Above a still river, Alex checked his watch, turning attention away from his work just for a few seconds.

Evening was coming. The sun was sinking over Sinnoh's great mountain. It wasn't a sight he had seen for a while, for the previous months was spent under the shade of imposing trees. A measure of warmth he'd hadn't experienced for a long, long time, even when they were further up the cold north of Sinnoh.

A hit. His simple fishing rod reeled in another Magikarp, unable to struggle thanks to the clump of stun spores on the bait. He threw it behind, where his Gabite would spear it and line it up with the rest. It was the last bite on the line in a long time, and he had plenty of magikarp already drying on the skewers behind.

"Oot."

His Cottonee, Ari chirped to his side. He turned to see Ari holding a torn piece of meat, fresh from the campfire.

"Thank you, Ari. I think not much more are going to come biting, and we've got enough. Come on."

He retired from his position by the river bank and returned to a campfire behind. Skewered Magikarp were cooking over the roaring fire, a pleasant aroma from them wafting over the area, while Gerald the Gabite awkwardly tried scaling the last catch after he was done striking it on the head to stop its last struggle.

Alex took over the scaling while the Gabite sat by the fire, hungrily watching the fish cook. The scene looked just like another camping trip from back in better times. Sis told him why she never trained a Gyarados despite their immense power over campfire meals like this. Cutting off a nutritious, easy and delicious food source like this wasn't all that wise. Magikarp cooked with their skin so their oils would cook along the meat made for a pleasant dinner, and smoking them overnight would allow the meat to be kept for a week.

He took in the smell again. It was, at least, satisfying to know the day's work had paid off. They had been travelling up north by Mount Coronet for the last few days, and this was the last spot they could camp out so comfortably. Past the next tunnel through the mountain, they'd reach colder taiga. The snowfall wouldn't be exceptionally heavy until about two weeks later, so they had enough time as long as they kept up their pace.

One Magikarp off the skewer and into a plastic lunchbox. Alex made sure to collect the juices as they dripped from the ones cooking, those made the otherwise bland fish meat shine. As he hungrily tore off the meat, globs of oil dripped onto his tongue, enough to marinade his whole mouth. It was like the Ursaring who gorged themselves before hibernating for the winter, fittingly since he was about to head towards one of the coldest places commonly traveled.

Eating something he caught and killed himself felt liberating. Not the same old meal of berries back in Eterna Forest, not even picked by himself most of the time. Back there, he was part of a small community of young trainers, hidden away in a small sanctuary. Despite the rumours of cities being overtaken flitting downwind, the bleak radio chatter he overheard from the radios of the older trainers, life then went on normally as if they were in a holiday camp. Some of them took care of food, easy considering the abundance of the forest, while trainers who already had enough Pokemon dedicated themselves to training. Training for what, most of them didn't know.

The boy wondered if he himself knew. He really was just chasing after someone, after all. For a brief moment, as he finished hanging up the remaining Magikarp to smoke overnight, he doubted if all his preparation would lead anywhere.

A chilling, slightly wet sensation touched his cheeks. Julia, his Gastly, had probably noticed something off.

"What, you like the way my hands are fumbling? Seeking some deeper meaning?"

A Cottonee came to his other side. It patted his arm with a leaf, stroking down to his hands gently.

"Yes, Ari, you can tell, I know that much." Alex sighed. "Truth is, I'm not even sure what we're going to do if– when we find sis. Most likely she'll just send me back to hide somewhere safe. And considering what we've seen, we're not exactly fit to fight what's becoming a war."

As he stroked the Cottonee's fluffy head, Roy flew in and landed in front of him. The Murkrow would never land on his head, no matter how tempting. That spot was Ari's, and Ari's alone. The Gabite sitting at the campfire behind him scotted a bit closer.

"Maybe we'll get some better food? I hear unique berries grow off Snovers. Or better neighbours. At worst we'll just go back and at least know Sis is fine. Henriette, you'll be happy to go back to her, at least. Yes, Henriette, I know you're listening, just take your time down there in the water.

A brief light flash and bubbles from the river came in response.

"It's been tough, but I have to say that I'm thankful you guys are here with me. Now, it's dark, so you're all going to bed. Except you, Julia, you're night lookout."

The Gastly flipped about the air. Julia didn't mind, she'd much rather spend the day resting anyway. Roy and Gerald were recalled to sleep in their Poke Balls, but Alex let Ari rest by him in their tent. Touching the cotton puff helped him sleep better, anyway. Henriette could decide for itself when and where it wanted to sleep.

"Good night, everyone." Alex muttered as he tucked himself and Ari in. "Our last comfortable night, we're past snow line tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

Those last words were really more meant for himself. At least Ari could sleep while Alex stroked him over and over till he himself could rest.

It was the eve of his journey's beginning, again. Knowing that soon he'd be interrupted, Alex decided he'd just get out of bed and get ready to leave. The moon shone clearly in his room's window, shining eerily bright. As he left his house, he met a group of youths like him. Some turned to him and asked where he was going.

"I don't know," said the black-haired smallest of them, Alex. "Sis should come running to find me any second now."

"I know," said a brash girl. I'm going to find adventure battling bad guys!

"I know," announced an imposing older boy, with even more bravado. "I'm going to die."

"I don't know", said a hazy-eyed girl. "I'll just need to wait till I do."

The two that were sure of themselves ran off to where there was only void, and were not heard from since. The remaining two stared at one another, until the earth shifted beneath Alex and he was floated away on the star-lit river. As he tried squinting to keep his view of her for as long as possible, Henriette appeared, blocking his vision. A great dark emptiness seeped out from its shining core and enveloped him, and the whole thing was over again.

A dull pain all over his body prodded Alex awake. Even as he opened his eyes, he couldn't see anything. He struggled to get to his feet, difficult in the total darkness of the cavern. He had to take more than a few moments to pull himself together, trying to remember what had happened before.

That morning they set off from camp towards the tunnel that would take them through to Route 216. The interior had changed, Alex expected, with a few passages having collapsed and others opened up. It wasn't much of a problem if he had a Gabite to dig through the rubble with, he thought at the time. Of course, he made a mistake. One wrong move, and the floor collapsed out from under him, knocking him out till he came to here in complete darkness.

Flashlight. Of course, he always had one on him. Alex felt for it and turned it on, but was treated only to a brief flicker before the light died out, just enough to see that it was irreparably damaged. Never mind that. He had his Pokemon, after all.

"Henriette, you there?"

He waited for that brief flicker of light from its core. There wasn't any answer.

"Ari?"

Any moment now, that cotton puff would leap onto his head. Any moment now...

"Julia? Gerald? Roy?"

No answers of any kind.

For the first time, Alex felt truly and utterly alone.

There wasn't time to lick his wounds. He had to get out. He stood up and positioned himself by a wall, slowly moving forward, feeling for an exit of some. A passage, a crawlspace, anything. Focusing on the task at hand helped keep less pleasant thoughts at bay. Especially important here in the dark, where his imagination would easily spiral out of control.

How long had it been? It seemed like he'd been scaling the cave walls for ages. After the first few minutes, it didn't seem like he felt any new kinds of protrusions or patterns in the walls. No, it wasn't possible, was it? Of course not, he thought. At a spot where water was dripping down, he dropped his ruined flashlight near his feet. Just to be sure. He'd never run into it again, because he was making slow and steady progress through the maze.

A few minutes later, he felt his boots lightly kick something by another wet spot. Merely a rock, he thought. Hoped. Again, a bit later, the same thud. It was only after the third time that he decided to see what sort of rock it was that littered this cave. Mount Coronet was known for its magnetic ore, after all. Of course, deep down he knew it wasn't any sort of rock at all, and when he felt the ruined head of his flashlight, everything sank.

"HENRIETTE! ARI?"

He didn't have the strength to call out for the others' names. His legs collapsed from under him, and his arms lay about limp.

Was this going to be his tomb?

It couldn't end, not like this. Not after everything he'd done. Instinctively he reached for where he wore his sister's locket, forgetting that it wasn't there since it was stolen by someone else for their freedom. He comforted himself with the thought that it went to a good cause, before finally leaning back into the cave wall, water dripping onto his forehead.

He was deathly afraid of closing his eyes. It was the last thing he would do, and yet the only thing left. It wouldn't make a difference since he couldn't see here anyway, but that meant giving up. He thought about his team if they made it out, how they'd react if they found his lifeless body. Would Ari cover him in cotton as a last rite? Would Gerald dig a grave, or would Henriette insist on a water burial? Being laid to rest back home in Canalave would mean sis could visit him regularly once it was over.

He felt himself drifting away. He didn't want to fight it any more. Alex could at least spend his last moments thinking of his loved ones. His eyes were only just the slightest bit open, kept there by the incessant water droplets refusing to let him rest, and he resolved that he'd work up the courage to close them once he'd finished reciting that favourite myth of his.

"'When the bones are as clean as can be, set them free in the water from which they came. The Pokemon will return, fully fleshed, and it begins anew."

"Good night, everyone."

For a moment, just before he shut his eyes at last, he thought he saw a light. It was probably his imagination trying to comfort him, he thought. A sudden downpour of droplets interrupted his rest, making him flinch away from his spot. He blinked as he wiped his face, seeing more of the orange light far away.

"Kiii?"

"You..."

A Fennekin holding a lit stick called out to him from above. It stood alcove above where he was feeling, somewhere he couldn't have detected unless he jumped. Around its neck was a locket, one Alex knew well, and behind it wore a small pouch probably taken from an unwitting Rocket Grunt. Cheerfully, it leapt down and trotted over to Alex, the light from the ignited stick warming up the cavern.

"Come to keep me company, have you?" Alex laughed, weakly, but feeling strength return to his limbs. It was more than the flame the Fennekin carried that warmed him up. "That's very kind of you. Now if you'll return that locket to me..."

The Fennekin lowered its head, allowing Alex to reclaim his treasure. It then motioned towards the alcove, it was bright enough to see that there was a passage that led away.

"Want me to follow you, do you? I was just getting comfortable, too."

Alex lifted the Fennekin up onto the alcove before climbing up himself. The Fennekin led the way, moving forward while Alex crawled on warm rock as the ceiling came lower and lower. The tunnel was lit by ignited sticks planted wherever they could fit, which the Fennekin put out and collected back into its pouch. Before long the air changed, becoming much less stale, and they emerged from the tunnel into a well-lit cavern.

"Ari! There you are–" The Cotton Puff Pokemon immediately flew at his head, hugging his face. Julia's chilling tongue wiped his neck, and a cacophony of cries from the rest of his team echoed through the cavern. A small campfire crackled in an open space, his belongings neatly arranged around them. Henriette stood there, limbs drooping. It was positively quashed with relief.

"I'm alright, I'm fine. No, I'm not cold, stop trying to push me, Roy. Is the backpack safe? Oh, thank you, Gerald." As his Pokemon tended to him, he scanned the area for any sign of an exit. A howling wind pushed a few pebbles that rolled into a pool of water, reflecting something bright from the wind's source.

"There! Come on, let's not spend any more time in this damn cave. Pack up, we'll hike till sundown." His Pokemon began helping to clear the area, save Henriette, who insisted on examining Alex carefully for injury. Very soon, they were ready to leave, each pokemon having the day's goal clear in mind. Well, all except one.

"Any idea where you'll be going, Fennekin?" Just as Alex took a step toward the exit, he turned around to face the fox looking at him wistfully.

"Neee..." It shook its head.

"I could use your skills. That and we have helped each other quite a bit... alright then, come on over."

Quietly pleased, the Fennekin trotted over and sat down in front of him, as if waiting for some kind of coronation.

"First off, you'll need a name. Hmm... you're a girl, so how does Maya sound? Maya, Ma-ya... sounds good on the tongue, doesn't it?"

"Dee~!" Maya yipped, accepting her new name.

"Maya. Everyone, Maya's one of us now, so welcome her warmly, alright? Maya, this is Henriette..." He gestured to the Starmie, whose core jewel pulsed gently. "Listen to them if they tell you to do something. This is Ari, you also listen to him. And this is Julia, Roy and Gerald."

The team of Pokemon greeted in kind, accepting their new member.

"Now! We're not making any progress standing here, so into your poke balls. Conditions up ahead won't be as nice as before, so only one out at a time. Gerald, you first, since the cold will affect you the most. As for you, Maya..."

He dropped a spare ball onto the Fennekin. It, however, failed to suck in Maya like it would for a capture. Instead, she pulled out a Poke ball from her own pouch and entered.

"Huh. Lucky you brought it along, huh?" Alex held the ball holding his new comrade to his chest before securing it away. The road wouldn't wait for them, but by their own ability, they'd find a way as always.

"No, not lucky. It was because you were clever enough."