To Find a Cure

A knock came from the other side of the door. Lucy opened her eyes and tried to see who it was as Corsola hobbled over to open the door. 

     “Mom…” Miles stepped into the room with Arthur. “I’m sorry about last night…”

Lucy saw the bandages on his hands, then looked up at her son’s eyes.

     “Miles-” he ran up to her and gave her a hug.

     “Failure isn’t an option.” Miles buried his face in her arms.

Arthur walked up to the bed. He was relieved to see Miles back to his same, old self. He thought about the promise he just made. Was it possible? Where do we even start?

     “Mom, if it’s OK with you, we’re going to go out to town. We know your condition is… not ideal,” Arthur said while rubbing his paws.

     “Enjoy yourself, Arthur. Take care of Miles as well.”

     “Wha?” Miles looked up, confused. He caught a glimpse of his mothers’ eyes pointing at his paws before looking back up at him.

     “Go have fun, you two. Don’t worry about me.”

Miles turned to the Corsola. “Do you know where Chansey is? I’d like to ask them a few questions.” The Corsola was focused on continuously using Life Dew. It looked like they hadn’t slept for days as it drank a Max Elixir. “She’ll be with the kids in the daycare. I don’t know what you want to ask her, but we’ve tried our best to keep your mother alive.”

     “So we still have some time,” Miles thought.

<|>

Chansey’s Day Care was much more than the “drop off an egg” business model of the past, if it could even be called a business. Now, it could be called an actual day care. Children were everywhere in the room, playing, crying, laughing, all in the midst of one very tired looking, but smiling Chansey.

Miles opened the door to a Substitute doll being hurled in his direction. It hit him squarely in the face. Chansey walked over to him as the children pointed and laughed at the unlucky Marill.

     “Rough welcome, huh? Come on, get up, Miles. Now, I’m assuming you didn’t drop by for a simple chat? She turned around. “Cosmo, drop Amir right now! You know Fighting types don’t like being moved around by telekinesis.” Chansey wiped some sweat off her brow as she turned back to Miles. “Kids. I bet Arthur wasn’t as much as a handful as these little guys.” Miles swore he saw the Solosis throw a floating block at the Tyrogue.

     “I’d like to talk about my mother.” Miles was upfront with his reply.

     “I figured as much. Miles, I know you’re feeling a lot of emotions right now. But it’s perfectly normal to be sad when you are grieving. I can help you cope with your loss, I know how much your mother means to you-”

     “Sorry, but I’m not here to talk about grief.” Miles remained stern. “How much do you know about healing methods?”

     “Miles, I told you last night. I’m truly sorry, but we tried everything we could.” Chansey shifted uncomfortably.

     “Have you truly tried everything?”

     “Well…” Chansey scratched her head. “Orans and Sitrus didn’t seem to show any benefits.”

     “What about Pechas, Drashes, and Lums? Figies, Wikis, Magos, Aguavs, Iapapas?

     “We tried Pechas and Lums. No effect.” Chansey frowned.

     “Gummis?” Miles tapped his foot.

     “We gave her a Blue one, it didn’t do anything. I doubt Wonder Gummis would help either, not that we have any considering they’re so rare.”

     “Healing moves? Refresh, Aromatherapy, Heal Pulse, Morning Sun, Milk Drink, Floral Healing? Pain Split? Endeavor?” His breathing became more erratic.

     “Abilites??? Healer? Regenerator? Do we know a Ponyta with Pastel Veil???”

Chansey put a hand on Miles’ shoulder. “Miles. We’re all desperate right now. We all don’t want Lucy to die. I’ve done all I can do as a caretaker and a healer.” A tear ran down her cheek as laughter continued to bounce off the walls of the room. “We all need to stay strong. I need to stay strong for these little ones. I imagine Arthur isn’t taking the news well, either.”

Miles looked around the room again. So many children in one space, all of them without a care in the world. All of them, not having to worry about putting food on the table, or watching a sibling of theirs, not worrying about growing up. He sighed. His childhood with Arthur was happy, but could he have gotten more? He didn’t know many other parents. There was Team Luminaries, he thought. “Shizuku’s a natural parent. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Manaphy, anyway.”

     “Wait… Manaphy!”

<|>

Miles jogged out of the hospital with Arthur trailing him. The sun shone down on the morning market of Treasure Town as he turned toward Sharpedo Bluff.

     “Miles, wait up!” Arthur tried to catch up, tripping over his feet. Miles was running unusually fast for a Marill with short stubby feet, fast enough that Arthur had to Rollout in order to catch up. “Miles! What did you find?”

     “We’re going to visit Luminaries. I have a feeling they have what we’re looking for.” They continued to move through the town. “Let’s hope they’re in today.” 

The market that morning was livelier than usual. The central region of Treasure Town was a far cry from the few stands that existed in the past: constructed buildings and various shops lined the street where Pokémon shopped and socialized. Today, however, the streets could be described as a farmer’s market. Arthur usually enjoyed coming here with Miles: cheap berries meant cheap juice. He took in his surroundings amidst the hustle and bustle as he ran.

     “Freshly picked Orans!”

     “Berry pies! Pick whichever one you like!”

     “What do you mean, you can’t sell it for less?!”

     “Pechas half off today!”

     “Hey, didn’t that Marill last night…”

He shook his head. No. He didn’t have time to dillydally when their mom was dying. He made a promise to Miles. He wanted to help his brother, to help make the impossible possible, to find what hadn’t been found before. To explore for the miracle cure, not only for himself, but for his brother, for his mother, for his father. He curled up into a Rollout again, and sped in front of Miles.

They continued until Arthur accidentally rammed in front of another Pokémon in front of Kecleon’s. As he fell down, Miles saw the Grafaiai turn around with a piercing glare.

     “Hey, kid. You watching where you goin’? You know, it’s not nice to run into other ‘mons in the street.” He licked his finger. “Where’s your parents?”

     Arthur stood up. “I’m real sorry, mister! We’re in kinda a rush right now, gotta go!” The Grafaiai put a foot in front of him. “Ah, ah, ah. Listen up, boy. When kids act naughty, they oughta be punished. If you don’t wanna do that, go and get your mommy’s purse, ok?” His smirk grew even more condescending.

     Arthur smiled. “Sorry, sir. I don’t have money on me right now. I don’t think my mother would be proud of me if I were to throw away Poké like that.”

     “Bad move, kid.” The Grafaiai jumped back and spewed an Acid Spray.

     “Arthur!” Miles’ adrenaline spiked upon seeing the Poison move.
 
He didn’t need to worry, though. Arthur’s body erupted with water as he broke through the spray. The Grafaiai flinched as he saw the mouse barreling towards him. A satisfying grunt escaped his mouth as he was launched into a brick wall and slumped over. “What the heck-”

     “Bzzt! What’s going on here!” A Magnemite officer floated over. They looked at the Marill, then the Grafaiai on the ground. “Bzzt! Arthur, you’d better have a good explanation for this. Has your brother been teaching you the wrong things?”

     Miles ran over to the officer. “Officer! I swear this time, it was self defense!” Magnemite looked at him warily. “Bzzt, you sure? That Shelmet from last night is still recovering, by the way.” Miles pouted and crossed his paws. “I swear, Officer, that Grafaiai tried to extort my brother after he made a small mistake. I apologize for any trouble we’ve caused!” 

     “Bzzt, I understand, but that doesn’t change the fact that this Grafaiai is injured. I don’t want to take you down to the station, Miles, but-”

     “Officer, I saw the Grafaiai. He did try to extort Arthur.” Kecleon walked out from his shop with an Oran and tossed it to Magnemite. “Give this to him.” He turned to Arthur. “Go easy on others next time. Most Pokémon can’t handle someone trained in the fires of old Marowak’s.” He walked back to the shop as Magnemite fed the berry to Grafaiai.

     “Bzzt! I’ll let you off with a warning, since you’re new in town. But don’t try to pick on any more kids, even if it was an accident, bzzt!”

     “You’re letting him go???” Miles clutched his float. “After what he tried to do with my brother?!”

     “Bzzt! I know you’re mad, Miles. But it’s just how we Magnemite operate around here. You know better than anyone to give a second chance.”

     “That’s right! Drowzee’s one of the nicest Pokémon we know! And look how we met him in the first place!” Arthur was back to smiling. 

Miles was silent. He just gave a sigh and continued walking as Arthur gave his report to Magnemite. “Was it really justified to let that Pokémon go? Drowzee could’ve just been a special case. What would’ve happened if I didn’t train alongside Arthur? What if that Grafaiai was as strong as that Roselia? He could’ve gotten unlucky, he could’ve gotten poisoned!”

     “I’ve gotta get him a Pecha Scarf. Just in case.”

<|>

It was nice to have the house to himself. Sometimes it felt lonely without Aaron or Shizuku around, but the free time allowed him to basically do whatever he wanted. He liked books. It was hard to read books in the ocean, considering that they were made of paper. Which one should he read today?

A knock at the door stopped Manaphy’s train of thought.  He wondered who it was. They didn’t get many visitors at the bluff: the occasional guild acquaintance would come over every once in a while, but most people would just try to find Team Luminaries in town or at the guild. Manaphy put down his book and walked over to the door.

     “Who is it?” He floated up the stairs and opened the door. A smile erupted on his face as he saw the two Marill. “Hi! Didn’t expect you two today! Come on in!”

     Arthur laughed and followed Manaphy inside. The two used to play together when they were younger, Miles remembered. Sometimes, when he went into town, he’d drop Arthur off for a playdate. Even though Manaphy was 5 years younger than Arthur, the two got along remarkably well. Manaphy was a fast grower, after all.

     “You wanna do something today, Arthur? I got a cool new book recently!” Manaphy held up the book he put down before. Arthur smiled and politely shook his head. “Sorry, we’re here on business today. Miles wanted to see if Aaron and Shizuku were in.”

     “Have they returned from that expedition yesterday?” Miles remembered their encounter from the crossroads yesterday. “Where did they head out, anyway?”

     “Oh. They still haven’t returned. They went up north into the desert. After all this time, they’re still trying to map the whole thing. I don’t understand why they do it, Aaron hates sand!” Manaphy gave a small chuckle.

Arthur started to flip through Manaphy’s book as Miles continued to chat with him. “Aw. I wanted to ask them a few things about… 10 years ago.” “Huh? Why ask now?” Manaphy tilted his head. “Something isn’t wrong, is it?” He eyed Miles’ bandages suspiciously.

Miles deliberated. He’d known Manaphy ever since Team Luminaries found that egg from the Surrounded Sea. He was such a smart kid for his age: whether that was due to his Legendary status or him being gifted naturally was something he didn’t know, but Miles did know one thing. Manaphy was still a child. It was best to keep him out of this.

     “No reason, I’m just feeling a bit nostalgic.” Miles’ tail shifted as he fibbed. “Do you remember the first few days of your life?”

Manaphy closed his eyes and thought for a bit. “Yeah, I remember bits and pieces.” His eyes remained closed. “Meeting Aaron and Shizuku. Playing with them for the first time. And… getting sick.” He fiddled with his hands. “I remember getting better, then going to live with Uncle Walrein for a while before I came back.” His eyes opened. “That’s it, I guess.”

     “Wasn’t your fever severe? I heard Aaron and Shizuku had to find help from the guild to find a cure.” 

     “They did. Chatot told them about something that could help. I guess they found it, because I’m here on land today.” Manaphy let out a chuckle. “I don’t know what it was, however. Chatot’s still at the guild, right? Go ask him! You two know him!”

     “Hey, Manaphy! Where’d you get this book?!” Arthur looked up from his page. “I might wanna get this myself!”

     “Oh, Aaron bought it from a Sceptile. It’s got a lot of human things called castles and kingdoms, so he was drawn to it. Do you think green eyed Riolu exist?” Manaphy brightened up over the mention of his book.

The two continued to talk over the book as Miles began to think. “Another lead. We haven’t been to Wigglytuff’s in years. I wonder how everyone else is doing…”

     “Arthur, I’m going up to the guild. You wanna catch up with Manaphy while I go?” He knew Manaphy could watch out for his brother. He was a Legendary Pokémon, after all.

<|>

     “Pokémon detected!”

     “Who’s footprint is it?”

     “It’s a Marill! Let em in!”
 
As the guild’s gates opened, Miles couldn’t help but let the nostalgia wash over him. The building had barely changed: what had changed was the Pokémon in the guild. Gone was the generation of old during the exploration boom spearheaded by Team Luminaries and Project P, and in came young, impressionable explorers to fully research the new areas discovered in the past. Perhaps the miracle cure could be found by this new generation, or was it already found by the old?

He climbed down the ladders to the sublevels of the guild, a feat made harder by his short, stubby limbs. As he continued down, he observed all the different teams and individuals on the job posting floor. Most of them he didn’t recognize: the old generation had mostly gone solo. Miles knew some of the former members of the guild had formed their own teams. Loudred and Sunflora had gone off on their own a while ago, he knew for sure. He gave a wave to Chimecho as the ladder descended deeper to the lowest level. 

Chatot was still loud. He was older, yes, but it translated more into “cranky old mon” than “wise old mentor”. He was dressing down what looked to be like some new recruits when Miles hopped off the ladder. Croagunk continued to stare at his cauldron.

     “What were you THINKING! Going off to Marine Resort at YOUR level?! You’re only BRONZE rank! You’re lucky that you have type advantages, otherwise you’d be in the belly of a Wailord! Thank Arceus you came back alive, but behavior like this is UNACCEPTABLE!”

The recruits sheepishly sulked away as Miles walked up to Chatot. “Good afternoon, Cha-”

     “MILES! I’ve been meaning to talk to you!” If Chatot’s mood was bad, it had just gotten much, much worse. “WHAT did you DO last night!? Team Trailblazers came back last night covered in injuries! Sebastian was knocked out, Amelia barely standing! And they said YOU of all Pokémon did this! And now you have the GALL to come to me to ask to join the guild!?”

     Miles gulped. “Calm down, Chatot! One, yes, I might’ve had a fight last night. Two, I’m not here to join. I’d expect you to know that at this point, considering I still have a brother to take care of. Three, I did come here to get some help. Information, specifically.” 

     “I’LL be the one asking questions here! Why in Manaphy’s name did you ASSAULT two of our guild members!? You would’ve injured both of them severely if you didn’t have a type disadvantage against them! Miles, I know how much you’ve been training, but you didn’t need to ATTACK someone in the dead of night to see your potential!”

     Miles could almost see the steam rising out of Chatot’s head. He gave a heavy sigh. “Chatot. I… I was in town yesterday during the day. When we came home, my… my mother’s condition got worse. She’s in Chansey’s hospital right now.” Chatot’s eyes widened. “She’s… likely not going to make it.”

The anger that rose from Chatot evaporated almost instantly. “I… I couldn’t handle it. I lashed out. I’m so, so sorry.” Miles put a hand on his float.

     “I… see. I’m so sorry about Lucy. No child should have to lose both parents at such an early age…” Chatot put his face in his wing. Miles looked up at him. “I need your help, Chatot. I’m looking for a cure. Manaphy said you could help.”

     Chatot perked up. “Manaphy? Ah. Yes, he almost died of fever when he was young, if it weren’t for both Team Luminaries and my efforts. Aaron and Shizuku had to travel to Miracle Sea, a mystery dungeon on the outskirts of the Sea of Wonders. There were Phione there, a type of Legendary Pokémon who gave them something known as Phione Dew. It is a rare item, and it is…”

     “A miracle cure!?” Miles interjected. “Where can I find some!?”

     Chatot looked down at his feet. “Unfortunately, when the Legendary Pokémon returned to their original homes, so did the Phione. Miracle Sea no longer houses them. Only the Legendary Pokémon know where each other is located. I don’t think it’s possible to obtain any more Phione Dew…” He looked back up and expected to see the Marill downtrodden and dejected. Instead, he looked alive. Raring to go. A determination expressed his posture and countenance.

     “Chatot. Thank you so, so much. I hope you have a good day. Again, I’m sorry about-”

     A voice rang out from the hallway that led to the living quarters. “Miles?” To his surprise, the Roselia from last night walked out, still wearing that yellow sash, but also having a bandage around her forehead. “Could I talk to you for a second? We can talk in our room. Seb’s out at the hot spring to relax himself.”

<|>

The two Pokémon sat across from each other in a room with two straw beds. Both didn’t speak for a solid minute, not knowing how to start the conversation on a good note. The sea breeze outside the window blew across the curtains, the salty scent of the ocean filling the room.

The first Pokémon to speak was Miles. “I’m SO sorry-”

     Amelia spoke up. “Miles. I had no idea.” She fidgeted with her flowers. “Sorry about eavesdropping on that, I gossip a lot. Seb says it’s too much for my own good. I’m sorry about your mother. Must be hard for you and your brother.”

     Miles glanced outside the window. “That’s all I’ve heard today. It’s always ‘sorry’. It’s always ‘we care about you’. I know everyone cares about my mother, my brother, and myself, but they all act like nothing can be done. I’m done sitting around doing nothing.”

     “You want to take control from the world. You want to take matters into your own paws. You want to let it all out, to fight back against what others tell you is impossible.” Amelia looked at Miles’ bandages, then his float. “What’s on your arm? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

     Miles took off his float and held it in a paw. “This… is a Water Float. An item for my species that extends stamina. It’s how I was able to last longer against your Poison Jabs.” He shuddered. “It was found by my parents when they first met. They were explorers. My father gave it to my mother. She then gave it back, when she proposed. My father died 13 years ago on an expedition. This was all my mother brought back of him.”

     “I’m sure your father would be proud of you. If I knew him, I’m sure I’d see a bit of him in you,” Amelia nodded. “I… I don’t want to be my father. I didn’t want a legacy. Shoes to fill. Expectations for my life. I just wanted to protect those who I love,” Miles solemnly said.

     “I’ve decided to head out into the world. Go explore for the first time in my life. Find the cure.” He stood up and put his float back on. “Again, I’m sorry… uh… Roselia…”

     “I go by a name, also.” She smiled. “My name’s Amelia of Team Trailblazers. She held out a flower. Miles hesitated for a few seconds, seeing the flower that beat him down yesterday, before reaching out a paw and giving a jerky handshake. “Thank you for listening to me. You’re a good confidant, a good Pokémon.” Miles turned to the hallway and walked outside. “Good luck on your search!” Amelia called out.

     Amelia looked down the hall. “Seeing the world… exploring with a purpose… have I found my purpose yet?”

     “Do I need a purpose to explore the world?”