Candela's mom had a funny way of explaining thunder.
"It's nothing to be afraid of," she said. "It's just an old giant, rolling his potato wagon over a bridge in the sky. Doesn't it sound that way?"
It did sound that way, like a heavy cart rumbling over a wooden bridge somewhere in the clouds. Spark, Blanche, and Candela were too old to believe such a story, but as they stood on Candela's porch that summer afternoon, the line between the ordinary and extraordinary blurred.
Spark remembered the dusty smell of rain slapping against warm sidewalks and the way the water painted the world with darker, richer tones. The day had been swelteringly hot, but the storm had carried with it a welcome coolness. The three children sipped soda from cold bottles and watched the sky for darts of lightning.
"That's impossible, Dr. Violle" Blanche said.
It was unusual for them to speak up, especially in front of an adult. They held their soda tightly in their sun-browned hands and stared at Candela's mother in defiance.
"Look up there and see for yourself," Candela's mom – Dr. Violle, to polite guests – said. "You can see the tracks across the sky."
Sure enough, the clouds had formed wide furrows, just like an enormous potato wagon might have produced. For a second, Spark imagined he could see the giant up there, plodding across the clouds with his cart.
Candela rolled her eyes as dramatically as she could. "Mom, knock it off. We're not falling for that."
Dr. Violle laughed. "OK, so maybe I can't back up my giant theory with science. Here's something you might find more practical and logic-based. I want you to watch for lightning, and then count the seconds until you hear thunder."
The children waited for a bold flash of light, and counted silently. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…
After the thunder boomed, Blanche was the first to speak.
"Ten seconds."
"Good," Dr. Violle said. "We can guess how far away that lightning was by how long it took for us to hear the thunder. If it takes five seconds for the sound to travel one mile, how many miles away was the lightning?"
Blanche's lips moved quietly for a moment as they puzzled it out. "Two miles!"
Dr. Violle nodded. "Right. Now, two miles might seem like a long way, but just because lightning struck there first, doesn't mean it won't strike here next. We must always be careful."
Those last words were about something other than the storm they all watched from the porch that day. Even as a young boy, Spark had sensed another layer of meaning there, given away by the fading smile on Dr. Violle's face and the way she'd paused for just a millisecond too long before the end of the sentence, like another thought was trying to push its way in while she spoke. Her face reminded Spark of a weathered tree trunk, wonderfully dark and expressive but too crisscrossed with worry-lines for so young a person. She had endured storms larger than Spark could comprehend, and she knew that not every pattern could be predicted, and not every disaster could be avoided.
A violent roar of thunder banished the memory from Spark's mind. He was no longer a little boy on his friend's porch. Now, the adult Spark stood in a downpour as lightning split the sky above him. The boom followed too quickly, and he didn't have to count the seconds to determine how dangerously close the strikes were.
Though it was still night in his mindscape, the wreckage of Spark's imaginary power plant was lit in sharp flashes by the nearly constant explosions of lightning. Poles leaned into each other, creaking and sparking, and wires snapped like feral ekans against the concrete. The rain slanted sideways in the wind, switching directions without warning, buffeting Spark and causing him to stumble.
It had worked. He'd tried to go into his own head instead of reaching out toward Hypno, and it had worked. But how was he supposed to find Candela and Blanche from here? This didn't look like the meeting place Waik had arranged before. It was all power plant, as far as the eye could see.
Suddenly, a yellow blur descended from the sky, landing heavily next to Spark. Spark flinched, but didn't run from the great electric pokémon that stood partially over him, its wings extended to shield him from the elements.
"Zapdos! You're OK!" Spark shouted over the roar of the gale.
No time. We must hurry.
The words had popped into Spark's head, but he hadn't actually thought them. He stared at Zapdos, realizing that the thought had belonged to the pokémon, not himself. Zapdos was talking to him.
"Right, we have to hurry," Spark agreed, trying to roll with this new information as casually as he could. "But I can't see anything other than this power plant. Where is Candela's field? And Blanche's snow?"
Rather than answering with the same thought-speak it had used before, Zapdos tucked its wings close and huddled low against the ground. Spark covered his ears as a particularly massive roll of thunder sounded.
"You want me to ride you? In this storm? I mean, I know it's all in my head… literally… but are you sure?"
No time.
Spark couldn't argue with that, considering he'd told Hypno to remove the circlets after 15 minutes. He climbed aboard the giant bird's back, his body (or this imagined version of it) unencumbered by injury or exhaustion. Zapdos' feathers were stiff and sharp, a contrast to Kite's soft plumage. He could feel the snaps of static zipping between the feathers, prickling his hands and legs, even through his clothes.
Zapdos ran a few steps before lifting into the air. It flew low to the ground, swinging out of the way of dangling powerlines and crumbling steel towers. Spark pressed himself close to the bird's back, squinting against the rain, searching for grass or ice or anything other than stormy darkness.
The world began to warp around him, melting like wax in sunlight, reshaping into something new. Spark buried his fingers in Zapdos' plumage, afraid of what would happen should he slip off. The gray and purple of his nighttime world burst into red and orange flame. Suddenly, he was somewhere entirely different, choking on hot, thick air beneath a smoke-blackened sky. His eyes burned, but he forced himself to keep them open as Zapdos soared over a field that had been overtaken by wildfire.
This was Candela's mind. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew it to be true. The fire Waik had pointed to in the distance had finally conquered the whole area, scarring the earth with ravenous flames where there should have been wildflowers. Zapdos skimmed inches above the highest blazes, heading toward a patch of scorched soil and the long-necked bird that curled in its center.
When it was close enough, Zapdos angled down for a landing, its talons raising a cloud of soot when they struck the ground. Moltres stirred, and in doing so, revealed the small, white-coated figure tucked beneath its body. Candela lay dangerously still, and her body was twisted in an unnatural position that set Spark's heart racing.
Spark jumped from Zapdos' back, covering his mouth to protect it from the ash that floated up around him, and jogged toward Candela. Before he could make it more than three steps, Moltres reared its head and screeched at him.
STAY AWAY!
The thought stung his brain like a brand. It had to be Moltres, not Zapdos, communicating with him now. Spark slowed, but didn't quite stop.
"I'm just trying to help. She looks hurt."
She is fine! She is safe with me!
Moltres' chest expanded with fast, deep breaths. Its pupils were constricted with fear and rage, but it wasn't attacking. Perhaps it didn't have the strength necessary to fight.
"Really? You think she's safe with you? Because last I heard, you were planning to burn her from the inside out," Spark snapped, losing his patience with the mercurial pokémon.
No. No! I would never do that. Never!
Spark paused and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. Er, thinking? Sensing?
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you did do that. Don't you remember Hulking out on Team Rocket?"
Moltres hissed and clacked its beak.
Candela needed me, needed my strength. I gave it to her. But something went wrong. I don't remember what happened. I only remember our fury.
"You went full-on dark side, that's what happened!" Spark exclaimed.
Moltres made a trilling noise. I don't understand.
Right. Legendary pokémon probably weren't all that into Star Wars. "Candela's knocked out right now, yeah? Every time she wakes up, there you are, ready to go on a murderous rampage. Earlier, you thought I was Zapdos, and accused me – er, it – of defending humans, presumably because I interrupted your killing spree. From what I can tell, when you're awake, you're completely out of your mind with rage."
The firebird lowered its head. I only wanted to help her. I gave her everything, but maybe it was too much…
To some extent, Spark was relieved. This was the Moltres he'd been looking for. Even so, he wasn't in the clear yet.
"I want to get her out of here, but I need your help to do that," he said. "You have to separate yourself from Candela. When you're together, you can't control yourself. You have to let her wake up without you."
I've tried, but I can't. When she's awake, I'm awake. I have to go with her.
Damn. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to Spark that even if Moltres was relatively sane in Candela's mindscape, it couldn't necessarily detach from her at will. Perhaps there was another way to separate the two.
Behind him, Zapdos shook fallen ash out of its wings. If Zapdos could leave Spark's mind, then maybe Moltres could leave Candela's.
"So, if I'm understanding this right, when Candela wakes up, she takes you with her, and you have no choice in the matter. Do you think it's possible for you to leave her first? By coming with me instead, for example?"
Coming with you where?
Spark fidgeted. "Well, uh, to my head, I guess. Seems to me that if you don't try to give me your strength like you did with Candela, then we won't get stuck together. Then she can wake up on her own, and we can open the door without you going postal on us."
Zapdos leaned forward and plucked at Spark's jacket. This is too risky. Do you intend to do this with Articuno, too?
Spark patted Zapdos' beak. "You're more neurotic than I thought you'd be. But yes, I'll do the same with Articuno if it's in a similar position. Everything we do from here on out will be risky."
Moltres readjusted its position over Candela. Look at the destruction one of us can cause in the mind of a single human. You can't last much longer with Zapdos alone, much less with Articuno and me as well.
"I won't need to last long," Spark said. "Just long enough to open the door and step through. It will be a matter of seconds. Then you can all bail out, and we all go home happy. Besides, we humans may die anyway."
Both birds stiffened.
"Look, it is what it is," Spark said, combing his fingers through his choppy hair. "That's not what I want to happen. Ideally, we all survive, and I tough out having extra roommates in my brain-pan for just long enough to get through the portal."
Moltres and Zapdos looked at each other, and Spark sensed that they were holding a conversation without him. He let them continue for a while, trying to conceal his frustration with being left out. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.
"You don't think I can handle it, do you?" he asked, a hint of accusation coloring his words. "After everything I've endured in this hellhole, you still don't think I have the strength to pull this off?"
Zapdos bobbed its head. There is a chance you will die.
Spark scoffed. "There's a chance we all will, which is why we have to try this. If it's any reassurance, I don't intend to die easily. If Candela and Blanche live, then I'll live, too. Because they're going to need me, and I'm not going to let them face the future alone."
Spark strode forward, and instead of hissing and snapping at him, Moltres stood and moved back so he could crouch next to Candela. He straightened her shoulders and hips, arranging her so she no longer looked so unnaturally bent. With his thumb, he rubbed away a smudge of soot from her cheek. She remained perfectly motionless.
"All my life, Candela has been my beacon of light," Spark murmured. "She's brave when I'm afraid, strong when I'm weak, and warm when the rest of the world seems so cold. I can't disappear on her now. She's the type of person who stubbornly clings to guilt, you know? Even though the terrible things that happened down here aren't her fault, she's going to blame herself, and she's not going to know what to do with all of that grief and pain. That's just how she is. Her heart is too big for her chest, and I don't think she even knows it."
Moltres waited silently for him to continue, its keen eyes looking uncharacteristically soft.
"I can't let her lose another brother, and I'm afraid that Blanche can't be there for her the way I can. I'm scared that Blanche is going to build a fortress around all the soft, messy, wonderful human pieces of themself and disappear behind a mask if I'm not there to help them. If I die, I condemn them both."
Spark stood up, brushed the ash from his pants, and started toward Zapdos. "Maybe I'm thinking too highly of myself. All I know is that if I lost either of them, a chunk of my soul would be lost, too. I can only assume they'd feel the same way if I died. So, I will do everything in my power to survive, because this isn't just about me. It's about all of us. It's about Professor Willow. It's about Rutabaga and Flicker and Resolute and Hypno and every other pokémon we carry with us."
Spark swung onto Zapdos' back. "It's about getting home. Will you help me get us there?"
Moltres straightened to its full height, its flames filling out and burning brighter, hotter.
We will.
"Then we can't waste any more time," Spark said. "We have to find Articuno."
§
The wildfire terrain abruptly gave way to endless snow as the two legendary birds flew side by side. Spark used one hand to shield his eyes from the glaring whiteness below, but it was Zapdos that spotted Articuno first. Zapdos circled down toward a snow-covered lump in the middle of a clearing and landed several yards away. The ice beneath it creaked, but didn't give. Moltres played it safe and hovered some distance away, having the common sense not to bring its heat too close to the frozen lake.
Spark dismounted and shuffled forward, trying to evenly distribute his weight on the slick ice. The lump shifted, dislodging a clump of settled snow to reveal blue plumage. Spark immediately scanned the bird's feet, searching for a sign of Blanche.
"Articuno… are they under the ice?"
Articuno moved its head just enough for the snow that had collected there to fall away so it could inspect Spark. Its thoughts pierced Spark's mind like an icicle through his temple.
They are protected there. They wish to be there.
Spark had never expected the legendary birds to be this aggravating. Maybe it was because they weren't in their right minds, or maybe it was because Spark was physically and emotionally exhausted, but he was having trouble tolerating them.
"You're seriously telling me that Blanche wants to be down there, drowning? Not only that, but you think they're protected? You're killing them!"
Articuno didn't so much as blink.
Spark clasped his hands behind his neck. He couldn't fly off the handle like that. He had to remain in control of the situation. "I get what you're trying to do, OK? You want to help Blanche, and to you, that means locking them inside themself, away from all the ugliness of the real world. That's how Blanche naturally copes, though usually not this literally. But right now, it's hurting them."
You do not understand. To live is to suffer. I can protect them from the pain of living.
Spark checked for a reaction from Zapdos and Moltres, but both birds were unreadable. "Calm down, Your Royal Edginess. Don't you think that's a little over-simplified?"
I care only for their well-being. I am saving them.
"Is that right?" Spark asked through his teeth. "You know what I found interesting about how you and Blanche met? Blanche told me they saw you watching from a tree after they were pulled from the ice. You were there the whole time, yet you did nothing! You were content to sit by and watch as a child drowned! Is that what you call saving someone? They could have died that day! Hell, they could die this day!"
I did save them that day.
Spark laughed. "Right, yeah, of course you did."
It had to be you.
The familiar words pinged through Spark's brain. "What?"
Articuno lifted its head, letting the snow cascade down its neck. It leveled its gaze at Spark. Candela saved them. You saved them. They needed you, not me. It had to be you, or they would have been lost. Not dead, perhaps, but not living, either.
A bitter wind rustled Spark's hair as the words sunk in. "I thought you said that to live is to suffer…"
I thought you accused me of over-simplifying things.
Spark tilted his head slightly and smirked. "You are one tricksy Hobbit, aren't you?"
I do not know what a Hobbit is.
"I gotta knock it off with the references," Spark muttered to himself. "What are you getting at, Articuno? Unlike Blanche, I'm no good at riddles. You'll have to spell it out for me."
I know what you want to do. It is the correct thing to do, as Blanche refuses to leave me. I must leave them.
So, it wasn't that Articuno was dragging Blanche down. Blanche was doing this to themself. The thought left a sour taste in Spark's mouth, but he had to press on. They could talk it all out once they were on the other side. And, preferably, safely patched up and recovering.
"Great! Let's get moving, then!" Spark announced, already edging back toward Zapdos.
Wait.
Spark slipped on the ice and flailed his arms to regain his balance. "Arty, we're really on a tight sched-"
I will go with you to protect Blanche, but ultimately, their fate is in your hands. Do you understand what I am saying to you?
Spark turned back to Articuno, meeting its cold eyes. "I understand."
Maybe the old Spark wouldn't have cared if he lived or died, but he wasn't the same man as he was when he entered this mountain. He had people relying on him, and not just to open the portal home. He couldn't be selfish or self-destructing, not when his friends needed him so much. As Articuno said, living could be painful. It was Spark's duty to be there to alleviate that pain, not cause more of it.
Zapdos rested its beak on Spark's shoulder. The gesture was both comforting and intimidating, and it signaled to Spark that it was time to go.
He pulled himself onto Zapdos' back and paused, his attention lingering on the patch of ice Articuno stood over and the shadowy figure frozen below the surface.
"I'll see you on the other side, Blanche," Spark whispered.
The three legendary birds took to the sky and vanished into the falling snow.
§
AN: Jules Violle created the first measure of light intensity in 1881, which he called the Violle (come on, you'd name it after yourself, too). The Violle was replaced by the candela in the mid-20th century. The joule is a unit of energy, not light (though it's sometimes used to explain the energy required to power a lightbulb). It can also describe the heat that's dissipated when electricity passes through something. So, there you have it. Candela's family. I struggled with last names for these characters and almost didn't include them… But for the record, Spark's last name is Volta (Volt Academy is derived from this), after Alessandro Volta, a pioneer of electrical research. Blanche's last name is Kelvin, after the absolute measure of temperature (because I'm sure Blanche admires its mathematical functionality, unlike that messy Celsius stuff where you have to consider negative numbers in your calculations).
Also, some background on the potato wagon in the sky, because apparently not everyone knows this little folktale. I spent some of my earliest years on an Air Force base in Texas, and I have vivid memories of standing behind the screen door of the porch, listening to the thunder. My dad, a doctor and a very serious man in general, told me about the "tater wagon" rattling through the clouds, and I absolutely believed him. To this day, I love sitting on the porch during storms, listening for falling potatoes and old wagon wheels…