The room itself was awe inspiring. Above the stone floors and shallow rock walls that surrounded the three pokemon was a chamber entirely roofless. Where stone should have been in the dome shaped cavity, only dark blue seawater existed. Despite all sense to the contrary, the seawater that let occasional beams of light filter onto the floor did not submit to the laws of gravity and crash onto the occupants below. Instead, it lay suspended in animation, forming an air-filled cupola against the sea floor. A green and blue radiance coerced downward, providing a faint illumination that stemmed from the epicenter of the ceiling. The object multiple stories above the room's occupants that this luminosity stemmed from was a familiar one, if only for the ten green pentagons of light that jutted out of its source like the arrows of a compass rose.
Despite Argon's face being locked in a mix of awe and terror gazing upon the creator of their recent phantoms, Chimera couldn't help but crack a faint smile as he rushed to join her in the center of the room, half from the assurance that she was safe, and half from fact that the last challenge to their glory had decided to reveal itself. Another message beamed into their minds, returning the duos attention from their surroundings. This one was much more forceful than the last, though the hint of exasperation remained,
"Deception has failed, so I will make this perfectly clear to you two. Turn around, never come back, and forget your memories of this place, lest I be forced to take them all with me as a parting gift."
Argon was the first to speak, thoughts still not entirely snapped out the fact that a creature, once only the product of words printed on fictional novels read in the dead of night, was levitating before her, as real as could be,
"Y-Your...your Uxie! The pokemon of knowledge, the pokemon that legends say allowed us to improve our lives, I-I can't believe it!"
''I am." it replied, telepathic voice a consistently wearisome monotone. "I am also the guardian of this time gear, and unless you've come here looking for the world's must powerful geo-pebble I believe we have a conflict of interests."
Despite Argon's best attempts to respond, every second under the legendary pokemon's piercing gaze left her feeling smaller and smaller, slack jawed mouth failing to respond. Instead, she turned her head to the Bagon, an unspoken look between the two confirming that both had been victim to the knowledge pokemon's illusions.
"Chimera, we-uh...we should probably go. I've read what happens when time gears are disrupted, and it's not pretty. I know we have a mission, but it can't be worth this."
Despite Argon's insistent look, The Bagon only crossed his arms, head alternating between her and Uxie as he put on his best poker face,
"We're prepared to walk away, I'll say that much, but reliable explorers always accomplish their mission, and I believe there's more to Uxie here than meets the eye."
Chimera stepped toward the knowledge pokemon, positioning his arms to conceal the fact that they were shaking under its oppressive glare,
"After what you just put both of us through, the least you could do is answer some questions. You could have teleported us out of the dungeon any time you wanted, you still can, but you choose not to. Why bother with the smoke and mirrors?"
A small yet exponentially growing migraine worked its way into Chimera's mind as he locked eyes with the legendary. The pain, however, faded quickly, release synonymous with a heavy sigh from Uxie that, so far, consisted the whole of its oral communication.
"If you must know, after you had fought through the mystery dungeon Pallids, I knew teleporting or knocking you out would simply lead to further suspicion of this cavern. You are right, I could wipe your memories now, but the effects are too...permanent to be morally used on anybody other than the most irredeemably evil pokemon which, judging from what I've seen of your memories, both of you aren't. I thought that if I could take the form of someone you each trusted, I could convince both of you that this wasn't a goal worth pursuing. But...I failed, I suspect Argon has already figured out that my analysis of your memories wasn't perfect, and thus we've come to this."
Without another word, the crimson jewel on Uxie's head began to glow, accompanied by formations of several purple orbs surrounding the duo, poised to strike.
"I'll say this only once more, I don't desire your deaths, but if you continue to trespass, I will do what must be done."
Chimera's bravado disintegrated as the psycic orbs drew closer and closer to Argon and himsely. If, he reasoned, a single electrified punch from the raichu at his side was enough to send him into forced slumber, the effects from a legendary pokemon would doubtless be more...permanent. A glance at Argon confirmed that, though her posture was passive, electrons sparked from her cheeks, tail ready to defend herself in the event of conflict. The Bagon wasn't as prepared, concluding that, even if he could level his crossbow at the knowledge pokemon and fire, the psychic shards surrounding them would be able to pierce through his scaly body ten times over.
"Wait!" Argon cried out, hands raised to the air. "It doesn't have to come to this, we can leave! We didn't come here with the intention of taking a time gear, you must know that."
Quick as a ninjask, Chimera joined in, lowering the weapon slung on his hip to the floor. Though Uxie seemed unimpressed by the gesture, he continued moving out of the crossbow's reach, content that, where it would fail, the metaphorical pen would succeed.
"She's right. We can leave, but before we do, we want to make you a deal, a...proposal."
The Raichu and Bagon seemed to glare at each other out of the corners of their eyes, an argument over how to handle the situation being conveyed entirely through scowls and eye movement. In that split second, Argon was the one to back down, solemn expression showing readiness for whatever consequences Chimera's pushing would bring. As they looked back toward Uxie, the pressing sensation in their conscious returned, the knowledge pokemon making no more attempts to be subtle.
"You say this because you understand you don't stand a chance in battle, because you know you're outmatched."
"Of course," Chimera replied, nonchalant tone masking the occasional voice crack, "but regardless, I'm sure we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement. First of all, what is it you want?"
Uxie's shut eyes only looked on, judging the Bagon with as much respect as a poker player who had long since seen their opponents hand,
"I doubt you could offer anything that is of more importance than this time gear, my entire purpose rests on defending it from those who would use it for malicious intentions."
"B-But aren't you the pokemon of knowledge?" Argon interjected, briefly interrupting the staredown between brown and closed eyes. "There's stories I read that say you were the one who first gave pokemon the ability to solve problems. I know that protecting the time gears is important, but you must have had some other purpose?"
Uxie's head swerved to meet the Raichu, a nearly imperceptible smile appearing on the legendary's face as the psycic orbs surrounding all three wavered,
"What you say is the truth, but not the whole of it. I didn't simply create knowledge, I collected it, observed the solutions pokemon would find for the problems that plagued them."
The liquid dome ceiling seemed to flicker against stray beams of outside light, smile leaving Uxie's face as sunset orange light faded into nothingness to signal the beginning of dusk.
"But...those days are gone, ended millennia ago when I devoted my life to resting here."
All around the duo, the threatening purple orbs disappeared in entirety, majority of the maliciousness seeming to have disappeared from the legendary's face. In its place, was an expression conveying what both pokemom could only describe as something akin to nostalgia.
"In truth, it was enjoyable when I was able to glimpse at your memories, see what advances I have missed since my voluntary confinement. I could never imagine that something such as a sphere of controllable light would be invented in my absence."
That very same sphere seemed to flash above Chimera's head, the Bagon swerving to mouth a near silent 'thank you' to Argon. As the Raichu returned the smile, she noticed that he was no longer concealing his hands, their periodic shaking having been interrupted by whatever revelation he had experienced. The reason for this was simple: thanks to her, Chimera now had some chips to throw on the table.
"Yep, they are pretty amazing, and they're a human invention."
He turned to face Argon, smirk on her face confirming to the Bagon that she would play along,
"How many humans would you be able to find on this world?"
"You're the sole one," she replied, "I can tell you from experience, you won't find any pokemon with as much knowledge of the human world as he has."
"Exactly. About this deal, you let us repossess the time gear and put it under protection of the most influential guild in the region, and in return, I will let you analyze every bit of knowledge about the human world that I know. History, scientific discoveries, the design for that weapon on the floor, all of it will be yours. Normally I wouldn't make such a lopsided agreement, but given the circumstances, I'll allow it."
"And if you no longer need to protect this gear," Argon added, "you'll be free to explore this world and learn what knowledge it has to offer."
Uxie only frowned, the same frown, Chimera thought, that people would make when they were considering, or pretending to consider an offer.
"And what if I simply decide to take those memories from the human right now?"
"Then we escape," the Bagon replied, "and you'll lose a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Chimera could see that Argon had laid a paw on the green and gold badge pinned to her exploration bag, and, in order to punctuate the statement, he drew his own hand back to do the same. The stubby blue arm, however, only felt the smooth edges of a canvas backpack, guild badge pinned to it at day's beginning gone. Panic filled his heart, face still staring at Uxie despite the legendary now not needing to read his mind to discern the obvious alarm.
Luckily for Chimera, Uxie wasn't the only one, barely a second passing before he found a blue orb levitating in front of his face, a pink aura emanating from its circumference. Before the Bagon could even question how his guild badge had been lost, he took hold of the orb, mentally giving the command to escape and setting it on the floor, feet poised to shatter the orb in an instant. His neutral expression quickly returned, again giving a thankful nod to the Raichu at his side.
"I don't know why the guild would need a time gear," Argon said, "b-but I've been a part of it for a fair amount of time, and I can't imagine them using it for any bad purposes. A-And besides, they definitely know about the time gear's importance, we have thousands of pokemon in the military branch of the WFG who'd be able to protect the time gear from thieves and bandits, which would certainly free you up to explore. I know I don't have as much to offer, but you could also go over my mind, for what it's worth, i-it probably give you a bit of a head start on learning what this world has to offer."
Both Chimera and Argon could only watch as Uxie shifted her glare between the two, seconds seeming to pass by like hours as the pressing sensation in their conscious returned. With every moment, another curiosity would pop into the duos mind of what the legendary pokemon's scowl implied. Would the injurious purple orbs reform and pierce their minds before either could give the mental command to evacuate? Or perhaps, would it unveil some secret technique to force them into slumber, reading their minds before extracting their memories as punishment for trespassing?
"I am not going to do that," Uxie said, telepathic communication accompanied by a soft chuckle, "I just find it humorous, generations upon generations spent guarding this time gear, and what rips it out of my hands isn't some malignant beast, but a bagon and a raichu, each running from what they've left behind, fate is a fickle thing."
"You mean you agree?" Chimera asked, shirking back when a glance at Argon revealed that his expression was the most incredulous.
"Yes, I now realize I have guarded this time gear for...too long. Every pokemon needs a chance to fulfill their deepest instincts, and I am no exception, I just hope that my siblings will understand. If nothing else, I trust in this pursuit of knowledge that I will return a wiser pokemon."
Uxie eyed the two, red gemstones emitting a dull glow,
"The process of analyzing all the information from both of your minds will take hours, are you prepared?"
Chimera and Argon glared at each other, a couple of seconds passing before they each gave a solemn nods to each other and the legendary pokemon.
The signal given, both could only stare forward with blank expression as hallucinations filled their vision. The sensation of having their minds read was nowhere as immediate as previous attempts, psychic pressing that once bordered on the lines of pain now being reduced to a dull throb in the back of their necks. A bitter chuckle escaped from Chimera's mouth as more time passed, the Bagon surmising that reliving his entire life, or at least the scenes that Uxie was analyzing over the course of several hours was a dreadfully boring experience. In one moment, he would be in the body of his younger self, wearily skimming over the contents of a mathematics textbook. In another, he was watching a documentary of important inventions across humanity's history, grasping occasionally for a bowl of popcorn. Another still, of himself on a rare visit to a museum, scoffing at the various pieces of modern art on display. Argon's experience was similar, also watching as memories picked to surmise the knowledge of the pokemon world flashed before her, each one disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Eventually, the reoccurring visions ended, Uxie lowering itself to the floor and drawing an empathetic look from the Raichu as it raising a hand to its temple.
"I...that was...a fair amount to take in, it fills my heart with dread and joy knowing that only more is coming. And I suppose that it's time for me to respect my end of the bargain."
Without another telepathic word, Uxie levitated to the ceiling's epicenter, grasping a hand on the blue gear, but keeping it in place nonetheless.
"From your memories, I can only judge that you two will not use this for malicious intentions, please do not make me regret this."
"Wait!" Chimera shouted. "Before you give us the time gear, I-I...I just need some closure, will I really never be able to go back?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not, just know that my claim to you before was nothing more than a lie born of convenience. If there is a method for you to return, I do not know it, at least at the moment."
The Bagon could only lower his head from the ceiling, lost in thought. A faint sound of footsteps against rock floor sounded behind him, followed by a paw being apprehensively placed on his shoulder,
"Chimera, I-I promised to help you find a place in this world, but...if you don't think you have one, that I suppose we could try to find a way for you to go back to the human world."
The two exchanged smiles, the Bagon's quickly returning to a neutral expression as he brought his eyes back to the ceiling.
"I appreciate your consideration, I really do, but what's done is done, all that matters now is that time gear."
"A quick piece of commentary for each of you," Uxie interjected, "from what I've seen of your memories."
Shut eyes were brought to bear on the Raichu,
"Argon, your desire to please is admirable, but you must also be willing to stand by your own ideals and decisions. There are times in life where one must plant their foot down and fight for what they believe in, and I fear that if you choose to run away and avoid the problem, there will be those who suffer as a result."
Before Argon could reply, Uxie's gaze shifted to the Bagon, time gear ever closer to being released,
"Chimera, the pathway that you follow is what you make of it. You may be this region's greatest ally, or its most dreaded enemy, just know that if you continue on your present course, you shall be lesser and greater than your former self."
With this, the time gear was pulled from the ceiling, causing the ten pentagon of light jutting from its circumference to disintegrate. The duo could only watch on with horror when Uxie as well as the blue gear in its hand disappeared from existence, and the liquid dome structure forming the cavern's ceiling collapsed. Immediately, water once frozen in time succumbed to the urges of gravity and crashed downward. Just before the tidal wave of water could submerge both pokemon entirely, each felt a hand placed upon their shoulder, causing a familiar flash of light to envelope their visions.
A sharp chill enveloped the Bagon and Raichu's senses, both feeling splashes of water sprinkle onto them accompanied by bursts of salty wind. Mutual terrified screams ended as quickly as the began when each took note of their surroundings. Below their feet was the same rocky isle that had been their entrance into the secluded mystery dungeon. Barely visible against the dark ocean horizon was a light blue vessel, figurehead in the visage of a drampa instantly recognizable as being from the Draeck. Between their shared bewildered gazes was an item unceremoniously placed between the two, faint radiance of light from the gear an acknowledgement of the fruits of their labor.
Chimera could barely keep himself from chuckling as he lifted the time gear into the air towards Argon,
"We did it!" he shouted. "We actually did it!"
Argon was happy to join in the festivities, but a part of the Raichu couldn't help but look toward the moonlit horizon, wondering what their journey home would bring,
"Yeah," she replied, somber smile on her face as she took one last look at the time gear, "we really did."
Authors note: Hello readers! I'll be taking a one week hiatus from writing to make way for finals, but I'll be sure to get back to posting chapters after that. I hope you've been enjoying the story so far, here's to happy holidays in the oncoming weeks.