A Scaly Guardian

“You don’t seem to get it yet do you J?  Failure isn’t an option unless you’ve got a death wish.  I specifically told you to capture the boy and bring him here, but you failed.”

        “I’m sorry sir, if I could just-“

        “I don’t broker failure from anyone.  It is only because of your long and dedicated service to this organization and its causes, that you saved yourself from becoming my pet’s next meal.”

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        As I came to my senses again, I found myself looking at the ceiling of a damp cave.  I could hear the steady rhythm of water drops hitting the floor as they dripped off of the stalactites.  I tried to push myself upright, but aside from the loss in physical strength, something was holding me down.

        I turned my head to see that I was laying on top a scaly tail, which alternated its coloration between blue and pink.  The body was cream colored, and coiled up around me to create a sort of cradle around me.  The body felt scaly to the touch, yet warm and soft.  When I craned my head to see what it was that held me down, my heart skipped a beat.

        On my chest, was the head of the most beautiful Milotic I could ever imagine.  The hair-fins that started at her eyebrows cascaded from her and either coiled in a neat pile on her body, or hung loosely on the ground.  Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at me sleepily, leaving me in a haze. 

        “Are you feeling better?” she said at last.

        “Yeah, I’m fine,” I respond.  “Where am I?” I ask.

        “You are in my home, little one” she responded with a slight smile.

        “But, where is your home and how did you get me here?”  I asked as more of my curiosity built up.

        “Shhhh,” she said as a hair-fin drifted over and settled on my lips, prompting my silence.  “Relax.  Don’t get too worked up” she cautioned me.  “That Tentacruel’s tentacles have a paralyzing toxin in them that has been working at you.  I’ve gotten most of it out of you, but if your heart accelerates too much, you may never walk again.”

        Even though I barely knew this Pokémon, something told me she was serious, and I wasn’t going to second guess her on this possibility.  I let myself relax again.

        “Did you bring me here?”  I asked after she had removed her hair-fin from my mouth.

        “I most certainly did.  You were on the verge of drowning when I caught up to you,” she responded.

        “Did you by any chance see a Riolu with me?” I asked.

        “I certainly did see one, and I made sure he got away safely from those hunters,” she responded.

        “Hunters?  You mean that those men were Pokémon hunters?” I ask, a little worried.

        “Yes, though they seemed more interested in you than they were with that Riolu,” she responded.

        This struck me as odd due to the rareness of Riolu, particularly in regions like Kanto where they weren’t even native.

        “But, why would Pokémon hunters try and capture me?”  I asked

        “I haven’t the slightest clue why they would do that.” She responded, “but in the end, your safe, and that is what matters, right?”

        I shrugged at this remark.  Though I was glad that I was safe, and that Riolu escaped the hunters, questions of a different sort began surfacing.

        “I don’t understand though.  Why did you help me and Riolu?”  I asked.

        “Well, I first saw you come to the lake about 4 years ago.  You were the only human who has made a habit of coming, so I’ve had the privilege of watching you grow up—“

        “Wait.  You’ve been watching me since I came to the lake?  Why did you wait until now?” I asked a little confused.

        “Well… I didn’t know what you’d think if you saw me, and I’ve never really talked to a human until now.”  She responded.

        “Well, “ I said after a while.  “If you had come to me sooner, I would gladly have enjoyed your company.”

        “R-really?” she said, a little surprised.

        “Of course” I said, “I’ve only seen pictures of Milotic in story books, but I’ve never seen one in real life.  Let alone, one that was interested in me.”

        “Thank you so much” she responded in a burst of gratitude, which earned me a soft lick across the face.

        Following this exchange, Milotic began adjusting herself from the makeshift bed she had made for me, to coiling herself around my body.  She was careful not to let me drop to the cave floor during the process.

        “Milotic, what are you doing?” I asked, curious about her current actions.

        “Just relax, I’m finishing the last of the poison extraction.” She returned as her last coil settled snuggly on my chest.  She closed her eyes, and her face looked as if she was trying hard to remember something.  After a while, her body began glowing an emerald green, and a soothing sensation began flowing through my body, alleviating even the most minuscule discomforts.

       “Of course”, I said after the glow faded from her body.  “That was refresh, wasn’t it?”

       “I’m not sure what you humans call it, but that is an ability of mine that allows me to cure most ailments on a moments notice.” She said, as she let herself relax.

       I lay there in silence, while Milotic caught her breath from the refresh process.  After what seemed like 10 minutes, I broke the silence in the name of casual conversation.

        “Milotic, do you live here alone?” I asked

        She nodded in response.  A somber look spread across her face before she gave her spoken reply.  “Yes, I do live out here alone.  I never left the lake, and I know it’ll never happen, but someday, I wanna go out and see the world.”

        A thought struck me like a bell on a Sunday morning.  “Milotic, in a couple months, I’m going on a Pokémon journey, and I’ll get to do a lot of that stuff.”

        “Really?” she said with a look of interest spreading into her face.

        “Yep.” I responded.

        “Do… you think I might be able to… come with you?” she asked tentatively.

        This came to me as a real shock.  A wild Pokémon, a rare one, wanted to come with a trainer.

        “Absolutely.” I responded.

        “Oh, thank you so much” she said as I felt all the coils she had on me tighten in a giant snake hug of ecstasy.  I could almost feel the joy radiating from her as she held me.  After a while she released me from the squeeze and lifted me on to my feet.

        “Well are we ready to go?” she asked cheerily.

        “Yeah, we should probably get back before all of Pallet Town starts a giant search party for me.”  I responded.

        Milotic led me over to a pool at the edge of the cavern we were in.

        “Do you know how to swim?” she asked as we stood by the edge of the water.

        “Yeah, I’m okay at it.”  I responded.  I had had some experience when the weather was warm enough to allow me to swim in the lake, but not much else besides that.

        “Okay then, just hold on to me, and before you know it, we’ll be on the shore again.”  she said.

        She slithered into the water and poked her head out at me, and prompted me to jump in after her.  I jumped in the water and gasped as the chilling effect of the water took hold of me.  Milotic quickly batted the underside of my feet to keep my head above the surface until I got a hold over myself.  When that was over with I swam over and grabbed onto Milotic just behind her head.

        “Are you ready?” she asked.

        “Lets go.” I responded.  I caught a big breath, and Milotic dove under the surface of the water with me hanging on to her neck.  I couldn’t see where we were going, but Milotic was swimming fast enough that I didn’t doubt she knew where to go.  Soon light could be seen coming from above us, and Milotic made a Beedrill line for the surface.

        Judging by the position of the sun, morning was well under way.  Milotic guided me to the side of the lake where I got out and proceed to wring out my clothes, which were dripping wet. 

        We soon saw a man shouting to us from a ways away from us.  By the way he dressed he must have been a Pokémon Ranger, due to the configuration of his red uniform.  We began making our way over to him, as he did likewise. 

        “Are you Ted?” he asked as he studied Milotic and me.

        “Yeah, why?” I responded.  I had never met this guy before, yet he didn’t seem like he was looking for trouble the way that the hunters were.  Upon the delivery of my response, he pulled out his radio and began talking into it.

        “This is Jack Walker to home base, home base come in.”  he said to the radio.

        After a while, a female voice answered back. “Well Jackie, any news on the kid.”

        “Yes, I’ve found him.  He is alive and well, and he is…”  Jackie stopped and let his gaze rest on Milotic before continuing “… in good hands.”

        The voice on the radio chimed back.  “Alright Jackie, bring him back to town.”

        “Will do, Jackie out” he returned.  He tucked his radio away and told us to follow him back to town.  He explained to us that the Pokémon hunters that were found during the previous day had been apprehended.  We were led back to town, where my mother and Riolu eagerly awaited my return.

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        A man dressed in a black suit was sitting at a desk in a dark office.  What little light was in the office that allowed visibility was directed in such a way as to not show his face.  He seemed to be deep in thought on many troubling matters that cluttered his mind.  Suddenly the door burst open, and two burly guards thrust a grey haired woman inside.

         “Shut the door.”  Commanded the man at the desk.

        The door was shut leaving the woman dressed in black looking at the man at the desk.

        “Sir I won’t make excuses for myself.  I—“ began the woman.

         “Good, cause if you were planning on it, I wouldn't be interested.  You know my policy when it comes to dealing with failure, right?” said the man as he cut her off.

        “Sir, if I could just-“ interjected the woman.

        “You don’t seem to get it yet do you J?  Failure isn’t an option unless you’ve got a death wish.  I specifically told you to capture the boy and bring him here, but you failed.”

        “I’m sorry sir, if I could just-“

        “I don’t broker failure from anyone.  It is only because of your long and dedicated service to this organization and its causes, that you saved yourself from becoming my pet’s next meal.”

         “Thank you sir” she said, breathing a sigh of relief.

        “But, I’m reassigning you to Sinnoh.  Do what you do best until I have need of you in the future.  You know my intentions, and my goals, so don’t get in my way.” he continued.

        “I won’t fail you again sir.” She said hastily.

        “Good, now get out of my office before I change my mind about sparing your life.” He said as he waived J out. 

        J wasted no time in getting out.  Silence fell across the room for about ten seconds before the man spoke again.

        “David, I have a door for a reason.  Now what do you want?” he said, rather perturbed.

        The figure of a man stepped into the dim light of the office, revealing a man dressed in a black nano-suit, with buzzed blonde hair, and a scar that put out his left eye.

        “I couldn’t help but listen in.  It’s a shame to see J get the boot on an assignment like that.” The man said in a cold, sinister voice.

        “I don’t think she’ll last more than 10 years on her own without my resources, though I’m a little curious to see how much of a reputation she can build on her own.” Said the man at the desk.  “How goes the interrogation of William?”

        “He still hasn’t spoken, and the fact that we haven't found his son sets us back even further.”  Responded David.  “Should I get into the hunt?”

        “No, I have need of you to be elsewhere.  He has been spooked, and the G-men are watching him like a hawk.  If we move now, then we’ll be exposed, and then the last three decades of work will have been for nothing.” Said the man at the desk.

        “Understood.  Do we have any more leads on the prophecy?” asked David.

        “Nope, nothing new has come through.  I’ve allocated more agents to following leads, but nothing has come up that requires your attention.”