Chapter Eleven: Firestorm
The next four days of the expedition were just as fun as the first. No, they did not find anything as interesting as the Lost Pokémon of Gyarados Lake, but exploring the lake was all sorts of fun. Very quickly, the mysterious murderer that stalked the lakeside was forgotten by all of them, for the beast had not struck once since they'd arrived.
The morning of the last day, the members of Team Legend woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. After breakfast, they gathered for the morning briefing.
"Today, we'll be exploring in individual teams," said Jonetsu. "So far, we have not found the secret, but this expedition has in no way been a failure. All of you have learned valuable exploration techniques and experienced a lot. You should all be very proud of yourselves. You're free to make bigger groups, but it is not necessary. If you find anything interesting, report back to the base camp. Funeh and I will be here. You are all expected back at sunset, but until then, go off and have fun!"
The pupils started to head off. Team Chibi and Team Tri grouped together and headed out onto the lake. Team Scorch decided to go look around Kogan Town, and Uragiri went off somewhere without mentioning where he was going. Team Legend huddled up and discussed it.
"So where should we go today?" Dosatsu wondered.
"I think we should explore the forest around the lake instead of diving today. It could be interesting, and frankly, I'm sick of water," suggested Honoo.
"Forest it is," Jimen agreed. The three of them set off west into the depths of the forest. They looked around, searching for anything that might give them a clue to the secret.
They walked about, singing songs and telling stories for a good couple of hours. But as they were stopping by the lake to get a drink of water, Dosatsu suddenly stumbled.
"Dosatsu!" Jimen moved quickly to catch her and help her right herself. "Are you alright?"
"Um, yes. I'm fine. I just…" her voice trailed off and she looked into the woods with wide eyes. "Something's here."
"What do you mean?" Honoo asked.
"There's something new today. Something new has come to the lake. And it's sending off extremely powerful brain waves," Dosatsu said, rubbing her temple.
"A psychic-type?" Honoo suggested.
"No. Psychic-types are different. I can't put my paw on it, but it's something… strange."
"Perhaps it's the secret! We should go towards it," Jimen suggested eagerly.
"No, let's not. I don't like it. And I can't even tell what direction the waves are coming from, so there's no use. It's hurting my head, though."
"Fine. But I still think it could be what we're looking for," Jimen muttered. "Here, lemme give you an oran berry to help." He dug through his bag for a while before pulling his head out empty-beaked. "Huh. It's not here." Then realization hit him and he smacked himself with the elbow of his wing. "Oh, that's right. I dropped it a few feet back. I heard a thud behind me, but I didn't bother to turn around. Wonderful."
"I'll go get it," Honoo offered. "Back in a moment." Jimen nodded, and the quilava headed back into the woods.
He walked back the way the came until he could no longer see his friends. He sniffed about for the oran berry. It must be here somewhere.
"Looking for this?"
Honoo was so startled he leaped back in shock. He calmed down after a second and glared up at the Pokémon, angry for startling him, but as recognition hit him, his voice died. It was the pink Pokémon with the long tail that he had met twice before. Once when he had left Azalea Town, and the second time by Tin Tower in Ecruteak City. "What're you doing here?"
The Pokémon feigned offense. "That's hardly polite after I found your berry for you," he said. He tossed the berry to Honoo. "How are you, Honoo?"
"I'm fine. But why are you following me around without telling me your reason? It's kind of creepy, if I'm to be honest," Honoo demanded.
"I already told you. I'm interested in you," he said. "So, you're on a guild expedition. Looking for the secret of Gyarados Lake?"
"I am. Do you know anything about it?" Honoo asked. He did not truly believe the Pokémon did, but he asked just in case.
"Of course I do. Just who do you think I am? In fact, if I felt like it, I could lead you right to it."
Honoo's jaw dropped slightly. "Where is it? You must tell me!"
"I don't have to do anything. You're an exploration team. Find it yourself," the Pokémon said. "But I suppose I should give you a clue. Tell your axew friend to look below."
"Look below? Is that supposed to be a hint?" asked Honoo.
"It'll help, trust me. Now, go run back. I'll be enjoying the show."
"I think you ought to leave," Honoo grunted, but he didn't argue any further. He picked up the berry and ran back to his friends.
When he arrived at the lakeshore, his friends were waiting for him. "Got it!" he announced.
"What took you so long?" Jimen asked.
"I got held up. Sorry." Honoo handed the berry to Dosatsu, who hate it with gusto. When she finished, she sighed. "Much better."
"Hey, Dosatsu," Honoo said. "About the secret, have you tried looking below?"
She giggled. "Looking below? What does that me-" Her voice halted abruptly, and a blank expression appeared on her face. Her eyes turned violet.
"Vision time!" Jimen announced. Honoo got behind her quickly, ready to catch.
Dosatsu gasped and fell into a faint. There was no screaming this time either, just quick breathing. After a few seconds, her breathing slowed and her eyes fluttered open, red once again. "Whoa," she said. "Way to trigger a vision, Honoo."
"I'm sorry," he said as he helped her up. "I didn't-"
She cut him off. "No, it's fine. In fact, you've done something amazing! Guys, I think I just saw the secret of the Lake of Rage."
"What? Where is it? What is it?" Jimen squawked excitedly.
"Well, no wonder nobody's found it. It's not even in the lake itself. I think there's something beneath the lake," said Dosatsu. "Jimen, you could drill there. It'll take a lot of energy, but can you do it?"
"For exploration? I'd do anything. Which direction?" He got into a ready stance.
"Follow the slope of the lake. It should be a few feet below."
"Okay. Follow behind me, and sorry if you get sprayed by dirt." Jimen collided his beak to the ground, and dirt flew as he started to drill. Once the hole was big enough for them to follow, Dosatsu leaped in. Honoo brought up the rear, heart beating with excitement. He looked back to see the pink Pokémon in the mouth of the whole, waving him off. Honoo waved his thanks and turned forward as the trio descended into the earth.
Down and down they went, until the light of day had vanished and the only way they could see each other was from Honoo's flickering, blue light. Usually, the light of blue fire was seen as sinister and corpse-like compared to the warmer glow of orange fire, but to the trio of Team Legend, it was a comfort. They went without worry for the blue light surrounded them, and excitement and adrenalin pumped through their hearts and coursed through their veins. Soon, the evasive secret of the Lake of Rage would be discovered by none other than them, and the thought itself was enough to make Jimen drill faster and Dosatsu and Honoo pick up their pace behind him.
As they descended, the black earth changed to an ominous blue-gray color, and the dirt grew wetter and clumpier. Eventually, Honoo pointed out, "This seems more like rock than dirt now. Are we in the bedrock?"
Dosatsu was not quite sure what that was, but she answered, "Yes, perhaps."
Deeper and deeper they went, and Honoo began to wonder, Why haven't we reached the water table yet? But he excused it, making up something about the magic of the secret or some other thing so not to spoil it for himself and his friends.
Finally, Jimen broke through into open space, but he did not realize it and with a yelp, they all fell down and landed in a heap.
"Ouch! Get offa me," Jimen grumbled. He rose up, shaking his comrades off. Once they had righted themselves, they took a look at their surroundings.
They were in a tunnel made of blue-gray stone. It was incredibly dark. Most of the light was coming off Honoo, but strange glowing orbs mounted on the wall lit the catacomb. They were not the daylight-emitting orbs that clung to the ceiling of the Explorer Guild. They gave off an eerie, dark blue light that caused frightening shadows to dance across the walls. Just looking at them made Honoo shudder.
"Hey, guys?" Dosatsu said from where she had wandered. "Come look at this."
Jimen and Honoo came over and saw what she was talking about. Carved into the wall was an enormous emblem of the Olivine City terrorists. In its great size, the Pokémon of the symbol seemed to be glaring down at them as if it knew they were trespassers. A chill sliced through Honoo.
"What is this doing here?" Jimen wondered, feeling it with his talons.
"Guys," Honoo said. "Isn't that the same Pokémon as the drawing in Takerikuruu?"
Jimen and Dosatsu tilted their heads as if they would see it better. "Do you think?" Jimen asked.
"Yeah, I see it. Same long neck, same horns on the head, and the wings look pretty similar. But how are they connected? And what is that symbol, anyways? It can't be anything good," Dosatsu wondered.
Jimen glanced nervously up at the ceiling. "I don't like this place. Can Arceus even see us from down here?"
Dosatsu glanced worriedly from Honoo to Jimen, and then said, "Guys, we mustn't fret like this. Look at us! We're here, at the place hundreds of exploration teams have failed to find. The three of us put our wits together and found this place. We're explorers. It's our job to go into unknown things chock full of danger and find out what they're hiding. If we can't do this, then we may as well not be an exploration team at all."
Honoo took a deep breath and tried to muster up some courage. "Alright. Let's explore. I suppose I should lead, since I have the light."
They headed off in a random direction down the tunnel in a single-file line. Honoo led, Dosatsu took the middle, and Jimen brought up the rear. Honoo angled his head to provide light to whatever they wanted to look at. The layout did not change as they continued. It was still the same dark, damp catacomb with the eerie lights. They occasionally saw more maximized carvings of the terrorist emblem, and the more he saw it, the more Honoo desired to discover the meaning behind it.
Suddenly, something caused the trio to stop short. Up ahead, they could hear the echoes of voices behind them.
"Is it a monster?" Jimen asked meekly.
"Quick! Hide!" Dosatsu whisper-hissed. They all quickly dove into the shadows, and Honoo dumped wet dirt over himself to try and smother the flames. He managed to reduce it to small flickers quickly.
The voices grew louder as whomever they belonged to approached. Honoo could soon make out words, and pricked his ears attentively.
"So, what's the point of this emergency meeting? I hate coming here."
"Hush! You mustn't say such things. You'll make Her angry, and then where will we be? Stuck amongst the terrestrials?"
"I don't mean to make Her upset, but could She not have selected a better meeting place than the damp caverns beneath the Lake of Rage? There are always exploration teams prodding about. Didn't you hear that Jonetsu Umbreon is here?"
"Yes, I know. That rotten terrestrial and all his little underlings have been sticking their noses where they don't belong. But they leave tomorrow, and they've discovered nothing yet."
The Pokémon passed them by. Honoo couldn't recognize their species in the dim lighting, but he could see the outlines of their bodies. They were definitely water-types.
"So, when's the meeting starting?" the one farther from him asked.
"Very soon. Everyone is gathering. It's your fault we're late."
"Are you sure it's safe with Jonetsu about?"
"Do not argue with Her choice! Her wisdom is infinite, you worm."
Finally, the Pokémon were a reasonable distance away, and Team Legend regrouped. "Should we follow them?" Dosatsu asked.
"Yes. We can learn more from them. I want to know who she is," Jimen said. They followed the two Pokémon as quietly as they could, stepping lightly so not to make a sound. The two were so consumed in their chat they did not even notice the three children creeping behind them.
After some minutes of walking, the smarter of the two, whom Honoo was nearly certain was a lumineon, announced, "Ah, here we are!"
"About time," the other, perhaps a seaking, sighed. They turned into a new tunnel.
Honoo, Dosatsu, and Jimen crept to the edge of the new tunnel and peered inside. They were met with quite a surprise. The room they looked into was enormous. It was perhaps the size of a football field. The ceiling was very high, but the entrance was close to the top. The floor was down below, and the entrance of the room had a narrow slope that went down to it. Much of the floor was shallow water, but some was dry rock.
The room was filled to the brim with hundreds of water-type Pokémon. Honoo knew because the room was very brightly lit in blue light. The walls were covered in the same orbs as the ones in the tunnel. The Pokémon all swarmed about, mingling and greeting each other. At the far end of the room, there was a stage made of stone, and behind it, there was a painting of the Lost Pokémon of Gyarados Lake. The angle was different, though. It was a side view, and the Pokémon's body was curved into a shape that reminded Honoo of a crescent moon. The wing was spread out behind it. A circle of blue lights surrounded the painting. There were two statues of the same Pokémon on either side of the stage. Each statue had a different position. One had its neck held high like a royal, and the other had its jaws open in a ferocious roar.
"What are all these Pokémon doing here?" Jimen whispered.
"I've no idea. But have these many already known the secret? Why haven't they told?" replied Dosatsu.
"And who is that Pokémon in the painting?" Honoo added. His eyes had hardly left the illustration. Something about it shook him deep inside.
A lapras got on the stage and shouted, "Settle down, everyone! Settle down." The Pokémon slowly quieted until the only noise in the room was dripping water.
"Thank you," said the lapras. "Welcome back, everyone, to the Gyarados Lake Caverns. I must first apologize for sending out summons at such short notice, and I do realize that it must have been difficult to get here with exploration teams snooping around. But everyone is accounted for.
"Now, we shall begin. Welcome, all, to the next meeting of the Lugiists. She has summoned us on quite short notice, so She will certainly say something important. She has asked for an audience with all her followers so that She might share important news. Bring forth the temporary vessel!"
Two blastoises marched on stage. In between them was a tiny totodile. The poor thing looked frightened out of his wits, but for some reason, he marched on.
The lapras stepped back, and the two blastoises set the totodile down center-stage before retreating again. Now alone, the poor child was trembling. "Please," he squeaked. "I don't want to-"
"Silence!" the lapras hissed. "How dare you go against Her command? Be quiet with you." He realized the crowd was staring at him and coughed embarrassedly. "Now, we shall summon Her from where She sleeps, so that she may address us!"
The entire crowd began to chant, with the lapras leading. "We humbly request the manifestation of Lugia. We humbly plead thy grace us with thy presence. We offer this vessel for thy consumption. We humbly plead that ye wilt bring us your word. We humbly bid you."
The young totodile began to shake as if an earthquake had struck. His entire body vibrated, and he let out a wail of pain. Then he choked as if something had forced itself down his throat. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and grew silent. His eyes turned purple.
Honoo felt outraged. What was going on? Why were these Pokémon allowing this child so much pain? His friends shared his thoughts, and Dosatsu nearly leaped to the child's rescue, but Jimen grabbed her by the leg and pulled her back to safety.
Suddenly, behind the child, a great gaseous shape began to grow. It grew until the figure stood at a great height of seventeen feet. Honoo knew it immediately. It had taken the form of the same Pokémon on the paintings and the mysterious emblem. A sudden thought struck Honoo. Could this be…?
As soon as the gaseous shape's eyes opened, all the Pokémon bowed down. The crowd slowly dropped like a wave. They did not rise again. Even the lapras bowed his head.
Then the creature spoke, but not through its own mouth. Its voice came through the mouth of the totodile. "Greetings, submitters. I am Lugia, the Bringer of Storms, Raiser of Waves, and Guardian of the Seas."
A squeak of shock came from Jimen's mouth. "I-i-is th-that…?" His voice failed him.
"But it can't be," Dosatsu said. "It's just a story." She seemed to be talking more to herself than her comrades.
"I think it is. I think it's the spirit of Lugia," Honoo said. His blood ran cold.
Lugia went on. "You have all come here today by my summons. I have word to bring to all my followers, the powerful Lugiists. Our time comes soon. My plans shall be put into action. In one month's time exactly from today, the day and the night shall be in equal balance. It is at times like this when the power of the moon and sun, the skies and seas, are perfectly equal. It shall be then, on the equinox, when I shall rise from the depths of the oceans. It is then that my plans shall resume. The world shall be conquered. The land shall be consumed by the seas, and the age of the ocean shall begin anew!"
Honoo turned to his friends, eyes wide with fear. They were both the same. "Is it true?" Jimen asked.
"I think it is. These Pokémon intend to raise the seas," Honoo said.
"It's just like the legend," murmured Dosatsu.
Lugia continued. "Preparations must begin for this day. All Lugiists have worked hard. We shall take Olivine and Cianwood first. Dainin Lapras, have the cities been purged of terrestrials?"
The lapras spoke without raising his head. "Yes, Your Grace. We have frightened all terrestrials out of both cities. They will not return before our day of glory comes."
"Excellent," said Lugia. "They shall be the first cities we conquer. Then, up the land we shall march, until Johto is ours. Kanto shall fall next, then Hoenn, then Sinnoh, then Unova, and lastly Kalos. All six regions shall bow to me.
"Dainin, tell me. Are the Lugiists fully prepared that one may rise to attempt to stop our plans? Have you discovered the location of the rainbow wing?"
Dainin suddenly looked terrified. "Er, no, Your Grace."
Lugia roared so ferociously the entire cavern shook. "WHAT?" Honoo yelped and huddled closer to his friends.
Dainin quickly tried to fix the situation. "We are very, very close to finding it, Your Grace. We just need a little more time. We will be completely prepared by the equinox."
The great, gaseous figure turned its head and glared directly at Dainin, who retreated slightly into his shell. "And what of the one with blue flame? Has he been eradicated?"
Honoo's heart began to pound, and he began to tremble all over. As if this hadn't been bad enough. Now, for some reason, he was involved.
"Um, no, Your Grace, he has not. But we are very close to-"
"RAAAWH!" An enormous, ferocious roar left Lugia's mouth, and the gaseous figure turned on Dainin angrily. Huge spears of air formed and rocketed down on Dainin. He screamed in pain as they pierced through him. Blood spattered everywhere and terrible screams filled the air, until Dainin was nothing more than a mound of gore and a shattered shell.
Lugia turned back to the other Lugiists. None of them looked frightened in the slightest. "I shall appoint a new leader. It is time my piece took his place. The Vessel shall be your new commander. You are all to follow his orders swiftly and without failure."
"Yes, Your Grace," all the Lugiists replied.
"Very well," said Lugia. "Heed my orders now. Begin preparations for the equinox. You all must work swiftly if I am to be resurrected completely and correctly. Find the rainbow feather and the one with blue fire and destroy them. Remove all who may oppose us. Soon, my children, we shall have our perfect world free from the oppression of the tyrannical terrestrials."
Lugia seemed to be about to go, when suddenly, she froze. Her misty head turned and seemed to look directly at Honoo. "The one with blue fire is among us. Bring him to justice. Do as you will." Then she was gone, and the totodile dropped dead.
Immediately, the Lugiists were in confusion. "The blue fire one is here? But where?" they all shouted in some way or another. By then, Honoo and his friends had already fled, racing back through the tunnel.
"We need to get out of here. Jimen, can you drill?" Dosatsu asked.
"I need to get back to the hole I made. This stuff is stone. We were only lucky we hit a soft spot," Jimen said. He had to run very fast just to keep up, but none of them grew tired. They found that in their fear, they could run any distance.
Behind them, a voice shouted, "There he goes! Stop them!"
The trio put on a burst of speed, but they had begun to grow tired, and the Lugiists were right on their tails. Their lungs burned as they panted, and the pain that came with running flared in their abdomens. They would never make it.
"We stand and fight!" Jimen shouted. Dosatsu and Honoo agreed, and together, they all turned on the Lugiists and hit them with any move they could. But it wasn't enough. There were far too many adversaries, and Honoo was not at a type advantage. They stood only for a few short minutes before Honoo, drenched, terrified, and in pain, crumbled to the floor and everything went black.
Ow, my head. I feel awful. Is my fire even burning? Those were the first thoughts to enter Honoo's mind as he began to regain consciousness. He was not quite sure where he was or what was going on. He could hear a voice, but it sounded like merely a faraway whisper carried to him by a strong wind and nothing more.
He slowly began to remember. He remembered the Lake of Rage's secret catacombs, Lugia and her sect of followers, and their capture. Then a terrible idea hit him. What became of Jimen and Dosatsu? Dread filled him, and he forced himself to open his eyes.
When he did, he nearly fell unconscious again. His head pounded and everything around him seemed to sway. He had never been knocked out in a fight before, and was quite unused to the feeling. Finally, the room righted itself, and he tried to get up, but he found he could not.
Now Honoo was very confused. He lifted his head, slowly so not to invite his headache back, and looked around. The Lugiists had put him onto the stage. He was on a large mat with very strange symbols sewn into it, and in the middle was Lugia's picture. A quagsire stood before in front of them, addressing the crowd. In her flipper, she held a footlong, jewel-encrusted dagger. But he could not make out what she was saying. Her voice was like an echo. He also noted that ropes that glowed white bound his paws.
Suddenly, Dosatsu's rang through his head. What should we do? Honoo looked around and spotted her at his left a couple of feet away, and the sight of her was relieving. Her hands and feet were also bound, and she looked terrified.
Dosatsu's voice came again. Jimen says these ropes prevent us from using most moves. He's on your other side.
Honoo turned to see Jimen on his right. The pidgeotto still looked pretty out of it. His talons and wings were tied. He seemed to be struggling to regain consciousness.
Her voice returned. The quagsire's name is Seika. She's gonna chop us to bits with that knife as a gift to Lugia or something crazy like that. I woke up first and tried to fight, but now we're all bound. Jimen still hasn't come around fully, so he isn't much help. Any ideas?
Honoo racked his brain trying to think, but nothing good was coming to him. Can you get a message to Jonetsu?
I can only do this weird communicating stuff with you and Jimen. I'm sorry.
No, don't apologize, Honoo replied. I'll think of something. He thought as hard as he could for something to get them out of this situation, but nothing came to him. It was as if a towering dam had been put up between him and the ideas. He was beginning to panic.
Finally, he told Dosatsu, I'm sorry. Nothing's coming to me.
Dosatsu looked truly miserable. Are we to die here? She probably had not meant for the message to reach Honoo, but the thought made him all the more dejected.
Then suddenly, Jimen began to pray in a whispered voice.
"There is evil in their hearts. They hath naught gold in their hearts. They hath naught silver in their souls. I call upon the manifestation and assistance of Houou. Thou beest Carrier of the Sun, Bringer of Rainbows, and Guardian of the Skies. I humbly pray for the acceptance of Houou. Thou art mine help and mine shield. I humbly ask that he manifest himself."
The quagsire, Seika, turned. Her voice was no longer an echo. "Now, the time has come to sacrifice the one with blue fire and his companions to Her Grace, Lugia!"
But Honoo hardly heard her. Something strange was happening inside him. He could feel something stirring deep in his heart. It was as if he had suddenly reacted to Jimen's prayers. As soon as he had begun, he had something he could not explain. It was as if something had unlocked. Something new coursed through his soul.
A voice that was not his own spoke. Rise.
Honoo got up to his feet. His paws were bound, but somehow he stood. It was as if a new power had come inside of him. He felt amazing. He felt like he could move mountains, tame seas, and carry the sun. He felt invincible. Although he could not have known it, his eyes glowed red.
"Uh, Honoo?" Dosatsu said, but he did not respond to her.
Seika turned, dagger raise, but jumped slightly at the sight of Honoo looking quite predatory. "Don't even try anything. Those bindings will stop most Pokémon from doing any moves."
Honoo laughed. He wasn't sure why he found her statement so hilarious, but his laugh echoed eerily through the cave. No Lugiist dared to speak. His red eyes met Seika's.
"I am not most Pokémon."
Then the cavern exploded.
Honoo's blue fire grew and grew. As it gained height, the color changed from blue to a deep purple. Then, the fire swept through the room and burned everything, spiraling like hurricane, and Honoo was the eye of the storm. The screaming of Lugiists filled his ears. Some tried to fight, but were quickly knocked down by the advancing purple fire. Others tried to flee, but the fire grabbed them as if it were a predator and burned them. Seika was knocked off from the stage.
If Honoo had been himself, he might have wondered what was becoming of his friends. But only one thought consumed him now. Kill! Kill them all! Somewhere deep in his soul, he questioned if the thought was his own, but he was not in control anymore.
But as the last of the Lugiists dropped dead, Honoo's legs began to wobble. He suddenly felt as if he were carrying a thousand rocks. He no longer felt the invincibility that had coursed through him just seconds ago. Black spots clouded his vision. The violet firestorm ended, and whatever had given him such strength left. His legs failed him and he crumpled to the ground. He noted rocks beginning to fall from the ceiling, but he was too busy slipping into unconsciousness once again. The last thing he saw a large, dark shape coming towards him. But as the last of the Lugiists dropped dead, Honoo's legs began to wobble. He suddenly felt as if he were carrying a thousand rocks. He no longer felt the invincibility that had coursed through him just seconds ago. Black spots clouded his vision. The violet firestorm ended, and whatever had given him such strength left. His legs failed him and he crumpled to the ground. He noted rocks beginning to fall from the ceiling, but he was too busy slipping into unconsciousness once again.
The last thing he saw a large, dark shape coming towards him.