Chapter 2:
"Go now!" barked Michael and bolted ahead with his wings propelling him over Narda. She followed his lead close behind him. Her speed and light weight made it easy for her to keep up with him.
Vagus let out a grunt and leaped forward onto all fours. The feraligatr lumbered in pursuit of this team with startling speed. His powerful limbs pumped into the cold dirt as they drove his massive bulk forward. Unfortunately for him he was too engrossed with the task at hand to notice that an Aerodactyl had already caught up to him. Its eyes were aglow with primal rage as it descended upon its prey.
Life seemed to move in slow motion. Before his eyes he saw Narda skid to a halt, kicking up a cloud of silver dust around her paws. Her head swept around to meet his gaze as her mane flailed wildly. This combined with her gritted teeth gave her a terrifying appearance.
"Behind you!" she cried. Bounding off her hind legs she leapt into the air above Vagus and tackled the Aerodactyl out of mid-air. The creature screamed as her jaws sank deep into its neck. With a thud she grounded the beast on its back as and thrashed her teeth to and fro through…severing its neck tendons.
Vagus, knowing he could show her his gratitude later, pulled her off the bloodied creature by her tail. "Stay close to Michael!" he yelled "Here they come!"
Their cries were growing louder and more constant as they began to arrive in their greater numbers. Their cries rang in their ears. Ears, that just moments ago, heard nothing but the steady beat of their own hearts. The screams were completely insane and ludicrous as they vied for the flesh of prey.
Michael saw that he had had put too much distance between him and his team. He began to make his way back to them. Running as fast as his legs would carry him, he sidestepped an Arial Ace from an Aerodactyl in front of him and sent it flying into a wall with a Fire Blast. He turned his attention to one that began to descend on him. He burned it to a crisp with his Flamethrower and watched, in satisfaction, as its charred body hit the ground. With his attention occupied, another decided to take advantage of the distraction and rammed into Michael in an attempt to knock him over. Michael, with moments to spare, saw the incoming Aerodactyl. He held the blow with his arms as the Aerodactyl crashed into him.
The force of the collision forced Michael to dig his clawed feet into the dungeon floor to brace himself against the impact. The Aerodactyl's head thrashed wildly, frustrated that its attack had failed. It made futile attempts to bight scraps of flesh from Michael as he kept the primal creature at bay with a pair of defiant arms. Jaws flashing, Michael sank his fangs into it's neck and severed its aorta. The Aerodactyl recoiled. Pushing itself away from Michael it flailed about on the floor and clutched its neck with a wing howling as blood spurt from the wound. Narda jumped from above and delivered a final bite to the creature's spinal chord, killing it instantly.
"There's too many!" she snapped spitting her opponent's blood from her teeth. "We got to move, now!"
Michael nodded in agreement but did not follow her until he was able to spare a glance over to Vagus. He was holding several Aerodactyl at bay with his Hydro Pump, slowly backing towards the team on his hind legs as he covered their rear.
Despite the harassment they were enduring from the Aerodactyl, the team did their best to continue their journey.
Narda dashed ahead, moving with speed and purpose. She spotted an Aerodactyl swooping down at her as it loosed its Dragon Breath. She leaped into the air and avoided the attack with just inches to spare. Perhaps she moved too quickly for her own good. The same Aerodactyl anticipated the move, swept down from the heights and rammed her to the ground with lighting speed. Its long neck rose above her stricken body as it prepared to bite the finishing blow into her neck.
Instinctively Michael reached into the team's tool kit and withdrew an Iron Thorn. He raised it like a spear knowing that he only had seconds to spare. His aim was true as it left his claw, it vaulted through the air, striking the Aerodactyl in the base of its skull and killed it. The creature flinched before its lifeless body slumped over Narda, she jerked vigorously to free herself. The corpse was eventually lifted off her by Michael as he helped her to her legs.
"Injured?" he inquired before turning around to spear another incoming Aerodactyl with another Iron Thorn.
With her teeth gritted, she shook her head. "Thanks." she replied "I'm glad you ignored me when I told you not to pack those."
Michael gave a satisfied smile. Shoving her onwards he checked on Vagus again. The feraligatr held strongly against them, but was failing to keep pace with his team mates.
"Vagus!" called Michael.
His partner snapped his head around in Michael's direction as his claw slashed the flesh from an attacking Aerodactyl.
"Forget them!" he ordered "Keep up with us!"
Vagus gave a swipe of his tail as he knocked another Aerodactyl into wall. It landed with a splat as its organs were squashed under the sheer force of the attack. He then proceeded to run on all fours once again, his pace quick but still too slow to keep up with Michael and Narda.
Michael cursed as he dug into the tool bag until he found what he was looking for. "Vagus!" he called again.
With his friend's attention gained, Michael threw a Quick Seed across the distance spaced between them. Vagus' keen eyes caught sight of the incoming seed as he snapped it out of mid-air with his enormous jaws and swallowed it whole. Michael watched as it vanished into his gullet.
The results were as expected. Vagus' eyes flared as a sudden burst of energy caught him by storm. He dashed ahead of the pursuing Aerodactyl as though a jet engine had been mounted to his back. Michael gave a triumphant chuckle as he eventually caught up to him.
They ran side by side. Michael's wings propelling him down the dungeon corridors as Vagus swiftly galloped at his side at alarming speed. With Narda a good distance ahead of them the two teammates mustered all the speed their limbs and wings would grant them. The Aerodactyl continued to pursue them, their cries and screams still ringing in Michael's ears. The team's efforts were slowly being rewarded. Although neither of them dared look back, they were indeed begging to put distance between them and their pursuers.
Soon the corridors came to an end and the team found themselves running across an open area of cold sand. The silver light gave it a grim appearance, as though it were a powder.
Together they watched as Narda, ahead of them, suddenly skid to a halt.
"Stop!" she cried.
Michael dug his clawed feet into the sand and skidded to a halt, letting out a yelp of surprise as the gaping voids of a bottomless precipice opened up before him. He watched in near horror as sand, which he had pushed aside in stopping himself, went over the edge and vanished into the depths bellow. It was dark; there was no light below where they stood. It were as though they were staring into death itself.
Vagus soon made the same realization as Michael did and dug all four of his claws into the sand as he ground to a halt at Narda's side.
"Crap!" he shouted almost going over the edge. His crude curse disappeared into the empty void.
Narda was frozen on the spot gazing down into the abyss below, completely transfixed by its depth. Michael and Vagus were just as equally stunned. Michael gazed at the gap for a moment, knowing, it to be the only way down to Latias' location.
Narda let out a groan. "Oh, please don't tell me that-"
"Yup!" snapped Michael cutting her off "She's down there alright."
Michael could see the thick fur of the absol's mane ruffle in a combination of excitement and fear.
"Ya know what?" he suggested after a moment of silence
"What?" asked Vagus keeping his patience.
"If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
He heard a laugh churn within the depths of the feraligatr's throat.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean!" snapped Narda, annoyed "Now we're going to have to spend hours, possibly even days, trying to find a safe way down!"
The conversation was broken as the sounds of the Aerodactyl re-emerged. Their howls and cries were now more vicious than before. The dungeon floor rumbled as they proceeded towards them.
"There must be hundreds of them!" exclaimed Vagus sweeping his head back across the sand they had traversed.
Narda threw a worried glance at Michael, who nshe found staring into the abyss with a wide smile and a steady gaze.
"Very well," he said without looking at either of his companions. "I guess hundreds of them won't be making a meal from our corpses, then."
To the utter and complete shock of both his teammates, Michael flung himself into the abyss. "C'mon!" he roared spreading his wings and vanishing into the darkness.
It didn't take much intellect to realize that Vagus and Narda lacked wings and would likely not survive the plummet to the bottom…provided that there even was a bottom.
Vagus looked to Narda for a split moment. Then, letting out a roar of his own, he launched his bulk to the depths below.
"Vagus!" she exclaimed craning her neck over the sandbank just in time to see his body become engulfed by the darkness.
The loudening cries of the Aerodactyl demanded her attention and forced her to spare a glance back at her pursuers.
Aerodactyl burst like a river bank from the dungeon corridors and came at her with tooth and claw as they swarmed over the open distance as they quickly closed in on her. Turning around she took one last look at the abyss that lay out before her and closed her eyes.
With a smile she took in a deep breath, her heart slowed as did her perception of time. The cries of the Aerodactyl seemed slurred and somewhat muffled.
Flinging open her eyes she pounced widely into the abyss, her limbs spread out as she allowed fate to guide her descent. Flames from the attacking Aerodactyl danced around her as she fell, failing to steal the demise that likely awaited her below.