POV: Cynthia/ LOCATION: Fogbound Lake
Professor Rowan sits down near the riverbank with his legs, arms, and eyebrows crossed. He pulls out a bag of sugarcanes and starts chewing. Like he's watching an over-the-top drama.
My face growing hot, I insist, "I'm not lying! The Pokemon was talking! It said its name was Uxie!"
"Uxie? As in the fabled Guardian of Knowledge?"
Uxie scowls. "Fabled? You dare compare me to mere fairy tales? I am as real as the 60 long years you have lived, Snowy!"
Rowan stands up very slowly. "I… will be embarking on a brief stroll. Let me know once you two have finished your conversation. As the kids today say, 'Peace out.'"
With that, the old man is gone. Beside me, Uxie chuckles.
"Oh, he believes you. According to his head: 'I've seen stranger things in my 60 years on this planet.'
"But back to the matter at hand: You owe me an explanation. How did you lift the fog?"
I plug my ears. Hold my breath. Yup. This Pokemon is indeed talking to me.
Uxie heaves a world-weary sigh. "Yes, I am real. Was, is, and will be. As long as we are remembered, we live. Only when we are forgotten do we die. That is the same for all living things, you humans included."
Sure. I brush my tongue over my lips. "Well… To be honest, I was going on a hunch."
As soon as I pull out those relics, Uxie's stuffy façade crumbles. For a heartbeat in time, its eyelids crack open ever so slightly… but that tiny window is enough to send gooseflesh down my neck. Whatever lies behind its eyes will bring dire consequences if released.
"Where did you find that?!"
I never knew a Pokemon could be caught off-guard by two pieces of rock. Especially a self-proclaimed Being of Knowledge. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Uxie is frightened.
"On the beach," I say slowly. "This white one I found a long time ago. This red one just washed up near my hometown just recently."
"Washed… up…?"
Uxie hovers above the pulsating stones, its forehead crumpled like wet clothes. Something must be unraveling behind that big head. Something of cataclysmic proportions.
When it speaks, its voice is faint. "So the legend is true?"
"What legend?"
"The tale of the Relic Key. I assumed Dialga was jesting about entrusting a pair of humans the key to his realm…"
The Relic Key. Charon had mentioned that. So did the statues. And now Uxie, the mythical Pokemon said to have bestowed humans the ability to think.
"Tell me more," I say. "About this legend."
"Oh, you'd best call this fate." Uxie points to the White Moonstone. "That peculiar inscription is the 'Compass of Heaven.' Observe how its needle points to you. That is proof you are its bearer. In the grand scheme of things, the White Moonstone is proof you have been chosen to venture into the Hidden Land, an area hidden beyond the seas and skies."
I bob my head. Uxie performs a motion that can only be described as its eyeballs rolling to the back of its skull.
"You dismiss this as fiction. But you are special, Cynthia. You were able to initiate an incorporeal bond with me; hence you can access my thoughts."
So that means… "I can talk to Pokemon? Sweet!"
"Not sweet! The ability to understand Pokemon can only be unlocked by us, the Lake Guardians! And I would never wish that curse upon any trespassers. Long, long before your ancestors were born, we had to seal that ability away. The human mind cannot comprehend such knowledge. Once you open what was always meant to be closed, the only future awaiting you is one plagued by madness."
"Oh."
A silence descends upon the lake. Elsewhere, the geyser roars. Somewhere near the shore is the crunching of sugarcanes.
Uxie clears its throat. "However, I find it vexing why you would also possess the Red Sunstone if it did not choose you. Are you familiar with its bearer?"
"No." There's a funny feeling on my tongue. Like I'm recalling a word I don't remember. "A-At least, I don't think so…"
"A shame. Regardless, I shall purify it for you."
"Purify?"
"Yes. The second half of the Relic Key has been cursed. A deep grudge inhabits its heart. We cannot allow such evil to taint a sacred relic."
With bated breath, I watch as Uxie slips the Red Sunstone into the shimmering water. At once, a plume of red squirts out from the cracks. As if its sins have been purged.
When Uxie returns the Red Sunstone, that metallic stench is gone. Now with the layer of blood washed away, I can clearly see the neglect marring its faded surface. Whoever its bearer was, they were desperate to get rid of their treasure.
"Cynthia," says Uxie. "It is of utmost importance that you locate the bearer of the Red Sunstone. Only then will the Relic Key be complete."
I hold up a hand. "Not everyone is a Guardian of Knowledge like you. What is this Hidden Land? How do you even access something beyond the seas?"
We then turn to see Rowan approaching, a pleasant, nonjudgmental frown on his snowy features.
"Just in time," Uxie says.
Rowan glances between us. "So… while I was surveying the lake, I noticed a peculiar green glow. Is it what I think it is?"
"It is."
"What is?" I say.
Uxie chuckles mockingly. "You fail to see what is right in front of you: I am referring to the real treasure of Fogbound Lake, of course."
With a flick of its tail, Uxie parts the magnificent geyser in half. And there, hidden behind the pulsating waterfalls, is the fourth Time Gear.
"I knew it!" Rowan says under his breath. "Cynthia, is Uxie aware of the phenomenon in the forests?"
"I know of the paralysis.
"You see, the flow of time has always been governed by Dialga. However, we, the Lake Guardian, have noticed… anomalies in the last aeon. Nothing too major: some years the wind would fail to blow. A falling leaf never touched the ground. Minor inconveniences you humans believed signaled the end of days.
"Over the centuries, the anomalies have grown more… angry. It was only a matter of time before the flow of time collapsed—no wit intended. Not everything lasts forever… without maintenance, of course."
I reluctantly relay all this to Rowan, who rubs his moustache in deep thought.
"Unfortunately, the total collapse of time will happen in your era, given how Treeshroud and Mystifying Forest have already fallen to the paralysis. Soon our lakes will follow. Then darkness will engulf the skies, and life as we know it will grind to a halt."
"That's horrible," Rowan mutters. "Instead of perishing in the sixth mass extinction, we are facing a future where time stands still. But if that was bound to happen, why do the Time Gears exist?"
"To stabilize the flow of time, of course. Temporal flow is too great a responsibility to be entrusted one Pokemon. However, cogs cannot spin if the engine is defunct. That is why I need Cynthia to unite with her complimentary counterpart. Together, they must bring the Time Gears to Temporal Tower so we can retake our lost future."
What an outlandish tale. Yet… it makes sense. It has to. Time and time again, it turns out that the truth is stranger than fiction, however improbable it may be.
"We have to let the people know," Rowan says, his nostrils flaring. "They'll call my bluff, but this is a matter that concerns us all."
Uxie regards the old man with a quirky smirk. "Snowy has excellent work ethic. You can learn a thing or two about patience from him, Cynthia.
"Before you leave, I must request that you keep the existence of Fogbound Lake a secret. If you break your vow… ohoh, you might wake up the next day not knowing your own name."
Hesitation flickers in Rowan's eyes. He's been looking forward to sharing his discovery with his colleagues. After all, knowledge is meant to be bestowed to the world.
But eventually, he nods. Uxie bows its head in appreciation.
Up ahead, the stars are twinkling. Uxie guides us back to Foggy Forest, where it bids us farewell at the Groudon and Kyogre statues.
"Good luck, Cynthia and Snowy. The next time we meet, I pray that we are not too late."