Chapter 18 – Flare-Weather Friends!
When Hiccup woke up, the first thing he knew was pain. His body jerked with the sensation, an ache that pounded most severely in his head and then gradually dulled as it spread down his spine. He groaned and tried to open his eyes, but they refused, feeling sticky and gummed up as though he'd just woken from a drugged sleep. He tried his hands and feet, and they responded, mostly devoid of the otherwise all-encompassing throb.
He noticed that he wasn't moving anymore. He could still hear the wind blowing someplace nearby, but it was… distant, part of the background, no longer surrounding him and tossing him like a cork. No, here… wherever he was… it was serene and pleasant. He wasn't sure what had happened – the last thing he remembered before blacking out had been being at the current's mercy. Why had it all stopped?
There was something else, too. Someone was close by. He could hear their voices chattering incoherently… they didn't sound like words he recognized. Something small and pointed pricked his cheek… a claw?
"Tooth… less…?" he slurred, and with supreme effort, cracked his eyes open. The night sky was there to greet him, spread out like a star-speckled blanket and framed by the jagged edges of clifftops on both sides.
Then a blob-shaped thing shoved itself in front of his face, and only after a lot of blinking did his vision sharpen enough to discern the round snout of Toothless. "Bagon bay bago! Bago bay-go bay!"
Hiccup forced his torso to rise, pulling himself into a sitting position despite the ache that dug its fangs into his ribs. Groaning, he rubbed at whatever was sore – it felt like pretty much everything – and blinked again, Toothless and now Skullcrusher coming into focus. The Axew wasn't hovering over him like Toothless had, instead remaining at a distance with deep, anxious concern swimming in his wide eyes.
"Boy, am I glad to see both of you," Hiccup grinned weakly. "Now that it's come back to me… you guys shouldn't have been able to hang on during that, ah… wild ride. How are we all together… and not… well… dead?"
Both Dragon-types pointed at something behind him, just as another voice rang out. "Starra star!"
As best as he was able to in his sitting position, Hiccup twisted himself around and goggled at the large bird Pokemon in dumbfounded wonder. "Stormfly? Am I seeing things, or is that you?" he asked, before the implication hit him in full. "Wait, so… did Astrid send you after us when she saw us get blown into the gulley? Did you save us?"
"Starrrrraptor!" Stormfly crowed, shaking her comb with obvious pride, and hopped forward to tweak Hiccup's ear with her beak affectionately.
"H-Hey, watch it," he warned, but it was half-hearted, and the unexpected attention forced a laugh out of him. "Thanks, Stormfly. I-I had no idea… you had such a friendly side. Definitely wouldn't have figured that from one of Astrid's Pokemon…"
The bird of prey finally left him alone long enough for him to stagger to his feet. He still felt as though he'd been run over by a truck, but the pain wasn't so bad that he couldn't stand up. Shaking his head to combat a leftover wave of dizziness, he took a steadying breath and stretched, letting his joints pop until he felt comfortable enough to move.
"Okay… I think I'm good," he said, as much to reassure himself as to reassure the Pokemon. "Toothless, Skullcrusher, you both alright? No injuries? Guess we can thank Stormfly for that, too… but anyway, I'm guessing Astrid and Fishlegs stayed on course and have reached Glittering Cave by now. Stormfly, can you lead us there?"
An affirmative chirp escaped her beak, and she raised her wings to demonstrate that she was ready to go right now. Hiccup was about to give the word, too, when a sudden racket from above made them both start, heads jerking up at the disturbance. The din, a droning buzz that drilled into the ears, was caused by a Pokemon that descended upon them with hostile intent, its four wings churning in tandem and a glare spilling from its bulging, glassy eyes.
"A Vi… Vibrava!" Hiccup exclaimed, and winced when the insect-like creature suddenly kicked its excruciating whine up a notch. "I-It's on the attack – Toothless and Skullcrusher, use Headbutt and Rock Smash!"
The two sprang up with their helmet and tusks primed to strike, but the Vibrava zipped upwards so that their attacks fell just short of its underside. It then retaliated with a thrumming Sonic Boom that plowed them both into the rock with a blisteringly loud CRACK.
Okay, not working. Dealing with an airborne enemy… what can we use to our advantage here? Hiccup thought furiously, glancing around at the limited space on the ledge. There were no trees or even boulders that his Pokemon could use to gain height. The thought of asking Stormfly to deal with it crossed his mind… but a sudden, contradictory pulse of emotion held him back.
What am I thinking? I can't use someone else's Pokemon to catch a Pokemon for myself! Hiccup decided, feeling for a Poke Ball. Of course, he hadn't forgotten the reason why he wanted to visit Wild Dragon Cliff in the first place, and had managed to sneak a couple in the pouch of his glider suit.
"Just a moment, Stormfly," he said, throwing a cautionary hand up to stop the Staraptor who, indeed, had been about to take flight to drive the Vibrava off. "Toothless, stand still and let Skullcrusher jump on you! Skullcrusher, get as high as you can and hit Vibrava with Dual Chop!"
"B-Bago?!" Toothless barked, but Skullcrusher was already on the move, stepping on Toothless' helmet and using it as a springboard to soar up to Vibrava. The teal glow of his tusks pierced the night, and he reared his head back for a swing…
"Braviiiii!" Vibrava's screech pierced their eardrums yet again as it blew out a billowing stream of dragonfire. The Dragon Breath slammed into Skullcrusher, and although the energy from his Dual Chop canceled out most of the damage, the force of the fire stream was enough to push him all the way back down to the ledge.
Fortunately, the Axew got back up on trembling legs and returned to Hiccup's side… where he was quickly beset upon by an outraged Toothless. Incensed at having been unceremoniously stomped on, Toothless lashed out at his teammate, who scowled and swiped right back.
"Guys, guys, not this again!" Hiccup shouted, and pulled the Dragon-types apart. "Now's not the time to start fighting. You were able to work together just fine against that Hydreigon, yeah? So you can definitely cooperate to defeat… the Vibrava…"
Looking up at their foe, Hiccup's heart sank as he caught a glimpse of it fleeing, its slender body shrinking into the distance until its tail had disappeared behind a rock formation. He sighed, dropping the Poke Ball he'd retrieved, and Toothless and Skullcrusher bowed their heads, embarrassed with themselves.
"Well, what can you do… we'll just have to find another Dragon-type at the Cliff," Hiccup reasoned. Then, he stopped – why did his own words sound so weird? Something about the mention of that place stirred something in him, some kind of… unease.
"The Cliff… the Cliff…" he chanted. He tapped his forehead repeatedly; he was tantalizingly close to a breakthrough. "Yeah, come to think of it… it is weird that the Vibrava and Hydreigon were so far from their habitat. It's almost like… they've fled their original home, like the Snorlax and Skullcrusher did. And Glittering Cave is supposed to be near the Cliff, so… maybe I was right all along. Maybe the missing researchers and the displaced Pokemon are all part of the same disaster!"
"Yew?" Skullcrusher chirped, sounding as though he agreed with his Trainer's hypothesis, and found it very alarming. "Yew, Axew yew!"
"And that would explain why those Dragon-types were acting so strangely," Hiccup continued, the fog in his brain clearing all at once to reveal a path forward. "The Hydreigon chased us a ridiculously long way, and the Vibrava fought us for all of fifteen seconds before it turned and ran. They must be scared to be away from their home.
"Alright, we have to catch up to the others now," he stated, balling his fists as determination took hold. From his other pocket, he took out a compass – bought in Ambrette Town for just such a moment as this. "Kalos Canyon should be… this way, I think. Toothless, Skullcrusher, you're with me."
He bent over and allowed them access to his back, but when they stepped forward in unison, they bumped into each other. This prompted another round of shoving and growling between the dragons, and Hiccup let out a frustrated huff. Was he really going to have to give them another lesson in teamwork after they'd made peace with each other?
"Come on, you guys, you're better than this," he muttered. They seemed not to hear and started butting heads, prompting him to raise his voice. "Alright, fine. You're both going into your balls for the rest of the trip. When we get there, I'll let you out again in case we run into trouble. Got it? Bud?"
Both Pokemon looked disappointed, Toothless pouting and Skullcrusher hanging his head, but they accepted Hiccup's decision as final and allowed themselves to be drawn back into the capsules. Pocketing them, Hiccup took a stimulating breath of cool night air and braced himself for what was to come. When he was ready, he again addressed Stormfly.
"Okay… take me to Astrid and Fishlegs," he requested.
Stormfly's only response was to take flight with a mighty slash of her wings. Hiccup leapt off after a running start, the wind picking him up in short order and carrying him out into the canyon. As Stormfly climbed higher, heading for the clifftops, Hiccup shifted his posture so that he caught the wind at an upward angle, following the bird until they'd soared past the gorge's confines and returned to the wide world beyond.
Immediately, Hiccup saw the dark slash in the earth that was Kalos Canyon – it was distant, more so than he'd expected, but well within reach of his wings. Keeping on Stormfly's tail, he aimed straight for that faraway chasm, looking forward to reuniting with his friends and finishing their harrowing mission.
I hope I haven't kept them waiting long, he wished. And I hope their arrival is more voluntary than mine was on that ledge…
Fortunately, at least one of Hiccup's fears was for naught. When Astrid at last gave the signal for her and Fishlegs to land, they did so with intent and in relative safety. They touched down on a small ledge protruding from the left side of the canyon, Astrid swooping elegantly in and touching down with both feet in a masterful display of precision. Seconds later, Fishlegs flailed his arms frantically as he tried desperately to lose speed, only to end up crashlanding on his belly in a plume of dust.
"Well, we made it," Astrid commented, stretching herself out after the long flight. "See? Take a look, Wild Dragon Cliff is just over yonder."
Groaning, Fishlegs managed to raise his head enough to stare out across the width of the canyon. Farther south, a protruding, almost perfectly rectangular slab of rock jutted out from the canyon wall on the opposite side. It was so large as to rise several meters above the canyon, looking like a monument that had been specifically placed there instead of naturally eroded. Faintly, Fishlegs could make out a series of speckles all over the face of the Cliff – dragon dens, hundreds packed into the slab like a Wingull colony.
"And take a look up ahead," Astrid continued, pointing. "This path continues a few meters up the wall. You can see Glittering Cave at the end of it."
Just as she said, Fishlegs spotted a large opening in the stone at the end of the narrow ledge, some ways above him. True to its name, the cave entrance was ringed by gemstones of all colors, each glowing faintly in the shadows.
But Fishlegs only gave the cavern a single glance before climbing to his feet hastily. He watched with wide eyes as Astrid continued to stretch and bend, readying herself to venture inside, as casual as if they were going for a stroll on the beach. Did… did she even care about what had just happened? Anxiety built up inside him until his nerves were wound tight, and words gathered on his tongue until his mouth felt too stuffed to hold onto them.
"Well? Let's get moving," Astrid said, proceeding up the ledge with a motion of her arm.
Fishlegs couldn't take it anymore, succumbing to the need to speak his mind. "Waitwaitwaitwait, Astrid!" he squawked, bumbling after her. She gawked at him, startled, but he hardly noticed as the words began to spill out like water from a burst dam. "H-How, how can you b-be so calm?! Are w-we even gonna t-talk about what w-we just went through?! W-We narrowly escaped the jaws of a H-H-Hydreigon, o-one of the most v-vicious Pokemon in the w-world! D-Do you understand wh-what a miracle it is th-that we're still a-alive?!"
Astrid started to say something, but her unchanging, neutral expression only panicked Fishlegs further, the word-vomit spewing twice as fast in desperate need to get through to her. "A-And that's not even the worst part! H-Hiccup is g-gone! We lost Hiccup! Th-The last we s-saw of him w-was him being s-swept off to who knows where! We h-have to go back and g-get him! Oh heavens, wh-what if he's injured?! What if he's d-d-dead?! I-In all the chaos, I n-never stopped t-to think about it, b-but now –"
His breathless ramble stopped instantly – Astrid's hand was squeezing his shoulder, tight enough to hurt, and the look in her eyes was a harsh reprimand. "Fishlegs, stop. Panicking is a waste of time. Hiccup isn't dead, or in trouble – Stormfly is with him, and she'll see to it that he's safe. Now, are you coming, or not?"
He tried to let that assuage his fears, he really did. His lip quivered, and he opened his mouth to take a calming breath, but the gravity of the crisis they were in refused to let him go. She still didn't understand! It was like she didn't even care! The appalling notion was all it took to burst his bubble, babble spilling forth in a constant outpouring of regret and grief and fear.
"E-Even with Stormfly, he's s-still lost and alone in the unforgiving w-wild!" he whined, his protests growing louder with distress, disbelief, and a touch of anger. "Th-There's no way we can continue onward w-with a friend left behind! W-We have to make finding Hiccup our n-new priority until w-we can be assured th-that he's safe and s-sound!"
Anger blazed to life in Astrid's eyes, and, seizing his other shoulder, she shook him firmly. "Fishlegs, will you get a grip?!" she snarled. "Do you really think I'd just abandon someone to fend for themselves?! Stormfly has been with me since the beginning of my career as a Trainer and I guarantee that she will take care of Hiccup. She's probably on her way here with him right now, in fact!
"Besides, even if I hadn't sent my best and most trusted partner after him," she ranted further, pulling Fishlegs – now frozen to the spot in the center of her ire – closer to her eye level, "we don't have any efficient way of locating him. Flying all over the wilderness in search of him would take so long that the sun would come up before we succeeded. It would be nothing but a waste of time. Meanwhile, the entire reason we came here was to investigate Glittering Cave. We're here now, so we might as well hurry up and investigate. Do you understand, Fishlegs?"
She shoved him sharply away from her, her scowl deepening, and for once, Fishlegs found himself at a loss for words. It wasn't just her intimidating temper that cowed him, nor even her shockingly cold logic in the face of Hiccup's possible demise, that cowed him… it was the fact that a small part of him agreed with that logic. He felt the panic ebb away, beat by beat, as his mind slowed down and started to process the contents of her tirade.
Astrid isn't being cruel. She's… being her usual self. Focused and efficient, he figured out. Of course she cares about Hiccup… well, within the terms of basic human decency. It's true that we can't search on our own for him… th-that Hydreigon, or something else, might ambush us. We… we can't put ourselves at risk, too. I have to trust Astrid… and Stormfly, to look after Hiccup.
At last, Fishlegs felt his throat clear enough for him to take that calming breath, and he let it out again with only a minor tremor. "O-Okay…" he relented. "Okay, I… I agree. We'll take things from here and wait for Hiccup to catch up. B-But… but if he doesn't show up by the time we're finished investigating, we're going straight back to where he lost him and looking for him ourselves! I refuse to budge on that!"
He impressed himself with how firm he sounded, and Astrid seemed to approve, too. "Alright, that's fair," she compromised, her tone and expression relaxing back to neutrality. "Sorry for… you know, yelling at you."
"Ah… I'm s-sorry, too. F-For losing myself to p-panic," Fishlegs stumbled awkwardly over the words, caught off guard by the apology. "I-If… um, if we're doing this, l-let's try and work together. L-Like Stormfly is w-working with Toothless and Skullcrusher. P-Probably."
Another nod from the Hofferson girl. "That's the stuff. Now hurry up… and call that Rhyhorn of yours back out. We can use her."
They approached the cavern in single file, the ledge being just precarious enough so that they couldn't walk safely abreast. Fishlegs had to swallow a whimper of fright when they peered past the bejeweled threshold and were greeted by nothing but darkness. With shaking fingers, he pried open his pack and extracted his little lantern, whose light was just strong enough to show them the first meter or so of tunnel. With his other hand, he pulled out Meatlug's Poke Ball and released her.
"L-Let's go, girl," he gulped. "D-Don't be frightened – I-I'll be r-right beside you the whole w-way."
"Rhy!" Meatlug grunted, and eagerly trotted inside. Squeaking, Fishlegs had to hurry after her so that she wouldn't vanish into the shadows without them. He heard Astrid's footfalls behind him, which helped relax him somewhat.
I have nothing to be scared of. I have friends by my side, he tried to tell himself as, gradually, the moonlit entrance shrank into the background and darkness surrounded them on all sides. I'm just walking through a dark tunnel… knowing nothing about what's inside… th-the very same place where a whole t-team of scientists d-disappeared…
A violent shudder climbed up his back at the thought, and he hastily turned his attention to Astrid, whose voice echoed faintly in the tunnel's confines. "Even with the lantern, it's so dark in here," she remarked, waving it around experimentally. "We just passed a gap in the wall – I think this place has side tunnels that split off from this one."
"I don't think there's any need to go wandering off into any of th-those," Fishlegs replied. "I-If this is a dig site for the Kalos Fossil Lab, then it m-makes more sense that it would be r-right at the end of the main tunnel, d-doesn't it?"
Astrid hummed. "Not to sound skeptical, but I'd feel much better if we probed as much of this place as we can. Come out!"
Her abrupt shout, followed by an equally sudden burst of light, made Fishlegs flinch. He turned the lantern on his companion, revealing that she'd summoned a Pokemon to her aid, specifically a Zubat. Seeing a new Pokemon right in front of him brought his scholarly side rising up to the surface, and it only took him a moment to recognize what Astrid intended to do.
"Oh, ingenious!" he exclaimed. "Zubat naturally dwell in caves and navigate using their echolocation! You're planning to have your Zubat navigate for us, aren't you?"
The look she gave him was a mix of surprise and reluctant amazement. "Yeah, that's… exactly it," she said. "You might not be a strong Trainer, but you certainly know a lot about Pokemon."
"Thank… you?" he responded to the backhanded compliment with confusion, inadvertently letting Astrid pass him and take the lead. His anxiety returned in full force when she threatened to leave the guiding light of his lantern, and he scurried to catch up.
Hours seemed to pass by as Fishlegs, Astrid, and their Pokemon progressed through the tunnel, although it was probably closer to minutes. While Astrid led the way, her Zubat constantly clicking as they moved, Fishlegs busied himself with examining the multicolored crystals that speckled the walls and ceiling. Under ordinary circumstances, he would've found them pretty, but the way they only faintly pierced the darkness made them appear unnerving and alien. Their lights had a fuzzy, distorted quality to them, as though only barely keeping themselves from being swallowed by the shadows.
And creepier still was the silence. Unlike everywhere else Fishlegs had ever been, there were no ambient Pokemon cries, no dripping water, not even wind. The only sounds were their footfalls, whose dull clacks bounced off the walls crisply without anything to muffle them. To Fishlegs, they accentuated his creeping suspicion that they were completely alone down here.
For someone whose chief fear had been of whatever had claimed the Fossil Lab researchers, it was a surprisingly disturbing notion.
"A-Astrid, listen," Fishlegs whispered, and fought down a wave of dread when even that sounded loud. "Sh-Shouldn't we have heard something by now? Like… a P-Pokemon, or… some kind of activity?"
"I don't know. Even Zubat hasn't picked up on anything yet," she answered. She sounded uncertain, and Fishlegs thought that, perhaps, he wasn't alone in his apprehension. But soon, she gave a dismissive shrug and added, "Well, it's probably for the best. If there's nothing here, then nothing's wrong, right? Maybe the scientists or whoever managed to get out and left just before we got here."
As much as Fishlegs wanted that to be the case, he didn't for a minute believe it. He knew he scared easily, and the interior of Glittering Cave was setting off a lot of his personal alarm bells, but… could his own fears explain why it felt like his instincts were screaming at him? The more he dwelled on it, the more he became convinced that there was something very wrong with this place.
"A-Astrid," he started again, panic beginning to seep into his voice again, "i-if there's truly n-nothing here, th-then something is d-deeply amiss! W-We shouldn't –"
She wasn't listening, though. Actually, none of them were. Astrid's full attention was on Zubat, whose intermittent clicks had become an excited chatter, and Meatlug… Meatlug was trembling, but Fishlegs couldn't tell from what. And, at exactly that moment of concentrated, attentive silence, Fishlegs picked up on an impossibly faint, rhythmic sound coming from deeper inside.
"Wh-What is…?" he breathed, almost too mystified to speak.
"Hooorn! Hooorn!" Meatlug grunted, insistent, and bumped her head against the wall impatiently. When Fishlegs placed his hand against the stone, his eyebrows shot up when he felt a vibration tingling over his skin.
"See?" Astrid said. "There's your Pokemon activity, if it isn't the scientists themselves. Nothing to worry about. We should check it out!"
Before Fishlegs could utter even the tiniest of objections, Astrid and Zubat were gone, lost to the darkness beyond their measly meter or so of visibility. Meatlug was scratching at the ground now, definitely agitated and itching to take off after them. Fishlegs sighed – Please don't make me regret this…! – and gestured for Meatlug to come with him. She didn't need telling twice, and the indistinct contours of the tunnel passed by in a blur as they sprinted at full tilt into the unknown.
It wasn't long before, through the sweat already pooling on his brow, Fishlegs spotted something that made him skid frantically to a halt, arms windmilling frantically. Well… it was a combination of that and Astrid suddenly reappearing in the lantern's light, whom he just avoided bowling over. Shooting him a warning look, the Hofferson girl cocked her head in the direction of the next bend in the tunnel, her intention crystal-clear.
There was warm orange light flickering on the walls up ahead. That would have been incriminating enough, but Fishlegs also noticed the strange sounds echoing louder from up ahead. Together, there was no question about it – the tunnels weren't unoccupied after all. They were still being used.
"Th-The researchers…?" Fishlegs asked.
"Shh!" Astrid warned, a finger on her lips forming the universal sign for "shut it". "I don't know about you, but I have a bad feeling about this. Follow me, but stay low and be quiet."
He agreed without making a fuss. As soon as she'd said it, the dread came back in full force, and he knew more than ever before that they were walking straight into danger. He clamped his lips tightly shut, not allowing even a whisper to escape, and returned Meatlug to her Poke Ball. He was ready to investigate… anxious, but ready.
Once Astrid returned her Zubat, they were on the move, crouched and moving stealthily into the light. It grew brighter steadily, banishing the shadows to paint the tunnel with dull orange. The crystals around them now glittered and winked without the darkness to quench them, guiding Fishlegs and Astrid further toward the source of the illumination. At last, they rounded a corner that glowed the brightest yet…
…and emerged into a spacious cave whose walls were strung with artificial lamps, producing a light as comfortable as the typical well-lit room. Crystals speckled the wall even more densely than ever, reflecting the lamplight off their surfaces, but even though they were pretty, they weren't even half as interesting as what else the cave had to offer. There were definite signs of past activity all over the place, such as the dusty stacks of old crates and the mine carts resting in tiny alcoves atop dilapidated tracks. Fishlegs' enthusiasm for history was already triggered, his mind racing with theories about what the Fossil Lab's dig site had been repurposed from, and what possible value the crystals might've had in years past.
Then, in the blink of an eye, all thoughts about past use were exterminated, killed by an icy wave of suffocating fear. For the cave was currently in use – by an unpleasantly familiar group of ne'er-do-wells in crimson suits.
"T-T-T-Team F-Flare…!" Fishlegs blurted, the phrase slipping past his sealed lips in a terrified squeak, and Astrid swiftly yanked him behind a stack of crates just as the nearest Flare goon turned his visor in their direction.
He could hardly be blamed for breaking his vow of silence. Past the tucked away relics, there were Team Flare members everywhere, far more than the few that had stormed Professor Sycamore's lab – and they had been scary enough, thank you! No, this was an operation on a scale which he couldn't ever have foreseen, with at least fourteen suits visible in Fishlegs' line of sight alone. They were bustling to and fro, some studying clipboards as they marched past, others taking odd instruments and passing them over the cave walls, and still others standing by as drone-like wheeled machines extended drill-tipped arms and dug into the rock. It was an absolute hive of activity, and Fishlegs was sure he wasn't supposed to be watching any of it.
"Keep your voice down!" Astrid hissed at him, and he pried his eyes away from the busy grunts to meet her demanding expression. "What do you know? Who are these people?"
It took Fishlegs a while to answer, waiting until his heart had finished palpitating and he was certain he could trust himself to speak without another outburst. When he did talk, it was in a low voice that was dark with horror. "They're… T-Team Flare. Wh-When Hiccup and I visited Professor Sycamore at his lab… th-they appeared out of n-nowhere. A-All they said was that they wanted the P-Professor's research b-before they tried to claim him by f-force. H-Hiccup, the P-Professor, and I barely d-drove them off. A-And n-now they're back!"
"Shhhh!" she shushed him again, and only spoke again after peeking over the crate and confirming they hadn't been discovered. "So what you're saying is that they're the bad guys. If they're doing something in Glittering Cave, do you think they're responsible for the people going missing here?"
Having been so preoccupied at the unpleasant prospect of a reunion with Team Flare, Fishlegs hadn't made the connection between their presence and the incident that had brought him and Astrid here, and Astrid's suggestion was a dawning ray of possibility on that mystery. "They… very well might be, yes," he responded, cautiously. "I-If they are, then the s-situation is much w-worse than we suspected! The r-researchers are in d-danger! W-We're in danger! We have to g-go back and w-warn the Academy… warn the p-police!"
The look Astrid gave him wasn't quite as decisive – rather, it was just speculative enough to make Fishlegs uneasy. "Or," she said in a tone that matched her thoughtfully raised eyebrow, "we need to stay a little longer. Get more information, find out why these Flare people are here in the first place."
"Wh-What?" Fishlegs hissed as loud as he dared. She couldn't possibly be considering walking right into the middle of Team Flare's operation! That was tantamount to suicide!
"Think about it," Astrid insisted. "I can see why they'd want a guy like Sycamore to join them, but a bunch of random scientists out in the middle of nowhere? Don't you think it's odd that they're even out here? We have the opportunity to spy on these guys, find out their motive! That'll be much more useful information to the authorities than just knowing they're here."
"Th-That… that is… i-it's not…!" Fishlegs wanted to argue against that, but it was a genuinely good point. Astrid already looked like she had made up her mind, to boot, and was already getting ready to leave their hiding place. "A-Astrid, j-just think about this…! If we're c-caught…!"
As he feared, she ignored him and made her move, darting to the other wall and rolling behind another stack of crates. Then, risking a split-second peek over that cover, she was off again, disappearing from Fishlegs' point of view. Suddenly realizing that he was alone, he whimpered at the horrible decision he was now forced to make: stick together with his one ally, or cower alone.
"I want to go home…" he moaned, before getting to his feet.
Somehow, he was able to get to the next pile without being seen, and then the one after that. The thought of being seen by the many pairs of eyes roving the cavern didn't paralyze him, but spurred him on, even though the rational part of him knew very well that he was digging his grave deeper. Fortunately, Astrid hadn't gone far; she was crouched behind the third stack of crates he ran to, which provided cover from both the front and the side. By now, they were a fair ways into the cavern and a significant distance from the tunnel entrance. There was no turning back now.
Of the many more Team Flare members he could now see at this new angle, one caught Fishlegs' attention – he was pushing a large wheelbarrow filled with crystals, of the same sort they'd already seen hundreds of throughout Glittering Cave. The lackey left as quickly as he arrived, but Fishlegs' curious eyes followed him all the way to the bend he disappeared around.
"You're right, Astrid," he said. "They aren't here for the researchers. It looks as though they're interested in the crystals."
"But why?" Astrid asked the obvious, to which Fishlegs had no answer. "We need a closer look."
The rest of the cavern was a wide open space where they wouldn't be able to hide. Fishlegs shook his head wildly and told her, "Th-There's no way get there undetected! We should turn back and g-get out of here while we s-still have the cha–"
"Hey, you two!"
Fishlegs felt something inside of him wither and die. Namely, his hope of getting out of Glittering Cave unscathed, and the shout from the Team Flare goon that had snuck up from behind was the final nail in the coffin.
"Who are you? How'd you get in here?!" the man demanded. He held a Poke Ball threateningly in his raised fist.
Astrid was immediately on guard, taking a combat-ready stance with a Poke Ball of her own ready to throw. Behind her, Fishlegs didn't budge, waves of fear flooding his veins with ice water.
"Who we are doesn't matter," Astrid said coolly. "As for how we got here, it was through the same way we're leaving. If you know what's good for you, you won't get in our way."
"Rich, coming from a couple of kids!" the Team Flare grunt snapped back. Other shouts began to ring through the cavern, followed by dozens of running feet.
Hesitantly, Fishlegs rose from behind their cover and saw that they were surrounded by red-clad bodies. "A-Astrid…" he whined.
But the Hofferson girl was undeterred, digging in her heels with no intention of backing down. "Come on, Fishlegs! Even if they have the advantage of numbers, you can't give up without trying!"
He held his breath; she was extending her hand out to him, inviting him to take it. It was a call to action, a summons specifically for him… for him to stand tall and fight for his freedom.
"If we work as a team, we can do this!" Astrid yelled, defiant to the last. "We're getting out of here – so let's stand and fight, together!"
Hiccup had just started to think that he would never be able to find the entrance to a single cave in the vastness of Kalos Canyon. Not only was there so much ground to cover, but in the dark of night, the shadows were long and thick enough to disguise entire cliffsides. And where the moon's light fell, everything was the same shade of silvery-gray, painting great swathes of vertical stone in monochrome. Glittering Cave may as well have been a Voltorb in a Poke Ball factory.
At least, that was his mindset until he spotted the tiniest glint of color midway down the cliff to his left. A thrill passing through him at the sight, Hiccup knew that his travels were at an end, and started the landing procedure.
"Going down!" he called to Stormfly, and the bird Pokemon that had led him here flicked a wing in reply.
As he'd practiced at the Sky Battle Academy, Hiccup tilted his sails so that they no longer caught the wind, turning his straight flight path into a downward spiral toward the landing platform he was aiming for. He didn't want to dive straight for the ledge as Stormfly was doing – he didn't have the same expert control as she did, and he'd surely break something on impact. No, he had to lose speed gradually, circling down like a Mandibuzz toward roadkill until he got close enough. Once he did, he tipped his body back all at once, his wings flaring to attain maximum drag, and touched down feetfirst with a significant stumble.
"Okay…!" he gasped, picking himself up where he'd fallen onto his hands and knees. "All things considered, that was a fine enough landing… Now, come out, Toothless."
All he had to do was remove the Poke Ball from his pack for it to open on its own, Toothless throwing his little arms into the air in a dramatic stretch that spoke volumes of how pleased he was to be out of the stuffy sphere. While he revelled in the refreshing outdoors, Hiccup turned his attention to the cave entrance in front of him. It would have been completely unremarkable, and practically invisible from the air, if it hadn't been for the ring of multicolored crystals around its edge. Even now, as he rotated his head to gaze at them, they winked with reflected moonlight.
"Well, now we know why they call it 'Glittering Cave'," he remarked snidely. "Thanks for getting us here, Stormfly. We couldn't have done it without you."
"Starra!" she clucked, flipping her crest as if to say "of course".
"Alright, what do you say we go catch up with your Train–" he started, only to stop short. "Uh, bud? You okay?"
Indeed, it was Toothless' sudden change in behavior that confused him so. Whereas before the Bagon had been bursting with energy from being cooped up in his ball, he was now completely still. No, not completely… Hiccup noticed a subdued shudder in his partner's posture, and it wasn't because of the cold. Toothless' full attention was on the cave entrance and the impenetrable gloom within, so much so that he didn't react when Hiccup approached to place a hand on his helmet.
"Bud? Is something wrong?" he asked. When Toothless at last lifted his head, the look of apprehension in his eyes struck at Hiccup's heart, and he, too, gave an instinctive shiver. "Do you… sense something in there?"
"Bago…" Toothless was unsure, but one thing was certain – it wasn't the dark that was spooking him so.
That confirms it, then… we're walking right into danger, Hiccup thought. The dread that had been subtly swirling inside him since the start of this expedition returned tenfold, and when the faces of Astrid and Fishlegs emerged in his mind's eye, his fists clenched and shook. There's no sign of them out here… I hope that doesn't mean that they're in trouble. Only one way to find out… but Fishlegs took the only lantern. We're literally going in blind.
"Uh, Stormfly," he began, glancing at Astrid's Pokemon. "Are you going to follow us in, or… I mean, it looks pretty dark in there, and it'll be difficult to keep track of each other…"
Stormfly squawked in response and tossed her head, then pointed her wing upwards and made a swift circle motion.
"You're saying…" Hiccup frowned as he tried to interpret the gesture. "… You're going to stay out here and patrol in case someone else comes by?"
"Staraptor star!" Stormfly confirmed, stomping a talon on the ground for emphasis.
That was at least a little weight off Hiccup's chest. "Sounds good," he smiled at her. "We should be back with the others soon. But… on the off chance we aren't, and we come out without them, then that'll mean we need your help."
As she nodded and settled down for a long wait, Hiccup sucked in a breath and regarded Toothless once more. He was still tense, vibrating with barely withheld unease about… whatever was beyond the veil of darkness before them. Gingerly, Hiccup kneeled and gave the most reassuring smile he could manage.
"It'll be fine, bud," he said. "You and me, together… if we can take a Gym Leader solo, we can make it through a dumb old cave, no sweat."
Though some hesitance remained, Toothless' countenance lightened significantly, a renewed sparkle lighting his eyes. "Bay bago!"
"Atta boy, Toothless," Hiccup felt his grin widen to become a little more genuine. "Then… this is it. In we go. Into the dark, creepy tunnel with no light whatsoever. Fun times…"
He held his breath, summoned his courage, and plunged into the darkness.
Without a lantern to light their way, the moonlight from the entrance faded incredibly quickly, and in seconds, visibility was next to zero. Crystals grew along the walls and offered the tiniest pinpricks of dim light, but it was barely enough for Hiccup to see a blurry outline of his hand in front of his face. Step after careful step, he proceeded extra-slowly into the inky black, horribly aware of how his every breath rasped through the silence.
"Toothless…?" he dared to whisper. Even in a deliberate bid to lower his voice, his words rang through the tunnel… somehow, the noise was even worse than the alternative. "You still with me, bud…?"
A chirp was his answer, similarly hushed. Whenever they passed by a crystal that protruded close to the floor, he could catch a faint glimpse of his partner, the smallest of reassurances that they were managing to stick together. Still, anxiety pervaded the air between them, and Hiccup found his attention being drawn to those fleeting glimpses of Toothless more and more. He was woken from his proverbial (and literal) tunnel vision when he stumbled suddenly and almost smacked into the wall, and made the firm decision to pick up and carry Toothless from there. His chest unclenched, and breathing got a little easier; with the dragonling secure in his arms, the darkness felt much less suffocating.
"This isn't so bad," he muttered, as much to himself as to Toothless. "Just follow the path. One foot in front of the other. See, bud, this is easy –"
WHAM.
Pain exploded where his face met solid rock, and terror at the unexpected impact jolted through his system to send him staggering back. One hand flew to his chest as though to calm his racing heart, and the other to his nose to confirm it hadn't been broken – only then did it register in his frazzled mind that both his hands were Toothless-free. Thankfully, a chirp from below told him that Toothless hadn't gotten lost in the split second of confusion, stopping the next bolt of fear as soon as it seized him.
Gradually, the whirlpool of chaotic emotion ebbed away, leaving Hiccup with his mind intact and only the tiniest sting in his nose. "How did that happen?" he asked. "Did the path curve without us realizing it…?"
The rhetorical question sounded tinnier than usual, which he found odd. Had the tunnel shrunk, too? Suspicious, he stuck his hands out, first in front of him and then to either side. All three times, his palms met cool, hard stone.
A wave of exasperation washed over him, prompting a long groan. "Really, a dead end?!" he complained. "Don't tell me that we wandered onto a side path without even knowing it! I can't believe this… Toothless, what are we going to do? Without any light, it'll take us hours to make it through here at this rate."
He didn't get a response – at least, not a verbal one. Suddenly, light flared in front of Hiccup's face, burning his retinas. Instinctively clapping his hands over his eyes to rub out the lingering sunspots, light again seeped through the gaps, this time accompanied by a blast of heat. Quickly connecting the dots, Hiccup peeled his eyelids back open just in time to see pink light reflecting off the cave walls, and dragonfire sparks dribbling from Toothless' open mouth.
"Toothless, you're a genius!" he exclaimed, and he wasn't bothered when his voice echoed freely through the dark. "Can you continue using Dragon Breath to light the way!"
"Bagon bay!" Toothless exclaimed back, immensely pleased, and coughed another flicker of flame to illuminate his grin.
With the need for a lantern now rendered moot, Hiccup and Toothless found their way back to the main path easily, now able to see the divergence where they'd taken the wrong turn. The tunnel's contours lit up in bursts of pink light with short puffs of flickering dragonfire, allowing the pair to forge ahead more confidently. The crystals whose collective glows had once been entirely quenched by shadow now flashed brightly, their hues of orange, green, and blue joining the pink to turn Glittering Cave into a kaleidoscope that truly deserved its name.
The beauty that now sparkled around them was only surface-level, though – it didn't make the potential hazard they were walking into any less hazardous. Though his mood was boosted significantly by his newfound ability to see, Hiccup couldn't quite shake the little core of dread that sat in his gut like a lump of lead. He was expecting at any minute to see, in one of Toothless' next illuminating Dragon Breaths, a deadly and territorial Pokemon blocking the path, or the aftermath of a rockslide, one of his friends' arms sticking out from underneath…
Then, when they turned the corner, he did see something.
"Toothless, stop for a moment!" he hissed. Obediently, Toothless clamped his mouth shut, and the tunnel darkened permanently… except for a mote of light floating in the dark, a solitary star in a sea of black. And it didn't just hang motionless – no, it moved along at a leisurely pace, bobbing back and forth as though being dangled by an invisible carrier.
Hiccup stared, momentarily unable to believe what he was seeing. "Is it just me," he asked, "or does that light coming toward us look just like a lantern?"
That couldn't really be Fishlegs, could it? Hopeful, Hiccup began to edge nearer, watching the light dance its idle jig as it meandered toward him. It got larger, more details phased into view… and that was when Hiccup stopped his cautious approach. The floating light was no lantern – it was a Pokemon.
It flitted to a stop in front of Hiccup's bewildered face, levitating without the need for wings. Small and squishy, its light emanated from the blinking eyespots on its top, which resembled a toque, and two curious eyes blinked underneath.
Hiccup blinked back, words failing him utterly. What the heck is…?
"Inkay?" the Pokemon said, tilting itself as if to ask what Hiccup was doing there – and then it exploded with searing light.
Hiccup cried out and desperately flung his arms up to guard against the supernova. Blind, he heard Toothless give a startled bark, and a childish giggle from the unknown Pokemon. Out of nowhere, he felt hands seize his arm, and he shouted as fear swept over him anew. Who was there?! Who was attacking him?! What did they want?! Where were they taking hi–
His back struck a wall, shoved into it by his mysterious assailant. Adrenalin pumping through him, he swung his fist wildly, only for the hands to return and pin his arms to the wall. He kicked out, only for a sharp sting to travel up his foot when someone stepped on his toes. His mouth was stuffed with heavy cloth before he could scream again, and he heard breath next to his ear, the beginnings of a hushed word.
Whatever they had to say, Toothless beat them to the punch. The Bagon let out a shrill roar and let fly with a mighty Dragon Breath, instantly filling the tunnel with pink, firecracker-like light and the boom of exploding flames. For only a second, Hiccup's surroundings were awash in clarity…
… and the instant he saw his attacker, he stopped dead.
Just as quickly as they'd come, the noise and light vanished, leaving only void in their absence. The grip on Hiccup's body slackened, and he took the opportunity to spit out his gag. "What the – Heather?! What is the matter with you?!"
Another light blinked on: the levitating Pokemon again, shining brightly enough this time to illuminate a small portion of the corridor. Heather's face stood out starkly pale against the dark backdrop, her long hair melding with the shadows and her green eyes piercingly serious. He'd never seen her like this before, stern-faced and… scratch that. Why was he seeing her at all?!
"Hiccup?!" she exclaimed with uncharacteristic bite. "I thought you were… Never mind that, what are you doing here?"
"That's funny; that's the same question I wanted to ask you," Hiccup couldn't help but snark back.
She let go of him, allowing him to stand and reach back to massage the spot where his spine had hit the stone. Toothless scampered over to him, tense with concern, and he lifted the Bagon in the crook of his arm and soothingly stroked his helmet. All the while, Heather stared at him with an unreadable expression, something midway between confusion, disapproval, and annoyance. Seeing as how he'd just been attacked by her, it irked him more than a little to be the subject of such judgement.
"So, am I going to get an answer, or…?" he sniped, glaring back at her. "It'd be nice if you apologized for throwing me into a wall, at least. Heather, what's going on?"
"I thought you and your friends were going to Wild Dragon Cliff," Heather said accusingly. "I never suspected you'd come here to –"
Suddenly, she froze, her posture rigid and her eyes flicking toward the shadows that her Pokemon's light failed to penetrate. "Somebody's coming," she announced, to Hiccup's consternation. "Hurry – this way. We have to hide."
Before Hiccup could utter so much as a word of protest, she'd grabbed his arm again and was dragging him off after her Pokemon, which had dimmed its lights to almost nothing. Struck dumb by her rough treatment, he stumbled after her and made sure to keep his grip on Toothless, which was difficult with how much she was tugging on him.
At last, they ducked into a side tunnel and hid along the wall most sheltered from the main path. A signal from Heather prompted her Pokemon to shut off its glow entirely, plunging them back into total darkness. "Seriously, Heather, wha–"
The hand she slapped against his mouth to quiet him was firm and cold. "Shhh," she cautioned. "They're almost here."
Unable to ask just who she was referring to, Hiccup was fortunately not left in the dark (figuratively) for long. Soon enough, a pair of voices began to echo along the main path, loud and brash as though they owned the place… or, rather, they didn't suspect there to be eavesdropped on.
"You see something come down here, Frank?" a man's voice asked.
"Come on, Lars, it was probably nothing," a second voice came, also masculine.
"It wasn't nothing!" Lars claimed. "There was light, I saw it."
Now the sound of boots on rock joined the voices, and Hiccup instinctively held his breath – they were almost at the side passage.
"It was probably just one of those gemstone eaters – Sableye, I think," Frank replied, then cursed as metal rattled nearby. "Ugh, this crappy lantern is almost busted. Can't see a thing down here."
"What if it's trouble?" Lars insisted. "What if there're more nosy Trainers coming? Or the cops?"
"Then Miss Bryony will take care of them like she did the others," Frank huffed, like he'd already said it thrice before. "She won't let anyone disturb us while we finish this mission. Now come on, back to the cave. Houndour, give us a light, wouldja?"
There was a bark, and then a roar of flame that sent red light racing down the tunnel. Hiccup's eyes flicked instinctively toward the source and spotted the two speakers in all their glory. Even in the firelight, he could tell that their business-like attire was bright scarlet, and there was no mistaking the mirrored visors on their faces. Then the firelight dissipated, and the two men's footfalls faded back the way they'd come.
The squid Pokemon's light came back on, and Heather backed off from Hiccup to peek down the main path. As soon as his mouth was free, Hiccup gasped in a tremulous tone, "Th-That was Team Flare!"
Instantly, Heather's sharp gaze was on him, and he was uncannily reminded of Astrid and her similarly accusatory glares. "How do you know about Team Flare?"
"They tried to ransack Professor Sycamore's lab while Fishlegs and I were visiting," Hiccup answered without thinking. "They wanted to kidnap Sycamore, but we stopped them just… wait. You know Team Flare?"
Like a jigsaw piece snapping into place, a realization hit him. "You're down here because of them," he breathed, eyes flying wide. "Is this… is this the 'business' you mentioned to Fishlegs and I when we last met?"
"… Yes," she confirmed after a pregnant pause. "They have something I want. Are you after them too, then? Revenge for the incident at the lab?"
"Wha–" Hiccup was simply too incredulous to continue past that first syllable, his instinctive reply left hanging in the air. He gawked at Heather, astounded by what she'd said – it wasn't just the notion of him wanting to enact vengeance on a criminal organization she'd suggested that blindsided him, but more so the tidbit that had preceded it. They have something she… Heather is going after Team Flare?
His first instinct was to press her for details, and indeed, his mouth opened with the intention of doing just that. But when he looked at her to ask, and noticed again her very Astrid-like scrutiny, the desire evaporated. Astrid and Fishlegs… all signs now pointed to them being in terrible peril, and the need to find them – and possibly save them – was more important than any inquiries he had about Heather's motivations. This wasn't the time to pry. This was the time for action.
"I came here with Fishlegs, and my other friend Astrid. None of us had any idea Team Flare was here," he told her. "It's true we were originally going to the Cliff, but on the way we caught word of researchers going missing in Glittering Cave… and here we are. Well, here I am. Astrid and Fishlegs, they…"
He gulped, and finally managed to get out in a quieter tone, "I haven't seen them since we got separated."
As soon as the truth was out, Heather softened back to her normal, sweetly sympathetic self. "Hiccup, I'm so sorry," she said, reaching out to slide a comforting arm over his shoulder. "I didn't see anybody else when I got here… so it's likely that Team Flare captured them all. The researchers you came to find… and your friends."
Hearing that made Hiccup's throat burn, and he swallowed the lump that formed. "What are we going to do?" he croaked out.
"First, we have to remain calm," Heather advised, and only then did he realize that he was trembling, his body filled with a buzzing anxiety that seemed to both sap his energy and amplify it. He wanted to ensure Fishlegs and Astrid were safe… but he didn't know if he could.
He inhaled, turning his thoughts to the positive – he had an ally now, and his chances were better than they were five minutes ago. Squeezing as much confidence out of that fact as possible, he asked, more steadily, "Okay… now what? What's the plan?"
"Tail the grunts that just left to the center of their operation," Heather answered. "That's what I was doing before I found you and Toothless. We'll have to keep the light down, so stick close to me and follow Dagur and I. This is Dagur right here, my Inkay."
"Inkaaaaay!" the cephalopod squeaked, darting over to circle Hiccup's head whilst blinking its lights. It seemed like a… spirited Pokemon.
Hiccup started when he felt a cool hand slide over his own to gently grip it, and a glance up at Heather's encouraging smile made a flush of heat rise in his cheeks – thank goodness Dagur the Inkay was already dousing his bioluminescence. The light died, and the girl in front of him was engulfed by the encroaching shadows, leaving only a pale outline and the sensation of his hand in hers to assure Hiccup that she was still there.
He whispered to Toothless to climb aboard, and he felt his gut unclench a tiny bit – the weight of the Bagon on his back was more a relief than it was a burden. He steeled his courage, drawing strength from the familiar scratch of Toothless' claws and the gentle touch of Heather's fingers. Knowing that he wasn't alone, he proceeded tentatively into the darkness.
AN:
So there we have it – though separated, the gang has made it to Glittering Cave and uncovered the truth behind the unusual happenings of late. I wanted Team Flare's first significant appearance to be suspenseful, properly foreshadowed, and shrouded in tension, directly contrasting their debut at Professor Sycamore's lab where they appeared out of nowhere and were more easily dealt with. I wanted that debut scene to mirror their introduction in the XY games – random and underwhelming, if still mysterious – so that I could introduce them properly in this chapter. This is the real Team Flare that Hiccup and Co. are going to struggle against from here onwards.
In terms of characters, I primarily separated Hiccup from the others to set him up with Heather – whose motivations have also now been hinted at – but in doing so, I got to play with Fishlegs and Astrid together for the first time, and they inherently make an interesting pair. These early interactions will be essential for setting up future character dynamics later on.
Also, yes, Heather's Inkay is named after Dagur… my nicknaming scheme really wasn't thought out with her in mind, since she has basically nothing relating to her aside from her dragon, father, and brother.
Though this chapter has been mostly suspense and setup, it all comes to a head next time with the confrontation with Team Flare and the climax of this mini-arc! I hope you're looking forward to it – please review in the meantime, and thank you for reading!
Next time: Oh, the Bryony!