A/N - Wow, this took longer than it should have... sorry about the wait on this one. I should probably also mention that if this chapter seems off, it's because I worked on it in two separate stretches - with about two weeks between them. That aside, we're picking up right where we left off - in front of a rather irritated Legendary.
Please let me know how you think the chapter went, and the story in general, in the reviews section. Mephiles, out.
Flare was frightened, there was no doubt about that. He had just led Serita, as far as he knew, into a death trap against a Legendary Pokémon ten times his size. Groudon stood in front of them, seemingly waiting for the duo to make the first move. 'Let's see, what have we got...' he thought, digging desperately through their treasure bag for something, anything that could get them out of this.
Unfortunately, it seemed there was nothing - the Escape Orbs had lost their active glow, the berries wouldn't help them here, and what good was a Warp Seed when the only place to go was the same room to begin with? "Fantastic..." he muttered, looking back up at Groudon, who was still waiting patiently. 'Of course - it doesn't matter what we do, he'll mop the floor with us... unless...' An idea formed in his mind - a half-baked idea, sure, but it was better than nothing.
"Serita, I'll distract him." he said quietly, edging closer to the Chikorita. "When he's not paying attention... I don't know, hit him with something. You'll handle this better than me." She looked at him like he'd gone crazy, but when Groudon let out an irritated growl it seemed they had little choice. "Don't worry - I got this." he assured her with a smirk before rushing the Legendary.
Almost immediately he had to jump aside to avoid getting crushed by one of his massive claws, the impact alone sending him stumbling to get his balance. Even with this, he managed to run around behind the colossal Pokémon and tossed an iron spike at his back. It struck well, but predictably did next to nothing through the armored plating - what he got in return was a smashing strike from Groudon's tail, sending him skidding across the ground for several feet.
"Oh, I'm gonna feel that in the morning..." he muttered, struggling to stand back up as the Legendary began stalking towards him, each step making the ground shudder. 'Any time now, Serita...' he thought, worried - and why not, he was going head-to-head with a Legend. Just as Groudon was about to reach him, a storm of razor-sharp leaves cut across his back with enough force to actually make the titan stagger.
"Nice shot!" Flare shouted with a brief fist-pump. The celebration was short-lived, however - Groudon whirled around with speed unexpected of his titanic form, and started thundering towards Serita. "Whoa, no you don't..." Flare did something widely considered moronic - he jumped onto Groudon's tail, and dug two more spikes into the armored hide. Then he grabbed onto the protruding spikes... and held on for dear life as the Legendary started trying to throw him off. "Hit him again - and hurry!" he called, grunting as he was nearly hurled away.
'He's lost his mind...' Serita thought, readying another barrage of leaves. 'But it's working, so...' "Take this!" she shouted, launching the swirling leaf storm into Groudon's face... and watching dumbfounded as they passed right through him. The Legendary's form seemed to waver and distort for a moment before vanishing entirely, dislodging Flare and dropping him to the ground with a quiet thud.
The Chimchar slowly stood back up, rubbing the back of his head in pain. "Ugh... what just happened, exactly?" he asked shakily, glancing at Serita. "I'm pretty sure that there was an angry Groudon right there..." Serita seemed just as confused as he was, struck silent by the sudden disappearance. But that was far from the only strange thing to happen, as they quickly found out.
A somehow timeless-sounding voice echoed in their heads, seeming both impressed and cautious."You have done well to make it this far." Another bright flash blinded them, and when it faded there was another Pokémon in the strange arena-like area. "But I am afraid this is truly as far as you will go."
The Pokémon was a small, fairy-like one with mostly pale blue skin. A yellow, almost helmet-like structure made up most of its head, and its eyes seemed to be closed - yet it was 'looking' directly at them. Twin tails floated behind it, just as the Pokémon itself hovered in the air effortlessly. "I am Uxie, the true guardian of Fogbound Lake. And you will not remember our meeting."
"Wait! Sheesh, we just want to talk this out!" Flare exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. "We're not here to cause trouble, I swear." Serita nodded quickly in agreement - neither of them wanted to fight any more after that.
This seemed to temporarily satisfy Uxie, who nodded silently after a moment. "… Very well. Explain why you are here." it said - the voice alone made it difficult to tell whether the Pokémon was male or female.
It was Serita who stepped up to explain the situation. "We're part of an Exploration Team, and we heard that there was a treasure of some kind here. Well, really the entire Guild is on the way, but..." Uxie's expression, or what could be seen of it, shifted to a concerned one, and Flare quickly interrupted.
"But look, if whatever's here can't be taken, fine. Personally, I'd be happy just to see the lake!" he said, almost too fast to follow. Uxie turned slightly to 'look' at him before nodding once.
"… I believe you,Chimchar. And I sense your partner holds similar thoughts. I will allow you to see the lake, and why I guard it so carefully." With that, Uxie turned around and began floating away from them, out of the 'arena'. Flare and Serita glanced at each other in relief before following close behind. The trio had to pass through an almost unnatural barrier of trees, but they seemed to subtly shift out of their way when Uxie reached them. And past the trees was possibly the most magnificent sight either Explorer had seen yet.
The lake lied directly in front of them, perhaps twenty feet from the trees they'd just emerged from... and it stretched seemingly the entire 'island'. The water was so still it seemed to be glass, and the illusion was broken only when one of the many Illumise or Volbeat flying above the lake skimmed the surface. The mentioned Pokémon's light reflected off the water, making it seem nearly alive with color.
But in the center of the lake lied its most eye-catching feature - a strange, almost mystical green glow emanated from below the water. This light, combined with everything else, gave the lake a strange... ancient atmosphere to it. The duo couldn't help but remain silent, simply looking at the scene in front of them. Finally, Serita was the one to break the silence with an almost whispered "Wow..."
"It is quite the sight, is it not?"Uxie asked, drifting a few more feet ahead. "I am privileged to be given such a place to protect." The Pokémon beckoned them forward with one short arm, using the other to point at the center of the lake. "Look there, where the light begins. Tell me... what do you see?"
Flare crept toward the lake's edge, and looked intently at the light. At first, he couldn't see anything through the water and light... then he noticed a distinct shape; one he'd seen before, in fact. 'That's... that's a Time Gear...' he realized, the thought making both his pulse and mind race. 'Why is it making me... anxious? No, that's not quite it...' "Uxie, is... is that a Time Gear?" Serita asked after a moment, eyes wide in surprise and awe.
The floating Pokémon nodded slowly, a small smile forming on its face. "Indeed it is. That Time Gear is the reason I am here, defending this lake." Uxie glanced back the way they'd come, concern once again crossing its face. "It seems the rest of your Guild has arrived. I trust the two of you; these others, however..."
"Don't worry about them; they'll understand." Serita assured the Pokémon with a smile. Then something else occurred to her, and the smile vanished. "Oh, no - what about Groudon?! They won't know about it!"
This time it was Uxie who assured her. "Fear not - that Groudon was a mere illusion, of my creation. I use it as a sort of deterrent for any who would trespass here... but if you trust this Guild, I will allow them to pass." Almost on cue, Chatot burst through the tree barrier, followed by the rest of the Guild members.
"Oh my, you two are alive!" he shouted, momentarily ignoring Uxie. He quickly regained his composure and looked back at Croagunk with a stern glare. "I told you they were unharmed - and what talk of 'fighting Groudon'… inconceivable!"
The last member to arrive was Wigglytuff, who barreled through the others only to come skidding to a stop in front of Uxie. "Hey there, my new friend!" he said brightly, absolutely beaming at the now-confused Pokémon.
"… hello...?" Uxie replied hesitantly, drifting back slightly. "I... am Uxie." Flare, finally having torn his gaze from the lake, couldn't help but smirk at how off-balance the Pokémon had been thrown - metaphorically, of course. "Why are you-?!" Before Uxie could even really start a question, Wigglytuff had run past it to the water's edge.
"Everyone, would you look at this!" he called, pointing with one stubby arm at the lake - the green light at the center, specifically. The others crowded around him, careful to not bump into Uxie, and gasped almost in unison as they saw the Time Gear hidden beneath the water.
"Golly, that's a Time Gear..." "Hey, hey - not often you get to see one!" "Oh my gosh, it's... I can't even speak!"
Everyone started chattering at once, until Chatot finally got their attention with a loud "Quiet!" When they managed to calm down, he shifted his wings before speaking. "Yes, this is quite an amazing find. However... we clearly have nothing to take back with us." That seemed to strike everyone as... disappointing, from the way their faces fell.
"That's true..." Loudred, of all Pokémon, said quietly... for him, at any rate. "We CAN'T just take a Time Gear..."
Chatot let out a sigh, shaking his head. "It seems this has been a waste of time, then." he said, his own disappointment clear. Serita, however, disagreed.
"Waste of time - what are you talking about? " she asked, walking up to him. "We're Explorers, right?" Chatot nodded slowly, glancing at her as she continued. "We're standing somewhere few Pokémon ever have - even Uxie doesn't stand here!" The mentioned Pokémon couldn't hold back a quiet chuckle at the attempted... joke. "So don't call this a waste of time - besides, this view is amazing!"
"…" For several seconds, everyone was simply looking at her. Then Wigglytuff walked up next to the Chikorita and nodded. "She's right! The treasure of Fogbound Lake... we're looking at it!" he exclaimed, gesturing at the lake behind him.
"You surprise me, Explorers." Uxie said, instantly gaining everyone's attention. "I truly expected ones more... selfish than yourselves. For that, I apologize." It raised up one hand to stall whatever everyone was beginning to say. "Unfortunately, while I do believe I can trust you now, I will need you to leave. First, however... you two, the Chikorita and Chimchar. I can sense that you have a question for me."
They both nodded, but Flare glanced at the rest of the guild with an almost guilty look. "I do, yeah... but as much as I hate to say it, I can't ask with the others here." The guild members looked at him with varying degrees of surprise, and some hurt as well. "I'm sorry, guys - but, well... you'd think I was crazy." he explained quickly.
Wigglytuff moved over to him and rested a hand on his head. "Nah, friend - we'd never judge you like that!" he said, and there was nothing in his voice saying otherwise. "Go ahead, try us!" Chatot and the others nodded enthusiastically - they agreed wholeheartedly with the Guildmaster.
Flare smiled faintly before saying "… alright. Well, I guess I may as well fill you all in, then..."
He explained the parts he had left out on the day he joined the Guild - about being convinced he was once human and losing his memory. About the strange visions he'd had, and how all of them had actually come true in one form or another. Serita, of course, already knew of all this - the others, however, had mixed reactions. Some clearly doubted him, obviously; there were a few, though, that seemed at least accepting of it all.
Uxie was the first one to speak. "… This is definitely interesting." it said, 'looking' directly at him. "I do not disbelieve you, be assured - but it is... a unique circumstance you have." Chatot opened his beak to say something, but upon hearing what Uxie said he seemed to decide against it.
"And... well, here's where my question comes in, Uxie." Flare said, shifting somewhat nervously. "You... sort of implied that you could affect memories, when we beat that illusion - is that true?" Uxie reluctantly nodded - it was not something it enjoyed being remembered for, but that did not make it untrue. "Well... has a human ever come here before?"
The answer came very quickly. "No human has ever entered here, I am afraid - I would definitely remember. And, guessing what your next question would be, I know nothing with the ability to turn a human into a Pokémon. For your answers, you will need to search elsewhere." Uxie said, leaving Flare somewhat disappointed. "My apologies for not being particularly helpful."
"No, it's no problem. I'll find out eventually." he said with a faint smile. "Something like that doesn't stay hidden forever, after all!"
Uxie nodded once, a similar smile on its face that quickly faded to a more serious expression. "Indeed, and I wish you luck with that. Now, I will entrust you with the knowledge of this place - however, you must swear to never reveal its location or even existence to any others."
Wigglytuff answered for them. "We won't tell anyone, we swear - thanks, Uxie!" he said happily, leaving everyone unsure if he actually understood how serious this was. Then he turned to face the rest of the Guild saying "Alright, everyone - time for us to head home!"
Aftera brief farewell to the lake guardian,Wigglytuff'sGuild began its long trek back to town. Of course, by the time they made it back to camp outside Foggy Forest, night had fallen - none of them had realized just how long it took to simply reach the lake. In fact, night seemed to have come far too quickly.
When they finally arrived, the residents were disappointed to hear of the Guild's 'failure'. It was considered strange, since the Guild had never had a failed mission before - but with what that implied, they were happy to have everyone back safely. The rest of the day passed, and the next one dawned...
The usual routine passed: the rude awakening, the Guild cheers that always followed, and everyone splitting off for their own jobs. Obviously, the non-Guild members of the teams were anxious to have something to do again - in fact, at that moment, Flare and Serita were speaking with their own team member.
"Bruce, I already told you - we didn't find anything. The lake... well, it probably doesn't even exist, if we couldn't find it." Flare said, feeling bad for having to lie to his teammate. While most Pokémon had accepted the 'failure', Bruce was able to sense something was being left out. After a few moments of silence, the Chimchar added in a quieter tone "Besides... what would be so important that I'd hide it from my own team?"
The Machop blinked, taking a moment to realize what he was actually saying - whatever it was, it was too important for anyone to know. He nodded slightly after putting the pieces together. "Righ' then. I understan' - sorry I kept pressin' ya." he said with a shrug. "So what're we doin' today, then?"
Serita started to hold up a job request when Diglett's voice echoed through the room. "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" It was odd, this early in the day, but not as strange as the sentry's response when asked what the footprint was. "Um... the footprint is... I don't know! There isn't one."
Loudred nearly reeled back in shock. "WAIT a second. You can SEE a Pokémon, but there's NO FOOTPRINT?!" he shouted down at the sentry, more confused than angry. "What kind of Pokémon has no FOOTPRINT?"
After a few seconds, a sharp gasp was heard from Diglett's post, followed by "I-It's Dusknoir! The Pokémon is Dusknoir!" Immediately everyone dropped what they were doing in surprise.
"Dusknoir?" "The Dusknoir?" "Hey, hey - not the famous Explorer?!"
In fact, the only one who didn't seem awestruck was Flare, who just looked around in confusion. "Dusknoir? Who's that?" As he said the name, a slight feeling of unease struck him - but that was washed away by everyone's further surprise, which vanished in turn when they remembered his unique situation.
"Golly, Dusknoir's only the best there is!" Bidoof explained, nearly hopping in place. "He knows everything about anything - it's said there's nothing in the world he doesn't know!" That definitely caught Flare's attention. 'Knows everything about anything... could he know what happened to me?'
Chatot, unnoticed by the rest of the Guild, made his way up the ladder to let Dusknoir inside. When they returned to the room, everyone went silent and shifted their attention to the ghostly Pokémon. Flare, again, was the only one unsettled by his appearance, 'That... mouth-thing on his stomach... that's just creepy.' he thought as the others crowded around the new arrival.
"What brings you out- EVERYONE, BE SILENT!" Chatot screeched, the sheer noise shutting everyone up. In the hush, he recomposed himself and said again "What brings you out here, Great Dusknoir?" The mentioned ghost blinked his single eye before chuckling.
"Why, I heard that the praised Wigglytuff Guild had returned from an expedition to Fogbound Lake. How could I pass up the opportunity to learn of their findings?" he said simply, managing to look like he was smiling despite lacking a proper face. Chatot began to say something when Wigglytuff came barging through the crowded Pokémon.
He came to a halt right in front of Dusknoir and immediately started shaking his hand with both of his own. "Welcome, welcome friend! It's been so long since another Explorer showed up, yep!" he said happily, which for a change of pace was actually mirrored by the other Pokémon.
"You must be Guildmaster Wigglytuff. I've heard much about you and your Guild - all of it impressive, I must say." the Ghost Pokémon said. "And it is good to finally meet you. However, not to be rude, but I must ask: how did your expedition go? Surely you found something... most interesting, having gone to Fogbound Lake?"
Wigglytuff's expression fell, something out of place for the Guildmaster. "We didn't find anything, sadly." he said simply. "Couldn't even find the lake itself in all that fog." That seemed to disappoint Dusknoir, who simply floated there silently for a moment.
"I... see. A shame, then - I was looking forward to... something else, I suppose." he said finally, shaking his head. "It can't be helped, however. At any rate, that was why I came down here - to meet with you all, and see what you discovered. I will, however, remain in Treasure Town for some time before moving on - feel free to come speak with me, if you wish." After directing the last comment at the Guild as a whole, Dusknoir excused himself and floated out of the base.
Everyone started talking to each other excitedly, with one subject common among them - Dusknoir. Flare, however, leaned toward Serita and muttered "I don't like him - something about that Dusknoir just gives me the creeps."
She looked at him in surprise before saying anything. "How can you say that - he seems nice enough, after all. And besides, all Ghost Pokémon are kinda creepy." she replied after a moment. "And think about it - maybe he knows what happened to you! He knows everything about just about everything, right?"
Flare shrugged and let out a sigh. "Yeah... maybe. But... Chatot, what're we up to today?" he said, changing the subject - he really didn't like the idea of telling Dusknoir anything, eerie as he was. The mentioned Pokémon hop-fluttered over to them, a piece of paper held in one wing.
"Well, I'm glad you asked!" Chatot said brightly, handing the paper to them. "We're running rather low on the Guildmaster's 'Perfect Apples' - I need you two to ask the Kecleon brothers if they intend to stock the fruits."
Serita blinked before opening her mouth to say something, but Flare interrupted before she could. "Alright, not a problem. We need to restock anyway, so may as well." he said quickly, taking the paper. "Let's go, then we can get to a real job."
Of course, it didn't take them long to reach the Kecleon brothers' shop - but somebody was already there. Dusknoir was floating in front of the store, talking to Gren and Len. "My, you two are indeed quite knowledgeable... but I must ask: how do you acquire your items?" The two looked at each other and seemed about to answer when they saw the duo approaching.
"Ah, Team Legend!" Gren said happily, smiling at them. "How good of you to drop by."
Len nodded, already rummaging in the cluster of items behind them. "Yes, yes - here for the usual, I suppose?" he asked with a quick glance back at them.
"That too, yeah - but we've also got a question for you brothers." Flare explained, stopping a few feet away from Dusknoir. "Chatot wanted us to ask if you're going to be stocking Perfect Apples any time soon."
Both Kecleons shook their heads in response, but Gren was the one to speak. "No, sorry. It's not something we're planning on selling." he said simply with a shrug. "Sorry to disappoint."
Serita let out a sigh. "It's not a problem - we just needed to find out." Then she seemed to actually register Dusknoir's presence, brightly adding "Oh, and hello Dusknoir!"
The ghost chuckled in amusement. "And hello to you, Team Legend. These two have told me much about you - from what I have heard, you're both quite capable." he said honestly, looking down at the duo. "Given some more time, you might even reach my level - that, I look forward to seeing."
Flare looked up at him oddly, thinking. 'Something about how he said that... he really doesn't 'feel' right to me...' Then he felt Serita poking him in the side. "Hey, you alright?" she asked, concerned. He nodded quickly, taking his eyes away from the ghost.
"Yeah, I'm fine." he assured her with a faint smirk. "Well... nice seeing you three. Dusknoir, if you don't mind we'll just buy our gear and go." He moved over to the counter, only to see a small sack already resting there with a smiling Gren behind it. "You've got us figured out already, huh?" Flare chuckled, dropping the payment on the counter and taking the pouch.
That done, the two started making their way back to the Guild - though not with any real speed, stopping to chat with the various residents that stopped them along the way. Just as they were about to reach the crossroads, a very familiar duo came up to them. "Oh, oh - Team Legend, there you are!" Marill called, running up next to them and followed by the bouncing Azurill.
Flare turned around and smiled at the brothers. "Hey you two - how's everything going for you?" he asked, waiting for them to catch up.
They both smiled right back. "Great! Mom's getting better, and you're both back - couldn't be much better." Marill replied, looking between Flare and Serita before seeming to remember something. "Oh right - you remember that item we've been looking for?"
Serita nodded, remembering something to the effect. "Yeah, the Water Float wasn't it?" Marill responded by pulling out a note, his smile fading. Seeing as the Chikorita lacked hands, Flare took the paper and started to read it.
Heh, bet you were looking for something, weren't ya? Chaw-haw; sorry, but you're not likely to find it - not unless you don't mind heading into Amp Plains. Make it there, right into the middle, and you'll find what ya were looking for.
See you there, kids.
When Flare finished reading, Marill sighed. "We found that at the beach - someone told us the Water Float was there, but that was all we saw." he said, much to the Chimchar's irritation. "We wouldn't last a minute in Amp Plains - those Electric Pokémon would tear us up..."
"You aren't meant to go." Flare said calmly, looking up from the paper. "It's obviously a trap, after all." he added when the others looked at him in confusion. "Team Skull dropped this off for you to find - they knew you'd come to us, and they've got some sort of issue with us."
Azurill bounced up a few feet before asking "You're not going to go, right? Traps aren't good, are they?"
"Of course we're going!" Serita exclaimed, getting a nod from Flare. "They don't get away with holding something you're looking for just out of reach. We'll find them, and bring the Float right back here!"
With that decided, and a few words of thanks and luck-wishing from the young brothers, Team Legend went off to gather their supplies and tell Bruce what they were doing. In little time they were on their way, headed for what they expected to be a trap - they were not wrong, of course. It was definitely a trap, and their adversaries would be waiting for them... but they were not all they would find.
While Team legend left on their mission, Marill and Azurill made their way back into town to do what they'd intended - buy some food. When they arrived at the Kecleons' stall, Dusknoir was still their talking with the brothers about something. "Hi there, Dusknoir sir!" Marill called, getting the ghost's attention.
"Well, hello there... Marill and Azurill, was it?" When he got a nod in confirmation, he asked "You seemed quite agitated when I saw you earlier - are you quite alright?" The brothers explained what they'd found, and how they had brought it to Team Legend. When the got to the part about Amp Plains, however, Dusknoir stopped them.
"Wait... Amp Plains, you say?" The ghost held up his hand, silencing the two and giving himself time to think. "But in this season, the thunderstorms cross through that area. That means...!" He quickly flew past the brothers, muttering urgently to himself. "I have to stop those two... and may Arceus help them if I am too late."
