XIII: Secrets in the Deep

The air was thick with vaporous clouds and grasping droplets. A chilling mist that filled the hollowness of a great cavernous space. The sounds of water dripping unto still surfaces echoed faintly in the distance, and the two trainers knew that they were nearing the next stop in their destination.

"The Elder said that the underground route to Snowpoint would bring us past a great river," said Artemis whilst wiping water away from a laminated map, "We should be close by now!"

"If what she said is true, then the exit should be somewhere around here. The cold from outside must be mixing together with the warmer humid air to make all this fog. Speaking of which, do you mind?"

A bright flash cast a silhouette of Artemis against the misty backdrop as he called upon his Noctowl once more. At his command, arcs of glimmering wind swept about the cavern, causing the fog to begin steadily vanishing. William could better see his colleague now and felt his gut twist in distress. The vapor had left Artemis soaked, and the paths they were soon to be traveling would be plagued by snow drifts and freezing winds. Conditions most un-ideal for their current predicament. Even Wills jacket, which was built of a sturdy and water-resistant material, was beginning to feel damp.

"Artemis, I don't want to be a naysayer here, but maybe we should turn back to the village. I mean look at you, if you take one step outside you'll be frozen stiff!"

"There should be a lodge very near the caves exit. It says so on the map." said Artemis while squinting down at the dripping guide," If we can just make it there we should be fine."

Will wanted to argue with his partner but found himself silently agreeing. It had taken them hours to make their way through the confusing tunnels that ran beneath Mt coronet, and the idea of backtracking through them seemed just as if not more daunting then the freezing winds of the north. Besides, he had his Grandfathers training and though Artemis would surly be shocked by the cold, Will felt confident that he would be able to keep himself and his partner from freezing to death.

As they moved deeper into the chamber the sound of light waves began to echo about, and before long the two trainers found themselves staring out over an enormous body of water. Though he could see its steady flow, Will had to remind himself that it was in fact a river, and not a great subterranean lake. Its sheer size combined with lingering fog made the opposite shore impossible to see, and the dark waters gave Will a feel of unease. Who knew what kind of Pokémon lurked in its depths. Artemis on the other hand seemed quite fascinated by the water, as he quickly began rummaging about his bag.

"You know, they say that this river is the sole location in all of Sinnoh where it is possible to find an extremely rare Pokémon by the name of Feebas. Do you think we have time to stop and look around for one?"

"And just how do you propose we look for it? I don't have a fishing rod with me, and I'm certainly not going swimming in that water! Besides, we're wet enough as it is!" Artemis gave the river a pondering glance before grabbing a pokeball from his jacket. With a quick flash the rock Pokémon Lunatone hovered between the two trainers, to which Will shot an inquisitive glance.

"You're not going to send your Lunatone into the river are you?!"

"Don't be silly, Lunatone hates water you know that, I just want to try out a little trick I saw once on the Poke'Nature station. Alright Lunatone, get yourself as high up as you can then use flash!" The Lunar Pokémon cooed happily at its trainer before ascending a few more feet into the air. There, its red eyes pulsed as the rest of its body started to shimmer with intense light. The Rivers surface sparkled intensely, and Will found himself startled to see an incredible number of water type Pokémon quickly retreating deeper into the river to escape the illumination.

"Keep your eyes peeled for a fish with blue fins and a dirty brown body!" shouted Artemis who was now armed with a dive ball, "That goes to you too Notctowl!" Will had almost forgotten the avian Pokémon who had continued to silently fly about the space above them, its piercing eyes blinking in agreement to its trainer's orders.

"Look unless this fish of yours evolves into an ice type Pokémon, I really can't say I'm all that interested even if it is a rare find," said William as he resumed his search for the exit. With the fog having thinned thanks to Noctowl, he could see that the rivers water occupied most of the eastern cavern, while to their left stood a great stretch of rough rocky walls. Keeping in mind the direction they had approached, he realized that there was only one way left they could continue moving forward. A narrow and dwindling bit of dry ground that opposed the rivers flow.

"Come on Artemis I'm sick of tunnels already let's get out of here before the fog starts to thicken again!" With that he quickly grabbed his friend by the coat and began to drag him along.

"Oh alright, alright fine! But I'm not giving up just yet either. Lunatone! Watch me, and on my mark use flash again!" With that the two trainers began to stride along the riverside, the cave periodically flashing with blazing light at Artemis's command. They continued like this for what felt nearly an hour, the pulsing light becoming almost hypnotic to Will. Before he could voice his growing irritation with his partners shenanigans, William began to feel the presence of a chill, as the dense, humid air became thin and crisp. The caves gloom was also becoming less and less obtrusive, filling with a natural light that he realized was pouring in from a small opening along the caverns eastern wall far up ahead.

"Finally, we made it!" Smiled Will excitedly. Yet he found himself then distracted by a piercing, high pitched ring that appeared as if from nowhere. He glanced to his partner but found Artemis still scouring the river, obviously hearing nothing. Suddenly, the waters surface broke as dozens upon dozens of Magikarp began splashing about, seemingly drawn from the depths by an unknown force.

"Well now that's a bit odd," frowned Artemis with a puzzled look, "Magikarp might not be the smartest of Pokémon but even they don't usually expose themselves so willingly."

"Hey, do you really not hear that?" asked William who was now finding it necessary to shield his ears from the abrasive sound.

"Hear what?" Yet his partners question was quickly lost as the splashing of the Magikarp ceased and instead the water began to foam and writhe wildly. The two trainers watched in horror as Lunatone once more bathed the area with a radiant pulse, revealing a great shadow lurking within the deep. Noctowl let out a defensive hoot, swooping down nearer to its trainer. Then, in an explosive burst of water, appeared a gargantuan serpentine Pokémon. Its back shimmered with light blue scales, its underbelly a pale yellow. Yet most defining was its face, which was comprised mostly by a gaping maw with four distinct sharpened teeth. Its narrow red eyes glared angrily down upon the two trainers from beneath a three-pointed crest, and Will found himself gazing back into them, paralyzed in fear.

"Gyarados…"

The monstrous Pokémon let out a tremendous roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the cavern as its eyes suddenly glazed over with a hypnotic blue light. It shook its head back and forth, as if it were wracked with tremendous pain, then deeply inhaled as bright particles of energy manifested around its mouth. Will was frozen to the spot, even as the creature prepared to launch its assault directly at him. Only once before had he encountered one of these mighty beasts. Long ago when he was still a child. His mind was swimming with horrible memories now, and he could see in them a great lake, trees shattered to splinters, a stormy sky, and a red monster.

"Will?! What are you doing run!" Shouted Artemis even as the serpent unleashed a destructive beam of pure energy. In an instant a bright green light sprang up around the trainer as Lunatone dropped from above, generating its powerful barrier to absorb the attack. The concussive shock of the assault managed to snap Will back into reality as he reached for a pokeball.

"Rotom use thunder wave on it now!" Emerging from its capsule, the plasma Pokemon immediately fired off a series of electrical waves towards its foe. Yet the Gyarados was quick to react, diving back into the water to avoid the attack while also lashing its tail creating a huge wave that swamped the area. Will found himself along with Artemis and their pokemon swept back by the surge into the cave wall behind them, and he could see the super effective water assault had severely damaged Lunatone whose eyes were clenched in pain. Even as the group struggled to recover the great serpent emerged, once more gathering energy into its maw.

"Air slash Noctowl!" Much to Wills delight, the owl Pokémon had managed to avoid the previous attack having flown up towards the ceiling of the cavern. Now a silver energy enveloped the edge of its wings, and with one smooth flap it brought down a concentrated blade of air upon Gyarados's head. Struck by the attack, the water Pokémon flinched, failing to gather enough power for a second hyper beam. In its anger it rose up even higher, viciously attempting to crunch the avian with its powerful fangs.

"Rotom hit it with thundershock quick!"

"Lunatone power gem now!" The two Pokémon rallied, the first firing a thin beam of electricity which, upon striking its target, covered it in crackling sparks of energy. The serpent roared as Lunatone rose into the air once more, its body glimmering as it blasted their foe with a cosmic blue ray. This combined assault forced the mighty creature to back down, thrashing wildly about as it sank into the water.

Where once the cavern had rung loudly with the sounds of battle, now only the swish-swashing of the water settling could be heard. Both trainers stood tense, wondering if the angry serpent had indeed been driven off. Yet nothing surfaced from the water, and in the oppressive stillness of the cave Will noticed that the high-pitched ringing he had heard before had entirely vanished. It seemed that for now at least they were safe. Yet the skirmish had left both thoroughly drenched. The light of the exit remained some thirty feet ahead, and Will found himself nervously glancing between it, and the surface of the water.

"Come on, lets get out of here before it decides to come back." Cautiously, the two trainers made their way towards the caves end, though their watery foe failed to make a second appearance. Artemis and Will returned their allies to their capsules before stepping out into a blinding assault of sunshine and frozen wind. Despite the sudden cold now stabbing deeply through his body, Will found himself smiling at the frozen tundra before him. At long last, they had reached Sinnoh's North.

"C-c-come on!" shivered Artemis who had retrieved his map which was now frozen stiff, "t-t-the lodge should be just around those trees!"