Aether surveyed the lake with interest. If his information was correct, his first target was in a cave far underneath the surface. Then again, "target" made it sound like he was going to assassinate somebody. He wasn't here to kill him, he was here to get his help. Aether shook his head. Why was he being so picky with words all of a sudden? Maybe it had something to do with that imaginary Gloria sitting on his back, chastising his word choice.

Azelf was the Being of Willpower. Maybe that was why the surface of the lake was so calm. Aether expected to see at least the ripple of some water bug at some point, but nothing broke the water's peace. Actually, with Aether's luck, he expected a giant Gyarados to randomly lunge out and blast a Hyper Beam at him.

The lake was almost perfectly square and stretched on for about a thousand feet in all four directions. Trees and reeds hemmed it in, giving it an isolated feel, like it was closed off from the rest of the world. Aside from the aquatic plants at the lake's edges, there wasn't a single thing protruding from the surface of the water. As a result of all this peace and calm, the loudest thing Aether heard was the crackling fire on his tail.

He remembered how the previous day had gone. In less than an hour, his simple plan had become a lot more complicated. He was somewhat grateful; beating Nighvern at his level seemed like a hopeless task. Still, he wasn't looking forward to spending weeks flying around the countryside and attempting to recruit Beam-of-Ultimate-Death-and-Annihilation-happy monsters of Pokemon.

After his second talk with Eric, Natasha had shown him his "room." With pools of lava and a bed of burning coal in the center, it was paradise to him. The environment looked and felt so real that he had to remind himself it was all just an illusion. The rest of the day was spent either talking with Gloria or exploring the facility. Eric had already gone over so many guidelines and points of advice that Aether had honestly considering puking up a fireball right there on the table to show his distaste. To his benefit, he had resisted the urge.

Before he had gone to bed, some of the UPERT staff had given him various medicines to heal him and ease his soreness. When he woke up the next day - which would be today - his achiness was mostly gone. As the sun rose, he had met with Eric, who gave him a bunch of fragile junk he was told not to break. That seemed impossible, given the situation, but Aether told him he'd do his best.

Shortly thereafter, Aether had found himself once again flying over the countryside. Lake Valor was southeast of the UPERT building and hadn't taken him more than forty-five minutes to an hour to fly to. The scenery was much the same as it had been - patches of dull green trees with sandy roads cutting away nature every once in awhile. To the south was what looked like a vast swamp. Aether decided he didn't want to go there.

Strapped to his left leg was a pouch with syringes. The syringes had been packed in such a way to prevent much rattling around, but Aether knew it would still be easy to break one, especially if he got into a fight. Three of them were filled with light purple liquid. Ragekiller. If Azelf decided he wanted to kill himself a talking Charizard, Aether could simply reach into the pouch, grab the Ragekiller, and stab it into Azelf. According to Eric, it would work regardless of where in the body it was injected. That was assuming it worked on legendary Pokemon at all.

The other three syringes in Aether's pouch were dark blue. He pulled one out and looked at it, swirling the contents around. Eric had called it Bluediver. Supposedly, once he injected himself with it, he'd be able to swim around easier under the water. Water didn't agree with Aether's fiery aura, and he didn't know how far down the underwater cave was. If it was too far down, the pressure would crush him. The Bluediver would insure against that, too. Finally, it would help him hold his breath longer.

He held the Bluediver up higher and placed his thumb on the pushing end of it. He remembered Eric's instructions on how to use it: Oh, just stick it in your neck somewhere and push. It works better if it hits your neck. Sighing, he jabbed the needle in his neck and injected the Bluediver into his system. He removed the syringe and set it back in his pouch. Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then a numbing sensation slowly spread from his head down. Aether tapped his left forearm. The touch was dulled a bit. Hoping the Bluediver had been thoroughly tested, he dove into the water.

He expected the water to be a little chilly, but to his surprise, he couldn't feel a temperature at all. It was probably the effects of the Bluediver. The fire on his tail grew a little fainter but otherwise remained normal. Typically, the flame on his tail would just sputter smoke if it was completely submerged. If it stayed that way too long, he'd be sick for the next few days.

The farther down Aether swam, the more something appeared through the cloudy water. It looked like a huge boulder at the bottom of the lake. As he got closer, he noticed an opening at the bottom of one of the sides. Suddenly, he wondered if the cave itself was filled with water. If that was the case, he didn't know how long he could hold his breath. Had Eric thought of that? If I drown here because of you, Eric...I guess I'll...hope you feel bad... He couldn't think of anything better if he was dead.

He swam through the opening, which quickly led to a dead end. Looking up, he noticed the water led up a stone shaft, taking him up the cave. He swam through it, conscious of his dwindling supply of oxygen.

A few seconds later, he burst through the surface of the water, not even realizing the end of the shaft was there. When he had steadied himself, he looked around. It was pitch black. He slowly crawled out of the pool of water and stood up. His tail fire had regained its usual brightness. He moved it in front of him, illuminating a small part of the cave. He couldn't see beyond about fifteen feet.

He wondered why the inside of the cave itself wasn't underwater. He didn't know much about the nature of water, but he knew it would certainly fill up a cave like this. Not that he was complaining - if it wasn't empty, he'd probably be dead. Azelf must have done something with it.

As far as he could see, there was nothing remarkable about the cave. A few puddles dotted the floor, and the ground was uneven and bumpy. Aside from that, nothing seemed to distinguish the cave. A few drops of water fell from the ceiling, breaking the silence from time to time.

"What are you doing here?" a quiet voice asked.

Aether maneuvered his tail around, trying to see where the voice had come from. Just more empty cave.

"How did you get here?" the voice demanded.

The voice was definitely male, but it had a silent, almost whisper-like quality to it, as if the bearer rarely spoke. Aether guessed the thing wouldn't show himself if Aether refused to answer him.

"I'm Aether," he replied. "I stabbed a sharp object into my neck so I could swim down here without being crushed or running out of oxygen. I need to talk to Azelf. Are you him?"

There was a pause. "A sharp object?" the voice muttered. "How would a... What kind of object is this?"

Aether sighed. "You know, a needle. A syringe."

"A syringe? What is that?"

"It contains liquids that... Oh, what does it matter! The point is, I'm here, and I need to talk to Azelf. It's important."

The voice started to speak a couple of times as if it didn't want to let the subject go. After a few seconds, he said, "Well, what would you want with Azelf if you saw him? He does not show himself to anyone who asks."

"It's about the world's balance." Aether gave up trying to find the source of the voice. "A big, evil Pokemon called Nighvern has been reborn into the world, screwing up the world's balance, and as usual, I'm the one tasked to save it. Pokemon are losing their heads everywhere, and the only way we can stop this is by awakening Arceus and recruiting a bunch of other legendary Pokemon to defeat Nighvern. I need Azelf's help in creating the Red Chain."

There was a pause. "You know much. The Red Chain is the only way you can enter the domains of Dialga and Palkia. You need my power and that of two others to craft it..." A long period of silence followed. Aether knew what was coming next. "I just blew it, didn't I? No sense in hiding, then."

A patch of darkness in front of Aether twisted, taking on a new shape and coloring itself. When the shift stopped, a small Pokemon floated above the cave floor. It had a blue head with a crest and a silver body. Two tails sprouted underneath it. Its yellow eyes seemed to stare through Aether.

"Azelf," Aether greeted. "Figured as much. Way to go with that 'hidden-and-mysterious' act."

"When one has barely anyone to speak to in eons, one's communication skills can become sloppy." Azelf looked him over. "I cannot simply hand you the Red Chain. Misuse of it can put us all in rather dire straits. Besides, Dialga and Palkia are very...proud Pokemon. They will not take to awakening politely."

"Well, what do I do, then?" grunted Aether. "Get on my knees and beg? Cry? Perform a jig to amuse you?" He glanced at the pool of water behind him. "I told you, the world's balance has been upset. As a legendary Pokemon, I know you can feel it. I understand why you'd be so cautious, but I'm not your enemy. We need Dialga and Palkia's power in the upcoming war, or frankly, we're going to die."

Azelf floated around the cave. Aether got the impression this was pacing without using feet. "I do feel the world's chaos from in here. It's already begun to affect Mesprit, and I wonder how much longer we have until Uxie is consumed as well. It's a strange feeling, being unable to contact Mesprit like I used to. She is the Being of Emotion and thus more vulnerable to the world's changes.

"I was not around for Arceus's climactic battle with Nighvern. My siblings and I are not geared toward fighting. All the same, Arceus created us directly, so we can be counted as his children. I have not spoken or felt the presence of my 'father' for millennia. I wanted to talk to him about the fight with Nighvern, but I knew the only way I could do that was to awaken him from his sleep. For that matter, I've been unable to speak to Dialga or Palkia, my 'big brothers,' either.

"Nevertheless, life in a cave gets boring sometimes, and so I ponder on the world's course. I knew Nighvern would awaken at some point, and when I felt such a lack of order in the world, I suspected the time had come. I wanted to act, but I can't leave this lake rashly. I exist to help life feel willpower and motivation, and my global placement is important for that purpose. All I could do was sit, watch, and wait. Besides, my power is no match for Nighvern's.

"You're right - the only option is awaken Arceus. To do that, we need an object called the Azure Flute. I know where it is, but you must promise not to tell anybody who doesn't need to know."

Aether forced back a smile. "Would its location happen to be underneath something called the Hallowed Tower?"

Azelf frowned, his large eyes creating a somewhat pathetic expression. "Yes. How would you know something like that?"

"A Pokemon called Xatu kinda foretold it to me. I don't know where he gets his knowledge, but I'm grateful for it. I've already gotten the Azure Flute, anyhow."

Azelf resumed his float-pacing. "Strange. I was certain Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, Mesprit, Uxie, and I were the only ones aware of its location." He stopped and looked at Aether. "Were you ever told where Xatu got his information from?"

Aether started to shake his head, but a memory returned to him. Xatu had told him where he got his knowledge once before, although it was a vague answer, and Aether wasn't sure how much to believe. "He said...something about staring into the sun giving him answers."

"Ah. Of course."

"Still," Aether continued, "wouldn't staring at the sun all day long, I dunno, melt your eyeballs or something? I can't stand looking at it for more than a second."

"Xatu are born with special abilities that allow them to gaze into bright light unhindered, especially the sun. This prolonged mental state, coupled with their formidable psychic powers, lets them see events occurring anywhere."

Aether considered this for a bit. "So, basically, Xatu turns into a vegetable, and his veggie powers let him peep on pretty much anything under the sun?"

Azelf gave him another confused look. "Of course he doesn't turn into a vegetable. Xatu don't have that kind of power. Where would you get such an idea?"

Aether sighed and slumped his shoulders. "You weren't kidding about the whole 'communication skills' thing." Before Azelf could inquire further, Aether said, "Xatu aside, I already have the Azure Flute, so that's taken care of. The problem is, Nighvern is waiting for me at Mt. Coronet, so by flying there, I'd just walk into his trap. I need to get into the Spacial and Temporal Havens without falling into Nighvern's hands. And so we're back to where we started."

"Hmm." Azelf looked at the floor. The ground beneath him began changing shape, leaving a gaping hole. On closer inspection, it wasn't just a hole; it was a pulsating mixture of lines and colors. Aether saw a lot of blue, pink, and black. The colors would continuously overlap one another, then recede just as quickly. Aether gave Azelf a puzzled look. The fairy-like Pokemon snapped out of his reverie. "It's just an illusion. Don't be alarmed."

"What the heck is it?" Aether asked, taking a step back.

"An image of the dimensional boundaries. I want to see if there's another way into the Temporal and Spacial Havens besides Spear Pillar."

Aether groaned. "Alright, explanation time again. What are the dimensional boundaries, and why would they let us into Dialga and Palkia's pads?"

Azelf returned Aether's exasperated expression. "Sometimes I really wish you had a lot of prior knowledge. Explaining these things takes up a lot of time."

"Well, I got the Azure Flute, didn't I? How much prior knowledge am I supposed to have?"

Azelf nodded. "Our world is composed of many dimensions which exist almost independently of one another. Actions in one dimension usually don't affect events in another. As you can see in the illusion..." He expanded the image so Aether could see better. "...Dimensions themselves look like little more than colorful expanses of goo. You can't see any solid material from here. Each dimension has its physical limits, as ethereal as they may seem. They all connect to each other, forming a sort of sphere. The places where they connect are called dimensional boundaries. Are you following me so far?"

Aether grunted to show he was listening. "The number on my Whacked-Up-Info-Meter has reached about a 9.9. Try to keep it simple." And please don't ask what a Whacked-Up-Info-Meter is.

To Aether's relief, Azelf didn't. The illusion on the floor rearranged itself to look like a colorful globe. It spun so Aether could see every dimension. "Going further, every dimensional boundary has small points that open directly into another dimension, almost like a doorway. These are called Dimensional Gates. Most of them have never been discovered - I would know if they were. Some, like Turnback Cave, seem to be rather popular.

"At any rate, most dimensions have several Gates that open straight into the adjacent dimensions. If we can find such a Gate, it may take us into Temporal or Spacial Haven without traveling to Mt. Coronet, and thus not risking our necks to Nighvern."

"Hope at last."

"Not much, unfortunately." The image shrunk and returned to its puddle-of-color state. "Finding such a Gate might take ages. I'll do what I can, though." The illusion disappeared. Azelf glanced at Aether. "Well? When shall we leave?"

Aether's face slowly broke into a grin. "So you'll help me?"

"Yes. Sitting here does me no good."

"What about the world's well-being and whatnot?" Aether pointed out. "If you leave Lake Valor, is life just going to turn into one big couch potato?"

"I am not familiar with that expression. However, the world can do without my position for awhile. A full month would pass before the slightest change would take place. In fact, it would probably take years for the world to suffer severe harm. But I will come with you. I can be of more help by your side than by waiting somewhere else."

Aether turned and walked back toward the pool of water. "I'm ready to leave now. Where do you suggest we go?"

Azelf didn't hesitate with his reply. "Lake Verity, in the west. My sister Mesprit is there. Not only is it closer, but...she is losing herself. If we don't hurry, she may become savage like many of the other Pokemon around here."

The Charizard bowed his head. "Got it. Now let's get out of here. We can talk along the way."

Aether dove into the pool. The Bluediver was still in effect, protecting him from the water's harm. Azelf hovered closer to the floor, doubt written on his face. "I hope communication skills aren't too critical in the world outside this cave..."