Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres
Cerulean City was sparkling with colored lights and festive decorations. Lying at the foot of Mount Moon, it was surrounded by snow and ice, both in the fields and in the rivers. But the humans managed to keep their city clear of winter's signs. They even had evergreen plants hanging from lamp posts and other signs to remember the warmth and color of summer.
Articuno knew that, even though she was roosting on a mountain top some distance north of Cerulean. The city was just a sparkle of lights and snow-covered roofs from here. She had flown over the city late some nights, because she admired the people's compulsion to decorate. She wondered if she should try decorating anything, but she lived on mountains that were forbidding to most creatures. There wouldn't be anyone to admire her work.
And looking south was better than looking north right now. She kept an eye out that way, for she didn't like what she saw. There was a large army of conquerors there. Since they hadn't crossed into Kanto lands yet, she had no reason to do anything about them. But they were making a wide sweep of the area, blocking in her homeland. They were strong and well-disciplined, led by a brilliant if maybe mad general. It would be foolish to think that he wasn't interested in taking over Kanto as well.
However, there was an agreement that she had to abide by. Because of that agreement, she couldn't do anything about this army until they invaded Kanto. She kept thinking of sending word to her siblings Zapdos and Moltres, to warn them. She should.
There, Articuno had another problem to face. The last time they had met, it hadn't ended well. It had been a foolish fight, she realized. Somehow the conversation had turned to which one of them was the strongest. They were all about equal in power. But then Zapdos had to point out that she was weak to both of their attacks, so she was the weakest, and he had strong attacks against both of them, so he was strongest. Moltres hadn't taken that well, giving him a nasty burn on his wings, then leaving in a furious mood. She had snapped at him for inciting their younger sister, which made him mad at her. She thought about apologizing to Zapdos, but it didn't feel right unless he apologized first. That had been well over three years ago.
Articuno ruffled out her wings, then twisted around to smooth out a few stray feathers. The humans used this time of year to celebrate family love, right? The thought made her feel lonelier without her siblings. It had been three years and it had been a stupid argument; couldn't they make things up now? Especially with danger lurking over the horizon.
Looking closer around her mountain perch, she noticed a group that seemed to be stuck behind the results of a morning avalanche. It was four humans traveling by two sleds, one pulled by an Arcanine, the other a Ninetales. She wasn't one to leave humans stranded in these dangerous (to them) mountain paths, so she left the mountaintop and came down to listen.
"We can't just abandon this cause," a man dressed as a priest said. "The people of Sunridge City are allies and an important trade partner. We must support them under this siege by General Slagle."
"But the soldiers are watching the main trade route closely," another man argued. "If we go that way, they'll certainly attack us. There aren't many safe paths through here during winter, so if all three of my routes are blocked off, there's nothing we can do."
"Surely there's a way to get to the alternate path from the main route, once we get past the mountains."
"Last time one of my boys went out that way, he found troops at the end of the mountain part of the route. No, it can't be managed."
One of the traders; she usually trusted them to pull through, save for during the worst storms. Since the humans were together discussing if they would continue, Articuno landed near Arcanine and Ninetales. "Greeting, travelers," she said.
"Greetings to you, lady of the glacier," Ninetales replied. "We're all right, just can't get through."
"Don't even want to melt that," Arcanine added. "Could worsen things."
"It could. What are you taking to Sunridge?"
"Supplies to get them through the siege. You know, food, medicines, necessary things, and some toys."
"Toys?"
"The priest said that the church women made a bunch of cloth dolls, wooden blocks, and wooden trucks," Ninetales recalled. "War is hard on children, you know, so it should comfort them some."
"Certainly." Articuno considered it. She wasn't supposed to interfere; Sunridge City was out of her territory. But now that she thought of it, she wasn't sure if any Pokemon in her league of power watched over Sunridge. If she just took the supplies to them and didn't bother the army any, that shouldn't be a problem. "I could take the supplies that way, if you two cannot manage."
"You would?" Ninetales asked, tilting his head. "It's not part of Kanto."
"If I can help, I will."
"I'm sure they will be grateful." The two Pokemon barked to get the humans' attentions.
The four of them were awed when they realized that she was there. There weren't many Pokemon like her in the world; some humans said that she was the most beautiful in Kanto. She had dark blue feathers, some with an icy sheen that glistened in the winter sun. She had a long flowing tail that she kept clean and neat. She couldn't speak to the humans, so she whistled gently.
The priest came up to her and bowed. "Articuno, if I may ask something of you... we are trying to take supplies up to Sunridge City, but the snow is blocking our path and an army stands in between us. Would you take them instead?"
She nodded.
"Thank you greatly."
They then untied the two crates that held the donations. The crates were large and somewhat awkward, but she felt confident that she could manage them. Picking them up with her feet, she then took to the sky, heading for Sunridge. Snowflakes followed with every beat of her wings.
Being a part of Slagle's army was a rough life for both people and Pokemon. There were daily training exercises that everyone had to do. There were long months on the road, long hours on patrol. The soldiers pressed on, though, either from respect or fear of their brazen leader.
Ashton had joined a year ago, hoping for a better turn to his life. Bad luck seemed to follow him everywhere and he wasn't sure why. But it followed him here as well. For one thing, the Dodrio the army assigned him was a troublemaker that liked to chew on his boots and nip at his ears. And today he had been assigned to perform two long patrols, this last one just him and the mischievous Dodrio. Bad, bad luck.
He tried to watch the land, but the whiteness of the snow burned into his mind. Dodrio wasn't making trouble, but plodded along at a slow pace. Occasionally, they stumbled into a deep snowdrift. Both of them had the same thoughts: get done, go eat, then go sleep for ten hours no matter how much the commander yelled at them. It had been a long dreary day after a long night of guard duty.
Snow was falling, somewhat breaking up the monotony. But after a while, it got monotonous too. Ashton rubbed his eyes, then checked the sky. Sunridge had a famed Avian Guard, so the commanders had been adamant about insisting that not one bird was allowed to leave or enter the walled city... like that one up there now.
He squinted, but the bird was flying almost in the clouds, obscuring its form. It seemed a bit large for a Pidgeot... it certainly wasn't any of the flying Pokemon that Slagle's army used. Ashton took his rifle, loaded it, then fired at the strange bird.
There was a shrill cry of pain. For once, his luck seemed to be good, as he was much too weary to have actually made the shot on skill. He still couldn't recognize the dark blue bird as it fell. It wasn't like any that he'd seen. It was a bit of a shame that he'd hit such a magnificent and pretty Pokemon, though.
Wait... that seemed like one he'd heard of. That would mean...
Ashton grabbed his radio. His heart seemed to have jumped into his throat, yet somehow he got himself to talk. "Base 4, come in. This is Ashton and, I think I just killed Articuno."
General Slagel came to the scene himself. It was Articuno, one of the Guardians of Kanto. The bullet had pierced through her side and lodged in her left wing bone. With that there, she would be grounded for weeks. One of the first responders had placed a restraint band around her neck, preventing her from attacking them. She couldn't do anything right now.
The young soldier who had shot her was trying to hide his nervousness. But his skin was pale against his black hair, and he shifted his balance every few seconds. His Dodrio was looking to the ground with all three heads. Nearby, there were two wooden crates. Another soldier and a pair of Xatu were checking out what was inside.
"So you shot down a legend," Slagel said to Ashton.
"Sir, I didn't realize it was her, sir," he said hurriedly. "I just saw a bird in the clouds and you had ordered all birds shot down."
"Was she carrying those crates?"
"Y-yes sir."
"What's inside those?" he called to the other soldier.
"There seems to be a number of toys in here, sir," he reported.
"Toys, is it?"
"Yes sir."
"Strange. But no big loss. Let's go back to base."
"And just leave her... sir?" Ashton asked.
"It gives us a quick chance at Kanto territory if she's not guarding the northern border. Good work. Finish your patrol and return with a full report." And with that, he left.
Most of the soldiers left with him, even the Pokemon. But Ashton and his Dodrio didn't leave. Neither did the two Xatu. The two Psychic birds seemed nervous, sticking close and looking at each other's eyes. Ashton looked at them, then at Articuno. The bird looked at him sadly.
He couldn't leave her this way, practically helpless. He could take the bullet out of her wing; he had, unfortunately, had to do that to his Dodrio once. He wasn't sure if his partner had forgiven him of that incident yet. Besides, he had been taught to honor the legends, which meant not shooting one out of the sky. Perhaps if he helped, it could be forgiven.
Ashton turned to the Xatu. "Could one of you hypnotize her for a bit? I'm going to take that bullet out."
They checked with each other. Articuno cooed. Then one Xatu nodded and flew over in front of her. He gazed into her eyes, humming oddly. She watched him until her eyes drooped and she fell asleep.
Ashton walked over to her left wing and examined the wound. Dodrio followed, looking at him curiously. "Hold her wing steady, but gentle," he told him, then dug out a Potion spray to heal the wound in her side first.
Once that was clean, he turned to where the bullet was. It was in the bone, damaging it, but thankfully not shattering it. While it would be weak and prone to breaking for some time, Articuno could potentially get herself away. He took out his pocket knife and carefully pried the bullet out. Her wings were cold, enough that he could feel it through his gloves.
With that done, he took another Potion and sprayed it on this wound. It started to heal the flesh and killed any bacteria trying to infect it. Her bone, though, would take time to strengthen back up, if he recalled right.
He looked back at her face and saw her looking at him. He wasn't sure when she'd woken up; hopefully not while he'd been using his knife. The restraint band was still on her neck, so he took that off. "There, you should be able to take care of yourself now."
She made a warbling sound and gently nipped his nose with her beak.
He blushed and scratched his head. "Well, I guess you will have to rest here for some time. I'm really sorry about this. I have to get back to camp now, or we'll get in trouble. Still, I'm not sure I want to leave you on your own..."
She bowed her head. She seemed sad. At least, that was his interpretation of that look.
"But really, I don't want to get in trouble with Slagel. The punishments are severe. But then," conflicted, he glanced around. The Xatu were still here. "You two. Could one of you stay with her while the other looks for the other two? You know, Zapdos and Moltres?"
They didn't have to consult this time. 'We can do that,' the male said telepathically. 'You should go back to camp and rest. Then take our Pokeballs and meet us back here."
Ashton paled. "Steal your balls? B-but..."
'It will work out,' the female assured him.
"I, uh," he looked back at Articuno, who nodded. "Okay, I guess. I'll try. Come on, Donny." He got back on the Dodrio and went back to base camp.
Winter was Zapdos' least favorite season. It was harder to build up enough charge in the sky and in the ground to produce his noisy thunderstorms. He could still pull it off, though. With a wink of his eye, he managed a gorgeous branching bolt that struck Lavender Tower. "Ha-ha, I bet that woke the ghosts up," he chuckled.
After the thunder's echo ended, he heard chiming notes of distant music. The humans were indoors and weren't going to let his games interrupt their festivities. He checked, but it was going to take time to get enough charge for another one.
Zapdos sighed. "Gah, I'm soooo bored. Isn't there anything to do?"
He looked off to the west, into a mountain range. There was a volcano in that area. Was Moltres hanging about there? And where was Articuno, anyhow? His sisters had always been good for a flying game or an interesting conversation. He could go visit them.
But were they still mad at him? It wasn't really fair, but they couldn't understand his position. Technically they were neutral to gender, being the only ones of their kind. But their minds slanted to particular genders and he was the only one of the group that slanted towards masculinity. He liked to be competitive, proud, and brash. He always figured that it was something innately male that made him that way. But they, slanting towards the female side, they were about gentleness and gracefulness. Articuno was much too selfless, helping in situations she really shouldn't be messing with. And Moltres was much too sensitive, taking things more seriously than they were meant to be.
In a way, he couldn't understand how they were thinking either. He just knew that it was different. And that he didn't really want to apologize. It had just been a joke, right?
They took things way too seriously. Zapdos huffed at the thought. Still, he felt lonely right now.
As he looked around, he noticed a flying Xatu headed his way. Odd. He thought they didn't live around Kanto. It had to be a foreigner. Zapdos wondered if this bird realized who he was. He rubbed his wings against his body, making his static charge crackle.
"Hold on, lord of the storms," the Xatu called ahead. "I've got bad news."
Well he knew. He held his head up. "Bad news, huh? Then you'd better have good reason to bring it to me."
He got up to Zapdos' position and bowed his head. "It's your sister, Articuno. She's been shot down and badly damaged."
"What? Who shot her?"
"A member of Slagel's army. General Slagel told us to leave her as she was, but a few of us decided against that."
Guns were a worrying invention. If all it took was one shot to badly damage a Pokemon of their league, it could completely shift the balance of power in the world. Zapdos narrowed his eyes. "Some Slagel guy, huh? Idiot. Well come on, let's go wake up Moltres. I'll think she'll listen for this." He took off towards the suspect volcano, with the Xatu following behind.
People appreciated fire the most on winter nights. Its warmth, light, and protective nature was needed on these cold and long periods of darkness. Even now, when electricity warmed most of the human homes, those creatures still liked to have a fireplace with a comforting fire crackling away. Moltres was glad of this.
But both humans and Pokemon liked to gather together during this hard season. Moltres was alone. It was sad. She wanted to go see Articuno, to let her know that she didn't agree with Zapdos' boasting last time. But she also didn't want things to seem like they were isolating their brother, even if he had been a jerk. She wanted to tell him to apologize to Articuno, but didn't want to get into another argument with him.
It was really bad and she could see no way out of it. She rested on the side of a steaming volcano, thinking. She tried to keep herself occupied by observing the lava bubble underneath the plug of stone and ice. If the volcano showed signs of bursting, it was her duty to warm nearby Pokemon and humans of the danger. And winter was a terrible time for an eruption. There were thick sheets of ice and snow that would melt into terrible mud flows, and the rocks were particularly weak from water crystals growing inside cracks. Pressure was building, so it could happen.
A bright lightning bolt struck the volcano, blinding her for a second. The following thunder rattled her ears. Moltres growled before taking off into the clouds. "Zapdos, you idiot! What do you think you're doing? The volcano's unstable enough as it is."
"Getting your attention," he replied.
"Couldn't you just land politely and...?"
"Hang on, we can argue later."
"Would you cut that out!"
"Excuse me, lady of the lava," a Xatu with Zapdos interrupted, trying to be as polite as he could be. "But it's your sister; she's been hurt."
She looked at the smaller bird. "Articuno? What about her?"
"She got shot down past the northern border," Zapdos told her. "He's going to take us there, so are you coming?"
"Of course I'll come." She glared at her brother. "But you had better apologize to her now, all right?"
"Fine, I will. Let's go."
The three birds flew north, past the border of Kanto.
It didn't take long after he woke up for Ashton to recall what had happened yesterday. And what he had in plan for today. Grumbling to himself, he dressed as if going on another long patrol, then went to the supply tent to get restocked. Articuno probably wouldn't mind the cold, he reflected, but she might appreciate some food. He picked up several seed and suet blocks for her and Donny... and the pair of Xatu, them too. Fortunately, the supervisor of the supply tent seemed half-asleep.
When his pack was full, he went to the Pokemon barracks to pick up his Dodrio. He pulled that Pokeball and... how was he supposed to identify the Xatu? There were a good dozen of them in Slagel's army, as far as he knew. Ashton found the section they were in. There were nicknames by the registration numbers, but he had no idea who those birds were.
He checked one ball that held a Xatu, sliding the panel that hid the status screen. It reported that the resident was inside. So this one didn't belong. He checked two more, and finally the next one reported that its resident, a male nicknamed Isaac, was 'out-of-range'. Articuno's position was far enough to trigger that warning, right? He checked the females until he found another 'out-of-range' warning for Holly.
Ashton looked around, but it seemed that he had woken up early. No one else was in claiming their Pokemon partners. He slipped the two extra balls into his pockets, then brought out his partner. "Come on Donny," he whispered. "I don't know if we're coming back, but we have to leave before things get busy."
Donny nodded, then held still as Ashton got on his back to ride out. They watched the other soldiers nervously. Slagel was notorious with discipline; he wouldn't hesitate to order a beating, even in situations where the misfortunate one would be in danger. Punishments weren't the only reason that his soldiers died; nearly everyone below command level was overworked, living in poor conditions.
But those who were awake seemed busy with their own tasks. The only one who acknowledged him was the gatekeeper. "Heading out again, Ashton?"
He nodded. "Yeah, again."
"Somebody hates you. Anyhow, good luck, and get back quickly."
"Is something going to happen?"
"While you were out yesterday, Slagel announced that we're storming Sunridge this afternoon, then heading down to make a sweep into northern Kanto. They shouldn't suspect anything."
"I see. I'll be back." He tugged at Donny's middle neck, ordering him to run out quickly.
If he was going to desert the army, he might as well save some lives in the process.
Articuno had slept most of that night, letting her wounds heal. "But I do appreciate your company," she told the Xatu.
She nodded. "You're most welcome. I just hope he's okay."
"Your mate?"
"We're not supposed to bond like that within the army, but yes. We kept it quiet between us. He could have reached them faster teleporting, but we do not know these skies."
"That's fine. I hope they don't trouble him."
A Dodrio approached them. It was the soldier who shot her down again. She didn't mind him, though. He had tried to make up for it. Ashton dismounted and walked up to them. "Morning. Did I get the right ones?" He pulled out two extra Pokeballs.
Holly nodded.
"Good. I brought some breakfast." He pulled out three seed and suet blocks for them and some kind of energy bar for himself.
While they were eating, Zapdos and Moltres arrived with Isaac the Xatu. Zapdos landed by Ashton with a threatening look. "What are you doing here?"
"Calm down," Articuno said. "Even if he did shoot me, it was an accident and he's been taking care of me. The rest of the army would have let me suffer."
"Are you all right?" Moltres asked.
"A little weak now, but my wounds were healed. My left wing feels stiff, though."
"Look, I'm sorry about last time." Zapdos shook his head. "I was being an idiot, I suppose."
"I understand. And I'm sorry for arguing with you."
"Me too," Moltres added. "And about burning your wing."
"So can we never discuss that again?" Articuno asked.
The other two nodded.
She nodded too. "Good, then I have to find a way to Sunridge."
"You shouldn't really be flying," Moltres pointed out.
"But I promised to get those supplies to them. The roads are blocked off, either by ice or soldiers, and the people need them."
"That isn't really our territory," Zapdos said.
"But I promised," she sighed.
After being told a bit of what was being said by Holly, Ashton spoke up. "If you'll pardon me for interrupting, I got news that Slagel plans on storming Sunridge this afternoon, and then heading into Kanto quickly. I, um, don't plan on going back, although I'm not sure where to go now."
"Then we ought to stop them at Sunridge," Articuno said. "They've attacked me, so I think it won't harm the rules much."
"But what do we do about this guy?" Moltres asked.
"Since he hurt our sister, he ought to serve us for a while," Zapdos suggested. "That'll be a suitable penance."
"Since he accidentally hurt her," Moltres corrected, "He can serve her."
"I can work with that," Articuno said.
Holly told Ashton, who nodded. "All right, I agree to that. Articuno, my life is yours." He crossed his arm over his chest in his trained salute, then realized he still had Slagel's badge on. He unpinned that and tossed it aside.
"Then we need to get these crates to Sunridge and warn the people," Articuno said.
"But can you fly with your wing injured?" Zapdos asked in concern.
"If you must," Moltres said, "then let me fly in front of you to make things easier. Zapdos, take the crates; I might burn them."
Ashton got back on Donny the Dodrio, who was cooperative enough to fly with the group. Moltres flew first, both breaking the air up and warming it to make it easier for Articuno to fly in her weakened state. Zapdos flew with the crates nearby, while the Dodrio and two Xatu flew last.
Sunridge City was a community on its own. There weren't any regions it was connected to firmly, although it traded with nearby cities. Its trades were old, though: ceramics, weaving, textiles, and farming. Sunridge had a glorious past, although modern times were making it obsolete.
It was a walled city, surrounded by stone walls twelve feet thick and protected by a famed legacy of bird Pokemon. But those walls protected against old technology, not new. Slagel was holding a siege only because Sunridge had some secrets that he wanted. They were bound by ancient traditions to keep them secret, but could they manage?
Five children were having a snowball fight in the main square that morning. The main problem had been that they all wanted to be part of the Avian Guard and nobody wanted to be General Slagel. So they wound up fighting each other to see who would be the Master of the Guard.
There was a sudden rumble of thunder that made them pause and look at the southern sky. Three large birds came over the wall. The first seemed to be on fire, with her wings apparently little more than large red-orange flames. The second was bright yellow and brown, with jagged feathers that crackled with static. The third, struggling a little to keep aloft, was a beautiful blue as if she had been carved from ice. Three more familiar birds traveled with them.
"Wow, are those the Kanto Guardians?" a boy asked.
"What're they doing up here?" a girl added.
The ice bird managed to get to the main square before she dropped to the ground; the way she held her left wing seemed to mean that she had been injured there. The other birds landed with her. The Dodrio had a human with him. His black overcoat was in the style of Slagel's soldiers, but he didn't have any badges or patches identifying him as a member of the army. The kids ran over to see the strange legendary birds.
One of the real Sunridge Avian Guards was in the square with his Fearow. He went up to the soldier. "Who are you, stranger?"
The black-haired soldier made a respectful bow and salute. "I'm Ashton, a former solider of Slagel's army, now an attendant to Articuno here. She's brought a donation of supplies from Cerulean City, but got injured on the way here. May we stay here for a little while so she can recover?"
The Guard scratched his chin, then said, "We wouldn't deny assistance to her, but you... I'll have the Master of the Guard speak to you later. For now, stay only in this square."
"I understand. I also need to warn you that the army plans on a full attack on this city this afternoon. I believe Zapdos and Moltres are willing to help protect your city."
Moltres nodded and Zapdos cawed.
"I see. Fearow, go get the Master now; he needs to hear about this."
As the adults went to open the crates, the kids came up to the birds. "Can I pet you?" the youngest boy asked Zapdos.
He made an amused cooing sound and tapped the boy with his long beak. A small spark jumped to him; not enough to hurt, but enough to cause him to yelp in surprise, making the others laugh. Moltres echoed his laughing coo and teasingly nipped at her brother's head.
"Hey kids," one of the adults called, "the Kanto churches sent you something."
"What really?" a girl asked.
He nodded and held up a cloth doll in a green dress and a wooden truck painted red. "Go get the other kids around town; they sent enough for all of you."
The kids cheered and quickly ran off to the neighborhoods to find their friends.
Articuno smiled as the kids scattered in excitement. "It was worth it."
"Yeah, you would say that," Zapdos replied. "I say it won't be worth it until we knock some sense into Slagel and keep him from taking over this place."
"You rest and don't worry about us," Moltres added. "These people will be safe."
"I trust you. I'm glad we could come back together."
…
R/S/E entry: Articuno is a legendary bird Pokemon that can control ice. The flapping of its wings chills the air. As a result, it is said that when this Pokemon flies, snow will fall.
Zapdos Fire Red entry: One of the legendary bird Pokemon. While it is flying, it makes crackling and snapping sounds.
Moltres Leaf Green entry: It is said to be the legendary bird Pokemon of fire. Every flap of its wings creates a dazzling flare of flames.
This long entry was originally posted for Christmas. Ashton is a cameo from Star Ocean 2; if you like him or the game, check out my fanfic for that game.