Bullet POV

I awoke to the sound of clawed feet shuffling about over the floor of the ice cave, and an icy chill that was quickly working its way through my thin fur and deep into my tired body. Apparently, crying in your sleep doesn't do much good for getting a good restful night's sleep. As my weary brain slowly started to clear, I realized why I was suddenly so cold. Where was B.B.? I jolted awake and started looking around, frantically scanning the dim cave. I took a deep breath of relief as my eyes found the familiar green figure sorting through our treasure bag on the opposite side of the now extinguished fire pit, looking back at me with a quirked eyebrow and an amused smirk.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. About ready to get going? If we can match the pace we were keeping yesterday, and avoid any more mishaps, we should be able to reach the ocean floor by nightfall."

"Is that really… I mean… are you sure… ya know… that you're feeling up to it? Don't you think that it might be better to rest more after… what happened yesterday…?" I could feel my face burning, as my eyes fell to the floor and my tongue finally gave up on making sense of the jumbled mess of thoughts that it was desperately trying to form into words.

B.B. shook my concern off with a wave of his paw, "What, are you kidding? I'm not about to be put out of commission by something like that! I'll remind you that this isn't exactly my first brush with death, and once you get used to it, you tend to bounce back pretty quickly. So what if I'm a little bit battered? It's not like we haven't dealt with that before, either."

Blade padded up beside B.B. before speaking, "We've already come this far. It would be foolish to give up now, particularly since neither B.B. nor I are seriously injured. We will both be just fine, Bullet."

I just looked back and forth between their two faces, both wearing identical adamant expressions, before giving up with a nod, knowing that no argument I made was going to change either one of their minds. I kept staring at the ground as I heard footsteps making their way around the campfire. I jumped slightly as I felt B.B.'s paw land lightly on top of my head. My eyes grew wide and any blood that hadn't been coloring my face before now made that its main objective, as B.B. ruffled his claws through the fur between my ears. A shudder rippled down my spine as B.B. leaned down and spoke softly in my ear.

"Don't worry, Bullet. Every one of us is going to make it home safe from this mission, I promise. You know I would never make a promise that I couldn't keep."

I had never heard B.B. speak with a voice like that before. His voice was warm and soft, but completely serious, without even a hint of teasing to it. I hadn't even known that B.B. was capable of sounding like that, but hearing it now, humming so close to my ear, I felt like it was more B.B. than any other tone I had ever heard him use. It sounded so sweet that I just knew that I would melt and give in to anything he said, as long as he spoke to me like that.

"…Thank you, B.B.," I forced out past the lump that had formed in my throat, "I do trust you… always."

B.B.'s paw froze on top of my head, and I stopped breathing as that voice murmured once again in my ear, "That's why you are my invaluable partner."

With that, B.B. had turned and crossed over to the treasure bag once again. He quickly finished arranging the last of the items before handing the bag over to Blade and signaling for us to move out. Forcing the columns of jelly that my legs had become to turn back into flesh and bone, I followed the others as we made our way through the twisting tunnel that had separated our cave from the rest of the chamber.

I stopped dead as B.B. lifted his paw to hold us back and pointed out the shadowy forms of enemies hunched in a circle around us, just waiting for their chance to strike. B.B. gave Blade a meaningful look before squeezing past him, allowing him to move to the front. My heart pounded in my chest as I suddenly found myself pressed against the grovyle in the tight passageway.

"Get ready."

I was so distracted that I probably would have been left standing there, if not for B.B.'s whispered reminder to stay focused. I looked forward again just in time to see Blade fire a massive shock wave across the water drenched room into the hoard of enemies. With the screeches and screams of surprise and anger echoing of the ice, we shot forward out of the tunnel, charging at a dead sprint away from the furious pokemon.

Running as fast as I could manage with the shallow sea water tugging at my paws, I hardly blinked as my eyes remained locked on B.B. right in front of me. I could tell that he was far from full strength, but his strides were still powerful and breathing was even. I pushed myself harder, working my way up beside B.B.. This time, there was no way I was going to let anyone hurt B.B. because of my mistake. I would prove that I deserved to be his invaluable partner.

When the hours of running and fighting had finally given way to a moment of calm, we all stopped to catch our breath and tend our wounds before moving forward.

"How much… farther… do we have… to go?" I panted.

"We should be almost there. If our information was correct, then that should be then entrance to the bottom chamber," B.B. pointed over his shoulder to a downward sloping path into the inky darkness.

"…We'd best be on our guard, though. I sense great power coming from down there, and whatever the source of it is, I doubt it will be happy to see us."

Looking at the way Blade seemed to display complete seriousness with every hair in his pelt, I didn't doubt for a second that we were in for quite a fight. I stood up on my hind legs and faced B.B. with a grin on my face and determination in my eyes.

"So what's the battle plan, partner?"

A flash of something like affection passed across B.B.'s face, before his expression fell into a mirror image of my own, "Whatever is down there, I think it's safe to assume that it is a water type. I don't know of any fossil pokemon that live underwater and would be strong enough to get Blade worked up like this. Going with that assumption, I'll focus on close range offense, Blade will stick with long range offense, and Bullet, I want you to cover our backs. You'll carry the bag, heal any injuries if one of us gets hurt, and fire off a shot if you see a good opening, but don't take any unnecessary risks. Visibility is gonna be terrible down there, I can tell, and we are going to be sunk if we don't have someone as a lookout. Got it?"

Blade nodded immediately, and as much as I want to object, I couldn't argue with B.B.'s logic. I agreed with a nod as well, before slinging the bag over my shoulder. Blade started towards makeshift stairs of ice, and B.B. turned to me with focus clear on his face.

"Remember, your job relies almost entirely upon stealth. Stick to the shadows as best you can; when you speak, be sure to move; and don't light your fire unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Got it, you can count on me."

"I know I can."

B.B.'s eyes glowed warm for a brief second, and then he was all business again, rushing ahead to lead the way in front of Blade, down the dark stairway. I braced my nerves before slipping down into the gloom, careful to let my footsteps move quickly, but still fall completely silent down the ice. Without any firelight to see by, I strained my ears to find my way down, following the sounds of the others as they crawled over the uneven shelves of ice.

As we exited out into the final chamber, the first thing I noticed was the floor, instead of being cold water covered ice, was warm crack-riddled stone. I walls of ice were also far rougher, covered with ledges, crevices, and spikes. I took advantage of this, quietly splitting away from the others, climbing up over the chamber walls, settling myself into a deep crevice, waiting for my moment.

I watched as B.B. and Blade made their way further into the round room. Suddenly, the floor began to glow. The deeper cracks in the stone floor glowed hot as magma beneath the ocean floor shifted closer to the surface before shifting lower again, allowing the lights to dim. That explained why the floor was so warm. All of a sudden, droplets of water filled the air like rain, but instead of falling straight down, they twisted and spun like the ocean currents outside. They grew thicker and thicker, until the glow of the magma nearly completely failed to give any light to the dim space. Then, out of the twisting rainstorm, came a roar!

"…My power… is bursting… My infinite… power!"

A second roar shook the ice walls, and I clung to the ice beneath me, fighting to keep my grip and not give myself away. I watched as a massive figure swam through the stormy air, out of the unrelenting shadow. My heart clenched in my chest, as it entered the glow, and I saw B.B. and Blade standing face to face with none other than Kyogre, the legendary creator of the oceans!

B.B. stepped forward, "Who are you, and why do you reside here in this cave at the bottom of the sea?"

"My duels against Groudon left us both exhausted… I took a long and deep sleep. All the time, I waited. Waited for my power to recover. And now! I am on the verge of regaining my power!"

"Groudon…? Then you're…"

"I am Kyogre! The lord of the sea! Witness the destructive force of my waves! Marvel at my awesome power!"

Kyogre dove swiftly down, aiming a body slam straight at B.B.! B.B. jumped quickly out of the way, leaping on top of Kyogre and slashing away at it with his leaf blades. I watched nervously as Blade fell back and charged around behind Kyogre, firing shock wave after shock wave, before dodging as it spun around and fired a water pulse at him.

I watched in horror as Kyogre flipped and flung B.B. off his back. B.B. fired a bullet seed after Kyogre as he fell, before landing with a crash onto an ice ledge not far from me. Fighting my voice down, I crawled quickly and quietly towards where B.B. had landed, and set to work treating his injuries. Once I had finished, B.B. grasped my paw as a form of thanks. I nodded at him silently, and watched as he jumped across the wall, coming to rest on a spur of ice to wait for another chance to leap onto Kyogre.

As I turned back towards the fight to check up on Blade, I was shocked to see Kyogre heading straight for me! I was still standing where B.B. had landed, and Kyogre was looking to finish what it had started! Thinking fast, I sunk low to the ground and braced myself, waiting until Kyogre was practically on top of me. Then, I lit my flame and sprung forward, firing a flamethrower straight at Kyogre's eye. It reared back with a scream of shock and pain, and was struck out of nowhere by a barrage of bullet seed and shock wave attacks. I glanced from side to side to see that B.B. and Blade had rushed to my side when they had seen Kyogre cornering me on the ledge. With a quick glance at each other saying everything that needed to be said, we all charged Kyogre at the same time, landing a slash, leaf blade, and flame wheel attack across its soft underbelly and sending it crashing to the stone floor.

As we approached Kyogre where it lay on the far side of the chamber, Blade began to address the fallen legendary, "Kyogre, have you calmed down? While you were asleep, a falling star nearly destroyed our world. My teammates and I, along with the help of Rayquaza, were able to stop it; however, the aftermath of that near catastrophe has caused natural disasters to plague the land, and I'm sure the sea, as well. The turbulence of the seas has been reflected in you, their lord and master. The same thing happened to your old enemy, Groudon, who has already been subdued. Kyogre, the war between you two is over. There is no reason for you to continue to rampage like a lesser being than you are."

Kyogre looked taken aback by the new knowledge.

B.B. jumped in to the conversation, "All that my friend says is true, Kyogre. We have come into contact with, and faced in battle, Groudon, Rayquaza, and now you yourself. We have saved this world, and we still work to heal its wounds with all of our strength."

"…Then what has brought you here to the Stormy Sea?"

Seeing the skeptical look on Kyogre's face, I chimed in, "The entrance to Stormy Sea was hidden away many years ago, but the aftermath of the falling star caused it to once again be revealed. We came here to explore this place, so that we could bring new information back with us to share with other rescuers and to find treasure that we could use to fund our rescue missions in the future."

Kyogre slowly looked us over, a calculating gleam in its eyes, "…You certainly do sound to be great heroes. It was once the duty of legendaries to protect this world, but you defeated said legendaries and taken the responsibility upon yourselves by your own free will. It is most admirable. You three have earned my respect."

B.B. gave a slight bow, "Thank you, Kyogre."

"…However, I do still feel that it is a legendaries duty to look out for the good of this world. Therefore, I would like to offer you my assistance, should you ever require it."

My eyes felt like they would bug out of my head, "Kyogre… You want to be a member of our Team Sureshot?"

"Indeed, young quilava. Anyone who has done as much for the well being of this world as you have clearly deserves to count the legendaries among their allies.

B.B. spoke with a voice filled my pride, "We thank you again, Kyogre. It is an honor to count you as one of us."

Blade and I both nodded in agreement with B.B., it truly was an unbelievable new step for Team Sureshot to be able to name a legendary as one of our members!

B.B. pulled out our map and held it up to Kyogre, pointing to a spot on the coast, "We have spent days fighting our way through the Stormy Sea, and after this fight with you, we could all really use some rest. Do you think you could carry us out through the currents to this beach?"

Kyogre gave the map a quick once over, "Certainly, I can. I know right where that beach is. I take it you three have some method for not drowning?"

"Indeed we do."

"Very good then, climb aboard," Kyogre picked itself up and lowered its tail, allowing us to all scramble onto its back.

Once we were settled, B.B. took the bag from me, and exchanged the map for the Dive disc. He placed it on Kyogre's back and the Jigglypuff bubble formed again, only this time, it was only half a bubble, with the floor being made up of Kyogre.

B.B. lifted his head and called out, "Okay Kyogre, we're all set back here."

With that, Kyogre swam through its personal rainstorm and out through a large opening in the wall at the back of the room. The vicious currents parted around us like they weren't even there, as Kyogre swam swiftly through the water, slowly moving closer towards the surface as it went. When we finally broke the surface of the water, we were beside a ledge that stuck out over the deeper water at the edge of the beach we had left from a couple days prior. The last time we had been here, the morning sun was bright and an ocean breeze was blowing. Now, an almost full moon and a sky full of stars covered the waves and the sand in a soft silver glow. It was beautiful, and not a single cloud hung in the sky to disturb the soft light.

After we had stepped off of Kyogre's back and back onto solid ground, B.B. turned back towards Kyogre, "Thank you for the ride, Kyogre. Where can we find you, if we need your assistance? The bottom of Stormy Sea seems a little far to go…"

"No worries, I have another home not far from here. I assume you are familiar with the Southern Sea, just outside of the bay?"

B.B. nodded, "Yes, I know the area fairly well."

"From this point onward, I will be living in the Seafloor Cave at the deepest part of the Southern Sea. Should you need me, you will be able to find me there."

"Thank you, Kyogre. Until then."

"Yes, until then."

With that, Kyogre dove beneath the water and swam back out of the bay, into the open sea. Once it was gone, we turned and started walking in the direction of the path that would lead us back to town. I fell into stride comfortably between B.B. and Blade, all of us walking at the same slow even pace. We were all tired, and I couldn't bring myself to break the amiable silence that reigned supreme over the warm peaceful night.

As the three of us walked up in front of the team base to be greeted by the welcoming scent of roses, B.B. turned to me with a sheepish smile on his face, "Hey Bullet, would you mind terribly sleeping here at the base tonight? After that job, I could really use a good long sleep without being woken by Pelipper or anyone else with a job request in the morning."

Understanding, I nodded and smiled, "Sure, no problem at all. Go home and have a good sleep, you deserve it. I can hold down the fort for a night or two."

B.B. smiled and patted me on the shoulder, "Thanks, Bullet. You're the best."

"I know," I replied with a wink.

"Don't push it," he laughed before turning to walk off with Blade down the path towards their homes.

I stood in front of the base and watched them go until they turned a corner and were out of my sight. I heaved a heavy sigh and headed inside carrying our few remaining supplies and our haul of treasure with me. Once inside, I set everything aside on the table to be sorted through later, and headed straight for bed. I could of really used a good freshening up, but I was simply too tired to care. I fell into the soft bed that B.B. normally slept in, and trembled as I drew a deep breath in. It was a few days stale, but the nest was still saturated with B.B.'s scent. The woody aroma filled my lungs and melted me, as heat spread outwards from my chest all the way to the tips of my toes. B.B…. Now that the mission was over, there was nothing to distract my mind from playing image after image of my beautiful best friend behind my eyelids. Surrounded by his smell and with my mind filled with thoughts of him as I drifted towards unconsciousness, I only had one last coherent thought before I drifted under. What was I going to do…?