Chapter 256: The Old Man Who Saw Azelf
Six months later.
Will and his group traveled to the nature reserve near Sunyshore City.
Sunyshore City was the location of the final Gym in the Sinnoh region, and also the only way to reach the Pokémon League.
It was built on a narrow cape. To compensate for the lack of space, the city had paved solar panels as elevated walkways to provide energy.
But Will and the others hadn't reached Sunyshore City yet.
They were currently directly west of Sunyshore, near Lake Valor.
The area surrounding Lake Valor had been designated as a nature reserve by the Sinnoh League.
Will guessed the Sinnoh League must have discovered something special about Lake Valor, perhaps even knowing that the Valor Cavern contained an entrance to another world. That would explain the reserve.
Under the guise of protecting the forest, they were protecting Azelf from threats. Just like the area around the Tree of Beginning.
Walking through the forest.
"Piplup, Lucario, look! There's a small yard up ahead!"
Lorelei pointed forward.
In the small forest, a relatively open clearing appeared. It was filled with colorful flowers and grass. There were even small plants bearing berries. Clearly, someone was carefully tending to this vegetation.
In the center of the clearing stood a quaint wooden cabin, with a small, ground-level terrace next to it. Small potted plants were arranged by the cabin's windows.
"The person living here seems to really like plants. I'm guessing a Grass or Bug-type specialist," Will thought, crossing his flippers.
"Should we visit? There's one person and one Pokémon inside," Lucario looked at Lorelei, who was holding Will.
He knew that Will let Lorelei make most of the decisions, so he usually asked her instead of Will.
"Of course! Someone living in a forest like this must have lots of unique stories. How can we not ask?"
Lorelei clenched her little fist and pumped it.
Traveling and adventuring was about seeking opportunities. You couldn't just wait for them to come to you.
With that, Lorelei walked up, holding Will. As usual, she held him up by his armpits, and Will reached out a flipper to knock on the door. Rap rap.
"Coming~"
An aged voice called from inside.
Then, the wooden door opened, revealing a white-haired, slightly stooped old man. Standing beside him was a yellow-green Pokémon.
"Ludicolo!"
Lorelei's eyes lit up. Only Water and Ice-type Pokémon could make her react like this.
Ludicolo is a very interesting Pokémon. They spend almost every day singing and dancing. If a Ludicolo's trainer prefers quiet, they're going to have a headache.
But, living with a Ludicolo makes depression almost impossible. If you feel even a little down, they will find a way to dance and cheer you up, unlike other Pokémon who might get sad with you. They are the hand-warmers of the Pokémon world.
Another interesting point is Ludicolo's species ability.
Upbeat music energizes its cells.
As soon as it hears happy music, the cells in its body surge with power, and its mood becomes spirited and fearless. It will never back down from a strong enemy.
It's truly a Pokémon that gets stronger when the BGM starts.
So, for trainers who love music, Ludicolo is a perfect match.
"Lumba-pa~"
The Ludicolo stood behind the old man, happily hopping from foot to foot.
"Hello, Grandpa! I'm a passing traveler aiming for the Sinnoh Conference~"
"Oh my~ A traveler? How impressive~"
The old man looked at the energetic Lorelei with a kind smile.
"Hehe."
"So, what brings a little traveler to my humble abode?"
"I could tell at a glance that you're a person with stories, so I wanted to ask if there's anything amazing around here."
"Amazing things... well, there is one," the old man paused, then sighed.
He turned his head to look toward Lake Valor.
Everyone else looked in that direction too.
While Lorelei and Lucario were confused, Will understood instantly.
This old man must have seen Azelf.
If that was true, it was quite a big deal.
Azelf, the "Being of Willpower," along with the other two Lake Guardians, didn't just run around like Ho-Oh. They only appeared to those they recognized.
And in terms of seniority, the Lake Guardians were on the same level as the Creation Trio (Dialga, Palkia, Giratina). They, too, lived in another world.
"When I was young, back when Ludicolo was still a Lotad, we saw a blue Pokémon by the shores of Lake Valor."
The old man seemed to drift into memory.
"That day, a fire broke out in this forest. Having just joined the League Fire Brigade, Lotad and I followed the captain into the forest to fight the fire."
"But during the process, a group of cloaked figures surrounded us. That's when we realized the fire wasn't an accident. It was arson, started by a group of Pokémon Poachers to flush out the Pokémon."
"The captain fought seven or eight poachers alone, while the rest of us rookies continued to fight the fire."
"Although they weren't strong individually, there were many of them, and they were clearly organized. My comrades fell one by one, until only the captain and I were left."
"Coincidentally, both the captain and I were stubborn mules. Even if we died, we wouldn't stop resisting and let them ravage this forest and its Pokémon. So we decided to fight to the death."
"Just then, a blue Pokémon emerged from Lake Valor. Its eyes glowed with a blinding blue light. In an instant, all the poachers turned into puppets, standing motionless. They stayed like that until the police arrived and arrested them all."
"From that day on, the League knew of the Pokémon in Lake Valor. They decided to establish a nature reserve around it as cover. The captain, myself, and the few rookies who survived retired from the Fire Brigade and became Rangers here."
The old man finished his story.
"!! You're still a Ranger at your age?!"
Lorelei's focus was completely off-track.
Will and Lucario both facepalmed and sighed.
"What are you saying! My bones are still tough! Beating a little girl like you with one hand would be easy!"
"I don't believe you. Wanna try?"
Lorelei shook her head and waved her fists in the air.
"Hmph, forget it. Someone would die."
The old man sneered, a chilling smile appearing on his face.
"You mean... who would die?"
Lorelei suddenly felt an intense pressure. This was the aura of a strong expert!
"Me."
...
Lorelei, Will, & Lucario fell silent.
"Haha, I'm old and useless now. Walk two steps and my back aches. I really miss the spirited young me. If the current me were back then, I'd probably have knelt and surrendered."
The old man shook his head with a laugh and turned to go inside. "Alright, don't stand outside. Have some consideration for an old man's body and let me sit down."
"Lumba~"
Ludicolo ushered the three into the cabin. Then, it prepared hot tea for them.
Lorelei, face twisting: "Ugh, bitter~"
Will, putting down the cup: "Astringent."
Lucario, sticking out tongue: "Hsss~"
"Hmph! You uncultured little brats, you'll never taste good things in this life."
The old man blew into his beard and glared, taking a sip of his tea. "I grew this myself! You couldn't find this outside even with a lantern!"
"Of course not, it tastes terrible," Will thought, pursing his lips but saying nothing.
"Grandpa, did you ever see that Pokémon again?"
"No. Never saw it again. Before the captain passed away, he even wondered if it was all a dream."
"Why do you stay here? It looks boring."
"Boring? Hahaha! That's because it's not mealtime yet."
The old man paused, then burst out laughing.
"Huh?"
"Hehe, stay for lunch today, and you'll see. And... I stay here because of an obsession. I want to see that Pokémon one more time, so when I go down there, I can tell the captain it wasn't a dream."
The old man blew on his tea and took a slow sip.
After that, Lorelei listened to the old man chat for a long time.
Meanwhile, Will and Lucario were studying Ludicolo's dance steps.
And honestly... there was something to it.
Will and Lucario discovered that Ludicolo's dance steps were unpredictable!
They usually judged an opponent's next move by sensing the fluctuations in their Aura. But when Ludicolo danced, its internal fluctuations jumped randomly and erratically. It was like looking at a chaotic mess of sheet music; completely unreadable, with no way to know where the next note would land.
It felt like... Enel facing Luffy.
Enel's Mantra could read Luffy's thoughts and predict his moves. But when Luffy entered his "dazed" state and emptied his mind, Enel was dumbfounded.
Will and Lucario were shocked when they realized this.
Although the usage was narrow, it wasn't useless. Against psychic trainers and Psychic-type Pokémon who could read minds, Ludicolo would leave them bewildered. Against Pokémon with Aura Power like Will and Lucario, the effect would be similar.
Lucario wanted to learn, so he clumsily tried to imitate Ludicolo's dance.
Will didn't bother. Without Ludicolo's mindset and love for music and dance, you couldn't master those steps. Will knew he could study it for a lifetime and never get it.
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