Chapter Seven: Tears, After The Cloudy Weather

"Everything changes, changes

Changin' all the time

Playin' with your mind

Modified or rearranged

Everything has got to change." - Sheila Brody, Pokémon 2.B.A Master

They looked… different. I can't exactly put my claw on how, but they'd changed. It wasn't just the cuts, the bruises, the bags under their eyes. There was a heaviness to them I can't quite describe. But when they eyes saw us, all that fell away, and I'd never seen Fortis nor Harriet so happy.

The Empoleon instantly burst into tears. Alex took a few seconds to process what was happening in front of him, then he was off too. He sprinted over and immediately jumped into Harriet's outstretched wings. Tobias put his hands over his mouth and managed to stifle himself. Fortis came marching over and I saw his eyes were welled up too. (And bloodshot.) I pulled the Blaziken into a hug as Tobias clung to his leg.

"I thought you were dead," Alex sobbed into Harriet's shoulder.

"What?" Harriet straightened. "What do you mean you thought we were dead?"

"We thought you were no longer alive."

Fortis' beak hung open. He looked to me but I had no answers for him.

Harriet threw her wings into the air. "But we wrote to you! We told you where we were and where we were going! We never heard back!"

"Where did you send them to?" Alex asked, looking at me, a little accusatory, like I'd just somehow forgotten to check my mail for a solid year.

"We sent them to Grande City," Fortis said, "when we didn't hear back we assumed…"

"You didn't send one to the Academy?" I asked.

"Last we heard through the grapevine all three of you were still in the City."

"We were," Tobias said, "for three weeks."

"We thought if you left they'd pass it on," said Harriet.

"We never received any letter from you," I said.

"And you got mine letter okay…" said Tobias.

I did. And I couldn't think of any reason why his would be the exception. I send a dozen letters to different parts of Itori a week. From what I can tell, not one of them except the ones listed above failed to arrive.

"I can't believe you're here…" said Alex. "You're alive."

Harriet's eyes welled again. She laughed. She sounded almost as surprised as we were when she said: "We're alive."

…

I invited the four of them to join us in Asa's pavilion. The Victory Hunters' tent was crowded enough with three extra people crammed in. I hoped he wouldn't mind. When the Bulbasaur opened the door his eyes were heavy, and several dull glows came from inscrutable equipment lined up on collapsable shelves along the walls. North, east, south, west. Perimeter trackers, I assumed.

He offered to share his living quarters without hesitation. He brewed a kettle of lotus flower tea for the seven of us (and presumably to give himself a much-needed caffeine boost). I offered to pour myself, but he insisted. We sat in silence while the pale-orange liquid trickled into our chipped travel cups, and he trudged off into the main room with his kettle still grasped in his vines. We heard clinking and humming through the canvas walls. It was the Quagsire's hour, well past sundown, and he was still working. On what, I couldn't tell you. I held my cup cautiously between my claws and took a sip. Bitter. Somewhat like liquorice, but with very little sweetness. The Drapion winced.

Harriet set her cup down. "I wanted to…" she trailed off, eyes fixed on the ground.

Alex looked over his cup at her. Steam rose in front of his face, clouding it a little. "Yeah?"

"What I wanted to say was…"

Fortis placed a supportive hand on her back.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry I didn't come clean at the start. I'm sorry I was such a coward."

I bristled. If she was going to guilt him into forgiving her, she could think again.

"Putting yourself down in front of us isn't going to earn you forgiveness," I said.

"Back off," the Feraligatr snapped, "she's trying to apologise."

"It's all right, Yuki," Harriet said, "he's not wrong. I don't know, I guess I'm trying to joke my way out of it, but… you don't have to forgive me. None of you do. I just want you to know I regret what I did. Whatever you want to do with that," she shrugged, "s'up to you."

Alex stared into his cup. "Just do one thing for me."

"Name it."

"Don't disappear again."

Tears welled again in the Empoleon's eyes. The Feraligatr gingerly placed a hand on her knee.

Titan clicked her claws in Pokémorse code: "Maybe we should change the subject now." Yukiko translated for those who couldn't speak it.

Fortis took another sip and set his cup down. "You've seen the ice coming from the north."

"Of course," I said, "it's unmissable."

"Frost had been gathering Sapphires," said Harriet, "like the fang, the one we took from Stormfell. They all had…" she couldn't finish.

"Souls," Titan completed the sentence, "souls trapped inside of them."

"They were using goldenwater?" Tobias asked.

"No need," said Yukiko, face and voice both twisted in disgust, "they just killed them all."

Their story went on. The more they told us, the less we liked.

"There was fog everywhere, we could hardly see," said Fortis.

Tobias leaned in closer.

"There were symbols all along the walls," Titan added, "they looked like letters with… eyes."

Alex clutched his cup tight.

"Frost was standing near a giant hole in the ground," the Feraligatr said, "and he just had this manic look on his face."

"It was so cold," Harriet said. "I mean, I grew up in the Glacier Region, but it was so cold up there I honestly thought we would all freeze to death."

I felt my stomach twist itself into knots.

"There was an earthquake," Titan said, "and then something started coming out of the hole."

"What was it?" I asked. "Did you get a good look?"

"No, we fucking ran is what we did," Yukiko said, then took a sip of her tea. "But we didn't need to see it. You could just… feel it."

"Feel what?" I asked, but I imagined I already knew the answer.

"It was a Legendary Pokémon."

The noise from the other room stopped dead.

"You guys… don't really look as surprised as I expected," Harriet said, almost laughing. "I kinda thought this would be a big deal."

And then it was our turn.

…

"He needed three humans souls," Tobias said. "Alex, Mikey, and somebody else. Someone living here in Itori. We don't know who it is, but there's a third human out there."

Fortis drew his hands over his face. "I… I just…"

We gave him time to process.

"Mikey?!" he exclaimed. "Mikey the Grovyle? He's a human?"

"Is he the dumb one you told us about?" Titan said, which Yukiko chose not to translate.

"Okay, so how do you spell "Evie's" name, then?" asked Harriet. "Because if she was a human it would be the human way. But she's not a human. But she thought she was a human. So it's E, V… wait…"

"What colour was the third human's soul?" Titan asked.

Yukiko translated, then added: "Why does that matter?"

"Narrows it down, if nothing else," Tobias said. "Their soul was purple."

My mouth twisted. "Same colour as mine…"

"Are you the third human?" Yukiko said sardonically.

"I think I'd reme—"

Alex stared at me.

"No. I'm not the third human."

"Purple…" Fortis frowned. He shook his head, still at a loss.

"There's also a third god," Tobias added, "right, Professor?"

I filled them in on Piplup's very brief story. By now I think we were all suffering from a legendary fatigue.

"Ice, electric…" Harriet chewed it over. "Could it be Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres?"

"But Fitzroy's god is a dragon-type," Tobias said.

A dragon god. An electric god. An ice god. Gods, I recognised this, I knew I did. I just couldn't put my claw on it.

Fortis cleared his throat. "There's something else we need to mention."

"We never told you how we escaped," said Harriet.

"We were found by two Pokémon in the polar region," Fortis said. "They found the letter Harriet placed in the Pelipper post box. Apparently they recognised our names from Alex's book."

"Who were they?" said Alex.

"They said they were your parents."

…

Alex agreed to meet his parents at last. Thy met at a corner where the mountain path looped sharply around, shaded by the symmetrical rocks and towering trees, where we (myself, Tobias, our four friends, and Asa) could be close by but not conspicuously monitoring him. The illusion of privacy, if nothing else. Besides, these were Varia soldiers we were about to meet. We didn't want them going on the defensive. Unfortunately Queen Octavia insisted on a full six-Pokémon party to "escort" them. Electrode, Floatzel, Glimmora, Wugtrio, Drednaw, Carracosta. Subtle.

It was dark. A few small torches around two feet in height gave the scene a dim orange light. We'd just passed the Zubat's hour when they appeared.

Enya was the taller and more muscled of the two, with emerald-green eyes and dark-green underwings. Cedric's sky-blue eyes settled into rounder features and a resting face that almost looked like a smile, with turquoise underwings. They both twitched, scanning the area. At the same time they noticed the small, timid shape waiting in the darkness. Not a torch, but a Pokémon.

We watched from the shadows. Alex stepped out from the shade of a fitzroya trees. They recognised him. I don't know how, but they recognise him instantly. Like they could see into his soul. I suppose you don't need magic when it's the person you raised. Cedric covered his mouth and broke down into tears. Enya held him by the shoulders to steady him.

"Mom," Alex said, "Dad."

Enya and Cedric tried to go to him, but the guards held them back.

"It's all right," Alex said, "they're not a threat, you can let them come."

As the two Charizard ran to the Charmander they raised as a human, Alex stumbled over his words, trying to explain himself, why he never asked to see them, why he never came back to Grande City. The Academy, the Skarsgards, the Varias—

"We don't care about any of that!" Cedric exclaimed. He had an easy voice, one without edges.

"Fuck the Varias, fuck the Skarsgards," said Enya, a voice even-pitched but forceful, "all we care about is you!"

"We've missed you so much!"

Movement caught my eye. Harriet was leading Fortis away, her wing on his shoulder. His back was too me, but I saw he had one hand to his beak. Odd. I'd never taken him as an emotional type.

"I've missed you too," Alex said. He sounded convincing, but I knew it was a lie.

Alex had no memories of them. How could he? Asa wiped them all out when he took him from Ruby Forest.

"Listen," Enya's voice hardened, "we can't stay here for long. We're still in custody, technically."

"We only broke out to come and see you," said Cedric, "please believe that."

"You saved me friends' lives," said Alex, "I can't exactly be mad."

They both had wide smiles on their faces. Brownie points. I mean, well earned, in fairness.

"Can I ask you guys something."

"Of course, love," said Cedric, "anything."

"Were there any other Charizard there when you escaped?"

Alex's parents shared a look.

"A couple," Enya frowned, "why?"

"Have you heard anything about Fitzroy?"

"I'm sorry, love, that name doesn't ring any bells," said Cedric.

But that proved nothing, I knew. The Tenraians had never heard that name, either.

The soldiers started prodding them with their swords.

"Guess we'd better get going," Enya said, straightening. She looked down on him with a look in her eyes that made even my heart ache a little. "Gods, I really can't get over it."

"Look at you, a soldier and Treasure Hunter!" Cedric said.

"And a Charmander, of all things! I mean… what are the odds?!"

"Yeah…" Alex said, looking down at himself, "what are the odds?"

…

On the northern side of the mountain we waited for the sun to rise. My students and friends asleep, I walked alone along the path. The mountain shielded the southern smoke from my sight, while Mire and Magma blocked the view of the crawling icy landscape. It was pleasant to just have a few moments of peace…

I found Asa sitting on a smooth stone platform. Arching high above his head was a stone arch, twisted around in a way that made it look like rope. He was gazing north. Herald, Resolution, and Cyclone were close enough that you could see their true colours, though the purple haze still remained. Fifty miles as the Fearow flies across from Chronicle to Cyclone, but a mere fifteen from here to Herald. Yet no one dared set foot on the mountain's plateau. These mountains grew around it for a reason. What reason it is we don't truly know, but the wild Pokémon keep a wide berth as if their lives depend on it, and we follow their lead. Wild Pokémon are more wise than most settled Pokémon think.

I looked at the stone doors behind the Bulbasaur's back. Sand-colours, rough in texture, but expertly carved. At the top where the two doors met was a dagger-blade-shaped fragment, on which a single letter was carved in Unown: "S". The fitzroya trees hung over our heads.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Spring Spring," he replied, eyes still fixed on the horizon.

"Heard you the first time."

He chuckled. "Could you have found a more fitting name? Each mountain is home to its own Evolution Spring," he explained. "The way into the inner caverns is supposed to be through them."

"I'd thought we might find my sister."

My eyes saucered. Asa kept his own on the horizon.

"Each mountain also has its own Guardian," the Grande Mage continued. "A protector, chosen collectively by the wild Pokémon. Almost like a Chieftain. With unyielding power over the wild Pokémon, but solely on the condition that their land is kept safe. When we arrived here, we should have faced an unrelenting onslaught of wild Pokémon."

"I wouldn't imagine we'd face many Pokémon in a party two-thousand strong."

"We should have faced a lot more. But without their leader, the Pokémon here don't know how to organise. They don't have the co-ordination or single-mindedness that comes from fusing pack-mentality with intelligent strategy. They're weaker without her here."

That's when I suddenly noticed a twitching in the bushes behind me. What I thought was a fallen branch actually turned out to be the legs of a Trevenant. I stepped around to get a better view. The further I walked the more wild Pokémon I saw laying unconscious on the ground. Many of them had burn marks on them. Solar burn marks. Asa's expression was pained.

"I hate fighting," he said.

"Well, you're bloody good at it," I replied.

"The Gems are good at it," he countered, "I'm just good at using them."

A Gogoat twitched. His face was tight with pain.

"I don't have enough healing magic for them and for the Skarsgards. I really didn't want to have to fight them. But I'm right by their Spring, their holy place. Of course they were going to target me. Those are only the ones who slipped through the soldiers."

I looked up at the sandy-stone doors. "Is your sister the Guardian of Mount. Spring?"

"She is. And she's supposed to be here. I brought us here, I brought us so close to the Varias, because I thought she'd be here. If Midnight was here she'd know what to do."

"Midnight," I echoed, "interesting name."

"Each mountain has its own nemonic system."

"Can't say I see the connection between "Midnight" and "Asa.""

"It means "Morning" in the old language. Pronounced differently, of course."

Something rustled closer to us. I saw the flash of magenta eyes, then heard the shape recede through the grass.

"Do you know what today is?"

"19th of the Drake," I said, "the day the Battle of the Dragons began."

"There'd been plans for a grand celebration, I imagine many still are back in the city. Yet here we are, waiting for the next bloody battle. That wasn't wasn't me using foul language," he added, wide-eyed.

"Use foul language!" I said. "Believe me, it'll make you feel better."

Rustling in the trees above us. A Lurantis leapt over the edge, sickles sharp and poised. Asa's vines lashed out, grabbed her by the ankles, and tossed her across the path. She pushed herself to her feet. I breathed in, ready to defend with a fire-type attack, but Asa's vines whipped her across the face so hard blood spurted from her nose. Her picked her up around the waist, slammed her into the ground, tossed her into the thorny bushes. I heard the sound of petals tearing.

Asa stared down at the ground. "Let's… let's just get out of here."

…

I was getting antsy. I never missed a day of training. Even if I was injured or sick, I would go down from my office and do whatever I could. Even if it was nothing more than a jog around town square, it would be done. The last real "battle" I'd had was, I suppose, on the Tenoran sea. A quick spar couldn't hurt. It wouldn't drain me that much. I needed to keep sharp, right? (Oh, who are you trying to convince?)

Itori stretched out beneath me, dappled by the few rays of sunlight peaking through the black. Fitzroy was nowhere in sight, he must have been hiding above the clouds. I passed by the Renegades, as they now liked to be called, resting against the trees by a field of lavender flowers. I expected Fortis at least to be up for it. But, to my surprise, he declined.

"I have been through great physical stress," he said, eyes closed and hands kitted together, "I do not wish to strain my body any further."

"No doubt," I said, "I'm just surprised to see you taking it easy."

"Healer's orders," Harriet said, "no sparring until he can at least hold his swords properly. And by healer, I do mean me."

"By the way," I said to the Feraligatr and the Drapion, "I wanted to thank you. For taking care of my friends. That makes us friends, too, you know."

I extended a claw. Titan and Yukiko both looked surprised. The Feraligatr shook, then the Drapion and I hooked claws.

"No need to thank us," Titan said, "that's just what friends do."

A flash of orange. I spun around. The desert area, further north. We had a pretty good view from here. Fortis took a deep breath, exhaled. Yukiko hooked her fingers through Harriet's claws. The wind blowed gently from the west, making the flowers and the leaves shimmer. It was tempting to join them in this brief moment of peace. But I needed to move. I needed to feel something. (Gods, I can't believe I'm back here.)

"I saw Asa training out by the hydrangeas," Fortis said, "you could try him."

"Oof, do I dare?"

Fortis chuckled. "I'd be careful."

…

Asa's face was calm, smiling. It reminded me how as children we were taught always to smile during a sparring match, to show that even during a herculean effort to beat the life out of one another, we would all remain friends, it would all be within good faith. Asa and I could have grown up with one another, I realised then. We were only a few miles away.

Bonnie the Houndour offered to referee. Most Skarsgard may have treated the Grande Mage with preference, but I trusted him to be unbiased. As he called out the standard rules of battle, I tuned him out and began my analysis. I couldn't use Giga Impact, his Sleep Powder would knock me out in seconds. He would have a plan for Fire Blast, and he'd know my other moves to boot. The sun was high. Asa was a Mountain Pokémon, so his ability wouldn't be Overgrow. The Bulbasaur's eyes were steady. He was analysing me, too.

"Begin!"

Asa started the battle with a Razor Leaf, shooting out in a green storm cloud. Masterful control. I dodged by inches. His vines shot out, ready to grab me. I kicked off the ground, high into the air, fins flashing. Asa slapped his vines against the ground, twisted himself around until he was skidding across the ground on the other side of the path, dust flying. I landed and span on my heel. My back was to Mount. Chronicle and the sun shone down on Asa's. We waited for one another to move. Two seconds. It felt like much longer.

Dark-blue energy surged through my blood. It ebbed through muscle, flesh and scales, twisting into a hoofed, floor legged shape. A great mane and long whiskers flowed, two curving antlers grew from my forehead. Dragon Rush went galloping across the path. Asa ran to dodge. In a single step I turned and pushed off the ground, and my dark-blue horns rammed into him full-force. He rolled across the ground, dug his claws in to get back on his feet. Vines lashed out but they bounced harmlessly off my raised hooves.

There was a distinctive burn across his side. The skin shrivelled, tinged a rich blue colour and glowing every so slightly, in a way you'd only really be able to see in the dark. A dragon mark, unmistakable. It didn't seem to faze him at all.

Before I noticed he was already gathering energy into his bulb. I had a second to react. I breathed in deep and felt a click inside the yellow part of my chest, felt heat rising up through the red. Flames built between my teeth and I could already feel them twisting into shape. A bright sun-yellow beam burst from the Bulbasaur's bulb, a force strong enough to make the flowers behind him shiver. Fire Blast twisted into a five-pronged shape. I already felt I had won, there was no way a Solar Beam was going to push through a fire-type attack. There was a second of suspended time where the flames just hovered there, pushing against the beam of light, but not getting any further. Then a bright white flash, an explosion, a cloud of grey smoke. A counter. Both attacks equalled out, or close enough not to matter. My heart pounded. It was fire versus grass. And we'd matched.

Asa came running. His bulb was sparkling white-and-blue, he was going for a Sleep Powder. I ran to meet him, fins glowing. If I could strike him before he—

He jumped, landed on my arm, bounced off. I heard a woosh behind me as the powder released, I had to throw myself to the side to dodge. I stuck an arm out, rolled across the ground, bounced back onto my feet. Another Razor Leaf came and this time I didn't have time to dodge. I crossed my arms over my face as a hundred blades cut across my scales.

The sun shone gold on Asa's face. Fire Blast roared to life, and the small Pokémon ran with a speed I wouldn't have imagined. I caught the bead of yellow light too late. Solar Beam hit me full-force.

You know how if you're out in the sun for too long, you wind up with a sunburn? I say "wind up", because it's not something that happens instantaneously, is it? Even if you fall asleep and wake up with it, it's something that gradually builds and builds over time. Now imagine a sunburn happening to you all at once. That's what it was like.

We were both out of breath. A blue mark along Asa's right side, and there was a blackness across his left cheek where Fire Blast must have clipped him. There were solar scorches all over my body. I felt like throwing up. I was wondering how I could keep my bile down long enough for another Fire Blast when Asa looked to Bonnie and said:

"Ref, could we call it a draw?"

The Houndour raised his eyebrows. "A draw, Grande Mage?"

"I think we'd better sit down before we have to waste revival energy. I might have pushed myself too far as is!"

"Good idea," I said, stretching out my back as if I'd just come back from a light jog, "you can save yourself the trouble of well-and-truly thrashing me!"

Asa laughed. "Oh, trust me, you're seeing a selfish side of me now. I just didn't want to lose in front of all these Pokémon!"

The crowd parted to let us through, light applause at our intense but ultimately anticlimactic battle. It was a white lie, of course. He knows as well as I do there was no way I could have won. I was grateful he spared me the embarrassment of losing in front of my students. Tobias had a proud, beaming smile on his face as he looked at me.

"You would have won," he whispered.

We set on the grass amongst the azaleas while Asa worked away, the Gems around his neck glowing in turn. He didn't use them during our battle, I noted. There were other healers available, but he insisted on healing himself.

"How did you get so powerful?" I asked quietly.

"Hard work and healthy eating!"

I laughed. Sure, buddy. Then we heard Pokémon calling out. There was a great shuffling around as the crowds of soldiers returned to their correct positions. We had visitors.

I climbed up the hill to get a better look. There was a wide, thinly-forested purple path where Mount. Spring connected to Mount. Mire. Along came a procession of Pokémon maybe sixty strong. Their leader was a small Pokémon, maybe Tobias' size. I watched with passive curiosity. Then the shape looked up and waved. Were they looking at me?

Not knowing what else to do, I waved back. They were in the shade, it was hard to make out… Something caught the sunlight, a bright yellow gleam. A Treasure Hunter's Badge.

"Kara!"

…

I ran to Queen Octavia. Those were the Dojo Pokémon, at least some of them. The Queen ordered a troupe of thirty Pokémon to help them down to the camp. I went with them. Against the Queen's order, Asa went too. He'd been to the Dojo several times before, to heal his body and soul. The most powerful healer in the World went to the New Paige Dojo to heal. Her heart would have melted.

I found the Machop lying flat on the floor. Joe the Clobbopus and Jamey the Paras were helping her to her feet. Baylee was lying unconscious, a Quarry Graveler I didn't recognise was carrying her. Kara's legs shook as tried to right herself. I'd never seen her like this before. I'd never imagined her like this before. She took a few steps, caught herself on the trunk of a tree.

I ran to her, got down on one knee in front of her. "Kara! Kara, it's me, it's Khan, I'm here. You're safe now, I'm here."

Heavy, shrivelled red eyes looked back at me. "Khan?" she choked out.

Asa's lime-green Gem glowed, shining its light on each of them. Diagnostics. Behind Kara, Thrasher laid something — someone on the ground, and flexed his hands. A red, white, and black Pokémon, frozen solid. It looked like he'd been lacquered in ice, an inch-thick coating that had preserved him like a statue. His mouth was open in a furious snarl, and his claws were curled and poised. A Dusk Lycanroc dressed in red, blue, and white; not a Dojo Pokémon, by the looks of it. Most of the Pokémon were faces I didn't recognise. Primarily rock-types, some fire, some steel. The Graveler was wearing a red, white, and black tunic, but she was the only one clothed. They must have met some new Pokémon along they way who'd needed help. That was Kara for you.

"Kara, what happened?" I asked.

Kara's lips were blue. "Frost," she said, before her words failed her, and she fell into my arms.

"Frostbite?" I asked. "Kara, do you have frostbite?! Kara?!"

Not that. Anything but that. I turned to the bewildered Skarsgards soldiers.

"Get them inside, right now!" I barked. "Get them in the warm, get more fire-types, fetch the healers, now!"

The soldier Pokémon scurried away and did as they were told.

…

Mount. Mire was a six-thousand-metre wall, a roughly-shaped rectangle cut through by water. Majestic, but terrifying up close. On the north side, the mountain moved smoothly away into bare purple rock to meet the flat surface of the plateau. On the southern side, our side, the smooth rock face dropped down sharply, stopping at there jutting platforms boasting lush greenery and wide springs of water. The first waterfall burst from the peak of the mountain, connecting each lake to the other, and ending at the bottom, where it ran away east to join the sea. The trees on the right arm connecting Mire to Magma were short, withered, and bare. Our next destination: black rock, grey soot, red lava. Well, it beats another forest, at least.

Looking over the bare edge I saw the tunnel connecting the mountains, crawling around the rim of the plateau. It would have been a much quicker journey, but few settled Pokémon has seen the inside of those tunnels before (at least, few that lived to tell the tale) so Queen Octavia elected not to take the extra risk. Besides, tunnels that old, with unknown quantities of hostile wild Pokémon wandering around, ready for a fight? The Varias would be our last concern in the event of a cave-in. Nope, it was the long way around for us.

The Skarsgards (and friends) marched across the connecting bridge towards the middle lake. Mount. Chronicle faded away behind us. The Varias had just lost one hell of an opportunity. If we got to Mount. Cyclone as planned, we would be three entire Dungeons between us and the enemy, unless they wanted to risk marching their entire army across the plateau. No. No Pokémon who'd lived on in the Mountains would be that stupid.

The Queen insisted Alex's parents be carried in the prisoner caravan. They hadn't quite earned her trust yet. Can't say I'm surprised, but my heart goes out to them, fidgeting in that wooden cage while their long-lost son lay out of reach only a few dozen metres away from them, ready to jump into the next dangerous battle. (Then again I wouldn't have minded a free ride.)

I looked to the south. Black smoke rose on the horizon, now at the rainforest region (Gods, the rainforest is on fire), directly adjacent to the crownlands. We were running out of time. But if the Legendary was anywhere close to the city, the horns would sound, and the fires would be lit (with palpable irony). But that doesn't mean other areas won't be hit. All those villages we stayed in. Mahogany Village. It'll all be gone in a matter of days, unless we run into a miracle. We're not going to run into a miracle, are we?

It wasn't frostbite, it turned out. Thrasher the Primeape woke up first and explained Frost was the name of the Hooked Sandslash who led Team Arctic. But what he told me next was even more disturbing: that another God was making its way towards us even now. Frost blamed the destruction of the Polar Region and the threat of the Skarsgards as reason.

I couldn't help but recall how an ice-god had once caused devastation for the Pokémon of Mount. Chronicle. Dreigo and Zweil must have been young at the time, Dei still waiting to hatch. I wondered if that might make them more receptive to the idea of an alliance. Maybe, just maybe, one of us could win him around. Criminal or not, it wouldn't hurt to have a powerful lord on our side.