September 25th, First Year

"What. What did you do?"

"Listen. For once, it wasn't me, I swear."

Gentle hands gripped Ingo's shoulders and hoisted him back to rest against something sturdy, a warm presence spreading across his shoulders and torso.

"Turn his head just like that- nice and easy."

"I am certified in First Aid. You don't have to coach me through caring for my brother."

"I said to turn his head gently- not sass me. Okay, listen for breathing. I'll focus on keeping him warm. Dusk, scooch on over here- right next to his chest."

Ingo sat up immediately, flinching as two pairs of ice cold hands immediately pulled him back down, a set of rough fingers moving over his neck. "Eu- unhand me at once!" He opened his eyes, sighting Emmet's familiar white conductor hat and Jaku's bright headscarf.

"Oh good. You're okay," Jaku spoke.

"No thanks to you," Emmet muttered back.

"How was I supposed to know he would faint?"

Ingo fought the urge to stick his fingers in his ears, accepting the help from Emmet back onto his feet. He distinctly remembered being near the long strip of ice where Jaku had told him to meet her the day prior and then the tell-tale fur pattern of a Hisuian Zoroark. Ingo instinctively whipped around, searching for the offending creature.

"Ingo, relax. You blacked out for like ten whole minutes," Jaku spoke tiredly. "Just take it easy. Here. Let me get Dusk off of you."

"You know Ingo hates Zoroarks," Emmet argued. "What did you expect bringing an alpha to the Pearl Settlement?"

"I didn't bring her; she brought herself. Ahem." Jaku then stepped in front of Ingo to gain his attention, motioning for Emmet to box him in on his other side. "Are you feeling well enough to travel? We can postpone this for another time-"

"I am fine," Ingo rasped, clearing his throat to combat the persistent dryness of his mouth. He was starting to grow tired of other commuters talking over him all the time. "Where is the Zoroark? The Zoroarks?" He turned a suspecting gaze to Jaku who met him without flinching.

"I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"The good news."

"Well… the good news is that we have an escort to our destination. A rather… powerful escort, I'll say."

Ingo raised an eyebrow. "And the bad news?"

"Snea!"

Ingo was taken back as his noble- Lady Sneasler- came up to him and picked him up off of the ground like a rowdy Sneasel, rubbing her sleek fur against his rough cheek. He could feel the heady purr from his lady in his ribs. The warmth of her pelt against his frostbitten skin. "My Lady… what are you doing here? You are supposed to be stationed in the Coronet Highlands near your post?"

"There was a fight," Emmet began. "Yyyup. There was a Zoroark- a few Zoroarks. They were supposed to be our escorts; not 'Lady Sneasler'. She attacked the Zoroarks and sent them away."

Ingo wouldn't insist that Sneasler had been a bit hasty; after all, he had been unconscious for ten whole minutes according to his fellow faller. He did have the sense to ask why it was bad news, though. And he found that he didn't particularly like the answer.

The one who would be guiding himself, his brother, and Jaku to the location to get his legendary item had been a Zoroark; an alpha Hisuian Zoroark. One that Lady Sneasler had aggravated and had chased away after furiously getting into a scrap with one another. Ingo sighted the tell-tale flecks of blood splashed across his lady's claws and mouth. She was acting in defense, Ingo surmised. I never made it a secret how I don't particularly enjoy the company of that species.

"The reason it's bad news-" Jaku continued, the bags under her eyes pronounced- "is that we're gonna have to find our way there ourselves and what's even worse is that we're searching for a tall, snowy mountain that's not Mount Coronet." She gestured toward the endless range of mountains that split the icelands from the lower regions of Hisui, her mouth set into a grimace. "I hope you like scavenger hunts because we're gonna be out here for a few hours."

"Snea! Sneasler snea!" Lady Sneasler carefully let go of Ingo before moving to spit at Jaku, its claws raised threateningly and its fur bristling.

"Listen here, you're the reason we're in this mess, you fucking weasel. If not for you, we could've been halfway to our destination by now even with Ingo being unconscious." Jaku then turned to Emmet who only smiled at the ranger's predicament. "You think this is funny, do you?"

"Please do not threaten my lady," Ingo chided her instead. "Is this the cause for the animosity between you two? Lady Sneasler was most likely guarding me. I am serving as her warden."

"No shit. Tell her to stop looking at me funny and then we'll talk."

The group set across the barren wastes of the tundra once they were all sure Ingo was able to travel, Ingo making sure that Jaku kept her distance from Sneasler throughout the journey. He wasn't sure where the initial hostility between them had come from and frankly, neither did either of his co conductors. And it's not like Lady Sneasler to threaten violence so quickly. I wonder if something else took place while I was unconscious. Ingo led at the front with Emmet right behind him and Lady Sneasler at his left side, leaving Jaku to lag at the tail end of the party, one eye constantly scanning the distant mountain ranges.

Pearl Clan scouts rarely ventured out into the iceland wastes. They grew all of their food near the settlement and rarely had to settle for hunting or trapping pokémon except when times were unbelievably tough such as the occasional winter famine often recorded throughout the clan's history. Ingo knew it unwise to subject himself and his party to the treacherous elements for long. They would need to hurry and arrive at their destination before the sun set. The stinging winds made his eyes water and the horrible cold stung at his skin with a fury akin to his lady's claws.

"What is that?" Emmet muttered. His eyes widened, a nervous smile pulling at his lips as he began to quicken his pace. "Unbeeelievable!"

"Emmet?" Ingo called, his voice taut with annoyance. "Remain on your tracks!"

"Ingo! You have to see this!" Emmet bounded off into the snowy abyss, leaving Ingo to hurry after him as he just barely followed Emmet's obscured figure through the waves of cascading snow. "Over here!" Emmet called. "Look! Look! Look at this!"

When Ingo finally laid eyes upon what Emmet had been so excited for him to see, he gasped. There, sitting in the middle of the barren tundra, was a massive stone platform- a train station platform- half-buried in snow. Ingo watched as Emmet vaulted up the steps, his pace eccentric as he swept past the flickering lights, the metallic benches, and the half-broken brick wall covered in dust and frost.

"Ingo! Do you recognize this platform?"

"I don't recall whether I do or do not." Ingo felt his own feet instinctively guide him toward the stone steps, his heart rising in his chest as he placed one solid boot onto the concrete floor. "I…" He glanced over to the brick wall, his eyes landing on a cracked glass panel box where numerous flyers and papers had been thumbtacked to a corkboard. Moving closer, he read what was on them.

Advertisements for a potluck at Gear Station. Warnings to wash one's hands and wear facial masks when sick at Gear Station. Notices for schedule changes, delays due to construction, and small shop closings at Gear Station. Small diagrams- labels for emergency exits and service exits pertaining to Gear Station All of it for one place: Gear Station.

Emmet's sturdy tug pulled Ingo out of his thoughts as his brother led him excitedly to the largest structure of all- a train cab. Emmet was shaking- out of excitement or from the cold, Ingo wasn't too sure. All he was sure of was that the cab in front of him felt hauntingly familiar. It looked as though it had gone through a hydraulic press, the glass windows shattered and bent, only to get blown back out again. A train cab; a service train cab. The doors had been crushed apart, nearly about to fall from their tracks.

"...This is it. This is the cab," Ingo croaked, letting his hands rest against the treacherously cold metal. He was careful taking a step inside, his eyes immediately shooting to the giant metal dents in the cabin floor. To the ripped apart seats and damaged light fixtures. But Ingo continued further.

"Ingo. Is this what I think it is?"

Ingo took one look at the control cabin. At the crushed apart doors. At the conductor's chair which had been so violently wrenched from its bolted down frame that the steel had been twisted. Ingo stared it all. He knew. "It is. This is the very same cabin that I was attacked in all those months ago."

"...I thought so. But Agent Cameron was with you. Do you remember that?" Emmet put his hand on Ingo's back, all the words he couldn't say expressed through a simple gesture. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you.

"I do. I had a strange dream not too long ago about the very same predicament." Ingo paused. "Is he… Is Agent Cameron also missing?"

Emmet shook his head. "No. Cameron made it back to the platform, but the cab wasn't damaged like… like this. It must be a separate train car unless-"

"It's been duplicated," Ingo finished. His head was really beginning to ache. "I need some air." Once they stepped out of the train and into the open air, Ingo really took in the platform. It was massive but blended. Natural as if it had always been there. Ingo knew that wasn't true; the icelands weren't so massive that one couldn't see across it on a clear day and the train platform sat in a wide, desolate stretch of grass. He certainly hadn't seen a hint of the place when he had gone to claim the Lustrous Orb with Irida all that time ago. He immediately felt his mood sour when he considered it to be the possibility of an illusion. "Emmet. I need you to pinch me."

Emmet blinked. "Okay, weirdo."

"Ow! Okay. I could feel that. This is not an illusion nor a dream, is it?"

"I don't believe so," Emmet responded cheekily. "You can see it. I can see it." He swiveled his head to peer around the corner of one of the station pillars, his brows furrowing with annoyance. "Ranger!" he called.

"I have a name you know." Jaku was standing a ways away from the platform, a paper in one hand and the Time Pendant in the other. "What do you want?"

"You see the platform, yes? The train? The lights?"

Jaku turned an irritable look upon the younger of the brothers. "It'd be hard to miss something so blatantly obvious and foreign in the middle of a bright white hellscape," she retorted.

"See? We all see the same thing. Not an illusion," Emmet surmised. "But it's strange. How did this platform end up here?" Emmet then paled, squinting as he walked up closer to inspect the public boards. "I rrreally hope a platform hasn't mysteriously gone missing from Gear Station. That would not be very safe at all."

Ingo felt as though he himself were lighter, stepping away from the platform and into the snow. Something was awfully familiar about the little section of the station. Perhaps it was the one brick out of place on the wall or the old, forked banners hanging from a portion of the awning. Or maybe it was the dilapidated service counter on the adjacent platform with its scattered items and tattered number ledger. But Ingo said nothing except to regather his party and continue on toward the mountains.

Hours later, after struggling through snow drifts and taking numerous breaks to eat and locate themselves on the map, Jaku called for a stop. They had come up to the middle of the Avalanche Slopes, Jaku having led them in through a gap in two huge glaciers.

She took one careful look at the mountain range's summit through a crack in the ice, a visible shudder passing through her. "...We're here."

"Here?" Emmet echoed. "How can you tell? You were the one to say that finding this place would be difficult."

Jaku didn't respond immediately. She looked first to the snow-laden trees that grew up the sides of the ice, her eyes scanning- searching for something. Her wary gaze flickered toward the yawning cave mouth in front of them and almost immediately, her nose scrunched with discomfort. "It was difficult finding it, but this is the place. I'm sure of it. We're here. At Mount Freeze." Jaku rubbed her hands together, hesitantly beckoning Ingo forward. "C'mon. The sooner we get this spine of yours, the sooner we can leave."

Ingo could clearly see the obvious discomfort in his fellow faller as she stared at the mountain's peak, her hands twitching despite being hitches in the pockets of her fur cloak. "You look as though you're apprehensive about entering…" he began gently. "Is there something you'd wish to discuss with me before we proceed? Perhaps if there is something that is making you uncomfortable about this particular station, I might help to assuage that fear."

At Ingo's suggestion, Jaku scoffed, not bothering to face him. "Help? No, there's nothing to talk about. I'm not scared of this place, Ingo. Worry more about yourself. And look alive. This is a dungeon after all- a mystery dungeon," she emphasized. "Who knows what we're gonna find in here." Jaku then paced closer to the cave's entrance while pulling out her Time Pendant. She touched the exterior of the glacier, revealing a transparent barrier that spanned for miles around the mountain's base. In a flash of teal light- before Ingo could even comprehend what he was seeing- Jaku had transformed back into a pokémon.

She gave an experimental shake, the previous rusted flame on her tail flourishing with a brilliant golden glow. Jaku then turned her beady eyes upon Ingo, adjusting the cloth bag over her shoulder. "Alright, Ingo. Let's get a move on."

"...You are… speaking to me?" pokémon should not be able to speak, let alone Jaku. I thought she was unable to understand us while acting as a pokémon. What changed?

"Of course I am," Jaku hissed, the scales along her spine bristling. "Who else would I be talking to? Arceus?"

"I think-" Emmet interrupted- "we are more surprised that we can understand one another. We were not able to. It was the entire reason you came here to the icelands. In case you forgot. You probably forgot."

"I don't make the rules here. Probably some divine intervention or some other lame excuse. Now c'mon. Time's a' wastin'." Jaku effortlessly stepped through the barrier leading into the dungeon, Ingo following shortly after.

Ingo half expected himself to change forms upon crossing over but when his boots touched down in the powder snow on the other side, that expectation immediately vanished. He heard a small grunt of surprise from Emmet as his brother paused.

"The barrier. It's solid now." Emmet put his hands on the translucent perimeter, his eyes gleaming with frustration as he tried to push past it. "Why can't I follow you?"

"Sorry Emmet. There's a two person limit in mystery dungeons and Ingo is already my substitute team member." Jaku didn't look or sound at all apologetic as she gently pulled Ingo along the path, motioning Emmet toward the shadows of the fir trees. "We'll be back soon enough. Just park it with Lady Sneasler while Ingo and I go and handle business."

Emmet flinched. There were a mess of emotions that Ingo could clearly see swirling around in his brother's eyes. Doubt. Confusion. Anger. Suspicion. And finally, acceptance. "Fine… Protect my brother… Burr."

In response, Jaku snorted. "Really Emmet? This'll be a walk in the park compared to Lake Verity. Just sit tight and wait." Jaku then placed the bulk of her warm scales against Ingo's legs. "Face forward. We've got a long ways to the top."

"...Right."

Ingo had no choice but to follow as Jaku led on, her focused gaze and careful manner indicating to Ingo that wherever they were, Jaku clearly knew what she was doing. Every so often, she would turn back to check on him, never saying much other than gesturing the correct path forward or to toss him an apple out of the peculiar bag that she carried.

Mount Freeze was colossal. Ingo hadn't a clue what a mystery dungeon was when he had first entered the glacier but after following behind Jaku, he was starting to understand just what the woman had meant. Every floor was different, if Ingo could call them floors. Intricate rooms carved into ice and snow. Long, harrowing passageways where wind mimicked whispering voices. Items like peculiar metallic discs, various berries, stones, and even assorted seeds would appear randomly in the corner of these aforementioned rooms. And the only way to proceed was by locating sets of stairs made entirely out of ice. They were quite hard to miss but often took a long time to find.

Sometimes, Jaku would pick certain items and put them into her bag; more often than not, the seeds. Others, Jaku would pass them over. The entire time they traveled together, Ingo observed the way his dungeon guide would react, feeling himself a bit nervous when Jaku would peer around corners or stare for concerningly long times down those long, dark hallways. Almost as if she were waiting for something… watching for something.

Ingo had taken to trying to pick up the items- the ones he had seen Jaku holding onto- just to give himself something to do to distract himself from how infinite and unnatural the dungeon felt around him. The more useful items like oran berries and what he knew to be the metallic vials of move point restores- Max Elixirs- weighed heavy in his bag. "Why are these items in here?" Ingo questioned aloud, uncorking one of the vials to study.

"To perform their job," Jaku responded quietly. "Usually, this place is teeming with enemy pokémon- it's called a dungeon for a reason- so you collect the items in case you need them later."

"I suppose that makes sense… but then, I have not seen a single pokémon during our journey to this floor.

"I know," Jaku grunted. "Something has clearly gone wrong here; no doubt because of this spatial rift that you're due to encounter in here." Jaku's ears twitched and she quickly whipped her head around to stare at the passage her and Ingo had just come through. She then huffed, allowing the scales along her arms and spine to lay flat. "...Just the wind."

"Something is the matter, clearly," Ingo assessed. "You promised that you would be honest with me, Miss Jaku. What is the matter?"

"I already said there's no enemies in here." It was a simple statement. One shrouded in confusion and dread. "I'm just… not used to how quiet and peaceful it is. I was expecting the standard dungeon procedure- we should've run into at least one monster house by now. That's why Emmet asked me to protect you before we left. I accidentally dragged him into the other dungeon so he's also aware that enemies usually spawn in mystery dungeons. That's what's got me on edge."

"When you speak of enemies…?"

"Other pokémon. Easily defeatable but annoying nonetheless." Jaku sniffed out the passage to the floor above, making sure that Ingo ascended them first before stepping up after him. "I think… I think whatever's waiting for us at the top scared them all away. That doesn't usually happen with dungeon bosses, though."

Ingo's eyes narrowed. "Should I be mildly concerned? If you yourself are apprehensive then that means we may be facing a foe in a potentially hazardous place. I am under the assumption that you have been through this dungeon before and that you have an extensive history passing through them. Is there some sort of… anomaly that is making you uneasy?"

"There's nothing in here that I can't handle," Jaku stated. "I told you already; I've been to this place before." Her eyes went cloudy as she stared at the ceiling above, water dripping onto her muzzle. "...Is this how you felt when you saw that train in the middle of the tundra? Because all I feel is anxiety and I don't like it. Something is wrong here and I intend on getting to the bottom of it one way or another."

The floors became more and more elaborate. Ingo was thankful that the fire on Jaku's tail was so bright- it made finding their way around much, much easier. Eventually, Jaku paused, holding out her tail to stop him.

"Up these stairs is the summit. No turning back. Alright, quick inventory check." Jaku then proceeded to dump the contents of her bag all over the dungeon floor before meticulously sorting through everything. "Too many oran berries. I can store these blast seeds for later and maybe ditch the slumber orb for some reviver seeds." Jaku grimaced. "I really wish there was a Kangaskhan Stone around here." At Ingo's puzzled glance, Jaku shook her head. "Dungeon jargon."

When Jaku had determined that they were ready, she had been the one to ascend first, instructing Ingo to hold onto her tail for safety and to alert her if he sensed something was wrong. If at any moment he felt unsafe, Ingo was to let go allowing Jaku to fight and for him to presumably flee. It wasn't as though he could fight back- the pokéballs at his waist had been rendered useless by the properties of the dungeon.

Deep into the snow they went, carefully finding their way along the summit's treacherous peaks. The higher they climbed, the worse the weather became until Ingo could hardly see his own hand in front of his face, following the bright light of Jaku's flames until eventually, they arrived at a massive cave where the clouds were close enough to almost reach.

A howling wind swirled from the lip of the ice-encrusted cavern, stalactites shaped like fangs obscuring the ceiling. Snow shifted. Soft and heavy pawsteps crunched in the snow, a gentle hum filling the air as the chill of the mountain dissipated, followed instead by a calming heat. The fog vanished.

Immediately, Jaku crouched low along the stone floor, hurriedly beckoning Ingo to do the same. A displeased sound escaped his throat, the meltwater seeping into his kimono and trousers.

"I have been awaiting your arrival, Faenttir and champion of space." The heat within the cavern worsened still and Ingo saw something bright and limber step before him. Something soft and impossibly warm landed upon his shoulder blades, nearly causing Ingo to lean into the creature's touch, his skin cracked and blue.

"Don't," Jaku hissed, her eyes firmly on the floor. "Don't look at her," the woman warbled, viscous amounts of steam hissing out through the gaps in her scales. "You'll get cursed if you do. Just keep your eyes on the ground."

A large clawed paw came down upon Jaku's head and forced her face into the stony floor. "Come now, Faenttir. Surely, you can greet me as an old friend?" The creature- Ninetales, presumably- hooked its paw under Jaku's throat and pulled her forward, Jaku shutting her eyes tight as the psychic fox pokémon angled its head so that they touched forehead-to-forehead. In a dithering voice, Ninetales continued, "And oh, how you've grown! I remember when you were but a child." The creature then turned its piercing gaze toward Ingo who hurriedly averted his eyes.

"Champion of space," Ninetales whispered, its voice full of awe. "Awakened at last. And here you bow before me-"

"Stop playing with them and get on with it, Ninetales," came a gruff voice. The heavier pawsteps resumed, closing in on Ingo. "I'm sorry, Warden. Ninetales takes her position too seriously." Before Ingo could get up, the creature before him set one gentle paw upon his head and pushed him back down to the floor. "Do not look upon me either. I am Lady Zoroark, Heir to Glacier Terrace, Queen of the remaining Iceland Pack."

A Zoroark. Talking to me? Lady Zoroark? There are no Zoroark nobles, Ingo calculated. None have ever been documented in the entire history of the Pearl Clans.

"That's because my kind is loathed by yours," Lady Zoroark growled. "Now silence your thoughts, Warden, and let us finish what we came here to do. Now you may rise, but keep your eyes on me, Warden."

When Ingo rose, he expected to see a Hisuian Zoroark leering at him, sharp teeth bared, fur bristling. What he instead saw was a different kind of Zoroark, one that looked like an offshoot of Jaku's Zoroark or perhaps a variant species. Lady Zoroark had a dark black coat with delicate white swirling stripes along her face and body. Her mane, wavering as though made of mist, was completely white. Her eyes were golden much like he knew regular Hisuian Zoroarks to be. But Lady Zoroark still harbored the same distrust and wariness in her gaze that her pack did and it served enough of a purpose for Ingo to keep his distance.

Ingo turned. "Miss Jaku?"

"Go," Jaku replied, flinching when Ninetales tried again to force the lizard pokémon to open its eyes. "I'll be fine. I'll catch up to you when I'm done."

"...Of course."

Stepping lightly, Lady Zoroark led Ingo toward the back of the cavern where excess meltwater fell into hundreds of tiny pools created by the erosion of the cave. The sounds of the storm outside were all but muted as Lady Zoroark led Ingo deeper and deeper until they reached a place where a weak slant of sunlight shone upon a brilliant crystal, intricate patterns of refracted light echoed on the cavern walls.

"Do you know where we are, Warden?"

"Not the faintest clue. I am already aware that I am here to gain the artifact of Palkia- it is just about the only clue that I possess."

Lady Zoroark snorted. "A fair statement. But no. You are the champion of space," she rumbled. "This is a place only accessible to you. Become used to the feeling. This will not be the only time you will need to appear in such places." She paused when they came to the edge of the magnificent crystal, dipping one paw into a brilliant pool of water so clear that Ingo could see the very depths of it. "We are beneath the Temple of Arceus," Lady Zoroark rumbled. "Where we are was known as Palkia's Cradle to the Ancient Celesticans." She pointed with one white claw at the depths of the pool. "And as such, one of their precious artifacts rests here. You know what you must do, don't you?"

Ingo nodded. He had already glimpsed it hiding in the depths. A large reddish object. The barren spine of a book floating at the bottom of the pool. Almost exactly as how I discovered the Lustrous Orb, Ingo reflected. He began rolling up his sleeves, still feeling a bit apprehensive about the alpha Zoroark standing right behind him.

"Get on with it," Lady Zoroark growled. "I can read your mind, warden. Go before I start to lose my patience."

Ingo was about to jump before he paused. "I… I apologize. I don't mean to implicate that you are-"

"I've heard enough!" Lady Zoroark snapped. "Don't explain yourself to me. Whatever you have to say to me isn't worth my time. Save it, preferably for the next of my kind you attempt to execute."

Guilt burned hot and heavy in Ingo's gut, made worse when the alpha Zoroark grabbed him by the scruff of his kimono and tossed him into the pool. Ingo wasn't expecting the water to be warm. Hot, almost. Without even needing to swim down, the book spine rose from the currents and into his awaiting fingers, a shock pulsing through his hand as he firmly gripped the old, engraved backing.

This item… has existed as long as Palkia has. It was scratched beyond recognition but there was a power echoing from it- a loud steady hum paired with something else that Ingo just barely recognized- a whirring noise as if someone somewhere was rewinding a clock every few seconds. Before he could contemplate the noise or what it meant, Ingo was unceremoniously dragged out of the pool, a sharp set of teeth snapping on his sleeve as he was pulled out of the water.

"Ingo! We need to move! Now!"

"What? What's going on?"

"The rift is closing!" Jaku shouted over her shoulder. She darted over to him and shielded his face with her body as the glacier melted around them, replaced instead by a smooth limestone cave. Immediately, Jaku's face contorted with fear, strong and obvious and unnatural. "Come on- come on! Move!"

Ingo was forced to sprint after Jaku, somehow dodging as a stream of boiling hot water imploded through the cave wall and surged past his left cheek. Any slower and he would've been boiled alive.

"What's going on?"

"The enemies are back!" Jaku replied, cursing when a large boulder flew from the side and grazed them close enough to chip off a piece of their horn. Their dark eyes widened as they glanced at something behind him. "Ingo!" Snarling, Jaku dug her hands into the earth and shoved. Hard.

A wall of melted rock formed protectively over Ingo, shielding him as a massive scaly arm attempted to grab him. The floor shook. A horrible snarling noise reverberated around the small cave making Ingo's chest hurt. Whatever it was Jaku had seen- whatever was currently attacking them- was something Ingo could not deal with and if he was reading Jaku's frantic actions correctly, neither could she.

"Run!" Jaku commanded him, turning the cavern's floor into a mess of molten rock and hot stones. She hunkered down, a silvery sheen washing over the scales along her tail. She stepped forward, waited and turned, flinging those sharpened knife-like scales screaming through the air. A loud shunk indicated that they had hit their intended target.

The enemy pokémon roared in pain, the leftover water from its attack forming an errant wave that cooled the floor and nearly swept Jaku along with it. But it wasn't finished. The creature summoned another wave, one that knocked down the stalactites along the ceiling- that picked up rocks and boulders and flung them hard at the other side of the cave.

Ingo couldn't hear anything besides the roar of the waves, his boots crunching over exposed eggshells in the sand. Wait. Egg shells? He peered down at his feet, horror pulsing through him when he realized that the cave floor had been covered in broken pokémon egg shells. The sand had been stained a rusty red in numerous parts.

"Keep going!" Jaku shouted furiously at him, pelting after him with a shaky stride. "We need to lose this thing! It's got a type advantage!"

Their surprise attacker burst through the wall of stones Jaku had set up for it, Ingo immediately pausing when Jaku disappeared from his peripheral vision. He turned and gasped. Thick ice encased his fellow faller from neck to tail, Jaku struggling to free herself. The enemy pokémon lunged forward bringing one set of claws down upon Jaku with blinding speed. A direct hit. Jaku was sent flying into the cavern wall, barely managing to dodge as the enemy pokémon- a large teal-scaled crocodilian- closed the gap between them, its monstrous fangs inches away from snapping shut upon her throat.

In return, she leaped onto the crocodile's face and began to scorch the creature's eyes, not stopping until the flesh underneath was as black as coal. Jaku scrambled over to Ingo, blood dripping from her throat and mouth as she urged him further on. "Quickly now. While it's distracted!"

"Distracted?"

Jaku created a massive wall of stone to box in their pursuer as she led Ingo toward the exit, fending off each and every attack the enemy pokémon sent after her.

Ingo wasn't sure where they were heading, following the edge of the mountain lip toward a dead end. "Stop!" Ingo yelled, fighting to gain traction in the snow. "No more tracks ahead!"

"Then jump!" Jaku snarled. "Go! I promise, you'll be fine if you jump! Get out of here!"

"But- "

"Leave!"

Jaku raced back over to the cave and dove through the walls of rock, leaving Ingo to make a split decision: remain on the cliffside or jump to possible safety. He only needed another barely missed graze of Scald to decide. Holding his breath, Ingo leapt off of the summit, his heart plummeting into his gut as he began to fall fast and quickly through the curtain of swirling snow.

And just as soon as the cliffside fell away from him did he fall into something soft and cold and crunchy. Snow! Ingo scrambled to orient himself, fighting his way to the surface as he hurried to get clear. That enemy pokémon must still be-

"Ingo!"

Ingo glanced upward, exhaling when he saw both Lady Sneasler and Emmet racing toward him. Emmet was first to reach him, easily pulling him out and holding him close, beckoning to Lady Sneasler to help warm him.

"Emmet?"

"Ingo, you're okay!" Emmet quickly helped Ingo to his feet only for Ingo to pull away. "What's wrong?"

At Emmet's question, a horrible whistling filled the air. Ingo saw Jaku plummet down the cliffs, their claws outstretched as they struggled to turn themselves over to land. All in vain. Just barely missing the safety of the snow, Ingo watched helplessly as Jaku slammed into the rocky mountain surface, a horrible crack echoing through the air before they slid off of the side and fell into a snowbank. A trail of blood marked their fall.

"Snea? Snuur? Sneaaar?" Lady Sneasler curled around Ingo, warming him greatly. Her nose twitched.

Emmet didn't so much as move. He stared at the swirling snow where the ranger had fallen, his eyes wide and his hands shaking. Gradually, his senses came back to him but he directed his fear toward caring for the tiny bite wounds in Ingo's arms. They didn't have to wait long.

"Ingo? Are you… are you okay?" Jaku came shuffling into the clearing once again in their human form. Fresh blood stained their face and chest, two horrible slash wounds stretching from the cuff of their shoulder to their navel. Numerous bruises peppered their face and arms, their clothes torn. Upon seeing Ingo, she gave a weak smile. "Okay… you're good. Did you… did you grab the spine?"

"I have the spine," Ingo responded as calmly as he could. "Dragons, are you quite alright, Miss Jaku?"

"...No. I think… I think I need to… to sit… sit down." Jaku slid down the nearest rock wall, feeling at the giant wound across her chest. When she moved her hand away, it was completely stained red. "...Oh. That's… that's not good."

Emmet made a noise between exasperation and concern, carefully unloading the bag Ingo had brought with him. Ingo could sense the smart response that Emmet wanted to say but despite it, Emmet said nothing. "Oran berries?" he asked. Emmet then frowned. "Reviver seeds?"

"...Yeah. I think… I might need one of… those," Jaku responded, her voice growing quieter, gurgling in her throat. "Leave me. I'll… I'll live."

"No." Emmet was already digging through Jaku's bag, muttering under his breath.

"Leave you here? Absolutely not!" Ingo echoed, dumbfounded. "So long as I am the piloting cab, I will not leave you behind." He moved to Jaku's opposite side, supporting the ranger's back as Emmet attempted to wrap the massive wound across Jaku's chest. "Lady Sneasler! Please fetch your basket! An emergency transportation is required!"