Cold. Everything was so cold. She couldn't see anything and she didn't know where she was. Her balance was askew because she didn't even know which way was up and which was down. Her lungs were burning, and she realized that it was because she wasn't breathing. She took a breath, hoping to relieve the pain, only now her lungs were icy cold; as cold, if not more so, than the rest of her body. Breathing wasn't helping; something was wrong; no air was getting to her lungs. She was going to die. Panic began to take over. The darkness was overpowering. She was going to die!

Erin lurched up in her sleep, gasping for air and sweating heavily. Her side burned in protest. It took her a while to gather her surroundings. After spending so much time at the Agency, suddenly waking up in the middle of the night to the open air was a drastic and terrifying change. A nightmare had woken her up. Erin couldn't remember the last time she had had a nightmare, even with everything she had gone through under Turner's command.

In the dream, she had been under water, and was being tossed and turned with such force that she couldn't tell which way it was to the surface. She had not been able to hold her breath any longer, so had been forced to release it and breathe in, only to have her lungs fill with water. And everything was so cold. But why had she had the dream? Erin tried to figure this out as she lay back down next to Abadon. She had never come close to drowning, or even known someone who had almost died in water. Except-

"Khyt," Nero whispered, sniffing. "I had a bad dream…"

"Come closer, little one," the scyther answered understandingly, drawing the mew child nearer to him in comfort. "What was it about?"

"I don't know," said Nero, his tears drying. "I didn't know where I was, but I was really cold, and my insides hurt."

"It's alright," Khyt whispered back. "Everything's okay now. I'm here to protect you."

And with that the two were asleep once more.

But Erin did not directly fall back asleep. On the contrary; she was now wide awake and extremely confused. Nero had almost drowned when they had found him, and now he had had a dream about it. Erin had also experienced that dream, though she didn't know why. She tried to think back on everything she had learned about psychic pokemon at the Academy. A move that was innately bred into all psychic pokemon was Teleport, so that they could leave instantly anytime they wanted and go to any place that they could imagine in their mind, as long as they had a hold on where they were presently. Because of this, if they didn't take an immediate liking to their trainer, they could teleport away and never be heard from again.

The scientists who cloned the pokemon didn't like it at all when this happened, because one of their creations was simply running amok. Not many Academy trainers were awarded a psychic pokemon as a result. Only the brightest, calmest, and most patient students would be gifted with a psychic, and then the duo usually receded to some remote area to continue to develop the pokemon's, and occasionally the trainer's, psychic powers. The scientists couldn't study them thoroughly because the pokemon would always teleport away if they felt uncomfortable. This was highly discouraging.

Despite this, the trainers of psychic pokemon have told a few professors a bit of information on what it takes to train them. Complete and utter trust is the main component. If a pokemon doesn't trust its trainer, it will leave via teleportation. So, it takes trust to get the pokemon to stay. But a link must be forged as well; a link in the mind. Most psychic types are extremely reclusive and speaking for them is rare, other than to execute an attack. A link between the minds of the trainer and the pokemon is forged for communicational and emotional purposes. It allows for instant relay between the two, but they also know what the other is thinking, though it is possible to shut or dim that certain connection. Regardless, the mind link is the psychic type's way of showing complete devotion to their trainer.

This is what happened, Erin decided. Nero linked his mind with hers, thus the reason that she dreamed what Nero was dreaming. Oddly comforted at this thought, Erin closed her eyes, moved closer to the warm body of the Char, and returned to the land of dreams, though this time it was void of nightmares.

0000000

"Erin."

She heard her name, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. That meant she had to get up, and she was much too tired for that. In the last two days, she had barely slept at all.

"Erin."

There was that voice again.

"Erin, you have to get up now. We should get going."

It was Abadon. Of course it was Abadon; he had been taking care of her as if he were her mother ever since they escaped Turner's grasp. Despite his own wounds, he was worried about her. Erin opened her eyes to the early dawn. She would rather have slept in, but Abadon was right: they needed to get going in case they were being followed.

"Morning, Knob Head," she said to the face of the Char standing over her. He smiled and then stood up so he was out of her field of vision. Erin yawned and tried to pull herself up, but then winced as she put weight on her left arm. Her side didn't hurt as much as it did yesterday, and despite a large bruise, she was certain that no further damage was done. As she stood up, however, Erin's head began to throb. While holding her damaged arm and steadying herself so she didn't fall back down, she glanced up to see her companions looking at her with worry. "I'm fine," she said.

They weren't convinced, naturally, but Erin didn't want them worrying about her too much. After all, she wasn't the only one who was hurt. Abadon had patches of dried blood all over his body where the tubes had been ripped from his flesh. Chasm had cleaned any blood from her body already, but she had been favoring her right shoulder as they traveled yesterday, and Khyt didn't seem as if he could stand another battle, no matter how short. Nero was the only one who escaped without a scratch, but their actions the day before had taken a lot out of the little guy. And then there was that dream…

Out of habit Erin looked around for her pack, remembered she hadn't had it for a while, and sighed. They didn't have anything to eat for breakfast. "Let's head out," she told the others. Of course, she didn't need to tell them that; everyone else was ready. They had waited as long as they dared before waking her up, allowing her to sleep as long as possible. She began walking in the same direction they had been traveling the day before, even though none of them knew where they were headed.

There wasn't much conversation while the group traveled. None of them had talked much over the last three months and the ability didn't feel the need to reveal itself again too rapidly. Each was lost in their own thoughts. In addition, conversing would not only rob them of breath needed for their swift walk away from Turner, but it might also assist in giving away their position.

Erin walked in front and Abadon took up the rear, as he usually did, so he could see everyone and leap to their side if need be. He was a protector, and even three months trapped by some sort of evolution stone liquid couldn't drain that from his system. Erin smiled to herself, but the smile quickly faded. Her thoughts turned to Celeste. She hadn't checked to see if it was actually her in the pokeball, because there hadn't been any time at the moment. Erin wouldn't bring her out until they reached a body of water because the milotic would be more comfortable there, and even if it wasn't her, there was nothing Erin could do about now. Find out now or later, she was stuck with what she got.

They trekked along in silence for a while, stopping only twice: once to gather nuts they found and another time to pick small fruit from a dying tree. If they were to survive another couple of days, they would need to find outside help. Abadon was still too weak to fly for long.

As if on queue, Chasm whispered a halt that was more of a hiss and the group froze in place. "I smell something," she said. The others lifted their noses as well, save for Erin, but the umbreon had the most advanced sense of smell and would be able to catch even the faintest scent in the air.

"Friend of foe?" was Erin's question.

Chasm sniffed again. "Hard to tell from this distance. I don't perceive malice in the smell, so it very well could be friend. Or possible friend, depending on whether they want to help beings in our position. They might be too frightened, but it would be worth the shot, that it would."

"Very well," Erin began, taking charge. "Let's head in that direction, take a look around, and then decide after we observe whoever it is."

Chasm, still favoring her right shoulder, though trying not to show it, took the lead and headed upwind, slightly to their left. The group walked five minutes at as swift a pace they could all handle before Erin noticed a drastic change in the forest around them. The trees suddenly had large healthy leaves and their bark was strong rather than brittle. There was grass underfoot and bushes all around. When the wind blew it no longer felt like the cold was entering her bones and drew happiness as the sun alighted on her face. Surely whoever lived here would assist them.

Then they came upon a clearing. Erin halted and her pokemon with her as she cautiously looked around, not wanting their hopes to be shattered. There was a house in the middle of the clearing. It wasn't large, but it had a number of rooms from the looks of things, and was well kept and clean. Please, Erin pleaded silently, please let this work in our favor.

The door began to open and Erin tensed up, ready to fight if need be and desperately wishing that she had been able to grab her Bo staff as she escaped from the Agency. "Stand ready," she warned her friends.

"Oh, hello." The person who exited the house was nothing more than a little old lady, bent over from all the years gravity had a pull on her body. Her wrinkled face was creased with more laughter lines than worry lines, which showed in her disposition. She was surprised at seeing them there, but thankfully didn't seem frightened at their appearance (which was probably a good thing because she looked as if she might have a heart attack at the slightest twinge of fear). "Can I help you?"

Erin relaxed noticeably and took a step forward. She could feel the others attempting to look as less menacing as possible. "Yes, please- I mean, you can- I…" Erin was having a hard time getting out what she was trying to say. "What I mean is, my friends and I are extremely hungry and we've been traveling for a long time without much rest and we would be eternally grateful if you could help us."

The old lady hesitated only as long as it took for her to look them over. She noticed Nero standing next to Khyt and Erin almost turned and fled when she remembered they had forgotten to hide him, but the lady didn't seem to mind. Erin couldn't be certain, but she thought a smile flashed across the lady's face.

"Of course I'll help you!" She turned around and motioned them inside. "I could tell you were tired and hungry when I first laid eyes on you."

As the group entered her house and followed her to the kitchen, the lady continued to talk as if she had known them all her life. "Being a trainer in these days is never easy when you do it the old-fashioned way. But I will tell you, those who survive and don't give up become the better trainer for it. Nowadays," she said with a wave of her hand, opening up cabinets and taking out much more food than it seemed would fit, "most trainers stay in the cities and simply train in coliseums. That gives the pokemon battle experience, sure, but not world experience, and it's the two together that create the best fighters."

By this time Erin and her group of pokemon were hurriedly devouring the food that was laid before them while at the same time attempting to do so politely.

"You seem to know a lot about pokemon battles," said Erin through a mouthful of bread. "Were you a pokemon trainer too?"

"Oh, heavens no," answered the lady with a smile and another wave of her hand. "But I've known a few in my time, and I've learned tons of little tidbits in my research."

Erin swallowed. "What kind of re- Oh! You must think I'm so rude; I didn't even introduce myself before barging in on you! My name's Erin, and that's Abadon, Chasm, Khyt, and… and Nero." Since their host had already seen him, Erin couldn't pretend he wasn't there.

"Not at all, dearies, not at all. I didn't introduce myself either it seems. My name is Artemis Kun, though please call me Artemis. Ms. Kun makes me sound so old." Erin smiled at her carefree attitude. She was so grateful to have found her.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Artemis. What can we ever do to repay you?"

"Just keep me company for a while and engage me in a conversation. More pokemon live in my clearing than in the dying forest beyond, but they're not much for conversationalists."

Erin smiled again. "We shouldn't stay for long, but a little while wouldn't hurt."

Artemis waved her hand again, dismissing what Erin had just said. "Nonsense. From what I can tell, someone's after you." Erin froze in mid-bite. "But I'll simply ask the next critter I see to tell the others to look out for any intruders. Word will spread fast and in no time we'll have a giant security blanket. Spend the night here and get some rest."

Erin looked at her friends, who were all so tired and mentally drained. "Alright; one night. We'll leave in the morning, but we'll rest for now. Thank you again."

"Stop thanking me; I'm beginning to get embarrassed." Artemis made Erin and the others feel completely at ease. They could finally rest in peace.

But while they were eating, their host was able to get a better look at them, and what she saw concerned her. "You are all injured!" she cried. Erin sputtered a bit at her outburst but Abadon kept right on eating.

Artemis would not stand for that. She went strait to a closet in an adjacent room and returned with all kinds of medicine and medical tape. "You never know what can happen to you out here, so I always keep prepared." She bandaged Erin's head and inspected her side, concluding that she had a bruised rib but that it would soon heal itself. Erin's arm was delicate, and definitely harbored a cracked bone, as she had suspected. Artemis spread a strange herbal gel on the girl's arm before wrapping it in medical tape. She informed Erin that it was a medicine of her own making and no, she wouldn't reveal its ingredients. "Magicians never reveal their secrets," was her reply. As if this had anything to do with magic. She also bandaged up the pokemon and gave them their respective amounts of healing potions and the like.

Abadon stuffed the last of the food into his large mouth and asked, "What was it you said about research?"

"Oh, yes," said their new friend. "Follow me into my library, if you would."

Erin, intrigued, looked at the others, shrugged her shoulders, and stood up to follow the old lady. When she entered the library Erin's mouth dropped in wonder at all the books and notepads that filled the room. There must be hundreds! Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the walls held pictures of pokemon, but not just any pokemon…

"The gods…" whispered Erin, almost as if she had entered upon holy ground. She approached one of the pictures and studied the intricate detail the artist had put into his work. It must have taken him weeks to perfect something so amazingly beautiful. The one she was currently inspecting was of a pokemon she had never personally seen before. It was both feline- and canine-like in body-build, a dull yellow in color for the most part, and appeared to house a cloud on its back. The odd mixture of texture of the painting gave the illusion that the cloud was moving.

"Very good," said Aurora, breaking Erin from her thoughts. "There aren't many people your age, trainer or no, that are able to identify the gods when they see them. Though," and here she gave a light chuckle, "not all of these beings are gods."

Erin looked briefly at the other pictures, more intrigued than ever. She recognized the pokemon Entei, who was rumored to be the firegod, though this was mere speculation. Why hadn't she looked up more on the Lost Pokemon when she still had her pokedex? Chronal would be disappointed in her for loosing it, though if she explained the circumstances he would probably forgive her. She also recognized a picture of Celebi, a forest guardian. And there was a picture of a mew! Either it was the same age as Nero or mew never aged physically. There were two or three other pictures Erin thought she might have seen before, but she couldn't put any names to them.

"But I thought all the Lost Pokemon were gods," said Erin.

"You thought mew were gods too when we found Nero, that you did, until Khyt filled you in on their origin," corrected Chasm.

Erin nodded in agreement.

Smiling, Artemis said, "To answer your earlier question, I research the Legendary Pokemon, or Lost Pokemon, as they have come to be called. It's really more of a hobby."

It was Abadon who answered, "This is quite a large hobby." Or perhaps it was more of a smart-alecky reply than a comment. He was better at those anyway.

"Yes, well, I only call it that because I don't get paid for my work. I do it because I enjoy it."

"Don't get paid!" said Erin, dumbfounded. "Do you know what universities would pay you to get their hands on this kind of information?"

"I suspect quite a fortune," Artemis confessed, "since I'm the only person I know of who has this much information on the Legendaries. But, they have kept their secrets from humankind for so long, I think it would be wrong to show them to everyone without their consent."

Erin realized that Artemis was telling her that if the Legendary Pokemon had wanted to let everyone know they existed, then they already would have.

"Through my research, I have learned much more than even researchers in the past have known. For example, that one," here she pointed at one of the pictures, "Groudon,the cotenant pokemon, and the one over there, Entei, the volcano pokemon, are brothers."

"What?" asked Erin, confounded. "I didn't know any of the gods were related."

"Oh, yes," continued their new friend. "They are close brothers who are the best of friends and share the mantle of Firegod. In fact, the goddess Suicune is their older sister."

Erin turned her head to study the aurora pokemon. She recognized this one now that a name was put to it. In legends, Suicune was the most beautiful pokemon that ever existed, and more than one species envied her for it. Suicune was kind and gentle but, being the Legendary of water and wind, making her angry would result in a violent storm of which no one wanted to be on the receiving end. Then again, it was probably a good idea to make friends with any god, rather than piss them off.

"How could a water pokemon be the sibling of two fire pokemon? Things don't happen that way," said Abadon

Artemis smiled at him knowingly. "And until recently, a charizard could not be a dark type, am I correct?"

"You got me there," he consented to the cheerful old lady.

"The sea basin pokemon, Kyogre, is that one over there." Artemis motioned to a picture of a large whale-pokemon with strange red markings. He was a water type. "That one believes himself to be quite the charmer. Most girls would fall into his arms, but not Suicune. He has been trying to win her love for eons, it seems, but she won't give in. He'll keep trying and she'll keep declining for all eternity more than likely."

"What about those two?" asked Erin, pointing to the only painting that held two pokemon. The pokemon were both large white birds, only one was accented with blue and the other with red.

"Oh," Artemis replied, nodding her head as if recalling a fond memory. "Those two are even closer than Groudon and Entei. The larger blue one is Latios, and the smaller red one is Latias. They have cared for each other through everything, and have endured more than most. That is why the gods decided to make them Gifted." Upon noticing Erin's raised eyebrows, signaling that she hadn't a clue as to what "gifted" entailed, Artemis elaborated. "Basically, they are the only ones of their kind and they'll live forever. They were "gifted" with immortality, but only as long as their bond could hold. Originally, I believe, the gods wanted a game and so chose these two, telling them that they would live only as long as their love did. Once a hundred years or so passed and their bond was as strong as ever the gods realized that it would probably never falter. The two had been through so much already that there was nothing they couldn't face together. It's quite a touching story and one of my favorites. Latios and Latias have great power now, but that simply comes from living as long as they have."

Erin smiled; glad she had a chance to listen to the legend. "I had never heard that lesson before."

"Not many have," Artemis answered. "Now," she said, continuing, "The thunder pokemon you were looking at when you first entered is Raikou. He is good friends to the fire gods, but bitter rivals with Kyogre. That rivalry stems from the fact that Suicune prefers Raikou's company to that of Kyogre. Personally, I think she's sweet on him." The fondness that the old lady had in telling her stories was contagious. "It makes for a nice romantic tale, anyway."

Nero hopped up onto a nearby table and asked innocently, "Why do you have a picture of me on the wall?"

Artemis smiled wide, her eyes lost within wrinkles. "It's not of you, little one," she said, patting his head. "But it is of another mew, and that's quite observant of you." This complement caused Nero's chest to swell.

"Careful," cautioned Khyt, "or his head will get so big he won't be able to fly."

Artemis proceeded to answer Nero's question. "Despite general thinking being that mew are gods," here Chasm looked sideways at Erin with a knowing look, causing the human to roll her eyes, "they are in fact regular pokemon. Now, they do have the capacity and the ability to become quite strong, but that is usually only accomplished by years and years of training with one another. There are so few of them now, though." Again, Artemis appeared to be lost in thought, only this time a tear of regret materialized in one eye. But as fast as it emerged, it was gone.

"What about the Legendary Birds I've heard about? Are they gods?" asked Khyt.

"Oh, heavens, no!" cried Artemis, shocked. "They might fancy themselves to be, but they are certainly not up to the level of the others. They don't live forever, either, like the gods do. That is the maid difference. All five of them; Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, Lugia, and Ho-oh; are all phoenixes." She waited a beat to let that sink in. "When a phoenix reaches the end of its life, it dies and becomes its most basic element, only to rise again the next morning, reborn. They are not immortal, because they do die, but have an infinite number of lives to live, and that's more than most."

"I thought a phoenix was only a bird of fire," said Abadon.

"That is a general misconception," agreed Artemis. "While Moltres would become a pile of ash, Ho-oh would become a small mixture of photons and light waves, and Articuno would become tiny ice crystals. They are all phoenixes."

"This is all so interesting!" cried Erin, who had been silent for a while. "I never knew there was so much to the legends of the Lost Pokemon! I never knew there were so many, either. While I was at the Academy I thought the legends were just a bunch of boring stories that only weirdoes paid any attention to. No offence, of course; I didn't know how interesting they were. That's probably because so little was known about them, though."

"That is most probable. One has to know where to look."

Artemis continued to tell Erin and her pokemon about the Legendary Pokemon. She told the trainer about the stoic Rayquaza, the rarely-heard from Jirachi, and Celebi, who loves the forest more than anything and is heartbroken at what it has become. She also told Erin a few stories she knew about the different gods and their counterparts. Erin soaked it all up like a sponge.

But soon it was time to eat again. Erin helped their kind host in the kitchen to prepare. Abadon offered to help, but he was simply too big and would have gotten in the way. He smiled to himself and went outside to play with Nero in the clearing. Thanks to the other pokemon in the forest who had promised to let them know the second they sensed danger, none of them had the fear that Turner and/or his men would take them off guard.

"My knowledge doesn't strictly lie with the gods, though that is my area of expertise. I know some other myths as well," Artemis told Erin as she cut up some lettuce for a salad. "There is a strange myth about warriors who die while committing an act of great courage. Granted, it is a pokemon myth, so the warriors would be pokemon, and it does have something to do with the gods, but they only come in toward the end. In a way, I suppose, this legend could be related to the phoenixes."

"That sounds interesting," Erin replied, warming some water on the stove. "How does it go?"

"The great warriors of the pokemon kingdom are obviously strong, or else they wouldn't be considered great. And their particular strength lies in the good actions they perform. There are evil warriors, naturally, but they are always forgotten, whereas the good warriors are always remembered by someone, no matter how few. Well, say a good warrior is in a battle against an evil force that wishes to extinguish life. Now say this warrior is defending this life and is protecting it in a way that the life is unable to do by itself. If the warrior dies while in defense of the life, then, because of all the power in their body being released all at once, the warrior will be reduced to their most basic element, rather like the phoenixes when they die. However, unlike the phoenixes, the warrior is not resurrected the next morning."

Erin was still, a deep sadness welling up within her. "I'm not sure I like that legend as much…"

"It's not me happiest one, to be sure, but it's not over yet."

"What else could there be?"

"Listen carefully," Artemis said, equally calm. "The warrior will not be resurrected the next morning, but there is a chance for them to be brought back to life. One who cares deeply for this warrior, who would endure any trial for them, must travel to the resting place of their god."

"What does that mean?" asked Erin.

"It means, where their element was born. For some, mainly the dark and light type pokemon, no one but those elements could traverse in that realm. If a human went to where the darkgod lived, they would quickly become insane, and being surrounded by the brilliance of the lightgod would have an equal yet opposite effect. Their mind wouldn't recede within themselves and cause insanity, but would branch outward and they would become a vegetable. Either way, there are some places a human was never meant to travel. They really shouldn't wander into any god's home, but if they're on a quest to restore a warrior's life and are able to withstand the test inside, then it is permitted."

"A god's home?" asked Erin, perplexed.

"Well, it's more of a place where this realm and the realm of the gods meet. In this spot a person would exist both on an earthly plane and an ethereal plane. There are not many of a strong enough mind to withstand the power residing there. The watergod's resting place would naturally be underwater, most likely in some ancient ruins or another, surrounded by all those weird patterns that the light makes as it's refracted by the water's surface. And the firegods make their home in a mighty active volcano where only the most foolish of travelers would dare wander. Or so the legend goes," Artemis added as an afterthought.

By this time, dinner was ready and they all gathered around the table for a fellowship among friends. They didn't all sit at the table, naturally, as a pokemon's body structure is not made for such a thing, but all were nearby.

They had been extremely lucky that they had found Artemis, Erin thought to herself. Her head throbbed less and now that her torso was wrapped in bandages, her bruised rib didn't bother her at all. Her arm still caused discomfort, but not near as much as the day before. Her pokemon, too, had been bandaged up cared for where needed.

"Thank you, Artemis, for everything you have done for us here," she said.

"Nonsense," she replied, not one to take appraisal. "You have provided me with much-valued company and have been extremely kind to me as well. It is I who thank you."

Soon after, their stomachs full once more, the group went to sleep, using spare blankets and sheets Artemis had in her closet, except Abadon, who wasn't allowed a blanket once Erin remembered her first interaction with a Pokecenter. Erin didn't think too fondly of Pokecenters, considering what had happened the last three times she had entered one.

Despite all this and what the group had been forced to endure the last three months, they fell into a deep, comforted sleep.

Erin didn't remember the last time she had slept so peacefully…