The blue-haired girl stared at Summer, her hand behind her back, waiting for his answer.
"Well, yes," he replied calmly. Summer's purpose for this trip was indeed to meet Milotic. Since the girl asked such a question, she must know something about the information regarding Milotic.
"Really unexpected, I thought you would come up with an excuse," the girl's tone was somewhat surprised. Then she placed her hand on her chest and introduced herself, "My name is Coral, and I'm also a Trainer pursuing Milotic."
"Not just any Milotic, but a special one," Coral emphasized the word "special."
"Special?" Summer was puzzled. What could be so special about Milotic? Was it a shiny or had a rare ability?
"It's special because it's none other than the queen of Milotic Lake," Coral's tone was filled with pride, her eyes brimming with anticipation. "This time, I'll definitely capture it."
"Well, good luck with that?"
"You, what? Here I was thinking of you as a competitor, but are you just here to see the Queen of the Lake?"
"Well, yes."
Coral was momentarily at a loss for words. Despite his calm and decisive demeanor during the battle, why did he seem so easygoing now?
"Ahem, then follow me. I know its habits very well. The queen only appears on the surface of the lake during foggy weather, which that guy mentioned correctly." Coral's tone became somewhat displeased in the latter part of her sentence, seeming annoyed at the guy with glasses for disclosing information about Milotic.
Now Summer understood why Coral targeted the man with glasses. It turned out he exposed information about her pursuit target.
Following the enthusiastic Coral, Summer and Thwackey arrived at a secluded corner on the southern bank of Milotic Lake.
"It's right here. You know, summoning the queen requires a special sound." Coral proudly took out her phone and played the audio.
"Dong dong~ dong dong~" It was the sound of a drumbeat.
Sure enough, the queen of the lake she mentioned was that Feebas. It had been attracted by Thwackey's drumming sound.
"Ah, how come it's not effective?" Coral sounded panicked. "It's supposed to be foggy."
"Miss Coral, let my Thwackey do it." Summer looked at Thwackey and said.
"Yeah, Thwackey is good at drumming. It's definitely better than using a phone audio. Please help us out!"
Summer nodded, took out a medium-sized wooden drum from his backpack, and said, "Thwackey, start playing. This time, use a melodious rhythm."
Not only did he always carry musical instruments with him, but Thwackey also had different rhythms for drumming? He really devoted a lot of effort to training Thwackey.
"Dong~ dong~ dong~"
The melodious drumming sound spread far and wide. Coral's nervousness gradually subsided with the soothing rhythm. What a beautiful sound. With this kind of drumming sound, surely the Queen of the Lake could be summoned.
At the bottom of Milotic Lake, a certain presence heard the familiar melody, opened its eyes, and swam in the direction of the drumming sound.
"There's movement on the surface of the water. Is it coming? The Queen of the Lake!" Coral exclaimed excitedly.
On the calm surface of the water, a beautiful and graceful Pokémon elegantly emerged. Its posture was majestic, with its red fins swaying like hair, and its blue scales shimmering with a strange light. Just seeing it brought peace to one's body and mind.
"Truly a queen! Do you remember me? I'm Coral."
Milotic glanced at Coral, then turned its gaze to Summer beside her.
"The Queen of the Lake, yes, it's quite fitting." Seeing Feebas in its current state, Summer said with relief.
Upon hearing Summer's words, Milotic's pupils flickered, as if reminiscing about that misty afternoon. His expression, the scales in his hand, and his words. Ah, finally, they meet again. He really came to fulfill the promise.
"Woo~~" Milotic's short cry was mixed with complex emotions - joy, loneliness, surprise, and blame, eventually all turned into gratitude. If it weren't for Summer, it would probably have lived its life as an inferior Feebas.
"No way, no way. Do you two know each other?" Coral couldn't believe it. With this tone, she completely lost. No, she hasn't lost yet. He only said he came to see the Queen of the Lake, right? I still have a chance.
Milotic swam towards the shore, affectionately stretched out its neck, and touched Summer's cheek with its cheek, somewhat cold but not unpleasant.
"You!" Coral pointed at Summer, only then did she realize she didn't even know the other party's name. "Battle me! Let's decide who gets to own the queen!"
"But..."
"Haven't you realized? The queen wants to become your Pokémon, but I can't accept it. I chased it so hard, so I came to battle! This is the only way!"
"No, although what I say may not be convincing, the choice is not ours, but Milotic's. Pokémon are not items; they have the right to make choices."
"But..."
Recalling Summer's words, memories of a familiar and affectionate face floated in Coral's mind. He had long white whiskers and spoke with great seriousness:
"Little Coral, Pokémon are our partners. I've encountered so many Pokémon and I know very well that they have their own thoughts. They, like us, are living beings in this world."
"Even the roadside Feebas will respond to words of acknowledgment. The power of acknowledgment is enough to make it break free from its cocoon, undergo metamorphosis, and become the beautiful Milotic."
"You're right. Hey, do you know why I've been chasing the queen all this time?" Coral's expression returned to calmness. How could she forget her grandfather's teachings?
Summer noticed something and nodded, indicating for her to continue.
"My grandfather was a Pokémon Professor. He discovered the evolution method of Milotic. Besides that, he had many other achievements, so I've always admired him."
"The Milotic Lake was named after his discovery, and the queen is the very Milotic he observed evolving."
"Ah, I finally understand. I only placed my longing for my grandfather onto the queen. Why didn't I realize it sooner?"
Coral showed a relieved expression. "Thank you for listening to me ramble by myself."
Has Nate, who loved fishing and saving face, already left this world? Summer felt a little melancholy. For him, it hadn't been long since they parted ways, but memories of fishing together were still vivid. The excitement of catching the king of the lake, he hadn't forgotten.
No, his life was so fulfilling. He must not regret recalling his entire life.
"Hey, why haven't you captured Milotic yet? Can't you see the queen is anxiously waiting?" Coral urged.
Summer stopped pondering, took out a Poké Ball, looked at Milotic with its eyes shining like rubies.
"Milotic, if you're willing to become my partner, touch the Poké Ball."
Milotic didn't hesitate, gently touched the Poké Ball in Summer's hand, and turned into a beam of light, entering the ball.
After a moment, the Poké Ball made a beep sound, indicating that Milotic had been successfully captured by Summer.
"That's more like it. Take good care of it." Coral removed her red scarf and looked at the vast Milotic Lake. By now, the thin mist floating on the lake had dissipated. She shouted towards the lake:
"I'll train a Milotic even more beautiful than the queen! A Gyarados stronger than Grandpa's Gyarados!"
"Phew, that was refreshing. Wait, if both of you own the queen, how do I prove my determination?"
"If you really train it, come to Sunset Forest. I'm a forest ranger there." Summer responded to the girl's determination.
"A forest ranger? You don't want to keep the queen in the forest, do you? I absolutely disapprove!" Although she gave up on capturing Milotic, Coral still cared about it.
Helplessly, Summer had to explain that there was a rather large lake in the forest, which made Coral put away her aggressive attitude.
(End of this chapter)