First story here! Will be aiming for weekly updates, with more frequent, less scheduled, updates to start.
If there's one lesson – one cardinal rule that Milo always abided by in all his travels, it was to never meddle with the affairs of Legendary Pokémon. So how was it then that he found himself on a hunt for the very thing he sought never to disturb? Milo rhetorically asked himself this, shaking his head, as he trudged along the jungle trail, following close behind another.
Clara, a young woman equipped in full with the look of a hiker: loose clothes, a backpack that was comedically large on her figure, and hair tied back in a cute bun. That was why. It certainly wasn't Milo's idea after all, to chase after legends and myths.
"Come on, Milo! I thought you were good at this, keep up!" There was obviously no ill intent in Clara's cheeky grin as she paused, turning around.
Milo simply rolled his eyes. "Why the rush? It's a hiking trail, not a racetrack…" Still, he picked up a bit from the lazy pace he was walking before.
Milo knew very well what he was getting himself into when he agreed to Clara's excited offer of a 'mystery adventure'. She was definitely not what Milo would define as a seasoned adventurer, evidenced by the trail they walked through being a fairly well-known tourist trap, not that Milo would ever spoil Clara's fun by saying so. What Milo didn't expect, though perhaps he should have, was Clara's reasoning behind said adventure: to chase down and find the Legendary Pokémon Mew.
Tamaline Jungle had garnered a bit of a reputation from Pokémon Trainers and thrill seekers alike, with numerous stories and sightings of Mew. Some trainers had even rumoured to have battled the legendary Pokémon. Of course, with such mysterious stories floating around, it was inevitable that it would be sensationalized, being pasted on every ad and poster and used to market the jungle and its trails as some mystical adventure.
The only thing 'mystical' about the trip so far was the jaw dropping price the two had paid for their accommodations for this little week-long getaway. Milo was already quite aware of the obvious exaggeration in all the tales and rumours about this place. After all, regular folks meeting a Legendary Pokémon, let alone battling one and living to tell the tale? That just doesn't happen.
Still, Milo knew the chances of them encountering any version of Mew other than a crude picture of one printed on a photo taking board were slim to none. The well-maintained paths, railings and signs far better at attracting tourists than myths. Well, no need to be a spoilsport.
Being no stranger to travel, Milo kept up fine with the steady pace the two trailed at, but he was rather surprised at how well Clara was taking it. She wasn't exactly the most outdoorsy girl in all the time he'd known her, but it seems she wasn't kidding when insisting that she could handle such a trek.
"You finally been going to the gym or something? What happened to grinding for your legendaries in PokeMMO?" Milo asked, teasing.
"A real fan would know the sequel is already out. And I can do my dailies just fine at the gym, thank you very much."
The two friends giggled as they fell back into their usual banter. Milo had returned to his hometown a few months ago, and reconnecting with Clara was so easy, it was as if he hadn't spent the last decade away dream chasing on his own Pokémon adventure. As for what he'd do now that his 'career' as an adventurer was over… well, that was a problem for later.
Wiping away a thin coating of sweat from his forehead, Milo looked up at the beating sun above them. The trees didn't actually do a ton to shield them from the heat. He felt a cool sensation by his leg and looked down. Gigi, his closest companion, trotted next to him steadily with a cute smile. She was the only of one of the Pokémon he travelled with that refused to leave him after returning home. Milo leaned down, picking the Glaceon up, before sighing a breath of relief as the cool aura exuding around the Pokémon provided some very much needed respite from the glaring sun. Gigi seemed to enjoy not needing to walk, and simply snuggled up next to Milo, her fur softly brushing against him.
"No fair, I want a portable AC…" Clara groaned, fanning herself ineffectively with her hand.
"Wanna help her out, Gigi?" Milo asked, looking down at the Glaceon, who seemed to half chuckle. With a soft glow in her eyes, the Glaceon huffed out a steady breeze of cool air at Clara, who instantly slumped a bit, sighing in relief.
After a few more hours of hiking, they reached the farthest point of the trail before it looped back towards civilization. Milo crouched down, letting Gigi hop off to stretch her legs, before looking out past the railing and down the hill. While the view was admittedly quite nice, there was only so much variation one could be awed by after hours of hiking through the same jungle.
"Well, end of the line. Ready to do it all over again on the way back?" Milo teased, turning to Clara, who seemed to also be gazing out.
Clara turned, with an excited glint in her eye. "Way back? This is just the trail Milo, we gotta keep going!"
"Wait, what-?" Before Milo could continue, Clara was already ducking under the railing.
"You coming or what?" Clara asked, gazing up at Milo as she slowly descended the hill.
"Hey, hey, hold up. You didn't mention going off trail. We're not gonna make it back by nightfall if we wander off."
"We don't have to. I brought a tent. You brought the extra food and stuff, right?"
"Wait, that's what's in that oversized bag of yours?" He still hung back behind the railing incredulously as Clara continued to slowly descend.
She turned around, seeing Milo still not following, "Come on, Milo, you know we're not gonna find any Legendaries on the stupid trail. Duh."
"Th-this is a really bad idea. Like, really bad. Get back up here, Clara."
"You've been all over the world, and what, one little jungle scares ya?" Clara taunted, with a smug look plastered on her face.
"I'm not scared of the jungle! I-I just… we really should head back."
"Ugh, fine. You can head back. I have enough supplies to last me about a week. I'll see you then, 'kay?" With that, Clara reached the bottom of the hill and trudged off into the thick of the jungle.
"Wait, Clara!" Despite the call out, she didn't turn back. In fact, Milo could swear she picked up her pace. Milo gripped his head, muttering to himself. "Seriously? She's gonna get herself killed…" Did Clara even know how to set up a tent? Milo was pretty sure she'd never even been camping, and not just that, but the wild Pokémon in less travelled areas were far more unpredictable, and what if she didn't bring enough food or got lost or hurt or…
He had to go after her. But this was a bad idea. Every fiber of his being screamed at him about how bad of an idea this was. Milo was no stranger to the wilderness, but this was different. The trails he knew would be safe, but out there where it's rumoured to house one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful Legendary Pokémon? Milo's hands were unsteady as they gripped the railing. His heart pounded so hard he could feel it in his ears.
Get Clara. Convince her she's being stupid. Easy enough, right? And with that, he picked up Gigi, ducked under the railing, and slid down the hill.
It took about two seconds of feeling rocks and twigs stab into his butt before Milo regretted his decision.
"Why didn't I just walk down normally?!"