I did not scream like a little girl. I’m above such things. It’s fine. We’re going further in anyway. Calm down.

“Quite the set of lungs you’ve got, huh?” Brawly rubbed the sides of his head as he glared at me.

I turned and met his glare. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. That was Emilie, I swear.” I sucked in a deep breath as Emilie elbowed me in the chest.

“Liar.” My starter turned away from me and looked at the sheer ice wall behind us. “Guess we can’t rely on having the element of surprise, huh?”

I sighed before bringing my arms up and hugging her closer. “We were expected, and I don’t like that. Can you still teleport out or-”

“I can’t sense the outside world at all,” Emilie cut me off. “It’s kind of like what we dealt with last night, only… bigger. Way bigger.” Emilie shivered. “I can’t push my consciousness out to get a feel of where I’m going, which is the first step to a successful teleport. We’re stuck here.”

“Well, we wanted to be here anyway, so that’s not the end of the world, but I’ve always chafed at being told what I can and can’t do.” Brawly lifted up a single poke ball from his belt. “Kind of a lame welcome too, if I’m being honest.” A flash of white light brightened up the dimly lit corridor. “Light it up, Toa.”

In one fluid motion, the tall fighting type formed and crouched forward, his arms ablaze as he slammed his fist into the wall of ice. A resounding crack forced me back as I clutched my hands over my ears. For the first time since this morning, I felt genuine warmth as fire pushed out from the small crater Toa was carving into the ice, lighting up the room as he pushed forward.

The warmth was short-lived as the walls glowed blue. They pulsed a single time, snuffing out the fire, before focusing on the hole Toa created. The fire type was thrown back as the cracks and indents fused together to once again form a solid wall.

“Blaze…” Blaziken slowly pulled himself up from the ground and rubbed his head, before glaring at the wall and lighting up again.

“Don’t bother, Toa. That was mostly an experiment.” Brawly heaved a sigh before looking at my frozen frame. “Guess we’ll have to toast whatever’s causing this if we want to get out of here. Toa can break it just fine, but it won’t do any good if whatever’s doing this is just going to fix the wall before we can push through. Looks like we’re… Lea?”

I didn’t immediately respond as I stared at the beast in front of me. Bright red skin contrasting against white feathers, his mouth split between a beak and a jaw as his eyes locked on to the blue wall. I had to crane my neck to get a good look, too. He was taller than me. God, he was just… “So cool!”

Toa turned and looked at her, his eyebrows pulled together. “Blaz?”

“Oh, for fuck’s-” Emilie was cut off as I moved.

I all but teleported across the hallway and pulled the coolest fire type on the planet into a bone crushing hug. “Legends above, you’re the coolest Pokémon on the face of the earth, that fire was so cool, I’m so happy we have something like you on our side this is so awesommmmmmmeeeee–” I trailed off as the world started spinning.

‘I like the kind words and enthusiasm, but I like my personal space,’ Toa complained as he spun around, doing his best to throw me off.

I didn’t want to let go, though, he was both warm and cool at the same time.

“Lea,” Emilie yelled, her voice shaky in the chaos. “Legends above.” She dipped her head out and put her hand against her mouth before glaring at her trainer. ‘Would you let go!?’

I complied and let my grip slacken. Regret instantly slammed into me like a freight train as I sailed across the hallway, my eyes widening as I let out a small shout and slammed into the wall with a resounding thud. “Owie…”

“You could’ve just brought a few gym trainers, Brawly. But no, Gallade wanted this one and to leave as many people behind to deal with the storm as possible…” Brawly heaved a sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his mitts before extending that same hand out to me. “Need a hand up?”

I glared before pushing myself up. “I’m fine, thank you very much. I just… got excited. I like Blaziken, alright?”

“I noticed.” Brawly shot me a grin.

‘So did I.’ Toa shot me the side eye as he inched away.

“Look, can we just start diving into the death pit already? I’m tired of being made fun of.” I could feel my cheeks heat up despite the cold air that permeated the chamber. “And have Blaziken heat it up, would you?”

“I don’t-”

Toa cut Brawly off by pulsing a bit of fire out from his chest and holding it there. ‘After our training, this isn’t noticeable, and I’d rather be warm. Don’t try and push through this crap to be macho. You know it’s bad when I’m complaining about the cold, and the last thing I need is for Tito to yell at me for letting you get frosty while I’m out and about.’

Brawly glared at the fire type before nodding. “Fine, I don’t want him mother henning me either. At any rate, before we go deeper, I want to take stock of what I’m working with. Send out your full squad.”

I nodded once before releasing the team.

‘Ahoy, captain, commodore. Happy to come aboard.’ Apollo saluted once before taking flight, hovering just at waist level. ‘Even happier to have a source of fire on deck.’

Toa smiled as Joern waved lazily. Sol stretched out and yawned before nodding at me..

Brawly looked the dark type up and down with a grin. “The Absol’s new. Nice catch, too. She’s a strong fighter.”

“How can you tell that just by looking at her?” I asked.

Brawly grinned. “Gym leader secret. You notice a few things being in the business as long as me. Where’s the Honedge?”

Lucas stuck his sheath out from the shadow and tilted forward, before returning to his hiding spot. Duskull popped out fully for a second before diving back down.

“Ah, you caught another ghost too. Happy you already have them camping out in your shadow, I was about to tell you to do that, actually. They make really good protectors when things start going wild.” Brawly glanced further into the cave. “I want you to keep everyone out, alright? We could get jumped at a moment’s notice.”

“I know basic protocol for being in a dangerous location, don’t worry. Petalburg Woods but worse. Got it. Can we push on? We’re burning daylight.” I marched ahead, only to wince as someone grabbed me by the backpack.

“Second order of the trip: I take lead.” Brawly fixed me with a lazy glare before pushing ahead, two more poke balls at the ready. “Lele, Crash, you’re up. Toa is taking point, you guys get the flanks.”

Gallade and Hawlucha both formed on either side of him, before nodding and scanning the room.

“Let me guess, the Hawlucha is the dad of the one I beat?” I asked before falling into step behind him.

Hawluch sent me a caustic glare before looking away from me with a huff.

“Mom, actually.” Brawly laughed at me as the blood quickly flooded my face.

‘You really don’t want to know how she’s describing you right now.’ Emilie looked up at me with a grin before teleporting to my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

Crash just sighed and ignored me.

‘Meh, don’t worry too much, cap. Old birds like that are too proud for their own good. I remember meeting an old Murkrow once. Made the mistake of calling her old to her face, damn near lost my sea legs that day.’ Apollo shivered.

Crash started to visibly shake as she turned her ire to my quartermaster.

Apollo froze, before fixing Emilie with a look. ‘That was supposed to be for the captain’s ears only, you bilge-sucking swine.’

Emilie chuckled. “Serves you right for being rude to one of our protectors.”

Lucas poked his head out of my shadow. ‘Not very sharp of you, I have to admit.’

‘Some might even call it bird-brained,’ Duskull complained.

‘Oh god, there’s two of them,’ Joern complained.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Toa dip back and pull Lele to the side. ‘Are you… sure that these guys need to be here?’

Gallade just grinned in response as the fire type sighed and resumed his position at the front.

‘Rude,’ I mentally muttered to the rest of my squad before looking back towards Brawly. “By the way, technically speaking mine are the Ralts, Pelipper, Lombre, and Honedge. Sol is technically May’s, and Duskull is…” How exactly did I explain this? Did I even want to explain it? Not really. “A friend of ours.”

Brawly turned to me, his gaze sharp. “Will they listen to you?”

I nodded.

“Doesn’t matter then, for all intents and purposes, they’re yours for the trip.” Brawly grinned. “Sorry about Crash. Your Pelipper, Apollo, I think, was right. She’s too proud for her own good. It’s why her son’s such an idiot. She needs the air let out of her head every once in a while.”

Crash huffed again and turned away from her trainer, her beak pointed skywards as she dived forward.

Brawly waved her hand out. “See? Already breaking formation.”

Before I could reply, the corridor opened up into a small chamber with three branching paths.

Well, it used to be three branching paths, at least.

Brawly sighed. “Whatever this thing is, it seems very eager to meet us.”

I nodded before looking at the two frozen barricades blocking our path. Walls had risen up to give us a single path forward. “I don’t like that we’re being corralled to where it wants us to go. That’s kind of worrying, right?”

“Very.” Brawly nodded before moving forward, his gait confident.

I glanced at him for a moment before giving his team a once over. “Is it fine for you to just have three ‘mons out? You said this thing was strong...”

Brawly chuckled. “I actually have four out, you just can’t see the fourth. He’s been out this whole time, in fact.” Brawly’s shadow practically vibrated and I jumped back as it bulged, before sinking back down into the earth. A faint chuckle filled the air.

I glanced down at the writhing black mass at Brawly’s feet and grimaced. “Guessing that’s the fourth?”

Brawly smiled. “He’s a bit shy, don’t mind him. I’m sparing Kahuna from dealing with this cold as much as possible, and the other three are being kept in reserve to swap with these guys where needed. We need some ‘mons to watch us if we need to set up camp in here, after all.”

I nodded, before ducking under a low hanging stalactite. I was wracking my brain trying to think of a ghost and fighting type combo and coming up empty. “Makes sense, I suppose.”

We moved in silence for a bit, following the only allowed path we were given at every crossroads. I felt my nerves start to fray at my thoughts for a moment, only for the silence to be broken up by a small crackling.

It sounded like fire.

I glanced toward Toa. No, he wasn’t doing it.

‘Captain, I feel a change in air pressure close by. There’s a bit of warmth up ahead.’ Apollo dived down low and perched himself on Sol’s back.

‘When exactly did I become your taxi service?’ The glare Sol sent Apollo dissolved the second Apollo fixed her with a glare. ‘With all due respect, I’m not complaining or anything, honest-’

Joern joined Apollo in chuckling at the dark type’s worrying before glancing around the new chamber we pushed into.

The opening was massive, larger than any we had stumbled into before. Several holes had been sealed shut by a massive wall of ice, similar to before, but unlike before, this chamber showed signs of life. A few Sableye and a Mawile were huddled up next to a shrinking fire, with a lone white Sandshrew hanging out further back. The Pokémon gave us a passing glance before scooting over, making space for us by the smoldering inferno.

‘You might as well have a seat, this is the warmest spot in the cave for a good long while,’ Mawile suggested.

The Sabelye nodded, rubbing their hands together.

I jogged over before giving them a once over, a sigh of relief escaping my lips. There were signs of life down here. This was fantastic. It wasn’t just an apocalyptic, frozen wasteland.

“Lea, wait…” Brawly’s warning died on his lips as I kneeled down in front of the fire, and he sighed before jogging up with his team.

“What?” I asked, waving towards the Mawile. “They’re chill. You guys hungry at all? I’ve got some snacks in my bag for wild Pokémon if you are.”

I riffled through my pack before pulling out a small container of Emilie’s favorites and pulling off the lid. My starter watched them with wide, desperate eyes as the Mawile sniffed them, before popping one into her mouth.

A sense of euphoria pulsed through the room as Emilie let out a moan.

I turned and glared at her. “Did you just… vicariously enjoy my cooking through another Pokémon’s emotions?”

“So… yummy…” Emilie sighed contentedly as I grabbed back my… now empty container. What the hell?

I didn’t even see her eat the rest!

‘Thanks for the snack, food’s been a bit scarce today.’ Mawile sighed contentedly before looking towards her friends. ‘Don’t worry about feeding these two, they don’t need it.’

The ghost and dark types chuckled, grinning at me creepily. Weirdos.

“What about-?” I stopped talking as I looked around, and noticed that the Sandshrew had disappeared. “Huh, guess he doesn’t like talking to strangers.”

‘He’s been skittish since he got here,’ one of the Sableye muttered.

The other one nodded. ‘No surprise, considering what happened last night.’

Brawly leaned forward, suddenly interested in the conversation. “What happened last night?”

The ghosts looked at each other and shrugged. The first one shivered. ‘Don’t know for sure.’

‘Just know it was bad,’ finished the second.

Mawile glared down at the fire, her eyebrows pinched together. ‘What’s a set of trainers doing down here in this weather? This is a nightmare for me and the boys, I can’t imagine dealing with this in your soft, squishy bodies.’

I growled before nodding towards Toa. “We brought a portable heater, don’t worry.”

‘Most awesome Pokémon in the world one minute, fucking space heater the next. Stupid human,’ Toa muttered.

I had a feeling I wasn’t supposed to hear that. I shot Emilie a look before nodding at the Mawile. “We’re looking for what’s causing this, actually.” I glanced down toward the ground. “And a group of humans that was already down here.”

Mawile winced. ‘I’m sorry, what?’ Her gaze stiffened as she took us in. ‘Two humans and their Pokémon. That’s all you brought? Isn’t that a bit light?’ She motioned towards Brawly. ‘I’ll admit the puffy human’s team looks impressive, but, still, two trainers? That’s it?’

“Well, once we meet up with my friends, we’ll have plenty of-”

‘Your friends were at ground zero of that clusterfuck down there, along with almost every damn member of the Sand Tribe.’ Mawile shivered. ‘They’re probably all statues by now, or worse.’

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I froze, my skin growing cold despite the dying blaze in front of me.

‘Damn cold used to be content to hang out in one part of the cave, why the hell did the gates of hell open last night? I knew the seal was weakening, but I didn’t think it’d break now…’ Mawile paced in front of the fire and rubbed her hands together.

“So you saw what happened then?” Brawly asked. “Could you describe it for us?”

Mawile snorted. ‘I didn’t see for sure. I saw the doors start to creak open and got the hell out of dodge.’ She shivered. ‘I can still feel the cold on the back of my neck, and it has nothing to do with the damn temperature.’

Brawly nodded before kneeling down in front of the smoldering logs.

“So you didn’t see what happened to the group?” Emilie asked, her voice desperate. “Were you just skulking around in the shadows when they got jumped?”

Mawile shook her head. ‘You’re right, sister, it is an assumption, but the power I felt...’ Mawile shivered. ‘It’s hard to imagine getting away from that unscathed, especially after they took down The Behemoth.’

I whipped around and glared at her. “I’m sorry, the what?”

‘I think it’d help if you started from the beginning, little one,’ Lele said. ‘The story is getting a bit jumbled. Who exactly is The Behemoth?’

‘It’s a territorial Aggron that likes to come up from deeper parts of the caves and yell at the younger generations to remind them he exists. Dude’s kind of an asshole, honestly.’ Sol spat on the ground before turning to look at the rest of the group, her face Mareepish as she took in our looks. ‘What?’

Mawile nodded once, before taking a deep breath. ‘I’m surprised you talk so cavalierly about him; he’s quite the terrifying force down here. Something disturbed him last night and sent him into a rage near the Snow Tribe. The Sand Tribe, with a group of humans, came down to help, and a fight broke out in front of the gates near the Ancient Basin. It took a lot of effort, but many overcame the one and defeated him before he could cause any more harm.’

‘And then the gates were thrown open,’ Sableye said.

The other Sabelye nodded. ‘And the world froze.’

“I guess that’s what Sergei was talking about when he said that May was busy. Was anyone hurt before the doors were thrown open?” The pit in my stomach still hadn’t left, but I was feeling a bit more steady. Things are fine, they’re FINE!

One of the Sabelye shook his head. ‘Don’t really know for sure.’

‘We kept our distance while the fight was happening, didn’t want to get pulled into it.’ The other Sabelye shivered before looking toward the Mawile. ‘Ma took a look when it was all said and done, but she grabbed us and pulled us away from the chamber almost immediately after.’

Mawile just stared at the dying embers, her face tense as her second mouth clenched shut.

I sighed before nodding. That was decidedly unhelpful. “I would ask if you could show us the way, but…”

Mawile giggled. It sounded creepy and unnatural. ‘I think the entity beat you to the punch on that one, love.’ She batted her eyelashes at me. ‘Though I can appreciate you wanting to spend more time with someone as lovely as me, an undertaking would be worth more than a light snack.’

A dark aura emanated from my starter as she glared down at the fairy type. ‘Those cookies are worth twenty of you, and you should be happy to be cannon fodder for tasting their greatness!’

Mawile let her mouth drop open as she stared up at me awkwardly. She blinked a few times as the fire finally smoldered out, and a cold chill swept through the chamber.

“She’s going through withdrawal,” I explained lamely. “It’s a very tough time for her, too. You’ll have to forgive her for being a little unhinged.”

‘Are you SURE we need them to take care of what’s down here?’ Toa asked.

I turned around and glared at the fire type as he leaned away from the chuckling psychic type, before sighing and looking at the group of Pokémon in front of us. “Thanks for the info you did give us. It’s more than what we had before.”

Mawile nodded before hopping to her feet and looking towards the ghost bros. ‘Thank you for the cookies. Not often I get to eat something that nice.’

‘What are you three planning on doing, if you’re not going to help deal with the problem?’ Joern asked.

‘We’re making our way downtown,’ Sabelye said.

The second Sabelye nodded. ‘Walking fast, moving past.’

‘And we’re outbound,’ Mawile finished, smiling at her traveling companions. ‘This place is way too dangerous for the likes of us.’

“I can understand wanting to leave, but you’re going to run into trouble trying to get out.” Brawly crouched down to eye level and smiled sadly at the steel type as she puffed up her chest. “You said cookies weren’t enough to get you to tag along, but how about some information? The entrance to this cave has been sealed shut.”

Mawile winced, before staring down at the ground.

‘That…’ Sabelye started.

‘Complicates things,’ the other Sabelye finished.

Apollo nodded. ‘Aye, the scallywag that froze everything sealed it up tighter than the locker once we crossed into the caves. You’d be hard pressed to force your way out. We threw a giant angry space heater at it and it threw him back like yesterday’s chum.’

Mawile let out a screech before slamming her fist into the ground. The rock sunk in slightly under her fist before bouncing back up, ice crystals forming between the fractures. She sighed. ‘Guess that rules out busting up the walls around the door, too.’

‘Still think it’s a better idea to try and high tail it?’ Toa asked. ‘I don’t know that you’d offer much, compared to the rest of us, but every little bit helps, especially if you know of more wild Pokémon that would want to help.’

Mawile tore her gaze away from the self-repairing terrain and glared at him. ‘Weren’t you just complaining about the help you have?’

Toa nodded. ‘Yes. I would like sane help. All I have is nutjobs. It’s-’

Crash brought her wing down in front of Toa, before glancing at the Mawile with a smoldering glare. ‘Where’s the tribe that was here?’

Mawile looked away, staring down at the ground with pinched eyebrows and a scowl. ‘I already told you. They went further in. They were at the epicenter of this madness.’

Crash nodded, before beating her wings and taking and hovering above the ground. ‘I know a great many members of that tribe. I patrol this cave quite often in my free time, helping out stragglers when they need it. The Sandslash that lead that clan are good, honest, helpful Pokémon, eager to lend a claw to all those who needed a warm place to stay or food.’ She looked the three wild Pokémon in front of us up and down. ‘You three strike me as outcasts.’

A vein throbbed on Mawile’s forehead. Your point?’

Crash chuckled. ‘You seem like the type that might have needed help often. Can you sit well with yourself, knowing that you’re leaving them to their fate? Can you live with that debt?’

Mawile visibly recoiled at the final word. ‘The dead can’t be repaid.’

‘Yet you don’t know if they live or die. You were too much of a coward to stick around and see.’ Crash threw both of her wings out and laughed. ‘Hell, even if they were frozen, do you really think something like that would kill the chieftain? Give those Pokémon some credit, dear.’ She tilted her head and grinned. ‘But if you think you can stomach that stain on your honor, who am I to tell you what to do? Go on, hide. Like the coward you are.’

Brawly sighed before reaching up, knocking the back of Crash’s head. “That’s not fair, and you know it.” He turned and smiled at Mawile. “I’m not going to lie and tell you that you coming along wouldn’t be helpful. Even if our path is laid out before us, this thing’s going to be incredibly strong. We’ll take whatever help we can get. That said, if you want to hunker down and play it safe until this disaster blows over, that’s completely fine. It’s your life.” Brawly turned and glared at his masked bird. “Don’t let some hot-headed luchador convince you otherwise.”

Mawile stared at them for a long moment, completely still as she watched the trainer and Pokémon battle for dominance.

Before she could even answer, though, both Sabelye stepped forward.

‘If a guide is what you seek,’ Sabelye said.

The other Sableye nodded. ‘We would be happy to oblige.’

Mawile whipped her head around and glared at the two of them. ‘You two-’

‘You don’t have to keep looking out for us, Ma,’ Sabelye said.

Mawile growled, giving both of the spooks a glare. ‘You know I hate that nickname, and if you think you’re equipped to go back down into this frozen pit, you clearly aren’t ready to strike it out on your own, you morons.’

The other Sabelye shook his head, before smiling at the Mawile. ‘It’s more than a nickname. It’s a title.’

Mawile leaned back as though she had been struck.

‘You’ve looked out for us for years. Kept us safe. Kept our head on our shoulders.’ He grinned before looking over to his brother.

‘You don’t have to watch out for us forever. We’re big ghosts now.’ The first Sabelye turned to his brother and grinned. ‘We can look out for ourselves, and each other.’

‘And this is our home.’ Both Sabelye nodded as the words left their mouths.

‘It’s a lot of other Pokémon's homes, too,’ Mawile muttered before sighing. She walked forward towards the two ghost types and pulled them into a hug.

I smiled at the scene. “Thanks, we-”

The steel type pulled back and slammed the two ghosts heads together. An odd warbling sound echoed through the room as they made contact, and the two Pokémon collapsed to the ground in a heap.

‘Big ghosts that still fall for shit like that.’ She chuckled before turning back to look at us as she picked up both of the Sableye. ‘If you want help, real help that might mean something, then follow me and don’t mention the existence of this place to anyone.’

I swallowed at her tone before nodding, pulling myself up to full height and hesitantly following the fae.

Brawly quickly got in front of me, his Pokémon following suit to form a defensive formation around us. “Anyone ever told you that you’re really bad at listening?”

I briefly smiled before looking at the solid rock wall we were walking towards. It wasn’t even a sealed off corridor. “Just my girlfriend, my sister, Norman, my Pokémon-”

“I get the picture. Just-” He froze.

The wall seemed to fold in on itself as the chamber itself expanded. A light, pink fog flowed into the room, and instantly my body relaxed, like a veil had been draped over my emotions, slowing my racing heart and calming my shaking hands. A faint sweet scent filled my nose, almost like cotton candy mixed with cinnamon, as a warmth passed through my body.

This felt both similar, and different.

Emilie’s entire body tensed as she stared vacantly down the new cave that opened before us.

Mawile turned at the base of the new cave and snarled at us. ‘You lot coming, or what? This door isn’t staying open for long.’

We snapped to attention and ran forward.

‘So, you know these caves super well, any idea what this is?’ Joern asked as he jogged.

Brawly just turned and grinned at him. “Not a clue, honestly. Mawile aren’t really super common down here, and most of them keep to themselves. This is just as new to you as it is to me.”

Emilie shifted slightly before glaring at him, doing her best to balance on my shoulder as we moved through the cave, the pink mist inching higher as we moved. “And why are you so happy about chasing after a random fairy Pokémon down a dark cave in the middle of a snowy apocalyptic wasteland? We should be going deeper in, why are we wasting our time with this?”

‘Because it’s important,’ Lele replied.

Emilie turned and glared. ‘We both know how shoddy a practice looking ahead really is, so don’t feed me that rubbish.’

Lele just chuckled.

I sighed before running into the softly padded brick wall that was Brawly’s back. “Why did you, oh.”

What had once been a pleasant smell had become cloying and overpowering as I took in the wall of pink smog that billowed forth from the cave opening. Seals dotted an archway that was just barely visible through the mist, but what drew my eyes was the faint silhouette of another Mawile, sitting cross legged in the middle of the passageway.

Her head shifted, and a smile glowed from within the swirling tide. ‘Oh, yet another wayward sister returned home? What good fortune I have, so many have returned to me this day.’

Emilie pulled my head close in a vice grip. ‘She brought us to another fucking coven!’

‘Yeah, well, the outside world isn’t looking so good, so-’

‘You ran, and brought guests.’ The shadow in the mist tilted her head to glance at us before focusing once again on our guide. ‘Still raising your strays, I see.’

Mawile bristled, but kept her mouth shut. ‘I’m keeping my kids safe, yes.’

A raspy chuckle filled the room. ‘I admire your conviction. Very well, it’s not my place to judge another’s chosen family. Still though, all these tunnels, it’s proving rather difficult to keep the cold at bay. The ancient one must be getting impatient.’

I moved forward, pushing past Brawly. “You know what’s-”

‘Be silent.’ The command echoed off the walls as I felt my tongue stick to the top of my mouth. ‘Worry not, my dear. I’ll get to you momentarily. We have much to discuss, but it’s not every day I get to catch up with my sisters. I wish to revel in this moment for just a touch longer.’

I felt a force bare down on me from above, and I grit my teeth. Whatever the hell this was, it wanted me on my knees. Screw that. I’m not submitting to anyone, ever again! I focused on the Pokémon in front of me, and pushed.

The mist receded back slightly, and the wizened, wrinkled form of a Pokémon well past her prime took shape. The green of her second jaw had faded, and what I had thought was a malevolent grin was washed away with the tide as I took in her sad, weary, faded eyes.

She was blind, but it felt like she was looking right through me.

I grit my teeth and met her look head on. ‘The entire island is currently below freezing, there’s a massive blizzard getting ready to slam into this island, and my girl and the rest of my friends were down here in hell when things took a nosedive into oblivion. Catch up on your own time, cause if we don’t deal with this now, you won’t have another chance.’

The wizened Mawile stared at me for a long while, her gaze unfaltering as she glared.

I refused to back down.

She sighed, before glancing toward our guide. ‘You’ve found quite the strong-willed group, sister. That’s good. They’ll need that strength.’ She turned and smiled at me. ‘It’s been quite a while since I met someone with a will quite like yours. Most people have trouble dealing with my gaze. Regardless, though, if you’re worried for your friends, you’ll find that you’re not on a time limit.’

I frowned. ‘What’s that-’

‘Though my eyes have long since failed me, I do not need them to see. Through my centuries of life, I have been shown things beyond normal means. The secrets of this cave are laid bare before me, for they see me as its keeper.’ Mawile waved her hand, and the pink smoke exploded outward.

I raised my arms in front of me as the billowing mist washed over me. My senses dimmed and for a brief, terrifying moment, the world around me warped and changed. I saw glimpses of a grassy field, of rainbows and sunshine arching across a golden tree with apples as large as my head.

The light faded almost as soon as it began, and the pink smog dispersed, leaving a stone archway leading into a dead end.

What the hell was that?

I glanced around, and sagged down in relief; my team was still here, as was Brawly and his squad.

Our guide and the Sableye, however, had disappeared.

Mawile chuckled lightly before raising a hand up, beckoning us closer. ‘Worry not, my child. I simply allowed them passage home. It’ll be a safer place for them. Now, where was I…’

Without the billowing pink smoke, the chamber felt normal, and just as bitingly cold as the rest of the cave. My team shivered before Blaziken lit up his chestplate with small embers.

‘Thank you, dear. The cold is quite hard on these old bones of mine. My sisters don’t mind it as much, but at my age, it’s far more noticeable. Now then, I do believe you’ve come to me seeking something. Answers, aid, hope…’ She chuckled dryly. ‘I’m inclined to give you what you seek, but, well, she may be of a different coven, but I’m sure she’s told you how these things work. The smile that spread across Mawile's face turned predatory. ‘Nothing in life is free.’

I swallowed down a lump before nodding. ‘What do I say?’

Emilie whipped her head around to look at me with shifting eyes. ‘Uh, she’s old as all hell and traditionalist. Food, preferably something she hasn’t had before. My mom always got something weird when she visited other fae.’

‘Think she’s had cookies before?’ I asked as I reached behind me and pulled my pack off.

‘Give her mine. Even if she has, she’s never had yours before.’ Emilie smiled at me before wincing as I pulled out a bag. ‘Talk them up, though. Make it feel extra special.’

“A special blend of Oran Berries mixed in with my own personal baking recipe. They’re quite the delicacy back home.” I almost tripped over my words half a dozen times as I slowly approached the old Pokémon in front of me.

She took the bag from me and smiled. ‘Hmm… I’ll be eager to taste these at a later time, then. Thank you.’

Emilie sagged down and I chuckled. No secondhand exposure for you, my little cookie fiend.

‘Back to what I was saying earlier, you needn’t worry too much about the time in which you make your way down.’ Mawile rested the bag behind her before putting both hands on her knees. ‘Though the ancient one may be growing slightly impatient, he would never break his oath. Your friends still live in these hallowed chambers.’

I sagged down where I stood as a tension I didn’t even know existed left my shoulders. “Oh, legends above, thank you-”

‘Though that’s not necessarily a good thing,’ Mawile continued, ignoring my outburst. ‘The ancient one is a powerful being, primordial in nature. Your friends may yet live, but if they were caught in the great unsealing, then it is a half life. Frozen in time, content to watch the world around them in frozen isolation. Unable to move, to feel, to live, or to die. It’s a torturous existence, trapped in a frozen shell till you’re granted release in whatever form it is given to you.’ If it was possible, the vacant expression in her eyes seemed to grow more distant. ‘Not even death would dare pry those souls from his icy grip.

I swallowed down a lump that formed in my throat before taking stock of everyone else in the room. Everyone had grown far more pale at the description.

“You… speak as though it was a personal experience,” Brawly muttered, his voice shaky.

‘Because it was.’ Mawile turned to look up to the ceiling. ‘That’s the hope I can offer you, my child, however fleeting it might be. That being isn’t unbeatable, and the forces you’ve gathered under your banner are quite formidable.’ She met my gaze as a smile spread across her lips, the wrinkles around her mouth crinkling. ‘All you need do, is win.’

I looked at her with determined eyes and nodded. Same mission plan, but with a lot less panic. This was good, even if it felt like a nightmare. “Any info you could give us on this ancient one?”

Mawile shook her head. ‘Not without breaking my own oath. You know how it is.’

I sighed before nodding. “Yeah, yeah. Fae can’t lie. I know.” I looked down to my starter with a smile. “I’m all too aware. I don’t suppose you could help us with something a little more recent, then? The Mawile from before mentioned a fight breaking out before the doors opened. You said you know about everything that happens in these caves; did anyone get hurt?”

The Mawile tilted her head to the side before smiling, her eyes matching her expression for the first time since we had come down here.

‘Well, that one’s a fair bit more interesting, now isn’t it. I could just give you an answer, but I don’t think that’s all you want, now is it?’ Mawile lifted her arms up and opened them wide. ‘I can show you so much more and I think it’s something you need to hear.’

I tilted my head to the side, before slowly nodding. “If you think it would help.”

‘Knowledge always helps, dear. What you glean from this is your own treasure, for it’s one of the better tales that’s graced this humble hamlet.’ The grin started to become more manic as her words picked up in pace. ‘It’s something that I’ve come to consign as one of my more joyful memories. Come, little one, and let me tell you a tale.’ Her eyes glowed pink. ‘A story of a group of brave warriors, who faced impossible odds…’