Chapter four: The Quest Begins
After the incident with the Raticate clan, Sparky hadn't said a word. Buck made an attempt to break her silence by saying, "Thanks back there, Sparky. I thought I was toast."
"Buttered toast," Sparky responded, her mind obviously somewhere else.
"Buttered toast?" he asked.
"Buttered toast. And gravy," she stated, imitating Ed's voice.
"Buttered toast and gravy. Uh, what does that have to do with anything?"
"I dunno. I'm sorry, you were saying?"
"Aw, don't matter. We're here."
Buck crawled up a pile of rocks and helped Sparky to the top. "Not all that awe-inspiring, is it?" she commented.
The Mewtwo shrugged and led her to a large building. He waved at an old man and said "Hey, Oak! How's it goin'?"
Oak turned and said, "Oh, hello, Mewtwo! I thought you left hours ago."
"I did. Ehhh, it's kind of a long story..."
He and Sparky proceeded to explain the morning's escapades. When they finished, Oak rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've heard of the multiple universe theory before. I've never really thought about it much, though. Not my field of study, you understand. I do have one question, however."
"Yeah?"
"What did you do with those Rockets you knocked out?"
Buck and Sparky startled and looked at each other. The latter said, "I guess we really didn't think about it, actually."
"Well, then, we'd best take care of that, eh?"
Oak walked to a phone and dialed three digits. Buck bowed down and said to Sparky, "He's gonna give you your license in a bit. I'm gonna wait outside, okay?"
"Works for me. See ya."
Buck strolled outside. He took a deep breath and relaxed a little. He didn't know why, but every time he went inside a human building, he got anxious. He paced back and forth while he waited. In about five minutes, his human emerged.
"This is so COOL!" she said, a bit hyperactively. "Okay. So, where to first?"
Buck looked up, closed his eyes, and focused, recalling the dream. "...'One, the Queen of Ice, recently moved to a Mountain of Freezing...'"
"...Hmmmm... Articuno atop a snow-capped mountain!" Sparky exclaimed.
Buck nodded. "The question is, which one?"
They put their backs together, thinking. Buck swished his tail back and forth. Sparky watched it swing, then grabbed it and messed up the reddish-tan fur. Buck playfully swooshed it out of her hands and smirked. She smiled back and abruptly became serious again. "Maybe we could ask around. I'm sure someone would know where she lives."
"Hail, cousins." interrupted a voice. The pair looked at a tree and saw a Sneasel sitting in its shadow. He stood and sauntered over to them.
"Hail, brother." Buck said. "What's your name?"
"Amaroq. And yours?"
"Buck. This is Sparky."
"Hi," the human said, obviously a bit confused.
"I could not help but overhear you two. You seek the Queen of Ice, correct?"
"Yeah..."
"And Sparky is She Who Speaks, right?"
"What?" Sparky asked, completely confounded.
Amaroq smiled. "You are a human. Humans do not speak like us. And yet, you do. You are She Who Speaks. It is your Lowger name."
"Oh... kay... um, so how could you help us?"
"I happen to know of the Queen of Ice's whereabouts. I've met her during my travels. She waits on the mountain known to humans as "Shasta." She waits for the Human Who Speaks and the Mew who Sees Visions. If you want, I can take you to her mountain."
Sparky and Buck looked at each other. They nodded and the latter said, "Sounds great. I'd just like to know why you're helping us."
"It's not every day you meet a human who speaks Lowger."
"Fair enough."
Amaroq faced the northeast and began walking. Trainer and Mewtwo followed.
The mountain itself belonged to the range Rock Tunnel ran through. Amaroq pointed out which one it was, wished them luck, and quietly disappeared into the Rock Tunnel.
Before they could climb the mountain, though, the pair was faced with a rather stubborn gatekeeper. "I'm sorry," he said, "The mountain is closed. No visitors in summer."
"But we need to climb it." Sparky explained. "We gotta find Articuno"
"Articuno? HA! That bird is just a myth. And even if it was real, a novice Trainer like you couldn't tame it."
Buck grabbed the gatekeeper by his shirt collar and snarled in his face. "Lookie here, pal, we know Articuno's up there. And we've GOT to find her. Now either you let us go up, or I will rip your face off. Got it?"
There isn't much arguing with an annoyed Mewtwo, so after Buck released him, the guard opened the gate. "But don't say I didn't warn ya!" he called as they began the climb. Both of them snorted at him in response.
Unbeknownst to them, Amaroq had seen and heard everything from the Rock Tunnel's entrance. He watched the two beings ascend. After a while, he smiled and said to himself, "Good luck, Chaos." He then crawled into a small depression in the tunnel wall, curled up, and went to sleep.
After the incident with the Raticate clan, Sparky hadn't said a word. Buck made an attempt to break her silence by saying, "Thanks back there, Sparky. I thought I was toast."
"Buttered toast," Sparky responded, her mind obviously somewhere else.
"Buttered toast?" he asked.
"Buttered toast. And gravy," she stated, imitating Ed's voice.
"Buttered toast and gravy. Uh, what does that have to do with anything?"
"I dunno. I'm sorry, you were saying?"
"Aw, don't matter. We're here."
Buck crawled up a pile of rocks and helped Sparky to the top. "Not all that awe-inspiring, is it?" she commented.
The Mewtwo shrugged and led her to a large building. He waved at an old man and said "Hey, Oak! How's it goin'?"
Oak turned and said, "Oh, hello, Mewtwo! I thought you left hours ago."
"I did. Ehhh, it's kind of a long story..."
He and Sparky proceeded to explain the morning's escapades. When they finished, Oak rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've heard of the multiple universe theory before. I've never really thought about it much, though. Not my field of study, you understand. I do have one question, however."
"Yeah?"
"What did you do with those Rockets you knocked out?"
Buck and Sparky startled and looked at each other. The latter said, "I guess we really didn't think about it, actually."
"Well, then, we'd best take care of that, eh?"
Oak walked to a phone and dialed three digits. Buck bowed down and said to Sparky, "He's gonna give you your license in a bit. I'm gonna wait outside, okay?"
"Works for me. See ya."
Buck strolled outside. He took a deep breath and relaxed a little. He didn't know why, but every time he went inside a human building, he got anxious. He paced back and forth while he waited. In about five minutes, his human emerged.
"This is so COOL!" she said, a bit hyperactively. "Okay. So, where to first?"
Buck looked up, closed his eyes, and focused, recalling the dream. "...'One, the Queen of Ice, recently moved to a Mountain of Freezing...'"
"...Hmmmm... Articuno atop a snow-capped mountain!" Sparky exclaimed.
Buck nodded. "The question is, which one?"
They put their backs together, thinking. Buck swished his tail back and forth. Sparky watched it swing, then grabbed it and messed up the reddish-tan fur. Buck playfully swooshed it out of her hands and smirked. She smiled back and abruptly became serious again. "Maybe we could ask around. I'm sure someone would know where she lives."
"Hail, cousins." interrupted a voice. The pair looked at a tree and saw a Sneasel sitting in its shadow. He stood and sauntered over to them.
"Hail, brother." Buck said. "What's your name?"
"Amaroq. And yours?"
"Buck. This is Sparky."
"Hi," the human said, obviously a bit confused.
"I could not help but overhear you two. You seek the Queen of Ice, correct?"
"Yeah..."
"And Sparky is She Who Speaks, right?"
"What?" Sparky asked, completely confounded.
Amaroq smiled. "You are a human. Humans do not speak like us. And yet, you do. You are She Who Speaks. It is your Lowger name."
"Oh... kay... um, so how could you help us?"
"I happen to know of the Queen of Ice's whereabouts. I've met her during my travels. She waits on the mountain known to humans as "Shasta." She waits for the Human Who Speaks and the Mew who Sees Visions. If you want, I can take you to her mountain."
Sparky and Buck looked at each other. They nodded and the latter said, "Sounds great. I'd just like to know why you're helping us."
"It's not every day you meet a human who speaks Lowger."
"Fair enough."
Amaroq faced the northeast and began walking. Trainer and Mewtwo followed.
The mountain itself belonged to the range Rock Tunnel ran through. Amaroq pointed out which one it was, wished them luck, and quietly disappeared into the Rock Tunnel.
Before they could climb the mountain, though, the pair was faced with a rather stubborn gatekeeper. "I'm sorry," he said, "The mountain is closed. No visitors in summer."
"But we need to climb it." Sparky explained. "We gotta find Articuno"
"Articuno? HA! That bird is just a myth. And even if it was real, a novice Trainer like you couldn't tame it."
Buck grabbed the gatekeeper by his shirt collar and snarled in his face. "Lookie here, pal, we know Articuno's up there. And we've GOT to find her. Now either you let us go up, or I will rip your face off. Got it?"
There isn't much arguing with an annoyed Mewtwo, so after Buck released him, the guard opened the gate. "But don't say I didn't warn ya!" he called as they began the climb. Both of them snorted at him in response.
Unbeknownst to them, Amaroq had seen and heard everything from the Rock Tunnel's entrance. He watched the two beings ascend. After a while, he smiled and said to himself, "Good luck, Chaos." He then crawled into a small depression in the tunnel wall, curled up, and went to sleep.