The divine beast of wind and water.

Overwhelmed by what happened, Vaporeon, now a freak, knew he couldn't stay in the region anymore.

Before he might have been tolerated as a nuisance, and even forgiven due to his relation to the tower guardians, but no longer. Without giving his siblings a goodbye, he took off with amazing speed, not even waiting for the stones the humans threw a chance to pelt his fur. He’d left home before, and leaving a second time wouldn't matter for who would miss him? His Brothers, Jolteon and Flareon maybe, but they were used to his extended absences to the point his return seemed to bother them.

No creature would care if he just up and left, and so that’s what he did.

It was this flurry of frustration, and anger that propelled him forward yet again back to Kanto's neighbor, The Orange Islands, or as the ‘many islands’ as he knew of them. With his new body looking and feeling different than anything he had ever encountered before, he needed this escape more now than ever until he could properly understand his new strength.

With animosity coursing through his veins, the changed Vaporeon reached speeds he could only dream of, and even then that was still too slow. Faster than the very wind it seemed, the Pokémon weaved through the forests of his native land with an ease only achieved by the Furret, and their un-evolved forms, but even they paled before his new abilities. He felt..alive.

As he effortlessly ran through the trees, he could hear, smell, and feel the entirety of the forest as easily as one could breathe. What a sensation! Vaporeon wanted to prance, and revel in the unbridled assault on his senses for as long as he could.

It was thoughts like these that fueled the Pokémon's need to travel, to run away in search of something new and exciting.

Only by the grace of the setting sun did he finally come to stop, forcing the newly changed Pokémon to collapse mid run. The momentum propelled him many more yards before finally coming to a complete stop, and even as he laid there exhausted, and unsure where he even was, the Vaporeon turned freak felt himself smiling. An excitement was building, one he couldn't recall if he had ever felt before as he laid there looking up at the fading sunlight, and he knew immediately he was going to enjoy his newfound blessings.

"Thanks Ho-oh." He told the sky, content with himself for the first time in many years.

When traveling, one could expect to see wonders and sights never seen before as part of the deal, but to have an undiscovered island chain rise from the very bottom of the ocean before his very eyes? Nope, that's once in a lifetime.

He’d never visited these islands before, let alone knew where they were located, so it was upon chance he was even here now. Running across the ocean was the only plan today when a school of whirlpools manifested under his very paws, and what a shock! The King of the Vaporeon, was sucked into its foamy grasp for nearly ten minutes before the Pokémon managed to fight his way up and out of its hold; he dashed away just the very ocean parted to reveal several masses of rock and sand rising from the depths below.

As soon as the whirlpools appeared the islands were already rising, and the self proclaimed King of the Vaporeons marveled at the sight, watching the whole process from a safe distance away on the water's surface. If there were any trainers out today, he hadn't seen them during his run, but that didn't stop him from checking just to make sure. A quick glance around every few minutes eased his worries and allowed him to watch this event mostly in peace.

For four, distinct islands of impressive size fully emerging from the ocean took no time at all, and it was this speed that intrigued the large water Pokémon the most.

"What do we have here?" He asked himself as he cautiously trotted up the closest island.

You either were crazy or an adventurer to approach a mysterious set of islands randomly bursting from the bosom of the ocean, and he certainly was one of the two. Which one remained undecided…

The deeper he explored the cave system the dimmer the lighting became, but the drier it became in contrast. He began noticing this change when the pads on his paws began to split, and crack from the rough stone beneath him; he ignored this mild discomfort for the most part since he discovered his new healing speed, and this amazing feat allowed the Pokémon to take even greater chances than before. A broken leg before would have meant the end for a Pokémon unless they could make it to a human settlement, or had the support of a family pack to watch over until the limb healed.

His exploration led him through many paths that led nowhere, forcing the Pokémon to turn around and try another path over, and over until he found a drop off that took him further down. The large Pokémon did this another three times until he could smell than hear the sound of rushing water. This familiar, but strange noise graced his ears with a tune he almost loved more than anything else, but it's sounded so foreign- fake.

Water is an element he knew intimately to its very core, but this source was all wrong; for any other creature this water sounded and might even look like normal water, but this freak of a Pokémon knew the difference. It didn't belong to him, but to a Pokémon far stronger than he could ever become.

His steps quicken with a new found haste.

The discomfort of his injured paws were forgotten as he hurried toward the rushing water to confirm his suspicion who the Pokémon might be. He never met the Pokémon before, but knew of it from the stories his benefactor would share on a very rare occasion atop the tower under the setting sun before his departure. Until now, he always assumed the stories were fake, but who could explain the sudden appearance of four islands in the middle of the ocean, or the unfamiliar power radiating in the air the closer he got to the water?

"By Arceus, I'm going to find out."

All of the water in the world belonged to every living creature, yet the private ocean of whirlpools he was looking down at had a master, and one of great power.

"A private ocean all the way down here?" he marveled, feeling a bit jealous he would never have his own equivalent.

Standing at the edge of a cliff, the Pokémon marveled at how big this ocean..no.. this lake really was.

Never had he traveled this far below the water's surface, and while thrilling to explore a mystery such as this, the lingering thought of what could lurk further below nipped at the heels of his mind. The whole caving exploring venture left him forgetful of his surroundings to the fault that even when he heard the rushing of running water, the large Pokémon didn't even register he was under water already- it did now.

Standing at the edge of this cliff where the concoction of emotions beret him like a passing storm, did the pressure to push forward become greater. There was no other way to prove his courage, and certainly no Pokémon would question his story if he embellished it here or there would they? How would they even know he turned tail after reaching this far? That's further than any Pokémon save the ones of the ocean could claim, and none would ever know but himself.

And that was the problem. He would forever know, and live with the knowledge the fear proved too great for the King of the Vaporeons, and his pride couldn't allow that stain to blemish his legacy. Peering further over the edge revealed a series of small ledges he might be able to jump onto if he was careful, but that looked unlikely the more he stared at the narrow ledges.

He backed up while shaking his head to rid himself of that urge to jump down using the little ledges as stepping stones. There was no way down now that didn't involve jumping down either into the unknown water below, or risk tripping off the ledge onto the lone patch of rock below. So far, the risks he had taken were greater than he’d taken before, and suffering some painful injuries as a result. That all healed eventually, but even he wasn't about to risk potentially falling to his death.

The confused Pokémon moved back to the edge, and peered over it as before, noting how the whirlpools were starting to merge together to form fewer, but larger whirlpools of greater force. His fear was still nipping at the back of his mind, but now the urge to move was consuming him the longer he stood there unable to decide.

'Run or jump?'

He began backing up to put some distance between himself, and the worrying sight below while trying to calm his beating heart.

'Run or jump?'

The fear was now fighting for control.

'Run or jump?'

He stopped his retreat once he reached the exit to this large space, and with fervor began flexing his paws, tapping each claw against the course floor. The twin ribbon tails danced excitedly to his left and right in preparation for what their master was about to do, and after a simple countdown declared which group he belonged to- crazy or adventure?

"BOTH!" The self proclaimed King of the Vaporeons howled as he bolted toward the edge, his empowered limbs rocketing him there in seconds.

The fear he had felt was left behind as he threw himself off the edge toward the raging lake of whirlpools below. As the Pokémon plummeted to the waters below, he began drawing power from the air around for a powerful attack, one he had been wanting to try since learning it months ago. Just as the power build up reached its peak, the King of the Vaporeons released it at the water below; the force backing this attack was stronger than expected, but did its job as a torrent of water half the size of the burnt tower punched through one of the whirlpools.

The pillar of water raced into the sky with enough power to punch holes into the cave if it wanted to, but as it neared its summoner began to slow down enough to allow the Pokémon to land right on the surface. Spurred on by this feat, he proceeded to do this four more times using less power to achieve the desired height until jumping off the final pillar and onto the patch of rock.

"I AM THE KING!" he roared in triumph at the lake of whirlpools, noting how the whirlpools affected by his hydro pump were already taking shape again. He ignored that in favor of bolstering some more.

He kept this up for another few minutes until only his echoes were gracious enough to answer him back. With the rush of his victory firmly behind, he turned around to greet the single cave entrance before moving forward to see what lay ahead.

No sooner had he entered the new cave did the smell of water hit his nostrils, and this wasn't the same water from earlier either. For one so closely tied to this sacred element of the world, he knew things about the precious liquid others simply couldn't, and that was each source had a distinct smell.

The whirlpools were heavier on the salt, noting their creation from the ocean while the source up ahead smelled like spring water from the mountains. How could there be fresh water in an underwater cave in the middle of the ocean? He couldn't give an answer how, but if his assumption is correct then the owner of these caves is behind the discrepancy.

He will find out soon enough.

Unlike the descent below, he wasn't met with a winding maze of tunnels and dead ends that made the trek below time consuming, but a straight path that went on indefinitely. He was beginning to miss the maze above if only because of the mystery it offered. There was only much mystery when compared to the current excitement of walking straight, and wondering if the end was up ahead.

The moisture in the air had increased the further he explored these mysterious islands, but the quality and purity of the water surprised him enough he thought about challenging the owner for control of this hidden sanctuary. He shot that down very quickly the moment he realized who the owner might be, but having never seen the Legendary Pokémon before decided it would be a wasted opportunity not to meet him. There wasn’t much he could do than to scheme his schemes of grander, and conjure up imaginary praise when the rush of cooling air tickled his senses.

The source of the fresh water was finally found, and the King of the Vaporeons was completely speechless.

Before him was a final chamber, and likely the end to this maze of mysterious set of islands, but what a worthy end to experience in the flesh. He found himself standing on an identical ledge that gave way to a large pool of fresh water,, the water Pokémon found his ability to stand firm as he gazed in awe at what end of the pool.

Directly in front of him was a frozen waterfall spanning from end to end, being flanked by two smaller stone pillars to create a sense of grander to a common creature, but he was no common creature. The otherworldly throne had left him feeling woefully unprepared to be in the presence of greatness, yet looking up at the ceiling and evening daring to lean over to peer into the pool revealed nothing, but the cleanest water he had ever seen. His twin tails danced like the ribbons in the wind at having found what might be the purest water in all of Johto, but the thrill was short lived when he looked up toward the two stone pillars.

Two massive brass bells were tied to them using a ship's rope to keep the two instruments anchored next to the frozen waterfall, and it wasn't the choice in decoration that offended the self proclaimed King of the Vaporeons to any extent, but the fact he recognized them. Each tower back home had a bell like the ones here that would be rang three times every so often, drawing out the monks out of the tower to fully witness the ritual before resuming their duties.

The strange act always left the Pokémon confused, but never condescendingly since his siblings and himself had their own rituals passed down from mother and father.

Rituals aside, the actual process to perform the summoning required a dance accompanied with human music, but outside of that he knew nothing else. The only step he did know by heart was at the very end of the entire process, there would be a person on each side of the bell ready to strike it the moment the dance stopped. Vaporeon, having not cared for this never bothered paying attention, but had always wondered if everything was necessary when the bell was likely the sound Ho-Oh heard anyway; that begged the question his brothers never wanted to answer or even consider asking why even perform the dance instead of hitting the bell?

A wicked thought brighten Vaporeon’s mood, one born from lingering animosity, and simple pettiness.

He began marking two spots on ground that aligned with each bell where he positioned a single stone upon the mark. Once satisfied, the pokemon retreated just enough to give himself a running start that quickly morphed into a sprint, ending right before he trampled the stone. A swift turn on his front legs, Vaporeon spun around to aim his rear legs before delivering a powerful kick that sent the stone flying toward the immobile bell. His aim was true, and began howling once he heard the dull chime. Inspired by the success and surprised by how fun it was repeated the process with the other bell to be rewarded with another identical chime.

Lost in the euphoria of success, the pokemon began running in circles that grew to encompass the freshwater pool in his victory lap. Leaps and bounds. Howls, and cries. The mutant Vaporeon celebrated his petty achievement without the judgment of others looking down upon him, nor the scalding remarks of some legacy many would happily remove him from.

Freedom from the tower, and any sense of its responsibilities guided his actions up until it all came crashing down. Unbeknownst to the dancing pokemon, the ocean outside the roaming islands groaned at its guardian’s awakening.

"You're one of his children, are you not?" The voice called out, echoing throughout the chamber, and down the hall.

He turned around in near panic trying to find the source of the voice, yet as his eyes scanned the inner sanctum, the large Vaporeon found nothing. Cautiously taking a step forward, he scanned every part of the opening looking for any signs of the intruder when it spoke again.

"His work covers you like feathers on a wing, and yet..." The voice died off revealing the loneliness of the cave as droplets of water ran from their kin over the stalagmites above to the pond below "... act more as a lost pup, looking for a new master."

"WHAT!?" Vaporeon lost his nerve as the hair along his back bristled in rage at the remark, while the ribbon-like tails whipped at the surface of the pond.

But to his displeasure the voice began to laugh, not threatened by the display of power.

“So quick to lash out, you’ll do well to control yourself lest you anger something... STRONGER!!!” The voice roared with the might of a hurricane.

Vaporeon took three steps back trying to fight the sudden gust of wind as the very cave shook. He was losing ground, having to crouch closer to the slippery rock else he would be swept away, but by Arceus’s mercy it stopped before that could happen. He remained prone in case another outburst suddenly came his way, and when that didn't happen did Vaporeon resume standing. The anger he had felt was no more, but the animosity of being reminded of his place made the rest of the conversation all the more frustrating to the water pokemon.

The king in that moment literally had to bite his tongue as the frozen ice began glowing with a power he faintly recognized as his benefactor...

The ice fall began melting as the light became brighter until it became unbearable to even look at, forcing the freak pokemon to avert his eyes. To have, and so easily wield such power made him crave it with a hunger he had only felt once before, but knew such power would forever remain a dream. Engrossed with desire for such power, Vaporeon failed to notice the side effect of the strange light.

The water was melting at an alarming rate. The old waterfall was being freed, and it seized the opportunity to run wild as it had before, and when it came, it came in an explosion of ice and water.

"Who are you?" The King of the Vaporeons asked as he took another couple of steps back as the reality of the pokemon he was about to meet kicked in. Suspicions were one thing, but facing reality was another.

From behind the waterfall he could make out the massive shadow moving closer toward him, the cerulean voids he guessed were eyes kept him from moving anymore- Mean Look!

Unable to move, Vaporeon could only watch with trepidation as the eyes drew nearer until his heart nearly gave out when something penetrated the waterfall and grasped each bell laden rock. The flipper-like appendages were careful not to disturb the bells as their grip tightened around the rocks; the immobile king didn't understand this action until those cerulean eyes finally emerged from behind the running water.

As the head crest became more visible, Vaporeon couldn't help but stare in awe as the legendary pokemon revealed himself. Being bred to guard the tower that HO-OH occupied had left him familiar with the elusive legendary, and while impressive on its own merit meant nothing when standing face to face with another legendary of similar stature and power.

It was only when its mighty neck was exposed when it released the king from Mean Look, and spoke.

"Little one born of my brother's fire, why do you come here?"

What could a pokemon like him say to a god?

Vaporeon had been called arrogant, and selfish before his exploration of the world, but never took the words of jealous pokemon seriously. Boastful most certainly, but what pokemon wouldn't be when they had the power to back it up? Yet, knowing your capabilities, and actually using them are two very different matters when put in front of a divinity that would wash away your existence for daring to claim superiority over them.

The self proclaimed King of the Vaporeons was no fool, and held himself back to prevent a shortening of his life, but it didn't mean the pokemon would shy away from Lugia's gaze deciding to match it with his own, hoping the legendary didn't take offense.

"I seek something..." he started, gauging the reaction before continuing "... something I hold dear to my very aura, a purity missing."

Lugia pondered the words of his brother's child as he hummed a tune with many high and low pitches, its sound reminding the large Vaporeon of water running down moon stones in mountains between Johto and Kanto. With a simple flex of the appendages at the end of his wings, Lugia nodded he was finished, and ready to answer.

"You seek a fool's errand..." the legendary pokemon started, but then decided to lower his neck to better see the water pokemon. "...but you might find something more important."

"More important?" Vaporeon took a step back just as Lugia withdrew his neck back, head tilting with curiosity at the outburst.

Rarely had a pokemon willingly entered his dominion, and fewer than that ever voiced their displeasure directly at him before making this situation more difficult. He would remain calm for now, but will not hide his frustration of this sacrilege. Truely Lugia was generous.

"Perfection only leads to ruin. Any creature, but our Allfather, Arceus, who shaped the very world you stand on may claim purity. What you seek is foolishness.”

“What I seek is purity in a world. A meaning to the lack of purpose in our lives, and key to the chains that bind us to itself."

The 'King' of the Vaporeon professed to the legendary pokemon with an unflinching pride in his words enough to make the pokemon inflate his ego. In his mind, the speech would be the turning point he so desperately sought in his life, and hoped would finally gain him the recognition from his fellow pokemon. This expectation came crashing down when Lugia's deep voice began creating a tempo strong enough to reverberate over the water's surface, and onto the very ground itself, like a drop of water constantly hitting the still water blew to cause the ripple effects.

It was after he collected himself did the large Vaporeon realize the legendary pokemon was laughing..at him!

"Your words hold no greater meaning than an empty promise. Listen well, for I will only say this once, abandon your foolish quest, and return to your kin. Only among them will you find what you truly seek."

It took what little control the King of the Vaporeons had not to shout or attack the legendary pokemon the moment he finished, but it didn't mean he was expressionless. No, far from it. He could feel his claws digging into the rock floor he stood on as his new ribbon appendages were whipped into a frenzy behind him; he looked the legendary pokemon in its large eyes and nearly snarled when a small part of reality came back to him, instead he huffed in frustration and turned around.

The large Vaporeon didn't even turn to see Lugia's reaction (if he had one) and walked away wanting to be done with this place and return to his hunt for a pure, and untainted water source.

“What did a shut-in legendary pokemon know about the world anyway?” Vaporeon thought to himself as his anger steadily grew, and with it a need to vent it.

With nothing left to ask, he bolted down the hall with little regard how it made him look. His only concern now was to leave this vile place and resume his quest for an untainted water source free of the world’s influence. No matter how unrealistic this goal was, the water pokemon clung to it out of a desperation for purpose in life.

For the legendary pokemon Lugia, he huffed. Annoyed by the encounter, but did little to correct the pup then to chastise his behavior. For him, it matters not. He tried, and won’t force the correction. Instead, the legendary slowly sank back behind the waterfall to ponder his brother’s choices. There were better uses of his power, yet Ho-Oh chose to waste it on that mutt.

“Your heart is too soft, brother.” Lugia thought as the waterfall once more began to freeze.