"Y-You know...I haven't seen a flake of snow in four years. It's a nice change of pace being here, but...I'm starting to see why I left."
Frigid wind flooding into the Raichu's jaw cut off any further conversation. It was an uphill battle navigating through the twists and turns of Mount Shayne, one that saw Argon periodically checking the mark on their wonder-map, as if analyzing to see if the presider of the WFG hadn't accidentally marked their location in place of a tropical resort. Hours of travel through a blizzard revealed that their Fearow navigator's message had been more of a presage than anything. Omnipresent snow took its place upon all three, sticking to legs and tails to create a numbness somewhere between tranquility and agony.
"You're not missing much," Chimera replied, a tiny part of the former-human wishing that whatever force had turned him into a pokemon could have picked something similar to the strange, cloud-like vulpix roaming near their landing site, "where I was from, fresh snow was absolutely peachy keen for exactly one day, until it dried up and and all you had left was a minus twenty windchill and the pleasure of walking like you're trudging through molasses. At least here we get all three qualities."
"Still, there is a unique sense of beauty underneath the toil," Eoin commented, "my lifespan likely has been less than a hundredth of yours, and I can say without hesitation that the pictures do not do them justice."
An unspoken sense of agreement filled the group. Even without looking up, Argon could see the teal tint of luminous aurora reflected in the Pallid's metallic contraption. The Raichu would be the first to admit to the temptation of a warm bed and actually being able to feel any sensation in her feet and hands. However, as she walked, exchanging smiles between the pokemon on either side of the vast distances they had left behind, there was nowhere else Argon would rather be. If the Pichu yawning in her bed to "Heroes of Time" could see her now, Argon was unsure whether her former self would scoff or quiver. Regardless, she was here now, and the ticking hands of fate powered by the gears they sought had seemed less malicious than her fears proclaimed.
The familiar tingling sensation of entering a mystery dungeon substituted for any shivering in their necks. Eoin took the lead, wary eyes scanning for sources of danger as they approached a shallower section leading up to the mountain face. Knee high snow made determining what surface they were marching on difficult, but Argon was the first to catch the sudden loss of traction.
"Watch your step. We might be on a small lake, wouldn't want to slip, or worse..."
"Yeah Eoin," Chimera said, cracking a smile through gusts of icy powder, "adventuring always has that risk, wouldn't want you to be put on thin ice."
A painful groan escaped the gloomy Charmander, though not completely in response to the attempt at humor. Sharp pain echoing through his conscious forced him to his knees. In spite of Eoin's recognizance of the migraine, it was less severe than that experienced when he attempted to delay a reversion. Argon and Chimera stopped behind the Pallid, simultaneously gasping when a crack followed be several crinkles sounded from under his feet. A single thought beamed into Eoin's mind, mimicking a form of communication he had grown well accustomed to.
So, you're the pallid my sibling spoke so highly of, interesting...
The ice below Eoin gave way. Chimera was the closest, and dove as far as his feet could in an attempt to grab the Charmander's tail, missing by mere inches. Argon lifted a hand to her temple and attempted to telekinetically hold the Pallid, but was cut off by an invisible force that pushed him from her grasp. Contrary to their initial belief, the lake did not give way to water underneath the top layer of ice, but formed an icy tunnel angled downward and toward the cliff face. Both reached instinctively for their exploration bags, hearing the Charmander's screams grow quieter as he slid down.
"Eoin!" Argon shouted. "Sit tight, we're gonna get you out of there."
Chimera approached the entrance to the unnatural slide with rope in hand. Seconds passed like hours as both pokemon waited for a response. Eventually, Eoin's voice sounded through the tunnel, carrying a tone more attuned to bewilderment than concern.
"That-uh...that will not be necessary, I do not believe I am in any danger. Continue navigating up the mountain and through the mystery dungeon, I will meet you two there."
Chimera and Argon froze, shared glance between the two attempting to convey what words couldn't. Again, they heard crackling from the tunnel, punctuated by a loud crash as psychic orbs sent its icy walls collapsing into an impassable jumble.
"Well…" Chimera deadpanned, "guess we don't have much of a choice now. If what I think is happening is happening, we'll get our meeting with another third of the lake trio, one way or another."
Argon was silent staring between her partner and the now inaccessible tunnel, eventually settling on a deep sigh to accept the situation's sudden deterioration. Clearing the debris would take hours, hours they didn't have in their wintry surroundings. Eoin had proven himself trustworthy enough, and with any luck would be able to handle whatever was thrown his way. She gave a slight nod to Chimera, shouting what assurances she could through the tunnel before turning to continue up the mountain face.
They pressed on, footsteps light and tentative in the process. Chilling wind swished against fur and scales. Gusts of white powder blew, concealing movement of any pallid blurs in the distance as well as it did their own. In spite of the mystery dungeon's peril, a nervous glance from Argon toward the flat lake they had started from forced her paw away from her guild badge. Even without words, they could both admit that whatever dark magic Articuno used had forced the narrow pathways of their surroundings into the safest place to be. A thermos of tapu cocoa levitated out of Argon's bag as they trudged through the snow, pouring a cup for Chimera and herself. Such a drink would have alleviated the chill running down their spines, if not for a series of dull thuds that sounded in the distance. They looked down, finding faint ripples in the liquid in tandem with the noise.
"I don't like this," said Argon, "t-there's something out there, and I'd rather we not find out what."
"We can't stop now," replied Chimera, altering his pace so that he was leading the way, "there's no shelter where we came from, and we'll be dead in minutes if we try teleporting before those birds get back. Besides, whatever is out there, we'll be ready. It hasn't stopped us before."
The thudding became louder, now more akin to a loud crack, followed by periodic shattering. Argon kept pace behind her partner, eyes scanning anxiously through the three feet of distance they could see. He turned back as he walked, brandishing his weapon.
"Between this thing and your electricity, I doubt there's anything that could withstand us working together."
The Bagon raised a cup to his forehead, tapping against the rocky surface with a satisfying clink.
"You'd be pressed to find any pokemon more hardheaded than yours truly. It shouldn't be too hard overcoming any 'mons we have to butt heads with."
For the second time, silence followed. Chimera's expression pleaded with Argon to at least humor him, but the Raichu seemed frozen, looking past Chimera in a thousand yard stare.
"C-Come on? It wasn't that bad, was it—"
Nothing was said. She pointed past the Bagon, sparks emanating out of her cheeks as resolution overcame apprehension. Slowly, Chimera's head turned, eyes matching his partner's initial frozen state. Looming over Chimera not even three feet away was a Rampardos. Splinters of mountain-face rock jutted out of its grey forehead, matching the thick scales and spikes that covered the rest of its body. It looked at the two, a half second passing were pallid pupils looked forward in single-minded rage. An ear-splitting roar echoed through the mountain, forming a battlecry against heavy snow and stone cliffs before it lowered its body to charge.
"Well...shit."
The two pokemon locked below the frozen lake stood still, staring each other in the eyes analysing the unique specimen before them. Flakes of snow had condensed on the Pallid's body from the tumultuous slide down, and he took the brief silence to dust them off, concealed eyes analysing their surroundings. Above was the thin sheet of ice his companions had traveled over, snow still visible through the transparent layer. Beams of green light reflected against the cave's reflective walls, aurora shining downward through the gaps in the snowdrift. This was not the only source, however, for locked underneath the glass-like surface beneath their feet was another beacon. Its aquamarine sheen jutted off in six directions, accompanied by pentagonal radiance as orderly as time itself.
"Azelf, I presume?" Eoin asked to the three-gemmed pokemon. "Why did you bring me here? I only come to relieve you of the burden that Uxie undertook."
It's not a burden, Eoin, replied the lake guardian, it's a responsibility, one that my siblings have abandoned in their hubris, in no small part due to the actions of your friends. As for why I brought you here, I suppose my reasoning is one of curiosity. Uxie was always the knowledge seeker, but I cannot deny I was intrigued when he informed me during our arguments of what he had gifted you, and the...condition that resulted from it.
"It was incredibly generous, but nonetheless I am nothing special. I have learned that every one of the percentage of my kind who are awakened can rise above their ignorance and brutality. Uxie's gift simply hastened the process, in spite of any unintended consequences."
The lake guardian frowned. It was an expression Eoin knew well, one he put on to feign ignorance when forced to conceal dark secrets. The three gems on Azelf's tail and forehead began to glow, and it slowly levitated toward the Pallid, reaching out with a hand.
If you really believe that, then would you consent to a little subconscious test? You wouldn't have come here if you weren't curious of why I guard this artifact, and I am willing to provide you with answers so long as you'll do the same.
Azelf stopped before the Charmander, hand just in front of his forehead waiting for approval. It was true that the knowledge pokemon had shown an unbecoming amount of vagueness in regards to the time gear's purpose, and standing before him was a legendary with enough connections to lift the fog that had clouded the issue. Besides, if the lake guardians all had similar abilities, he would be dead long before he could put up a fight. With one hand grasped around the warmth of his tail cover, and the other raised to readjust his goggles, Eoin nodded.
"What do you have in mind?"
Somewhat of a test, somewhat of a demonstration. Mespirit was particularly adamant that I do this, said that she wanted me to test out a little theory we've formed of Uxie's effect on your subconscious. Fate will decide if you have the willpower to see it through, and if you'll be the same Eoin in front of me after this is finished.
A bright red aura emanated from the three gems as Eoin felt Azelf's hand press into his mind. What fleeting memories the Charmander had flashed before his eyes, ending as his energy dimmed and he collapsed to the floor, whole vision being enveloped in darkness.
It faded as soon as it appeared, letting Eoin clear the fog out of his head and take note of his strange new surroundings. The icy walls were gone, as was any semblance of cold and the chilling sensation nipping at his fire. He was sitting on a thin blanket of snow, back resting against a dead tree jutting from the lower sections of the mountain. Dense clouds of mist surrounded him, adding to the gloomy atmosphere limiting his vision to the sole other pokemon in the bizarre sequence, one that made his heart jump and the ember on his tail flicker.
It was Argon, continence as peaceful as the sleeping breaths filling their ill-defined surroundings. Her eyes were closed, tucked into the Charmander as closely as he had been just a day ago. It wasn't real, of course, days spent under the illusionary power of Uxie had proven to Eoin that a situation like this was too good to be true, and too easy for a pokemon with the powers of the mind to fabricate. Still, if this was all that Azelf had in mind for its supposed test, the Pallid figured that no harm would come in enjoying it while it lasted. His arm wavered just as hers had when reaching a claw to the back of her neck, but assurances that the situation wasn't real made the gesture come slightly easier. A thick liquid seemed to have condensed around both of his claws, but he quickly pushed the thought away. She pulled in closer, side of her head resting just next to his own maw. They sat still in a minute of quiet contemplation, ending only when the Pallid whispered into the chimeric Raichu's yellow ear.
"Thank you, for everything."
Lengthy coughs and groans sounded from the other end of the tree, ending their repose. It was difficult for Eoin tell, but there was a sense of familiarity in the cries. It was a jumble of noise, likened to another being's and his own cries for mercy beneath the cave owned by an old friend. The Pallid's grey fire blared, seemingly of its own fruition, illuminating the room in contrast to previous experience. Eoin could only watch as Argon's eyes drifted open, being shocked to alertness looking past him with absolute horror.
"You...you monster."
The look spread to Eoin as his own light let him look over the Raichu. The fur around her neck was not its usual orange color, having been diluted with a dark shade of red. He looked down as she scrambled out of his hold, trembling with recognizance of its source.
His own claws.
"No, I...I...it cannot be—"
He traced her vision, looking to the far side of the tree as another gasp escaped his mouth. A thin line of red trailed off from his own claws through the snow, ending to reveal the source of the moaning: a draconic pokemon he had grown well acquainted with.
"Y-You killed him Eoin, you killed Chimera."
His eyes shut, grotesque imagery piercing through despite his best efforts. Blood covered the Bagon's body, seeping from puncture marks verbatim to his own claws into bits of charred flesh were his scales had been burnt off. He let out a gurgled cough, covering the snow where it landed in a crimson shade.
"No...this cannot be real, it is an illusion. It has to be!"
Argon's voice answered the plea, piercing into his conscious accompanied by that of the guardians he had come to know.
It could be, though it may end up being more real than you could ever imagine. Does it really matter?
The fog dimmed, giving way to another figure buried in the Charmander's conscious. Standing next to Chimera was a Charmander, exactly matching Eoin's body structure and height. The only difference of the doppelganger, was that the goggles and tail cover were gone, matching grey scales that showed the Pallid's true form. It looked toward Eoin with a quizzical chirp, staying in place with a mask of complete innocence.
Blue, brown, and gray pupils stared into Eoin's soul. Embers seeped through their cover. His breaths grew in ferocity, and he pointed a claw toward the grey Charmander, vile in his eyes barely concealed underneath their veil.
"If it is true, than it was the Beast that did the deed, not I. Short as it may be, I have spent my entire life attempting to spread the gift of knowledge to the rest of my kind, but you have not changed, no matter if we wear the same face. You venerate savagery, and should it come to it, that Bagon's blood will be on your hands, not mine!"
"That's not true," Chimera sputtered out, crimson-soaked hand raising to Eoin before it collapsed to the floor, "this blood is civil."
Again, the fog parted. Lying next to Chimera was another corpse, one that drew a malicious glare from Eoin even in its extinguished state. Sprawled decrepit in the snow was a Girafarig. Its predominant head was severed clean off. Its eyes were closed in quiet recollection, conveying a sense of tranquility that made him sick to his stomach. Chimera's voice snapped Eoin out of his trance, attempt to stand interrupted as the Bagon keeled over, speaking one last time before his final breath.
"I only wanted to—arghh...I only wanted to protect him! But they were too bitter, too tired of their abusement and destitution, and they demanded blood. You let them. You let everything burn."
"You...you do not understand!" Eoin sputtered toward the eyes, living or not, that glared toward him. "The progression my kind deserves is being denied by those that seek to control and oppress. There must be change. Liberty, impartiality, an opportunity for something better, for our ideals to triumph, we cannot hold back on our chance."
"So that's why you'll let him die?" Argon asked, betrayal evident in her eyes. "Ideals? Because circumstance pushed him to a side that you disagreed with, when were you going to tell me?"
"I...I should have told you sooner— I should have trusted that you could understand the terror that filled my heart. "
Eoin collapsed to the floor. Sweat dripped down his scales as he buried his head to the snow, hands over ears unable to stem Chimera's groans from mixing with the flickering embers in his conscious. Accusations tumbled to and fro, snapping what was left of his train of thought apart with something far more excruciating and foreign to his new conscious than chilling water could ever be:
Guilt.
"Gods...make it stop. Azelf, you have made your point. I beg you, please end this nightmare!"
Footsteps pattered against crunching snow, barely audible as Eoin curled himself into a ball and began to sob. He gasped as the sound stopped, and he opened his eyes to view the pokemon before him.
It was himself, holding out a grey-scaled hand with narrowed pupils, seemingly in a gesture of offering. The Beast could not speak the way he could, and yet its eyes said everything.
"You look so tired. Don't you want to rest?"
Without a second thought, Eoin took hold of the Pallid, letting the blood on his own claws spread to it as his vision turned to black, and the Beast took hold.
The Rampardos charged. What awe and terror crept up Chimera's scales ended in an instant as he felt his partner tackle him to the side. Aurora reflected off of the pointed, grey forehead soaring past them by mere inches. The Rampardos turned back. A sense of confusion seemed to have taken over the creature, letting out a short grunt at the sight of the two pokemon before him still standing. Sparks emanated from Argon's tail. Chimera's stubby hands fumbled for his weapon. The two shared a nod, judging that they had their foe targeted.
Snow shrugged off the crossbow string as it released in tandem with a bolt of electricity soaring toward the Rampardos. A half second of hope passed between the two and their dim-witted target. Perhaps the creature's size and stature only concealed its own weakness? Perhaps the frigid air had made its armored scales brittle, and it would simply be another of the easily-vanquished foes encountered through their journey?
The bolt tinked off, falling into the snow without even a sound. Argon's thunderbolt met a similar fate. Electrons diffused easily through its stony scales and into the ground. A glance at Argon found her fur on end, looking toward a pokemon that was more powerful than anything they had faced prior.
"Well," Chimera said, gaze switching between his weapon and its target, "I appreciate that we've found a foe that forces your level of usefulness down to mine, Argon. Makes me feel less embarrassed."
They could only sigh as the Rampardos cocked its head, not a scratch being left on it when it resumed its battle cry. It opened its jaw, revealing bits of snow that condensed into an ice-blue light between its throat. A beam of frost discharged. The ray grew faster than Argon anticipated possible from most rock types, causing her attempt to dive out of the way to be cut short as the cone shot against her feet.
She moaned. The attack drew a nervous look from her partner as breaths reduced to chittering. Ice crystalized around her feet.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I...I'm fine."
Numbness growing by the second forced her head to the floor, before abruptly grinding to a halt. A loud crack again cut through the wind, despite being more subdued than the ones foretelling the Rampardos's presence. She looked up, a shot of adrenaline running up her spine.
Chimera had charged. His rocky forehead dug into their foe, causing a brief stagger before the pokemon regained its balance. Its eyes fumed, both looking with newfound vigor in their hearts for what she could only assume was a personal challenge.
"Is that it? Do you want to go, pea-brain? Then let's go! I'll die before you get to her."
"Chimera, this might not be a fight we can win! You just have to keep it distracted, we should run while we have the chance!"
Her words fell on deaf ears. Argon hacked away at the ice pinning her to the floor as Chimera rushed to put distance between himself and their foe, back toward jagged rocks that jutted out of the mountain face. Only brief outlines through blizzard snow revealed the Rampardos and Bagon's outline, but that was enough for both to charge, speed only inhibited by knee-high snow.
They crashed. Argon could feel the vibration through her feet, and could see her partner be launched through the powder.
"Don't—arghh...don't worry. We have to push on, and I can take whatever this blockhead can dish out."
The fact that the Rampardos hadn't moved an inch after their collision proved this was false, but Argon could sense the anger in Chimera's eyes. He was looking at an obstacle, and the Bagon had proven well enough the only path he knew was straight ahead.
They reset and charged. Bits of snow fell from their mountain overhang. Again, Chimera was hurled through the floor and into the snow, momentum stopping inches before the jagged rocks at his rear.
"We can lose it in the snowstorm!" Argon shouted. "It's not going to let up, we have to leave."
It was difficult to tell, but there seemed to be a hint of a smile after every collision, one that accompanied the fire in the Bagon's eyes. It only lasted a second, before he would force them shut, as if attempting to stem some instinctual, disapproving migraine.
For the last time, they took their positions, intent on finishing whatever ritual they had started. Argon chipped away at the last bit of ice locking down her feet. She could only watch and shout as time slowed and rocky foreheads met each other.
"No, wait—"
The two pokemon had equal speed, but the Rampardos had the advantage in mass. Chimera shot backwards through the air. A painful cry escaped his jaw as the sharp rocks of the mountain face pierced through his arm and leg. The Bagon was a broken mess. He collapsed to the floor, vision being enveloped in blackness.
"Arghh...please no, not like this..."
Argon shot to her feat, unable to control her own breaths. Fueled by adrenaline and muscle memory, she untied the various straps keeping her tail in place and zoomed past the Rampardos. It let out a booming roar. In one swift motion, she placed her tail under the Bagon and closed her eyes, surrounding it in pink light to function as a makeshift stretcher.
"H-Hand on. We need to find some shelter. I'll get you out of here, I promise you that."
The only response was an unintelligible babble. Argon looked to the Rampardos, setting her gaze on the abyss of powdery wind concealing her every surrounding.
She ran. It followed. Being on all fours forced any semblance of feeling away from all her limbs, but it did little to deter. The snow carried up to her chest, making steps cumbersome and slow. Thuds increased in ferocity, every glance behind her confirming that the Rampardos was getting closer by the second. It opened its jaw, letting out the telltale whir of elemental energy condensing in its jaw. Her fur stood up on end, preparing for bone-chilling crystals to pierce through them when it stopped, interrupted by another noise trudging through mystery dungeons with her partner had made familiar.
Chimera's off-hand arm wavered holding the crossbow out. The Rampardos roared in pain, stopping to hold its hands over the bolt sticking out of its right eye. Her partner let out one last chuckle as his muscles gave way and he collapsed.
They were safe, at least for the moment. No longer being chased let Argon focus on the task at hand, finally able to decipher a sentence from her partner than was more than a gurgle.
"I brought that on myself. I...I'm sorry for being so stupid. I broke my rule, and now we're both paying the price for it."
"That doesn't matter," Argon replied, "great shot, but we're not out of the woods yet. Gods...I wanted to avoid all of this. Y-You're going to be alright, don't worry."
The minutes passed. She wandered on. The thin air grew ever more difficult to breathe, and the stress of keeping the Bagon supported through telekinetic powers grew by the second, but fortune smiled upon the Raichu. Her head nearly glazed over the faint outline of a tunnel unnaturally formed in the mountain slope. For one of the brief periods of their treacherous expedition, Argon smiled. She looked back to Chimera, finding his head aimed toward the green and blue sky.
Immediately, the harsh weather seemed to alleviate as Argon stepped inside of the cave. She set Chimera down. It didn't take a genius to see the extent of his injuries. His right arm and left leg were bent in ways she didn't even know were possible. His breaths were sporadic, his blue scales were pale and devoid of blood. She raised a paw to his hand, gasping at the long gaps in the Bagon's heartbeat.
Shock.
Argon froze, staring into the abyss with the knowledge that If Chimera didn't get treatment soon, her partner was likely going to die. She took in three deep breaths, then turned back to the situation at hand.
"O-Ok, I got this...please let me have this."
She took out several blue berries from her pack, grinding them into a thick paste and slathering it onto bandages. They stopped the bleeding well enough, but that was the least of her problems. Chimera's heartbeat was sporadic, and there wasn't a single qualified healer that could administer the proper treatment. There was only her, her and the electrons that sparked from the Raichu's own two paws.
So it comes to this…please, Arceus, let me remember how many volts it is…
Too few and the effect would be useless, too many and she'd do more harm than good. Seconds passed of contemplation. The thin air didn't help any of Argon's attempts to control her breathing, but knowing that every passing second only increased the chance that her partner would be sent back to wherever humans thought of as the afterlife forced her paws to his chest. Her cheeks sparked, as did her tail as she delivered the first shock.
"Come on…"
His chest jolted up, but little else.
The second shock.
"Please, let this work."
Still, no effect.
"Work, dammit!"
She sighed, nearly lowering her head before she let out one last shock, recoiling as the Bagon's chest again jolted up. Instantly, her paw lowered his hands, moments passing like hours as she determined what fate awaited the former-human.
Silence...then one heartbeat, then another, and another still. Argon cackled madly to herself, only witnesses being the ice and rock of the cave as her partner's heartbeat returned to a steady tempo.
"I-I...I thought I lost you."
She drew him in close, watching as the Bagon's eyes opened to return her smile.
"Thank you," he said, forming a toothy grin half layered with his own blood, "my sincerest condolences, now you gotta keep putting up with me."
They laughed. The moment didn't last long, however, before booming thuds sent shivers up their spine. It was Chimera's turn for his eyes to reveal what words couldn't, drawing Argon's gaze to the cave entrance.
Standing there, fuming breaths obscuring the crimson scar over its right eye, was the Rampardos. It lowered its head, kicking its feet into the snow to charge.
"Damn…" Argon said, turning back to Chimera with a frown more out of exhaustion than anything, "I guess this is it, either it will kill us, or the cold outside will. I'm...glad we got to know each other. I'd honestly probably be alive if we didn't team up, but I'm not sure it would be a life worth living."
Not a second passed before the Rampardos launched itself toward the two. They both closed their eyes, relieving what memories that had gotten them to this point until oblivion would show its face.
They would have to wait. The Pallid's footsteps stopped abruptly, fuming being cut off seemingly mid-breath. A moment passed until their eyes tentatively glimpsed toward their would-be-killer, letting out gasps equal part astonishment and bewilderment.
The Pallid was motionless in front of them, having been unnaturally interrupted mid-charge, frozen in time.
Author's Note: My sincerest gratitude to Namohysip, author of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation ( s/12658897/1/Pokemon-Mystery-Dungeon-Hands-of-Creation). He's been an amazing help reviewing, betaing, and providing interesting ideas for my story. I'm in the process of reading his story, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out.