Chapter 182: A Chance Encounter with Teddy and News of Jirachi
After their victory at Mossdeep Gym, Ryan and his companions discussed their next move and decided to fly to Sootopolis City.
However, upon checking with the airline, they learned that there were no flights to Sootopolis City today, and the next available flight wouldn't arrive until tomorrow afternoon.
Ryan and his companions had no choice but to stay in Mossdeep City for the day. After booking a hotel, he said to Ruby and the others, "I remember there's Shoal Cave not far from Mossdeep City. Want to explore it? We can have a Flying-type Pokémon lead the way. We should be back tonight."
"No, I'm a little tired," Sapphire said, raising her hand.
"Shoal Cave? I've heard there's an ice cavern at the very back, with many Ice-type Pokémon," Ruby said.
"There are Pokémon there? Let's go check it out!" Sapphire said, immediately changing her mind.
Ryan and his companions then prepared to explore Shoal Cave. Altaria led Ryan, Metagross was lent to Ruby, Lillie rode on Togekiss, and Sapphire borrowed a Tropius from Steven. The four of them followed the electronic map to Shoal Cave.
After flying for over ten minutes, Ryan and his companions landed at Shoal Cave. They weren't the only ones visiting—many other trainers were there as well.
However, it was high tide, so the final ice cavern was temporarily inaccessible. Those familiar with water or with Water-type Pokémon went ahead and explored anyway. The ice cavern could only be entered at low tide, so Ryan and his companions weren't in a hurry and waited for the tide to recede.
After a while, the water gradually receded, along with the water in the cave. Then, Ryan and his companions followed the main group and entered Shoal Cave.
Along the way, they spotted a number of Ice-type Pokémon, but most were dual-type, such as Spheal, Sealeo, and Shellder, with one being Lapras. Lapras was once a relatively rare Pokémon, but conservation efforts in recent years had led to a surge in their numbers.
As they delved deeper into Shoal Cave, other Ice-type Pokémon began to appear, with the most distinctive being Snorunt.
Arriving at the ice cavern, the surrounding rock walls were covered in ice, and the temperature had plummeted below freezing. Ryan and his companions quickly pulled out their thicker coats from their backpacks and put them on. The temperature was dangerously low, and catching a cold wouldn't be worth it just for visiting.
There were many Ice-type Pokémon in the ice cavern, and they seemed accustomed to human visitors. When someone piqued a particular Pokémon's interest, they would challenge them to a battle. The Pokémon accepted challenges without hesitation. If they lost, they were captured, and if they won, they received food from the visitors.
It seemed the humans and Pokémon here had formed a tacit understanding: the Pokémon didn't mind being captured, and in return, the humans would bring them food, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
"So, are you thinking of capturing one?" Ryan asked the three of them.
"Hmm, it feels a bit strange," Lillie said.
"Yeah, it's like a zoo here. The Pokémon have lost their wildness. There aren't even any strong Pokémon left," Sapphire said.
"It's nice to visit, but I'll pass on catching any," Ruby said, shaking her head.
Ryan nodded. This place felt just as Sapphire had described: a zoo. While the Pokémon still had some wildness, it had been worn down considerably, making them unworthy of spending too much time on.
But just then, Ryan glanced around and spotted someone familiar. He smiled and said, "It's Teddy! I haven't seen him since we left Kanto."
With that, Ryan walked over to Teddy. Teddy was currently battling a Sneasel. His Empoleon used Steel Wing to fend off Sneasel's attacks until the Sneasel, no longer able to continue, sat on the ice panting heavily, and was finally caught by Teddy.
Seeing Teddy catch Sneasel, Ryan walked over and said, "Teddy, long time no see."
Ryan's words startled Teddy, and also startled Empoleon—it was reminded of the fear it had felt when Greninja had dominated it.
Teddy glanced back and said helplessly, "It's you, Ryan. Geez, scaring people like that can give someone a heart attack!"
"I didn't know you were such a scaredy-cat," Ryan said grumpily. "By the way, what brought you to the ice cavern? Traveling?"
Teddy shook his head and said, "No, my Gym Challenge is over, and I'm on vacation. I was also looking for information about a particular Pokémon."
"What Pokémon? Ask me. You know about my breeding facilities. You can go there to try your luck with any Pokémon you want," Ryan said, patting Teddy on the shoulder.
At that moment, Lillie and the others approached. Ryan introduced Teddy to them, and he nodded in greeting.
Teddy looked at Ryan and said seriously, "I know you have many Legendary Pokémon, Ryan, but you might not have this one. It's called Jirachi. You should know about Jirachi's wish tags. This Legendary Pokémon, when awakened from its slumber, can grant anyone three wishes. And it's been almost a thousand years since Jirachi last awoke, so I plan to try and find it. If I can find it, it'll be a huge score."
"Jirachi." Ryan's eyes lit up.
He had tested the power of Jirachi's wish tags before. Although the effect only lasted for a minute, it had allowed Ryan to obtain Zeraora. And this time, Jirachi itself had awakened—a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!
"How's it going? Any news?" Ryan asked excitedly.
Teddy looked at Ryan and knew he was interested, so he said, "Not much. I also heard that Jirachi might descend to this planet from space, so I came to Mossdeep City to try my luck, but unfortunately, there's no useful information.
However, there's also a rumor that someone saw the crystal cocoon that Jirachi turns into after falling asleep, and it's supposedly in Forina. I'll head there to try my luck later."
"Forina." Ryan murmured, always feeling that this place name was very familiar.
Lillie shook her head and said, "I've read in ancient texts that Jirachi will grant wishes written on the wish tags above its head when it awakens, but its awakening period is only seven days. However, if it hears a pure voice singing, it will awaken from its thousand-year slumber. I don't know if that's true. And you said it's been almost a thousand years—how can you be sure Jirachi will awaken soon, rather than having already finished awakening and fallen back into slumber?"
Teddy shrugged and said, "That's why I said it's a matter of luck. If you're lucky, it'll work out. If you're unlucky, it's no big deal if you miss it."
At this moment, Ryan had already pulled a small notebook from his backpack, quickly flipped through it, stuffed it back into the backpack, and said, "Good luck, Teddy. We'll meet again."
With that, he left with Ruby and the others. Teddy and Empoleon looked at each other, wondering what had happened to Ryan and why he left so suddenly.
Did he know something about Jirachi? Teddy couldn't help but speculate, but after thinking about it, it seemed unlikely, so he gave up the idea. After returning Empoleon to its Poké Ball, he would also head to Forina to search.
(End of Chapter)
[+100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (30+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01