Apologies. Work has been manic over the last few weeks.
I genuinely thought the entire Whirl Islands Arc would be two chapters at most but I found I have too many ideas so it's likely to be three or four.
Chapter 18
The next day after another feed Ash left the Pokémon centre and called out Lapras. "We're headed North, just try and avoid all the boats that are leaving in the same direction."
"Is Chinchou ok?" she asked immediately.
Chuckling Ash released her into the water where Lapras immediately picked her up in her mouth and placed her on her back, asking her several question about how she was, if she'd eaten etc.
"Ok" Ash said climbing on and placing her on Lapras' head "we do have places to be so you can talk along the way." Which is exactly what they did. Ash had to direct her several times as she wasn't watching what she was doing and was nearly ploughed through by a few boats.
"Right" Ash said recalling Chinchou after the third near miss getting a squeak from Lapras "that's three times now you've nearly injured us because you're not focusing on what's in front of you. Chinchou is going to be fine, we on the other hand are not if you carry on like this."
"I'm just worried" she said hanging her head at the rebuke.
"And I get that" Ash said "but she is perfectly fine. I have many pages of information on how to look after her, I also have information from Nurse Joy and my mother on how to look after her. She's going to be fine. Now, can you concentrate, or do I release Gyarados and I continue on her?"
"I'll concentrate" she said sadly.
"Good" Ash said releasing Chinchou onto her head making her squeal in happiness. The next few hours was a good lesson for Lapras in concentration, on making sure she was keeping an eye out for boats and other people sailing on their Pokémon and also making sure Chinchou stayed safe on her head along with not talking too much to her. Stepping off Lapras he thanked her and recalled them both before heading up the paths towards the centre of Megi City.
Yellow Rock Isle looked remarkable Ash observed as he walked through the streets. It was named because the rocks upon which the city was bult was made of yellow limestone, something that was unique in the world hence why it was such a tourist attraction. According to his notes the entirety of Yellow Rock was yellow. Megi city was famous in its own right too though as it was built upon the corals that Corsola made their home that had attached themselves to the island itself. The coral was famous for being incredibly structurally sound, so much so that it wasn't the only place in the world that this phenomenon happened. Ash had read there was a fishing village in Hoenn that was also built on coral reef and unlike Porta Vista building on the reefs was legal as long as you didn't destroy the natural world around you. You were also watched like a hawk when you did and any infraction would see you banished from the Whirl Islands for life, such was the extreme care that went into preserving Megi City and its wildlife.
"So, what can we do on this island?" Pikachu asked.
"Not much really" Ash said "there's a small museum in the city centre dedicated to the history of the coral reefs, there are people that make things out of the Corsola branches that wash ashore too so if you want pottery, jewellery or tat you're good. I'll be honest I'm only here because I wanted to see the yellow rocks. We're going to be moving on today to the northern part of the island. The Whirl Cup is in a few days so we're basically killing time on these islands before heading to that."
"Oh" Pikachu said, "so no point in hanging around then?"
"No" Ash replied "we're just heading through Megi City really. We should be on the main road to Ogi City in a few minutes, it's only ten kilometres walk from here. This is just so we can say we've been here and seen it."
"So why didn't we sail to the North?" Pikachu asked before remembering the collective name of these islands "Oh yeah, Whirlpools."
"Yeah" Ash said "they're particularly vicious and very treacherous just off the coast of this island for some reason. There's literally no traffic from boats or people sailing that can go up the coast hence why there's no boat directly from Blue Point Island to Megi City or Red Rock Isle. They do go directly across to Silver Isle though."
"So, a lot of walking then huh" Pikachu said as they walked past the pillars that led out of the city and onto the dirt path that led towards Ogi City. He was thankful that the entire path was forested and covered in shade as the Whirl Islands were very warm due to there being very few times during these months that there were any clouds. It was why there was so many festivals and celebrations between the months of May to August.
"It's still bloody warm" Ash said swapping his shirt for a vest top with no sleeves. "I can't believe I'm starting to wish for the snow at Mt Silver."
"It's been incredibly warm I agree" Pikachu replied "but let's not go too far, eh? Mt Silver is horrible weather-wise."
"I got used to it fairly quickly" Ash said "plus leaving the cave was always such a relief given how hot and stuffy the inside of the summit is. I'm happy we lived by the waterfall otherwise we'd have overheated very quickly."
"Are we still on schedule for going there?" Pikachu asked, "doesn't spending a week on these islands interfere with the journey back to Ecruteak and onto Mahogany."
"It does but only by a few days" Ash replied "we spent far less time on Cianwood than I had planned so we saved four days there. We're only adding two days extra by coming here. As soon as the Cup is over, we're flying north which is where we gain the five weeks back, give or take a few days."
"How long are we looking at getting in Mt Silver then?" Pikachu asked.
"Hopefully three or four weeks" Ash said grimacing "if we hadn't had to sacrifice six weeks over the journey in Johto we'd have gotten our usual two months with two weeks rest. As it is we'll get three weeks with two weeks rest or four weeks with a week's rest. I'm debating flying over Ice Path to Blackthorn getting an extra week back."
"Well, there's nothing we need in Ice Path so why would we go through?" Pikachu asked confused.
"It's another point of interest in Johto" Ash said shrugging his shoulders.
"It's another cold cave" Pi replied gruffly "how many do we need to see?"
"That's why I'm debating flying over it" Ash said agreeing, "so far I can't come up with a reason not to."
"Fly over it" Pikachu said, "we don't need to get our feet frostbit before we need to."
Ash just laughed as they carried on their way down the path towards Ogi City. Setting up camp that night he asked their opinion and got a pretty much unanimous decision that agreed with Pikachu. Only Lapras and Sneasel had a counter argument.
"It'll be nice to go somewhere with the right temperature" she said, "It's far too warm here."
"I must admit I would like to explore a different Icy cave" Sneasel put in "I wonder how it differs from the Seafoam Islands."
"It's another cold cave" Pikachu said deadpanned "they're all the same. Once you've seen one you've seen them all."
"Don't be so bourgeois" Sneasel said haughtily.
"Where did you hear that word?" Ash asked looking up from his laptop before looking over at his sheep who tried to act like he didn't hear "bloody Flaaffy. He's the only one I've heard call me that before."
"I mean, he has a point" Sneasel replied cheekily.
"Does he bollocks have a point" Ash replied laughing "Anyway we're giving it a skip, there's an ice cave in Hoenn we can visit when we're around there, but there's no point in seeing this one. Plus, when we're done with this league you two can go visit Seafoam if you want."
"That's a good compromise" Lapras said as Sneasel fell silent.
"What's up?" Ash asked him.
"I don't think I'll go back" he said quietly as he moved away to the rivers edge and sat down looking out at the valley they had settled in that stretched out to the ocean in hills of green. Puzzled Ash looked around at his family before he remembered the circumstances of how he found Sneasel. Placing his laptop down he wandered over and sat at his side, the others watching as he did.
"You know you'll always have a family with us, right?" Ash asked him quietly so no one could hear.
"I know" he murmured "but sometimes I miss my own. Even if they weren't nice to me that much, they were still all I knew for six years. I just wonder sometimes how they're doing, if they miss me, if they even realised that I was gone and how long it took them to realise if they did."
"All questions that can be answered if you return there" Ash murmured "I get it though, you're scared of what they might say and if you get a negative reaction from them. You fear rejection again. Just remember though, you lead a very different life from them so it will be different. You're now a Ketchum, and in less than six months' time you will be a Champion when we steam through the Johto League and their Elite Four."
"I know" he said nodding before looking out at the scenery "my life has turned out very different from what I thought Arceus had in store for me."
"You remember Arceus?" he asked shocked.
"No" Sneasel said shaking his head "but you've never lied to me before so if you say there's an All Maker named Arceus I believe you."
"Thank you" Ash said patting him on the back as he too looked out at the valley, just enjoying the silence. That was before Sneasels stomach rumbled making them both break out into laughter. "Come on, foods ready."
The next day after their usual morning routine they continued on towards Ogi city marvelling at the sight on their right-hand side as the path now followed the right-hand side of the island and the whole view was the crystal blue waters that made up the inner part of the Whirl Islands. Every hundred yards or so was a huge whirlpool that dominated the area which just highlighted the very treacherous nature of the Pokémon world. To Ash it was a fantastic metaphor for what the world was actually like, beauty with a hint of underlying danger.
"Look at that view though" Ash said shaking his head and stopping on the side of the path. From where he was now, he could see all four islands at the same time with the vast expanse of Pacific Ocean that stretched on for thousands of miles.
"It is pretty amazing" Pikachu said as they stood in silence until five minutes later they moved out of the way as a motorbike came past the other way. "I can't believe that's only the fourth person we've seen since sunset yesterday."
"It doesn't surprise me" Ash said, "the ferries are pretty cheap and both major cities are pretty much carbon copies of each other."
The next few hours they chatted about various topics until he crested a hill and stopped as below them lay their next destination, Ogi City. Wandering down into the city Ash looked around and headed to the Pokémon centre to have a shower and get something to eat. Wandering in he waited in the queue as Nurse Joy was dealing with another trainer.
"I'm sorry Nurse" the man said "my Mantine was attacked by a few Pokémon just offshore."
"Are you still looking for that treasure?" she asked "John, that thing will take you your entire life and you may never find it."
"I know Miss Joy" John said smiling "but it's important to Luka so it's important to me."
"Well next time be careful" she said handing him back the Pokéball "chasing lost treasure is often more troublesome than you think it is."
"Ah but this time we have actually found the location of the ISS Raspberry" he said excitedly "that's where Mantine was attacked. We're this close to recovering Lukas birthright" he said holding a thumb and finger close together.
"Well, I wish you luck" she replied shaking her head "but be careful."
The man nodded and turned around stopping as he looked up at the huge man in his way. "Oh, I am sorry."
"Hey, don't sweat it" Ash said amiably "I was likely too close to you in line. By the way what's this about treasure?"
"Er…" he asked uncertainly "why do you want to know?"
"It sounds interesting" Ash said shrugging his shoulders "we've been on a few treasure hunts and dig sites in the last few years and they've always been an experience, not always enjoyable but an experience all the same."
"And ghost ship hunting" Pikachu supplied helpfully.
"And ghost ship hunting" Ash finished laughing "they were hiding a treasure too which we helped them with."
"Really?" he asked curiously getting a nod from Ash who held his hand out as he stepped out of line and let the person behind him go before him "I'm John Tataka" he said shaking it "maybe you could help us then."
"I'll certainly give it a go" Ash said nodding "if you give me your address I'll come and find you later on? I've been travelling from the south of the island, and I desperately need a shower."
"Yeah, that's fine" he said "I'll likely be in the harbour, near the northern side of the docks. Our boat is called the Shipwreck."
Ash just laughed and shook his head "seems like a good name for people who are about to go treasure hunting in the Whirl Islands."
"We thought so too" he said nodding before leaving. Ash got back in line still chuckling and received the room key from Joy and showered a few days' worth of grime and sweat from him, feeling incredibly better afterwards. After eating he sat down at the centre's computer and loaded up the website that Nurse Joy had given him and read about the ISS Raspberry. It had belonged to a man named Richard Atwell, a legend in these parts as a treasure hunter. In fact, the museum in Ogi City was filled with items that he had found in his travels. Apparently, his ship sunk just a few miles off the coast of Yellow Rock Isle after one too many dives as it drifted from where it was anchored, hit a whirlpool and sank. "Very intriguing" he murmured.
An hour later Ash left the centre and stopped dead. Walking along the platform was someone he hadn't seen for nearly three years now "Hey, isn't that Richie? The guy we beat in the Kanto League tournament?"
Hearing his name Richie looked up from the map he was perusing. His face shifted from puzzled to recognising Ash in mere seconds. "Ash!"
"It's been a while" Ash said nodding at him "how have you been?"
"I've been good" he replied nodding "not as good as you though eh?"
"Eh, we've had our moments" Ash said laughing before being interrupted.
"Can you tell him it's right" Richie's Pikachu said exasperated "we've been standing looking at this map for twenty minutes now."
"Hello to you too Sparky." Ash said nodding before relaying the message.
"Oh right" Richie said holding the map up and twisting it a few ways before settling back to where it was "are you sure?"
Sparky just sparked warningly "Ok, Ok" Richie said hurriedly as his Pikachu settled down. "So we need to go to the harbour and continue from there."
"We're on our way there actually, wanna walk with us?" Ash asked intrigued. "What are you searching for anyway?"
"Oh well that's kind of a long story" Richie said as he fell in line with Ash "after our loss to you we trained hard for a whole year and re-entered the Indigo League. We came fourth as we lost to John in the Semi-Finals, and it was heart-breaking. All that training just to come in fourth. We went away from that and wondered just what the hell we should do when I came across an article about Cynthia and her tomb raiding exploits and it had me hooked. We'd by that point already been on several dig sites so we knew what we could and could not do but it was always exciting. So, I gathered as many articles on it as I could, did as much research as I could and then asked Professor Oak about getting a scholarship with the Kanto and Johto History Museum.
A few weeks into my time there though I figured out what it is I want to do with my life. Believe it or not it was a video of you at your book signing on Legendary Pokémon that made me have an epiphany. Where do all the myths and legends come from, where did they originate from and why are there items that specifically belong to Legendary Pokémon? Recently an expedition in Sinnoh near Celestic Town uncovered what they believe to be a shard of curved rock that emits a strange aura which they believe to belong to a Pokémon. So far no one has been able to identify what it is, but they believe it to be from another world as nothing they do with it can harm it in any way. That fascinated me, to think that there are Pokémon from other planets is an incredible thought.
Anyway, I'm rambling, sorry. Back to why I'm here. Your book was an incredible read and the insights I gleaned from them has helped me further understand their place in our world. My particular field of research is the Legendary Pokémon of Johto and what they do. I know your book is informative but there was no section on why they do what they do and just how far reaching their role is for Pokémon all over the world. You talked about why they were created and what they do but not to an extraordinary depth. This is why I'm here where my research has led me. I recently found an old map in the museum's library of what the Whirl Islands looked like a few hundred years ago, they were very different from what they are now as they were all joined up at one point before the seismic separation but there was said to be a hidden cave home to a very powerful Pokémon. Even the locals have warned me not to venture too deep in the caverns of Whirl Islands but I recently came across a passage that said "A feather of pure moonlight will guide the way."
Normally this would be discarded but I remembered hearing a story from my grandmother whose aunt lived in Cianwood City years ago, when it was actually a city about the rumours of hearing strange noises coming from these islands at night along with a huge shadow passing underneath the sea. Over the years there have been many explorers who have come to seek the truth of this legend only to either go missing or lose their minds in the caverns. So, I'm here to try and find clues to this feather and the trail has led me to this island. Here, have you read about this?" Richie finished handing Ash a piece of paper. Remarkably it was the same excerpt he read about this morning about the shipwreck only it had a few more details on it.
"Yeah" Ash said nodding "I read an article this morning as I met the guy who has found the wreckage. That's where I'm off to now actually, to go and speak to him as I have experience in dealing with ghost ships and treasure hunting. This feather sounds very familiar though."
"How so?" Richie asked as they walked along a dock.
"A feather of pure moonlight?" Ash said "it sounds exactly like the Silver Wing that comes from Lugia."
"A Silver Wing?" Richie said stopping and smacking himself on the head "Of course it is. The Whirl Islands have long said to be the home of Lugia, hell one of these islands are always decorated with Lugia's insignia. How the hell didn't I put that together?"
"I'm sure you would have" Ash said "after all Lugia isn't exactly shy these days. I've seen him a few times in recent years. And Shamouti is the home of Lugia these days, this was his retreat when the Brass Tower was burned down to the ground. He hid here to let his anger out and come to terms with what happened. I read an account that his rage was so great, and the storms were so fierce that he created the Whirlpools that surround these islands, and they never went away. Anyway, here we are."
As they stopped, they looked at the boat that was in front of them. It was fairly large with a big space on the back that had a submersible attached to the decking. Ash had to hold back a big laugh though when he saw the name Shipwreck painted on the side. "So yeah, it could only be the Silver Wing you're looking for."
"Wouldn't it be great" Richie said as they saw a man and a woman exit the cabin and look quizzically at the exuberant teenager "to have your very own Silver Wing."
"I already have one" Ash said making him stop and look at Ash in shock.
"What do you mean?" the woman asked looking angry "how do you have a Silver Wing? Are you the treasure hunter John told me about? Have you already gone and stolen my Grandfathers Relic, and you've come to brag?"
"Hey! You can pack that shit in right now!" Ash said angrily pointing at her and startling her "firstly I am not a thief! Lord Lugia gifted me a Silver Wing for nearly dying and saving his life and the world at Shamouti in the process. Secondly, I don't know who you are or who your grandfather is so again I wouldn't brag about it to you. And lastly, I am the pre-eminent authority on Legendary Pokémon having met every single one from Kanto and Johto several times along with several from other regions and written a book about them!"
"Oh, you're Ash Ketchum" John said looking between them "I knew I recognised you. I saw the video of you in Ecruteak with the beasts and Lugia."
"Yes" Ash said breathing out and glaring at the woman "so, do you want to start again?"
"Sorry" she mumbled looking away mortified "I'm Luka. It's just I've been looking for my grandfather's ship for so long and the thought of someone getting there first and taking my birthright from me makes me nervous. I'm so close to getting it."
"That's fine" Ash said nodding and accepting her apology before turning to Richie "anyway, yeah I have a Silver Wing. Lugia gave it to me a few years ago when I saved his life from that bellend Lawrence III who tried to capture him. I was also gifted a feather from Lady Ho-oH too."
"You are so lucky" Richie said ignoring the fact Ash nearly died "to have met all those Legendaries. Wow."
"I would argue differently" Ash said shaking his head "When I saw Suicune last week I told her that was the first time I've met a Legendary and not been forced into some kind of nonsense that they create. They have a habit of messing up my life."
John and Luka just looked at each other as Ash was talking and mouthed 'Suicune' in shock before looking back at Ash.
"Anyway John, you asked for my help?" Ash asked.
"Yes" he said nodding before stepping back and inviting Ash on. Richie followed Ash without being invited but no one commented on it as they walked into a cabin that had several maps on the walls with bits of string connecting them in various places. "As you can see, we've been doing this for a long time. All the pinpoints are where we've already looked and dove, the red crosses are where we came up empty and the blue ones are where we found something. But this one is special" he said pointing to one on the table in the centre. Ash looked at it and noticed it was a map of the Whirl Islands with several red crosses on it, but it was dominated by a big circle with a blue cross inside "this is the location of the ISS Raspberry, the infamous ship that went down during a storm."
"A storm?" Ash said looking up "that's not what the articles we've read say."
"Yeah, well they wouldn't would they" Luka huffed angrily "they were written by people who tried to discredit my grandfather's last dive because of what he saw."
"What did he see?" Richie asked before introducing himself.
"He was diving off the coast as he found what looked like a cave around a hundred feet below the surface. He believed it was a cave that was said to lead to the heart of the Whirl Islands, something he had only heard stories about when a huge shape came looming out of the water, it's eyes glowing purple in the murky gloom before it shot upwards and away. My grandfather was stunned, he often described the being as a 'phenomenally powerful' presence. What he didn't know though was whatever it was had disturbed the seabed and uprooted the anchor that kept his boat stationary. Whatever it was snapped clean through the chain which shows you how strong it was. The result though was my grandfather being pulled away by the boat as his air machine was connected to the boat itself, he didn't have decent scuba gear as technology hadn't improved to the state it is now. He was lucky to have the sense of mind to always carry with him a knife and he managed to cut himself free but by that point he had run out of air.
He thought he would die there and then when all of a sudden, he found himself being pulled upwards by the tube that was cut and finally reached the surface. When he managed to get his bearings though he could only look on as not only was whatever saved him gone but his ship drifted into a whirlpool where it capsized and sank along with his greatest ever find. Something he had for years kept away from the museum, something I'm now days away from recovering."
"A Silver Wing?" Ash asked placing a picture down on the desk of a man with a brilliant moustache holding in his hand a very familiar looking item. Reaching into his bag he pulled out the tin and to the awe of the other three in the cabin picked out the Silver Wing and placed it next to the photo. They were a perfect match. "it's definitely a Silver Wing" he continued before looking up at Luka "Your grandfather must have been someone very special to be given one of these. Lugia do not lose them accidentally like a normal bird would. They like Ho-oH's feathers are gifted to people, usually for a special reason. I wonder what it was."
"I've no idea" she said tracing his picture.
"Well, he wasn't lying about having a Silver Wing" Ash said putting his back in his tin and into his bag "so what can I help you with?"
"We keep getting attacked anytime we go near the wreck" John said grimacing "my Mantine just isn't strong enough and Lukas Magikarp has no chance until it evolves."
"What attacked you?" Richie asked with concern.
"The Pokémon that have made the shipwreck home in the last hundred years." Luka replied, "anytime we get close to the ship they chase us away."
"You have a submersible though" Richie said looking confused.
"They need to get out of said submersible Richie to travel through the rotten decking of the shipwreck." Ash said shaking his head. "When do you want to go? It'll be interesting to see what's happened to the ship in the last century."
"We can go now if you're not busy" John said looking between them both.
Richie nodded eagerly while Ash just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'Why not?'
Luka and John made very excited noises as they rushed outside to raise the anchor and soon they were on their way to the dive spot. It only took an hour and half, but Ash could see why it was dangerous as they had to navigate several smaller whirlpools along the way. As they anchored Ash looked around and could see a whirlpool a few hundred yards in the distance.
"I can see how easy it would be for the ship to sink" Ash said pointing it out and releasing Lapras and Gyarados. The three others on the boat backed away involuntarily at the huge behemoth that appeared in front of them, it wasn't often you come face to face with a thirty-foot Gyarados after all, and if you did you likely wouldn't be having a good time. "Hey Princess" Ash said talking up at her. She immediately lowered her head and Ash gave her the customary stroke on her crown getting a rumble from within her "I need you to go below us and see if you can find a shipwreck, there'll be several Pokémon that may try and prevent you from getting close. If it happens do what you need to do, but no electricity, this is their home after all. If you spot it come back up and let me know." Slowly she nodded and sank underneath them and slowly disappeared.
"Lapras, if we do find it your job is to freeze that whirlpool over there" Ash said pointing it out "I have no intention of my journey ending at the bottom of the ocean." Turning around he noticed they were all still looking a bit wary, but Ash ignored them and cleared his throat.
"Oh" Luka said coming back to herself "yes, we'll get the scuba gear ready. Are you coming down with us?"
"No" Ash said "if I go down and get attacked Gyarados will likely rampage, and she'll destroy everything in sight. It's too risky. But I'll send her with you guys to aid you. Unfortunately, Lapras can't swim underwater as she needs to breathe. Oh, hang on." Walking over to the side he took out his Pokégear and rang Zoe.
"Hey Ash" she said as her face appeared on the screen "how can I help."
"Is Kabutops or Blastoise around?" Ash asked, "we need their help."
"Blastoise was called away urgently by the fire brigade this morning" Zoe said "somewhere near Mt Moon I believe. Kabutops is here though. How soon do you need her?"
"Within the hour please" Ash said getting a nod and the screen went blank.
"Well, that makes this a bit easier" Ash said "you'll have some more help for when you dive. Are you going down Richie?"
"Yeah" he said nodding "can you look after Sparky while I'm down there?"
"Yeah, of course" Ash said nodding over to the Pikachu who was catting animatedly to his own. Ash smiled at the scene, it wasn't often Pikachu got to meet a member of his own species, in fact it was downright rare Ash thought to even see a Pikachu. A moment later Ash walked over to the side as Gyarados huge head appeared sporting a scuff mark on it. Ash frowned in annoyance at the thought of her being attacked. "Is it down there?"
Gyarados nodded before sinking back down below them. Twenty minutes later Ash's Pokégear bleeped, and a ball appeared on his belt which he immediately released. Kabutops materialised and looked around before spotting Ash and she immediately started chittering.
"Yes, yes I know I'm happy to see you too" Ash said shaking his head "we need your help. Down below us is a shipwreck. Gyarados is already down there but she's likely being attacked anytime she gets too close. I need you to go with these two" he pointed at Richie and Luka "they need something from the shipwreck itself. Your job is to just warn the Pokémon away while they get it. We don't want to harm them; this is their home after all. Oh, and watch out for Lugia, he may be down there too. Do not attack him."
Looking into the water she nodded and got ready to jump in before she suddenly stopped and started chittering to Ash again who sighed.
"Fine" he said as he pulled his hair from behind his head. Over the last few months he had grown it out, simply because he couldn't be arsed getting it cut so it was now in a ponytail. Grabbing the end, he pulled and three strands of his hair came loose which he grunted at before sighing as he passed them over to Kabutops who immediately squealed in joy as she grabbed them between her scythes and held them apart before pouncing on them, eating them in a few bites and then jumping into the water. Ash turned around and just shook his head at the stupefied expression on everyone's faces. "Don't ask, she has a thing for my hair. Apparently, it's a species trait as they're obsessed with human hair for some reason. Anyway, Kabutops will be much better at being able to help you out down there."
"Gyarados has been a long time down there" Richie said a few minutes later "is it ok?"
"She is fine" Ash said "I can sense her swimming around down there; she's likely trying to stop Kabutops from eating anything that attacked her. You guys should be fine to go now."
Nodding Luka gave Richie a quick lesson in using the scuba gear before they both dove down into the water.
"We'll watch their body cams from inside" John said leading Ash into the cabin.
"Keep an eye out Lapras, you too Pi" Ash said following John and sitting down at their desk to watch the bodycam feed. John, putting on a headset and handing another to Ash typed in a few things on his computer and the feed came up.
"Keep in constant contact Luka" John said commandingly "you too Richie, if there's any issues or the current gets too much I'm pulling you out, understood?"
Getting two 'yes's' they watched as the water grew darker and murkier as they went deeper and deeper. Soon enough though out of the gloom a shape began to appear and before long the view cleared and they got their first look at the ISS Raspberry. The entire thing was glowing an eerie green and it wasn't until they were next to it that they realised it was covered in algae. It was also only twenty feet long which puzzled them until Richie pointed out that there was another shape in the gloom about fifty feet away. The ship was in two parts.
"I can't believe it" they heard Lukas voice say as she approached it "it's really real." The body cam turned as she did, and they saw Kabutops and Gyarados lazily doing laps of the ship watching out for them. "It seems the inhabitants either don't know were here yet or your Pokémon have warned them sufficiently Ash. This is the closest we've ever been able to get near the ship before being driven away. I can't thank you enough for this."
"It's fine" Ash said smiling "happy to help." Looking over at a machine on the wall he frowned "you only have an hours' worth of oxygen left though so I'd get on with exploring. You can always come back later if you don't find what you're after."
"Ok" Luka said as she swam into the wreckage itself. Kabutops it seemed had taken the order to protect them extremely seriously as she was often seen to be swimming on ahead into the various rooms they checked, not letting them enter until she knew it was cleared. They found the odd trinket but not what she was after, much to her disappointment.
"Ok, you've got ten minutes of oxygen left" John said, "come on up, we'll go again in a few hours after we've replenished the canisters."
Luka was very disappointed as she climbed back onto the boat "I really thought I'd find it. And while this other stuff is likely valuable it's still not my grandfather's Silver Wing."
"Well, you've cleared one half of the wreckage" John said soothingly "you have a whole other half to look at. I didn't see what looked like the captain's cabin down there though through the cameras."
"It was mainly storage rooms" Richie said as he had a drink "I think the rooms we explored were the hold area. I suspect you're right as the back half of the boat is the bit we've yet to explore."
"Stern" Ash said shaking his head "it's called the stern. The bit you explored was the Bow."
"Ok Mr Pedantic" Richie said shaking his head "the stern is yet to be explored. And at least bow we have an exact location so we can swim straight down."
"Gyarados and Kabutops can help you get down quicker" Ash said "I need to feed them first though. I won't be long." Walking out he fed both Pikachu and his other Pokémon that were out, thanking Lapras for her diligence too. It wasn't long before the threesome walked out of the cabin with new tanks attached and signalled they were ready. Luka climbed into the water and grabbed hold of Gyarados' crown while Richie braced himself on Kabutops' back, making sure he kept clear of the scythes. Less than two minutes later they were at the bottom of the ocean once more, this time over the unexplored section. It wasn't unexplored for very long though as Luka and Richie made their way in a door that was hanging off its hinges, rotten and covered in seaweed. Just as they entered though a blue blur came flying at them only to be intercepted by a brown blur from behind them and crashing back into the room. They never saw what it was but they knew whatever it was didn't survive as out of the door a red mist came pouring out. Blood. Wondering if they should proceed, they looked at each other. As if in sync they decided to wait for the blood to disperse which didn't take long. It was a good thing too as when they entered the room they saw it was empty except for several dead Remoraid with deep slashes across their sides. The sounds of a scuffle was heard from another room in the back of this one before complete silence. Swimming in they both wished they hadn't as they saw Kabutops had pinned a Mantine to the wall with her Scythe which was squealing in pain before she brought down her second scythe into its head silencing it. Unaware of her audience she quickly began to drink its blood and slice bits off to eat them. It was a very gruesome sight and the two quickly decided there was nothing to be taken from this room and they quickly swam out where they tried to get their bearings.
"Sorry about that" Ash's voice said through their earphones "apparently, I didn't feed her enough before. Usually, my other Pokémon or I will keep her in line but as you can see it's rather difficult to do so when you're not with her."
"Yeah well, it's not something I'm going to forget in a hurry" Lukas strained voice replied, "I've seen fishermen fillet fish before, hell I've done it myself but there's something different about seeing a Pokémon do it to another Pokémon."
"It happens" Ash said "I've seen it many times. I was nearly eaten once by an Aerodactyl after we stopped a Tyrunt eating a Togepi in Grampa Canyon. That was my first taste of seeing Pokémon eat others or at least try to."
"Are you ok Richie?" Ash asked.
"No" he replied, "that was horrible."
"Yes well" Luka said regaining her composure "we have a limited amount of oxygen, and we've just wasted ten minutes. Let's go."
After checking several other rooms they came to the biggest of them all. It was littered in debris and detritus that had long since rotted away. In the centre was a huge desk, on three walls there were various pieces of rotten maps and photos but in the corner of the room on the right was a chest that was part opened. Swimming over Richie, who spotted it cautiously opened it and gasped as there in a corner was a very grey but easily recognisable Silver Wing. It had long since lost its lustre but there was no mistaking its aura. Luka felt it from the corner she was in and swam over and gasped too before she reached in and gently picked it up. She couldn't believe it, this was it. Her grandfather's legacy. As she was about to place it in a bag the boat was suddenly rocked as something slammed into the side and she lost her grip on it and it fell through a crack in the floor. At the minute though she couldn't process what was happening as another slam hit the boat.
Ash was watching on with interest. He had long since gotten used to Kabutops' feeding habits, so it took seconds for him to refocus. He was fascinated by the running commentary that Luka gave as she attached each bag to a small air-filled balloon so John could collect it on the surface. It was a remarkably efficient way of getting the treasure to the surface as long as it wasn't too heavy. He was getting a little concerned though as Gyarados had not been seen for a long time and while he could feel her half a mile under the ocean, he couldn't gauge how she felt or what was happening which was why it was such a shock when he felt her anger.
"Somethings wrong" Ash said taking his headphones off and rushing outside and stared at the open ocean. "Something is going on down there Pi" he said as he tried to think of what he could do "Gyarados is really angry and we can't bloody help her." Before he could continue though he felt a very powerful presence make itself known underneath him as a huge shadow passed underneath the boat followed by a very familiar one.
"It's a Lugia" Ash said recognising the aura "why is Gyarados fighting a Lugia?"
"It's not the one we rescued is it?" Pikachu asked looking on as every now and then a beam of light would burst through the surface where they fizzled out in the sky. The water around the boat quickly became very choppy as a storm appeared from nowhere forcing Ash to take shelter in the cabin as rain battered the boat.
"What's going on?" John asked frantically as his wife was being thrown about under the sea and their boat was stranded on top. Luckily the anchor had stayed where it should have been but it didn't make them feel any better. Looking out of the cabin John gasped in awe as Lugia broke the surface and swept into the sky dodging a Thunderbolt before it plummeted into the ocean once more. Ash rather foolishly decided that he needed to do something, and he raced onto the deck and released Salamence.
"Gyarados is being attacked by a Lugia" he shouted into the howling winds "when it surfaces attack but try not to do serious harm. We've no idea why it attacked us either. We just need to stall it to get two people up to the surface and leave."
As if on cue they felt a whirlpool build under the water and Lugia once more burst through the ocean surface screeching in anger. Salamence didn't miss a beat and she slammed into the Lugia with a powerful Dragon Rush ploughing them both back into the ocean. Gyarados' huge frame surfaced and Ash noticed she had several burn marks along her flank. The most noticeable thing though was she was currently glowing bright blue, which contrasted incredibly with her red scales. Dragon Dance Ash thought, she must be very pissed off to want to max out her power.
"Gyarados, leave Lugia to Queenie for now. We must get Richie and Luka back onto the boat." Angrily Gyarados chuffed before diving back under the water to find the stricken divers. Ash though could do nothing but wait as several times Salamence had risen back into the air waiting for her opponent to dare attack again. Thankfully though Gyarados and Kabutops surfaced with Richie and Luka on their backs and quickly scrambled onto the deck of the boat where they flopped onto their backs in relief at the rain hitting their faces. Kabutops immediately began screeching angrily to Ash who couldn't understand a word, but he got the gist. Pikachu however could and translated for Ash who perked up at the information she gave him.
"I thought I would die down there" Richie said gasping for breath as he took the scuba gear off his head and back "what the hell happened? One minute the ocean was calm and the next its as if we were caught in a storm!"
"You're not far off being right" Ash said looking up to the sky as the rain was slowly dying down until incredibly it stopped, and the skies cleared "why would a Lugia attack us?"
"A Lugia?" Richie asked getting up onto his knees "is that what it was? All we saw was a huge set of purple eyes, like the ones in the mythical story and then darkness. It wasn't until Kabutops found us and intercepted an attack that we realised we were under attack. The Raspberry is in bits down there. Don't be surprised to find pieces of it floating to the surface soon. It's just lucky we found the Silver Wing before it happened."
"It's gone" Luka said in a small voice looking down at her hands "I had it, right there in my hands and the impact of the battle shook it from my grasp and it fell through a hole in the floor. My grandfather's legacy is once again taken from us."
"Well now you at least know it's definitely there" Ash said still staring over the ocean contemplating what just happened "you've seen proof of it with your own eyes, you've even held it. You'll find it again, I have faith."
"It was so close" she whispered before slowly shuffling off into the cabin.
"I think it best that we head for the mainland" John said as he patted Richie on the back and went inside to comfort his wife. Very soon the boat made a noise as the anchor was lifted and they were soon on their way back to the harbour. A few hours later they alighted onto the docks, Luka still hadn't come out of the cabin, so distraught was she about the situation.
"When do you think you'll try again?" Ash asked.
"Likely tomorrow" he said, "the longer we wait the more time the shipwreck has time to get new inhabitants and we'll be unable to ever get it."
"Ah ok" Ash said nodding before coming to a decision and walking off to the side where he spoke to Kabutops briefly.
"Here" Ash said walking back to John and handing him Kabutops' Pokéball "send her back tomorrow evening. Give her to Nurse Joy, she'll send her to me. I'll help as much as I can, but she has er own thing she needs to do at my home."
"Oh, thank you" he said holding the ball gratefully "you've already helped so much. Thank you for this."
"It's fine" Ash said nodding "I wish you the best of luck."
Nodding to them Ash and Richie made their way back to the Pokémon centre which took a while. They spent most of the journey in silence until Richie broke it. "I think I underestimated the thought of meeting a Legendary Pokémon."
"No, no you didn't" Ash said "when I told you about them messing up our lives I wasn't joking. There's a reason I try to stay as clear from them as possible. Now at least you've seen firsthand or at least felt firsthand what happens when they're irritated."
"And I'm still no clearer on the legend I was chasing." Richie said, "that's the closest I've got to a Silver Wing and it got lost again."
"Ah, well Kabutops had some pretty interesting information to share in between the ranting. About three hundred yards away from the Raspberry was a cave, one that Lugia retreated to after being beaten. I suspect we've found the entrance or at least one of them to her Lair."
"Her?" Richie asked after processing the information.
"Oh yes" Ash said nodding "the Lugia that attacked us was female. It wasn't the one we dealt with at Shamouti."
"I didn't know there was more than one." Richie said musing out loud.
"Oh yeah" Ash said "there's a few of each really. I think the only ones that are unique are the God tier Legendaries and those that immediately serve under them. All the lower and intermediate ones have a few of each species. You said you were making the Kanto and Johto Legends your thesis, right?"
"Yes" Richie said nodding "I don't really have any plans to venture to Hoenn or Sinnoh so I'd like to build a comprehensive report about the ones in the original two regions."
"Well, I know for a fact there's at least two of each Kanto Birds, three in Articunos case as we saw her baby as well as three Moltres. There's three Mew, One Mewtwo. There's two of each Johto Beast, at least two Lugia but one Ho-oH that I know of. Oh, and unless it's the same one flitting around everywhere there's apparently around ten Celebi."
"Wow, so many" Richie said as they walked into the Pokémon centre "I don't know where to begin."
"I'd start in Ecruteak" Ash said "find the museum and ask for Elder Li and Morty the gym leader. They are the keepers of the two towers and the museum. Tell them I vouched for you. They have a lot of information and relics of the Johto Legendaries. In Kanto the main museum was on Cinnabar, but I believe it relocated to Saffron City when Mt Cinnabar erupted a decade ago."
"It is in Saffron" Richie said, "I work there after all."
"Oh yeah" Ash said remembering their conversation what seemed like weeks ago but was in fact just a few hours. Looking up at the clock he saw it was nearly 7pm now and he had to feed the rest of his Pokémon. "Anyway, my team need feeding and sorting out. It was nice seeing you, if you're ever around Pallet Town just pop in, it would be nice to catch up."
"No worries" Richie said standing up "yeah, I better get back to the hotel I'm staying at before the restaurant closes. See you later Ash."
Saying goodbye, he walked out of the back of the Pokémon Centre and onto the field where he released his team other than the ones he had used today and fed them, letting them know what had happened today and that they'd be continuing on their journey in the morning. Queenie was still sulking an hour later when their light training session was over.
"Are you still sulking?" Ash asked walking over to her.
"No" she said sulking "I'm just annoyed the Lugia got away."
"Well," Ash said rubbing down her flank with a sponge, something he did once a week "we're likely to be in the Whirl Islands for the next week so maybe you'll get your chance again. Barring that we could always ask the Lugia we know for a battle when we visit Shamouti next year."
"We're going back?" she asked surprised "why?"
"Well, no" Ash said "but Danny and I made it a standing order that we do his gym challenge every year in ether January or early February so it's not a long detour to get to Shamouti from Navel Rock. By that point we'd have finished the Johto League so it's up to you."
"I'd like that" she said lying down so he could reach her wings rumbling as Ash reached a particular point on her wing joint.
The next day Ash packed up and left the centre heading once more for the harbour, his time walking past the jetty that housed the Shipwreck and headed towards the boat that would take him to Red Rock Isle. Getting a ticket he boarded and sat down letting out a deep breath.
"I wonder what nonsense awaits us next Pi" he asked rhetorically getting a snort from said Pokémon.