The sun was beating down on us as we travelled through the imposing valleys, reflecting off the surface of the snow. The wind blew furiously, twisting and winding through all the cracks and openings in the cliff walls. As we weathered the elements, I found myself struggling to keep pace with Wind and Spark. A natural shortcoming of spending 900 years in isolation, I suppose.

Wind seemed to notice me struggling a bit, as he slowed down to fall beside me. "You doing okay, Azur?"

"I am… not used… to walking so much," I replied, winded. "How… do you… do this every day?"

"Your body will strengthen over time. If you need to take a break, Azur, we can." He looked at me. "After all, you are a part of the team."

"I will… be fine, thanks."

"Are you sure? You're quite out of breath."

"Yes. I am sure, Wind."

"Alright…" I could tell he wasn't fully convinced.

After several hours, I slowed down considerably. I was having difficulty breathing from all the walking. As I struggled to keep moving forward, my vision began to blur and the world began to spin. Eventually, everything went dark as I fainted from overexertion.

When I came to, Wind and Spark had set up a small camp of sorts. Spark seemed to be busy cooking a meal, while Wind attended to watch duty. I saw his ears perk as I slowly lifted myself from the ground, and he rushed over to help me.

"Easy does it, Azur. You pushed yourself too hard. You don't need to prove anything to us, you know."

I wanted to reply, but I was still out of breath. I simply looked at him instead. A look of worry and compassion was spread across his face, and he had a canteen of water in his paws.

"Here, drink some of this," he said, handing me the canteen. "It'll help you recover quicker."

I took it and drank a bit of water. He was right; it did seem to help.

"See? There's nothing a bit of water can't solve. How are you feeling?"

"Still a little dizzy…" I replied. "I might need a bit more time to recover."

He nodded. "We're going to spend the rest of the night here. Spark and I will take turns keeping watch. You can never be too safe."

"I see. Are you sure we should not press forward and get out of here?" I asked. "If what you say is true, then the Marauders-"

"I am a little worried about the Marauders, but more so for your well-being. After all, we can't go anywhere if you aren't in top condition," Wind answered. "Besides… I don't believe they'll come after us. While they do claim this part of the mountains, it's also the most difficult of their territory to defend. And even if they do, the location we have is easily defendable. They wouldn't risk it when we have the advantage."

I didn't mention it, but Wind didn't seem so sure of that last bit. Maybe he didn't believe himself? Regardless, his words were somehow comforting. He reminds me of my master, in a way.

"Wind! Azur! Dinner's ready!" Spark called. "I made some delicious Frivals!"

I got up, feeling much better. That seemed to lift Wind's spirits quite a bit. He followed me over to the fire.

"So you're feeling fine now, Azur? That's good to see!" Spark seemed in good spirits. Then again, Wind tells me that's normal, although her reaction when we first met wasn't very… pleasant.

Wind took a few bowls out of his bag and scooped the Frivals into them. "I assume you already know this, but Spark is one of the best cooks on the planet."

"I did. And I must ask how a quadruped like her managed it. It is… surprising, to say the least."

Spark giggled. "You wouldn't be the first to ask, Azur! The most I can tell you is I've always had a knack for cooking. My parents used to be supportive of it… but then I expressed the desire to evolve into a Jolteon over a Flareon like the rest of the family."

"Really? Why?"

"I guess they were disappointed in my choice, since I'd be the first in 9 generations to not become a Flareon," Spark explained. "But.. I think I made the right choice. My siblings all got themselves killed because they thought they could swim in lava. I miss them, sometimes."

"They… don't sound like the brightest Pokemon," I said.

"They weren't. It's a shame, too. They all had promising careers ahead of them."

"I am… sorry, Spark."

"Don't be, Azur. I was always the outsider of the family… And now I'm the last of the family! Funny how things work out, huh?"

"I worry for you with that attitude, Spark," I replied.

"It's not so bad. I met her parents once. They didn't seem like pleasant individuals," Wind piped in. "Anyways, there's more Frivals in the pot if you want them, Azur."

"Thank you, Wind." I took more Frivals out of the pot as Wind settled himself by Spark. "So, have you thought any more about your future?"

Spark looked at me questioningly. "Our future?"

"Yes. Wind and I were talking about it on the ride over the mountains."

She glared at me. "Yes well, that is kind of a personal question, Azur. And considering you aren't quite kin yet…"

"We'd prefer not to continue along this topic," Wind finished. "At least, not until you've been with us a bit longer."

I looked at Wind.

"I'm sorry, Azur. But let's pursue a different topic for n-"

KABOOM!

We all jumped.

"What was that?!" Spark yelped.

"It's them." Wind replied. "It's the Marauders. We might be in trouble…"

I shivered. Wind and Spark had greatly discussed the Marauders before we set off. Their successes against legendary explorers, their iron grip over the Mist Continent… They are going to be quite the opponent. If only the Crystal Magics were any good for fighting…

"We'll have to fight our way out of here. You have a plan, I'm sure, Wind?" Spark asked.

"They'll be looking to split us up since we're an unstoppable duo together… So don't go running off into the fray of battle. We're fighting defensively. Azur, do you know how to fight?"

I shook my head. "Not very well. My master always believed in being peaceful. And under Lugia, It was about deception."

"Then stick close to us." He summoned an Aura Blade. "You ready Spark?"

With electrical power flowing across her body, she nodded. "They'll regret picking a fight with us."

We left the tent to see the entirety of the Marauders surrounding our campsite. As we surveyed the scene, a Smeargle walked up, a Kadabra and Roselia at her side.

"So. You are the fools that decided to travel through my territory. It will be the last mistake you make. You have a decision here. We can do this the easy way, with your surrender, or we can do this the hard way."

"There's only one way we're doing this. You came for a fight, right? Well, that's exactly what you're going to get." Wind replied.

"Then you will be humiliated, like the rest of them. Marauders, enjoy yourselves!"

It didn't take very long before the once calm valley was filled with chaos. Pokemon flying, left and right, as they all tried to knock us out. I was tripping over myself trying to avoid getting hit as I tried to stick close to Wind or Spark.

A dragon flew overhead, grabbing my tails as he took off somewhere else. Panicking, I struggled with him.

"If this is the best ya've got, then this be the easiest capture ve ever had! Ya's be a sad specimen of a Pokemon!"

I continued to struggle against his grip as he flew away from the battle. He suddenly veered right, and I saw the last sight I ever expected to see.

"DO NOT FEAR, AURORA. I SHALL RESCUE YOU!"

"Master Lugia!"

My captor seemed to come to a halt as Lugia arrived to the battle.

"A legendary…? Me word, 'Er Roguishness vill be delighted to 'ear I captured 'er a legendary!"

He took off again, this time circling Lugia. I couldn't hear anything else as the wind howled around me, deafening any sounds. I couldn't really see anything either anymore, because the dragon captor had sped up so much I couldn't open my eyes.

What is Master Lugia doing here? I thought he hated me…

After some time, I felt myself free falling. There was no longer any support from above. Rolling onto my back to protect my eyes, I opened them to see the dragon, a Noivern, trapped in Lugia's mouth. He was screaming in pain, though I couldn't hear it due to the rushing air.

Lugia suddenly nose dived down, dropping the Noivern in the process. He quickly gained on me. I braced for impact, but landed surprisingly easily as he flew under and caught me.

"M-master Lugia… what are you doing?"

"I HAVE COME TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS FOR MY ACTIONS AT SNOWFIELD. IT WAS UNFAIR OF ME TO ATTEMPT TO TAKE THEIR LIVES WITHOUT EXPLANATION."

"M-master Lugia… Thank you! But Wind and Spark… they are still in trouble!" I cried. "We have to help them!"

"FOR YOU, MY DEAR, ANYTHING! LET US MAKE HASTE!" Lugia turned and started flying in the direction of the Redcliff Valleys we had been fighting in. I prayed to Arceus that the Krillian Marauders had not already defeated them.

But there was still one thing on my mind…

"Master Lugia… Have you been following us since we left?"

"YES, ALTHOUGH I HAVE BEEN FAR BEHIND. IT WAS BECAUSE OF THAT NOIVERN I WAS ABLE TO FIND YOU."

"I see… We should be getting close to the valleys, now, right?"

"AFFIRMATIVE. I CAN SEE THE BATTLE NOW. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO APPROACH IT?"

I thought about it. Going straight in would likely scare the Marauders, but it would also be hard to maneuver. Finding the entrance to the valleys would only lose precious time. That meant…

"We'll have to fly over their heads. Aeroblast should have no problem scattering them, right?"

"THIS PLAN LEAVES YOUR FRIENDS IN HARM'S WAY."

"But it is the only one that guarantees their safety, as well. Wind's no fool… If he sees you, he'll grab Spark and take cover," I explained. "It's the best bet."

Lugia nodded in agreement. "VERY WELL. LET US BEGIN!"

Lugia charged his Aeroblast. As we flew over the battlefield, I heard a few Marauders yelp in terror as they saw Lugia. He and I both smiled. Without warning, he launched Aeroblast. Several Pokemon went flying. Some into walls, others into the air. Lugia caught some of the ones thrown into the air, and crushed their bodies with his feet. He prepared another Aeroblast. Just before he let this one loose, we heard a pained screech followed by a bright flash of light.

"SPARK!"

Lugia immediately launched Aeroblast again upon hearing Wind's despair. We saw a few more Marauders get thrown around everywhere. Seeing that the battle was clearly over, as those that survived were retreating, Lugia landed in the valley.

I hopped off his back and immediately ran to Wind's side.

"Azur… you're safe. Thank Arceus…" he mumbled.

"Thanks to Master Lugia. Are you ok? Do you need help?"

"Lugia saved you…?"

"CORRECT," Lugia bellowed.

"Thank you…" he murmured.

"Are you ok, Wind? Do you need help?" I repeated. "You look pretty beaten up."

He shook his head and went over to Lugia.

"The Marauders… they took Spark. I'm going after them," he said.

Lugia and I were shocked. After all this, he wanted to go after them again?

"LUCARIO, IF YOU GO AFTER THEM, THEY'LL ONLY CAPTURE YOU AS WELL." Luiga flexed his wings. "AN ASSAULT ON THEIR CAMP WOULD BE DANGEROUS, EVEN FOR A LEGENDARY LIKE MYSELF."

That didn't seem to deter Wind. "You don't have to come with me. All that matters is I'm going after them. I need to save Spark."

"LUCARIO…"

He looked up at Lugia, anger filling his eyes. "After all, there's nothing more dangerous in this world than an angry Lucario. The Marauders are going to regret this."

"Then I am going with you, Wind," I said, resolutely. "You will need me at your side."

"THEN I SHALL ALSO ACCOMPANY YOU," Lugia exclaimed. "AFTER TRYING TO KILL YOU BACK ON SNOWFIELD, IT IS THE LEAST I CAN DO."

Wind looked at us. "You may be forced to battle me to bring me back to my senses. Are you prepared to do so?"

"Whatever it takes, Wind. Now let's go rescue Spark."

AN: What a doozy of a chapter! For those of you that read all the way through, thank you!

I have an announcement to make regarding the future of Refracted Differences. There is just so much I want to do with it and talk about with others, that my current resources have become somewhat unreliable. As such, I am pleased to announce that Refracted Differences now has an official server! The server invite code is below, I hope to see you there! (links don't work on FFN lol)

SuEe45gunS