POKEMON MYSTERY DUNGEON: THE SAGA OF TEAM SUPERNOVA!

Welcome to Pokemon Aus24's official Pokemon Fan-Fic written, created and owned by the talented FocusPresenceEndurance. Below is the introduction and prologue to the story and every so often I will update with a new chapter.

Chapters 1-3 Here
Chapters 4-6 Here
Chapters 7-9 Here
Chapters 10-12 Here
Chapters 13-15 Here
Chapters 16-18 Here


~Chapter 16

Best Friend. Dave’s Response.

It was a calm, quiet and mild morning that day in the village. The sun had not quite risen above the horizon, but still made its presence known with a bright yellow aura that penetrated through the vast empty blueness. A single star was all that remained of the night sky. Despite the early hour, however, there was one Pokemon walking along the dirt path towards the Pokemon village.

“Today’s the day,” Tristan thought, as he walked along the path, the team base disappearing from sight behind him as he rounded a corner. “Today, I will talk to Dave, and tell who I really am.” As he continued to walk, he looked up to the sky. “He’ll be stunned when he realizes it’s me.” At this thought, Tristan became even more anxious and quickened his pace.

The sun was visible over the horizon now, the eastern sky surrounding it a radiant yellow. The village was slowly rising as the new day approached. The Kecleons were seen filling their shelves with new merchandise and placing up new advertisements. Kangaskan was checking her storage, making sure everything was accounted for and organized. Persian from the Felicity Bank counted the money back in his vault, assuring everything was where he’d left it. Slowly but surely, the entire town was preparing for the oncoming tide of rescue teams, which would turn this now quiet town, into a busy rescue center.

A Raichu was standing in the middle of the now empty Pokemon Square, tail flicking eagerly to get going with his mission. Dave had finished his part of the preparations for the departure, which was to deposit their earnings at the Felicity Bank. Now all he could do was wait while the rest of his team completed their duties.

“Perfect,” Tristan thought, upon arriving at the Square. It felt like the ideal situation he’d wanted. It was almost too good to be true. Dave noticed his approach very quickly, responding with a cheerful wave. Even now, Tristan still found it hard to believe that he was only about half Dave’s height. As a human, he was a good deal taller. It would take a while to get used to this.

“Hang on…” Dave, said, holding up a hand when Tristan arrived. He appeared to be concentrating on something. “It’s… Tristan, right? Did I get it?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“SCORE!!!” Dave shouted jumping up in triumph. He settled back down again before he spoke. “I usually forget names. I’m the worst with them sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tristan answered.

“Huh?” Dave asked, a puzzled look on his face. “How would you know?”

Tristan was silent a moment. He’d actually said that comment on purpose, hoping to lead the conversation to where he wanted. It worked like a charm. Now, at this point, however, he struggled with what he would say next. He lowered his voice slightly. “I... I need to tell you something.”

“Well sure,” Dave answered, confused further by the seriousness in Tristan’s voice. “I’m all ears.”

Tristan tried to find a way to word his thoughts, which it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. “This may shock you…” Tristan started, without the intention of a horrible pun, “But… I’m a human, just like you. Not any human,” he rushed on, “We were friends. No, not just friends. Best friends. You remember me, right? It’s me, Tristan.”

Dave thought a moment, rubbing his chin with what he had for an arm. His eyes suddenly began to widen, upon realizing who was standing before him. “… Tristan?” he asked again slowly, “is… is that you?”

“You remember me then?”

“Of course I remember you! You were my best friend. How could I ever forget something like that?”

“You don’t know how much that means to me,” Tristan said with a sigh of relief. This was exactly what he wanted.

“Oh, so much has happened since I’ve last seen you!” Dave exclaimed, excitedly, “I have to tell you all about it. I saved the world, Tristan! I actually saved the world!”

“So I’ve heard,” replied Tristan. “But did you leave any action for me?” Dave laughed at this comment, causing Tristan to smirk. Dave could be made to laugh so easily.

From behind, another voice called, “Hey! Dave!” Tristan turned to see Sceptile approaching, accompanied by the bleary eyed Typhlosion. “We’re ready to…” he stopped to notice Tristan next to Dave. “Oh. Hey there, Tristan. S’up?”

“Tristan,” Dave exclaimed excitedly, causing Sceptile to jump in surprise. “This is Sceptile! He’s been my best friend while I was a Pokemon. Sceptile, this is Tristan! He was my best friend when I was a human. Isn’t that something?”

Sceptile didn’t soak it all in at first, but soon managed to overcome his shock and warm up the idea. “Well,” he said, “This is a surprise. But anyone who is a friend of Dave, is a friend of mine.” He extended his claws down towards Tristan to shake, but Tristan didn’t shake it right away.

“Did you hear that, brother?” a voice came from the edge of the square. “Tristan’s a human!”

“Tristan? Who’s Tristan?” another voice came.

The rush beginning, a crowd was starting to form around the square to see the spectacle at hand. But it didn’t feel right. Where had they all come from all of a sudden?

“Didn’t you hear, he’s part of a new rescue team, Team Supernova.” Another voice sounded.

“I’ve heard they defeated a legendary, despite their low levels.”

“That’s amazing!” another voice came.

In the middle of the square, Tristan stood facing Sceptile. To think that not even a day ago, he thought that no one would believe or accept him as a human. Relieved, he moved to take Sceptile up on the hand shake, looking up at the green creature. But he never actually felt their hands touch. Tristan looked forward again to see that his hand had gone right through Sceptile’s.

“What!?” he thought, shocked. Sceptile was also becoming blurry and was beginning to fade away. He looked around to see that Dave, too, was fading. In fact, everything and everyone around him were mixing and swirling around him, into a mess of colours.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?” he cried in confusion.

He opened his eyes.

It was morning, and when Tristan sat up to see where he was, his heart sank when he realized he was back in the straw bed of his team base.

“… it was… a dream,” He thought, disappointed. He stumbled out of bed, parts of his body still aching from his clash with Articuno. Other than this he was still amazed with how fast he’d healed. Had he been a human, he was sure he’d have been bed ridden for weeks. Still half-awake he headed for the door, picking up an apple from the table as he went. As he stepped out, the already risen sun greeted him with blinding light.

“Crap! I slept in!” he thought, alarmed. Shoving the apple down his throat, he sprinted along the path toward Pokemon village, passing a team or two along the way. This was not what he’d wanted. Sleeping in risked the chance he had of catching Dave alone. But no matter the condition, no matter the situation, he had already concluded he would talk to Dave. He continued to run until he arrived at the Pokemon Square. Tristan was thankful to see that Dave was there in the middle of the Square, alone. Though, to one side of the Square there were two other Pokemon who were having a quiet conversation. Dave noticed his approach very quickly, responding with a cheerful wave.

“Hang on…” Dave said, holding up a hand when Tristan arrived. He appeared to be concentrating on something. “It’s… Tristan right? Did I get it?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“SCORE!!!” Dave shouted jumping up in triumph. He settled back down again before he spoke. “I usually forget names. I’m the worst with them sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tristan answered.

“Huh?” Dave asked, a puzzled look on his face. “How would you know?”

Tristan was silent a moment. This all seemed awfully familiar. In fact it was the exact same thing of what had happened in his dream. Could it have meant something? What would happen if he said and did the exact same things? Would it turn out the same? “Only one way to find out,” he thought as he went to try to remember what he had said next.

“Er… Hello?” Dave asked, bringing Tristan back to his senses. “You blanked out there.”

“Oh, sorry,” Tristan said, as he recalled what would come next. He lowered his voice slightly. “I... I need to tell you something.”

“Well, sure,” Dave answered, confused by the seriousness in Tristan’s voice. “I’m all ears.”

Tristan tried to find a way to word his thoughts, but it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. “This may shock you…” Tristan started, without the intention of a horrible pun, “But… I’m a human, just like you. Not any human,” he rushed on, “We were friends. No, not just friends. Best friends. You remember me, right? It’s me, Tristan.”

This was it. The moment he was waiting for. The moment that Dave would come to realize it was him. Time seemed to slow as he waited for the answer. The only sound he could hear was the sound of the blood pumping through his body. The only part of Dave that Tristan was focussing on was his mouth, as he watched it frown slightly. He watched it change shape to form into one simple word.

No.

It took a moment for Tristan to register it. Even then he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. Maybe he wasn’t listening right. That couldn’t have been the answer, it wasn’t what he’d been hoping to hear! “Wh… wh… wh… what did you say?” he stuttered.

“I said, No.”

It was like a blow to the stomach this time. He’d heard it. There was no mistaking it. Dave… Dave had actually said no. The word he was dreading. This wasn’t what had happened in the dream. This wasn’t supposed to happen! The look on Dave’s face was one of confusion and slight concern

“…Tristan,” he said, head tilted. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m…” Tristan tried to speak, his voice trembling, it felt like his insides were hollow “I was… I was your best friend! YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER!”

Dave couldn’t come up with the words to respond to this. He made a pathetic attempt at a laugh, hoping it was a joke, but looking at how serious Tristan was, he quickly shut his mouth again.

“Hey! Dave!” came a voice from behind. Tristan turned to see Sceptile approaching, accompanied by the bleary eyed Typhlosion. “We’re ready to…” before he finished his sentence, though, he noticed the distraught expression etched across Dave’s face. “Dave?” he asked, concerned, “What’s up?”

Dave shook his head slightly; opening and closing his mouth over and over, unable to fill them with a single syllable. Tristan looked nervously up at Sceptile. If this were his dream, he would’ve been about to shake hands with him. Now he wasn’t sure.

“C’mon Dave, speak,” Sceptile said again. It was a useless effort.

“We saw what happened,” came a voice from the side. It belonged to one of the Pokemon who’d been at the edge of the square. This one was not as tall as Sceptile, but easily taller than Dave. He resembled a pink canine that stood on his hind legs. The most noticeable feature was his large lower jaws, which seemed to be capable of immense crushing power. He was also wearing a black metal studded collar around his neck, as well as two black wristbands. If Tristan remembered correctly, Totodile had told him that this Pokemon’s name was Granbull.

“We heard the whole thing,” said the other Pokemon, appearing from behind Granbull. Apparently they had been eavesdropping on his conversation. Which wasn’t something that happened in the dream either. This Pokemon was more Tristan’s height, though still slightly taller. His main body was long and skinny, resembling the stem of a plant. The same could be said for his feet as well, which were also very slim, resembling roots. Rather than having hands, instead there were leaves, and his head was yellow and bell shaped, with a pinkish ring around the end, which must have been lips. This was a Bellsprout. Tristan definitely remembered Totodile telling him this.

“Well?” Sceptile asked raising his hands, impatiently, “Spit it out!”

“This Cubone here was trying to tell Dave that he was a human,” Granbull began, heavy with skepticism. “And he also said that when they were humans, they were friends and that Dave should somehow remember him.”

“Of course, Dave didn’t remember such a thing,” Bellsprout continued, “But the Cubone here wouldn’t take no for an answer, and began to throw a tantrum. That’s when you came in.”

Sceptile grimaced, clenching his teeth tightly, causing the seed he’d been chewing on to snap in his mouth. He glared down at Tristan. “What’s this all about!?”

Tristan shook his head desperately, feeling as if the world was crashing around him. He turned back to Dave, hands clasped together as if begging. “Please Dave! Please remember! You’ve gotta! You were my best friend, my only friend!”

“I… I’m sorry Tristan!” Dave managed to reply, not knowing what else to say, “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“LISTEN, BUDDY!!” Sceptile snapped, fiercely, drawing Tristan’s attention quickly back to him. “Who do you think you are, just coming up to Dave like that?” As he was saying this, passing teams and villagers began to stop to watch the spectacle. “What makes you think you can go around claiming you’re a human? You’re just trying to steal Dave’s credit for saving the world! Well you’ve got another thing coming, bud! And stop saying you were his best friend! You weren’t a human, and he doesn’t remember you!” He drew even closer to Tristan, lowering his head, as he pointed directly at him. “And remember this! Dave is my friend! Were you the one who ran across the entire continent with him when he was a fugitive and no one else believed in him? No! It was me who stuck with him through those hard times! SO JUST GET LOST, AND GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE!!”

Tristan could hardly believe his ears. What was going on? Why was this happening? This was nothing like his dream; in fact, it was exactly the opposite, a terrible nightmare.

“Did you hear, brother?” a voice said coming from one of the Pokemon in the gathering crowd, “that guy thinks he’s a human.”

“It’s obvious that he’s just trying to take some of Dave’s glory,” another Pokemon answered, “He knows full well that he’s a Pokemon.”

“Dears, who said it? Who does he think he is?”

“I think his name is Tristan, from… Team Supernova. Don’t know much about them, though.”

“Must be a pretty minor team then.”

“Hey, aren’t they the team that gave Team Supreme a hard time?”

One voice, however, more authoritative than the rest, carried above all the others. “Step aside! Let us through!” As the crowd parted, creating a fairly wide passage through the crowd of people. Beyond that the bridge to the village could be seen, and beyond that the forest. Proceeding through the newly made passage Charizard, and Tyranitar entered and approached the center of the square. “What’s the problem, Team Blue?” Charizard demanded.

“He’s the problem,” Sceptile answered, pointing back at Tristan with his thumb, “He’s absolutely mocking Dave here, trying to act like a human or something. And he won’t quit harassing him either.”

Tyranitar shook his head and he drew nearer. “You and your team are nothing but trouble, first stealing missions, now this.”

“Why…” Tristan thought to himself. He was on the verge of tears, but he knew he couldn’t let any show. As if crying would do him any good here. He looked back up at Dave, who was tense, distraught and looked as if he wanted to help Tristan in someway, but just didn’t know how. “Why, Dave!?” he shouted out.

“You just don’t know when to shut up, do you!” Sceptile snapped, stepping between him and Dave, blocking their view of each other. Tristan stepped back, fearing harm from Dave’s defensive friend, only to bump into something behind him. He turned around only to see the towering figure of Tryanitar. Tristan stumbled back, panicking. Sceptile, Typhlosion, Charizard and Tyranitar surrounded him on all four sides; all of them seeming like mountains from Tristan’s point of view as their glares pressed down on him.

“If this is some sort of joke,” Charizard snarled, “It’s not funny!”

“I’ve had just about enough of this,” Tyranitar stated, “we don’t need people like you in our village.”

“I agree,” Typhlosion spoke up, wakened by the tension in the air. “Get out of here!”

Tristan now looked down, his fists trembling. He knew Dave couldn’t see him, but he was sure that he could still hear him. “Dave…” he said slowly, ignoring the crowd around him, which was beginning to become increasingly loud with shouts of anger and ridicule. He struggled to fight back another tear, clenching his bone so hard it might have gouged holes into it. Then, at the top of his lungs, yelled, “YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE!!”

With this, Tristan turned and ran as fast as he could out of the square through the gap that Charizard and Tyranitar had entered through. He wanted nothing to do with this world anymore; he hated it, he detested it! It was just like the human world. He would be alone all over again, with no friends to turn to. It was a sickening feeling.

“That’s it!” he heard Charizard call after him, “GET OUT OF HERE!!”

Sceptile's voice, not moments later added, “AND LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!!”

***

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Totodile said to Torchic, as they both hurried along the path towards the village. They had arrived at the team base only to find it empty. Totodile had given a troubled look before sprinting off, leaving Torchic to try to catch up.

“How can you tell,” she asked, finally catching up.

“It’s something he said back in Frosty Forest. When we were talking about our pasts. I don’t know… I just picked up on something weird,” Totodile began. “He said that he only had one friend in the human world. And that he had somehow vanished from it completely. He said he never saw his friend again as a human.”

“And you think– ?” Torchic began to ask.

“The only human I know besides Tristan is Dave! And you remember how Team Supreme treated Tristan when he told them he was a human!”

“That seems a little far fetched Totodile,” Torchic said doubtfully, “What are the chances of that?”

“Not much,” Totodile admitted. “But it’s still possible. And Tristan knew that Dave would be leaving for an early mission today. What if he’d gone and tried to talk to him?”

“But Dave has no human memories of being a human!” Torchic responded, finally beginning to share some of her teammate’s worry.

“Exactly! But Tristan doesn’t know this. And what will happen when he finds out? What will happen if nobody believes he’s a human?”

“Disaster! That’s what!” Torchic answered, beginning to pick up her speed, beginning to outrun Totodile. “C’mon! It might be too late!”

Ahead of them, they began to hear voices. Many voices in fact, and all angry. Almost as if there was an entire mob ahead of them. Though they couldn’t make out any of what was being yelled, both Torchic and Totodile were sure they weren’t compliments. As they rounded the corner, the scene spread out before them, and the source of the commotion became apparent. A large crowd had gathered around the Pokemon Square. In the center of the crowd stood Team Blue and Team ACT excluding Alakazam, both facing in their general direction, but not looking at them. But the figure that stood out more than all the others, was Tristan, who had just crossed the wooden bridge and was now sprinting their way.

“Tristan!” Torchic shouted, trying to catch his attention. It was as if her words hadn’t even reached him. With his head only directed at the dirt path before his feet, Tristan didn’t even look up to see them as he ran by, pushing them aside as he went. The tears he struggled so hard to hold back, now freely streaming from his eyes. From either side of the road all his friends could do was watch as he kept running and running.

“Tristan!” Totodile called after him, already knowing he wouldn’t be heard. “Come back!”

Only moment’s later, Tristan disappeared from view, back into the woods, leaving thoughts of shock and horror in both of his friends’ minds.



~Chapter 17

A Promise Broken. The Search for a Friend.

Where was he going? When would he get there? What was he looking for?

These were questions that Tristan did not know the answer to, and the time, he couldn’t have cared less about. It had been several days of aimless wandering since he had left the Pokemon village. Now, he found himself wandering through a dim cave. The walls were made of pale blue stone, with the occasional green stone protruding amid the blue. Crystal clear pools of water were scattered throughout the cave and where there wasn’t a pool of water, the ground was pale white and glossy with a thin film of water.

The shock he’d experienced that day when he left the village had passed and in its place were sorrow and loneliness. “Everyone… everyone hates me…” he thought occasionally as he walked onward, letting his bleak mood consume him. “I had this feeling back when I was a human. It haunted me constantly. Was I fooling myself into thinking I could escape it? Am I really meant to be alone?”

Tristan had managed to keep from starving by eating the apples, berries and seeds that he found along the way, though food was gradually becoming harder and harder to come by, so he was forced to ration what little he had left. He carried these items in a pale green scarf he’d found on the ground. Under normal circumstances, he might have tried to find out who its owner was, but these were not normal circumstances, and so, he gave it no thought. The scarf couldn’t hold as much as the toolbox, but it held just enough for what he needed. He had the scarf tied around his neck, allowing his back to carry the burden instead of his arms. As he walked, his stomach ached with hunger, though he knew if he ate too soon, he would have less for when he really needed it. There was, though, no doubt that soon there would be no food left, and what would he do then? Starve to death?

As Tristan continued, he began to lose a sense of the world around him…

***

“Dave!” a distant voice called. “Time to come in for dinner!”

The sun was setting on the suburbs of Iconium City, the orange glow of the sun cast long shadows from the surrounding bungalow houses, the cars parked in their driveways and the lush green trees spaced evenly along the road on every lawn. Among these things, two twelve-year-old boys walked along the cement sidewalk, which ran parallel with the still freshly paved road.

“That’s my Mom,” Dave said with disappointment. Dave had golden blond hair, which caught the brilliant colours of the sunset. His deep green eyes were also lit by the unique lighting. He wore a plain red T-shirt with denim shorts, as well as a pair of black sandals on his feet. For his age, he was a little shorter than average, though, to compensate for this, his marks in school were among the highest in his grade. This was seen by many to be his blessing, but to him, it was his curse. At least, he used to think it was his curse. He frequently used to be the target of the local bullies at school, who were jealous of his high marks.

Tristan, who was just above average height for his age, looked over at his friend. His deep brown hair hardly caught the sunset; however, it still had an orange-like sheen on it. Like with Dave, the sun highlighted his rich brown eyes too. He wore a black T-shirt, with a blue long-sleeved shirt beneath. He also wore dark blue jeans and on his feet, a pair of running shoes that were nearing the end of their days. His marks in school, however, weren’t as admirable as he’d wanted them to be. This was not because he didn’t try to do well, though and it was not it because he didn’t care. Because his parents constantly moved, it had taken a toll on his studies and Tristan had to cope with different schools and different teachers. By the time he entered a new school, a normal student would have adjusted while Tristan had to start over from square one.

The first time they met, Tristan had been leaving his first day at his fifth school. Dave had been near the bike-racks, on his way home. He was stopped, though, when a few bullies from his class had started harassing him, trying to steal his finished assignment.

Being the new kid in school Tristan knew all too well with how it felt to be bullied, and had hardly hesitated to jump into the fray to fend off the bullies. Dave received this act, which Tristan had thought was only the normal thing to do, with appreciation and admiration. Grateful for the deed, Dave wanted to pay back the favour in any way he could. He achieved this when he learned that Tristan needed catching up in terms of academics. From this, a sort of friendship spawned where Tristan helped Dave by acting as somewhat of a bodyguard, while Dave aided Tristan by being a sort of tutor. That was the first time Tristan had ever made a true friend, the evening they had first met was an evening very similar to the one that surrounded them now. Before long, they had become best friends, neither of them seeming to do anything without the other.

“Darn,” Dave continued. “Too bad dinner couldn’t be later.” Only moments after he had said this, a low rumble resounded from his stomach. He raised his hand up to the back of his head, grinning slightly, “hehe… Looks like my body is saying differently, though. I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then?”

Hearing Dave’s mother call for him put a weight in Tristan’s heart. He wished his mother could have called him home, it didn’t even have to be for dinner. He wished his parents could have cared half that much for him as Dave’s parents did. He knew what would be waiting for him at his home. No one would be there to welcome him. No warm meal would be waiting on the dinner table, nobody would be there to help him with his homework if he didn’t understand and nobody would be there to wish him good night. Like every night, when he arrived home, he’d have to fend for himself.

His parents would arrive late that night, only to rest a few hours before leaving again early the next morning. On a normal day, Tristan wouldn’t even see them. It was a rare occasion to actually see his parent’s faces and when he did, they would never pay much attention to him. Tristan, despite feeling envious of Dave, did his best to hide his emotions.

Tonight, though, there was something else that was also bothering him. Something strange, something he couldn’t explain. It was as if Tristan could feel that something coming, something huge.

“Hey, Dave?” he asked nervously.

“Yes?” Dave said, turning back.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he answered hurriedly, “but you gotta make it quick, you know how upset my mom gets when I don’t come home right away.”

He paused a moment. What had he even wanted to say? He wasn’t even sure about that. It might have been just his nerves acting up after all. Still, he felt compelled to say something. “Dave. We’ll always be friends… right?”

“Huh? Why would ask something like that?”

“If… I end up moving again,” Tristan said, trying to make sense of his feelings. “Or if we don’t see each other any more for whatever reason… you won’t forget me, right? We’ll still be friends?”

“Is that what this is about?” Dave replied, a cheerful smile spreading across his face. “Well sure. I mean why wouldn’t we? Of course we’ll always be friends.”

“Promise?”

“Tristan?” Dave said confusedly, seeing the uncertain expression on his friend’s face. “I don’t understand why you’re asking this. Is something wrong? Are you actually moving?”

“I…” Tristan began, “No. I don’t think so… I usually would have plenty of warning about that. Please just promise me though. Just humour me. Please?”

“Alright alright,” Dave answered, with his hands raised slightly. He proceeded to put one hand on Tristan’s shoulder, “I promise you that you will always be my friend and no matter what happens, I’ll never forget you. It’s the honest truth, and I say it with all my heart. Okay?”

“… Okay,” Tristan said, though it didn’t do very much to reassure him. “Thank you.”

“Hey, no problem!” Dave chuckled, “I don’t know what that was about, but if it helps I’m glad to do it.”

“Dave!” Came the distant voice again, this time sounding annoyed, and displeased. “Last warning!”

“Well… see ya then!” Dave waved as he began head for his home.

“Yeah.” Tristan answered a couple moments later, after Dave had already walked a short distance away. Saying goodbye was nothing out of the ordinary; it was something that he would have usually done absent-mindedly. Why was this time so different? He tried to shake the feeling off, but every time he did it would only return again. By now, Dave had turned the corner, disappearing behind the tall, green hedge that surrounded his backyard. Tristan held his breath a moment; the last rays of sun disappearing behind him.

“Goodbye…” he thought quietly as he turned to head for his own home, reaching into his pocket for his keys.

***

Tristan’s senses returned to him that moment. He had apparently been aimlessly walking that entire time, though he couldn’t remember any of it. “That was the last time I ever spoke with Dave… at least… the Dave I knew…” Tristan thought, “the next day, he disappeared.” He stopped to think a moment, an image of Dave’s new form appearing in his head. “It’s been four years, Dave… and you have already broken your promise! You have already forgotten about me!!” He fell to his knees, punching the ground in frustrated sorrow. He winced in pain as he lifted his hand again to look at it. A cut he had received from earlier on his journey had reopened, causing blood to begin to drip onto the ground. But blood was the last thing on Tristan’s mind. “Why? Why did you break your promise!?”

By now he had already exited the mouth of the cave, and into the surprisingly chilly evening air. Ahead of him, lay an enormous mountain, which was black against the setting sun. The mountain was scattered with hundreds of tiny bright orange lights. Lit from the orange beneath, steam rose high into the darkening sky above the mountain, eventually dispersing back into the air. On the very top of the mountain lay a crater, where the steam reflected the brightest of the orange light. The foot of the mountain stood within a couple kilometers away from him. Even from here, the sight was intimidating.

Whether it was because he was finally losing his mind, or if it was because something had motivated him to keep moving, Tristan lifted himself back to his feet and continued on his path towards the mountain. He shivered, as the air became increasingly chilly.

“I shouldn’t be getting cold in a place like this…” Tristan thought, rubbing his arms together to try to warm up. “This is a volcano. It should be hot here… And with the earth’s temperature rising, the heat should be unbearable. And yet…” As much as this was a troubling thought, though, Tristan didn’t pay it any mind, returning instead to a state of anguish as he reminisced over his sudden memory again.

Tristan saw no point in walking to the peak of the mountain, instead, he traveled along the slope, close to the base. It was said that here, too, resided a Pokemon of legendary power and if it was anything like Articuno, then he wanted to avoid confrontation at all costs. He hadn’t even managed to fully recover from his last battle, with parts of his body aching as they were reminded by the cold.

Every once and a while, he’d pass by a pool of lava, that had managed to withstand the cold night air, though in many places, it looked as if the cold had prevailed, causing the lava to freeze back to its solid state. It was these places where he’d take a brief rest, gratefully soaking in the heat from the lava before continuing. As soon as he left though, the cold would quickly return.

He continued walking for several more hours, until he reached a part of the mountain where a small plateau had formed. The plateau was completely bare, and surrounded by enormous outcroppings of rocks. As well, at the end of the plateau farthest from the mountain resided a small pool of lava. The plateau itself was nothing special, but it was what was on the plateau that caught Tristan’s attention. As he approached, he could see two figures standing in the center.

“Who could they be…?” Tristan thought as he crept up to one of the outcroppings, trying hard not to make a sound. Being sure to stay close to the rock, and to remain hidden in the darkness, Tristan peered between two of the rocks and into the clearing.

The figures were those of two large birds, much like the size of Articuno. One of the birds had black and yellow spiky feathers that made it look like it had been struck by lightning. It had a large crest of feathers around its head, with a very long, thin, orange beak that looked like a nasty weapon. The colour of the beak was also the same colour as its legs. Its piercing eyes, which were circled by black rings, glared at the other bird Pokemon with great distaste.

The other bird was just as strange as the first. It had flame coloured feathers, making it resemble that of a phoenix. It had dazzling wings, with an elaborate head crest which both seemed to be on fire. In fact, this Pokemon was the brightest Pokemon on the plateau, being the largest, if not only, source of light and heat there. Tristan was surprised that even standing at his distance of ten meters, he felt slightly warmed. It, too, had a pointed beak that was the same colour as its brown legs; however, its beak was significantly shorter compared to the yellow bird’s. It also shared the same expression of yellow bird, looking as if there was anywhere it would rather be than in its company.

The tension in the air between these two birds was intense. Tristan could almost feel the negative charge in the air as he watched on, thankful that they had been focusing on each other so much that they hadn’t yet noticed him. It was clear by the silence, and the looks they exchanged that they hated the very sight of each other. Yet, if this were the case, why were they here? Before Tristan could think of a reason, a new sound resonated from the edge of the plateau, as a new Pokemon entered. Both the yellow bird and the fire bird turned to see the newcomer, while Tristan tried hard to peak out from between the wedges of rock without being noticed.

The very moment he caught a glimpse of this newcomer, he froze; finding himself momentarily paralyzed with shock. It was Articuno, the very same Pokemon that had so nearly cost him his life. He quickly hid himself again, pressing his back hard against the rock, hoping he hadn’t been noticed. What was he doing here? What the heck was going on? His eyes darted to all sides, his pulse rising as he waited for the three birds to pop out from behind the rocks, which he thought would be any moment. What would he have done then? He couldn’t even handle one of them without help. He wouldn’t have stood a chance against three!

As the seconds passed, however, the only thing that surrounded Tristan was silence. As Tristan began to calm down, he took a moment to think clearly over the situation. Both of the birds on the plateau had been turned away from him when Articuno came in and Articuno was too focused on them to have noticed a little Cubone hiding far away in the shadows. They couldn’t have noticed him. He also had noticed that Articuno had a slight limp to his step. Like Tristan, he still hadn’t fully healed to their battle. Cautiously, Tristan dared another peak around the rock.

By now the three birds had congregated in the middle of the plateau, Articuno being the centre of their attention.

“What took so long?” the fire bird demanded impatiently, in a low, but very clear voice.

“Who cares about how long it took?” The yellow bird interrupted fiercely, snapping his head towards the fire bird, cutting Articuno off before he could even start speaking. His head snapped back to Articuno, as he asked a question of his own, “Well? Did you do it? Did you finish the job?”

***

“Excuse me!” a voice echoed though the passages of Lapis Cave, “Oh, please wait a moment!”

A small, blue and tailless, bipedal lizard turned his head at the sound of the voice, wondering whether or not the voice was addressing him. He had a solid, whitish bone structure which covered the top of his head in the shape of three bumps that extended all the way to the back of his neck. The only other parts of his body which wasn’t blue was the skin under his chin, and a triangularly shaped region of skin on his belly, both of which were pale yellow. Looking back, the Bagon watched as a Totodile wearing an orange and yellow bandana around his neck rushed up to him, a Torchic wearing a blue scarf running alongside him. The Totodile was lugging a rather large toolbox along with him as he tried to wave, as if trying to make sure he’d caught Bagon’s full attention.

Upon arriving, Totodile panted slightly as he set down his toolbox and bent over to rest his hands on his knees. A moment later, he reached for the bandana around his neck, removing a small badge that had been attached, and showed it to the Bagon. “We’re… We’re a rescue team. Team Supernova,” He stated. “We’re looking for a Cubone that might have come by here. Can you please tell us if you’ve seen him? And if you have, where he went? His name is Tristan and he would have been traveling alone.”

The Bagon shook his head. “Uhhh… I didn’t see any Cubone passing by here.”

“You didn’t?” asked Totodile, heavily disappointed. His head sank as he reattached his badge onto his bandana. “Well… thanks anyway… sorry to trouble you.” With this, he reached for the ground, picking up his toolbox again before continuing on.

“Here’s payment for your cooperation,” the Torchic said hurriedly, handing a few Poke over to the Bagon before hurriedly following Totodile. When she caught up to him, she slowed down to his pace and they both walked in silence.

It had been several days since the incident in the village, and since then, they had been desperately trying to pick up on the trail that Tristan had left. However, Tristan had apparently become invisible, since almost zero Pokemon they had seen so far had seen him. All they had to go by were a few leads, which were a couple Pokemon pointing in a general direction they had seen him go. Even then it might have been any Cubone. The team seemed to grow more and more hopeless with each step they took.

***

No more than an hour after the events in the Pokemon Square, the village was more or less back to its normal pace. The angry crowed had dispersed to carry on with their lives while Charizard, Tyranitar, Sceptile and Typhlosion had stayed behind, to decide what should been done from there. Dave, who had lost his spirit to go on a mission, had retreated to Wiscash Pond, which was where he usually went when he wanted to calm his nerves. Plucking up their courage, Totodile and Torchic confronted Team ACT and Team Blue, demanding what they had done to Tristan.

“What are you talking about?” Sceptile had asked, still fuming with anger. “Didn’t you see what he did?”

“Really,” Charizard exclaimed. “How can you be friends with a pathetic little glory seeking wannabe like him?”

“HE’S NOT LIKE THAT!!” both Totodile and Torchic answered defensively.

“What’s this?” Tyrantar said, “You’re siding with him?”

“Of course!” Torchic cried, “He’s our friend!”

“He wouldn’t try to steal anyone’s glory! That’s just the kind of thing Tristan does! And if you took a moment to get to know him, you would see that!” Totodile added. “But you didn’t, and now he’s out there somewhere alone because of what you did! Is that the kind of thing rescue teams do to each oth-”

“ENOUGH!!” Sceptile growled while clenching his teeth so tightly that it snapped the seed in his mouth the second time that day. “Your team is in no position to tell us what’s right and wrong. You steal missions, you try to benefit on other people’s accomplishments, who knows what else you have been doing!”

“I think you’re idiots being deceived by his trash!” Charizard said, crossing his arms impatiently. “I also don’t want to hear anymore about this. Do you want to be the next to leave?”

“I wouldn’t want to stay here, even if you begged me!” Tododile yelled defiantly. “I don’t want anything to do with people who would cause pain to my friends!”

“That goes for me, too!” joined Torchic.

“… So this is how it is going to be?” Tyranitar finally spoke after a couple uncomfortable moments of silence. His voice was calm, yet cold at the same time. Whatever rage he harbored, he did very well at hiding it. “I knew your team was nothing but trouble.”

“Leave! And never show your faces here again!” Charizard growled. Unlike his teammate, Charizard was not able to conceal his rage as well. His fists were clenched, trembling as he held himself back. “This village doesn’t need you either!”

It was then that Totodile and Torchic had turned their backs, approaching the bridge to leave the village. Behind them, they could hear Sceptile call threateningly, “You better hope that I never see any of you again!”

Neither of them paid any acknowledgment to the last comment, continuing on with their march out of town. By now they had reached the forest, the village disappearing behind the dense trees. Neither of them talked for several minutes, only when they had reached the path to their team base, had they stopped to think.

“So…” Torchic started.

“… So what?”

“What will we do now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“You want to go find Tristan. Is that it?” Torchic asked.

“And you don’t?” Totodile asked, turning to Trochic with an accusing look.

“Its not like that,” Torchic replied defensively, “You know full well that I would be the first to go and find Tristan. But… its just that…”

“You’re still not sure if he’s a human,” Totodile finished. “Torch-”

“I know you’re thinking the same thing!” she shouted back. “Tell me honestly! Why was it that you decided to recruit him back in Tiny Woods? Did you believe that Tristan was a human the first time he told you?”

“This has nothing to do with-”

“TELL ME!”

“I… I…” Totodile stuttered, averting his eyes with shame, “I was hoping that our team would be the next Team Blue. It seemed too good to be true when I found Tristan just lying there in the clearing. It was exactly how Sceptile described the first time he met Dave. I thought… I thought that if he became a member of our team, then we would be destined for great things too…”

“Exactly,” Torchic said, “Do you remember what you told me back then? You told me that we should play along, to deceive him into thinking we believed his story. How far are you willing to go Totodile? How long are you going to keep this up until you realise that he might not be human after all?”

“… I know it was selfish to use Tristan like that,” Totodile admitted. “I guess I just became blinded by my excitement that we might be onto something big. But…” he continued, as he lifted his head to face his team mate, “Torchic. I’m not going after Tristan because he’s a human. I could care less if he was human or not anymore. I’m going after him because he’s my friend. Back there in the village, I wasn’t acting. That’s how I really felt. Tristan is a valuable friend to me. He is to you too, isn’t he?”

“Of course he is!” Torchic blurted. “I am just as close a friend to Tristan as you are. But it would be wrong to go after him because you thought he would lead our team to greatness. I want to save him because he’s my friend, too.”

“Then, there’s nothing more to discuss,” Totodile finished a smile beginning to return to his face. “Let’s go find Tristan.” With this, Totodile turned towards the dirt path, and began to walk, increasing the distance between him and the village with every step. Torchic quickly joined him.

“We’ll have to apologize to him,” Torchic said. “He deserves to know what we’ve done to him.”

“I know… But for now we need to worry about actually finding him.” After this, they walked for a couple more minutes, until Totodile stopped at a fork in the road. His eyes traveled from one path to the other and back again.

“Do you even know which way he went?” Torchic asked.

“Uh…”

“… So you just started walking without any clue as to where he went? We didn’t even bring our toolbox! How far do you expect we’ll get?”

“Hey hey” Totodile said, raising his arms frantically, “I didn’t see you taking the lead.”

Torchic let out a tremendous sigh; “We’ll never find him like this! C’mon, we’re going back to the team base. We need to treat this like a rescue right? So we’ll need items to help us along.”

“Alright…” Totodile answered, as he turned to follow Torchic back to their team base.

***

The following days passed with little success. Now they were exiting Lapis Cave after searching what felt like every square foot of it. Exhausted, they wondered which way to go next.

“Do you think we will actually find him?” Torchic asked, “Do you think he came this way? I mean, what if we’re heading farther and farther away from him”

“Well,” Totodile answered his voice heavy with doubt, “We were told he was heading for Lapis Cave… and he wasn’t in there. But what now?”

Torchic looked down trying hard to to think like Tristan would. But doing so only caused her to become even more unsure where to go. “It’s hopeless,” Torchic said, opening her eyes. It was then that something on the ground caught her attention. “Or… is it?”

“What is it Torchic? You find something?”

“C’mere,” she answered, waving Totodile over. Look at the ground here. Doesn’t it look strange to you?”

Totodile looked to where she had indicated. Surely enough, a small part of the ground looked different from everywhere else. The dirt here was stained and extremely dark shade of red to the point of almost being black. Torchic lowered her head, close to the substance to smell it, and drew back quickly upon realizing what it was.

“What is it?” Totodile asked.

“It’s… blood.”

“Tristan’s blood!?”

“It might be,” Torchic answered. “But look here. Look at how the dirt is shaped. It looks like he was kneeling or something… and look. There are footprints heading in that direction!”

“Mount Blaze…” Totodile said quietly, as he followed the tracks with his eyes, “why would he go there?”

“We have to follow him,” Torchic urged, “what if he’s in danger?”

“Yes,” Totodile answered, “We’re not giving up on him just yet!”

And so… with a new lead to go by, Torchic and Totodile hurried off toward Mt. Blaze as fast as their legs would carry them, hoping that by some chance the path would lead them to Tristan. While on the mountain, something was unfolding that would threaten the lives of all three of the members of Team Supernova.

“The feeling of being exiled…” Torchic thought to herself as she ran, “I’m no stranger to that feeling. When you think everyone hates you… Tristan… you are wrong. Just like I was back then, too.”

~Chapter 18

A Legendary Meeting. Danger on Mount Blaze!

“Well?” Zapdos snapped again, his patience running shorter with every passing moment. “Did you finish the job, or not?”

On the plateau near the base of Mount Blaze, the three legendary birds stood. The reason for their gathering still remained a mystery to Tristan, who watched from his cache amongst the enormous outcroppings of rocks that surrounded the plateau. The breath of every Pokemon present, with the exception of Articuno, turned into wisps of vapour as it condensed in the frigid cold night air. He had a sickening feeling as he thought back to what Articuno had told him on the peak in Frosty Forest.

“Whoever is doing this seems pretty desperate. You won’t be left alone for long. Cherish the moments you have left.”

That was what Articuno had said… He had said that somebody wanted him dead. But why would anybody want him dead? He hadn’t done anything wrong, at least to his knowledge. And even if he did, did he really deserve death for it? Articuno’s words continued to echo in Tristan’s head as he watched on.

Articuno turned his attention to Moltres. “I was late getting here because I had to tend to some wounds before setting off. Even then, I was unable to fly without great pain, so all I could do was walk.”

“And why were you wounded?” Moltres interrogated, drilling into Atricuno with a piercing stare.

“Well obviously it was because of my battle with the human!” Articuno answered coldly. “How else do you think I got into this state? Do you think I did this to myself?”

“BUT WHAT ABOUT MY QUESTION!!” Zapdos interrupted, now furious as a static charge filled the air. “Did you finish the job? Did you kill the human? TELL ME NOW!!”

Tristan’s stomach gave a sudden lurch. It was what he had feared. The reason these monstrous creatures had gathered… was to decide his death! “I should leave,” he thought, beginning to panic. “I should leave and I should leave right now. I shouldn’t have come here in the first place.” Yet for some reason, his legs held fast, as if they were glued in place on the ground. His mind wanted him to leave, but his nerves kept him planted, only to continue to watch.

“No… he did not finish the task that had been requested of him…” a new voice sounded, causing Tristan to jump. He hadn’t been able to tell where the voice had come from. It was almost as if the voice was inside his head. Apparently it wasn’t only Tristan who was confused. The birds, too, were trying to find the source of the voice. A few moments later, a bright light flashed from above, causing everyone to look skyward.

The voice had been small and soft, as if a child had spoken it. It was completely out of place among the bickering of the Legendary Birds. High above them, this new Pokemon gently hovered downward towards the plateau, until it was hovering at the height of the three birds who had all turned to face it. She was tiny compared to the birds, perhaps even smaller than Tristan. She had a pale white body, with one large closed eye on her stomach. As well she had what looked like small yellow wings and small blue markings just under her eyes. The thing that defined her the most was the star shaped crown on her head, hanging from the three points of that star shape were small blue tags.

“I am sorry to say that Articuno has failed his in completing his task,” the star Pokemon finished timidly.

“Is what Jirachi saying true?” Moltres asked, turning to Articuno.

”Y… yes,” said Articuno, trying not to make eye contact. “I failed to complete my task.”

“My master…” the small Pokemon continued softly, “he is very displeased with what he’s seen of the Legendary Birds thus far… and he feels you are not living up to your reputation as you should.”

“Let me explain!” Articuno shouted defensively. “I mean, I was outnumbered from the very start when it was four against one! When I finally had the human alone, he used a special item to make himself stronger! Despite that, I still almost had him! But before I could finish him off, five more Pokemon came to his aid! Tell me, how I’m supposed to beat those odds?”

“Forgive me if I’m mistaken…” Jirachi began. “But I was under the impression that you were a Legendary Pokemon.” To this Articuno had no response. He could only stare blankly at her, as if he had just received a slap to the face. “All that you needed to do… was finish off the human,” she continued. “My master finds it hard to believe that you couldn’t take out one Pokemon. He says that if you cannot complete such a simple task, then you shouldn’t be a Legendary…”

“Oh, this is just too perfect!” Zapdos suddenly cried, bursting into a fit of laughter. “Oh, this is just too much! Now that makes my day! I don’t know how I let people associate me with a Legendary as pathetic as you!”

“Shut up you ignorant filth!” Articuno sneered.

“Make me you pathetic worm!” Zapdos snapped back.

“Are you trying to start something?” Articuno shouted, extending his wings as far as his injuries would allow. Despite his wounds, however, he still managed to pull off an impressive sight, giving Tristan bad memories of their previous battle. Hundreds of tiny ice crystals spread around him, shimmering in the light of the volcano as the temperature of the air suddenly plunged.

“Sure,” Zapdos answered, spreading his own wings, sending out electrical discharges erratically around him. “But just so you know, I actually defeat my opponents!”

“Why you!!!”

A gust of cold wind blew from one side of the plateau, while static filled the air. It seemed as if there would be nothing that was going to keep them from ripping each other’s throats out. Suddenly, a bright, scorching blast of fire roared between them, causing both to jump back defensively.

“I DID NOT ALLOW YOU INFERIOR BEINGS TO COME TO DESECRATE MY MOUNTAIN!!” hollered Moltres furiously, his fire burning brighter than ever. “We are not here to act like idiots, though that may be difficult for you two accomplish! Go kill each other on your own damn time!!”

“These guys…” Tristan thought, as he watched on. “They just don’t get along...” Jirachi, apparently, was also sharing the same thoughts. Speechless, she hovered in silence, a look of utter shock imprinted on her face.

Moltres turned back to Jirachi, who jumped slightly. “What I would like to know, is why we want to kill this human in the first place? Why do we focus our efforts on destroying one Pokemon when we should be focusing our effort on saving the world?”

Jirachi took a gulp of air before speaking, “Because…” she began. “That human, is one of two humans in this world who pose a threat to my master.”

“And why should we care about your master?” asked Zapdos, finally turning his attention away from Articuno. “Why should we care for someone we’ve never seen? We don’t even know his name.”

“Because…” she replied, twiddling her thumbs nervously. “When the threat is gone… he said… he said that he would end it all.”

A long silence ensued, as the birds began to digest the words they had just been told. Tristan continued to listen intently, trying to pick up even the slightest whisper that any of them might utter. What was going on? Apparently, he posed a threat to someone who would be able to save the world. But… Tristan was trying to find a way to stop the disasters too. Why would someone with the very same goal want him dead? If this being could save the world, Tristan wouldn’t try to stop it; in fact, he would try all he could to help. The more he thought about it the more his head ached. It was all too confusing. If he thought this was going to answer any questions, he was sadly mistaken; instead it had caused an avalanche more of them. He shook his head quickly, trying to bring himself back to his senses. He wouldn’t learn anything if he was lost in his thoughts. With this in mind he held his breath and listened even harder for anything that might happen.

“…He can do that?” Articuno finally asked, being the first to speak.

“Y… yes,” she answered, slightly relieved that she had managed to calm the birds somehow. “But first, you need to eliminate one of the humans. The one you were ordered to eliminate was the weaker of the two. It should have been an easy task, especially for a legendary.”

“I… I…” Articuno uttered, “I have nothing to say.”

“What about the other one?” Moltres said.

“Excuse me?” asked Jirachi.

“What about the other one,” he repeated. “You said there were two humans who posed a threat. If this is the case, then why are we only trying to eliminate one of them?”

Jirachi thought a moment to formulate her answer. “It is only when they are together that they pose a threat to my master. Separated, they are harmless.”

“When will we actually meet this great master of yours?” Moltres continued, still skeptical. “Why should we believe that this master can fix all this. Take my mountain for example! It’s freezing here! It has never been like this in the entire history of the mountain! It’s losing its fire, and with it, so am I! All of its inhabitants have either died or fled!”

“That goes for Mt. Thunder as well!” Zapdos joined. “The wind that it gets is so dry that no clouds form anymore. No clouds means no lightning, which was what supported all the electric Pokemon there. It has completely lost its ability to sustain any of its inhabitants!”

“The snow that falls in Frosty Forest is responsible for numerous avalanches,” Articuno finished. “If this keeps up, the entire forest and the Pokemon in it will be buried in a snowy grave.”

“Master Sanngot… will see you when you complete or fail your task,” answered Jirachi. “He will answer your questions then… though… he doesn’t take kindly to failure…”

“Very well,” Moltres said bitterly, “I will follow your masters orders… for now.”

“This meeting wouldn’t have even needed to take place if a certain Legendary hadn’t failed at completing a simple task.” Zapdos grumbled in aggravation.

“SHUT UP!!” Articuno snapped.

“Hmm?” Moltres thought aloud distracted by something that seemed to be in Tristan’s direction. “I can sense it… There’s an intruder on my mountain!”

Tristan practically jumped out of his skin! Had Moltres discovered him? He had tried so hard not to make any noise, but even then it hadn’t seemed to be good enough.

“This is not the time for such things,” Jirachi urged, holding out a hand to try to stop him.

“Is it the human?” Zapdos asked excitedly.

“How should I know? All I know is that they shouldn’t be here! And I have issues with intruders trespassing on my mountain.” With that, he spread his wings, surrounding himself with flames and creating a wave of heat before he took off, flying over Tristan, and into the steam-filled night sky. Tristan collapsed against the rock, sighing with relief, thankful that he had still not been noticed.

“There he goes,” Zapdos said shaking his head disapprovingly. “Talk about being hot headed.”

“This meeting has ended,” Jirachi stated. “I will come again another time to check on your… progress. Master Sanngot hopes, for your sakes, that you succeed this time.” With this, she hovered up into the air, looking down upon the birds as she rose. Now she was so high that even Tristan had to crane his neck to look at her, but as he did, he saw Jirachi’s gaze turn directly on to him. There was no mistaking it. She was staring right at him. And she knew. She knew who he really was. He didn’t know how he knew this, but he just felt it, as if she was looking right into his mind. What would happen now? She would definitely tell the birds below where he was! Once that happened, it would be the end for him! But as she looked at him, she frowned slightly, and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, she was surrounded with a blinding flash of light, and when Tristan looked up again he saw that she had disappeared, leaving him to wonder why she had done nothing, yet grateful that she hadn’t at the same time.

“It’s odd being bossed around by a Pokemon less than a fifth of your height,” he could hear Zapdos mention back on the plateau. He was gazing up to where Jirachi had disappeared. “And she’s easily intimidated too.”

“Yes…” Articuno agreed. “But we’re really being controlled by that Sanngot creature that stands behind her.”

“Well,” Zapdos said glancing back at Articuno, a glint of spite in his eye. “Looks like I’ve got to make up for some lost time. Some stupid little worm set us off track.”

“Heh,” Articuno snickered, as he began to stagger in the direction where Tristan was hidden. “I bet you wouldn’t last one minute.”

“Crap!” Tristan thought, alarmed, “He’s headed this way!” He backed away as quickly as he could, amongst the rocks. Now he had seen enough, if there was a time to escape, it would be now. Nimbly, he tried to navigate himself around the rocks, such that he would go unnoticed by either of the birds. His foot hit a fairly large stone amongst the debris, causing excruciating pain in his toe. He held his breath, and grabbed his foot, doing all he could not to let out a yelp of pain. It felt like the pressure would cause his head to explode.

Finally, the pain subsided. Tristan would have let out a sigh of relief if he hadn’t been so focused on escaping. By now Articuno had reached the rock that Tristan had been next to, leaning against it for support. Tristan was now farther up the circumference of the clearing, almost opposite of the lava pool on the other side.

“You know what?” Zapdos sneered. “The only reason why I didn’t wipe you out back then, was because Jirachi was there! You really are a pain and a waste of a Legendary!”

“What are you doing?” Articuno asked, the tone of his voice becoming worried. Tristan peeked around from another rock to see what was going one. Zapdos had his wings spread again, a look of anger in his eye.

“Just what it looks like I’m doing. I’ll finish you first, then I’ll chase after the human.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Just try me!”

Tristan couldn’t believe his eyes. Was Zapdos actually going to attack Articuno? It was a strange feeling that overcame him at that moment. He didn’t particularly like Articuno, but… he didn’t actually want to see him dead either. He felt the tingly feeling of static around him as Zapdos began to charge the air again with electricity. Tristan watched wide-eyed for what would happen next.

“THUNDER!!!” Zapdos screeched, as a massive bolt of electricity came out f the sky, seemingly out of nowhere.

Articuno shut his eyes tightly bracing for what certainly would be a fatal hit. But the lightning never hit him. He opened his eyes to see Zapdos still in front of him.

“Hmm?” Zapdos murmured, turning his head to the left.

Tristan stood paralyzed with shock. He had no idea what had just happened. He was sure the attack was directed towards Articuno.

“Wh… Why did it hit me!?” he thought, horrified. Even stranger was that the massive bolt didn’t even hurt him. The enormous bolt that would have fried anyone else left Tristan completely unscathed. Had Zapdos have known he was there the whole time? It didn’t seem like it. So why did it hit him? “This can’t be happening,” he thought, hiding behind the rock, though he knew he had been seen clearly by both birds. “This just can’t be happening!”

“Hehehe. Well well,” Zapdos’s voice came from above. Tristan looked up to see the towering figure of the electric bird perched on the rock overhead. “What’s a little worm like you doing in a place like this?” he chuckled amusedly, narrowing his eyes.

There was no point in hiding anymore. Tristan leapt out into the clearing, grasping his bone in a defensive stance, trying his best to not look intimidated by the bird.

Articuno blinked with astonishment as he saw what met his eyes. “The human…” he blurted accidentally.

“Ahahahaha!” Zapdos laughed ecstatically. “What’s that you say? This is the little worm that gave you such a thrashing? You’re even more pathetic than I thought!”

“Shut up!” Articuno snapped back. “I already told you that it wasn’t just him who beat me!”

“Details, details,” Zapdos said, waving a wing towards Articuno. “But this is quite lucky for me. I will be able to kill the human. And as a bonus, I will be able to do it right in front of your very own eyes!”

“Hmph…” Articuno spat. “Perhaps you’ll find that you weren’t so lucky after all.”

Tristan had been silent up until now, not wanting to get involved in the bird’s argument. Unlike Moltres, he just didn’t have the power to intervene the way he did, not that he would’ve tried anyway. He’d actually been hoping that they might have distracted each other enough that he could escape. This chance, though, had never arisen. Now he found that Zapdos had fixed his sights back on him, giving an evil grin. From his perch atop the rock, he hopped down onto the ground next to Tristan.

“Crap!” Tristan thought, backing up so he didn’t have to crane his neck so high. “I’m dead!”

“You were listening this whole time weren’t you?” Zapdos said, closing the space between them that Tristan had just opened. “I’m sure you know what will happen next then, don’t you?” Tristan backed up further, Zapdos following with every step he took. Then, Tristan felt something hard against his back. He looked up to see that he was against one of the many other hundreds of enormous stones that surrounded the plateau. Now he was trapped! He looked back at Zapdos, who was directly in front of him. He smirked as he began to charge the air with electricity. Sparks danced all around Tristan as Zapdos spread his spiky yellow and black wings. “Now be a good little Cubone, and die quickly!”

***

“Is this really Mount Blaze?” Totodile said in disbelief.

Both Torchic and Totodile now stood at the base of the once red, hot volcano of Mount Blaze. A gust of cold wind swept passed them, causing both of them to shiver. Torchic buried herself in her scarf, deeply thankful that she had brought it.

“It’s… cold!” she cried, “Why is it cold? I thought this place would be comfortable for me!”

“I don’t know,” Totodile answered; he himself was confused. “Everywhere else is warming up, but here it seems to be the exact opposite.”

“Could this mean that Beedrill was wrong after all? Maybe the world climate isn’t rising after all,” she said, thinking back to what the hornet had told them.

“I… don’t know what to think anymore.” Totodile replied. “But that’s not why we came here. We came here to find Tristan. And… and to apologize to him.”

“Yes,” Torchic said, shaking herself to her senses, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course we’re here to find Tristan.” With that, she pushed ahead at a faster pace. “What are you waiting for? Do you want to find him or not?”

Totodile chuckled quietly, “Sure, the faster the better!”

Both Torchic and Totodile began their ascent of the mountain. The higher in altitude they went, though, the colder the air became. There was less lava exposed higher up and if it was even possible, it felt even colder than it was in Frosty Forest. After much convincing, Torchic finally managed to get Totodile to change their path, and instead of climbing to the peak, to try an alternate route along the base of the mountain.

“I’m sure that he wouldn’t climb to the top if was that cold,” she told him attempting a reassuring tone.

“I don’t know…” Totodile answered, still uncertain of the decision. What if it was the decision that caused them to pass by Tristan completely? Then again, it might also have been the decision that caused them to find Tristan. “Oh well. I guess all we’ve been doing so far was guessing anyway. I suppose another guess couldn’t hurt much.”

“AHA!” an ominous voice sounded, causing both Torchic and Totodile to stop in their tracks. “I’VE FOUND YOU!”

“… Was that you?” Totodile asked turning slowly to Torchic. Totodile knew full well she hadn’t said it, the voice had come from above, amongst the mist and steam. Despite this he still was hoping she was the one who had spoken.

“No,” she answered slowly. “Do I have a deep masculine voice like that?”

“Uh…” Totodile said, feeling his last hope slip away from him. “No… no you don’t.”

The air warmed considerably as the pair stood, both of them scanning the sky for the slightest motion that wasn’t steam. Behind them, a loud thud sounded, signaling the arrival of another Pokemon. Before they had even turned around, they felt a wave of warmth pass over them.

“What are you doing on my mountain?” the voice demanded. Totodile and Torchic both turned around simultaneously to see none other than the legendary fire bird, Moltres, standing before them. Frozen in fear, they could only manage to stare at the blazing Pokemon.

“Well?” The bird demanded again. “I asked you a question! Show respect to those superior to you!”

“Ah!” Totodile yelped; his hands raised high in the air. “We… we’re not doing anything! We’re j-just looking for someone!”

“GYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!” Moltres shrieked, spreading his wings causing an enormous blast of heat and flame. “You think you can just walk onto my mountain and tarnish it with your presence? This is my mountain! I will not allow you to walk around here as you please! For this, you will pay!!!”

To be continued…