Chapter nine: Journey to the Undercaves
Sparky dismounted from Thundra and looked into the crater. She removed her backpack and sweater-jacked, revealing a gray T-shirt with a fierce-looking Asian dragon along the chest. She looked at the two Pokémon and said, "Thundra, you lead. You can fly in case the floor collapses, and you can talk to the King of Flames. I'll be in the middle, and Buck, you bring up the rear. Okay?"
Buck and Thundra nodded and fell in line. A tense but uneventful search brought the trio to a large pile of lava-rocks. A frightened voice came from beneath them. "Mistress of Thunder, is that you? Oh, thank the stars!"
"What happened to you?" Thundra asked.
"This is my sleeping roost. Two days ago, I awoke to loud crashing; part of this cave's ceiling had collapsed! I'm unhurt, but I can't move for the rocks! Help me!"
"Don't worry, brother. We'll get you out."
"Who's we?"
"Me and Sparky the Namer and Buck the Mewtwo."
Thundra hovered unsteadily near the top of the pile, shoving rocks aside with her beak and talons, while her two companions dug near ground level. Sparky soon overheated and was forced to quit, however. Buck's field of vision was wide enough for him to monitor Sparky even as he dug, and he noted with slight surprise that she had flopped down and started panting like a Growlithe, tongue lolling and all. Sparky was the most Lowgerian human Buck had ever seen.
Around ten minutes later, the King of Flames was free. He spread his wings wide, working the two days' worth of stiffness out of them. He nodded at Buck and rapped beaks with Thundra in greeting, then hopped up to Sparky. He looked down at the human and said, simply, "You're a Namer."
She continued panting and looked back up at him, mind buzzing. Eventually she smiled and said, "Apollo, Roman god of the sun. Or was it Greek? Never could tell the difference..."
Apollo understood what his name was, but had no hint as to the rest of what Sparky said. He looked at Thundra for advice, but got it from Buck: "Talking is her hobby. Half the time she only makes sense to herself."
Sparky snorted at Buck and said "Apollo, what are you doing in the Cinnabar volcano?"
Apollo responded, "About one hundred years ago, the volcano I was living in went completely extinct, and more and more humans stared coming through it. Some of them found and tried to catch me. Four years ago, I had a very close call with a Trainer, and that's when I decided to move. When I came here, I found this nice little cave and rested in it. The next morning, the entrance to the crater was gone! Which reminds me... how did you three get in?"
Sparky stood and pointed at Buck. "He has visions. I'm guessing that's how you found the entrance from the side of the mountain, right Buck?"
Buck nodded. More conversation was exchanged, and eventually, Artica was brought up. The foursome left the crater and reunited with the Articuno. Thundra caught some fish for herself and the other birds, while Buck and Sparky shared food from the human's backpack.
After breakfast, everyone looked to Buck for their next destination. The Mewtwo had to focus harder that ever to recall it, for the dream was getting harder and harder to remember.
"Aaaaaarrrrrr... Ffffour... the Guardian of the Sea... in... the... uh... the... Undercaves!"
"Well, that's Lugia... wait. The Undercaves?"
"Yeah. I think."
Sparky grinned. "Hmp hmp hmp... Undercaves. Henk, Guardian. He he... Um, well, since Artica said the tunnels under Seafoam collapsed, I guess that means the Guardian is under the Whirl Islands."
"Whirl Islands? Where's that?" Apollo asked, ignorant of Sparky's poor navigational skills.
"Even if I knew," she answered, "It would be quite a journey. It's all the way in Johoto."
Blank looks from the Pokémon. "It's another human territory."
"Ohhhhhhh."
A deep voice interrupted them. "Well, what have we here?"
Five heads snapped in the voice's direction and found that it belonged to a very large Feraligatr. He was laying half out of the water, looking the group over. Buck stood up and assumed a threatening stance, ears laid back. "Who are you and whaddya want?" he snapped.
The Feraligatr nodded solemnly. "I can understand your fear, Mew. I've already eaten, and if I was hungry, I would not have said anything."
"He has a point, Buck. Relax." Sparky said. The Mewtwo sat down and raised his ears, but sill eyed the reptilian predator warily. Sparky addressed the stranger. "My name is Sparky. This is Artica, Thundra, Apollo, and Buck. What's your name, brother?"
"I am Aquamentus. What are you five beings doing together on this abandoned rock?"
"We're on a quest, and it brought us here." Artica explained.
"Does it, by chance, lead to the Undercaves?"
Buck leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "How did you know that?" he asked.
Aquamentus somehow conveyed a grin on his stony crocodilian face. "I have excellent hearing. I understand you don't know the way?"
"Do you know it?" asked Sparky hopefully.
"Indeed, yes. I've been through the world's oceans a thousand times. I know them like the back of my foreclaw. I can lead you there, if you desire it."
The five companions huddled up and discussed the matter. Certainly, Aquamentus's help would be appreciated... but who knew what a 12-foot Feraligatr would do? Buck in particular was leery of the alliance; he'd have to swim with the large-toothed guide. Eventually, pros outweighed cons, and they accepted. "I'd just like to know why you'd want to help us." Buck said.
Aquamentus expressed amusement. "It is a matter of boredom. I only have to eat once a month, and what else is there to do?"
This explanation was strange, to be sure, but Buck accepted it and dove in the water with the Feraligatr. Sparky mounted Apollo, for he was the biggest, and they were off.
The journey took four days, but Aquamentus knew of rest stops along the way. When they finally reached the Undercaves, he bid them good luck and vanished as mysteriously as he had come. Apollo let Sparky off of his back, and he, Artica, and Thundra looked by air for an above-water entrance. Human and Mewtwo searched at ground level.
"Enjoy your swim?" Sparky teased.
Buck glared at her unthreateningly. They walked a bit further until Buck suddenly said, "Hey, look."
"What?"
"An entrance. No, that way."
Buck pointed. About a yard away was a small hole in the ground. The two walked up to it, Sparky pulled a flashlight from her backpack, and they looked inside. The hole was parallel to the ground, but sloped gently inward after a foot's drop. It looked like the space got bigger as it want further underground, but the flashlight's beam was too weak to really tell. Sparky squirmed into it and reported what she saw:
"It does get a lot bigger further down, but the tunnel that leads up to it is pretty cramped. You'll prolly fit, but I don't think any of the birds will. Tell them where we are and come down here."
Buck nodded out of habit and howl-roared at the sky. Soon enough, the birds landed and took watch at the hole, and Buck joined Sparky. By Sparky's flashlight and Buck's night vision, they began their search.
Sparky dismounted from Thundra and looked into the crater. She removed her backpack and sweater-jacked, revealing a gray T-shirt with a fierce-looking Asian dragon along the chest. She looked at the two Pokémon and said, "Thundra, you lead. You can fly in case the floor collapses, and you can talk to the King of Flames. I'll be in the middle, and Buck, you bring up the rear. Okay?"
Buck and Thundra nodded and fell in line. A tense but uneventful search brought the trio to a large pile of lava-rocks. A frightened voice came from beneath them. "Mistress of Thunder, is that you? Oh, thank the stars!"
"What happened to you?" Thundra asked.
"This is my sleeping roost. Two days ago, I awoke to loud crashing; part of this cave's ceiling had collapsed! I'm unhurt, but I can't move for the rocks! Help me!"
"Don't worry, brother. We'll get you out."
"Who's we?"
"Me and Sparky the Namer and Buck the Mewtwo."
Thundra hovered unsteadily near the top of the pile, shoving rocks aside with her beak and talons, while her two companions dug near ground level. Sparky soon overheated and was forced to quit, however. Buck's field of vision was wide enough for him to monitor Sparky even as he dug, and he noted with slight surprise that she had flopped down and started panting like a Growlithe, tongue lolling and all. Sparky was the most Lowgerian human Buck had ever seen.
Around ten minutes later, the King of Flames was free. He spread his wings wide, working the two days' worth of stiffness out of them. He nodded at Buck and rapped beaks with Thundra in greeting, then hopped up to Sparky. He looked down at the human and said, simply, "You're a Namer."
She continued panting and looked back up at him, mind buzzing. Eventually she smiled and said, "Apollo, Roman god of the sun. Or was it Greek? Never could tell the difference..."
Apollo understood what his name was, but had no hint as to the rest of what Sparky said. He looked at Thundra for advice, but got it from Buck: "Talking is her hobby. Half the time she only makes sense to herself."
Sparky snorted at Buck and said "Apollo, what are you doing in the Cinnabar volcano?"
Apollo responded, "About one hundred years ago, the volcano I was living in went completely extinct, and more and more humans stared coming through it. Some of them found and tried to catch me. Four years ago, I had a very close call with a Trainer, and that's when I decided to move. When I came here, I found this nice little cave and rested in it. The next morning, the entrance to the crater was gone! Which reminds me... how did you three get in?"
Sparky stood and pointed at Buck. "He has visions. I'm guessing that's how you found the entrance from the side of the mountain, right Buck?"
Buck nodded. More conversation was exchanged, and eventually, Artica was brought up. The foursome left the crater and reunited with the Articuno. Thundra caught some fish for herself and the other birds, while Buck and Sparky shared food from the human's backpack.
After breakfast, everyone looked to Buck for their next destination. The Mewtwo had to focus harder that ever to recall it, for the dream was getting harder and harder to remember.
"Aaaaaarrrrrr... Ffffour... the Guardian of the Sea... in... the... uh... the... Undercaves!"
"Well, that's Lugia... wait. The Undercaves?"
"Yeah. I think."
Sparky grinned. "Hmp hmp hmp... Undercaves. Henk, Guardian. He he... Um, well, since Artica said the tunnels under Seafoam collapsed, I guess that means the Guardian is under the Whirl Islands."
"Whirl Islands? Where's that?" Apollo asked, ignorant of Sparky's poor navigational skills.
"Even if I knew," she answered, "It would be quite a journey. It's all the way in Johoto."
Blank looks from the Pokémon. "It's another human territory."
"Ohhhhhhh."
A deep voice interrupted them. "Well, what have we here?"
Five heads snapped in the voice's direction and found that it belonged to a very large Feraligatr. He was laying half out of the water, looking the group over. Buck stood up and assumed a threatening stance, ears laid back. "Who are you and whaddya want?" he snapped.
The Feraligatr nodded solemnly. "I can understand your fear, Mew. I've already eaten, and if I was hungry, I would not have said anything."
"He has a point, Buck. Relax." Sparky said. The Mewtwo sat down and raised his ears, but sill eyed the reptilian predator warily. Sparky addressed the stranger. "My name is Sparky. This is Artica, Thundra, Apollo, and Buck. What's your name, brother?"
"I am Aquamentus. What are you five beings doing together on this abandoned rock?"
"We're on a quest, and it brought us here." Artica explained.
"Does it, by chance, lead to the Undercaves?"
Buck leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "How did you know that?" he asked.
Aquamentus somehow conveyed a grin on his stony crocodilian face. "I have excellent hearing. I understand you don't know the way?"
"Do you know it?" asked Sparky hopefully.
"Indeed, yes. I've been through the world's oceans a thousand times. I know them like the back of my foreclaw. I can lead you there, if you desire it."
The five companions huddled up and discussed the matter. Certainly, Aquamentus's help would be appreciated... but who knew what a 12-foot Feraligatr would do? Buck in particular was leery of the alliance; he'd have to swim with the large-toothed guide. Eventually, pros outweighed cons, and they accepted. "I'd just like to know why you'd want to help us." Buck said.
Aquamentus expressed amusement. "It is a matter of boredom. I only have to eat once a month, and what else is there to do?"
This explanation was strange, to be sure, but Buck accepted it and dove in the water with the Feraligatr. Sparky mounted Apollo, for he was the biggest, and they were off.
The journey took four days, but Aquamentus knew of rest stops along the way. When they finally reached the Undercaves, he bid them good luck and vanished as mysteriously as he had come. Apollo let Sparky off of his back, and he, Artica, and Thundra looked by air for an above-water entrance. Human and Mewtwo searched at ground level.
"Enjoy your swim?" Sparky teased.
Buck glared at her unthreateningly. They walked a bit further until Buck suddenly said, "Hey, look."
"What?"
"An entrance. No, that way."
Buck pointed. About a yard away was a small hole in the ground. The two walked up to it, Sparky pulled a flashlight from her backpack, and they looked inside. The hole was parallel to the ground, but sloped gently inward after a foot's drop. It looked like the space got bigger as it want further underground, but the flashlight's beam was too weak to really tell. Sparky squirmed into it and reported what she saw:
"It does get a lot bigger further down, but the tunnel that leads up to it is pretty cramped. You'll prolly fit, but I don't think any of the birds will. Tell them where we are and come down here."
Buck nodded out of habit and howl-roared at the sky. Soon enough, the birds landed and took watch at the hole, and Buck joined Sparky. By Sparky's flashlight and Buck's night vision, they began their search.