Chapter ten: Silverwing and Borialis
Sparky and Buck meandered aimlessly for hours through the dark labyrinth. Even with her flashlight and Mewtwo, Sparky's human fear of darkness constantly got the better of her. Every odd noise or trick of the light made her startle, and she was exhausted from the constant jumping when they settled down for the night. Buck fell asleep almost immediately, but Sparky lay awake for almost an hour, still starting at every odd noise.
Buck slept most of the night through. But at some unknown time, he awoke with that now-familiar uneasy feeling.
"Alright," he said, "Let's just get this over with."
The surface of a large underground river Buck and Sparky had been following rippled, and a crocodilian dragon crawled out of it. Well, mostly crocodilian. He had two paddle-like wings at his sides, and his tail was more akin to a dolphin than a crocodile.
"In a bit of a hurry, are we?" said the dragon, "Well then, to business. You see that cave there?"
He flicked his tail in indication. Buck looked and nodded. "That tunnel there will lead you to five choices of three tunnels. The quickest route to the Guardian of the Sea is 'left, left, left right left.'"
The dragon said this last part in a kind of singsong way. Buck gave him a funny look and said, "Um... okay... uh, thanks, I guess."
Buck's visitor nodded and turned back to the stream. Something about his demeanor reminded Buck of something. Just as the visitor raised his tail to dive, the Mewtwo said, "Aquamentus?"
The dragon smiled slightly. With a flick of his cetacean tail, he vanished. Before Buck had very much time to speculate this, he felt his Trainer stir. The young human had been sleeping very lightly, still on edge from this strange environment. She raised her head and yawned. "Who ya talking to?" she asked.
"Vision. Said we go through that cave and take... uh... 'Left, left, left right left.'" Said Buck, imitating the dragon's singsong tune.
Sparky glared at him sleepily. "You sound like a drill sergeant."
"What?"
"Never mind. Let's go."
They navigated the tunnels and came to an overhang above a large pool. "Hail, Guardian of the Sea." Sparky said, "We're Sparky the Namer and Buck the Mewtwo. Are you down there?"
A large head broke the surface, followed by a long neck. A very long neck. It stretched up to where Sparky and Buck were standing, and still the bird's main body was underwater. The Guardian looked his two visitors over and asked, "What are a human and a Mew doing in the Undercaves?"
"We've come a long way to find you. You see, about two weeks ago, Buck here had a vision-thingie. It said something about uniting the Five Soarers, and here we are."
"We've already found the Queen of Ice, Mistress of Thunder, and King of Flames. Sparky is a Namer. Now their human-names are Artica, Thundra, and Apollo. I got my human-name from her, too."
The Lugia cocked his head. "A Namer, huh? What of mine... er..."
"Sparky. Um... well... I know you're more than a long neck. I had to sit through the Crappy Movies of Doom. Uhm... It would help if I could see all of you. Besides... this darn cave is giving me the heebie-jeebies..."
The Guardian nodded. "Then we should leave this labyrinth. I believe I know of a shorter way out than the way you came. I'll ferry you across separately on my head. I know an underground passage for myself."
First Sparky, then Buck rode on the bird's head across the pool. The Lugia himself pointed out the exit, and after giving his visitors a head start, dove violently. All three exited the Undercaves at roughly the same time, though the Guardian's exit was the most spectacular. He burst out of the ocean about twenty feet offshore with an exuberant cry. The other three birds soon homed in on him, and the foursome celebrated.
Buck and Sparky watched the air show, smiling. The latter suddenly said, "Silverwing."
"What?"
"Silverwing. Silverwing the Lugia."
***
After the birds finally landed and Silverwing was officially named, Buck tried to remember the next location. He remembered "Five, The Lord of the Sky" but couldn't remember the locale at all. So, the group speculated where the Ho-oh could be. It was the human who came up with their plan.
"Hey, why don't we go to Ecruteak City? That's where the Two Towers are."
"Or were." Silverwing corrected. "Mine burned down over 150 years ago."
"I know. But the Lord's is still standing. If we go there, we might find some clues."
The Pokémon nodded in agreement. Sparky mounted Thundra, and Buck accepted Silverwing's offer for a ride. The Lugia led the flock; after all, he remembered best where his old home once stood. Soon, the great Tin Tower came into view. But the mighty Ho-oh was nowhere to be found.
Sparky told the birds to look by air while she and Buck hunted on the ground, like always. Human and Mewtwo asked every living being in the city, but only Morty the Gym Leader had any useful information at all.
"Well, about a year ago, the current League Champion, Crystal, caught the legendary Pokémon Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. She also caught Ho-oh. Later, when she was showing all four off in the town square, fwoosh," and he waved his arm for emphasis "They all ran away."
Buck gave a sinister smile. Sparky gave him a sarcastically worried look and said to Morty, "So that's it, then? No one has seen them since?"
"Right. Is that all you wanted? Sure you don't want to battle?"
"Some other time, maybe. We're kinda busy right now. C'mon, Buck."
The pair left the Gym and found themselves wandering out to Route 37. Suddenly, a large blur raced past them and stopped, becoming a strange doglike Pokémon. He glared at Sparky and growled. Buck growled back and took a menacing step toward the Suicune. The human herself looked franticly from one annoyed Pokémon to the other and addressed them in Lowger.
"C'mon, you two, no reason to fight. Buck! Knock it off!"
Buck obeyed his Trainer and stopped growling. The Suicune's glare turned to surprise. He cocked his head. "A human who talks Lowger?"
"That's right, brother. She's a Namer, too. Maybe you can help us? We're looking for the Lord of the Sky."
The blue dog raised a forepaw. "Why?" he asked.
"It's a long story. The long and short of it is that we're looking for the Five Soarers, and the Lord is the only one we haven't found."
As if on cue, the four birds suddenly called down to their comrades and landed. The Suicune looked at them, completely dumbfounded. "So it's true..."
He approached Sparky, head down in submission." I know not where the Lord of the Sky lives. But I know of one who might. A Name for information, human."
Sparky stared at the dog, who even with his head down was bigger than she was. She closed one eye and looked up, muttering.
"...Suicune... aurora... aurora borealis... Borialis. How's Borialis sound?"
The Suicune nodded. "I like that. Now for me: there lives an ancient Fearow named Shigeta just to the west of here. She lives in a large berry tree just south of the farm full of Miltanks. She knows the skies almost as well as the Lord of the Sky himself. If anyone knows where he is, it's her."
Borialis turned to leave. "Hey! Where are you going?" asked Artica.
The Suicune smiled. "I'm too hyper to go on a quest or stay in one place. I look forward to seeing you again!"
And he was gone.
The five beings stood together in silence. Finally, Apollo said, "To Shigeta!"
Sparky and Buck meandered aimlessly for hours through the dark labyrinth. Even with her flashlight and Mewtwo, Sparky's human fear of darkness constantly got the better of her. Every odd noise or trick of the light made her startle, and she was exhausted from the constant jumping when they settled down for the night. Buck fell asleep almost immediately, but Sparky lay awake for almost an hour, still starting at every odd noise.
Buck slept most of the night through. But at some unknown time, he awoke with that now-familiar uneasy feeling.
"Alright," he said, "Let's just get this over with."
The surface of a large underground river Buck and Sparky had been following rippled, and a crocodilian dragon crawled out of it. Well, mostly crocodilian. He had two paddle-like wings at his sides, and his tail was more akin to a dolphin than a crocodile.
"In a bit of a hurry, are we?" said the dragon, "Well then, to business. You see that cave there?"
He flicked his tail in indication. Buck looked and nodded. "That tunnel there will lead you to five choices of three tunnels. The quickest route to the Guardian of the Sea is 'left, left, left right left.'"
The dragon said this last part in a kind of singsong way. Buck gave him a funny look and said, "Um... okay... uh, thanks, I guess."
Buck's visitor nodded and turned back to the stream. Something about his demeanor reminded Buck of something. Just as the visitor raised his tail to dive, the Mewtwo said, "Aquamentus?"
The dragon smiled slightly. With a flick of his cetacean tail, he vanished. Before Buck had very much time to speculate this, he felt his Trainer stir. The young human had been sleeping very lightly, still on edge from this strange environment. She raised her head and yawned. "Who ya talking to?" she asked.
"Vision. Said we go through that cave and take... uh... 'Left, left, left right left.'" Said Buck, imitating the dragon's singsong tune.
Sparky glared at him sleepily. "You sound like a drill sergeant."
"What?"
"Never mind. Let's go."
They navigated the tunnels and came to an overhang above a large pool. "Hail, Guardian of the Sea." Sparky said, "We're Sparky the Namer and Buck the Mewtwo. Are you down there?"
A large head broke the surface, followed by a long neck. A very long neck. It stretched up to where Sparky and Buck were standing, and still the bird's main body was underwater. The Guardian looked his two visitors over and asked, "What are a human and a Mew doing in the Undercaves?"
"We've come a long way to find you. You see, about two weeks ago, Buck here had a vision-thingie. It said something about uniting the Five Soarers, and here we are."
"We've already found the Queen of Ice, Mistress of Thunder, and King of Flames. Sparky is a Namer. Now their human-names are Artica, Thundra, and Apollo. I got my human-name from her, too."
The Lugia cocked his head. "A Namer, huh? What of mine... er..."
"Sparky. Um... well... I know you're more than a long neck. I had to sit through the Crappy Movies of Doom. Uhm... It would help if I could see all of you. Besides... this darn cave is giving me the heebie-jeebies..."
The Guardian nodded. "Then we should leave this labyrinth. I believe I know of a shorter way out than the way you came. I'll ferry you across separately on my head. I know an underground passage for myself."
First Sparky, then Buck rode on the bird's head across the pool. The Lugia himself pointed out the exit, and after giving his visitors a head start, dove violently. All three exited the Undercaves at roughly the same time, though the Guardian's exit was the most spectacular. He burst out of the ocean about twenty feet offshore with an exuberant cry. The other three birds soon homed in on him, and the foursome celebrated.
Buck and Sparky watched the air show, smiling. The latter suddenly said, "Silverwing."
"What?"
"Silverwing. Silverwing the Lugia."
***
After the birds finally landed and Silverwing was officially named, Buck tried to remember the next location. He remembered "Five, The Lord of the Sky" but couldn't remember the locale at all. So, the group speculated where the Ho-oh could be. It was the human who came up with their plan.
"Hey, why don't we go to Ecruteak City? That's where the Two Towers are."
"Or were." Silverwing corrected. "Mine burned down over 150 years ago."
"I know. But the Lord's is still standing. If we go there, we might find some clues."
The Pokémon nodded in agreement. Sparky mounted Thundra, and Buck accepted Silverwing's offer for a ride. The Lugia led the flock; after all, he remembered best where his old home once stood. Soon, the great Tin Tower came into view. But the mighty Ho-oh was nowhere to be found.
Sparky told the birds to look by air while she and Buck hunted on the ground, like always. Human and Mewtwo asked every living being in the city, but only Morty the Gym Leader had any useful information at all.
"Well, about a year ago, the current League Champion, Crystal, caught the legendary Pokémon Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. She also caught Ho-oh. Later, when she was showing all four off in the town square, fwoosh," and he waved his arm for emphasis "They all ran away."
Buck gave a sinister smile. Sparky gave him a sarcastically worried look and said to Morty, "So that's it, then? No one has seen them since?"
"Right. Is that all you wanted? Sure you don't want to battle?"
"Some other time, maybe. We're kinda busy right now. C'mon, Buck."
The pair left the Gym and found themselves wandering out to Route 37. Suddenly, a large blur raced past them and stopped, becoming a strange doglike Pokémon. He glared at Sparky and growled. Buck growled back and took a menacing step toward the Suicune. The human herself looked franticly from one annoyed Pokémon to the other and addressed them in Lowger.
"C'mon, you two, no reason to fight. Buck! Knock it off!"
Buck obeyed his Trainer and stopped growling. The Suicune's glare turned to surprise. He cocked his head. "A human who talks Lowger?"
"That's right, brother. She's a Namer, too. Maybe you can help us? We're looking for the Lord of the Sky."
The blue dog raised a forepaw. "Why?" he asked.
"It's a long story. The long and short of it is that we're looking for the Five Soarers, and the Lord is the only one we haven't found."
As if on cue, the four birds suddenly called down to their comrades and landed. The Suicune looked at them, completely dumbfounded. "So it's true..."
He approached Sparky, head down in submission." I know not where the Lord of the Sky lives. But I know of one who might. A Name for information, human."
Sparky stared at the dog, who even with his head down was bigger than she was. She closed one eye and looked up, muttering.
"...Suicune... aurora... aurora borealis... Borialis. How's Borialis sound?"
The Suicune nodded. "I like that. Now for me: there lives an ancient Fearow named Shigeta just to the west of here. She lives in a large berry tree just south of the farm full of Miltanks. She knows the skies almost as well as the Lord of the Sky himself. If anyone knows where he is, it's her."
Borialis turned to leave. "Hey! Where are you going?" asked Artica.
The Suicune smiled. "I'm too hyper to go on a quest or stay in one place. I look forward to seeing you again!"
And he was gone.
The five beings stood together in silence. Finally, Apollo said, "To Shigeta!"