Happy (belated) Easter! (if that's what you celebrate. If you don't celebrate Easter... happy other holiday...?) I hope you had a better Easter than I did... I had to spend most of the day lying sick in bed, forlornly nibbling on the ear of a chocolate rabbit.

Yeah, that's part of the reason for my late update. I'm feeling really under the weather, so that set me back a few days, and yesterday, I nearly fried my computer. (Hint: Sprite+electronics=not a good idea) My keyboard is severely jacked up from the whole incident, so this chapter may have a few typos. I'll try my best to fix them later.

Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 17: Nightmare at Hearth Mountain

"Okay, Jay. Are you feeling better now?" Aria asked.

It had been about seven minutes since they had settled down, and though Jay's head was still spinning, he was starting to feel noticeably better.

"I've told you a million times: I'm fine! I've been fine for the past few hours, and even though I almost got barreled over by a walking coconut tree, I'm fine!" Jay insisted. He was starting to grow tired of her nagging—she wasn't his mom!

"I've been hit by a Wood Hammer before, and I had to stay at the guild for the next two days. Don't try and be brave—I know that hurt," Aria said.

"I must have a thicker skull, because that didn't hurt," Jay said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Yeah, that must be it: a thick skull. It explains your inability to listen to reason," Aria said.

"When you two are finished flirting, let's go! I wanna get to Hearth Mountain as fast as possible!" Magby interjected.

Jay felt his face flush. He glanced at Aria, who was also turning a deep beet red. She inched away from her partner with a disgusted look.

"We're not in love!" they cried simultaneously.

But to Jay's surprise, instead of cowering in fear, Magby simply laughed.

"Did you really think I was serious?" he giggled. "Of course you aren't in love… That's just revenge for what you said to me when we were on Wailord!"

"You were the one who brought it up!" Jay retorted.

Magby continued to laugh. "Yeah, but still… It's fun to get a laugh out of you guys. I-I'm not trying to be mean or anything—I'm just saying that sometimes you make me laugh. Don't take it the wrong way," he said.

"Nah, I totally get what you're saying. Sometimes, I tease Jay just so I can see his reaction!" Aria said, playfully nudging the Totodile.

Jay had to resist replying with a snarky comment; he knew that was just what Aria wanted.

"Let's just go already. I'm feeling fine, and I don't want to sit around and talk about crushes," he interjected calmly. He could still feel his face burning, and he was sure he looked absolutely stupid.

"Yeah, I agree. Let's go," Aria agreed.

Jay pushed himself off the ground and grunted, still feeling his head throbbing slightly. He faced a random direction and peered into the vines, listening to the forest's ambient sounds. He glanced at Magby and Aria, who were looking hopefully at him, and without any further hesitation, he began his walk.

The air was starting to get cooler now; peering through the canopy, Jay could see the sky getting darker. It must be getting late… he figured. I hope we find that stupid volcano soon. I don't want to have to spend the night here in the forest…

He shivered at the prospect of spending an evening alone in the woods. It was eerie enough in the day, with the strange sounds, vicious Pokémon, and stuffy air. If the sun went away, their only source of light would vanish as well… and then they wouldn't be able to see danger until it was too late.

His heart began to pound; it felt like the air was squeezing him. He became nervous and twitchy, flinching at the slightest noise. Even when there was nothing there, he could still feel himself on the verge of screaming…

Snap out of it, buddy, he chided himself. There's nothing there… And even if there is, we're gonna take it down before it can do anything!

Jay took a deep breath, and as he took a shaky step ahead, he continued to lead the trio through Coral Jungle.

The air grew colder by the minute, and night was approaching at a steady pace. Jay and his companions fought many enemies, from tiny Pidgeys to vicious Ivysaurs (which were vaguely lizardlike creatures with flowers growing on their backs).

All the while, Jay was plagued by worries despite constant reassurances from his teammates and himself.

What if we don't make it to the mountain in time? Jay wondered. Has that ever happened before? Ooh, I hope that doesn't happen to us…

He found himself steadily increasing his pace, and when he looked down at his feet, he found he was actually jogging. He could feel his stomach whine in protest—he was starting to feel incredibly hungry. The others appeared to be suffering from empty bellies as well; he figured it was all the more reason to hurry and get to camp.

"Don't worry, guys. I think we're almost there. When we get to camp, we'll be able to eat all the food we want. Just hang on until then, okay?" Jay said, trying to keep his voice steady and calm.

He turned around and found that his words held truth—the trees were starting to thin, and the squishy wet ground was starting to turn to hard rock. The earthy jungle air took on a new scent—it smelled like something was burning.

Jay picked up his pace, and he could see the others doing the same. He could hear the idle chatter of familiar voices up ahead, and he figured that camp was just past the thinning trees.

He pushed past a thick growth of shrubbery, and they finally exited Coral Jungle.

They entered a small area with no trees or shrubbery—just dirt, rocks, and a lingering scent of something smoldering. The air was hot, but not crushing like the air in the jungle. Up ahead, he could see the ground slope up, and in the dim light, he could see that they were standing at the base of Hearth Mountain.

Three tents were pitched up in a tight circle, and a small campfire blazed in the center. The crackle of the fire could be heard even from a distance. It looked like a rather cozy place to stay—at least Jay wouldn't be cold.

He couldn't help but feel unnerved that they were sleeping at the base of an active volcano, but as he glanced around, he caught glimpses of his friends, and his worry melted away.

Everyone seemed to be accounted for—he could see Plusle warming up by the campfire, and Altaria and Whimsicott sat near the entrance of their tent, chatting amongst themselves. When they saw the explorers emerge from the forest, they grinned and beckoned for them to come forward.

But as Jay ran forward to meet his friends, he realized with a sharp jolt in his stomach that Flygon and Krokorok were gone.

Altaria and Whimsicott floated up to them and grinned, and Jay felt a little more relaxed. "Hey, guys! We were just talking about you!" Altaria said brightly.

"We were wondering when you'd show up! You were gone for so long that we were getting worried… Are you okay?" Whimsicott said, her voice full of concern.

"Yeah, we're fine; we got a little lost… but that's not important. Where's Flygon?" Jay asked.

"Don't worry so much, Jay! Flygon and Krokorok are here. They're in their own tent, though, and they say they don't want to be bothered…" Whimsicott said.

"Apparently, Krokorok got sick or something. Flygon's taking care of him because no one else wants to." Altaria winked.

"We'd better let them know we're here—I don't want them to be worried!" Aria said.

"They're in the tent with the closed flap, but don't blame us if Flygon sends you out here with a singed behind…" Altaria said.

"Thanks. We'll be careful," Jay said.

The Totodile marched towards the tent with the closed flap, and even from a distance, he could hear Krokorok and Flygon speaking. He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but their familiar tones made him relax even more.

He opened up the tent, and as expected, Krokorok and Flygon had taken up residence. Flygon was sitting down on the floor, her wings folded and her brow creased. She had taken off her red bandana and laid it across a barely-conscious Krokorok's forehead. The air was hot, sticky, and barely lit.

Krokorok was lying down on a bed of dirty straw, and as Jay watched, he let out a moan. He weakly raised his arm and waved to acknowledge the team, and then he fell limp.

Flygon turned around and gasped, surprised that the three explorers had entered her tent. Magby cringed, but Flygon seemed more shocked than angry.

"Oh…! You're here! Great! We were worried about you… I would've come to look for you myself, but I've resigned myself to take care of Krokorok here…" Flygon said, glancing at the feverish Pokémon.

"Well, we got here in one piece. That's good, isn't it?" Aria said with a shrug.

"Yes, yes. That's very good… Anyway, I appreciate that you came to let us know you're safe and sound, but we really need our privacy… I don't think Krokorok's contagious, but we don't want to take any chances…" Flygon said. She wiped her brow with her hand and sighed.

"What's up with him?" Magby asked.

"I think it's just seasickness… He was feeling a little woozy when we were riding on Wailord… No need to worry; it's not Pokérus. We would've known by now if it is…" Flygon said.

"Pokérus?" Jay asked. That word felt so foreign in his mouth, but so familiar at the same time.

"I'd love to explain it, but I don't think I'm the right Pokémon to tell you that…" Her tone cued Jay and the others that they should leave as soon as possible.

"Yeah, I'll go bug Aria for the details. Sorry for intruding…" Jay said as he lifted the flap to the tent. "We'll just be going now."

"See you later," Flygon said, raising her hand in a wave.

The trio exited the tent and made their way to the campfire, where the other explorers had gathered. Plusle was munching on an apple, and Altaria wiped her mouth with her fluffy wings. Whimsicott stood a good distance from the fire and nervously munched on a berry.

"I guess it's dinner time now," Aria said with a grin.

"About time! I'm famished!" Jay said, patting his belly.

"Do you think I don't know that? You've been complaining about being hungry for the past half hour!" Aria said, giving the Totodile a nudge.

Jay ignored her and settled down by the campfire, taking an apple out of his Explorer Bag.

XxX

Dinner was a very exciting event, and it passed by way too quickly for Jay. The explorers caught up on their travels as they munched on various fruits, and after their bellies were nice and full, Altaria led the others in singing a cheesy campfire song.

Jay didn't really get into it, but he could see Aria singing her heart out. She had a very beautiful voice that swooped up and down like a songbird's call. Jay couldn't match her alluring tones—whenever he tried to sing, he just ended up hurting his throat.

Even Flygon and Krokorok made an appearance. After the songs were over, the two emerged from their tent—Krokorok was hobbling forward and leaning on Flygon's side. The Guildmaster praised the Pokémon on their singing; even Jay, whose singing sounded like a duck being strangled. She hummed out a few notes herself before leading Krokorok back into her tent.

After she helped the ailing crocodile get back into the tent, she warned the Pokémon that it was time to turn in for the night. "Tomorrow, we're going to be doing a lot of exploring, and I'd hate for anyone to be groggy!" she said.

She continued to watch as everyone turned in for the night. Jay blew a quick Water Gun at the dying campfire to ensure the flames didn't spread—one could never be too sure. He waved goodnight to Team Fluffy and Plusle, who retreated, yawning, to their tent.

Aria scampered to the tent closest to the mountain and stuck her nose under the flap. Jay followed her and lifted the flap up, and as he peered inside, he saw three small piles of straw arranged in a circular fashion. It wasn't anything special, but it felt like home.

The team took a few minutes to settle down. Jay took off his Explorer Bag and untied his Special Band, placing both of them near the back of the tent. They figured out who would be sleeping on which bed, and once they had decided, they flopped down on their piles of straw and began to relax.

"Ahh… Today was a great day, wasn't it?" Magby said.

"Yeah. We got a lot of stuff done, but… we still have a lot to do. Tomorrow's another day, and I'm sure it'll be just as hectic as today," Aria agreed.

"You're right, as always…" Magby sighed.

Jay closed his eyes and tried to set his mind to rest, but he found it harder than usual. He could still hear the distant cries of wild Pokémon from inside Coral Jungle, and the trees whipped back and forth in the hot wind, creating a sound similar to someone crashing through the brush. He curled into a tighter ball and opened one eye, glancing at his teammates.

A few minutes of this nervous silence passed, and Jay was almost certain that his partners had fallen asleep, but Magby's voice broke the uneasiness of the night. "Hey… guys?" he said. "Thanks for exploring with me today. It really meant a lot to me…"

A few seconds passed before Magby continued speaking. "I don't mean to be getting all sappy here, but… You guys are probably the first ones to actually care about me. Everyone else thinks I'm just a liability, or a little kid with no redeeming qualities…"

"Don't say that! There are Pokémon who like you!" Aria cried.

"Just earlier, you were saying that you thought Plusle had a—" Jay put in.

"But you guys… You're like my role models," Magby interrupted. "You're so strong, so brave… I wish I could be like you. And… who knows? If I explore with you… maybe someday… I'll be as strong as you!"

Jay turned away from the group so they couldn't read his expression—he could feel himself tearing up at Magby's words. There was nowhere in his life that he could remember being someone's role model—not in the Pokémon world, and certainly not in the human world.

But here, he had met someone who truly looked up to him.

Ugh… All this "love and kindness" stuff is really starting to get to me… Jay thought bitterly. Then again, it certainly does feel good to help someone out for a change…

"Hey…" Jay turned back to Magby and spoke without even thinking. "How'd you like to join our team?"

The youth sat bolt upright with a gasp, and even in the darkness, Jay could see the stars dance in his eyes. His mouth twisted into a smile, but before he could say anything, Aria spoke up.

"Dude! You don't just invite some random yahoo to our team without consulting me first!" she cried.

"But he's not some random yahoo. He's our friend, and I think it would be great if he joined us. It'd be better for us, and it'd be better for him—he looks up to us, and I really think he can grow if he sticks around with us," Jay countered.

"Yeah, but… We can't just do that. Flygon has to approve it first…" Aria said.

"I'm sure she won't mind," Jay said. "I mean… if Magby wants to, and if we want to, that's all that matters, isn't it?"

"If anything, Flygon'll be even more at ease! She's constantly had to look out for me, and if I'm with you guys, I'll have two strong Pokémon to protect me! Er… I'm not trying to imply that you two will do all the work and take all the hits… I'll pitch in!" Magby added quickly.

"See? It'll work out better for all of us… unless you don't want him on our team," Jay said, rolling over once more.

"Oh, no, it's not that! I want him on our team just as much as you do. We'll talk to Flygon tomorrow, and I'm sure she'll let him join. But that's tomorrow—I'm tired!" Aria said.

"Yeah, I agree… We'll work all this out tomorrow," Jay said.

"Ooh, I don't think I can wait 'till tomorrow! I'm just so excited!" Magby said, bobbing up and down in place.

"You're gonna have to—like Flygon said, we're gonna need full energy for the road ahead!" Jay said. "And we certainly don't want a tired teammate, do we, Aria?"

The pink cat was already asleep.

"Sheesh, she must've been really tired…"

XxX

After about a half hour of tossing and turning, Jay finally found sleep. His slumber was fitful; he had a dream in which he was walking down a mountain—presumably Hearth Mountain, as the landscape was hot and littered with volcanic rocks.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, and when he turned around, he realized that there was a giant rockslide barreling towards him.

He turned back around and charged down the mountain, hoping to outrun the boulders. When he glanced behind him once more, he realized with horror that the "rocks" were actually disembodied heads of Exeggutors.

As the heads tumbled down the mountain with increasing speed, Jay tried to resume his charge, but it was futile; he found his legs were locked in place. He turned around and found that the heads were almost on top of him.

Just before the first Exeggutor head crushed him, he opened his mouth to scream—

Instead of his own voice, he heard another. It was shrill, terrified, and sounded much higher-pitched than his own. It sounded somewhat familiar, but in his disjointed thoughts he couldn't place a face to the scream.

He heard the sound of glass shattering in his eardrums, and his eyes shot open.

It was still the middle of the night—the air was cool and the sky was dark. Jay was covered in a cold sweat, and his heart was racing. He panted as he tried to reassure himself that it was only a dream.

"Shh! Stop breathing so loudly!"

Jay was startled by Aria's hiss; he had assumed he was the only one awake. He glanced to his partner and found that she was on high alert: her ears were perked, her back arched, her tail twitching back and forth.

"What's up?" he whispered.

"You didn't hear it? That scream just now?" Aria asked.

"Scream? I didn't hear any scream… well, except for the scream in the nightmare I was just having," Jay said.

"I thought it was just a nightmare too, but it's real," Aria said.

"What?" Jay questioned.

"Flygon," Aria said. "I heard Flygon scream just now…"

Jay's heart almost stopped. He finally realized why the shriek in his dream sounded so familiar: it was the Guildmaster's voice.

He hopped to his feet and balled his hands into fists. He listened carefully for anything else, but the night was silent, save for the ambient sounds of Coral Jungle. It was so quiet that he could hear Aria's hurried breathing next to him.

"What do you think…?" Jay wondered aloud.

"I don't know, and I don't want to meet it. Now be quiet!" Aria hissed.

The two were as still as statues, waiting fearfully for anything out of the ordinary. There was a part of Jay that wanted to venture out and explore the campsite, but his mind told him to stay put. Visions of villainous Pokémon waiting in ambush swam in his mind, and he didn't move an inch.

It felt like they had been standing rigorously for hours, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Aria finally seemed to relax, but her ears prickled and her mouth was still a frown.

"I think we're good… Sorry for freaking you out," she apologized.

"Nah, it's okay. I was already pretty dang freaked out from my nightmare, and honestly, I needed a little reality check," Jay said as he settled back down on his bed. "Wake me up if anything else happens, okay?"

"Count on it," Aria promised.

Jay yawned and closed his eyes, feeling surprisingly tired despite the adrenaline rush he had felt only a few minutes earlier. He relaxed and curled up into a ball, letting his mind drift off to sleep.

XxX

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful—no nightmares haunted Jay's subconscious, and Aria didn't wake him up for anything else. The Totodile woke on his own accord as the dawn broke overhead.

The sun was just peeking through the tent, illuminating the sleeping forms of his teammates. Jay grabbed his Explorer Bag and tied his Special Band around his neck, and with a yawn, he dragged himself to his feet.

He couldn't resist taking a quick peek to see what the world was like outside the tent. He quietly moved from his bed and lifted the flap, poking his head out and examining the camp.

The sky was covered in light gray clouds, and Coral Jungle was shrouded in fog. The air was cool and smelled vaguely damp, but the fumes from the volcano were laced in with the scent of the morning wind. Looking to his right, Jay couldn't even see the top of Hearth Mountain—for all he knew, it could've been a hundred miles high.

The rest of the camp looked almost unchanged. There was no one else awake, which wasn't surprising, as it was still very early.
Jay took one last breath of fresh air before retreating back to his bed. He put his head down and stared at the ceiling, waiting for his companions to wake up.

About fifteen minutes later, Aria and Magby began to stir. Aria was slow to wake up, but Magby sprang out of bed with a chipper "Good morning!" He saluted Jay and grinned broadly.

"Good morning, Magby. Are you ready for another long, busy day?" Jay asked.

"Yep! I'll take on any challenge as long as I get to explore with you guys!" Magby replied.

"Oh yeah, that's right! We still need to ask Flygon about Magby joining our team…" Aria said.

She flashed Jay a worried look, and the Totodile remembered last night, when he had woken up to Flygon's scream. Was it possible that she had been hurt? Or worse…

"I can't wait to tell everyone else that I'm joining Team River Song!" Magby cried.

"Yeah, I can't wait to tell everyone too. It'll be awesome to have you on our team!" Jay said, trying to hide his anxiety.

Magby skipped out of the tent, beckoning for the others to follow.

By now, most of the other Pokémon had woken up. Plusle ran up to Magby and greeted him before playfully tagging him with an electric shock. The yellow Pokémon ran away, giggling, as Magby gave pursuit.

"Ah, those crazy kids…" Altaria said, looking at Magby and Plusle wistfully. "I wish I could be that youthful again. Nowadays, I'm way too serious…"

"Before long, we're gonna be those old geezers that yell at other Pokémon to stay away from us!" Whimsicott joked.

"Nah, that won't happen. As long as you're an explorer, you'll always keep that youthful glow no matter how old you get!" Aria said.

"You're right about that!" Altaria agreed.

Magby and Plusle finally seemed to be quieting down, and they returned to the group of explorers and looked around eagerly. "When are we going to shove off? I really wanna get to exploring!" Magby said.

"Yeah, about that…" Whimsicott's voice sounded serious. "Did any of you guys hear something last night? Like… a scream?"

Jay's stomach dropped. "You mean you heard it too?" he asked.

"What're you talking about? I was fast asleep through the whole night!" Magby asked.

"No, I know what you're talking about…" Aria turned to Magby and whispered something in his ear. When she pulled away, Magby gasped.

"So you thought you heard Flygon scream in the middle of the night?" he cried.

"We know we did. Our tent was right next to hers. We heard some sort of commotion in there—dunno exactly what it was about. But then she screamed… and then it was abruptly cut off," Altaria said.

"Before you guys came out here, we decided to look in their tent to see if there was anything out of place…" Whimsicott said.

Jay didn't even need to hear the next words to know what happened. He should've known immediately when he heard Flygon scream that there was something wrong. His first big expedition had taken a turn for the worse.

"There was nothing missing there… except for Krokorok and Flygon."

XxX

GASPY GASP! Flygon and Krokorok are gone! What'll the teams do now?!

Yeah... Sorry if this chapter was a bit lackluster and boring. I'm not going to blame it on my sickness... but I really can't write good plots with a sore throat. :P I promise, next chapter will be exciting! I have a great plan for what's going to happen... Just wait until we get to the part where Jay and Aria—oops, not gonna spoil it!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!