Though Dragonite had defeated Kilowattrel, it hadn't emerged unscathed.
The intense blizzard wasn't just affecting the battling Pokémon — it was also taking its toll on bystanders like Cole and Mismagius.
As the temperature plummeted, vast stretches of sea began freezing over. Would their ship even be able to move once this battle ended?
Mismagius, already irritated by the delay this battle had caused, was at its limit. Patience had never been its strong suit.
It flew off the ship in anger.
"Hey... Mismagius?"
Before Cole could finish speaking, Mismagius had already entered the battlefield. Its eyes began glowing with an intense purple light — a sign of Psychic Power — and instantly, the raging blizzard and fierce winds froze in place.
Cole had always known Mismagius was strong, but this display of power was terrifying beyond his imagination!
The still-entangled Dragonite and Kilowattrel could only stare in shock at Mismagius's sudden intervention.
But it wasn't finished. With a wave of its hand, Mismagius drew a circle in the air, unleashing countless flames. Within moments, the snow and ice had melted, and the intense heat turned the seawater to steam.
This was the same magical flame technique Mismagius had once used on Cole. Now he realized just how much it must have held back then — otherwise, he and Daisy would have been reduced to ashes in that illusory space.
Cole fanned himself and unbuttoned his thick coat. The heat was overwhelming!
Just then, a small head poked out from his arms — the Swablu had awakened.
"Swa?" — Who are you?
The Swablu tilted its head, bean-like eyes filled with confusion. Its injuries had largely healed after the treatment.
"Don't you remember being hit by Dragonite's Draco Meteor? I saved you." Cole said.
"Swa~ Swa~" — Oh yeah, that did happen. Thank you.
The Swablu's response was endearingly absent-minded.
"..."
By now, Dragonite and Kilowattrel had recovered from their shock at Mismagius's display of power, and — surprisingly — they joined forces to attack it.
One used Thunderbolt, while the other unleashed Hurricane.
Mismagius casually flicked its hand, summoning a pillar of fire that instantly destroyed Kilowattrel's Thunderbolt. With a single finger, it used Psychic Power to freeze Dragonite's Hurricane mid-air.
The frozen hurricane formed a massive wind pillar that spun in place, drawing in vast amounts of seawater. As Mismagius's eyes glowed brighter purple, the pillar spun ever faster.
With another wave of its hand, Mismagius reversed the wind pillar's direction toward Dragonite and Kilowattrel. The two Pokémon tried to dodge, but Psychic Power had already frozen them in place.
Caught in the wind pillar, they spun helplessly like laundry in a washing machine.
Mismagius wasn't finished — You enjoy playing with ice? Let me give you your fill!
With a gentle breath, Mismagius released a blast of cold air that instantly froze the water-filled wind pillar solid, trapping Dragonite and Kilowattrel inside like specimens in ice.
Task complete, Mismagius nodded with satisfaction and floated leisurely back to the ship.
"You're... you're really amazing." Cole said, awestruck.
Mismagius replied nonchalantly,
"Misma~ Misma~" — I'm nothing special. My teacher was the truly amazing one...
A hint of nostalgia crossed its face.
It had been sailing this ghost ship across the seas searching for that very teacher. The last time they'd met... Mismagius drifted into thought. It must have been over a hundred years ago. Who knew where its teacher was now?
Their meeting had been pure chance. Its teacher had kept Mismagius close and taught it for two years before vanishing without a trace.
In a world so vast, finding them again seemed nearly impossible.
Hearing this, Cole's jaw nearly dropped. If Mismagius was already this powerful, what kind of being had been its teacher? Could it have been a Legendary Pokémon?
Seeing that Mismagius didn't wish to elaborate, he simply asked, "Should we get going?"
"Misma~"
Mismagius nodded, and at its command, the ghost ship set sail again.
Once the battle between Dragonite and Kilowattrel had settled, the sky cleared to a pristine blue, bathed in bright, gentle sunlight. A flock of Altaria and Swablu appeared, flying in perfect formation over the ghost ship.
"Swa~ Swa~"
The Swablu in Cole's arms suddenly wriggled free, gestured to him, and flew toward the flock of Altaria and Swablu — its family.
Cole waved goodbye.
"Goodbye! Be more careful next time!"
"Swa~ Swa~"
The Swablu nodded before joining its flock.
As the ghost ship sailed forward, the sea surface suddenly churned. With a splash, a beautiful creature emerged from the water, surrounded by a dazzling rainbow created by water vapor and sunlight.
Milotic!
Cole's eyes widened. How beautiful!
The Milotic wrapped its tail in a stream of water and struck the ice pillar containing Dragonite and Kilowattrel. With a crash, the pillar shattered, freeing the two Pokémon. Though they shivered from their icy imprisonment, they were unharmed.
The freezing had cooled their tempers — they were no longer fighting. Like scolded children, they hung their heads and apologized repeatedly to Milotic.
After resolving the dispute, Milotic turned toward the ghost ship, its eyes showing surprise at seeing Cole.
As Milotic swam closer, Mismagius grew wary, concerned it might defend Dragonite and Kilowattrel. Mismagius could sense that this Pokémon was immensely powerful — perhaps even more powerful than itself.
Rather than defending Dragonite and Kilowattrel, Milotic expressed gratitude to Mismagius for resolving the dispute between the two Pokémon.
However, what caught Cole off guard was Milotic's voice — it was strangely harsh, as if it had lost its signature sound.
"Milo~" — Young one, we meet again.
After thanking Mismagius, Milotic turned its gaze to Cole.
These words puzzled him.
(⊙▂⊙ ) ? Again? Isn't this our first meeting?
"Milo~ Milo~ Milo~" — It seems you don't remember. Years ago, you were drifting on a raft with a Gardevoir when we crossed paths.
"You're that Milotic!" Cole's eyes suddenly widened with recognition, then confusion, "Wait, your voice?"
Though both Milotic were equally beautiful creatures, he vividly remembered that his most enchanting audio experience had come from that previous encounter. Even Brionne's current singing, lovely as it was, couldn't match the memory of that Milotic's voice.
But this one...
Seeing his reaction, Milotic smiled wryly and cleared its throat before saying,
"Milo~ Milo~" — My voice has been troubled lately — it's somewhat different now.
Cole thought to himself: This wasn't just a slight change — it was a complete transformation! He could barely recognize this as the same "God of Voice" he remembered!
He was also amazed that Milotic had remembered him after all these years. His appearance had changed dramatically since then — how remarkable that it still knew him.
But Cole had misunderstood — Milotic had recognized him through Daisy.
While his appearance had changed significantly, she remained largely the same. Through her, combined with memories from years past, Milotic had identified Cole.
Hearing all this, Mismagius's expression shifted subtly. If this truly was the Milotic that Cole sought, what would its damaged voice mean for baby Misdreavus?
Cole needed to be certain, so he asked, "Do you know Ember?"
"Ember?" Milotic paused, then brightened with recognition, "Oh~ you mean her? Yes, I know her — what's the matter?"
"That's good." Cole sighed with relief, "Sister Ember asked me to find you. She wants to invite you over."
"No!" Milotic turned away abruptly.
Cole stood dumbfounded. Such a blunt refusal? Were they enemies? No wonder Ember hadn't come herself but sent him instead.
She must have had quite a scheme planned!
"Quick, follow them!" Cole called urgently to Mismagius.
Mismagius sighed and commanded its subordinates to follow.
Milotic swam ahead, with Dragonite and Kilowattrel trailing silently through the air, casting nervous glances at Mismagius.
Soon, they came upon an island where a river flowed into the sea. Milotic guided the others upstream along the waterway.
The river channel proved too narrow for the ghost ship to navigate, so Mismagius instructed its subordinates to remain and guard the vessel. While Mismagius followed carrying the case with baby Misdreavus, Cole and Gardevoir mounted Gyarados to continue their pursuit.
After swimming for some time, they came upon a deep pool. Beautiful flowers bloomed all around, and the temperature was notably warmer — unlike the winter outside, this place felt like a different world.
Tall, lush trees surrounded the pool, their branches filled with Altaria and Swablu — the same group Cole had seen earlier. Among them was the Swablu he had saved.
The Altaria and Swablu stretched their necks and sang cheerfully, creating an atmosphere that felt like paradise.
The rescued Swablu spotted Cole and happily flew down from its perch, affectionately rubbing its head against him.
He stroked its soft wings and said, "We meet again. Is this your home?"
"Swa~Swa~" — Yes, yes, why have you come?
The Swablu asked cheerfully.
"I came to find Milotic, to ask for some help." Cole replied.
"Swa~Swa~ Swa~" — Then go quickly! Milotic is very nice, and you're a good person too, it will definitely agree!
With that, Swablu flew up and tugged at his hair with its beak, pulling him toward Milotic.
What an innocent little one.
Milotic lay by the pool's edge, its body submerged in the water with only its head resting on the grass, eyes closed in rest.
Cole, being pulled by Swablu, jumped down from Gyarados with a wry smile.
Milotic had already refused me once!
While walking toward it, he observed the environment. Besides Milotic and the Altaria flock, many other Pokémon called this place home.
At the edge of the grassland, deep in the forest, a herd of Sawsbuck and Deerling had gathered. They watched Cole with curiosity — having never left the island, they'd never encountered a human before.
Behind the pool stood a cliff where water cascaded continuously. In the rock caves behind the waterfall lived the Wattrel and Kilowattrel — including their leader, the same Kilowattrel that had fought with Dragonite.
In the pool itself, more than ten Dratini and Dragonair played in the water alongside Milotic and the Dragonite from the earlier battle.
Cole approached Milotic gently and asked, "May I ask why you won't go?"
Milotic lazily opened one eye and said, "We have a grudge."
After speaking, it closed its eye again.
Although Cole had suspected as much, he was still surprised that a peaceful Pokémon like Milotic could harbor a grudge.
Ember must have done something truly terrible — no wonder she hadn't come herself.
"Can you tell me about this grudge?" Cole asked, knowing he needed to understand the situation to help resolve it.
"No." This time, Milotic didn't even open its eyes.
Mismagius approached, carrying baby Misdreavus, and Cole tried a different question, "Then can you tell me what happened to your voice?"
He explained baby Misdreavus's situation.
"If there's any way you can help, please help baby Misdreavus."
Milotic was indeed gentle-natured. Though unwilling to visit Ember, it genuinely wanted to help baby Misdreavus.
But its voice made that impossible.
"I don't know what happened — my voice just became hoarse one day." Milotic said, gazing apologetically at Mismagius and baby Misdreavus, "I'm truly sorry you came all this way, but I can't help."
The voice problems had wider consequences too. Usually, Milotic's song would calm any quarreling Pokémon, like the recent fight between Dragonite and Kilowattrel.
Without Milotic's soothing voice, conflicts among the local Pokémon had become increasingly common.
Hearing this, Mismagius looked at its child with heartache, at a loss for what to do.
✲✲✲
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