps towards the lighthouse before a shining orange light enveloped the creature again. However this time, the creature let out a soft groan of pain before collapsing onto the ground, its form shifting into the same way it looked when Milo first encountered it on the beach.
Milo and Nemona both bolted out of the cave, concerned for the Pokémon's health. Nemona even called out, "Whoa! What's wrong?!"
"Looks like it did on the beach…when I first found it, it looked like this." Milo muttered, crossing his arms. "I fed it and that helped it out. Helped it turn into that super form we saw. But it also used a few high-power moves and battled that Houndoom...I really don't know. Any ideas Nemona?"
"Maybe it used up all its power?" Nemona mused, looking down at the Pokémon carefully. "What is this Pokémon, anyway? It kinda looks like a Cyclizar, but I've never seen one quite like this before…And now it looks so different from a minute ago. You think it's okay?"
Milo thought about it, concern evident on his face. "Hard to say…"
"You can't tell either, huh, Milo?" Nemona remarked, sighing as she rubbed her head. "Well, all that aside, I'm seriously glad to have you back up here in one piece! You know…that battle down there was really something. You and this fella looked perfectly in sync facing down that Houndoom!"
"Were we? It was acting on its own there. It jumped in front of me…saved my life." Milo responded with a shake of the head, causing Nemona to gasp in shock.
"What?! You didn't even tell it what to do?" Nemona asked, with Milo nodding in response. Nemona glanced down at the strange Pokémon with the calculating eye of an experienced Trainer. "I guess it's not like you're this Pokémon's Trainer yet, huh…"
Both teens were startled when the creature suddenly got up, letting out a growl-like yelp as it reared on its hind legs and landed all fours again. Nemona and Milo both smiled with relief that the Pokémon was seemingly alright.
"Oh good! Looks like it perked up a little!" Nemona said brightly before glancing at Milo. "Do you think this fella was the one making that mysterious cry before?"
"Giaos…" the strange Pokémon growled, sniffing the air in front of it. Somehow this made Nemona more and more excited, because she was beaming with sheer enthusiasm once again.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man! The more I look at this Pokémon, the more mysterious it seems!" Nemona practically squealed, turning to Milo excitedly. "If you do become its Trainer, you gotta let me battle against it!"
"Uh…you know what? Sure, why not?" Milo ended up saying, trying to process the several leaps in logic Nemona had just made in rapid succession.
Milo's poor brain was further fried when Nemona pulled out her black Rotom Phone and said, "Let's exchange numbers so we can get in touch if we somehow get separated again!"
"O-okay." Milo managed to reply, flushing at how forward the girl was in getting his contact info. A few seconds later Milo and Nemona had exchanged numbers digitally. "I appreciate you looking out for me, Nemona. Thanks."
Nemona beamed at Milo, pumping a fist. "Anytime, mi amigo! And here - this'll let you teach your Pokémon a move to help it battle stronger opponents!"
The girl swung her pack around and dug through it, pulling out a sturdy travel case that contained a collection of discs. Milo gaped at the massive collection of TM's that the girl had on her, and she pulled out a white one and handed it to Milo. It was TM032, Swift.
"Think before you use it, though! TM's can only be used once!" Nemona reminded Milo, who frowned thoughtfully at that before shrugging and stowing the disc away carefully in his pack. He'd need to get his hands on a TM Case sometime soon.
"I mean, it depends on the region. Galar calls them Technical Records and calls the sturdy ones that a lot of other regions use Technical Machines." Milo said to Nemona, who nodded smartly.
"Too true! But I guess that's one of the many things that makes every region different. I hope you'll get a chance to really explore everything that makes Paldea special, Milo." Nemona responded as cheerily as ever. She then gestured towards the lighthouse nearby. "You've both been through enough for a minute! I think we better take a breather. Let's just get to the lighthouse - that'll be a good spot to relax."
"Good idea. You coming along, big fella?" Milo asked the strange creature, who tilted its head at Milo questioningly before letting out a soft cry, shaking its body slightly. "Gonna take that as a…maybe?"
Milo and Nemona made their way towards the lighthouse alongside the creature, sliding down the hill without issue and walking up the road. As they drew closer, Milo realized that the lighthouse seemed to be more than just that. There was a building connected to the back of the lighthouse, with the lighthouse itself simply being the front of the main building with a ladder that led upwards. A door was off to the side of the building, and someone was standing right outside of it, trying to peer inside of the glass door.
The person turned around, revealing a rather tall teen with messy light brown hair wearing what Milo recognized was a Naranja Academy uniform, along with a purple vest and a large traveling backpack. He had teal colored eyes that immediately fell upon the strange Pokémon standing beside Milo, and an expression of barely-restrained fury crossed the teen's face. "Why, that little…"
The teen bolted towards them, stopping short of the group and pointing a finger down at the creature. "What are you doing out here?!"
The strange Pokémon simply stared at Arven with a confused expression. The teenager growled with annoyance before half-glancing at Nemona and Milo. "I'm not talking to you two. You can shove off."
"Excuse me? You wanna run that by me again, mate?" Milo demanded angrily, stepping forward, only for Nemona to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Her brow was furrowed, as if she was trying to think of something.
"Wait, I know you…Aren't you Arven? You're enrolled in the humanities track, right?" Nemona asked the teen, who went very still. "And aren't you the son of that Pokémon Researcher - Professor Sada?
"Doesn't matter who my Mom is!" Arven suddenly barked at Nemona as he whirled around, who flinched at the sheer fury in the young man's voice. Milo instantly stepped in front of Nemona, staring up at the tall teen who seemed to grow more irate by the second.
"The real issue here is what in the world this Pokémon is doing out here! And what is with this form it's in?!" Arven demanded, glancing at the two of them before turning a frustrated gaze to the strange creature.
"It saved me from a tight spot. If it didn't step in to protect me, I would've been mauled by a pack of Houndour." Milo responded in a measured tone, crossing his arms. Arven raised an eyebrow at that, glancing at Milo and turning back to the creature with a grunt.
Nemona meanwhile was looking down at Milo in surprise, because she had noticed that a few moments ago her new neighbor was rather angry at Arven. Now, however, Milo's face was set into a perfectly neutral expression. She couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling, because his face was set into a complete and total mask of calm.
The Champion-ranked student shook her head, snapping back to reality and decided that she should probably explain things, so she decided to back Milo up. "See, we heard this strange cy, and we tried to investigate, but Milo fell off a cliff…That Pokémon saved him, but it seems like it wore itself out in the process. It got kinda…slumpy afterward. But you shoulda seen it before! It looked totally different - it was unbelievably strong!"
Arven nodded before turning towards the creature, his expression darkening. "Well, yeah. As it should be. But it can't fight while it's like this. The form Koraidon takes in battle…That's its true form."
"Koraidon? Is that this Pokémon's name? How'd you know it?" Nemona asked as the strange creature padded forward, sniffing at Arven even as the teen jerked backwards with a hiss. Koraidon then looked towards the door of the Lighthouse and cried out.
"You can't go in the lab. It's locked." Arven grunted, turning towards Milo and Nemona. The teen looked at the other boy and said, "I don't remember ever seeing you around. But given the uniform…you go to the Academy too, do you?"
"Yeah, today will be my first day. Not that it should matter to someone so rude." Milo remarked in a matter-of-fact tone, earning a scoff from Arven before he glanced at Koraidon. The teen hummed for a minute before a sharp exhale escaped his lips.
"Koraidon isn't the sort of Pokémon that any old Trainer can hope to command. It's special. And it certainly can't be running around unchecked like this…dammit." Arven muttered, crossing his arms. This raised even more questions, which Nemona chose to voice.
"Special how? What sort of Pokémon is it?" Nemona asked Arven, who glanced at her and answered with silence for several long moments before looking back at Milo.
"You think you're up to ordering Koraidon around? Then how 'bout I test your worthiness?" Arven remarked with a smirk, with Milo now taking his turn to scoff at the teen. However, Milo matched his smirk with one of his own.
"You're on." Milo responded defiantly, causing Arven's smirk to shift into a genuine grin as he put his hands on his hips. The Voice chuckled in Milo's head, but the teen wasn't worried at all this time.
"Heh! Well, look at you - quite a little go-getter!" Arven remarked before turning around and getting a short distance away from Milo. The younger teen did the same as Nemona and Koraidon backed away, allowing the two Trainers plenty of room to battle. Arven rolled up his sleeves, huffing loudly slapping his cheeks and letting out a shout.
"I've been feeling all out of sorts, so I'm gonna use this battle to blast these doldrums away!" Arven shouted as he took several steps back, pulling out a Poké Ball and calling out a Skwovet. Milo nearly gasped as the Nuzlocke Curse struck him, gripping his heart. Milo grit his teeth and focused on his annoyance at the rude teen who had forced him into this meaningless battle, even if it was one Milo had willingly accepted.
"Reggie, let's go!" Milo barked as he sent out his Fuecoco, who let out a cry as it braced itself to battle.
"These memories are leaving a bad taste in my mouth - and I want it gone!" Arven muttered as he swiped a hand through the air at Milo. The Galarian teen hummed for a moment before pointing forward.
"Reggie, hit hit with Ember!" Milo commanded his Starter, who's eyes narrowed before he fired off a sphere of pure fire that struck Skwovet hard, sending it flying backwards with a pained squeal. Arven's eyes widened at the sudden critical hit, realizing that he was starting off this battle immediately on the back foot.
"Don't let him get any more shots in! Use Bite!" Arven called to his Pokémon as it slowly got up, glaring at Reggie before lunging at him and chomping down hard on the Fuecoco's head. The Fire Croc growled in pain, and after several long seconds managed to shake off the Skwovet while grimacing at the bite marks on his head.
"Leer!"
"Bite again!"
Milo scowled as the Skwovet weathered the harsh look his Fuecoco was giving him and dashed at Reggie a second time, biting down even harder on the Fuecoco's noggin. This time however the Cheeky Pokémon managed to make Fuecoco let out a howl of pain, and Milo's eyes widened at the intense reaction. Arven smirked, realizing that he wasn't out of this battle yet.
"You're not the only one with luck on their side. Looks like I can score Critical Hits too, new kid!" Arven remarked as Reggie began running around the clearing, frantically trying to get the squirrel off of his head.
"Bash your head into the ground with Tackle!" Milo suddenly called out, catching Arven completely off-guard. Nemona broke out into a pleased smile at the command, watching as Reggie leapt towards the ground with a small burst of speed and tackled Skwovet into the dirt, smashing him hard against the earth and dislodging him from Reggie's skull.
"Alright then! Skwovet use Bite again to…huh?" Arven trailed off as he realized that his Pokémon was lying on the ground unconscious from that last attack. "Well, that's not good. Did I just lose?"
"The winner of this battle is Milo!" Nemona shouted, raising a hand in Milo's direction as walked forward to apply a Potion to Reggie, taking a moment to rub the Fuecoco's sore head before returning him. Nearby, Koraidon let out a bark-like growl as it realized the brief battle was concluded. Milo felt the curse release him and he relaxed slightly.
Arven also returned his Pokémon, his expression one of absolute frustration as he put a hand to his forehead and glared at the ground. "Seems you know a thing or two about battle."
Milo shrugged as Nemona ran over to him, beaming at her new friend. "Wow, Milo! That was awesome!"
"It wasn't anything special." Milo remarked bashfully, flushing at the praise from the girl. Nemona then looked at Milo interestedly, seeing that her neighbor seemed to be back to normal. Before she had time to think on that further, Arven threw his hands up into the air dramatically, letting out a loud exhale.
"I guess I wasn't ever going to stand a chance using some Pokémon I'd only just caught…" Arven grumbled, with Milo giving the teen an annoyed look. Nemona then watched his expression go completely neutral again, with no trace of emotion on Milo's face.
Now the Student Council President was genuinely intrigued.
"I've known this Fuecoco for about an hour. Wanna try again?" Milo asked Arven, who looked irritated for a second before his expression schooled into something more thoughtful.
"Not bad. You've got quite the spine for someone so short. But if you really think you can take Koraidon off my hands for me…you'll need this." Arven dug into his pocket and pulled out a rather old Poké Ball that he tossed at Milo, who barely caught the device. "It's the Poké Ball that brute's been kept in."
"So why'd YOU have it?" Nemona suddenly asked Arven, who immediately clammed up and remained silent as he looked away.
"The lady asked a question. Best you could do is give some kind of-" Milo began to say, only for Arven to cut him off.
"Anyway, that thing's your problem now, not mine. Good luck." Arven said before suddenly running full-tilt down the road, actually leaving behind a trail of dust in his wake.
"What? Oye! Can you not hear me or something?" Nemona shouted out indignantly to the teen, who quickly became a retreating figure in the distance. "Fine, be that way! But you better actually show up for school!"
"What a weirdo…" Nemona grumbled, crossing her arms with an annoyed huff.
Milo also exhaled, annoyance returning to his face. The day had started off so promising too. But after the recent excitement he was starting to hope that the day would end sooner rather than later so he could process what had actually happened. The boy checked his new Rotom Phone for the time.
09:32 AM.
"Dammit…" Milo thought before Koraidon ambled over to him. Milo smiled despite himself and held out the Poké Ball, returning Koraidon. Nemona walked back over to her new neighbor, her expression one of deep thought.
"That Arven guy definitely knows more than he's letting on." Nemona remarked, humming as she considered it. "What do you think, Milo? He's super suspicious, right?"
"To be honest, I really don't care about him." Milo admitted with an annoyed sigh, crossing his arms. "We all have problems going on. That doesn't give him an excuse to act like a prick out of nowhere to me and you. And the way he talked about Koraidon? Totally uncalled for."
"You're not wrong." Nemona agreed, nodding before punching her palm with a stern expression. "Next time, he and I are battling! I'm gonna wring some answers outta him!"
"Let me know when you do that. I'll buy some popcorn for the ass-kicking."
Nemona smirked at Milo's response, but then seemed to remember something important because an excited expression bloomed across her face as she clasped her hands together. "But oh, right - we gotta climb the lighthouse! Can't wait to show you the view of our school!"
Nemona bolted towards the iron ladder and quickly began to climb. Milo made a move to follow her, but then realized that he should probably let her climb up first and then join her once he was sure she was at the top. He didn't want to accidentally look where he wasn't supposed to be, after all.
"After how nice she's been to me so far, I don't want to ruin things by coming off like a creep." Milo thought before his mind turned to Arven and Koraidon. There were so many warning signs and weirdness centering around that entire situation and Milo found it profoundly troubling.
"That guy made it sound like he's been through some rough times, but that didn't give him the right to talk to us like that. Even after we explained how Koraidon saved my life. What the hell was his problem?" Milo scowled angrily, crossing his arms.
"Milo! Where are you?" Nemona called to the boy, who shrugged and pushed aside thoughts of Arven and climbed up the ladder, getting to the top of the lighthouse huffing and puffing. He walked over to where Nemona was leaning against the rail, looking out over the Paldean landscape. The boy leaned against the railing as well, earning a smile from Nemona.
"Look, Milo! That's Mesagoza!" Nemona said to him as she pointed out over the trees, buildings and rising cliffs that rose up over the landscape and to the large city in the distance. The spires of Mesagoza were distinctive, almost resembling a castle of sorts. The tallest building was one Milo recognized, with four spires surrounding the tallest fifth spire with a Pokémon sculpture beneath it. "And that huge building with the Poké Ball on it is our school!"
"Yeah, I've seen it in magazines and stuff but seeing it in person is…wow. I bet it's absolutely massive up close." Milo remarked, smiling a little now.
"It's gonna be so great having you in the same class, Milo!" Nemona said excitedly to her new neighbor, who held out a fist to Nemona. The Champion grinned and tapped it with her own.
"I'm looking forward to it!" Milo said honestly, causing Nemona to giggle and turn towards him.
"Right? I can't wait to get back. We're gonna get to learn so much…and battle so, so, SO much!" Nemona practically sang, causing Milo to smile back at her.
"Somehow I knew that was coming." Milo remarked as Nemona caught herself and laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head while Milo leaned further over the railing. "This is one hell of a view though. Plus with the sea breeze at our backs…it's really nice."
"Isn't awesome what you can see from up here?" Nemona asked Milo, who cast his gaze out over the route. Looming mountains rose up in the distance, clouds masking their true height as rolling green plains stretched out before them.
"Mountains! Forests! Grasslands! Beautiful nature stuff, as far as the eye can see! And you know what's waiting for you all over these natural spaces? Tons of Pokémon!" Nemona said brightly as she and Milo gazed out over the distance, relishing in the incredible view over the Paldean Wilds that only height could give you.
"I can't wait to meet them all. " Milo remarked with quiet excitement, grinning at Nemona as she turned towards Milo, matching his smile.
"Consider this me officially telling you: Welcome to Paldea!" Nemona said to Milo, who nodded in response and offered the girl a thumbs up. "But anyway, like you can see, it's kind of a hike to get to school from here. Let's make it to Los Platos for starters. That's right on the way."
"Sounds like a plan. Should we-" Milo began to ask, only for Nemona to cut him off.
"Vamos! C'mon!" Nemona said to Milo before bolting to the ladder that led downwards, leaving a bewildered Milo behind. After blinking several moments, Milo shrugged and followed after his neighbor downwards and by the time he reached the bottom Nemona was a speck on the horizon.
"I guess I'll meet her at Los Platos then…" Milo muttered as he began walking down the path, somewhat surprised he had been left behind like this. Unfortunately Milo wasn't alone, as he soon found out.
You are allowed one capture on this route, depending on the first Pokémon you choose to battle.
"Oh wow, thanks so much." Milo remarked as he walked down the path, sending out Reggie and Sparky.
You're lucky I'm giving you this much. You really have no idea what kind of journey you're in for, huh?
"Uh, no? Why are you acting like you already know what's gonna happen?" Milo asked as he walked across a bridge, pointedly making sure not to pay attention to the chaos Reggie and Sparky were wreaking so as not to invoke the so-called Nuzlocke Curse.
Because there are certain events that can and will happen, should you survive to encounter them. However, life is a chaotic thing and sometimes events will play out that even I can't see in advance. Knowing how life tends to work out for you Protagonists, I'm sure you'll run into more than a few curve balls.
Milo stopped on the bridge that was built over a small creek and considered that information. The Voice that had cursed him was hinting at some very strange things, and Milo wasn't sure if he could believe any of it.
The sound of pattering feet broke Milo out of his musing, and he nearly toppled over a Psyduck that had wandered into his path. Milo heaved out a sigh of relief and walked further down the path, keeping his head on a swivel to ensure he didn't encounter any Pokémon he didn't want to before he had a chance to scope out the path.
Reggie and Sparky came back to Milo a few minutes later, panting with exhaustion but both looking rather pleased with themselves. The new Trainer took a few minutes to heal and clean up both Pokémon, even feeding them some berries that he found while wandering around on the route. Sparky was more wary when eating the food than Reggie, who dug in happily, but eventually the Pawmi ate its snack and seemed happier after the fact.
Milo returned Sparky and allowed Reggie to attack some of the Pokémon by a nearby lake, spotting a Magikarp and some Psyduck loitering around. Milo gasped as he spotted an incredibly rare Ralts lingering around near the water's edge, walking through the grass.
However, Milo spotted an even rarer sight that instantly made him freeze and go completely still. A Pokémon he recognized, a Wooper, was walking beside the small pond nearby. However, it was brown instead of blue. Which could only mean…
"No way. Is that a Shiny!?" Milo murmured quietly, eyeing the brownish Wooper with an awed look. Shinies were incredibly rare, and encountering one was worth celebrating like you had won the lottery.
Look closely and you tell me.
Milo frowned at the comment, but did as the Voice asked. That was when he noticed the strange antenna on the sides of the head of the Wooper and how it looked different than usual Woopers (beside the color), and it was then Milo realized the truth of the matter.
"It's a Regional Variant, isn't it? Like Nemona's Tauros." Milo concluded, earning a chuckle of amusement from the Voice that confirmed Milo's suspicion.
For the record, if you did encounter a Shiny Pokémon, the Curse does permit you to catch those Pokémon and use them outside of the allotted choices you have.
"I actually do appreciate knowing that in advance. Now, I'm gonna catch it!" Milo said as he tapped Reggie on the head and said, "Reggie, use Tackle!"
The Fuecoco growled and nodded before charging at the Wooper, who didn't even react upon seeing the Fire Croc charging at it. Reggie connected with the Wooper and sent it flying backwards, but it landed on its feet and fired off a Mud Shot, causing Reggie to cry out in pain at the super-effective move. Milo grimaced as the Nuzlocke Curse kicked into effect, but he pushed through it and prepared himself to capture a new Pokémon.
Milo drew a Poké Ball and hurled it as hard as he could, connecting with the forehead of the Wooper and sucking it into the Poké Ball. One…two…three…
Click.
"Yes! That's Pokémon Number 3!" Milo cheered, laughing as he walked forward to pick up the Poké Ball. Milo knelt down and pulled out a towel to help clean the mud off Reggie, using some of the nearby water to do so and ignoring some minor discomfort he felt from being so close to the water's edge. After cleaning his Starter, Milo pulled up the Pokédex entry for the strange Wooper.
"Wooper. The Poison Fish Pokémon. Paldean Regional Variant. After losing a territorial struggle, Wooper began living on land. The Pokémon changed over time, developing a poisonous film to protect its body." The Rotom Phone said aloud, with Milo looking down at the Poké Ball with a smile. "This Wooper is Female and has the Ability Water Absorb. Its Tera Type is Ground."
"A Regional Variant, huh? Just like with Ponyta and Slowpoke back home." Milo remarked as he called out his new Pokémon, who looked up a him with its unchanging silly smile. "So, what to name you?"
"Wooopa!" came the cheery response.
"Well, you certainly look way different than a normal Wooper. Kind of a brown color…how about Cocoa?" Milo suggested to his newest capture. The Paldean Wooper stared at Milo for a moment before bobbing her head in response, much to the boy's surprise.
Milo looked towards the nearby village of Los Platos and said, "Let's explore for just a bit longer. Get you all some exercise."
Milo began walking along the route with his Fuecoco, Pawmi and now Paldean Wooper out in front of him. The three Pokémon chattered to one another, with Milo unable to understand any of it. If Milo had to guess, they were trying to learn more about one another. Upon seeing a wild Deerling, Reggie rushed forward and attacked it without any input from Milo except for the teen to point at the opponent in question.
"I still can't believe I have such a strange and powerful Pokémon here with me. Koraidon…" Milo said as he pulled out the Poké Ball containing the ferocious Pokémon. Milo examined the Poké Ball and recognized it as one of the slightly older models. As the years went by, Poké Balls underwent small tweaks in design to make them more user-friendly or stylish. It was these kinds of innovations that led to things like the Timer and Quick Balls.
"Well, whatever happens, I'll take care of you. You're part of the team now, Koraidon." Milo muttered quietly, holding the ball firmly in his hand for several seconds. For a moment, Milo could have sworn he heard a faint growling sound from the capsule, but he shook away the strange feeling and clipped the Poké Ball to his belt and went after his trio of Pokémon as they continued to lay waste to the wild Pokémon in the area.
Milo picked up a handful of useful items laying on the ground before finally deciding that he was ready to go see Nemona. The boy scooped up a panicked Sparky and placed the Pawmi on his own head before corralling his team towards the village of Los Platos, eager to continue on with his journey to Mesagoza and begin his first day at school.
Shoutout to BraviaryScout for reviewing the previous update. You are indeed da best, good sir.
That's all for now, so thanks for reading! There might be a slightly longer period of time between updates, due to me moving, but I'll try to keep the delay as brief as possible!
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!