Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update (again). This time, I was busy hiding out in a bathtub, waiting for the tornado sirens to stop blaring... Yep, there was a TORNADO a few miles away from where I was. Did I mention that extreme weather TERRIFIES me?!

Yeah... Due to this and some other things that you probably don't want to hear about, I won't be able to update as quickly as I used to, but have no fear! I will NOT be stopping this story until it is complete! And even then...

Anyway, here: have another chapter. I daresay you'll like it a lot!

Chapter 19: Victini's Guild

Magby was still under the magma.

He had been submerged in the hot liquid for longer than he would've liked—even though he could breathe okay, the lava was gradually growing uncomfortably hot. Still, despite his discomfort, he didn't dare poke his head up to see what was happening.

He knew that Malamar couldn't follow him into the lava, but he hadn't ruled out the possibility of other Fire types diving in. Because of this, he kept his eyes wide open and sat as still as he could, listening for any commotion.

After several minutes of silence, he grew incredibly restless. He didn't get out of the lava, but he did take to swimming around. He felt free under the lava—he swam through it as if it was water. He swam laps and did flips, providing himself time to decompress and relax.

All the while, he listened carefully for any strange sounds, but nothing could be heard. He didn't hear Malamar and her incessant cackling, but he didn't hear his friends from the guild. This both assured him and worried him.

When he was one hundred percent sure that Malamar was gone, he finally got the courage to look up from the pool of magma. He swam to the top and slowly emerged from the lava.

He was right in the fact that Malamar was gone. The vicious squid was nowhere to be seen—she wasn't hiding on the ceiling or the wall, and she certainly wasn't in the lava.

However, even though his enemy was gone, his friends were also missing.

Magby was immediately overcome with a piercing fear. He hated being alone, especially in a strange, unknown place with at least one Pokémon out for his blood. He rubbed his eyes and looked from left to right, hoping to see at least one familiar face, but nobody could be seen.

He dragged himself out of the lava and struggled to get up. The surroundings hadn't changed at all—the only thing that was missing were his friends.

"G-g-guys?" he called. He couldn't stop his voice from trembling as he spoke. "Where are you? I'm still in here…"

Nobody answered his worried call.

"If you're trying to play a prank on me, it isn't funny!" he called again.

The only response he got were his own words echoing.

Magby was suddenly sweating. He looked down at his feet, not wanting to believe what he knew to be true. He was almost certain that Malamar was responsible for the disappearance of the apprentices, but there was still some small part of him that wanted to believe they had escaped.

He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He flopped down to the rocky ground, curling up into the fetal position. His hope was almost completely diminished by now. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing out a warm tear. He sniffled and let out a low moan.

"G-guys…" he whispered hopelessly.

He felt the hot air caressing his skin, and for the first time in his life, he wished he could burn himself in the lava.

XxX

Jay and the others were still petrified, but even though his body was motionless, his mind still buzzed with activity.

As Malamar approached the castle, a low rumbling sound could be heard. He was being held at such an angle that he couldn't see what was going on—he could stare at the lava all he wanted, but he didn't know what was happening.

He assumed the iron portcullis barring entry had been lifted, as the next thing he knew, Malamar had entered the castle. She was waddling down a narrow hallway, her small steps making Jay bounce up and down.

When she reached the end of the hallway, she entered a large room. It was lit primarily by lava that was flowing down the walls and pooling into little lakes. The temperature was unbearable—he wasn't sure if it was due to the lava or the close proximity to other Pokémon.

There were all sorts of Pokémon in the room, and Jay hadn't seen any of them before. As such, it took him a moment to place their names.

He recognized that most of them were Fire and Ground types, but some other Pokémon were mixed in with them. A gaseous Pokémon floated through the air, stopping to leer at Jay; he recognized this as a Gastly. A large bat swooped by him with a loud screech; he knew this was a Crobat. All of the Pokémon in the room seemed to regard Jay with hostility.

"Who are these guys? Other than a bunch of wimps, of course," a gangly Charmeleon demanded. His statement was met with a few snorts of laughter and nods of agreement.

Malamar stopped in the middle of the room, holding up her tentacles. Jay was hoisted in the air, and he could see almost a full panorama of the room. He caught a glimpse of two humanoid Pokémon detaining Team Fluffy and Plusle—a Hitmonlee and a Hitmonchan.

"Comrades… Today is a massive victory for Victini's Guild!" Malamar announced. "We have finally captured the rest of Flygon's apprentices. Their guild will be no more!"

Her announcement was met with cheers and celebrations. A few others let out jeering cries, and Jay heard several very dirty words directed towards them. All he could do was watch in horror as the Pokémon around him joined in a unanimous cheer.

"Victini! Victini! Victini! Victini!" they chorused.

Louder and louder they cried, their words pounding at Jay's ears. The Gastly from earlier floated past him and stuck out its tongue leeringly. He wanted to run, break free of this horrid place of hostile creatures. He wanted to go home.

Luckily for Jay's sanity, the cheer stopped almost as quickly as it began.

"What is it, everybody?"

This voice was unfamiliar. It was unmistakably female, but it had a rather high pitch, like a small child's voice. However, there was something about the way the words were spoken that made it rather chilling.

The guild went quiet at once. Malamar turned away from the crowd and brought Jay down. The Totodile finally caught a glimpse of the speaker.

It wasn't surprising that the owner of the voice was very small. She was a minute, pixie-like creature with tiny orange fingers and toes. She had large blue eyes, two white teeth, and two tan wings, but the most prominent feature was the large V-shaped "emblem" on her head.

"Guildmaster Victini! I'm so glad you came… We have captured the rest of Flygon's Guild!" Malamar said, bending forward into a respectful curtsey. Jay's head swooped dangerously close to the ground, but he narrowly avoided injury.

The pixie (Jay assumed it was Victini) leapt up into the air with a squeal of excitement. She flapped her wings to stay aloft for a few extra seconds, and she gracefully floated down, twirling like a ballerina.

"Good! No, great! No… EXCELLENT! You don't know how happy I am now. I swear, I could just explode from joy!" Victini said.

"What should I do with 'em? They're petrified, so they won't be going anywhere… Should we just put them in your office? They'll make excellent trophies," Malamar suggested.

Jay could feel his skin crawl at the thought of being petrified and kept as a "trophy" for the rest of his life. He wanted to open his mouth and protest, but he was still completely immobile. Luckily, he didn't need to say anything.

"Yeah, and have them listen to our plans? I think not," Victini said smoothly.

"Should I throw them in a spare room?" Malamar asked.

"Yes, but make sure no one touches them—you know how finicky petrification is. If they do get loose somehow… well, we outnumber them, don't we?" Victini said simply.

"Right away, ma'am." Malamar nodded curtly and began to shuffle forward with Jay and Aria still in tow. The Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan with Team Fluffy and Plusle followed.

Jay didn't know how long he was carried by Malamar; he couldn't do anything but stare at the rocky ceiling and bob up and down in time with his captor's footsteps. He was surprised that he was still able to breathe, as everything else in his body seemed to have completely shut down. Even his heart was beating at a slower rate.

After a few minutes of walking, Jay felt himself being lowered by Malamar. He was gently set down on the hard ground, and he felt the suction cups on her tentacles detach from his body. Aria was set down next to him.

He took in his surroundings as best as he could. The room he was in was unremarkable; just a small, spherical chamber with a zigzagging tunnel leading to who-knows-where. The air was even stuffier in here, and there was no sign of Team Fluffy or Plusle.

Malamar stood back and wiped her brow, exhaling in exhaustion. "Who knew you two would be so darn heavy?" she mumbled.

Jay wanted desperately to slap her in the face, but he still couldn't move. Not that he was surprised; his limbs arms felt like they had been cut off completely, and the numbness was rapidly spreading up his chest like an infection.

"Okay, you two. You stay here and don't even think about going anywhere—not like you would, anyway," Malamar instructed. Her beak turned up into a sneer at those last words. "See you maggots later," she added.

She turned around and began shuffling into the hallway behind her. Even from a distance, Jay could hear her humming gleefully to herself.

Never in his life had Jay felt so defeated. He wanted to cry, but his stinging eyes were unyielding. All he could do was stare, unblinking, down the tunnel in front of him, feeling so close to freedom, yet so far…

XxX

"Magby?"

The youth nearly toppled into the lava yet again when he heard this voice, but he quickly put his hands behind him to avoid a fiery swim.

Magby turned to his right towards the voice, his heart racing from shock and apprehension. He discovered that Krokorok had been the speaker, which relieved him somewhat, but raised more questions in his mind.

Krokorok continued towards him, away from the looming castle. His face was a mix of worry and confusion, and even though Magby wasn't the biggest fan of Krokorok, he couldn't deny that he was glad to see a familiar face.

Krokorok crouched down to the ground next to Magby and frowned. "What's up, little guy?" he asked. His voice was soft and worried; such a change from his usual strident bark.

He felt comforted somewhat by his words, but if anything, he was suspicious. Why was Krokorok acting so kind all of a sudden? However, despite his worries, he gave into his desire for company and answered Krokorok's question.

"Everyone's gone… They were all kidnapped…" he said softly.

Krokorok's eyes widened. "I thought so…" he whispered.

"We were trying to come and rescue you, b-but…" Magby choked on his words. He could feel tears threatening once more, but he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. He turned back to Krokorok, who nodded understandingly.

"That was very noble of all of you… I thank you for your courage," he said quietly.

"Hey, why are you acting so nice? I-I mean, I'm not trying to be mean, and I'm certainly not complaining… I'm just wondering," Magby said before he could stop himself. He realized just how odd his words were as he said them, and he instantly wished he could take them back.

Instead of getting angry, Krokorok simply nodded. "I may be a bit of a jerk at times, but that doesn't mean that I can't be nice! Especially now… We can't afford to be arguing with each other at a time like this!" he said.

"Also… Where did you come from? I thought you and Flygon had—" Magby questioned.

"I got away," Krokorok interrupted. "They let their guard down and I just—ran away. I didn't know where Flygon or your friends are, so I couldn't rescue them…"

Before he could continue, Krokorok began violently coughing. He dropped to his knees, and Magby could see his body shake from his coughing fit. He looked around, trying to think of something to do, but he could only watch as Krokorok fell to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air.

"Urk… T-this sickness… it's… gak! It's progressing… faster than I expected…" Krokorok gagged.

"Are you okay, sir? Do you need any help?!" Magby asked.

"I-I'm fine…" Krokorok put on a brave grimace and let out a small heave. "I… I just need some air… How far away is camp?"

Magby was surprised that Krokorok was quitting already—in the past, Krokorok had rarely given up on tasks this quickly. However, Magby assumed this to be normal; if he was as sick as his mentor, he wouldn't want to press on.

Gosh, he must be really sick to be giving up this easily…

"Just go up the stairs. When you get to the top, circle around the mountain until you find camp," Magby instructed.

Krokorok pulled himself off the ground with a bit of difficulty. He tried to stand up straight, but his back was still slouched as he shakily made his way across the rocky bridge.

"Thank you for your instruction…" he wheezed.

"Any time, sir! Get better soon!" Magby chirped.

He watched as Krokorok shambled toward the stairs, occasionally stopping and coughing. Magby could feel his brow crease in worry; he was greatly concerned for Krokorok's well-being.

Just before he reached the stairway to the ground above, Krokorok turned around and addressed Magby.

"Argh… My legs hurt so much… Hey, you wouldn't think you could… escort me back to camp, would you? I don't know if I can make it by myself…" Krokorok wheezed.

Magby considered it for a few moments. While it was true that he wanted to go back to the camp, there was something else burning in his body—desire. He wanted to overcome his fear of exploring and do something amazing that the others would remember forever. He wanted to make a difference.

I'm probably going to get my butt kicked… but… isn't that what explorers do? They jump into things knowing they might get injured… It's what Jay and Aria do all the time…

The thought of his captured comrades sent another wave of sadness into him, but at the same time, it invigorated him. He remembered what Jay had said about being a part of the team: he had to be brave.

I'm gonna be brave… I have to be brave!

Magby had made up his mind.

"I'm sorry… but I'll stay here," he said firmly.

Krokorok's eyes widened in surprise. "But… Why would you want to stay here? Do you want to get captured?" he asked.

"No, of course not! I just want to see… if I can make a difference," Magby said, staring at the castle. The iron portcullis was firmly closed over the door, barring unauthorized entry. It looked like he was small enough to squeeze through the bars, but at a distance, he couldn't be entirely sure.

Krokorok eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure? I mean, no offense, but… well, I couldn't get very far in there myself, and I've been an explorer for much longer…" he said.

"No one else is gonna save them. You're coughing up gack every few feet and everyone else is stuck in there…" Magby pointed out.

"This is true…" Krokorok mused. He looked towards the castle and glanced at Magby spuriously. "Well, I'm not gonna stop you, kid. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Krokorok took one last nervous glance at the fiery landscape before crawling up the stairs, wheezing and gasping for air. A few minutes later, Krokorok's coughing was history.

Magby turned around and cracked his knuckles, surveying the heavy portcullis that barred him entry. It didn't look like there was any other way in—he couldn't climb up the walls, and he doubted there were any other entrances.

He took a tentative step towards the stronghold, and suddenly, he felt a wave of nervousness wash over him. He hadn't seen what had happened to his companions, but if one Pokémon could take out an entire guild, he couldn't imagine what was waiting for him beyond the walls of the fortified keep. He longed to join Krokorok and stay at camp for a spell.

He took a deep breath and sat down, closing his eyes and trying to clear his mind. It's okay, Magby, he chided himself. You can do this… You're a strong Pokémon. You can save everyone. Even if there are other Pokémon in there that want to skin me alive…

He flopped down on his back and let out a wail of defeat. His mind finally succumbed to the negative thoughts swimming around. He was useless. He would never be able to make it with Jay and Aria. Never.

I-I just can't do it…

"Hey! Who's that down there?!"

Magby sat bolt upright and snapped his head toward the sound of the voices. He discovered with horror that the portcullis had been opened, and two Pokémon were near the far side of the bridge. They didn't look friendly at all.

On the right was a Hitmonlee, and on the left was a Hitmonchan. Both were humanoid Pokémon, but while Hitmonlee had longer legs, Hitmonchan had two hands balled into fists.

Magby began to hyperventilate as Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan marched forward. As they stomped towards the cowardly Pokémon, they talked to themselves—just loud enough so Magby could hear.

"Who do you think he is?" Hitmonlee asked.

"Probably another coward from the guild. Look at him; he's pathetic!" Hitmonchan responded with a snort of laughter.

Magby felt rage course through his body, temporarily overpowering his fear. He wanted to hit these Pokémon in the face—he had been the victim of bullying for so long, and he was about ready to snap.

But then his anxiety came flooding back, and he was left cowering as the guards bared down on him.

Magby's brain began to whir at top speed as he tried to think of a way out of the situation. He knew that he probably wouldn't be able to take them head-on, so that meant he had to run away, but where to?

The air seemed to be crushing him as Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan came closer and closer. They were only a few yards away, and they were gaining with every second.

Magby coughed, trying to breathe in the hot, crushing air, and suddenly, he knew what to do.

He charged forward blindly before he could second-guess himself. The guards froze, first looking fearful, but then bursting into laughter. Magby was embarrassed, but he didn't stop his charge.

He bent his knees and sprang off the ground, blowing out a thick cloud of smog out of his mouth. The smoke engulfed Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, but Magby landed on the ground and scooted away, laying low to the ground to avoid getting smoke in his eyes.

Once he had crawled past the guards, he jumped to his feet and ran away, glancing back at Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. They could barely be seen through the heavy smoke, but he could hear them coughing and screaming insults.

He didn't stop to stick around; he raced toward the castle door, which was now open. He smiled to himself as he thought of his brilliant trick.

Smokescreen… he thought. I never thought I'd use that move, but there's a first time for everything!

He ran through the door, still smiling. So far, his rescue was going smoothly.

XxX

Jay and Aria were still petrified.

Jay was surprised that his eyes hadn't dried out; he hadn't been able to blink, yet his eyes weren't stinging from lack of blinking. Likewise, he could still breathe, even though his chest wasn't expanding.

I guess there are some things I'll never figure out about this place…

The room he and Aria were trapped in was an oddly remote place, so he couldn't hear much–the only thing his ears could pick up were the sounds of lava bubbling and the occasional shout of an unknown voice. So it came as a real surprise when the eerie silence was broken.

"Security breach! We have a security breach!"

"Initiate lockdown sequence!"

This was followed by a low rumbling noise.

"The main entrance is sealed!"

"All hands on deck! If there's anyone that doesn't belong here, dispose of them!"

The sound of scrambling feet pattered around, echoing off the stones.

What is going on…?

Jay's mind began to race with excitement and apprehension. If there had been a "security breach", it possibly meant that someone was coming to save them—but who? Nobody else knew about their capture…

The sounds of footsteps grew closer by the second. Jay would've gotten into his fighting stance if he was mobile, but as things were, he was helpless to whoever was coming—friend or foe.

A Pokémon rounded the corner and began charging down the hall. Jay couldn't believe it—it was Magby!

No! No! What are you DOING?! Jay screamed in his mind. His heart sped up in excitement and fear; while he was glad that Magby was coming to rescue him, he was also concerned about his well-being. He had never seen him take on anyone, much less a whole guild of vicious Pokémon.

The youngster looked frightened, yet somewhat elated as he approached Jay and Aria. A smile was on his face, and though his brow was coated with sweat, he seemed to be genuinely excited as he rushed into the room where Team River Song was being held captive.

He screeched to a stop and caught his breath in front of Jay. He glanced behind him but quickly turned back to the petrified Pokémon.

"Okay, guys. I'm sorry for this, but…" Magby breathed.

He raised his hand above his head and brought it down on Jay's head.

It was not very painful, but moments after Magby's palm made contact with his cranium, a strange, electrifying impulse coursed through his body. A shudder passed through his spine, and his arms and legs began to shake. Feeling surged into his limbs, unlocking his stiff joints.

As strange as it was, that tiny slap had been enough to free Jay from his paralysis.

The sensation of suddenly regaining mobility was too much for Jay to take in all at once. His knees buckled under his weight, and with a yelp, he fell to the floor.

His snout crashed into the ground, sending another wave of pain through his face. He had a bit of trouble getting up; his fingers were still rather numb and his joints ached from being locked for so long.

As he struggled to his feet, he caught a glimpse of Magby slapping Aria in the face as well. The results were similar to what he had experience: her whole body shuddered, and her legs gave out underneath her. She fell down with a shriek.

"What was that for?" Jay croaked. He was almost surprised to hear his voice—after being unable to speak for an extended period of time, it was odd to hear him vocalizing.

"Basic explorer knowledge: whenever a Pokémon is petrified, give 'em a slap in the face! That'll free them…" Aria's face was still planted in the ground, so her voice was muffled.

Jay ran over to Aria, nearly tripping over himself once more. He dragged her to her feet and ruffled the fur on her head. She looked embarrassed, but she didn't object to him.

"Okay. So here's the situation. I've already freed Plusle; she's off helping Team Fluffy out. Krokorok got free—he's resting at camp right now—Flygon's still trapped as far as I know. We're going to rescue Flygon before we leave, even if we have to fight off the whole guild!" Magby briefed.

"But how did you—" Jay's mind was still stuffed with questions, but Magby held up his hand to silence him.

"I'll explain everything when we get out of here. I promise. For now, though, let's focus on finding Flygon," Magby said.

Jay was surprised by Magby's demeanor. He was taking this whole situation calmly despite the fact that the entire guild was in great danger now. He had never seen Magby act this way before; he was usually very cowardly. What had caused this unprecedented change?

Magby must've noticed his puzzled expression, as he was more than happy to chip in: "You said it yourselves. If I want to be a part of your team, I'm going to have to step up my game!"

"We never expected you to step up this much… You've definitely earned a spot on our team!" Aria said brightly.

Magby winked and darted off into the corridor, beckoning for Team River Song to follow.

It took a moment for Jay to regain his bearings; he almost tripped several times, and he wasn't moving quite as fast as he would've liked. His mind was still in the clouds, owing mostly to the stuffy air. However, he and Aria navigated the tunnel with relative ease.

Even though the cacophony of other Pokémon could be heard from a mile away, they didn't run into any members of Victini's Guild as they raced away from their room.

After they reached the end of the winding hallway, the teammates found themselves in a small chamber with four branching passages. The first was the one they came from, but the other three led elsewhere.

Magby screeched to a halt, glancing nervously between the passages. "No… no no no no no. Think, Magby, think!" he chanted to himself.

"What's wrong?" Aria asked.

"I forget which tunnel I came from…" Magby mumbled.

Jay cursed. Aria let out a sigh. Magby looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry, guys…" he said.

"Oh, you will be sorry in a second, young man!"

Just when things couldn't get any worse, the opposing army moved forward.

Malamar, Hitmonlee, and Hitmonchan emerged from the hallway to their right. All of them had leering smiles on their faces, save Hitmonlee, who didn't really have a mouth. Jay was vaguely curious as to how Hitmonlee communicated with others, but he had other issues on his mind.

"I'm so sorry you found our hospitality… less than comfortable. However, it's too late to check out of this hotel!" Malamar said smoothly.

Jay stepped back, assuming a protective stance in front of Aria and Magby. He tried to hide his fear but found it increasingly difficult—his teammates' anxiety seemed to be rubbing off into him. Magby was on the verge of tears for the first time since his rescue, and Aria was trembling and mumbling absently to herself.

"Oh, are our little guests feeling a bit stressed? Afraid of being petrified again, are you?" Malamar taunted.

"B-be quiet! We aren't afraid of you!" Magby stammered.

"You must be the little escapee! I'm sure you're so proud of yourself for being able to save your cowardly friends here. But pride is a deadly sin!"

At that word, Malamar lashed out at Magby with one of her tentacles. Magby managed to avoid the hit by stumbling backwards, but he didn't have very much space to move around—he found himself with his back against the wall.

Malamar advanced on the group, still smiling her nasty smile. "But enough talk… Let's get this over with! Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan… Attack!"

Hitmonlee took a massive step forward, and Hitmonchan raised his fists to his head. Malamar's body seemed to glow with an oddly hypnotizing light.

"Watch out, guys—here they come!" Jay warned the group.

"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAH!" Hitmonlee lunged forward, his leg outstretched in a huge kick. Hitmonchan leapt up into the air and dove forward with a punch, and the battle began.

XxX

Whaddya think about THAT?! Is that action-y enough for you guys?

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