The Legend of Suicune

Chapter 1: First Sighting

Why? What did I do to deserve this? Jake asked himself. He was 18 years old and dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a tee shirt. He sat on the shores of Crystal Lake, a lake that was located deep in the forest just outside Mistfall City. Jake had lived there for as long as he could remember; not that living there was really worth remembering.

Jake had what one would call a troubled childhood. Not long after he was born, his father took a job that had him constantly away from his family. His father didn't care thought. He would rather be making money than be spending time with his family.

Jake's mother was forced to take care of him on her own as well as work to provide for themselves. His father came home about once or twice a month…sometimes once or twice every few months. The strain of having to work and take care of her son soon began to take its toll on her health and she soon became ill.

In the end, she died. Jake's father was forced to find closer work in order to take care of his son, something that he did very little of. Even though he was now working closer to home, his father spent so much time at work, the Jake still very rarely seen him. Jake was forced to learn how to take care of himself since he couldn't rely on his father.

He did odd jobs around town to make a little bit of money here and there. He even did work with the town's professor, Professor Steelheart. Steelheart dedicated his life to studying Pokémon. Jake loved helping Professor Steelheart and learning about Pokémon. He always wanted to become a Pokémon trainer, but with having to take care of himself, he had little time.

When the other kids would turn 10, they would go to Professor Steelheart to receive their first Pokémon. Jake could only sit back and watch the few friends he had leave the town; embarking on their new adventures. Jake longed to leave everything behind; to start his own adventure and make new good memories to replace the old bad ones.

Jake sighed and looked out over the lake. The mist hovered peacefully over the still waters below. Jake loved coming to the lake. When he was younger, his mother would always take him to the lake. She would tell him stories of a very powerful and rare Pokémon that was said to stand guard over the lake and the surrounding forest.

Jake went to the lake not only to enjoy the calm quietness of his lonely hideout, but to hopefully catch a glimpse of the legendary Pokémon his mother spoke of. With another sigh, he picked up a flat rock and threw it across the lake as hard as he could. It skipped several times before vanishing beneath the ripples it created.

A noise caused him to look overhead. A small flock of Pidgey flew overhead. Even higher up, Jake noticed a Fearow floating lazily on the air currents. The lake and surrounding forest were teeming with Pokémon.

Jake turned and noticed a Stantler walking through the mist. A Noctowl ruffled its feathers and awaited the dawn and its upcoming sleep in a nearby tree. Jake rubbed his arms to warm them before skipping another rock on the lake. It was moments before sunrise and a light chill had settled in with the mist.

Jake would wait for the sun to rise before heading back into town. He stood up and stretched his legs to wake them. He had been sitting there for nearly an hour. Slowly the sun started to peek over the horizon. It bathed the valley in its warmth as it began to rise higher.

He headed back up the small trail, quickening his pace when he seen the town. A few people were awake and getting ready for the day. A few of the shop keepers had two and three story building with their story being on the ground floor and their homes being on the floors above. Others had single floor stores with their homes next door.

Jake walked down the street, giving a slight wave here and there. Mr. Polkins, a baker, stood outside his shop sweeping the walk in front of it. His Espeon sat next to him. He looked up and waved Jake over when he seen him.

"Good morning, Jake." The old man said.

"Morning, Mr. Polkins." He replied. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm doing fine. And how are you?" he asked.

"I'm good, just heading back from the lake." He looked down as something brushed his leg. It was the Espeon. It purred lightly as it rubbed against his legs weaving between them. Jake crouched and scratched its back which made it purr more.

"You were always good with Pokémon." Polkins said with a laugh. Jake laughed in return and stood up.

"Yea…they just seem to like me." He replied. "Well, I gotta head home and get ready. The professor needs my help today."

"Before you go, I have something for you." The old man said setting his broom aside.

"You don't have to give me anything." Jake stated. The old man entered his shop and then returned a minute later. He handed Jake a small wrapped parcel.

"Here is a fresh loaf of pecha bread I made. Why don't you go ahead and take it."

"I just can't take this. Here, let me pay for it." Jake said, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket, but the old man just waved his hand.

"Nah. You do so much work around here and not a lot of people thank you for it. And besides, I use some of those pecha berries you brought me the other day."

Jake smiled.

"Well, if you insist." He said.

"I do." Polkins replied. Jake nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Polkins. This will make a nice breakfast."

"It was nothing. Now you best run along. Don't want to keep Steelheart waiting."

Jake thanked him again before hurrying home. It wasn't long before his house came into view. It was a small three bedroom house with a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. He fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Stepping inside, he flipped on the light and kicked off his shoes. He then slipped off his pack and went into the kitchen. The pot of coffee he had made earlier was still warm so he poured himself a cup and sat at the counter to eat breakfast.

Once done, he went up to his room to get ready for work. His room was somewhat small, but he found it to be just right. One the far wall was his dresser and a TV set on a small stand next to it. To the left of that was a book shelf in the corner. Next to that was his computer desk with his laptop on it.

His bed stretched from the computer to the wall. The remaining corner had a door which opened up into his closet. He had a few personal items set here and there. In the corner next to his dresser was his guitar and next to his closet door was his laundry hamper.

He got dressed and took notice that he would need to wash clothes that afternoon. He slipped his laptop, camera and notebook in his pack and clicked off the light. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before he made sure everything was cut off before he slipped on his shoes and left.

He locked the door behind him and walked around the side of the house to the garage.

It contained a small two door truck that his dad had been working on but never finished. Jake managed to get it in running order in his free time. There was also his red Yamaha TRZ. He bought it at New Hope City; a bustling portside city near the ocean a few towns over.

Jake looked at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, but there was a crisp breeze blowing. He pulled on his leather jacket and gloves before backing his motorcycle out of the garage and closing it. He slipped on his helmet and kicked the engine into life.

The bike rumbled beneath him. He revved the engine and made his way down the road to Professor Steelheart's lab. The lab was located outside of town just past some farmland. As Jake rounded the bend, he slid to a stop.

A farmer was moving a herd of Mareep across the road. He sat atop a Ponyta and was directing an Umbreon that was herding them. The dark-type Pokémon ran alongside them barking occasionally. A few minutes later, the road was clear and Jake continued on his way.

He came over a hill and the lab came into view. From the looks of it, the other assistants were already there. Steelheart had two assistants. Jonas was a guy, about a year older than Jake. Lily was the other. She was a few years older than him. She was also Steelheart's daughter. Jonas usually helped Steelheart in the lab with his research while Lily helped take care of the Pokémon on the grounds. Jake helped where ever it was needed.

He rode up to the lab and cut the engine. He put his gloves in his helmet and hung it from the handlebars. He strolled to the front door and entered the code on the keypad. The door slide open and closed behind him after he walked through. He found Jonas working on sorting some research papers.

"Morning, Jake." He said.

"Hey, Jonas." He replied. "Have you seen the Professor?"

"Yea, he should be in his office."

"Thanks." He hung his jacket on the coat rack and slipped on a lab coat. He then made his way to Professor Steelheart's office. The door was open. Jake stopped at the doorway. The Professor was sitting at his desk, deep in thought as he looked over some papers. His Ninetails lay next to his desk. Jake knocked on the doorway and Steelheart looked up.

"Ahh, Jake. Come in, come in." he said setting the papers down and beckoning to him. As soon as Jake stepping into the office, the Ninetails lifted its head. When it seen Jake, it jumped to its feet and ran to him. It then jumped up and began to lick his face happily.

"Easy, girl." Jake said. "I'm happy to see you too."

"Amber." Professor Steelheart said sharply. The Ninetails looked at him and then returned to her spot next to his desk. Jake took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Sorry about that." He added.

"It's no problem, Professor." Jake insisted.

"So, how are you today?" Steelheart asked.

"I'm good." He replied. "I was wondering if you needed any help in the lab today."

"Well, to be honest, Jonas has got it covered for right now…it has been a slow morning. I think Lily may need some help though. Why don't you take one of the jeeps and head out back…I think she is in the north quarter."

"Alright, I'll take a walkie…call if anything comes up."

"Will do."

Jake grabbed a two way radio and a set of keys to one of the jeeps. Jonas stopped him before he headed out back.

"Yo, Jake. You headed out to help Lily?"

"Yea, why?"

"You might want to take a dart gun. Some of the Pokémon have been acting a bit aggressive lately. I think it's mating season for the Ryhorn and maybe even the Tauros."

"Thanks. I'd hate to be trampled by a rutting Tauros in full charge." Jake went over to the gun case and pulled out one of the Lindstradt Tranquilizer Rifles. It was a bolt action dart gun with a 5 capacity magazine. Jake grabbed an extra mag just in case.

He headed out back to the garage. It normally held two Jeep Wrangler land rovers, a quad bike, and two dirt bikes. One of the jeeps was missing. Jake put his gear in the back seat and climbed behind the wheel of the other jeep.

He turned the key and the engine hummed to life. They used battery powered vehicles for two reasons. They were better for the environment and they made very little noise so they would not startle any Pokémon while driving around.

He pressed a small button on the dashboard which opened the garage door. Jake stepped on the gas and the jeep took off with little more than a low hum. The Professor said Lily was in the north quarter so Jake turned the wheel and bumped down the trail.

Jake zoomed down the trail with a big grin on his face. He loved the felling of freedom he got when driving. He laughed as he hit a bump in the trail sending the jeep a few feet in the air before it landed with a hard thump.

He continued down the trail until a jeep in the distance caught his sight. As he neared, he honked his horn. The figure in the jeep turned and waved a hand. Jake slid the jeep to a stop a few feet behind Lily's jeep as she got out. He cut the engine as she stepped up.

"Love to make an entrance don't you?" she said with a light laugh.

"Nah, if I wanted to make an entrance, I would have ramped off that hill over there hollering at the top of my lungs." He replied with a grin.

"I take it that Dad didn't need help at the lab?" she asked.

"You know me, never did like working indoors."

"I guess your right on that one and with it being such a nice day today, I can see why you wouldn't want to."

"So, anything going on today? Jonas said something about the Ryhorn and Tauros were in mating season."

"Yea, I noticed they were a bit more aggressive than usual. I was just about to head over to the west quarter and check on some things over there. You know we just had that Rapidash hurt its leg. I wanted to take a look at it and see if it was healing properly."

"Mind if I tag along?" Jake asked.

"Not at all, let me just finish taking some observations on the Kangaskhan and we can head over there."

Jake sat back in his seat and scanned to the left. There was a small herd of Kangaskhan. There were what appeared to be several females, most with babies in their pouches. There was also a male, which stood about a foot or two taller than the females. Lily was looking through a pair of binoculars and taking notes in a notebook on her lap.

Jake stared off until a loud bellow from his left startled him. He looked over to see a lone Kangaskhan approaching the herd. The male set out to meet the intruder. The new Kangaskhan was a lone male hoping to find a herd of females for himself. The two males squared off. Jake grabbed his camera and clicked it to film mode and began recorded the standoff.

The new male was still young and did not have the experience as the older male, but that wasn't going to stop him. With a roar, he charged the old male who roared in return. The force of the two males hitting was massive. They continued to slam and pound into each other. Jake could almost feel the pressure of each blow.

The older male had had enough and pulled its arm back before striking the younger male in a punching like fashion, leaving the young male somewhat dazed and confused looking.

"Wow, that was a Dizzy Punch, and I got it on film." Jake said behind the camera.

The older male pulled his arm back to strike again. The younger male shook his head and came to his senses in enough time to see it coming and turned tail and left. The older male released a triumphant roar at the retreating male.

Jake let out a little cheer. This however caught the attention of the older male who turned and faced them. He stomped the ground and looked as if he was about to charge. After seeing what just happened, Jake didn't plan on sticking around.

"Lily…uh…I think it's time we go." He said shutting off his camera, tossing it in the passenger seat and turning on the jeep. She seemed to agree as she spotted the male making his way towards them. She jumped in her jeep starting it and they both made their way down the trail away from the advancing Kangaskhan.

"That could have turned out badly." Lily said over the radio. Jake agreed. They continued down the trail as they headed to the west quarter. It took the several minutes to get there since the property was fairly large. They pulled their jeeps off the road and shut them off.

"So, you say there is an injured Rapidash?" Jake asked. Lily nodded.

"We had one hurt its leg a few days ago. We reset the leg and bandaged it. We just need to check on it and see if the leg is healing properly. If not, we may have to transfer it to the Pokémon Center in Roanar City."

Jake knew that Roanar City was just over the mountain, it was the closets city to them, but it was still a day's drive on a good day because of the mountains between them. They could use the P.T.S. or Pokémon Transportation System to send it there. The P.T.S. was the same system trainers used whenever they were they were swapping Pokémon on their team via PC at a Pokémon Center.

"Well, we better find it and check on it." Jake said.

They grabbed a med-kit and the dart-gun from Jake's jeep. They may need to use it to sedate the Rapidash in order to get a better look at it without it hurting them or itself. They made their way across the field to where the Ponyta and Rapidash usually stay.

They saw a decent herd of Pokémon as they reached the crown of a nearby hill. They counted about 18 Pokémon in all; about 8 Rapidash and 10 Ponyta. The one they were looking for was on the edge of the herd, putting as little weight as possible on its left front leg.

"Let's try to move a little closer." Lily suggested quietly. Jake nodded silently. They got as low as they could and moved slowly towards the heard. Rapidash we not normally aggressive Pokémon but they still could lash out with their hooves if they felt threatened or that they needed to protect their young.

They managed to get to the edge of the tall grass near the clearing the Pokémon were in. The only question they had was whether or not the Rapidash was going to cooperate or not. Jake wasn't about to let Lily put herself in danger, so he set the dart gun on the ground and slow inched his way to the edge of the clearing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lily hissed, keeping an eye on the Rapidash.

"I'm getting closer to see how bad it is." He replied.

"Are you crazy? A quick blow to the head with one of their hooves can kill you."

"I know what I'm doing." He snapped back. Slowly, he took one step after another towards the herd. He managed to close in half the distance before a Ponyta noticed him. It let out a neigh causing the rest of the herd to look at him.

Jake stopped in his tracks. A few of the Rapidash took a few steps forward, staring him down. Jake slowly held his hands out to the side and began creeping forward. One of the Rapidash snorted in agitation and pawed at the ground. Jake stopped again.

"It's alright." Jake said in a calm voice. "I'm just here to check in that injured Rapidash." He said pointing to it slowly. The lead Rapidash snorted again and advanced towards him, its fiery mane flaring up. Out the corner of his eye, Jake saw Lily ready the dart gun to fire. He motioned lightly with his hand for her to stand down.

The Rapidash circled him sniffing his pack as it did. Jake made no sudden movements. Its hooves were easily as hard as a diamond if not harder. He dared not to think what one could do to his head it things took a turn for the worst.

The Rapidash gave a satisfied snort and trotted back to the herd. Jake slowly walked forward, still not wanting to make any aggressive or threatening movements. The injured Rapidash stared at Jake as he approached. It snorted and took a step back as he neared.

"It's alright." Jake said calmly. "I'm only here to help." The Rapidash's ears stood forward showing that it was rather interested in what he was doing there. Jake knew that if that if its ears were lying back, he would never get anywhere near it.

He reached into a side pocket on his pack and pulled out a handful of berries. He held them out for the Rapidash. It stretched its neck forward as it sniffed the berries before taking a few steps forward so it could reach them. It seemed to really like the rawst berries.

While he held the berries in one hand, he used the other to gently stroke the horse-like Pokémon down the bridge of its nose. It nickered lightly. Jake slowly moved towards its injured leg, which it was stepping on lightly. The Rapidash pranced nervously as he reached for it.

"It's alright." He reassured as he patted its neck. He slowly unraveled the bandages and took a close look at the leg. The injured area was swollen and a light reddish purple color. Jake reached into his pack and fished out a super potion he had.

"Now this may sting a little, but it will help you heal faster." Jake said. He sprayed the potion on the bruised and swollen area. The Rapidash tossed its head and let out a slight neigh of pain. The other Rapidash rounded to him encase Jake should hurt it anymore.

Jake slowly rubbed the medicine into the skin being careful not to cause it anymore pain. He could feel the muscles tremble lightly under his touch. When he finished applying the medicine, he took some fresh bandages and rewrapped the leg. Once done, he slipped his things back into his pack and stood up.

"That's about all I can do." He said. The Rapidash tested its leg gingerly. It was still not putting its full weight on it, put it was putting more on it that it was previously. It nickered lightly with delight as it nuzzled Jake's cheek.

"You're welcome." He replied as he rubbed its neck. He noticed that the flames of its mane did not burn him which meant that it trusted him. With Ponyta and Rapidash, they allow people near them out of trust. If they trusted you enough, you could pet or even ride them without getting burned.

Jake gave it one last berry before heading back to Lily. She sat in the grass with a somewhat relieved look on her face.

"How was it?" she asked as they made their way back to the jeeps.

"It was still a bit swollen and bruised…but it should heal up here in a few days, maybe a week at the most." He replied. Lily sighed.

"I still don't see how you were able to get so close to them that easily." She stated. "I know they wouldn't have let me near the herd."

"I don't know either." Jake admitted. "I don't even really think about it too much; I just do it. I guess they trusted me enough to get closer."

"So, what are you saying? That I'm not trustworthy or something?" She said suddenly rounding to face him. Jake didn't know why she was mad all of a sudden.

"Not at all." He replied putting his hands up. "I'm just saying that people have to speak from their hearts when dealing with Pokémon. Once they see that you truly mean them now harm and that you plan on keeping your word, they will trust you."

"I know all this already." She snapped. "I didn't get to be my father's assistant out of dumb luck."

"What the hell is your problem?" Jake asked. "You act like I'm coming here to try and take your job or something."

"I just don't get it." She said. "I go through all this studying with my father to be able to get this job and you just come in one day asking to help and you get it no trouble."

"Look, I didn't ask for any of this." Jake said suddenly getting louder. "I can't help it. No matter where I go, wither they are wild or tame, most Pokémon just trust me…it's just how I am."

"But what makes you so fucking different from me…huh? Answer me that."

"I don't know. If I the damn answer I would have told you. Maybe it would get you to stay off my case. You know, I have to deal with enough shit without you bitching to me about how you think I'm trying to take your job." Lily was about to respond but Jake didn't let her.

"Let me let you in on a secret. If I wanted you job so damn badly, I could have taken it the first day I walking in here two years ago. You know it and I know it. But I didn't." Jake stormed past her and was about to climb into his jeep.

"Why didn't you?" she asked. Jake stopped with one foot in the jeep.

"Because I considered you a friend." He replied bluntly over his shoulder. He got in the jeep and turned it on. He then turned around and sped off leaving Lily dumbfounded in a cloud of dust. He drove back to the lab where he parked the jeep in the garage and stormed inside. He replaced the dart gun back in its case and hung the jeep's keys back on their hook.

"What's up?" Jonas asked.

"Nothing." Jake replied as he hung up his lab coat and slipped on his jacket. "I'm done for the day; I'm gonna head home."

"Okay." Jonas replied confused.

Jake headed out to his bike. He yanked on his gloved and put his helmet on, strapping the chin strap. He turned the key and the bike roared to life once more. Revving the engine, he darted out of the lab parking lot and down the road back to town.

As he headed down the road, he was suddenly startled by sirens behind him. Looking in the mirror, he saw a motorbike with flashing blue lights behind him. He glanced down at his speedometer. It read 58 mph, almost 20 over the speed limit.

"Son of a bitch." He said to himself. Be clicked on his blinkers and pulled off to the side of the road. The police bike pulled up behind him. He shut off his bike and slipped off his helmet and hung it from his handle bars.

The officer climbed of the bike and made their way to his. The officer stepped up and lifted the visor on their helmet. It was the local Officer Jenny.

"Do you know how fast you were going?" she asked sternly. "The speed limit through here if 40 miles per hour you know."

"Yes, Officer Jenny. I know." He replied. I just had a lot on my mind and didn't know how fast I was going until you turned on your lights." She stood there for a moment as if she was thinking about what to do next.

"Hmmm…" she said. "You seem to be honestly telling the truth."

"I'm really sorry for speeding. Like I said, I didn't know until it was too late."

"I guess it's your lucky day today. I have bigger problems over near Mistfall City, so I'm gonna give you a warning this time."

"Thank you, ma'am." Jake replied. "What…What's going on it Mistfall City?" he asked, worried.

"I'm not really obliged to tell you that. Now, I have to go. Try not to speed anymore." She turned to walk back to her bike.

"Wait…" Jake called out. "I'm from Mistfall City…what is going on over there?" Officer Jenny stopped.

"Hmm. Well, maybe you can help me. Have you seen any suspicious looking people around lately?"

"Not that I know of, why?"

"I was given word that some Pokémon poachers were seen in the area."

"Well, I haven't seen anyone aside from the usual, but I can keep an eye out if you need me to."

"Please do." She said. "And by all means, be careful." She warned. "These people could be armed and dangerous."

"Will do." Jake said with a nod. Jenny smiled.

"Well then, I need to hurry over to Mistfall City. Promise me you won't go speeding again."

"I promise."

"Good, now be careful." She hopped back on her bike and she took of past him. Jake sighed. He put his helmet back on and started back down the road.

Man that was too close. He thought to himself. I can't afford to get a ticket. He continued on his way home, making sure to drive the speed limit. It wasn't long before he was home. Jake parked his bike in the garage and headed inside.

He slipped off his shoes and looked at the clock. It was just after 12 o'clock. He got some laundry started before he got started on lunch. He threw together a quick sandwich with some chips on the side. He grabbed a cold soda from the fridge before making his way to the living room.

He sat on the couch and turned on the television and flipped over to the local news station to check the weather for the next week. He then began scanning through the channels. He stopped on the Battle Channel. They were always airing shows on strategies of showing recent battles they had got on film. He kept scanning until he came to one of his favorite shows.

"Legends: The facts behind legendary Pokémon" was his favorite show for as long as he could remember. He took a sip from his soda and turned the volume up a few notches.

"We have got a special treat for you today." The announcer said. "We have what appears to be footage of one of the three legendary dog Pokémon, Suicune."

The footage showed what appeared to be a large dog like Pokémon. It had light blue fur with a rippling mane of a darker blue. It moved remarkably fast. At times it appeared to be no more than a blue blur and they had to slow the clip down.

"Here to tell us more about Suicune is none other than the famous Professor Oak. Professor, please come on out." Jake had heard about Professor Oak. He was said to be one of the best Pokémon researchers of all times. A middle aged man with lightly greying hair walked out and took a seat next to the host.

"So, Professor, what can you tell us about Suicune?" the host asked.

"Well, as we know, there are three legendary dog Pokémon: Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. Each is said to embody three of the most powerful elements: water, electricity, and fire. Suicune is sometimes called the Spirit of Water. It is said that Suicune can alter weather patterns making it rain or snow."

"A Pokémon that can change the weather…it must be very powerful."

"Indeed it is." Oak agreed. "Many people have spent their lives searching for Suicune. Most of them never get the chance, while others manage to snag a glimpse of this elusive and extremely rare Pokémon."

"What else can you tell us?"

"Some researchers have discovered that Suicune can actually purify water. In fact there have been many legends dating centuries back about Suicune helping people in dire needs."

Professor Oak went on about telling some of the legends. One was of a small town that was on the verge of ruin due to an extreme drought. A young boy from the village set out in the nearby forest searching for Suicune. The boy found it and asked Suicune to make it rain else their village perish from poor harvests. The Suicune had agreed on one condition and that was it wanted a shrine built in the forest in its honor. The village agreed and built the shrine. Suicune called forth a rainstorm using its Rain Dance saving the village.

Jake couldn't help but think about what it would be like to see a Suicune. For some reason, that name sounded familiar. At first he though how it would be amazing to capture a Pokémon that strong. Then he thought about how much a Pokémon like that didn't deserve to be caught and used for some tool in battle.

"Are there any special abilities that Suicune has?" the host asked.

"There are many." Oak continued. "Some say that Suicune produces a haze or mist to shroud itself since it appears to avoid contact with humans. It appears to have psychic abilities. It is said to be able to walk and run on water without making a noise."

"Sounds like there is a lot to Suicune that some would expect from a typical Pokémon."

"As with most legendary Pokémon, it appears to think on a more highly developed intelligence than regular Pokémon. Some say that it is possible that it can even communicate on a telepathic level. It can read minds and emotions. The list could go on because there is still so much we still don't know"

"It seems that there is no end to some of the amazing things that these legendary Pokémon can do."

"Too right you are."

"Well, that looks like that's about all we have today, folks. Join us next time when well look deeper into the legend and mystery of Mew."

Jake clicked the TV off. He went to the kitchen and cleaned it up from lunch before he went and checked his clothes, they were done so he moved them to the dryer. He then headed out back to check on his garden.

He had several types of fruits and vegetable growing as well as a few different types of berries. He began to pull up the weeds which he did for well over an hour. He then got a pair of trimmers and began trimming some of the plants down where they had begun to grow wildly.

While he did, a rustling in a nearby bush made him stop. He looked over to see a Furret had snuck out from under the bush. It stood on its hind legs looking up as Jake. With a smile, he plucked an oran berry from the bush and held it out to the Furret.

"Furret…Fur!" it replied happily taking the berry and scurrying off into the bushes. Jake smiled again and finished the trimming. He then grabbed the water hose and made sure everything got plenty of water. Once finished, he retreated inside to get cleaned up.

He went upstairs and grabbed some clean clothes before heading down the hall to get a shower. He scrubbed the dirt off that had clung to him as the steam swirled from the hot water. With a sigh, he rinsed off and stepped out the shower to dry off. As he did, he glanced out the window into the back yard.

His garden stretched to the edge of the forest that his house set against. Right as he was about to turn away, he spotted something just past the edge of the tree line. It looked like a trail. He got dressed and grabbed his pack

He went to the edge of the forest and began pushing aside branches. He was right. There was a trail. He had never noticed it before. He decided to walk along it for a little to see where it led.

The deeper he walked into the forest, the taller the trees got until it seemed they were trying to block out the sky. Jake pressed on until he could see a light up ahead. He pressed through the branches towards the light.

He soon stumbled into a small clearing. He looked to the left and saw Crystal Lake. From the looks of it, he was on the opposite side of where he normally stood. He looked to the right and noticed a small structure. Vines and creeper plants had grown up and wrapped around it.

Jake walked up to the structure. It was roughly the size of his garage. He spotted what looked like a plaque set into the stone along the front of the structure. Jake tried to brush away some of the vines, but they held firm. Jake's brow furrowed as he frowned.

He shrugged off his pack and tossed it aside. Then, he grabbed a small bunch of the vines and began tearing at them. They began to rip away at his relentless onslaught. Once he managed to uncover a section of the stone, he brushed the years of dirt from it. There were words etched in the stone. Jake read them as he brushed the dirt off them.

"Here stands a shrine, built to honor the Spirit of the Lake; the one who helped us through hard times when we needed it; the great and powerful Suicune."

Jake let out a gasp as he read. He looked up at the shrine.

"So, the legend was true." Jake said remembering the story Professor Oak spoke of on TV.

"A small town was on the verge of ruin due to an extreme drought. A young boy from the village set out in the nearby forest searching for Suicune. The boy found it and asked Suicune to make it rain else their village perish from poor harvests. The Suicune had agreed on one condition and that was it wanted a shrine built in the forest in its honor. The village agreed and built the shrine. Suicune called forth a rainstorm using its Rain Dance saving the village."

Could it be? Jake asked himself. The legendary Pokémon that my mom spoke of was a Suicune? Jake checked his watch. He still had several hours before it was to be dark, so as fast as he could, he ran home to gather a few tools from his garden shed. He ran back to the vine-entombed shrine.

He spent the next four hours removing the vines and plants from it. He cleaned it up the best he could. Once finished, he stepped back to admire his handy work.

The shrine he had uncovered was entirely made of stone. It reminded him of a small square gazebo. He was able to walk under the roof of it and stand tall without having to stoop over. In the center was a stature of what Jake guessed was Suicune. It looked so life like that Jake got a shiver as if it was watching him.

Jake walked down to the lake to get clean once again. He stripped down and jumped in. The water was rather cold for this time of year so he stayed in long enough to get clean. By the time he had gotten back to the shore, he was shivering slightly.

He got dressed quickly in order to stay warm. Jake then noticed that the sun would be setting soon. A light fog was rolling in off of the lake. Jake gathered up his things and took one last look out at the lake. He froze in his tracks.

The fog had grown thick in a certain spot about twelve yards out. In the center of the haze was a mass. Jake shook his head and looked again thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. No, they weren't. Something was defiantly on the lake and it was coming towards him.

The figure stopped just off the shore. The fog seemed to lift lightly. Jake dropped his things. Standing there on the lake in front of him was a Suicune. Jake couldn't take his eyes from it. It stared right back with sapphire like eyes. Its mane rippled but there was no breeze and the air had an icy chill to it.

The Suicune looked pat Jake at the shrine for a moment. Jake looked back at it too before looking back at the Suicune. It gazed met his once again. Jake felt an odd feeling in the back of his mind, and for an instant he felt gratitude. The Suicune bowed its head lightly before it turned to walk off. Then as quickly as it appeared, it had vanished with the fog.

Jake stood rooted where he stood. He had seen it. He had seen the Suicune. A small smile crept along his face. He felt numb and giddy. Scooping up his things, he took off in a run back to his house, laughing as he went.