Chapter 11
Sanctuary
The bitter night air whipped through AJ's hair as together she and Jade sped through the dark atop her friend's Metagross.
They had successfully managed to sneak out of Cole's cabin through the window, AJ a little less gracefully than she would have liked, falling to the snow with a grunt and scaring off the same pair of skittish Snorunt she'd seen earlier that day. Though she'd been inside in the warm for most of the day and had had a nice, hot meal, her body still wasn't fully recovered from nearly freezing to death the night before, and on top of a general sort of weakness in her limbs and the fog that seemed to shroud her thoughts, the frigid night air seemed to pierce straight through her, sinking deep into her bones.
Still, she couldn't turn back. Didn't want to turn back. Sammy was still out there, somewhere, hurt or possibly worse and… Well, the thought of remaining locked inside Cole's cabin seemed… stifling.
She had to think of the place as Cole's cabin - the cabin that belonged to Cole, despite him sharing it with her father. If she even for a moment thought of it as Ash's cabin, she knew she'd either turn tail and run or else set the place ablaze.
Jade had called out her Ninetails, the only uninjured pokemon between the two of them who could reliably track by scent, and they had followed her a ways into the nearby woods after a trail of footsteps that were clearly Ash's from when he'd left the cabin. Only, it wasn't long at all until the trail had stopped. It seemed clear from the larger indentations in the snow that came seemingly from nowhere that he'd called out a pokemon - probably his Charizard, that monstrous nightmare who had nearly immolated her beloved Milotic - and had proceeded the rest of the way through the skies.
That probably meant that the Sanctuary - whatever that was supposed to be - was far away from here, but the bigger problem was that Ninetails couldn't track through the sky. And so, Jade once again called out her Metagross and the duo took to the air, Jade having her massive steel behemoth scout ahead with his psychic powers to see if he could 'sense' Ash anywhere nearby. If he'd gotten too far, this would be useless - Metagross were powerful, but their psychic powers weren't as well developed as, say, an Alakazam's, so their reach only went so far - but it must have sensed something because it had turned and sped off after it, leaving AJ and Jade clinging to one another and shivering as they soared off across the sky.
In AJs hand, she clutched Sammy's discarded belt, feeling the four pokeballs under her palm, counting them over and over again as if doing so could somehow distract her from the biting cold.
Leafeon and Gallade weren't there. She knew that because they always occupied the first two slots on his belt, and those were the balls that were missing. Gengar likely wasn't there either, as he'd been out of his ball when the avalanche had occurred. The same was true of Jade's Sableye, and he still hadn't returned to her yet. That left Corviknight, Dragonite, and a last mystery pokemon that she couldn't be sure of.
"What do you think this 'Sanctuary' even is?" Jade had asked, breaking the tense silence that had surrounded them since they took to the air.
AJ shrugged, finding that she actually cared about this mystery very little. What mattered now was finding Sammy. Finding him, and then… well…
"Could be anything," she replied, voice flat. "Some old shrine, an endangered pokemon habitat…"
She stopped because that was all she could think of. Jade seemed to catch her mood and opted to remain quiet.
Finally, after what had felt like an endless eternity but in actuallity probably wasn't more than a few minutes, the ground seemed to rise up below them as they neared the foot of the last, tall spire that marked the very peak of Mt. Silver, and the dark mouth of a cave gaped wide open before them.
They landed with a gentle thud, Metagross's impact muffled somewhat by the snow, and together Jade and AJ slid off. The opening seemed large enough to fit Metagross's body with ease, but there was no telling how tight the cave would get inside, so Jade opted to recall it, instead replacing it with her Gigalith, whose glittering red gemstones began to glow with a soft red light, illuminating the surrounding area. With Gigalith taking the lead, the two entered the cave.
For a place called 'Sanctuary', it was awfully dim and damp. And surprisingly empty. She'd half-expected to find scores of wild pokemon in here - Ursarang, possibly Beartic given the number of introduced species around, though she knew those types preferred to live near the ocean. Maybe a Tyranitar den? They were supposed to live up here. However, the cave was completely devoid of any signs of life and was deathly silent. Only rock and snow and cold, empty air. At least, at first.
The further they progressed into the cave, the more and more prominent the sound of distant roaring became, until finally, they rounded a bend, ducked beneath a jagged curtain of stalactites, and found themselves at the foot of a gushing waterfall.
"What the…?" Jade began, staring open-mouthed. AJ concurred. Finding waterfalls in nature was hardly unusual. Finding a waterfall here, at the top of a mountain in the freezing cold? That was a bit strange. Where was the water coming from? Melting snow from mountaintops could eventually trickle down into a stream, which could feed into a river and an eventual waterfall, but they didn't just pour out of the rock like this without a source. Not at the highest point in all of the Indigo League. And shouldn't it be frozen? Maybe the current was too fast for that, but still…
AJ let her eyes leave the bizarre sight and instead scanned the cavernous room they'd entered into. Gigalith's light wasn't all that strong and bathed everything in red like a scene from a horror movie, but she could tell that they'd hit a dead end. There was nothing here save for them and the mysterious waterfall.
"Where did he go?" she asked, taking a few steps forward and turning about. There were no openings in the walls or the ceiling, at least none that she could see, other than the one that the water was thundering out of.
"I don't…" Jade began, then frowned. "Do you… Do you think he might have gone behind the waterfall?"
Normally, she'd doubt it. It was freezing, and she couldn't even tell if there was anything at all behind the waterfall. However, since there were no other options left…
AJ plucked Sammy's Dragonite from off of her friend's belt and released it from his ball.
The large dragon materialized in front of them, head nearly brushing the ceiling as it stretched and yawned as though waking from a languorous nap. After an exaggerated moment, it let its jaws shut with a snap then turned to face them, blinking in the darkness as its eyes adjusted to the dull red light. When it noticed AJ instead of Sammy, it scowled in confusion.
Dragonite were easily the most placid of all of the pseudo-legendary pokemon, a trait they shared with Goodra and none of the others. Sammy's Dragonite in particular had always been a bit of a goofball. But they could be mean when agitated, and she knew he could easily bring this cave crashing down on top of them if she let him rage.
Thankfully, they knew Dragonite fairly well - they'd been there when Sammy had caught it as a Dratini in the Safari Zone, sealing an easy win for him in what had been another of their seemingly endless competitions as rivals - and it seemed willing to give them the benefit of the doubt instead of immediately lashing out when he realized they were not his trainer.
"We're looking for Sammy!" she explained, calling out to be heard over the roar of the water. "He's missing and might be hurt. We think he… Can you check and see if there are any openings under the river, or behind the waterfall? We were following someone who might know where he is, but he disappeared."
Dragonite cast her a calculating look, as though mulling over how bizarre her request was and whether it really wanted to be obeying her or not. Finally, it turned and leaped into the water with an almighty splash, peppering both girls with droplets of freezing water.
"Charming," Jade muttered, wiping her face with her hands.
It took a few minutes to return - minutes in which AJ shifted from foot to foot anxiously, Jade huddling in on herself and trying not to shiver in the cold and the damp - but before long it erupted back out of the water, the site somewhat terrifying in the dim red light, once again splashing both girls like they'd been in the front row of the log flume at an amusement park.
"Can you not?!" Jade spluttered, desperately trying to brush the water off of the front of her coat, but Sammy's Dragonite seemed not to notice. Instead, he was gazing at AJ and gesturing to the waterfall somewhat insistently.
"Wait," AJ said, sounding disbelieving for all that she'd been the one to ask him to check, "is there really something behind the waterfall?!"
The Dragonite nodded its massive, scaly head, looking impatient. And agitated. Whatever was back there, it seemed to be urgent. AJ and Jade exchanged looks. Somehow, this trip kept getting weirder and weirder.
Actually getting behind the waterfall proved to be a bit of a problem, as the water was thundering down at an impressive velocity - seriously, how was there a waterfall at this altitude?! - and it was so bitterly cold that attempting to swim through it would have been impossible. She probably would have passed out just from wading through it.
Thankfully, Dragonite was there to save the day - though not without demonstrating his obvious annoyance. He could really be a brat when Sammy wasn't around. The massive dragon positioned himself at the edge of the falls, forehead against the cave wall, stretching his powerful body out, extending his wings as far as they would go, diverting a portion of the water down his muscular back and allowing for a small gap of space to appear between him and the wall. Water still trickled down around it, sprinkling like a freezing shower, but that was nothing compared to the waterfall itself. With harried shouts of thanks, the two girls and Jade's Gigalith hastened through the small gap Dragonite had created, careful not to slip on the slick rocks.
A moment later, they were beyond the waterfall, into a small alcove that Dragonite had to crouch to move into. In the dim, red lighting, it was difficult to see very far, but the path seemed to continue onward before them. Onward, and upward.
AJ considered recalling Dragonite, since it seemed cramped enough as it was, but the dragon was ushering them forward with surprising insistence. Could he be sensing something? Maybe he was just that eager to see Sammy. She decided not to begrudge him that, making eye-contact with Jade and exchanging silent, reassuring nods, unable to speak over the thunderous roar of the falls at their back. Together, they set off up the dark, damp incline, Gigalith taking the lead, Dragonite stomping along at their backs.
Not for the first time, she found herself wondering what exactly this sanctuary was supposed to be - though this time, with actual curiosity. Before, her concern over Sammy had been paramount, but it was hard not to goggle at the utter strangeness of it all now that she was presumably in the heart of it. A waterfall at the top of a mountain? A secret tunnel hidden behind it? And the path - it didn't exactly look man-made, it was too rough for that, but at the same time it was too straight, the slope too even, the space too consistent in size, to be at all natural. Something had created this path intentionally, but what? A pokemon? What other than a Steelix could make something like this, or even want to?
About a minute into their climb, as the sound of the falls began to dim behind them, the ground drying out below them making it easier to climb, a gust of wind came billowing down from the darkened path before them. AJ braced herself on instinct, as, still weakened from nearly freezing to death and now nice and damp from the shower she'd taken courtesy of Dragonite and the falls, she was expecting the icy gale to cut straight through her, as cold and relentless as those icicle spears the other night.
Instead, she found herself gasping as unexpected warmth brushed her cheeks, ghosting over her frozen skin with the warmth of a summer evening, comfortable and calming.
For a wild moment, she thought she'd lost her mind. Maybe she wasn't in a cave behind a waterfall after all. Maybe she'd never managed to escape the avalanche, and all of this - Sammy missing, finding her father, her terrible loss, this bizarre late-night escapade - was all one long hallucination born from an oxygen-deprived brain moments away from death.
Only, when she turned to Jade, she saw the same look of baffled confusion on her face. She'd felt the wind, too.
They pressed on, however, legs moving a little faster, a warm burn forming in her thighs as they went up and up and up. She wasn't sure if the tunnel was actually that long, or if curiosity and exhaustion were making it feel that way, but it was beginning to seem like no matter how far they climbed, the darkness at the edge of Gigalith's light never seemed to end.
Until it did. Abruptly, without notice it seemed, the path simply ended in an opening that led unmistakably back into the outside world.
They stepped out of the cave and into the open air, and stood, gaping, at the scene before them.
Lush, green grass, as far as the eye could see, stretching over hills and vales, dotted with flowers and trees, gently undulating in the warm evening breeze. A sea of stars, a beautiful, glimmering tapestry, painting the night sky in unusual clarity, surrounding a bright, gibbous moon that illuminated the world in a gentle, pearlescent glow. She could see a lake in the distance, a calm river snaking its way down toward them, undoubtedly the source of the waterfall from before.
It was… perfect. Picturesque.
Impossible.
And there were pokemon. Here and there, spread out across this unexpected verdant paradise. Dewgong in the river. Meowth darting through the bushes. Pidgeotto sleeping in the trees. And up in the sky, something… Something beautiful, glowing like a rainbow, drifting lazily across the moon…
Was that…?
The sound of harried, scrambling footsteps sounded out behind them, and they turned, startled, to find Cole emerging out of the tunnel, pale-faced and wheezing from the exertion. He'd clearly come racing after them not long after finding them gone. Well, the cabin was too small for their escape to go completely unnoticed, but even still - how on earth had he gotten there so fast? He was seconds behind them - had he called one of the wild pokemon he claimed to be friends with to hitch a ride?
AJ opened her mouth - though whether to make an excuse for their escape or to ask where they were, she didn't know - but he cut her off with a breathless and beleaguered, "Come! Back! You have to leave - now!"
AJ frowned, but it was Jade who answered him, looking irate.
"Leave? Nuh-uh. Not until we find Sammy."
"You don't understand," he gasped, stepping forward as if to seize their arms, but Dragonite and Gigaleth moved to intercept, looking threatening. He stopped, but otherwise ignored them. His anxiety was palpable. "It's not too late! If I can get you out now - if he doesn't know you're here-!"
AJ opened her mouth to ask who - her father? - but then something shifted in the air around her, the world seemingly growing darker, more still, and then everything was happening at once.
You have broken your promise.
There was a figure standing near them, something that hadn't been there a moment before. Taller than AJ, it had a weirdly alien-looking body, with grayish-purple skin and a long, lavender tail, and arms and feet that each ended in three bulbous digits. It was a pokemon, clearly - but not a kind AJ had ever seen before, and in its eyes she could see a cold, sinister gleam that spoke both of intelligence and deep-seeded distrust.
Dragonite reacted instinctively. Like a Litten that had been started by a feral Granbull, Dragonite turned and let out a sudden blast of blazing blue flame - Dragon Breath - straight at the creature, as though it meant to cremate it on the spot.
AJ let out a startled shout, throwing up her hands to shield her eyes from the sudden blazing light, but the creature - whatever it was - merely lifted one hand and created a shimmering shield in the air - a Light Screen? - and the flame burst harmlessly upon it, rolling away from the psychic barrier, scorching the grass and dissipating into the air.
Then, before Dragonite could prepare a second attack, before AJ could call it back, a violet streak rent the air, right where Dragonite was standing, and in a moment, Sammy's Dragon was blasted backwards, rolling through the grass, letting out an agonized roar that made the bones in AJ's body tremble.
"Wait!" Cole shouted, but AJ and Jade were already moving, AJ reaching for another of Sammy's pokeballs, not sure what was going on but knowing that she needed to defend herself. Jade had already called Gigaleth forward, ordering a Power Gem, but before it could comply it was lifted up into the air by an invisible force and literally hurled backward, where it crashed straight into Dragonite as it struggled to regain its footing, sending both of them tumbling to the ground in a pained heap.
Panic was setting in now. Who was this mysterious pokemon, and how on earth was it so strong?! She had one of Sammy's pokeballs in her hand now, ready to throw though not certain who she'd picked, when Cole suddenly planted himself in front of her. He wasn't facing her, though - he was facing the pokemon, one hand outstretched in a halting gesture.
"Stop!" he panted, looking haggard. "Mewtwo! It's not what you think! I didn't break my promise!"
Mewtwo? What in the world was a Mewtwo? She'd heard of Mew, but not… Wait, was Mew real?! Was this some bizarre evolution?!
The pokemon - Mewtwo - glowered at Cole with a cold fury.
You have brought people here. Again. I forgave you once before, but I warned you I would not do so a second time.
AJ blinked and shook her head. That voice… the pokemon was speaking, but not out loud. It was communicating telepathically. She'd met a rare handful of pokemon who could do this before, most of them psychic types, but never had their voices carried this level of… malevolence. It was like she could feel its hatred echoing from its mind straight into hers.
"No," Cole said quickly. "Not true. I did not bring them here - they followed Ash and came here themselves. I tried to stop them - I did - but I was too slow, and-"
It doesn't matter, the pokemon said, raising a solitary hand and forming a crackling ball of dark energy between its three stubby fingers. You know the rules.
"Please, wait!" Cole tried again, spreading his arms as if he meant to shield the two girls behind him, but the Mewtwo didn't seem to care, the crackling ball growing in size, preparing to fire.
Suddenly, in a burst of pink sparkles, another creature appeared in the air seemingly out of nowhere. Small, pink, and - for lack of a better word - adorable, it looked like a smaller, child version of Mewtwo, though its entire body was pink and its large eyes seemed friendly and playful rather than sinister and brooding.
It floated in the air, long thin tail undulating sinuously, before launching itself at Cole and latching onto his face with a delighted cry.
"Mew!"
AJ blinked. Then blinked a second time. Then stuck a finger into her ear and wiggled it around, just to make sure no water had gotten in there.
Had it just said…?
The reactions from Cole and Mewtwo at this mythological creature's sudden, impromptu appearance could not have been more different.
Cole merely raised a hand and brushed it off of his face, paying no more attention than if a playful Skitty had jumped on his lap while he was watching TV. His eyes were fixed on Mewtwo, guarded and desperate. He hardly seemed to notice the small pink creature fluttering around his head at all.
Mewtwo, on the other hand, suddenly looked furious. His hand remained raised, the Shadow Ball poised to strike, but his attention was now fixated entirely on the newcomer.
Do not interfere! he intoned darkly, sounding for all the world like he was growling despite the voice coming from his mind, not his throat. There cannot be exceptions!
The pokemon - the Mew? That seemed impossible, and yet… The Mew paid no more attention to Mewtwo than Cole paid to Mew, instead fluttering through the air like a distracted Cutiefly. It soared around Cole, chittering and laughing, before cocking its head and examining AJ and Jade for a moment, then flipped upside down and spun like a top for seemingly no reason whatsoever. A moment later, it was down on the grass, rolling around, getting tangled in its own tail and letting out playful, happy squeaks.
Mewtwo snarled, lowering its hand finally but turning fully on Mew.
You know why this must be! it shouted - if one could be said to should telepathically - as Mew found a pair of dandelions to root up. It shook the flowers like pom-poms, then floated up and stuck them behind Cole's ears.
A moment later, Mewtwo bellowed, I will not let ruination befall this place on your mercurial whims!
AJ exchanged what felt like her dozenth confused look with Jade. She had no idea what was going on. Was he - the Mewtwo, or whatever - speaking with Mew? Assuming that's what it was. It almost sounded like they were only hearing half of a conversation, but Mew certainly wasn't acting like it was having a conversation. In fact, it was behaving for all the world like Mewtwo wasn't even there.
With a soundless snarl, the Mewtwo turned away, glaring off into the darkness. From the set of its shoulders, the quaking in its arms, she'd have said it was seconds away from exploding. It hadn't hesitated to decimate Dragonite and Gigalith, and yet it seemed unwilling to lash out at Mew in the same way - despite Mew being about as defenseless as a Magikarp. What was with this dynamic? Why did it speak to Mew as though they were equals, when Mew seemed to have an even worse attention span than her own Pichu? Was it a baby? It sure acted like one.
First that male is brought here, Mewtwo said, though AJ wasn't sure who he was addressing, now this… I cannot abide-
Something clicked suddenly in AJ's head, and without a thought of caution she stepped forward, up beside Cole, and said, "A male? You mean Sammy?! Is he here? Where is he?"
Cole shot her a warning look, gesturing for her to back away, and Mew actually leaped off of Cole's head and onto hers for a moment before taking her hat and putting it on its head with a bright, chittering laugh.
She paid it no mind, however. Mewtwo had turned to meet her gaze, and for a moment, she suddenly felt like she was a 10-year-old brand-new trainer who had just jumped in front of the Champion Cynthia and demanded to do battle with her Garchomp. Using only her fists.
Its eyes… They were dark and cold and completely devoid of empathy. She could tell in that instant that it could strike her down as quickly and as cleanly as it had Dragonite only moments earlier and show not a hint of remorse.
AJ had faced dangerous pokemon before. What trainer hadn't? She'd been in a number of especially tight spots herself - that rogue Dusknoir that was kidnapping travelers. The newly-revived Tyrantrum that got loose in Sootopolis. That time on a cruise when a wild Gyarados managed to attain temporary mega evolution and plowed straight through her ship. To say nothing of the avalanche the other day.
Some pokemon were so powerfully deadly that they seemed more like forces of nature, but this… There was something oddly human about it that made it feel downright malevolent. This wasn't just unfathomable destructive force - this was unfathomable destructive force aimed by a malevolent, and intelligent, will, directed straight at her.
For a heartbeat, she nearly backed down. She didn't have her team with her, and even if she did, there was no way that she could handle this…
But then she remembered Sammy in danger, and her spine stiffened. She held her ground.
Mew suddenly perked up, flipping back upright from where it had been doing mid-air cartwheels, dropping AJ's hat onto the ground and turning to gaze off into the distance. Mewtwo turned as well, breaking eye contact with AJ, and suddenly she could breathe again.
A figure was approaching out of the darkness. Racing toward them, footfalls quick and heavy on the soft grass. Something small and yellow jumped down, darting forward, and a moment later there was a Pikachu parked in front of her and Cole, glowering up at Mewtwo, sparks dancing threateningly on its cheeks.
Mewtwo regarded it for a moment, saying nothing, but then turned again once its trainer had arrived, panting slightly, to join the group.
It was Ash. Of course. His eyes bounced from Cole to AJ to Jade, then back to AJ. He looked scared. And furious.
"Dad!" he said, somewhat out of breath. "Why are…? What have you done?! You brought them here?!"
"No!" Cole said, now sounding exasperated, likely because he was having to defend himself for a second time. "Why would I…? They snuck out and followed after you!"
"You should have been keeping an eye on them!"
"And who's the one who came barreling into the cabin, shouting for all the world to hear about the Sanctuary, huh?!"
AJ kept her eyes averted, ignoring the two quarreling men and the terrifying pokemon in front of her. With Ash's sudden appearance, she suddenly wasn't sure what to do with herself. Or how to feel.
Just seeing his face brought on fresh waves of guilt and shame and embarrassment from their battle earlier, which mixed in together with the perpetual hatred and rage that any reminder of his existence naturally brought about in her. Add to that the terror of the terrible pokemon who was watching them all, and the general oddness of… literally everything that was happening right now, and it all sort of blurred together into an uncomfortable bundle of awkwardness that she wasn't quite sure how to process. She simultaneously wanted to run and punch her father square in the nose. Neither seemed like a good idea.
Since everyone else's eyes were on Ash and Cole, however, AJ was the first to notice another figure approaching out of the gloom. It took a moment to recognize her father's Venusaur waddling towards them, massive haunches carrying the lumbering beast forward at a slow and surprisingly gentle pace. Its enormous flower seemed much more vibrant and healthy here in the grass and warm night air than it had down on that snowy mountainside, but AJ was more distracted by the fact that it seemed to be carrying a large bundle over its head, wrapped up in its thick, green vines.
Something swooped out of the darkness behind Venusaur. Something with glowing red eyes and a sinister smile. Something very, very familiar.
AJ hadn't even realized she'd pushed past Cole and her father. She was running down the grassy hill now, towards the approaching pokemon, completely forgetting the terrifying Mewtwo and the drama with her father and everything else.
"Gengar!" she shouted as her friend's pokemon zoomed down towards her, his sharp-toothed smile looking suddenly gleeful. "Is that-? Is he-?"
But she'd reached the Venusaur by that point, and to her surprise, her father's pokemon lowered its burden without her even needing to ask, gently placing it on the floor and unraveling its vines, revealing a young man in too-nice clothes and messier hair than she'd ever seen him have before.
It was Sammy. It was him! He was alive!
But he wasn't awake. He wasn't moving. Why wasn't he moving?
She called his name, falling to her knees beside him, hands reaching out, cupping his face to gently shake him, to wake him up, to see that stupid, awkward grin of his, but retracted her hands with a gasp. His skin was so cold. She hadn't realized how pale he was before in the darkness, but now that she was paying attention, he almost seemed to glow in the moonlight.
She reached out again, as though trying to transfer some of her body heat through her palms into his cheeks, and didn't realize she was crying until her vision grew too blurry to see and she had to remove a hand to wipe at her eyes.
Jade had joined her. She hadn't even noticed. Her older, smarter friend had her fingers on the pulse point of one of Sammy's wrists, a look of stern concentration on her face. Venusaur still lingered beside them, looking concerned, and Gengar floated overhead, watching over them, worried for his trainer. Even Pikachu and Mew had joined them, with her father's starter lingering near Sammy's head, sniffing him, and Mew flying laps around them all seemingly without noticing the others' grief and despair.
"...He's alive," Jade said after a moment, lowering his hand. "But his pulse is faint, and he's so cold. He needs a hospital, but I don't… I don't know how we're going to get him back down the mountain in this state."
The tears were still falling down AJ's cheeks, a combination of relief at having finally found him and grief over knowing that he wasn't ok. Pikachu made a consoling noise and half-moved as though to nuzzle her leg like her Pichu might have done, then stopped and seemed to think better of it.
Gengar made a rasping sound, gesturing down to his trainer. AJ blinked, struggling to regain control of her emotions and tried to decipher what Gengar was trying to tell them. Sammy's… chest? His hands?
It was then that she noticed that he clearly held something clasped between the fingers of both hands. Prying them apart took more work than she wanted to admit - it honestly felt a little too much like rigor mortis for her liking - but before too long, she and Jade had managed to pry two pokeballs from his frigid fists.
Instantly, both pokemon released themselves from his pokeballs, materializing beside them on the grass in twin flashes.
Leafeon let out a wailing cry and threw herself at her trainer, nuzzling up beside him, trying to share her body heat.
Gallade stood beside them, looking furious, arms and legs trembling, but he kept his eyes locked on his trainer's unconscious form as though the fault for his state was somehow his own.
"He was found on one of the nearby peaks," said a voice over her shoulder, and AJ realized that Ash and Cole must have joined them by now. It was her father who was speaking, and she kept her eyes averted. "He must have been wandering ever since the avalanche. Hours spent out in the open without any food or protection. It's a miracle he's alive, though from what I understand, he was moments away from freezing to death before he was rescued."
Leafeon made a despairing keen and Gallade seemed to stiffen even further, if that were possible. Sammy must have recalled them both and trapped them in their balls so they wouldn't freeze to death alongside him. That was such a Sammy thing to do. But his pokemon didn't need to blame themselves. This wasn't their fault. It was hers.
Silence engulfed them, then. All of them, gathered around Sammy's unconscious form like it was some sort of wake. This felt wrong. He wasn't dead yet. They could help him - they could. Somehow.
She cleared her throat, hoping her voice sounded clear and steady. She didn't need Ash to see her showing any more signs of weakness.
"Should we… try to move him back to the cabin? Or keep him here for now?"
It was nice and warm here, after all. There weren't any beds or anything, or blankets, or medicine, but to get him back to the cabin would mean traversing the bitterly cold mountain again - not to mention passing him back through the waterfall.
Actually, how had Sammy gotten here? Had someone carried him through the waterfall in this state, or were there other entrances? Maybe they could use one of those to get him back out so they wouldn't have to risk him getting wet?
"The cabin would be best, I think," Cole said, crouching down beside her. "We've got food there, after all, and a nice warm fireplace, and at least some medical supplies. We can let him rest there overnight, then in the morning-"
"In the morning," Ash cut in, "you can take him back down the mountain and get him to a hospital. As quickly as you can."
There was a surprising edge to his voice, and for a moment she thought it was because of her. When she chanced a glance over her shoulder, however, she found he was glowering behind him.
Mewtwo had approached, and had been watching them all from a distance. When it met Ash's challenging gaze, however, it shook its head.
You know the rules, Ash Ketchum. Now that they know the secret, I cannot allow them to leave.
AJ and Jade locked eyes again. Cannot allow them to leave…? What did that mean? Was this pokemon going to keep them trapped here? All because they had seen it?
Ash stood, looking furious, Pikachu racing to his side and Venusaur flexing its powerful legs as though preparing for a battle - which would be very bad, considering she and Jade and Sammy were right in the middle of them - but Cole spoke up, sounding like he was trying for a patient voice.
"The boy is in serious condition, Mewtwo," he said. "He needs medical attention."
It makes no difference, the pokemon began, but then suddenly Jade was the one rising to her feet.
"He could die!" she shouted, irate.
Mewtwo calmly met her gaze.
Then he dies.
AJ stiffened, then turned and rose to her feet as well. Now it was all four of them, together with Pikachu, Venusaur, Gallade, and Gengar, all facing down this one pokemon who seemed completely unconcerned. And after his display earlier, she wasn't sure that he should be.
Still, if anyone thought they were going to get in the way of her saving Sammy-!
"This boy," Ash said, voice gruff, "rescued an egg that had been caught in that avalanche. The only survivor from the nest, but it will live thanks to him. And you'd repay his kindness with death?"
Do not pretend that it was an act of charity, Mewtwo sneered. I know well how human trainers behave. He meant to keep that egg for his own. Regardless, I cannot risk the sanctity of this place for the life of one mere human. Humans are not to be trusted.
Ash snarled, but Cole shook his head, looking aggravated.
"I keep telling you, life isn't all black and white. People and pokemon, we aren't either good or evil. These children, they mean no harm-"
No harm? Mewtwo cut in. You forget, I can see into your mind, Cole Ketchum. I can see the battle Ash had earlier this evening with that female - his offspring, is it? I see the way she treated those pokemon she has the gall to call her 'partners'. Mean no harm? No, she is everything I have always said humans are. Selfish and self-destructive, and I will not let her destroy everything we have built.
Silence rang out, and for once, it seemed like Ash and Cole were at a loss for words.
AJ wasn't sure that she had ever felt quite so small in her life.
...Yet still, we made a bargain, Ash Ketchum, Mewtwo continued after a moment. He met her father's gaze levelly. I agreed not to destroy any humans who came here, if you could keep them at bay. For many years, you have done your job well - but today, you failed. Still… It seems Mew would be upset with me if I were to dispose of them, so I will offer them the same that I have offered you. They may stay with you on the mountain, and work to keep this place safe. But they may never leave. Not if they intend to carry the knowledge of this place with them.
Before any of them could argue, before anyone could get a word in edgewise, it disappeared, vanishing in the same way that it had arrived.
Ash swore, slamming his fist on to his thigh. A moment later, he was stalking off, muttering and cursing to himself, though he stayed in their proximity.
AJ let her gaze fall back to Sammy, then up to Jade, who was gazing down at their unconscious friend with a look of deep upset. If that creature was right, if they were trapped here… It was all her fault. What if it wouldn't let them leave? What if they were stuck here forever? Could they battle their way off the mountain? With the sheer ease that it had defeated Dragonite and Gigalith, simultaneously, she had her doubts, but… This couldn't be it, right? They couldn't just be… stuck.
"For now," Cole said, breaking the silence with a voice of firm determination, "let's worry about what's most important - getting your friend somewhere warm. He's our top priority."
Of course. Sammy. Take care of Sammy first - and Pichu, obviously - and then after that… Well, she'd think about that later.
"I suppose," she said slowly, "we could get Venusaur to lift him up onto Jade's Metagross. Can he fit through that cave? But there's the waterfall - oh, but Gallade can teleport us across that - but wait, how did he get here? Is there another entrance we can just fly through? That might be better - and faster. Do we have any fire pokemon who can-?"
"Calm yourself, girl," Cole said, placing a bracing hand on her shoulder. "I can do you all one better. Mew!"
The Mew - it was actually a Mew! He called it Mew, and it responded! - who had been playfully bouncing from one of Venusaur's massive petals to the next, immediately stopped its game and floated down to Cole, cocking its head to the side and staring at him curiously
"Do you think you could lend us a hand, and maybe teleport this boy back down to my cabin? He's in a bad way and could use some good soup."
Mew let out an approving cry and raised its arms as though it were going to do just that.
"Ah, wait!" AJ said quickly, fumbling for Sammy's belt. She quickly recalled Leafeon, Gallade, Gengar, and Dragonite, promising the first two she'd release them once they got to the cabin. Gengar and Dragonite needed to rest - Dragonite was still unconscious, and would probably need some more first aid, but he wasn't in dire condition so he could wait until Sammy was dealt with.
Jade recalled Gigalith as well, coming up beside AJ and Cole, ready to be teleported - or whatever it was Mew was going to do to them - but it wasn't until she noticed Venusaur backing off that she realized Ash apparently wasn't coming. She turned her head and caught him staring at her, but he quickly turned away and walked off without a word, Venusaur ambling after him.
Well, good. She didn't want to be around him anyway. Let him stay here with that monster, Mewtwo. They deserve each other.
"Everyone ready?" Cole asked. Pikachu, who had climbed up onto his shoulder and was apparently tagging along, let out a cry of assent, which Mew echoed with delight, and a moment later, they were gone in a bright, pink flash.
I feel like it's been a million years since I last updated, but no - it was only a couple weeks ago. Maybe that's just guilt talking? Or maybe it's because the last upload was an Interlude chapter that didn't actually advance the central plot. Who knows.
If you're one of the ones who didn't notice that I uploaded an Interlude between chapters 6 and 7, then go back and give that a read! My next upload is also going to be an interlude chapter, which will go right after AJ and Ash's battle, but after that, all chapters will be uploaded in order.
Keep it Zesty!
ZC