"I don't want to talk, Max. Leave me be awhile."
The Magma leader didn't move. At his sides, his hands curled into uncharacteristic fists - so far the only tell that his composure was cracking. "Archie. This isn't the time."
Archie said nothing. He just kept staring out at the storm, shoulders braced against the gale and his bandana tugged down a little further to shield his eyes from the downpour of rain. He was in a bad way, this much Maxie could tell, but... something had to be done, didn't it?
"Archie..."
"I called her, Maxie. My job is... I'm done. If you're about to gloat-"
"Archie! If you have any semblance of sense you'll stop moping around and take matters seriously!"
"Seriously?" He fixed his rival with a hollow glare. "You think I'm not taking this seriously, do you?"
"I think you're acting far more like a child than the one who just walked through those doors!" Maxie snapped, not to be deterred. But then that had always been why they made such good rivals, hadn't it? Maxie had never been afraid of him. Mountains don't yield. "That girl needs our help, Archie. She needs you."
"Are you out of your mind? I was the one who caused all this mess! I don't deserve-"
"Look around, Archie!" He swept his arm out at Sootopolis and the raging weather. Even the huge, ancient tree was struggling against the gale force wind, a few terrified bird Pokemon finding little shelter in its branches. "Does this look like the time for you to be having a breakdown? Is this a question of who deserves what? If you feel so terrible, do something!" He faltered, feeling momentarily overshadowed as Archie glowered back at him. With one shaking hand, he angrily whipped off his glasses - couldn't see out of them, anyway, in all this rain - and leaned in with a lowered voice. "As rival to rival. As... whatever we used to be. This isn't a task fair to give to a child, and I... we, Team Magma, can't do much for her. You have to try."
It was a moment or two before Archie turned to look in the direction of Origin Cave, the great stone doors still open to the elements. It was even longer before he replied, and his voice sounded small. Archie had never sounded small before, and Maxie nearly winced. "She's got the suit. What can I do?"
The answer came from his left, quiet and encouraging.
"You can swim, boss." Archie dared himself to look at her, and she waved her hand. "Well, that's one thing you have on Maxie, anyway! Just because you aren't the one wearing the fancy Aqua Suit doesn't mean you can't at least get partway through that cave! And since when was it Aqua policy to just give up?"
"Shelly..." He trailed off. "Team Aqua... I think it's time-"
"No," she interrupted quickly, before he could finish the thought. "You're right! Hah... That's not a policy at all - it's just what you taught us. Giving up isn't what you do, boss." She hesitated only for a moment, then forced herself to put on a wide grin, and clapped him heartily on the shoulder - something he'd done to all of them, countless times, and usually just barely managed not to break anybody. Shelly's smack didn't even make him flinch. "So, stop acting like a weak and helpless landlubber! Listen, if you're that scared of Legendary Pokemon, maybe I'll go beat you to the punch!"
Maxie stared at them both, momentarily caught off-guard, and then it clicked. He stepped forwards and put his glasses back on, ignoring the sightlessness this afforded him, and smirked. "For once, I can agree with your associate." He folded his hands neatly behind his back and snapped his heels together, adopting his usual calculating tone, as if nothing was wrong. As if the sky wasn't literally falling down around them. "If you won't rise to the challenge, perhaps I will. Won't that put a damper on your plans, Archie, if Team Magma were to acquire Kyogre instead? Anyway, perhaps..." He sobered a little, adjusting his glasses. "Perhaps we could all go together."
Archie stared at them, his eyes flicking back and forth, before his gaze finally settled back on the cave entrance behind them.
His expression hardened with determination.
And then all hell broke loose.
"Get down!"
Archie flung his arms around Shelly and Maxie and instinctively threw them all sideways - right as an eruption of water surged from the Sootopolis lake, exploding in all directions as Kyogre burst upwards with a deafening call. They hit the lake right as the Pokemon slammed down on the bridge they had all been standing on just moments before, splintering it to pieces.
For a moment after the plunge, all they could do was cling to each other in the tide, Maxie clapping his hands over his mouth to prevent himself from shouting out the contents of his lungs - and a huge dark shadow passed overhead.
Too shocked to react, the sinking trio watched as the shimmering blue and red behemoth thrashed its huge flippers and pushed through the water effortlessly, making a beeline for the city's underwater exit. Something small and person-shaped was knocked off the thrashing Pokemon's back and sank, motionless, into the depths.
Realising he was still holding onto Shelly and Maxie (who had closed his eyes), Archie tightened his grip on them both and suddenly kicked for the surface.
With Shelly's help, they made it up to the air, the Magma Leader spluttering and coughing, and Archie pulled out a Pokeball. "There - there must have been an underwater exit. Shelly. Take the landlubber to shore. I'll fetch the scamp." Sharpedo emerged in a flash of white, and gnashed its teeth expectantly as Archie grabbed hold of its fin.
Still spitting salt water, Maxie flailed clumsily when Shelly grabbed hold of his coat lapels.
"Boss, wait!"
Archie glanced back at her, his fierce look made all the darker by the X-shape daubed across his face.
Shelly swallowed whatever objection she'd been about to voice. "...Good luck."
The corners of his mouth twitched upwards slightly in acknowledgement, and he turned back to his mission. "Sharpedo, let's go!"
The Pokemon dove, taking Archie with it, and a rush of bubbles let them know its jets had burst into action.
"Is - is he going to make it?" Maxie rushed out as he recovered. "That - that's very deep-"
Shelly tugged him along with her as she struck out for shore, and tried not to think too hard about it. It was deep. "Honestly!" she huffed anyway. "Don't be insulting. Archie's the strongest swimmer I know. What, you think the leader of Team Aqua can't hold his breath?" It was true, anyway. "Our leader knows what he's doing." Lately, she suspected, less true. But that wasn't relevant to Maxie's question.
The two instinctively turned to look at each other. Shelly's normally unruly hair was pasted thinly against her face and spread out like seaweed in the water around her neck. Maxie's shorter hair wasn't much better, and his glasses had managed to get knocked askew.
"He'll be fine," Shelly insisted.
"I-I know," Maxie snapped irritably. "I was merely - I meant it only in the sense-"
"Get yourself out of the water. I'm going after him."
"Don't be a fool!" He grabbed her shoulder, taking an uneven gasp as the motion unsteadied him in the water. "It's too late for that. Either he's fine, or... or he isn't," he finished firmly. "Rushing after him... you'd be making more trouble. All we can do now is hope."
Unwilling to tear their eyes off the water, Maxie and Shelly slowly began to climb up out of the waves. Maxie was the first to make it, and he offered his hand to pull the Aqua admin up after him. The two stood in the pouring rain, side by side, and waited.
Always knew you were stubborn, scampo.
Underwater, things almost felt peaceful - the water plants waved gently back and forth in the current, and Magikarp swam past in oblivious shoals. The world down here was barely touched by the storm above, but Archie knew better.
A small blue figure lay motionless on the lakebed, a Magikarp nibbling vacantly on her foot and a patch of waterweed rippling against the suit's helm and obscuring her face. Beside her sat the faintly-glowing Red Orb, resting where it had rolled out of her limp hand.
Sharpedo brought him closer, and despite his aching lungs, Archie forced himself to be slow and careful when lifting the girl from her resting place. She was weightless in the water, and as he pulled her loose of the tangling weeds, he very nearly gasped.
There was a tiny trickle of blood making its way down her face from her hairline. But, as he focused, he thought he could see the faint mist of breath against the visor.
Archie hooked one arm around her and held on tight to Sharpedo's fin with the other. The Pokemon gripped the Red Orb carefully between its teeth. Archie jerked his head upwards to indicate that they should head for the surface, and his Pokemon complied immediately. They'd practiced a thousand times - surface too quickly, and your body won't thank you - and the going was agonisingly slow. Despite his goals, after all, he was only human, and his lungs were beginning to burn. All the practice in the world wouldn't work miracles.
Quite rightly interpreting the tightening grip on its fin as a twinge of panic, Sharpedo activated its jets. There wasn't far to go, anyway.
They breached with a cough and a desperate gasp from Archie, and he had to spend several seconds catching his breath and waiting for the ringing in his ears to die down before he even realised Sharpedo had brought them to shore.
"Isn't that the leader of Team Aqua?"
"That scared the heck out of me!"
"Who's that with him?"
"Stay back! That Pokemon's teeth look sharp!"
Archie took a deep breath, willing his body to recover faster, and with a quick movement he let go of Sharpedo and made a grab for the shore instead. The small crowd shuffled backwards to give him space, wary of his reputation, but he wasn't interested in making nice. "Someone, take her!"
"Is that a girl?"
"Who is that? A member of his team?"
Murmurs of confusion spread through the crowd, but - thank the high seas - a woman urged her husband forwards to gingerly pull the girl up.
"Oh, heavens - is she bleeding?"
"How do you get this thing off?"
Hauling himself onto the shore and rising swiftly to his feet, Archie didn't even have to wave them off - they withdrew immediately, and he fell to his knees beside her, fumbling with the lock mechanism on the Aqua Suit's helmet and releasing it with a short hiss.
"Scampo? You hear me?" He leaned in close - yes, she was breathing. No need to check for a pulse. She was alive. You remember first aid, what was the protocol-? "Scamp?"
"Her head's all bloody," a boy pointed out helpfully.
Archie very carefully parted her hair with his fingers and peered at the damage. "...Just a bump," he muttered. I hope it's just a bump. From the suit. That's all it can be. He patted her cheek gently, leaning over her to shield her from the rain. "You're fine. Wake up and tell me you're fine, scamp."
Nothing.
"May?"
Her face scrunched up.
"You smell like seaweed."
Archie flinched backwards, eyes wide in surprise, and then rocked back onto his haunches. He let out a relieved sigh, running his hand up over his forehead to sweep off his bandana and ruffle through his hair. "Aye," he said. "I expect I do."
May eased open one eye and peered at him, raising an eyebrow. "Where's Kyogre?"
Archie smiled down at her, giving silent thanks to whatever luck had gotten them here, and shook his head. "Swam off. Can you sit, scampo?"
May took the hand she was offered and gingerly pushed herself up into a seated position, closing her eyes again for a moment against the head rush that ensued. "Dizzy."
"Must've banged your head when Kyogre hit the bridge." He paused, glancing down. She was still holding tightly to his hand. "How... how are..."
"I'm okay," she replied quickly, lifting her other hand and mentally counting the fingers to test this theory for sure. "...I'm fine. Can you help me up? We have to go after it."
The crowd, so far silenced by the scene playing out in front of them, murmured amongst themselves. A woman (the earlier man's wife) stepped out to offer May a second helping hand, and aided Archie in pulling the girl to her feet.
"Sweetie, what happened? Did this man recruit you or something?"
"What?" She blinked awkwardly, and then burst out laughing. Archie turned away, scratching awkwardly at his beard. "No, no! I'm not a part of Team Aqua. We're just... um... This is kind of bigger than that," she finished. "We're going after Kyogre."
Archie gave her a sharp look.
"Well, we are. Your Sharpedo is fast, right?"
"I..."
"Young lady, I'm afraid I cannot allow you in good faith to run off with him, especially in this weather. And in your condition! Team Aqua is-"
"Okay by me," May interrupted. "Sort of." She flashed the Aqua Leader a determined smile. "I'm going. And if he wants to come too, I don't think anyone here could stop him!"
"That may be overselling him a little, don't you think?" The crowd parted with a ripple of surprised muttering, and Wallace approached them both - followed by Steven Stone, then Maxie and Shelly. He put his hands on his hips, smiling faintly. "The Champion and I saw from the west path."
"When we saw that Primal Kyogre had left the cave the same way it entered, we had concerns," Steven explained, pinning Archie with an unreadable look. "Especially when you went after it. But it looks like you had good intentions. May, are you feeling alright? Your head is injured."
She nodded quickly, and - to Archie's apparent shock - took a step back, to his side. "I'm fine. The Aqua Suit kept me safe. Archie's going to take me to Kyogre."
"I... Scamp, I don't think-"
"Well, unless someone else has a Sharpedo. Um... Shelly?"
The Admin stared back at her in surprise for a second before shaking her head, flicking water from her hair. "Not as strong or fast as Archie's. He is Leader for a reason, you know."
"Then, let's go! There's no time to waste - Primal Kyogre could be anywhere!"
As another wave of uncertainty ran through the Sootopolitans, Steven frowned and opened his mouth to speak - but Wallace beat him to it.
"Well, then... You'll be needing some help. Steven, can your Skarmory take this storm? They'll be needing some air support, I think."
"...Yes," the Champion replied. "I suppose there's no sense in trying to pull May out of this now." He nodded. "Do you still have the Red Orb?"
"Right here!" May whirled around, crouching by the water's edge and reaching without fear towards the Sharpedo's mouth. It relinquished the Orb easily, and she patted it on its sandpapery nose before turning to brandish the object in the air. "Archie? Are you ready to do this?"
He looked at her. Then he looked over at Shelly and Archie. The former smiled, and the latter gave a faint, encouraging nod.
"...Aye. I suppose I am." Archie realised he was still holding his bandana, and threw it aside to free up his hands. "Let's go, scampo. We have a big mistake to fix."
"Good luck," Maxie interjected. "As none of my Pokemon are suited to this task, I must leave this in your hands. But I will be monitoring things closely. If you need me, I will be there."
"As Gym Leader, I'm to stay and protect Sootopolis - though of course the same rule applies. If you can't do it without me, I will rush to the rescue!" Wallace smiled confidently. "However, I have a feeling you can all hold your own. Good luck."
May nodded - and, wordlessly, turned and sat down to slip herself into the water. Sharpedo swam forwards to let her hold onto it, eyeing her carefully.
Archie, feeling strangely conscious of the fact that everyone was staring at them both, simply turned and vaulted down into the water. He swam around to the Pokemon's other side. "Full speed ahead, then, Sharpedo! Let's hunt that big fish!"
"Sharr!"
As the trio headed for the darker waters of the Sootopolis exit, the crowd shuffled forwards to watch them dive - and Steven tossed a Pokeball, releasing Skarmory into the air. In one swoop, it caught him when he jumped, and they soared up into the storm.
Shelly hurriedly scooped up the Aqua Suit and the blue bandana before they could get trampled underfoot. "...Honestly." She stared down at the sodden piece of cloth, wrung it out, and sighed. After a moment's consideration, she tied it around her neck for safekeeping. When she looked up, she caught Maxie watching her, and shrugged. "He'll want it back."
The Magma Leader looked away with an air of nonchalance, perhaps pretending he hadn't seen, and watched the last shimmer of Steven and his Skarmory disappear into the blackened clouds.
