AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hiya everyone! Whew, had been some time since my last update. But this time, I have at least good excuses. First, months ago I broke my wrist, so typing was impossible. When I could work again, I nearly finished this chapter but then my hard drive broke. It took quite some weeks to figure out that it was the hard drive which was broken, to buy a new one and to find one who lend me a windows cd-rom. Then, I had the new computer for two days (of course all my work was gone!) and then I had a class trip for one week. However, when I came back the new hard drive was broken again >.< Since it was new, the company agreed to repair it, but said 'we have 3 months time to do so'. Great, huh? Now I have a hard drive again. Wonder how long it works....for now, enjoy the new chapter!!!
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Jasmine, gym leader of Olivine City was sitting at a table, chatting with her friend, Professor Oak, who had just arrived to pay her a visit.
"So, Jasmine, tell me about your last fights. How are your Pok�mon doing?", the professor asked.
"Everything's fine, Prof. Oak. I haven't lost a battle for months. My Pok�mon are getting better and better, I'm sure that they are nearly unbeatable by now...well..." Jasmine thought about it and started to chuckle. "...maybe not. Not if there are more trainers like this girl. She told me that you know her. I believe her name is Sephia."
Professor Oak looked up from his cake, surprised and interested. "Sephia, huh? She hasn't phoned me since weeks. The last thing I've heard from her is that she is doing well. So you met her already? Which of her Pok�mon was your opponent?"
Jasmine sighed. "A Suicune. A real Suicune. Haven't seen her much. Ways too fast for my eyes. Unbelievable."
Professor Oak smiled. "Oh yes, her Suicune. She's beautiful, right? They are all beautiful."
"Thanks a lot, Prof. Oak."
Jasmine and the Professor turned around. The Pok�mon they just had talked about was sitting there. Professor Oak stood up, surprised.
"Suicune! How nice to meet you! Where is Sephia? Where are the other Pok�mon?" He started to examine the water Pok�mon and wrote something down. Suicune watched with mild interest, obviously the professor hadn't changed at all.
"I'm here, Prof. Oak!" Sephia entered the room.
"Hello Sephia! I'm glad that you are ok! You haven't phoned me for about three months!", the professor said while shaking hands.
"I am sorry but we were training in a forest the last month without going into a city. The months before that were very exciting, but nothing really new and interesting happened. I won't do it again, I promise." She smiled. Prof. Oak looked at her. Her dress was quite dirty and her hair a little bit messy. Definitely, she looked like someone who had trained in a forest.
"Prof Oak, would you do me a favour and take a look at my Pok�mon? I still hate Pok�mon Centres, the chance that someone will find out about my Pok�mon is that high", Sephia begged.
The professor smiled. "Of course. You know how interesting your Pok�mon are for me. But, tell me why you are here, too. Jasmine just told me that you have already beaten her."
By now, Jasmine was standing next to the professor and greeted Sephia. "Yes, I remember that you wanted to go to Teak City, right?", the gym leader asked.
"Yeah, right. But this time we want to head to a different direction. South, to be more precise", Sephia said.
"So you want to visit the Cianwood City gym? Chuck is quite a strong trainer but I'm sure that you can beat him", Jasmine smiled.
Sephia shook her head. "No, I already visited him. I just want to go south. That's why I am here. I need your help. The sailors at the harbour won't lend me a ship, they say it's too dangerous. Could you talk with them? Please?!"
"Yes, it's dangerous in the south. There are whirlpools. But you told me that you have flying Pok�mon. Can't they carry you?"
Sephia looked out of a nearby window. Far away in the distance, she could see some small dots in the endless blue of the ocean. Maybe there..."No. They will need their strength", she whispered.
"Sephia...", Prof. Oak started with a low voice. He had been very quiet in the last minutes. "Sephia, how many badges do you have?"
Sephia smiled to no one in particular. "All I need, professor." She took her casket out and opened it. The professor and the gym leader stared at hundred beautiful badges.
"Wow...that's...that's...", Jasmine stammered.
"All I need", Sephia repeated. The professor looked at her. For the first time he noticed how tense and concentrated the young woman was. Nothing unusual if he thought about her upcoming battle. Slowly, he nodded and turned to Jasmine.
"Jasmine, please can you get her a boat for going south? It's very important. I will explain everything to you later. We shouldn't keep Sephia waiting now."
Jasmine didn't understand what was going on, but she hurried outside to get a boat, still thinking about the badges. A trainer with hundred badges...someone nobody would want to mess with. But what was she up to...Sephia...Jasmine couldn't wait for the explaining of Prof. Oak.
Meanwhile, Sephia handed Prof. Oak her Pok�balls. He let the Pok�mon out. They looked around and relaxed after they found themselves in a house. They greeted the professor barely. Even the always-happy Mew was quiet.
'Phew, I thought we were there for a second', Articuno said finally.
"Just a little bit longer. Jasmine is getting us a boat so you don't have to fly", Sephia explained.
'I am a little bit afraid', Mew whispered.
"Don't be. We've trained hard. We will win", Suicune said and nuzzled her little friend, but she didn't sound like a winner should.
The professor walked around them quietly and noticed how strong they looked. Much stronger than all the months ago, in Pallet town. Sephias training seemed to be a really good one, it was difficult to raise the levels of already high-leveled Pok�mon.
"Are you all feeling well and healthy?", he asked when he finished his investigation.
"Healthy, yes. And I'm feeling as good as someone can feel if the fight of his life is coming up", Mewtwo replied. The others nodded.
Prof. Oak sighed. "Well, then I guess you are ready, huh? I can't do something else than wishing you luck."
"Thank you, professor", Sephia said. She was really worried. They had trained in the forest as hard as never before. Every inch of her body ached. But even after this training they were still unable to use Alliance. And she was sure that it was the key for the victory. But when she had seen that further training was making her friends even more nervous they had decided to try it without. They were strong and they were friends. This had to be enough.
Jasmine waited at the harbour. She had found an old sailor who had agreed to sail southwards since Jasmine had helped him once with his Magikarp.
Sephia and the professor finally arrived at the harbour, all of Sephias Pok�mon in the Pok�balls. The sailor stepped forward and pointed at his quite large ship.
"This is the 'Suicune', my ship", he explained.
Sephia smiled. "A perfect name", she decided. Jasmine and the professor smiled.
"So, lady, where are we heading to?", the sailor asked.
"Whirl Islands", she simply said.
The sailor and Jasmine gasped. Jasmine shook her head. No...this couldn't be...
"Whirl Islands...dangerous...this will cost some money", the sailor said. Sephia handed him 500 Pok�dollar.
"Enough?", she asked. The sailor nodded, stunned and not really happy. But he led the way to his ship. Sephia walked aboard and looked at her friends. Jasmine was waving, the professor just standing there giving her a 'thumbs up'. She smiled and returned the gesture. Slowly, the ship started to move. Sephia stood there for a few more minutes until walking down to the sailor.
Jasmine and the professor waited until the ship was out of sight.
"Professor?", the gym leader started.
"Hm?"
"Will she fight?"
"Yes. They waited for this day since a long time ." He turned around and started heading back to the gym. Jasmine stood there for a few more seconds.
"Good luck, Sephia", she whispered. "I expect a new badge when you return."
Sephia stood next to the sailor and captain of the ship, deeply in thoughts.
"You should get yourself something more warm", the man said, "or you will catch a cold."
She nodded. Slowly, she opened her backpack and took out the jacket with the cape, Lance's jacket. Maybe she had no right to wear it but it didn't seem too bad to wear a jacket of a Pok�mon master when encountering one of the mightiest beings of the world.
"There!" The sailor pointed forward and Sephia could see a few small islands a few kilometres ahead. "So, now it gets dangerous. To which island do you want?"
"I don't know", she admitted. "But I'm looking for Lugia."
The sailor raised an eyebrow. "Lady, is this the reason why you are here? I swear you, I am sailing the see for more than thirty years and I never even saw the shadow of Lugia. It's just a legend!"
Sephia smiled. "Maybe. But maybe not. I am here to find it out. But do you mean that you won't sail further if finding Lugia is my request?"
"Right. I am not risking my life for a myth. You can have your money back", he answered. She nodded.
>Mewtwo?<, she called in thoughts.
>Yes?<, came the reply.
>We are nearly there but we have to fly the last meters.<
>I see. Wait.< He went silent, contacting the other Pok�mon with telepathy. The captain watched the girl who had her eyes closed.
>Articuno will fly<, Mewtwo finally replied.
>Alright. So prepare now.< She closed the telepathy link and looked up. She was nervous. It would be terrible if they would fail because of this. Carefully, she took Articunos Pok�ball and released the Pok�mon in front of the stunned sailor.
"Please, tell nobody what you have seen here", she said without even looking at the man. "Keep the money. There are more valuable things for us." Sephia walked to her beloved friend and sat down at his back. With a powerful flap Articuno rose high into the air and the sailor could just see how the girl and her Pok�mon disappeared in the clouds.
Finally, they hovered above the Whirl Islands. There were indeed whirlpools around them which looked pretty dangerous.
'Which one is it?', Articuno asked.
"No idea. Look, most of them have caves!", Sephia said. How were they supposed to find the correct one?
But then, Sephia spotted a small island which was in the centre of a circle of whirlpools. This would be the perfect hideout! She pointed at it and Articuno agreed. They landed on the island. It seemed to consist just of a big cave and a very small beach. Surprisingly, it was very quiet even with all the whirlpools around them. Sephia released all her Pok�mon. They appeared and nodded. Together, they entered the cave. It was empty, but a strange blue glow seemed to come from everywhere. Besides that it was the largest cave Sephia had ever seen. It was at least fifty meters high and very long and wide. It wouldn't make a difference to fight here or outside.
"Lugia?", she finally called. Strangely, she wasn't nervous any longer. There was no echo but her voice sounded loud and clear. No one answered. Slowly, the seven friends started walking further. The cave seemed endless, but finally they arrived at the end. There was a big pool of clearest water there, about thirty meters long and wide.
"Lugia, where are you?!", Sephia called again, but nothing happened.
"Maybe we are on the wrong island?", Suicune asked with a low voice.
Sephia shook her head. "This is the only island which no ship can reach. It has to be the right one. I don't think Lugia would live on an island which every good sailor can reach. - Lugia, where are you?!? We have hundred badges!"
They waited for long minutes, but nothing happened.
'Maybe it's really just a myth', Moltres finally said barely audible. The others preferred no to answer. But what would be if they had done all the work for nothing?
"Let's go", Suicune finally said. "There is no need to stay here. At least we have all the badges. That's something special, too."
Slowly, they all agreed. They looked at the glowing walls and the pool for a last time and turned around, leaving disappointed.
>Wait!<
The voice sounded through their brains like a ringing crystal. They turned around. In the depth of the pool was something...suddenly, two glowing eyes were appearing under the surface and a whirlpool was forming.
>Do you say you have all hundred badges and want to fight for the first legendary badge?<, the voice asked again.
"Yes, we are here to challenge Lugia!", Sephia said. She took out the casket and opened it to prove her words.
>I see. Your wish shall be fulfilled.<
Suddenly, a huge geyser shot out of the pool and, within thousand drops of water, a beautiful being appeared, more than five meters long, with a slender neck, white and blue feathers, red eyes, huge wings and a long tail. It wasn't as graceful as Articuno, but in its own way limitlessly beautiful. There was no doubt who was flying in front of them.
"Lugia."
to be continued...
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