LUGIA

  This time period preceded the Poke Ball and as such, the term ‘Pokémon’. They were known as monsters, fairies, beasts, and demions among other names…

  From the diary of Darecy Punet, a humble fisherman and sailor who lived in the 16th Century. These were his written notes, taken after a voyage through present day Cinnasea Stretch, a Kanto-Johto trade route…

  Here, I will give account of how I came to cross paths with Luhey?, a guardian of the world’s seas.

  What I am about to list, I vow, is nothing but the truth.

  ***

  I set out as a crew member of The Promentory in the early Spring of 1569 on what should have been a standard fishing voyage. I was a man in my thirties, and I earned my living out on sea like my father before me.

  I should like to tell you of all the fine details, from the sort of vessel The Promentory was, to the names of each member of its crew, all of which were present during the legendary beast’s appearance, and as such, all witnesses that, had they not perished, could have confirmed that I am not entertaining lies.

  Alas, I will spare you of them because they will add nothing to the tale. All you need know is that The Promentory was among the hardiest of its kind, and its crew, save a few, were of noble spirit.

  On the very first week of the voyage, we set about to catch schools of magikarp. Once on deep waters, we would cast our nets at the first instance of fish-sign, and a pair of trained wyngull would dive into water to guide and corral our hauls. It was hard but simple work. Most of the first catch would be sold and the rest consumed during the voyage, and big hauls such as the one we pulled were good omens.

  On the second week, a Whalorde greeted our vessel. They are the kings of the seas. There is no creature on land or ocean that is larger.

  Our captain, an ambitious man and the son of a lord of Vermillion, somehow set it in his mind that the great demion would prevent us from making good hauls in the future, and by this token, that we should hunt it down. In my own heart, I felt it wrong, though I was not sure why at the time.

  In retrospect, I see now that that was the very moment that the tides of luck turned against us, and the fate of The Promentory sealed. I, regretfully, did not put up opposition. I was a mere fisherman only there to do what needed doing.

  The ship had a water-cage below deck, behind the crew’s quarters where we kept our own sea-dwelling demions. A Glowtern, a large fish that could create electric-force using its bright antennae; and a Shartooth, a vicious hunter with a taste for blood.

  Both of these were rarity possessions, procured only by those of high standing and trained extensively to listen to the voice of men. With these two demions, we could defend ourselves from most threats at sea, or in this case, become a threat at sea…

  So, we hunted the Whalorde down and bloodied the waters amongst a few paltry cheers.

  I hadn’t known it yet, but Luhey?, The Winged Mercurial, had observed the activities of our vessel from early on.

  What I tell of next is of the utmost importance to anyone who does not wish to offend the high and potent powers. If I should pass on without having written this, then woe upon me for failing my fellow man. However, if you should read these words and yet fail to heed them, then greatest woe upon you.

  What I have that is worth saving is this…

  There is a pact made long ago by brighter minds than yours or mine. It is a pact between man and the demions of the sea.

  How do you suppose that our vessels travel safely, when more than just whalorde call the deep wild seas their home?

  It is because man kept the truce.

  But we seem to be forgetting, and I warn you that it is not up to the sea-dwellers to remind us, but our own duty to remember.

  Man’s transgressions are continually overlooked, yet I must remind you of the powers in this world that could cause our doom as easily as a man may pluck out the weeds in his garden.

  Who told me of this? It was Luhey?, the very one…

  On the day we slew the Whalorde, that night, an unexpected tempest caught our ship. The sky had been clear beforehand, and the air had lent us no signs of the incoming squall.

  Many abroad naturally thought that the Whalorde’s spirit had returned for retribution, as had I.

  The captain made quick calls to action, and we desperately set about to keep The Promentory afloat. Amidst enormous swells and blasting winds we somehow made it through the night, but not without suffering considerable damage to our ship. The mast had broken with a mighty groan, tearing open the ceiling of the crew’s quarters, and leaning over the side like a dead limb. The sail dragged along through the water as well, causing the ship to continually turn in wide, aimless circles.

  When the worst was over and it was clear that we would not sink, we each of us found our own corner or crag below deck and slept the remainder of the night. By all manner of reason, it was a wonder that not a single member of the crew had died.

  At dawn, when the last few of the morning stars still shone, we arose to a haunting voice that seemed to come from the sea below. It rang through the timber walls of The Promentory like an ominous siren’s song.

  Again, we thought back to the slain Whalorde, and again we spoke of vengeful spirits.

  “Time for toil, you old wives! Cut loose the mast! Pick up the oars!” The captain’s voice had been dire, and I could tell from the wideness of his eyes that he was at the very least shaken.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  As I was climbing back out on deck, a crew member who had gone out before me let out a short, desperate wail. When more of us were out, we asked the man what the issue was.

  He replied by pointing a finger towards the bow of the ship, then holding his head in his hands as if caught up by some disturbing thought.

  Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would have scarcely believed it.

  There, peeking just over the water’s surface before our ship was the large head of some unrecognizable demion. Some of its neck showed above the surface and it looked as thick as our ship’s mast. Its head was white but the wet made it gleam like metal, and two dark fins grew out from around its eyes, giving it a sharp, fiendish appearance most common with beasts of prey. It remained still, bobbing up with the waves from some 15 meters away, only staring at our vessel as a cold panic seized the crew. A few of the men reacted by rushing back over to the hole in the deck and calling for the release of the Glowtern and Shartooth.

  Our captain approved immediately after laying his own eyes on the eerie demion. You could never truly tell what the beasts were thinking, but it was known that some of them were as astute as any man. Then there were the rarest ones, of which we called them legendaries. They were solitary beasts; greatly distinguished and set apart from other demions, and their operations were beyond man’s ken.

  Glowtern and Shartooth, after being released into the sea, did not seek it out, but instead ignored their orders and fled beneath the waves. The pair of wyngull flew in circles up high above The Promentory.

  “Luhey?,” I spoke under my breath. The details of old stories I’d heard in the past had begun piecing together in my mind.

  “This is a monster of legend!” said one among the crew as if he had come to the same realization. “We should not anger it!”

  “I believe we already have!” another replied.

  INDEED!

  A voice blasted in my skull, and I clutched at my head, staggering.

  The great demion rose from the surface, lifting its humongous wings as roaring water fell from them back down towards the sea. And like some divine being, it did not need to push against the air to rise.

  KNOW THEE, MY NAME?

  The voice overpowered the senses so that when you heard it, it seemed to be the only thing to exist in the whole wide world.

  “Luhey?!” I cried out, terrified.

  HAS THE PACT BEEN FORGONE?

  The crew wailed in despair at that all-pervading voice. I saw the captain rush to his cabin with hands to his ears and others prostrating themselves in surrender.

  I knelt also and clasped my hands together pleadingly. “Luhey?! Spare us!”

  The great demion was completely out of the water now, its massive wings and tail curled inward as it blocked out the sky. Its eyes glowing with fury.

  Lightning flashed from behind and we turned to the most splendorous blue light that quickly swelled and grew. In a matter of moments, a monstrous and red Gyaramedos floated in the air opposite Luhey?. It let out a deafening shriek that cut into your very marrow.

  Some believed this monster transformed from the very magikarp we had so easily been fishing, but I found it hard to believe. How could such a violent and terrible beast come from the most harmless fish in the sea?

  The captain had the look of a madman, his face caught between a painful grimace and a macabre smile. He held out a large orb that looked made of stone, and he called out to Gyaramedos,

  “Listen to my voice, Kraken! Destroy our foe!”

  His declaration came as a rallying cry to which a few members of the crew stood and roared in what I could only describe as a fool’s hope.

  A strong gust of wind blew past us as Luhey? spread its wings.

  YOU HAVE PUSHED ME TOO FAR…

  Luhey?’s entire body took on a radiant glow and it let out a furious, mournful howl.

  Gyaramedos lunged.

  For a moment the two titans coiled around each other in a frightful airborne scuffle that made The Promentory rock violently from side to side, but it ended just as fast.

  Luhey? was not to be denied. It had whirled its entire body and sent Gyaramedos crashing down to the water with a powerful strike of its tail. Usually, a creature like Gyaramedos would fight until its victim had succumbed, but Luhey? was a demion of legends, and a monster in its own right.

  Gyaramedos shot out of the water with another piercing shriek, and it too, fled. The captain rushed over to the side and pointed his orb made of stone.

  “Return, Kraken!” he screamed hoarsely, but Gyaramedos was weaving over the waves, flying away at an incredible speed. It could not hear the captain.

  Luhey?’s awful voice sounded in my head again,

  KNOW THEE, MY NAME?

  The response from the crew were groans and wails. The sky was darker, and the fury in Luhey?’s eyes only seemed to increase. This was sure to be our end. I was on the verge of weeping.

  “Luhey?! It is Luhey?!” I said with a break in my voice. I began to sob.

  It was at this time that the great demion’s eyes locked onto mine. The immensity of its presence felt like the crushing weight of a waterfall, and I found it hard to take my next breath.

  “We are sorry for the slaying of your friend!” I cried out. “We know not of any pact!”

  Luhey? flapped its wings slowly, descending down to The Promentory. When its feet touched down on the fallen mast, the entire ship groaned as the added weight threatened to push it all the way beneath the surface.

  I was still kneeling, and the most lamentable expression was on my face. Madness took over and some of the crew began to throw themselves into the sea.

  Luhey? craned down slowly, opening wide its maw as if to eat me. I could only let out a pitiable sigh.

  DO NOT FEAR.

  This time, the voice did not sound so terrible, but I could not help whimper and sob as its gaping mouth enclosed around me. When I felt its jaws press against my knees, I screamed what I thought would be my last, but Luhey? plucked me from the ship’s deck with a gentleness that told me that this being was not truly an enemy of man.

  It was pitch black inside its mouth, and it was warm, and it had a fleshy smell like of water that has been used to rinse raw meat.

  The great demion’s tongue pushed lightly against me, keeping me at the front of its mouth. There were big movements, and I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my groin. Was Luhey? rising into the air? What was to become of me?

  Luhey? spoke in its terrible voice,

  YOU WILL FACE THE SEA. NONE WILL COME TO YOUR AID, BUT IF YOU ARE TO LIVE, THEN LIVE!

  After more big movements, it spoke again to me, in a bearable voice,

  DO NOT MOVE ABOUT. IF YOU ARE TO FALL INSIDE, YOU MIGHT PERISH BEFORE I CAN SPIT YOU OUT.

  I did as I was told, and its mouth would open slightly but frequently to let in fresh air.

  I was inside the mouth of a living legend, flying away to a place unknown. A man more fortunate than I, I have never met since.

  I say this because for the next three months, after first reaching some unchartered island, Luhey? conversed with me daily, a lowly man, and instructed me in some of the world’s mysteries. Knowledge that no living man today keeps.

  I have made plans to share everything that I learned, but that will come in due time. For now, you must be satisfied with this:

  Become friends to the demions of both land and sea, for they are willing and eager to bond with the souls of man. Though you may see them as beasts or monsters to be tamed, they possess as much sentience as the man or woman to whom they bond.

  I smile to myself while writing this, knowing what I know, and I wish I could find the words to put it as simply as it is, but alas, our language fails us, so we must aim for the closest approximation.

  Luhey? is not only a guardian of the seas, but also a reader and keeper of the soul. In many occasions, He knew what I wanted to ask before I even started formulating the question.

  He hosted me on that island, and guarded over me so that no demion would bring me harm. And after the first month of his instruction, I began to apply his teachings.

  I did think of The Promentory frequently at first, but I never brought the topic up in fear of offending my host. I did learn eventually, with melancholy, that they had none of them survived.

  Luhey? did not murder these men, of which I was to be among, and the reason he spared me of their fate was because I was the only one who had answered him, but more importantly, because I had referred to the Whalorde, which we had so mercilessly hunted, as his friend.

  I do not know why I had chosen those words at the time, but Luhey? conferred to me that he had known that Whalorde for many decades, and indeed they had been friends.

  He encouraged me before we parted, to remind my fellow man of the pacts our forebears kept.

  He explained to me some obscure concept of the Spirit, saying that all things of the same kind share a soul. By this token, the actions of one man might speak for all of mankind. I had argued that it was unjust and that not all men were alike.

  He replied that from his eyes, the whole crew of The Promentory moved and acted as one, despite the very real difference in what was in an individual’s heart.

  I learned on that island the true difference between feelings and actions.

  Feelings will come and go like the tides of the ocean, but actions will leave their marks.

  RIGHT YOURSELF SO THAT YOU ACT AS YOU FEEL. THAT IS THE TRUTH OF THE SILVER SOUL. SILVER IS THE PERFECT MIRROR. KEEP TO THE PACT AND YOUR SOUL TOO, SHALL BECOME SILVER.

  Luhey?, my guardian. Luhey?, the friend of my soul.

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