Journey

Death of Duty

Part 5: War on the Water

Lost

There are things in this world that defy explanation; creatures that do impossible things. Are they pokemon? Or are they more? We may never know for sure. — Professor Samuel Oak

Archer released a houndoom at his side. Four of the scientists dropped their lab coats, revealing the crimson R emblazoned on their chests. Four raticate and a pair of arbok materialized alongside the murderously growling hellhound.

Archer put his arms behind his back, looking down on us from above. His suit was gone, replaced by a pristine white uniform. A crimson R was emblazoned on his breast.

"I must admit," Archer started, an amused grin on his face. "I did not quite expect for you to find us here. How did you do so?"

"You got sloppy," Janine replied with a scowl. She planted her hands on her hips, standing and looking menacingly up at the Rocket exec. "And now I'm going to enjoy shutting you down."

A loud whirr of machinery split the silence. It whined and died and Archer glanced at the scientist behind him.

"It won't shred any more," he said. "I told you it was going to ja-"

Janine didn't wait for another monologue. Brutus was out in a flash, Acolyte and Vector following him. Janine had her sword out, yelling a savage war cry. Leopold was charging alongside her, his diminutive croagunk bounding ahead to join our charging pokemon.

I dashed for the stairs as I fired up at the Rockets, refusing to allow myself to marvel at Janine and Leopold as they scaled the ten feet to the balcony with ease. Vector buzzed his wings, following the shinobi and their pokemon. Acolyte charged for the stairs with me, ignoring the screaming scientists as they rushed past us for the door.

We took the stairs in threes, bounding up the stairwell in only a few steps. A raticate appeared at the top step, snarling and snapping its fangs.

I ducked back, grabbing onto the railing as the pokemon jumped at me. Acolyte was there, intercepting snapping fangs with his club. The raticate wrapped itself around the club, hissing and snapping wildly at Acolyte as it pushed on my marowak with all the force it had.

My marowak's footing slipped off the step and the two pokemon went down in a mad tangle of flailing limbs and snapping fangs. I turned and felt a foot drive into my back as I shouted for my pokemon.

I went down, reaching out for the railing as I sailed away and tumbled down the stairs. My sidearm slipped from my grasp and I lost any sense of balance. The raticate cushioned my fall with a muffled shriek, bones crunching under my impact. I felt the wind drive from my chest and my rifle bounce away from me but couldn't afford to falter.

I rolled away from the retaliatory snap of the raticate's fangs as Acolyte rose to his feet and spun his club into the pokemon's lower jaw. It grunted once and attempted to stagger to its feet. A second, even more vicious blow knocked it out cold.

"Bonemerang!" I roared.

Acolyte wound up, whipping his club in a spinning arc. We followed it up the stairs as it smacked hard into the Rocket's chest as he tried to sight us with his weapon. He doubled over as I ducked under the returning club and vaulted the last few steps into a leaping tackle.

He hit the cold tile floor hard, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. I stepped over him, leaning down over him. My rifle had disappeared in the chaos, so I grabbed the Rocket's abandoned weapon and turned to face the battle at hand.

The battle was a chaotic whirlwind of grappling pokemon and flashing steel. Two of the Rockets were down, large pools of blood starting to form around their prone forms. A third was engaged in a deadly dance with Leopold, using some kind of taser-pole to keep the shinobi at a distance.

"Keep them off Brutus!" I shouted.

The three remaining raticate were draped over our drapion, weighing Brutus down so Archer's houndoom could attack at its own leisure. I couldn't fire for fear of hitting Brutus himself, leaving me relying on my pokemon yet again.

Acolyte's club sailed through the air, smacking one of the raticate off of Brutus' back. My marowak leapt up, catching the returning club and swinging it at the raticate holding desperately to Brutus' back.

The rodent squealed in pain but held fast. Vector was there, following up Acolyte's blow with his horn. He speared the raticate in the shoulder, tearing the shrieking pokemon off Brutus and smashing it to the floor.

Brutus reached back, his claws finally freed. He closed his pincer on the raticate's midsection and ripped the flailing pokemon off of himself. He rounded on Archer's houndoom, rumbling menacingly.

"Cross poison!" Janine shouted.

Brutus crossed his pincers and I watched him close his eyes for a moment. Viscous purple ooze began leaking from his claws and he set his sights on the hellhound.

"Fire blast!" Archer roared in desperation.

I sucked in a breath. "Acolyte, deflect it."

We'd been practicing deflecting incoming energy based attacks lately using his club. It wasn't hardly as effective as his ability to harmlessly absorb electricity, but Acolyte had made some progress with elemental based energy attacks.

A five pointed star of flame erupted from the houndoom's jaws. I sucked in a breath, realizing instantly that I'd asked too much of Acolyte. I threw my arms up as the fireball struck Acolyte's spinning club and ignited an explosion of flame.

Heat washed over me and I felt something heavy hit me hard in the chest and pelvis. The force from the blast lifted me off the the ground and tossed me into a wall. Searing heat ate away at my exposed skin and every breath was fiery hell.

Finally, mercifully, the firestorm abated. I could hear movement stirring around me and forced myself to move. I rolled onto my stomach, forcing my soot crusted eyes to open as I struggled to one knee. Every breath burned and my head swam from the very effort of movement.

The fire blast had reduced the balcony we had been battling on to ruin. The centre of the platform, where Acolyte had been, was simply collapsed, flames eating away at the exposed wooden supports. My heart skipped a beat as I looked down and saw Acolyte's unconscious form in the rubble. He was obscured by smoke and flame, but he wasn't moving.

I raised a ball, returning him. I didn't know how serious he was hurt, but an attack like that had to have done some real damage. With Luna already out of commission, I couldn't risk another serious injury to my team. I slotted his ball back onto my belt and staggered to my feet.

One of the raticate hit me from the side, forcing me off balance. My left leg shot with pain and I shouted in pain as I heard Janine react somewhere close by. My arms came up as the raticate closed its fangs on my right forearm. I grunted in pain as the pokemon easily cut through my uniform and sank its fangs into muscle. The Rocket's pistol went clattering from my hand and pain rang through my entire being.

We went down in a tangle, my blood covering both of us in half an instant. I screamed violently and beat on the raticate's nose with my free arm, but the rodent held fast. Every movement was agony, every heartbeat brought fresh blood and more pain.

A forked horn burst out the raticate's chest. It gurgled in surprise and went slack jawed as Vector lifted it off of me with his horn. One twist and jerk and the raticate was laying motionless in the rubble. I reached up with my good arm, pulling myself up by Vector's horn.

I patted my heracross on his shoulder. His chitin was dented in a few places and there was a puncture wound where one of the arbok must have bitten him.

I glanced around, digging into my pack for one of the potions I had stashed inside. I flipped the spray cap open and pointed it at the mangled section of my arm.

The clear liquid stung like hell. I bit back a curse as the mangled skin knit back together like magic. I felt my muscles knead together and groaned in pain. The excruciating pain ended finally, leaving me with a dull ache inside my arm. It wasn't perfect, but it would do until I could get aboard the Fang.

I looked down, realizing the sharp pain in my left hip. I wrapped my good hand around the piece of metal rebar, readying the potion in the other hand. I pulled the metal bar out, spraying the potion in and swearing loudly as I writhed in pain as it worked its magic. The pain subsided slightly and I looked down as my leg slowly became whole again before my eyes.

While potions weren't recommended for human use, they could save your life in a pinch. However, overuse could lead to some extremely aggressive cancers, something that Surge had made damn sure to stress to me when he had brought up emergency care. I'd never had a serious injury like this before and I couldn't afford to deal with one right now.

I emptied the rest of the bottle into Vector's bite wound, hoping that it would keep him going until I could stop and treat him properly. I dropped the empty bottle to the floor and glanced around nervously.

"Leo, it's ok. You're gonna be ok."

They were down on the first floor. Janine was crouched over Leopold, clutching at his hand. Brutus stood behind her, the last raticate dead at his feet.

Leopold shoved away the potion in Janine's hands. "Get that thing away from me!" he half-shouted.

I braced myself against the wall, looking down at them. "Where's Archer?" I asked.

Janine turned to look at me, lowering the potion. "Must have run off. There's gotta be an exit up there." She looked back down at Leopold. "The fire blast burned Leo's face pretty badly. It doesn't look good and he won't let me treat him."

I turned away, looking around the room. "Lock the door and get the Fang back here. He needs to get back to the ship and we need to start going through the intel in this room," I half-shouted. I looked around, feeling dismay hit me. The fire blast had damn near burnt everything to a crisp. All of our evidence was going up in smoke. "Hopefully there's enough left here to give us something."

Janine stood up, lifting her radio off her belt. "What are you going to do?" she asked, looking up at me.

"I'm going after Archer." I turned, my aching hand balling up into a fist. I spotted a sidearm on the floor and knelt down to retrieve it. "He's not getting away from us. Not when we're this close."

She let her hard expression soften slightly, but her gaze glanced down to the sidearm and back up at me. "Be careful, Marcus." I caught the concerned look in her eyes and held it for a long moment.

I nodded solemnly and pushed down the flutter in my chest. She cared. "I work better when I'm not." I pushed the thought of Luna's comatose body away. I couldn't afford to be pessimistic in a situation like this. We could handle this.

I rolled my shoulders and turned as Vector buzzed excitedly at a destroyed patch of wall. I grinned despite the situation. We had a lead.

"Let's go get that bastard."

Vector nodded and chittered happily. We dashed down the tunnel together, our only focus on stopping Archer's escape.

The tunnel seemed to go on forever. Vector and I ran hard, him using his wings to give him some added speed. The tunnel sloped slightly downwards and I could feel the temperature dropping the further I went. Small lamps dotted every fifteen feet or so, giving the tunnel some scant light.

The first warning I got was a five pointed star flying out of the darkness at me. I returned Vector to his ball, dropping to the floor and covering my face in the same movement. Heat and fire washed over me and I felt the air get sucked straight out of my lungs.

I looked up, releasing Vector as I sucked in a thin breath of air. The houndoom's fire was limited here, where the air flow was not as good as the lab room. Archer couldn't use fire moves without suffocating both of us. Which gave us the advantage.

"You couldn't just let me go," I heard him say. He stepped into the light of the lamp. His formerly spotless white uniform was charred in several places and torn at one of the shoulders. Soot covered his sweaty face and his previously perfect hair was unkempt and greasy. "You have to play the hero, right?"

I scowled. "What did you tell me when you tried to recruit me?" I asked sarcastically. "Why did Rocket want me?" I cocked my head to the side as my scowl changed into a vicious grin. "Oh yeah, because you trusted me to do the right thing."

He scowled at my response.

"Here I am, Archer. Doing the right thing and taking you down."

"You don't even know what side you're on," he replied derisively. "You preach at me like some enlightened child fresh out of school, with all the answers to how the world works." His scowl deepened and he glared at me with cruel eyes. "You think yourself the ultimate defender of righteousness, yet you strike down those who act in humanity's greater interests."

I shook my head. "There it is again," I said. "Why are you idiots all so convinced that you are the heroes? Why do you think you're the good guys?"

"Because we are!" Archer burst out into a shout. "What is your precious League doing? What do the civilian governments do? They let us die in our cities, too afraid to do what's right, too afraid to take what should be rightfully ours!" He shook his head. "Your Champion may be too weak to do what is necessary, but Rocket will." He smirked. "Or rather, our Champion will."

I raised an eyebrow. "What is Rocket planning, Archer?"

He stepped back, glancing down at his houndoom. "To save you," he started. He looked back up at me, a twinkle in his eye. "To save everyone."

I stepped after him, Vector buzzing impatiently. "What do-"

"Smokescreen!"

His houndoom belched a stream of acrid black smoke. Vector reared up, trying to blow the smoke back towards Archer but there was simply too much. I heard the sound of running and knew that Archer was trying to make his escape.

"Vector, forward. Lead the way."

My heracross buzzed forward, carving a path through the smoke. My eyes were burning and the thick smoke was choking the air from my lungs. I plodded forward after Vector, hoping that I didn't pass out from the lack of air.

We burst out into a large room, the smokescreen dissipating slightly in the larger room. I skidded to a halt, stopping mere inches from the inky black water that took up more than half the room.

Archer was crossing a catwalk out to the submarine, nervously glancing down at me. "Take care of him," he shouted, pounding on the hatch as his houndoom leapt down the catwalk to face me.

I pointed at the hellhound. "Brick break!"

Vector rocketed off, his wings buzzing furiously as he skimmed over the smooth floor. He wound up a punch, swinging just wide as the houndoom leapt out of the way. It spat a short jet of flame after Vector, but cut the flame off before the air could run out.

"Back around, Vector." I looked up at Archer and we locked eyes. He knew I was on him. "Give me a clear path."

My heracross banked hard, building up as much speed as he could. He wasn't what I would call fast, but he was utterly unstoppable once he got moving. He hit the houndoom in the flank as it attempted to leap away, grabbing hold and dragging it along with him.

That was my cue. I made for the catwalk, ducking under the barking and snapping houndoom as Vector carried it overhead and flung it into the cavern wall with as much force as he could muster.

I ignored them, charging Archer with nothing else in my mind. I still had the sidearm drawn, but I didn't trust my shitty aim with my good arm still aching from the raticate bite. He glanced up at me, seeing me coming at the last second. My flying tackle hit him up high, sending us both tumbling down the length of the sub. I rolled to my feet, coming up in a crouch as Archer groaned in pain with the landing.

"You would have made a fine agent," Archer said. He rose to his full height, straightening his uniform and staring at me murderously. "You could have made a real difference in the world."

The hatch behind him opened and a man popped out. He raised a rifle and aimed it back at my heracross.

I lifted Vector's ball, recalling him before the man could shoot him. My hand swapped over to Artemis' ball and I prayed that I once again wasn't about to get myself killed.

Archer smirked as the man turned and sighted me through his rifle. "So righteous, saving your pokemon from being shot." His smirk died and I saw the sick amusement in his eyes. "A shame that you couldn't save yourself."

Archer snapped his fingers as I tapped the release button on Artemis' ball. I flung myself backwards as the shot rang out, felt myself hit the frigid water.

I didn't feel the shot. I never felt the impact shatter my collarbone. All I felt was the icy water washing over me and the bone-shaking roar of a furious aerodactyl.

Cold.

I groaned, rolling off my back and vomiting all over the frost-slicked rock. I rolled onto my back again, looking up at the inside of Artemis' wing.

Pain.

My right hand wouldn't move, my shoulder was throbbing worse than anything I'd ever felt. My hip and forearm were aching.

Numb.

I forced myself up to my knees. I had to get mobile, had to warn Janine that…

Movement around me centred my mind. Artemis was there, pressing her nose into my chest and whining softly. I felt a familiar warmth and felt my extremities ache with cold.

"M'alright girl," I mumbled.

She rumbled at me, as if to disagree. She raised her head and I realized she had been curled around me, keeping me warm. Her snout pointed at my shoulder, gingerly pressing against it.

I groaned as the pain cleared my mind. I remembered the rifle, remembered the shot and falling into the ice cold water.

I wrapped my good arm around Artemis' neck. "Help me up," I ordered.

My aerodactyl lifted me gently, allowing me to steady myself on her neck. She rumbled gently and I made sure to pat her reassuringly on her shoulder.

"Did you save me?" I asked.

She nodded excitedly and pointed her head directly at the stone. She opened her maw, breathing a jet of warm blue dragonfire. She looked back up at me, giddy with the discovery of her new ability.

I grinned. She'd figured out how to breathe dragonflame, specifically to save my life. I beamed with pride and scratched her affectionately beneath her chin.

I took a moment to take stock of my surroundings. I was in a new cavern, one that was lit a pale, unnatural blue. Ice seemed to be growing from the rocks and several rushing rivers separated the few small islands in the cavern. The light seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, reflecting off all the ice smoothly.

I shifted slightly and groaned. My free hand went to my shoulder, finding the bloody mess that had been my shoulder. It ached worse than anything I've ever done to myself and I instantly worried about internal injury.

I dove into my pack and lifted one of the potion bottles. It was shattered, glass shards covering the interior of my bag. They all were. I swore and lifted Curie's ball. At least all my balls were still securely attached to my belt.

I released Curie onto the rock beside me, bracing myself for the reaction.

She coalesced from the red beam of light, wailing in alarm as she looked me over. She pulled an egg from her pouch, not bothering to wait for my order.

"That bad?" I asked cautiously.

She nodded. I sat down and took the egg, placing it between my knees to hold it. I drew my Ranger blade and cracked the top of the egg off with one smooth movement.

Much like potions, chansey eggs could be used for emergency first aid. However they weren't nearly as powerful, meaning that at best I would be simply papering over the wound and hoping that there was no serious internal damage. It wouldn't do anything for the shards of bone I could feel grating against each other, but it would at least stop the bleeding. I slopped more than half the egg into the bullet wound on my shoulder and took a large swig of the raw egg.

It's effect was immediate. The pain didn't go away, but each movement didn't make me want to break down and cry anymore. I forced myself up, holding the egg out for Artemis.

"Did they hurt you?" I asked.

Artemis lifted her left wing and I saw the pair of bullet holes in the leathery membrane. I swore, slathering the rest of the egg over the holes, losing half of the damn thing as I attempted to hold the shell with my wounded arm.

Artemis stretched out her wing, testing it out as the chansey egg began to slowly knit the membrane back together.

I glanced over at Curie. "I'll need another one whenever you can. Acolyte and Vector are both injured as well."

She nodded and pulled open her pouch to show me that she had no more eggs to offer.

I nodded as I went back into my bag. I pulled out my sopping wet pokegear and experimentally hit the power button. It remained stubbornly dark, something that I wasn't surprised by. Pokegear were rated as water-resistant, but freezing cold seawater probably hadn't been considered during testing.

I went back into my bag, checking on my emergency rations. I had enough of the shiny silver packages to last me an entire week, my only worry was fresh water. I glanced around, my fear disappearing. With all the ice around, fresh water would be a triviality. I tore open one of the packs, devouring half the ration in a few bites and tossing the rest to Artemis. With barely half a thought, I realized that I'd lost the sidearm that I'd retrieved during the battle.

"Alright," I said, trying to make sense of the situation in my mind. "I got shot and washed away out that secret submarine port. We're probably in one of the caves that connect the Seafoam Isles into one island system." I glanced around again, watching the currents. "All the water seems to be flowing that way, so it stands to reason that there should be a way out in that direction."

Artemis whined and I realized the fault in my plans. We were on an island. We were on an island underneath another island. The only way out was back into the frigid water.

I sighed heavily. My hand dropped to Curie's belt, but she stopped me. I looked at her in surprise. "Yes, Curie?"

She didn't vocalize anything. Didn't move. She just stared at me with those big, evocative eyes. She leaned in, wrapping her stubby little arms around my waist.

I grinned despite the pain. "Thanks, darling." I hugged her back, savouring the silent moment of peace. I tapped her ball, returning my chansey to her place on my belt.

I turned to Artemis, trying to put a brave face on. "Alright, fancy trying to find our way out of here?"

She grunted and stretched out her wing experimentally. I didn't know how well it would hold up under flight, but I hoped that she could swim at least. I slipped one leg over her back and wrapped my good arm around the spike on her back.

"Onward then," I ordered. "Let's get out of here."

I was lost. Completely, utterly, hopelessly lost.

Try as we might, not one path that I could find led back upward. Everything led down. So I did the only thing left to us. We went down. We followed the flow of the water, figuring that it had to empty out into the ocean somehow.

I held to Artemis' back while she dove down a river that cut under the cave wall. We came back up in another chamber, larger than the first one. I huddled close to Artemis, trying to stay warm despite the freezing cold water. The frigid river flowed in a relatively straight path, large flat slabs of white rock sitting on either side of us.

I froze. "Artemis," I hissed, my eyes locked on the shore. Movement was stirring, more movement than I was comfortable with. "Swim faster."

My aerodactyl cut through the water with powerful strokes of her body. A few of the dewgong watched us, more and more of the blubbery white pokemon watching our progress.

Artemis growled, raising her head out of the water. She had spotted them too.

I patted her reassuringly on the side of her neck. "Calm, Artemis. They won't attack us if we don't bother them."

She growled an angry response, turning back to look at me. She was nervous, unused to peaceful encounters. The entire time I'd had her, I'd been training under Surge. She understood the difference between foes and allies, but peaceful wild pokemon were relatively new to her.

I shook my head authoritatively as she growled again. "No, Artemis. They are not foes."

She seemed to whine and looked back at the watching dewgong, watching them as if she was expecting an attack.

Movement sparked behind us, some of the smaller pokemon slipping into the water. Artemis turned, watching as a pair of curious little seel popped their heads out of the water at us. They circled us, chattering and barking back and forth to each other.

I smiled like an idiot at the pokemon. "Hello there, little ones."

The seel on our left rolled over onto its back, clapping its flippers. It waved at me, and turned around to swim down a branch in the river. The other seel dove under us, coming up and leaping down the branch in the river. They both stopped, beckoning at me to follow.

I looked around, finding the regal form of a dewgong that had to be the leader of the herd. It was stretched high above all the others, looking down at me. It nodded and gestured towards the pair of Seel.

"I think they want us to follow them," I started. I leaned forward, patting Artemis on the side. "Go along with them," I ordered.

Artemis turned, cutting lithely through the water and down the branch. The current died and I ducked under the cave ceiling as it dropped down above us. There was enough space for us to breathe here, a small pocket of air running along this branch in the river. I still had to duck down, but I didn't need Artemis to dunk me under again.

We emerged into a small pool of water, slowly swirling around a small opening on the side of the pool. A waterfall was crashing down beside the rocky outcropping, turning the small stream into a roaring river. It came from above us, spraying me with drops of freezing water and drowning out the sound of my own thoughts. I got off Artemis' back, stepping onto the frozen rock and looking down into the cavern.

It was stunning, in a serene kind of way. The cavern gave way to a massive underground lake. Ice crystals were glowing that same pale blue, growing from the rocks in jagged formations. Waterfalls were all over the lake, falling from the ceiling in a dozen places. There was a dull roar, as the waterfalls crashed relentlessly down onto the lake.

I could see starmie laying all over the bottom, their red gems pulsing in unison. More dewgong and seel were frolicking in the water, more of them plunging down to the lake along the waterfalls with every passing moment. I could see krabby scuttling along the bottom of the crystal clear water, and a pod of horsea diving in a particularly deep part of the lake.

At the far end of the cavern, I could hear the faint sound of the ocean, waves crashing against a shore and the rumble of the the ocean against the walls of the cave structure.

Artemis rose from the water, joining me looking down over the lake. She purred at me, nuzzling her nose into my side.

I dropped my hand to my belt. Acolyte and Vector were out a moment later, Curie following them half a moment after. They didn't say anything. They didn't have to. The sight of something like that was enough.

I turned as one of the seel barked at me. It disappeared into the water and popped back up at the mouth of the tunnel. I waved goodbye with my left arm, a happy smile on my face.

"Alright," I said, turning back to my team. "Let's get you guys fixed up, then we can find a way out of here."

Curie was already holding out an egg for me. I took it as Acolyte sat heavily back against the rocky cavern wall. He was conscious, but barely. Every movement seemed to bring fresh pain to his face.

I crouched over my marowak, ignoring the ache in my shoulder. I broke the top of the egg shell, scooping out a handful of the clear, viscous liquid. Acolyte was covered in burns, so badly that I could hardly see anywhere that was still his original pale tan. I slopped most of the egg over his skin, making double sure to slather his hands and arms as well as his face.

I turned to Vector, noticing that my heracross was seemingly fine. He didn't seem like he was suffering any ill effects from the arbok bite. He was actually seeming excited, back to his usual hardy self. The dents on his chitin seemed to be hardening well, and the puncture on his left flank was already healing over. I applied the rest of the egg to the few gashes that were still open and watched them start to knit back together.

None of my pokemon were overly fond of the chill in the air, but it was warmer here than the last chamber had been. I was still cold, but it was comfortable compared to the frigid water. There was something about the cold that was refreshing, almost as if it was giving me strength. I silently wondered if I was just delirious and didn't know, a side effect of the frigid cold I'd been spelunking in.

I looked down the rocky descent into the cavern. It was a rough looking climb, something that I didn't think I would be able to do right now. There was only one way down, unless I wanted to take the rapids. I watched a seel plunge down the rapids, happily waving at me as it raced down towards the lake.

I returned Acolyte and Curie to their balls and motioned for Artemis to extend her wing. She showed me where the bullet holes had been, a once pristine wing marred with a pair of scarred pockmarks.

I looked her in the eyes. "Think you could carry me?"

She nodded and lowered herself to allow me on. I slung myself over her back and wrapped my good arm around her spike.

"Vector, stay with us. Remember these pokemon are wild, so give them space."

He nodded at me as Artemis leaned out over the edge. My heracross' wings buzzed out and Artemis leapt from the ledge.

Her wings snapped out just before we would have plunged into the rocks. We soared down the cavern wall, building speed as Artemis announced her presence with a happy roar.

"Couldn't resist?" I asked, suppressing a laugh. As much as I tried to tame her, she still was an aerodactyl. There was only so much you could do to change someone's nature.

Vector buzzed past us, kicking up a spray of icy water as he skimmed across the surface of the lake. Artemis dove after him, wingtips brushing with the water on every downbeat of her wings.

"Down there," I pointed as we banked around a pair of waterfalls. Artemis swung down towards the sandy beach, flaring her wings as we came in for a landing.

I slid off my aerodactyl's back, looking up in awe. What I had originally thought to be the cave walls was not. The cavern ended, opening to an expanse of endless darkness. I gazed up as a dewgong popped out of the side of the cavern, watching as a serpentine shadow wound it's way along the surface of the water. Another serpent joined it, and I caught a flash of blue scales as one of the gyarados' tails broke through the side of the air bubble.

"That's the ocean," I said to nobody in particular. "Above me." I shook my head, looking harder into the darkness as I released the rest of my team. They had to see this too, had to see what I was seeing.

I could see more now, my eyes adjusting to the blackness. A pod of tentacool were drifting past, the titanic form of a massive tentacruel towering over them all. Acolyte looked up in awe, Curie supporting him.

"This shouldn't be possible."

As if responding to me, the air bubble shifted. It stretched, elongating and reaching out into the darkness.

A pale, unnatural blue lit the water as the bubble transformed into a strange tunnel, reaching even deeper into the ocean. The temperature dropped sharply and I sucked in a breath of frozen air.

Then I saw it. Wings in the darkness, fathoms below the surface of the ocean. They lit up a sparkling blue, shimmers of cobalt power falling off of every wingbeat. The tunnel stabilized and I watched as a creature I thought to be legend took flight.

She was gorgeous, entrancing us with ethereal beauty. Each movement seemed unreal, like I wasn't actually watching something that was happening. I couldn't help my eyes watering as she soared over us, slowly and gracefully banking around the underwater lake.

It was only then that she deigned to notice us. She approached us, buffeting me with frigid winds as she flapped her shimmering wings. I stood tall and strong, pain in my shoulder completely forgotten.

Articuno set down twenty feet away from me, the snowy deity regarding my team and I as if she were deciding what to do with us.

'Marcus-Trainer,' said a musical voice. I felt the voice within me, and a presence crowding around my mind. I knew what a psychic presence was.

My eyes widened and I looked up at the articuno in shock and fear. "You can talk?"

The creature nodded slowly. 'I must thank you,' she said slowly. Each word felt musical in my mind. 'You have freed my home from those who would do me harm.' Her lilting, melodic cadence echoed in my mind, drowning out my own thoughts.

I blinked stupidly. "The Rockets?"

She nodded again. 'Humanity has often tried to steal my power for their own gain.' She seemed to pause for a moment. 'It is rare that they are so persistent. I fear for my brothers.'

I glanced over at Artemis. She was wary, but clearly terrified of the deity before us. Vector was at my side, similarly shaken by the articuno's presence. Acolyte stood with Curie, weakly trying to lift his club into a defensive position.

'You have done me a great service. One that you shall be rewarded for.' The voice turned cold, sending a shiver down my spine. 'I shall heal you and yours, and allow you to bear my mark. But you must leave at once. This is not a place for humans.'

I nodded numbly. I bowed my head and met the creatures eyes. She was staring back at me, piercing blue eyes looking into my very soul. I felt her mind touch mine, and then felt nothing at all.

The sensation lasted no more than a moment, then was gone. The ache in my shoulder was gone, and I could no longer feel the shards of bone grating against each other. I tested it experimentally, grinning at the results when I felt no pain.

I reached back for Acolyte, pulling him beside me. He stepped back, glaring suddenly up at the articuno.

"He was badly burned in the battle as well. I worry that he may not heal properly."

Articuno nodded deeply, her eyes shining with power. A strange mist billowed from her wings, washing over Acolyte and obscuring him from view. It swirled around for a long moment, then dissipated into the cavern.

My marowak stretched his hand, lifting his club and testing the deity's handiwork. He looked at me in happiness as he moved with no pain.

I looked back up at her. "Thank you," I said with as much sincerity as I could.

Articuno looked down at me, her gaze turning cold. 'As I said, now you must leave.'

I nodded, looking around. I looked back at the creature before me, confused. "How do I do that?"

The snow god closed her eyes, humming with power. I felt the will of a creature far beyond my imagining brush against mine and felt the insignificance of my existence.

I watched in utter wonder as the tunnel to the articuno's island twisted and rose through the ocean. It rose up through the water, until it finally breached the surface and I saw blessed sunlight.

I turned to the creature before me. "Thank you, Articuno. I would have died down here if not for your aid."

She bowed her head and I did the same. 'Remember your deed today,' she started.

I felt ice touch my wrist, felt a chill unlike any other fill my bones.

'You have aided me, and proven yourself worthy to bear my mark.'

A sharp pain wrapped around my left wrist. I held it up, watching as a thin line of pale blue wrapped its way around my wrist.

'Call me in your hour of need, and if your heart is true I will aid you.'

I gazed up at the creature as the pain subsided. "You would grant me such a boon?"

The snow god nodded slowly. She turned to face the tunnel, a frigid chill seeping into the air around her. 'Now you must go.'

I nodded and bowed my head. "Thank you," I said. I paused, mounting Artemis and returning my pokemon. "I hope that I see you again one day."

Articuno turned and gazed pensively at me. I felt a smug sense of knowing and watched as she nodded slowly. 'Fate decrees it, Marcus-Trainer. Until we meet again.'

I nodded and looked up the tunnel through the water. My heels squeezed Artemis' sides and we shot into the air. I didn't look back as we rose through the ocean. I didn't look back even though I knew I wanted to. I knew that I would see that creature again.

Pokédex Entry # 144 – Articuno

This legendary creature is shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about Articuno, but recorded encounters have shown the creature to be fickle in understanding. It is highly intelligent and fiercely protective of its sanctuaries.

It seems to possess innate power over all things cold, earning its place as the Kantoan God of Ice and Snow.

All attempts to capture this creature for study have been met with extreme violence. Trainers are urged to keep their distance.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101

Indigo Ranger Corps, Special Task Group, "Zapdos" Squad,

Corporal SN# 109-512-6591, Marcus Wright, current team:

Luna, Ninetales

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross

Curie, Chansey

Artemis, Aerodactyl