Altaria and Gabite
The sky blue birdlike dragon flew through the air, daydreaming again. He liked to soar with the clouds, to blend in with them. If he was careful of how he used his fluffy white wings, he could spook Pokemon on the ground who just saw a cloud moving unlike the rest. It was even funnier if another Altaria was with him, so it appeared as if the sky was confused. But that wasn't possible at the moment; all he could do was daydream it.
Especially since the clouds were black and angry, sending a downpour over the land below him.
And on top of him. He had somewhere he was going, but his feathers could only repel so much water. With the winds getting worse the farther he went into the storm, he found it not worth getting there early by risking flight in this storm. So he descended down to the rocky landscape below, looking for some shelter.
He spotted some steam coming from the ground, indicating a warm spot. Getting closer, he saw a cave entrance. A warm cave sounded like a good place to wait out the rain. He landed in the cave and briskly shook his wings to remove excess water. As some of the rainwater was heading into the cave too, the Altaria went in deeper until he found a dry ledge. He settled down there to rest and dry out.
Around his neck, there was a gold chain hanging onto a multifaceted diamond. It was mostly clear with a few cloudy white areas. But the most fascinating thing about it was how it seemed to reflect all colors of the rainbow when light hit it. Even the humble torches on the wall caused the diamond on the necklace to sparkle. Looking at it made him simultaneously happy and sad. The Altaria began humming to himself, trying to ward off the sadness.
Torches. One flickered on the wall, but the one nearest to him was unlit. They seemed fairly well kept. Somebody probably lived here. He hoped whoever it was wouldn't mind a temporary trespasser. Wanting to keep warm, he carefully shot a fireball at it. If done at full power, his fireballs would incinerate the torch instead.
With the fire of the torch nearby, he decided to take a nap.
Rainwater was invading the cave. A gray and blue dragon knelt down to test it out with her front paw. Even this far in, it was cold, a prelude to winter's snows. The Gabite disliked winter, as she'd have to stay in the lower levels of the cave to keep warm. That meant that she couldn't keep an eye on a few of her treasure rooms as she liked to do daily. With the presence of cold waters, she'd have to consider whether to move the valuable gems to lower rooms or make sure to seal and lock the upper rooms up tight.
All things considered, she preferred keeping her daily rounds, since she could challenge any explorers that came seeking her treasures. She spent her entire life in this cave, digging up those gems with her own claws, polishing them slowly, figuring out their worth, then guarding them against thieves and treasure hunters. If a particular explorer fought well or had a suitable trade, the Gabite would give away her precious gems… but she hated doing that. She spent all of her time building up her hoard, so why should some other Pokemon deserve a treasure if they just waltzed on in and found it?
Sure, this cave was dangerous, and some liked to claim that as a reason to deserve treasure. But she lived here. She dealt with the dangers every day and had no one to back her up if something went wrong. Those explorers had a whole guild behind them, people who would notice if they were gone too long and would come to find them. If the Gabite got in trouble, she might be helped by some of the Gibles, maybe by some other Gabites. Or maybe they would challenge her authority and take over the cave (and her treasures) while she was weak. So that proved that she deserved the treasures more.
It was still a lot of work, but the Gabite didn't mind that. It was a proof of her skill and power in that she could manage it all. Plus, she liked to see her treasures safe and secure.
Deciding to find out just how close winter was to setting in, the Gabite headed up to the first level of the cave to check on things outside. She had no treasure rooms up here, but had built in some extra traps to discourage explorers. Avoiding those, she made her way to the entrance.
Not too far from that entrance, she spotted a Pokemon foreign to this cave, an Altaria. Didn't they hang out around mountain tops and meadows, or something like that? Maybe he was an explorer after her treasure. But he seemed to be resting, with his small head tucked under his right wing. His wing feathers were clumped and spiky, somewhat damp. So maybe he was escaping the rain.
She was walking carefully, so he hadn't woken up to her coming in. So the Gabite initially passed him by, heading outside. Once she was at the cave's opening, she noticed how sharp the wind was. The water was close to freezing; it would have been snow if it were any colder. Other signs indicated that the first frost would come shortly, perhaps even tonight. Yes, this was the time to move or seal treasures. She had already worked on her food supply, so she wasn't going to starve this winter.
Heading back down, she noticed the Altaria was stirring. When he did so, something on his neck moved and sparkled yellow, then green, then blue. What was that? The Gabite moved closer, keeping her footfalls silent. In that way, she saw that it was a gold necklace with a rainbow diamond hanging by a simple clasp.
That was rare. The Gabite had dozens of gemstones dug from her cave, but she didn't have a single rainbow diamond. In her collection, there were a few diamonds she had traded for, whites, pinks, blues, and others. But her cave did not produce diamonds, at least none she had found yet. And no gems quite as beautiful as the one the Altaria wore around his neck.
She wanted that diamond. But she wasn't a thief. No matter how much she wanted it, she wasn't about to snatch it off his neck while he was asleep. Now if he was awake, she might be able to get him to trade it, or maybe trick him out of it. It wasn't stealing if he willingly gave it to her, and even the guild explorers couldn't argue that.
Deciding to wait for him to wake up, she hunkered down near a steam vent to keep warm.
When the Altaria woke back up, he found that his feathers had managed to dry out. But from the echoes of raindrops in the cave, the storm had not let up. This wasn't good. He might have been able to make up for lost time if he could leave now. With the chilly air coming from the entrance, he could tell that the rain had turned freezing. And it would not be wise to fly in this weather. "Oh dear," he mumbled to himself, then yawned and stretched.
He then noticed that he wasn't alone in the cave now. A female Gabite was watching him from the other side of the room. Was she one of the residents of this cave? That was likely. He brought his wings back to his body, conscious not to look aggressive. "Pardon me," he said politely. "I don't mean to bother anyone; I just needed to get out of the rain."
"I can understand that," she replied. Good, so she wasn't a fully wild Pokemon. Those fellows could be difficult to negotiate with. "It is a warning of winter, I believe."
"That could be." He looked in the direction of the entrance. "Has it shown any signs of stopping or slowing?"
The Gabite shook her head. "No. It has gotten colder instead. It might go all night."
"Oh dear," he said to himself again. "I hope this doesn't make me too late."
Quietly, she left her spot and came closer to him. "Were you headed somewhere?"
"Yes, Treasure Town. There's a festival soon and I wanted to be there shortly before it started. But if the rain's turned freezing, I can't fly there safely."
"Hmmm… the guild installed a teleport square deeper in the cave. You'll end up in Wigglytuff's Guild, but they're reasonable Pokemon. Most of the time."
The Altaria whistled his appreciation. "Really? Yes, that would be excellent. I know a few guild explorers and I'm sure if I explained about the storm, they wouldn't mind me using their teleport system. Thank you, miss. Which level is it on?"
She moved over to one of the doorways that led further in the cave. "The sixth. But, this place is dangerous to those who do not know it. You'd best come with me."
"All right. Thank you again; you're a very kind Pokemon." He flew off the ledge and followed her into the hall.
"What are you going to the festival for?" she asked as they traveled along.
"Oh, it's tradition. My mate and I used to come every year. She started it, actually, because she would take small Pokemon on flights above town, just for fun. I joined her in that just three years ago. But she won't be there this year." He cooed sadly, glancing at the rainbow diamond around his neck.
"She sick or something?" the Gabite asked sympathetically.
"No. She died last winter."
"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss then." She smiled back at him.
He nodded in thanks. "It's okay, I'm sure she's at peace now. But I don't want to disappoint her friends in Treasure Town, so I'm going alone this year. And I'm keeping her treasure safe."
"The diamond?"
The Altaria chuckled at that. "Partly, but not quite. Our children are still back at home, and I'm teaching them to be as kind as her. She did treasure this necklace, though. It's special."
"I'll say. Diamonds like that are incredibly rare." She paused, apparently thinking.
"Not just that," he insisted. "This diamond has a special power, although we're not sure what it's for. It gathers love. It gets passed along by love; the current bearer was given it by someone who loves him or her, and will give it on to someone else he or she loves. And it's not just a mate, but a child, a dear friend, a promising student… so long as the love between them is strong and the bearer is a good Pokemon, the diamond will continue to grow in power."
She put her paw to her chin. "A diamond of love, huh?"
"Right. We're not sure what it will do, but we believe someday, it will do something great for the world."
"So then why wear it? If it is so valuable, why not put it away where it can be safe?"
"Well it might be safer if I hid it," he admitted. "But it wouldn't be worth much hidden away. No one could enjoy its beauty, and I do keep it as a reminder of my mate, and the love we shared. Also, since it grows by being around loving Pokemon, it wouldn't do anything if it wasn't with me. So I prefer to keep it on me. And if anyone who doesn't deserve it does take it from me, I think karma would get to them in the end."
"That could be." She stopped right in front of a large hole. "Here. This is a shortcut by several levels. We can go straight to the sixth from here, me by climbing and you by flying if you can maneuver through it."
The Altaria looked down the hole. "Ah, very clever. Yes, I should be able to manage it."
After the Altaria left, the Gabite had a lot to think about. He had thanked her by giving her a gemstone. But not the rainbow diamond. He had given her a Sunbright Stone, which flooded the room it was in with brightness equal to that of a sunny summer day. According to him, if she were careful about covering it from time to time and using rain-inducing items, she could grow berry bushes and other plants inside her cave. That was something she didn't have, and something very useful indeed.
But it was what he had said that caused her thought. Particularly about using treasures rather than just hiding them. Were other treasures worthless if hidden away? Was it better to keep them out for others to admire, or protect them from thieves? Or was it just things like that diamond of love that were better not hidden?
The Gabite looked at the Sunbright Stone in her paws. This one she could agree might be less useful if sealed away and not used. But her other treasures? Thieves were too prevalent. She'd have to find some way to keep this treasure from being stolen. Even if they were being used, treasures were worthless to her if she didn't have them.
Which meant she might as well just forget about that rainbow diamond the Altaria had. It was unlikely that he would give it up to her.
...
Altaria Emerald entry: It hums in a beautiful soprano voice. It flies among white clouds in blue skies. It launches intensely hot fireballs from its mouth.
Gabite Platinum entry: It loves sparkly things. It seeks treasures in caves and hoards the loot in its nest.
My birthday story for 2010! I like using Altaria and Gabite, even though it takes a lot of effort just to get them.