Locke and Key: A Nuzlocke Story
Thank you all for the reviews! This chapter may seem like a filler, but it does have its purpose.
Am I wrong?
Have I run too far to get home, yeah?
Have I gone and left you here alone?
If I would, could you?
-Alice in Chains, "Would?"; Dirt.
Here… invasion?
The darkness was stirring. Light was still as far away as ever, as far away as liberty was, but there was a presence near.
Again. Humans again. I will not be driven from my nest again.
It spread its wings, sapphire feathers rustling stiffly, crusted with frost. It unwound its long, silken tail, and arched its neck. The dark beak parted, although it was sealed with the cold and with silence.
I will not tolerate this again. I am Articuno, legendary bird of ice… and humans shall fear my wrath once more.
"Ugh! I swear, I've just walked in three fucking circles within fifteen minutes!" I stormed, stomping my foot. The ground was slick, but I managed to keep my balance.
CeeCee looked up at me, seemingly smiling. Then again, fucking Seel always look like that, so what do I know?
"Urff, urff," he giggled. I flicked him a scathing glance, when an idea bubbled in my brain.
"You know your way around here, don't you? You know how to get to Articuno." It wasn't a question. He had to know. CeeCee had been one of the many Seel born and raised inside the Seafoam caves.
He nodded once.
"Where do we have to go?"
He seemed to ponder my words. Then, he clapped his fins together and leapt into the water – the freezing torrents that no humans could survive in.
"Wait! CeeCee, I can't—"
I rushed to the edge of the stone platform, clutching the salt-crusted brink. He was lost in the swirling depths.
I leaned back on my haunches, frustrated. How dare the little fluffball leave me like that! I was about to get up and look for him myself, when I heard him cry out, "Urf!"
I looked to the mouth of the cave. He was floating cheerfully in the weak light that shimmered on the water.
I sighed.
"So we have to leave the cave. Okay."
Surfing on CeeCee was not quite as awkward as surfing on Vexor the Krabby. I could cling to him, almost on his back, and stay mostly dry. Salt water didn't sneak into my mouth, crawl up my sore nose, or slap my eyes with stinging bitterness. And CeeCee's fur was sleek, streamlining him for swifter swimming.
We smoothly sailed around the first island, finding the second cave. Apparently, sailing from Cinnabar would lead you to the first, small, enclosed cave; surfing from a different spot in Fuchsia would lead you to a second, bigger but more hidden cave.
I unloaded CeeCee, raising myself onto the shore of the cave.
"Well, are you ready, buddy?"
"Urff," he agreed, seemingly cheerful, even now.
I could feel excitement crawl up from my ankles and settle in my belly. After all, the legendary ice bird Articuno lurked inside of here… and a battle was definitely called for.
I had advantages – Kashen, Frederick, Flitz – and I had Pokemon I would never use against it – Lyrica, CeeCee, and Xander – but then, I reassured myself that it wouldn't be necessary. Articuno was powerful, but I was well-armed.
An aggressive attack stopped us from traveling much further. A daring, fat pink Slowbro leapt at us, his massive green-shelled tail lagging behind him.
I winked at CeeCee. "Headbutt. Go on!"
He clapped his fins together happily, then launched himself straight into the Slowbro's big belly, his horn piercing his abdomen. The Slowbro cried out and unleashed some sort of randomly bursting psychic attack.
CeeCee tore through it. His hide was thick and tough, and his special defense was neutral.
"Headbutt again!"
Slowbro stumbled backwards into the twisting water, then floated there limply.
"Haha. Good job." I patted my little Seel on his head, shy of his horn.
"Urff!" With that, he began to glow – which I almost didn't identify at first, because of his pale fur's already bright sheen. But, surely, he was evolving.
I frisked him quickly with my Pokedex – level 34. I'd forgotten that Seel evolved so soon after capture.
Spinning before me was a Dewgong, which was far more graceful-looking than Seel. His tongue-and-cheek smile was gone, replaced with a small smirk, complete with little pointed teeth in each corner. His eyes were liquid black, his dual-finned tail becoming a mermaid's long appendage.
And, yes – he was big enough to Surf on! The right way!
"Dew, gong gong gong," he said spiritedly.
As CeeCee and I stumbled farther away from the mouth of the second cave, the light diminished almost completely. Soon enough, I was holding my body tightly against the wall of the cave as I could, finding the scrape of salt-crusted stone against my hands and knees a sort of comfort. In the opaque darkness, I could hear only the rushing torrents, the murmurings of the wild Pokemon deep inside the cave's bowels, and my slight breathing.
Every once in a while, CeeCee would slap at my bare legs with his sleek tail, if only to reassure me that he was still there. He traveled in front of me, as he was a strong swimmer and could survive if he dropped into the rapids below. Also, if I was attacked by a wild Ice or Water Pokemon, there could be a problem. I was fairly confident that he could handle it.
And, as we walked further and further from our only source of light, I began to feel incredibly stupid. This cave – cold, dark, silent, with a mythological Pokemon rumored to be sealed within its depths – was not exactly the best excavation site. I had come here on a whim, hoping to find a legendary bird – but even if I did find it, could I fight it in the dark?
What if it's not even in here?
The thought had crossed my mind before. My sources weren't too reliable… oh, why hadn't I checked with Oak…?
I'd jumped the gun.
Again.
Just as this brushed my brain, CeeCee let out a sharp, alarmed bark in front of me. My hands smacked into a wall that was less than three inches from my face.
Nervous, I said soothingly to CeeCee, "It's okay. We probably just forgot to turn here." I felt along the deeply inscribed cave walls with my blind hands, feeling a narrow, tight space surrounded by three walls.
Fuck. Dead end!
Rage sparked through me, irrational at best, but it was a heat so fierce and sudden that it caused me to jerk and fling my fists against the wall before me. I pounded it harshly, letting out a long howl that tore into the silence like scissors through velvet.
"Goddamnit!"
The curse echoed loosely throughout the cave after a few seconds. I paused, feeling twice as stupid for screaming so loudly.
Really, what did that solve?
"Gong?" CeeCee whimpered near my feet. I felt him nudge my ankles softly, seemingly to question if I was okay.
I took a shaky breath.
"Sorry, little guy. I, uh, lost my temper. I guess we'll just have to turn—"
A noise in the darkness, almost unidentifiable at first, came to reach us, echoing placidly.
My anger dissipated. There was something else in here—and it was perhaps more than another wild Seel or Psyduck.
I waited, CeeCee tense and quiet near my feet, as the shadows moved again. The air was… was it chilling? Getting colder? I exhaled softly, noting that I could actually see the white plumes smoking in the air.
It was getting colder… and I had a sneaking suspicion that I'd found what I'd been looking for.
"CeeCee… return!" I whispered, fumbling for the only empty Ball at my belt. I pointed the laser in his general direction, and it returned him, leaving me eerily alone in this frozen, silent darkness.
Still feeling the walls, I took a step forward, trying to be as quiet as possible. As I slinked along, my breath's pale intensity strengthened. There was little to be seen by my adjusted but weak human eyes but gray and black, stone and silver water.
But Articuno was here.
I had come seeking it, but it had, no doubt, found me first.
Would there be hell to pay?
I paused, the hair on the back of my neck bristling like an angry Pokemon's furry hackles.
"Arrrrc," came a shrill, piercing coo – a mockery of a baby bird's flimsy cries, a shriek like a winter wind through frozen pine. I stopped, frozen by fear and fascination.
It was behind me, in that narrow space I'd just left – but how?
Accustomed to the silence and shadows of Seafoam's many caverns, Articuno had been the hunter all along – and I the prey, the helpless quarry in the talons of a mighty raptor.
"So… you found me," I heard myself say, a harsh affront to the quiet. "Now what?"
"Arrrac!"
The shriek whistled, another powerful blast of cold storm, and I whirled, wielding a Great Ball with affinity.
"Flitz! Thunder Wave!"
The silence was shattered like fragile glass met with a slamming force.
In a burst of light that shredded the shadows, Flitz emerged, his spherical form cloaked in gray as the light from his Ball faded. He charged yellow upon release, then shot a small, weak spark into the darkness before us.
Impact. The shadows lit up, writhing with electricity. Articuno spread its cold wings, sending a gale into us with some force, and then shot a beam of ice our way, shimmering lightly. Flitz was hit, and I could feel his body roll into my ankles.
"Are you okay?" I murmured to him, knowing Articuno was a great deal higher leveled then my Pokemon were.
"Electrode," he said, somewhat falteringly. I decided to take no chances, and withdrew him.
I chose a trusted Poke Ball next. "Kashen!"
The darkness cleared away briefly once more, Kashen emerged, throwing his head and roaring into the black void before him. He seemed confused.
"Articuno, the legendary ice bird, is here. A much stronger opponent than what we're used to," I murmured. It can fly, too, but Flitz paralyzed it, so we have an advantage now. Maybe we're even faster than it."
Kashen spat an ember into the darkness, near Articuno's clawed black feet. It sizzled there, and in its light, I could see a violent glint shrouded in the bird's predatory black eyes.
It flared its wings again, and without warning, it rushed us. I let out a shriek and dove for Kashen, who spread his wings quickly to protect us, but Articuno flew straight past us. It headed for the light outside, gold Thunder Wave still sparking in its feathers, and shot upwards, into the night sky.
"It's… flying away from us?" I murmured, shaken still. "Let's chase it – it can't get away from us that easily!"
Kashen lowered his head, and I flung myself onto his warm orange shoulders, holding on tightly as his wings braced themselves. He got a running start, then let the air hold us. Flapping mightily, he spurned us upwards, flinging us into the black, starry sky.
Indeed, flying before the moon, Articuno was not running from us. It was preparing to defend its territory – to drive the invading trainer and her Pokemon away, or even to our deaths! I clung to the dragon beneath me, feeling my heartbeat faster.
An aerial battle was something I never thought I'd experience, and the way the moon's silver glow rested on Articuno's frosty blue feathers reminded me of starlight on a shaded lake. Beauty was all around me, the black sky, the cold stars, the rushing dark ocean water beneath us – and I was drunk on all of it, including the thrill of being in the middle of a legendary Pokemon battle.
Kashen impatiently thrashed at the air, waiting for me to issue a command. I caught a hold of myself, managing, "Flamethrower, Kashen!"
He shot forward and up, up into the rounded moon, and from his jaws spewed a beam of hot fire. Articuno rushed us, catching the fire in its glorious feathers, and slammed its wings into Kashen's side, ignoring the burn of his attack.
On impact, Articuno's wings hardened like thick ice, and we spun downwards until Kashen gained control again. Breathlessly, I exhaled, "Again! Flamethrower again!"
Another powerful stream of flames caught the air, and Articuno was hit—another powerful strike. It faltered in the air, piercing the midnight with an agonized shriek of pain: "Arrrrrcc!"
To me, it seemed as though there was something else in its cry besides physical pain—disappointment? Failure?
I hesitated, watching it barely catch itself before skimming the ocean's surface, flying with a slight limp in one scorched wing. The feathers had a wet, glistening look to them—blood and melted ice.
It watched us wearily as we stayed stagnant in the air, Kashen waiting, growing edgy again beneath me.
But something washed over me: pity. What was it the travelers had told me in the watch tower? "Many have captured it, but it always manages to escape and find its way back home." In other words, this was its place of rest, its place of solitude and peace. A kingdom? Perhaps not. A home? Yes.
Another human had invaded its home, to either drive it away or capture it.
I wasn't another human.
"Kashen, enough. Let's get out of here." I pulled gently at his neck, preparing to call him back. It was senseless. I didn't like shedding innocent blood anymore than I liked shedding deserving blood, and I was done here.
I'd gotten what I came for.
Kashen growled low below me. His throat rumbled like a tiger's purr, but I knew he wasn't expressing delight.
"I'm sorry. I know you wanted to fight, but I can't—"
Wham!
Driving upwards, Articuno had hit Kashen in the stomach, its wings flared out around its slender sapphire thorax, sending me straight into the air from the force.
Without the stability of warmth and wings and fire under me, I had nothing to hold onto but the stars, and they wouldn't let me grab them. Falling is never fun, and I've always known that, but I couldn't do anything but scream silently, hearing my anguish and terror in my head, and wait to hit the water or the stones or the fire of Hell and death.
The ocean wasn't warm anymore; those summer days had slowly withered into age, slowly grown brittle and colder. The ocean was tainted by autumn now, and the cold surge of water around my back, chest, legs, face, hair, alarmed me but didn't faze me beyond that. I closed my eyes to protect them against the sting of salt, and prayed that no angry seawater Pokemon would attack a vulnerable girl lying in their ocean.
I wasn't there long, slowly bobbing towards the surface. Long arms, hooked with claws that nicked my wet flesh and let my blood drool into the water that was pale with moonlight, pulled me into the cold air, making me gasp at the shock of freezing air and freezing water combining.
Kashen hugged me close to his broad chest and stomach, clutching me tightly as his wings struggled to pull himself away from the water. I couldn't think too well, still stunned from the fear of falling from my Charizard and being thrown recklessly into the water, but when I glanced down again, I could see pools of scarlet bubbling around a macabre massacre.
The wings were torn, ribbons of beauty shredded from their silk; the feathers no longer tinkled with freedom and wind and frost. The ice had melted, the blood had been spilled, the bones exposed beneath the beauty. Vengeance ruled a strong fist in the natural world, more than I realized.
I had killed Articuno after all. Still somewhat delirious, I was unaware of the tears on my cheeks and the sobs hitching in my throat.
I woke up to the strength of the sun on my face, to sand and grit on my skin. I drowsily pulled my eyes open, feeling stiff and sore, and I gradually became aware that I had not fallen asleep alone. Beside me, the warmth of a Fire type's flesh and the shade of a broad wing that was draped over me made me remember what had occurred the long night before.
I propped myself up, staring blankly into the water. There was no bloodstain. The carrion had been carried away, probably eaten by a monstrous Tentacruel or a Gyarados looking for easy prey.
The sadness was an ache, not a storm, but I felt it nonetheless. Sadness that I had raised Kashen to be such a tool of unexpressed anger and vengeance, that I had come to these islands to seek a thing of power and beauty, and then destroyed that very thing.
Like an unruly child in a room full of porcelain, I had only wanted to look, to see, to touch, but I had broken it, and there was no bringing back the dead.
I got up, careful not to disturb Kashen, who, although he had acted as any angel of death had, had still saved my life. It was hard not to feel grateful, but I couldn't imagine his flames and teeth and claws ruining the beauty and the perfection of a scared and angry Articuno, whose home I had invaded.
Towards the edge of the ocean I slowly limped, seeing something sparkling in the sun, washed ashore during the night.
A long feather. Rinsed of blood and violence, the feather shone purely, its color pale and blue and the only thing left of the beautiful bird.
I felt my tears come again as I picked it up and turned it over in my hands.
Maybe there was a lesson here after all… but I was so tired of learning lessons that came at such prices as these.
Was I such a bad person that I had to be educated through so much grief and wrath?
I ran a finger along the slick silk of the feather, and I turned to look at Kashen's deep, troubled face as he slept quietly on the beach sand. He had always been prepared to defend my dead Pokemon's honor. I had encouraged it. And the first time it had happened - the death of my second-caught Pokemon, the first I'd ever lost, Grigori, my innocent Caterpie. In my anguish, I'd chosen my Charmander to finish the battle as I knelt beside my fallen friend, and he'd returned to me with blood on his claws and in his heart. A constantly bleeding heart, it turned out: filled with mistrust and unspent wrath and sick punishment.
He hadn't lost anyone last night, but I suppose he'd had to make sure he wouldn't.
I had turned everyone into our enemy.
Including each other.
Including ourselves.
I held tight to the feather, and I stared into the murky waters of the ocean in silence.