Chapter 45 – Eruption
After waiting for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a couple hours, Heatro returned. He glanced at Heatra and me.
Linking our minds again, I picked up his thoughts. They are waiting at the foot of the mountain. Now come.
He looked at Heatra and made another wheezing sound. She turned and pushed the same boulder that he had last night, and like before it slid aside. The blinding orange light spilled through.
Heatra entered the cavern beyond, and I followed, shielding my eyes.
.
Two red and green glowing eyes appeared, floating above the transparent surface under them. A deep, rumbling voice called out. "Darkrai."
A shadowy figure materialized, bowing. "Yes, sir?"
"Do you have anything to report?"
Darkrai nodded nervously. "The younger Mew has obtained the relics from both Regirock and Regice, sir. Currently, she is in the act of obtaining the Magma Stone."
"Good. Now, there is only one relic left, then the final two pieces will fall into place…"
Darkrai glanced around, then bowed again. "Is there anything else you require?"
"Keep watch on the Mew, and bring me reports periodically. If you have any orders from your other master that conflict with mine, remember that you are bound to do my will. You are dismissed."
Darkrai swallowed and bowed again. "Very well, sir."
Then, a small green winged Pokemon entered the long hallway. Immediately Celebi's eyes locked onto Darkrai. He turned to glance at her in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Celebi asked incredulously. "No one has seen you for months…"
Darkrai faded away without answering.
Confused, Celebi flew closer to the floating red and green eyes and bowed. "I have delivered your messages, sir."
"That is good."
"Do you have any other tasks for me?" Celebi asked, hoping the answer would be no.
"Yes." Celebi almost groaned in frustration, but she knew even that would have dire consequences. "Find Zapdos in the eastern Kanto region, and tell him to come here."
"Kanto?!" Celebi immediately regretted saying this, clamping her mouth closed.
"Do not question my orders." The eyes flashed, and Celebi cringed, backing away. After a moment of silence, the voice spoke again. "If you feel that you cannot complete this task, I may assign you a different one…"
Celebi shook her head furiously. "No, I'm fine with it, sir. I can do that."
The eyes regarded her emotionlessly for several seconds, as Celebi fidgeted nervously. Then the voice spoke. "Come closer."
Celebi froze. "Why?"
"Are you questioning my orders again? I believe that I may have been too lenient with you. Come closer."
Celebi moved nearer to the floating eyes, trembling with fear. Me and my huge mouth.
"Come closer."
Celebi closed her eyes, flying closer to the eyes a distance. Apprehensively, she wondered what was going to happen. Why me?
"Come closer."
Continuing her flight path, she opened her eyes. Right in front of her were the two glowing red and green eyes.
A large black hole appeared under them, and the hole and the eyes moved toward her. The black hole encompassed her, and everything went dark.
.
As soon as I entered the room, the light dimmed, and I glanced around at my surroundings in awe.
The walls and ceiling appeared to be made of lava. Not cooled lava, but hot, swirling lava. Somehow, it was kept from collapsing into the room.
But in the center of the room, on a raised rock platform, was a small, glowing, mostly orange rock. It was shiny, both giving off its own light and reflecting other lights. Orange, red and black moved in patterns on its surface, throbbing as if it was alive. I instinctively knew that it was the Magma Stone I had come for.
Heatra moved aside, allowing me to pass by. Curious, I reached out to one wall, but stopped when Heatra shook her head. I contacted her mind.
"How is this possible?" I asked, gesturing at the walls.
The power of the Magma Stone created this chamber. Once it is removed, it will collapse. Another reason why you should be ready to move quickly.
I nodded and approached the pedestal. The Magma Stone flashed, the swirling patterns accelerating, as if it sensed my presence. For all I knew, maybe it did.
Then I noticed something. Lava flowed in a narrow river on the floor, from the walls and into one side of the pedestal, then out the other side and back into the walls. I pointed to it. "Why is that there? If the other lava is kept out, why not that?"
The mountain is a living being. The Magma Stone is its heart. Lava and magma are its blood, flowing into the heart and being pumped back into the body.
"Oh." I glanced at the river again, then turned my gaze to the Magma Stone. It pulsed with light regularly, indeed reminding me of a beating heart. "Is it alright to take it, then?"
That does not matter. You must take it, regardless.
I hesitated for a moment, then reached out and touched the Magma Stone.
I flinched, expecting to be burned, since it looked so hot. But I only felt slight warmth radiating from it. Surprised, I touched it with my other paw, then picked it up.
Immediately, its glow faded. I had to jerk away as lava spouted from the top of the pedestal, which was revealed to have a hole in it right where the Magma Stone had been.
Go, now! It has started, now nothing can stop it.
The floor of the cavern shuddered violently. The pedestal in its center began to glow red and melt away as lava coursed through it. Turning to glance at Heatra, I made eye contact with her. "Thank you."
Heatra closed her eyes, and the luminous red and orange patches of her skin stopped glowing and changed color to gray. I picked up a final thought right before my telepathic connection with her was cut off abruptly. Thank you… Good luck, Avari…
Lava began pouring from the ceiling and walls, narrowly missing me. Taking my cue, I sped through the entranceway. Once through, I encountered Heatro, also turned gray and lifeless.
But I didn't have time to dwell on that, for at that moment, lava spilled through the opening after me, and I moved away, glancing around. Lava was beginning to enter the cavern through cracks, and its luminescence allowed me to see enough to find my way. Vaguely recognizing the way out, I flew through the large cavern, carrying the Magma Stone in my paws.
The mountain shuddered again, and in the echoing caverns within it the noise sounded eerily like a breath. Glancing backward, I saw that the way I had come was now completely sealed off as the lava filled it and hardened. Then I looked up ahead of me, and noticed a large pile of rocks blocking my path.
Immediately, and without slowing down, I activated my psychic attack, eyes glowing as a purple light surrounded the rocks. I lifted one near the top with my mind, moving it to one side and creating a small hole. Quickly moving another, I managed to make a hole large enough for me to fit through.
I darted into the hole, then cried out telepathically as more rocks collapsed on top of me, effectively trapping me. A faint crunching noise came from behind me, and I gasped as agonizing pain exploded from my left leg.
My eyes glowed as I tried to move the rocks with my psychic powers, but I couldn't concentrate due to the pain. Once my eyes stopped glowing, I dropped the Magma Stone into the cavern in front of me and began struggling wildly.
The rumbling came again, only this time I felt it. I screamed telepathically as my left leg was jarred, though I still didn't know what was wrong with it. I could take a good guess, though.
Rocks, broken loose by the rumbling, showered me. But unfortunately, none of the ones trapping me were knocked loose. And even more unfortunately, a crack opened in a wall nearby, lava spilling through.
I watched helplessly as the lava began to slowly fill the small cavern. And that was just in the one I could see, I was also trapped halfway in another room that I couldn't see, so who knew what was happening there.
Resignedly, I closed my eyes and waited, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much.
