The Path of Destiny

Chapter 81 – Tanzenarc

Sandra stood in one of the caverns that had been designated by Cyclone as a place where his chosen were to practice their Attacks. The light purple stone hung from the sandslash's neck as she looked over the results of her latest practice.

Spiked pillars of rock and earth, even larger than the ones that had burst from the ground the last time she used Earthmeld, were scattered about the cavern, several of them piercing through the walls and letting in new shafts of light. The sandslash realized that this was probably the last time she could use her Attack in the cave. The rock and ground pokémon had done a good job of reinforcing the walls, making them able to withstand even the most powerful of pokémon-created earthquakes, but even that hadn't been enough. The thought made her giddy.

Among the wreckage were the remains of the makeshift houses some of Cyclone's pokémon had been ordered to create. They were made with scrapped materials brought in by scouts, and though they weren't nearly as big or as strong as actual human buildings, they had served another purpose.

Sandra left the cave, walking out into the open and getting nods of respect from the higher-ups that were waiting outside. She didn't pause to speak to them; instead she headed toward a much smaller cave opening. It was the one where some trusted pokémon watched over her 'experiments.'

As Sandra stepped from a short, narrow tunnel and into a small open room with a bit of light shining through the ceiling, an audino paused and looked up at her. "Hello, Sandra," she said politely, dipping her head.

"Anything to report?" the sandslash asked. "I want to know. If anything's changed, I'll let Cyclone-"

"Healing takes longer than a few days," the audino replied, turning away to busy herself with an array of berries and herbs she kept in a makeshift basket in one corner of the cavern.

"I know, but this is important," Sandra growled. "Has there been any sign, from either group?"

The audino hesitated, a troubled look coming over her face as she studied the sandslash's tense gaze. "Group One is the same. It's like Cyclone said. Group Two…may be showing signs of healing, and in a few days-"

"Let me see them," Sandra demanded, and the audino, knowing she could not refuse a request, simply nodded and stepped aside, allowing Sandra to fully walk into the room.

Among two tangled piles of moss and leaves, small shapes were lying, most of them still, but a few shifting around. Each pokémon had a mark on his or her head; red or blue clay stained fur, scales, or feathers.

Sandra crouched down beside the group with red marks. Reaching out, she shifted the makeshift bandages wrapped around a poochyena's leg, ignoring the frightened cry of the pokémon. Sure enough, the wound underneath still looked fresh, although it had stopped bleeding. "They're all like this? All in this group?" Sandra asked.

The audino nodded, and Sandra moved to the group with blue marks. She approached a torchic, pulling back the bandages wrapped around his body before he could move away. With a claw, she brushed aside some feathers and grit her teeth at what she saw. Though it had been days, the wound in the smaller pokémon's body had closed, and signs that the skin was repairing itself were clear in areas that were less severely injured. Sandra drew back, and the audino flinched away as she stormed out of the cave.

It didn't take long for Sandra to locate Cyclone. He was alone with Solus on a high rock outcropping, overseeing the efforts of the pokémon in the main army camp. When Sandra met them, words began spilling out of her mouth as she vented her frustration.

"I told you, Cyclone. I told you. It doesn't- it doesn't work the way we hoped. Healing still happens unless the pokémon get hit by the spires that come from the ground. If they're not in direct contact with the Attack, and just part of a building falls down on them, they can heal and go on their merry way. What a bunch of-"

"Sandra," Cyclone replied, "it won't matter when your Attack is stronger. Many humans will still die. All of the Attacks work this way; permanent damage is caused by direct contact with the Attack's element. If Itora's Attack, Voltgale, caused something to collapse on some humans, that wouldn't be direct contact with her Attack either, but most of them would still be dead."

Sandra gave a huff. "The Attacks wasn't meant to be used in cities. All those buildings protecting them, and I know human buildings are built to withstand earthquakes…"

"But this is no ordinary earthquake," Cyclone said. "Your Attack would be best for a strike against a city. Buildings would protect many from Itora's Voltgale, and Ashend's…she said it still affects only a single target at once."

Sandra tilted her head. "Really? That sounds odd. There are no such limitations with the others."

"Strange indeed," Solus added with the twitch of an ear.

"Ashend's been ill, but she is recovering. We will see what happens when her Attack grows stronger," Cyclone said.

"Yeah, well, what do I do next?" Sandra asked, still irritated. "I know there's other places I can practice, but humans are gonna notice if my Attack gets really strong. They'll be able to feel the shaking all the way in Stonedust."

Cyclone flinched, but immediately returned to his calm demeanor. "We can only practice so much without notice, yes, but when we are ready and reach a city, you can use your Attack in quick succession, and it will be plenty strong enough."

"I thought…I thought we weren't supposed to do that," Sandra said.

"Only for the sake of control and secrecy," Cyclone replied. "We don't want the humans knowing what we have until it's too late."

"All right, fine," Sandra sighed. "I just don't like knowing that some of the humans are going to come crawling out of those buildings like insects and recover just fine. Vermin." She clicked her claws together, still feeling frustrated. "Found the location of any more stones or- or other Attack users?" she asked.

Cyclone turned to her with a glint in his eye. "We may have."

-ooo-

Ashend had been worried they were running out of time. For the past few days, the misdreavus had faked an illness, something minor enough that it wouldn't draw much attention, but would keep her in her own cave for a while. She had often requested Itora's 'help,' in order to keep her away from the caves used to practice Forbidden Attacks.

She didn't know if Cyclone or Solus really believed that they were still using their tainted powers. Every day, the shakes in the earth around the caves where Sandra 'practiced' got stronger. Ashend had insisted that her and Itora's Attacks were more easily contained and therefore less noticeable, but she knew they were playing a dangerous game. She didn't know why they hadn't been found out or confronted yet, and it scared her. She had told Cyclone that her attack still only targeted one pokémon at a time; she wasn't sure how long he'd believe that. It had to be like the others, able to unleash destruction upon hundreds of creatures. Cyclone would know that. And the more they saw of Sandra, and the way she embraced her Forbidden Attack, the less Ashend trusted her. They hadn't even gotten a chance to try to convince her before the sandslash had gleefully jumped into her practice and 'experiments.'

But then, like a miracle, a path out of the whole mess had been lit.

She, Itora, and Silverbreeze had swayed some of Cyclone's scouts to their side. In just two days, one had stumbled upon something better than the three of them could have hoped for.

It was a gallade, a traveling pokémon who had knowledge of the Forbidden Attacks. When the army's scout tried to gather information from pokémon in the area south of Stonedust, they had led her to that gallade.

He knew where the pokémon with the ice type Forbidden Attack was held. He had lived and worked there, for a time, among the other pokémon, and his psychic powers were incredibly strong. He immediately agreed to help combat the rise of any more pokémon wielding such dangerous power. He had used a series of teleports to make his way north of Stonedust, close enough to the main group of Cyclone's army. He approached, gave some of Cyclone's higher-ups a display of power, and was welcomed, soon sitting nonchalantly as Solus tried to pry into his mind.

Afterward, the gallade immediately set out to find Silverbreeze, knowing that she would be the easiest to locate and talk to of the three pokémon he had been told about. He told Silverbreeze that after what he had seen of the ice Forbidden Attack in the prison the wild pokémon had designed, he wanted to help eradicate the rest of them. And he had already given the scout directions, to send her to the prison itself and get the pokémon there ready for the possibility of two more prisoners.

The prison was on the southern coast of Inari, far from cities like Shellreef, in a place few trainers ventured to due to dangerous waters and a bleak, treacherous landscape. The trainers that did explore the area didn't end up finding much; the psychics in charge of the prison kept it well concealed. The gallade, who went by the name of Tenre, said that he was powerful enough to do a series of relatively quick teleports across the region and to the prison itself. If Cyclone and Sandra were convinced to let him take them there, it would be easy, he had assured.

There was also the possibility of forcing Cyclone, Ashend had pointed out, though each of them knew that the only way for that to be possible was to incapacitate Cyclone and Sandra in some way. With how much Cyclone kept himself and his living quarters guarded, that seemed like a tall order.

At the moment, Ashend and Itora were waiting in Ashend's cave, both of them deep in thought. They looked up as Silverbreeze entered, carrying a bundle of herbs and berries.

"Here," the scyther said after she'd set it down and her mouth was free to talk. "More 'cure.'"

Ashend smirked. "What did Cyclone say?"

"Talked to him earlier," Silverbreeze replied. "Told him about the ice type, that we 'think' we know where it is, and that if he'd come, he could convince the ice type to join him."

Itora noticed the stiff tone in the scyther's voice and glanced to Ashend nervously. "And?"

"I volunteered to check the place out for him," Silverbreeze said. "Like we planned. Go there first, come back saying it's safe, and then convince Cyclone to come." She scraped her foot claws on the stone floor. "He told me 'no.'"

"Did he…" Itora began, "…volunteer anyone else?"

"I didn't tell him the exact location, only a general area, just in case. He might have sent a few scouts there, but they won't find it, thankfully. If anyone were to warn him, then that would be it for our plan."

"Do you think he knows already?" Ashend asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Silverbreeze replied. "I think he knew about the pokémon with Deathfreeze…he didn't seem too surprised about that. Didn't really act like he knew it was in a prison, but…" She trailed off, looking uncomfortable, then took a breath. "Cyclone…seemed unhinged," she admitted. "It wasn't entirely obvious, but there was something off about him. He had almost no reaction to anything I said. I couldn't tell what he was thinking."

Something about her words made Ashend worried, but she pushed it aside. "All right, what should we do next?"

"Force him?" Itora growled.

"Let's not jump to that yet," Ashend said, giving the manectric a worried look. "There's still time." Though a way out was within reach, closer than she would have expected, Ashend found herself growing nervous again. "If it comes to forcing him…I'm not sure how we can pull that off. The army has psychic types that can trace the path of teleports. That's why we can't just use that to leave this hellhole ourselves. They'd find…"

Silverbreeze shook her head. "Not this place. No one gets in or out of the prison unless these pokémon want them to. They've got psychics just as powerful – if not more – as the ones Cyclone has. They could throw everyone else off the trail if the army got too close. We don't have to worry about that part."

Ashend looked to Itora again. "I'm still concerned," she sighed. "There's…a lot that can go wrong. But if something happens that…" She clenched her eyes shut. "…That really makes it unsafe for us here, we may have to risk forcing Cyclone. But for now, let's stick with the original plan."

"No arguments there," Silverbreeze replied. "I'm going to go meet up with Tenre again later. I'll try to come up with a reason for him to come see you. Stay safe." The scyther then turned and walked out of the cave.

Itora gave a large sigh, small flickers of electricity jumping from her patchy skin. Ashend could tell she was anxious, afraid. And though the misdreavus didn't want to admit it in front of her, she was too. Looking at the manectric, she felt her heart twist in fear. Stay safe.

A short distance from the cave where the anxious pokémon had conversed, a small metal device hovered soundlessly in the grass, watching the large gathering of army pokémon through several different lenses. It paused for a few moments, getting different views at different spots, then it zipped away.

-ooo-

On the third day of travelling, Snowcrystal and her companions made it to Winding Cave around midafternoon. True to Teresa's words, the cave was a popular spot, and they could see several groups of trainers and pokémon talking or resting near the entrance, which was a wide horizontal slit in the ground at the base of a rocky hill.

They decided to rest for a few hours until it got dark and most of the trainers left, then they'd begin their search of the cave, and for a pokémon that could lead them to Tanzenarc.

"I want to remind you all to be careful," Arien said, addressing the trainers in particular. "If you get trapped somewhere I can't reach you, or you can't send me out, I won't be able to teleport you."

"We know," Katie said, a bit uneasily. She found herself wishing that Damian was there; he was the one who could deal with things like this. They'd talked to him about the cave over their pokégear during the journey, but once they were inside, there likely wouldn't be any signal for them to connect with.

"Believe me, I know that each of you wouldn't just leave another member of the group to die," Thunder said from her position at the edge of the camp. "Being around Nightshade has showed me how much of a given that is. Of course, there are times when someone can't be helped. But that's the risk we take with these sorts of things."

"I'm…not sure how reassuring that's supposed to be," Rosie replied.

"It's less of a risk than other things we've been through, I'll say that," Thunder replied.

"Are you including yourself in that statement?" Blazefang asked. "Would you stay and try to help any one of us?"

Thunder rolled her eyes. "If I had to," she said, though there was a hint of something like playfulness to her words.

"Well," Teresa began, "obviously the legendary will be somewhere where the cave opens up, so we'll be able to let everyone out then. But once we start going into the tunnels, most of you would have to be inside poké balls. We'll keep Snowcrystal and Vicky out – they're the smallest – and I'll have Arien's poké ball in my hand the whole time. Just in case."

"What about him?" Blazefang asked, pointing with his snout at Yenn, who was perched on a tree branch above the others.

"Right," Snowcrystal sighed. "No poké ball."

Teresa looked to Yenn worriedly. "It could be hard for you to fit through some of those tunnels without hurting your wings. And past a certain point-"

"I'll go as far as I can," Yenn sighed. "I need to meet Tanzenarc. And Cyclone had my friends and I staying in caves back when I was with the army, so it's nothing new. I'll…I'll see about the tunnels."

-ooo-

Night fell, and the majority of the trainers visiting Winding Cave headed off. Teresa, Katie, and Justin walked toward the cave entrance with Vicky, Snowcrystal, and Yenn beside them. Teresa kept a tight grip on Arien's poké ball.

Katie crouched next to the slit in the rock at the base of the main hill, turning on her flashlight before she crawled inside it. Justin followed her, and Teresa beckoned to the pokémon.

"The entrances to Cyclone's caves weren't this…small," Yenn said as Snowcrystal and Vicky vanished into the gloom.

Teresa looked at the entrance. "A pokémon of your size could fit. Unless you want to go back…I mean, it'll be okay if-"

"No," Yenn said. "I should…I should be there." He landed in front of the cave entrance, peering inside. The light from the flashlights Katie and Justin had brought inside reassured him a bit, and awkwardly he began to crawl inside.

Having to maneuver with his legs felt strange; his kind were built for flight and his legs were meant for grasping prey or a perch, not for walking or crawling. Nevertheless, he pressed forward, the spikes on his head and back bending against the ceiling as he made his way through. To his relief, he was soon on the other side of the narrow gap, standing in a wider cavern with Katie, Justin, and the two small pokémon waiting for him.

After Yenn pulled his tail through, Teresa followed him and stood up in the wider cavern, placing a helmet with a bright light on her head. There were no wild pokémon in sight, so she turned to Katie. "All right. Let's see the map."

Under the light of Teresa's headlamp and the flashlights, the six of them poured over the map, discussing the most likely areas that a pokémon, or a hidden portal leading to a legendary could be. They ended up marking tunnels that led to fairly open rooms, even if they were small, deciding to check those over the ones that merely narrowed into dead ends.

"You know, just so we don't break the law unnecessarily," Katie began, "let's start with the tunnels that aren't blocked off. I mean, you never know. Could be wild pokémon that know Tanzenarc there."

"Sounds good," Snowcrystal said with a nod.

They chose a path clearly marked on the map as one of the wider tunnels and started off down it. The moment they turned a corner and the fading light from the entrance was out of view, Yenn became noticeably more unsettled.

"You alright?" Snowcrystal asked him. "Is it your wings? I know this tunnel is hardly wide enough…"

Yenn took a deep breath. "No, it's…Cyclone's caves, even his own, they all had places where sunlight or moonlight could come through. This one doesn't. It just…it just cuts off from the outside world. Completely."

"We've…got our lights here," Justin pointed out, edging nervously away from the yanmega.

"No, it's not the same. It's not real. It's…" Yenn shook his head. "I can't see the sky. I can't see any of it, like it doesn't exist-"

"I, uh, promise you that the sky still exists," Justin said, backing away further.

Yenn acted like he hadn't heard. "I can't…I can't deal with the dark. Like this I mean, where there's not even any stars and you can't hear any of the normal nighttime sounds."

Teresa made a move to say something, but Snowcrystal did first. "If you want to go back, that's okay. We'll tell Tanzenarc about you, and we'll tell you everything he said when we come back." Teresa looked to the growlithe and nodded in agreement.

Yenn looked conflicted, unsure of what to do, but then he said, "No, I'll…I'll keep going. I should do this."

They continued, but Yenn's restlessness did not subside, despite reassurances from the others. Soon the tunnel narrowed, and Yenn worried he could go no further until Teresa had him cling to her back and shoulders, folding his wings back enough to allow them to fit through the passage. The ground was uneven and rocky, as were the walls and ceiling, and some parts were hard to maneuver the yanmega around due to his wings. The silence in the tunnel was deafening, and Snowcrystal began telling stories she'd heard back on her mountain to try and lighten the mood.

Then, when they emerged into an open area with a low ceiling, something else broke the silence.

"I can't believe we found this!" another trainer's voice called excitedly as he crawled out of the entrance to a very narrow tunnel. In his hand was a clear blue stone. "A water stone in a cave. Who'd have thought?"

"You do know that was probably just dropped here by someone else," said a girl who crawled out behind him.

"Who knows?" the boy laughed. "Maybe someone left treasure here for someone to-" He paused as he noticed the three trainers and pokémon, giving them a weird look. "You guys just coming in? Thought it was getting dark."

"And what difference does that make in a cave?" Justin asked.

"Well, it's just that if something happens," the girl began, "and you can't get a message out, it might be a while before someone finds you. That's why most trainers are told to leave after dark. Not a lot of people night caving."

Katie shrugged. "We're not worried."

"Suit yourself," the girl replied nonchalantly, heading into the tunnel the group had just used to get there.

The boy stopped, looking at Yenn. "That's kind of a weird pokémon to bring in a cave."

"Who doesn't want to bring their large flying types into narrow caverns," Justin said jokingly, but the boy just gave him another confused glance.

"Um, have you seen any wild pokémon in here?" Teresa asked.

The boy shook his head. "Nah. There aren't a lot, from what I can tell. But you never know, you might have luck in one of the other tunnels." He then turned and followed the girl, and after a moment the two had vanished from sight.

"Should we go back?" Snowcrystal asked.

"Yeah, this doesn't look promising," Vicky sighed, leaning against a wall.

"Well, if pokémon are guarding a legendary's secret, they're not going to hang out where trainers can go, right?" Katie asked. "We might have to go straight to one of the closed off areas after all."

"Well, let's go," Justin agreed.

They made their way back through the tunnel and into the first cavern. Though he could now see faint moonlight through the cave entrance, Yenn did not feel any less anxious. Yet he continued to insist to the others that he was fine.

Seeing that the trainers were gone, Teresa looked over the map before pointing them in the direction of a tunnel entrance halfway up the wall. They climbed into it, unable to go more than a few yards before they reached a set of metal bars, blocking off the rest of the tunnel. Katie shined her flashlight in it, showing just how narrow it got even a few paces ahead.

"All right, this is going to be a bit awkward, but…" Teresa motioned for the others to exit the tunnel. Once they had done so, she unclipped a poké ball from her belt and tossed it, releasing her drapion.

Bruce glanced around, his claws tucked toward himself in order to fit into the tunnel. At a nod from Teresa, the drapion crept forward, scraping his armored body against the walls, until he reached the bars, gripped them with his claws and pulled.

Within seconds they snapped away from the stone, and Bruce backed out of the tunnel, holding the broken pieces of the bars. "Mission accomplished," he said, grinning, as he let the bars drop to the ground with a clang.

"Hey, how about we don't leave those lying around where anyone could see them?" Justin said in annoyance, picking up the bars himself.

"Eh, just leave them in the tunnel," Vicky said. "Someone's gonna find out anyway. Besides, we'll be out of here before we get caught."

Teresa returned Bruce and stepped into the tunnel again. "Okay, Snowcrystal? Vicky? Do you want to check it out?"

The growlithe and Sableye nodded, bounding up the rocks back toward the tunnel entrance and walking inside. The group waited until Snowcrystal shouted back to them. "It opens up into a small room after just a little bit," she called. "But the tunnels from there look smaller."

"Okay, wait till we're in there," Teresa called back.

She let Katie and Justin go first, and when they were safely in the wider area up ahead, she turned to Yenn, who looked tense, his wings beating erratically and his breathing coming in rapid gasps. "You sure you're okay with this? I mean, the tunnels might be too small, and you could wait in the first cavern if you want."

"No, I should…I should try. So I can talk to Tanzenarc," the yanmega replied, flying up to the tunnel entrance.

Teresa walked behind him as he reached the part where it narrowed, and Yenn stared at it determinedly. He could see lights coming from the other side, where the rest of the group was waiting for him. Hesitantly, he moved forward.

Like with the cave's entrance itself, Yenn found that his spikes were quickly bent over due to the low ceiling, but unlike that narrow passage, there was no room for his wings in this one. However, he pressed forward, trying to fold his wings against his body as much as possible. Yanmega wings weren't designed to bend in such a way, and it felt uncomfortable, but Yenn tried to ignore it, his claws scraping against the rock to pull himself forward.

As he crawled into the narrow space, the walls pressed his wings firmly against his side, and suddenly Yenn wasn't in the cave anymore. Instead he was lying down, on his back, legs and wings strapped against him and immobilized. The walls were no longer stone, but unnaturally smooth. Strange noises sounded from all around him, overwhelming, suffocating…

With a series of shouts, Yenn backed out, faster than he would have thought possible, and spread his wings away from his body. "No! No, I can't do this. I can't. I have to go back. I'm sorry." The yanmega looked mere moments from panic.

"No, no, it's okay," Teresa reassured him. "You don't have to keep going. We've still got Blazefang with us."

"Are you…sure?" Yenn asked, his voice giving way to a hidden deeper panic that was threatening to break loose. "I thought…Tanzenarc might tell us more if I was-"

"You don't need to," Teresa replied. "We'll find out everything we can and tell you afterward. Trust me, you shouldn't force yourself to do this. It might not end well."

Yenn regarded her for a few moments. "Yeah, okay. I'll just…wait back outside."

Teresa reached out her hand toward the yanmega, who touched it with his snout. Then Yenn turned and flew over to the cave's exit, scrabbling with all his legs to get through the opening as if he was trying to claw his way out of being buried alive. After the tip of his tail vanished, Teresa was left alone.

She turned to the tunnel entrance and began to crawl inside. It was a tighter fit than for Katie and Justin, since they were younger and smaller than she was, but it wasn't too difficult for her to reach the others.

Just as Snowcrystal had said, they were in a small room that was hardly big enough for the three trainers and the two pokémon. Three small tunnels branched off deeper into the cave. Teresa peered at the closest one, her headlamp illuminating it and showing her that, without a doubt, it was too small for any of the humans to fit through.

"The other two are bigger," Justin said, pointing his flashlight at one of the other tunnels, then the final one.

Looking at them, Teresa could see that Yenn would never have been able to get further. There was no way a yanmega could fit through such tight spaces; the need for powerful wing muscles made their middle body section too bulky. And of course, there were his wings. Despite knowing that she'd had nothing to do with Yenn's decision, she felt bad that he'd felt like he'd needed to go into the cave.

"Where's Yenn?" Snowcrystal asked.

"He had to stay behind," Teresa replied. "He said he'll wait outside."

"Well," Justin said before any of the others could speak up, "we'll just go on without him." He turned back to the cave wall and the tunnel near where he was sitting. "Which one should we check out first?"

"Why don't we be optimistic and choose the biggest one?" Katie suggested. "I know the map showed that they all went a lot deeper."

"I'll go first," Snowcrystal said, "then Vicky, then you, Katie. Then, Justin and Teresa can…"

"I'll stay at the back of the group," Vicky said, looking suddenly nervous. "Just in case, uh…I need to go back for help or something."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, but Teresa just nodded. "Good idea. Hopefully, you won't need to. And I have Arien with me, just in case."

One by one, they crawled into the tunnel, Snowcrystal in the lead with her crystal lighting the way for her, and the lights the humans held shining behind her. The tunnel twisted, but the growlithe was small enough that it wasn't too hard for her to maneuver through. The trainers, however, started struggling after crawling for only a moment or two.

Snowcrystal slowed down for them, realizing that she too was starting to get nervous. She had explored caves back on her mountain many times in her life, but this narrow, suffocating crevice leading deeper into the earth was starting to give her chills. If she looked at the walls too long, it started to seem like they were closing in on her.

The growlithe was turning a corner when Katie suddenly let out a scream. Snowcrystal backed up, turning around with some difficulty until she faced the trainer right behind her. Katie had been moving forward with one arm stretched in front of her, the other at her side to help push along the wall. Her outstretched hand was scrabbling at the rock in front of her, and occasionally she tried to push herself backwards, but she was unable to make progress either way.

Justin shouted something that Snowcrystal couldn't make out, only for Katie to shout back that she was stuck. Teresa called something from further back, some sort of instructions, but Katie just continued to struggle hopelessly, her eyes wide in panic.

"Katie, don't struggle!" Snowcrystal cried, noticing that Katie had cut her arm on a sharp rock. "Just relax, then we'll see what to do. We've got Arien, so if nothing else, he'll get you out." The growlithe reached out and touched Katie's hand with her nose.

Gradually, Katie's breathing began to calm. She looked at Snowcrystal before closing her eyes, resting her head against the rocky tunnel floor. After about a minute, she replied, "Yeah, you're right. I…I think this tunnel's a no-go, though. I don't think I can get through, which means the others won't either. I'll try to move back again."

Katie struggled to push herself backward through the crawlspace, her efforts calmer and more calculated than before. Gradually, she was able to shift herself back toward the tunnel's entrance, and Snowcrystal could hear the others moving back as well. She kept right in front of Katie, and though it was slow going, they all made it back into the tiny room together.

Justin looked more horrified by the experience than Katie did when they were all safely together again. "I…" he began, looking to Katie with a look of absolute terror. "Teresa was going to let Arien out if it didn't work, but…" He hesitated. "The bit that Katie got stuck in? It was too narrow. None of my light could shine through. Which means that the poké ball beam wouldn't have gotten through either, and Arien wouldn't have…"

A stunned silence fell over the group, but Teresa shook her head. "I could have sent Arien out behind me," she said. "We were all close enough for him to teleport, I'm sure. I had the poké ball in my hand, and-"

"What if you were both stuck?" Justin asked. "We…maybe just one of us should go, and Arien could be behind them the whole time?"

"I think…I should go alone," Snowcrystal said.

The others looked at her, Justin immediately shaking his head. "No way."

"I'll go as far as I can, at least see if there's something on the other end," Snowcrystal continued. "You can send Arien in after me, as far as he can go, if I don't come back in an hour."

Katie awkwardly brushed away the blood from the cut on her arm. "Are you sure? I mean…I knew we might have to send in small pokémon, but…"

"I'll be okay," Snowcrystal reassured her.

"All right," Teresa sighed worriedly. "Just…try not to go through places that look too small for even you. And even if you get to a spot that would be hard for Arien to get through…don't go much farther than that."

"Okay," Snowcrystal said, nodding. As the others wished her luck, Snowcrystal climbed back into the tunnel, this time alone, with only her crystal amulet for light.

At first, the journey was easy. At parts the tunnel narrowed, but she could still easily wriggle through, easily enough that she was sure she wouldn't need Arien's help. An unease gnawed at her the farther she went, however. She remembered her past journey through a cave, one much larger and more open than this one, but the memory of being carried through water and nearly drowning surfaced, making her have to push back a slowly but steadily growing fear.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been walking and crawling, but she was sure it hadn't been an hour yet. Up ahead, the passage narrowed dangerously even for her, and she considered turning back.

Then she noticed something. A breeze was wafting toward her through the narrow opening just ahead. That held promise of a larger cavern up ahead. Her breath hitched. She had already gone against Teresa's advice and passed a few places that Arien would never make it through. To go forward would be dangerous, and yet…

She shook her head. No. She couldn't put herself – and anyone who would come to help her – in danger like that. Instead, she crept closer, carefully putting her head and snout through the opening to see what she could smell. Immediately she felt the rock press against the top of her head and shoulders, the floor beneath her right against her outstretched paws and chest. She sniffed the air, unable to detect any pokémon scent, and pulled back with a frustrated, though relieved, sigh.

She started turning herself around to head back when she noticed eyes staring at her out of the blackness. She would have jumped if it hadn't been for the low ceiling. Instead, she whirled back around toward the narrow spot, looking at the eerie eyes as they moved closer, reflecting the light of her crystal. Then she relaxed. This was a pokémon, a cave pokémon. Exactly what they had been looking for.

"Hello?" Snowcrystal called to it.

The pokémon emerged from the darkness, showing itself to be a gray-blue pokémon that Snowcrystal immediately recognized. It was a ghost type, a shuppet. She had run into one on her first night away from her mountain. That seemed like so long ago.

This shuppet, however, looked merely curious instead of hostile. She tilted her head. "What are you doing here?"

"My friends and I…we're looking for Tanzenarc," Snowcrystal said, the words spilling out of her mouth almost faster than she could think. "Fortunarc sent us here. Said he had a plan. A plan to stop the Forbidden Attacks. Two pokémon from our group have one. We want to do whatever we can to-"

The shuppet suddenly looked serious, her eyes wide. "Where is the rest of your group?"

"Back…back at the start of this tunnel," the growlithe stammered. "Most of the pokémon are in poké balls, but there are three trainers and a sableye waiting there."

"That's wonderful," the shuppet said, a look of excitement, of hope, coming over her. "I'll-I'll get him right away!"

"Tanzenarc?"

"Yes. Go back to your group. I'll be there soon." She turned and headed back down the tunnel.

Curious, Snowcrystal called, "Can't you…just phase through the walls?"

The shuppet looked back. "Normally, yes. But Tanzenarc wouldn't want any random ghost types finding him, of course." She turned and vanished back into the tunnel.

Snowcrystal turned around, hurrying back toward her friends. She was so distracted by her racing thoughts that she seemed to reach them in almost no time. They looked relieved to see her. "I found a ghost type, and she's bringing Tanzenarc here," she gasped.

Justin, who was sitting uncomfortably between Katie and Teresa in the tight space, looked at the tunnel doubtfully. "This legendary's got to be tiny," he muttered. "Ugh, hope he doesn't take too long."

"So, there's uh, no portal or anything like with Sequoiarc?" Katie asked. "He just…comes here? Wherever we are?"

"Think the ghost type was just lyin' to you?" Vicky muttered.

"She seemed sincere. Hopeful, even."

Vicky shrugged. "Well, if not, we'll show the pokémon of this cave a thing or two." The sableye brandished her claws.

"Can you not?" Justin said, glaring at her. "The last thing we want is for them to see us as hostile."

Vicky sighed and lowered her claws, sitting against the wall. Crowded in the small room, the group waited in uncomfortable silence.

Suddenly, the cave wall in front of them, the one with the tunnel Snowcrystal had just ventured into, began to shift and change. Teresa let out a startled gasp, and Justin scrambled as far backward as he could while Katie tensed, ready to make a move at the first sign of danger. Even Vicky looked shaken.

Snowcrystal watched the wall ripple like water, feeling suddenly dizzy and disoriented. She could feel her mind trying to make sense of the sight as the stone moved and flowed like a living thing. Then the room began to stretch upward and to both sides, one of the small tunnel openings warping into a grand entranceway big enough for a mamoswine to pass through. Then it stopped, the stone becoming solid and looking as if the cavern had always been large and grand. Through the darkness in the now immense tunnel ahead, the gleaming eyes of a shuppet appeared.

And behind her, something much bigger.

Now that they could stand properly, the three trainers got to their feet and stared as the legendary Tanzenarc came into view, stepping into the changed cavern and into their circles of light. Blue crystals reflected in the beams of Teresa's headlamp.

The legendary resembled, at first glance, a creature with the general shape of a donphan, but the proportions were all strange. Tanzenarc's legs were much longer, making him tower over the waiting group. Like a donphan, he had tusks protruding from his upper jaw, but they were much longer, and there were another two smaller ones sprouting from his lower jaw. His ears were very small compared to the size of his head, but a formation of blue gems behind them gave the impression of larger ears. Similar gems decorated his body and tusks, and even the masklike plate that covered most of his face.

Vicky stared up at the legendary, open-mouthed, but then cautiously backed up to stand beside Teresa. Snowcrystal stayed where she was, staring up at the beast.

"This," the shuppet said with a small bow, "is Tanzenarc."

"Yeah, I uh…we could tell," Justin stammered uneasily.

The shuppet gave the boy a surprised look, not expecting him to have understood her, but did not reply, instead floating past the trainers and down the tunnel that they had come through. "I'll keep a look out," she said cheerfully. "Hope you can help." Then she vanished.

"Tanzenarc," said Snowcrystal, feeling dwarfed by the enormous rock type standing before her, "Fortunarc sent us here. She said that you had a plan to put an end to the Forbidden Attacks."

"If Fortunarc sent you, I hope what she said did not discourage you," came Tanzenarc's rumbly voice. "I was told you travel with two pokémon bearing Forbidden Attacks. Is this true?"

"Yes," said Teresa as she nudged Justin, who frantically pulled several poké balls out of his pockets. "Only one of them is with us right now, but the other is waiting outside, and if-"

"As long as you tell them what I've said, it doesn't matter if they come into the cave or not," Tanzenarc replied.

Justin hesitated a moment before tossing the poké balls on the ground. The pokémon within them formed, looking around the cavern and at Tanzenarc with curiosity and excitement. There was still plenty of room in the newly reformed cavern, so Teresa and Katie sent out their own pokémon as well, Arien included among them. Thunder stepped to a space at the side of the group, her expression unreadable. Without Nightshade there, she seemed to just want to keep out of everyone else's way.

Tanzenarc's attention immediately shifted to Blazefang, and the injured houndoom stepped back nervously as the legendary approached.

"You…I can tell you have been afflicted," Tanzenarc said, reaching out with his long trunk to lightly touch one of the houndoom's horns. "Thank you for coming here. You can help us more than you can imagine." He turned to look over the rest of the group. "Who is the other?"

"A yanmega. With Lifedrain," Wildflame said, casting an uneasy glance at Blazefang.

"Do you know of any others, aside from the users of the water and ice Forbidden Attacks?" Tanzenarc asked.

"There's…" Katie paused for a moment. "Two more, that we know of. Ghost and electric. Manectric and misdreavus. They're somewhere north of Stonedust right now. They're, uh, not exactly friends with us, but…they know our yanmega friend. They might be able, if they ever get away from the water type user, to help with your plan too."

"That is great news," Tanzenarc replied. His voice sounded calm, but there was thinly veiled excitement beneath the surface. Hope. Eagerness. "I am happy that you have put your trust in the Inari legends, even after all we have done."

Blazefang gave a nod, his tense body relaxing.

"The plan," Tanzenarc began, looking over every waiting pokémon in the room, "is something that me and some of the other legendaries believe wholeheartedly will help us amend our wrongdoing. You see, in ordinary pokémon, the Forbidden Attacks are an affliction that causes madness, but in legendaries, it could be different."

Wildflame shot a startled look at Blazefang, then at Snowcrystal, mouthing the word "What?" The growlithe merely stared at the legendary in shock as he continued.

"We want each pokémon with a Forbidden Attack to come to us. To the respected legendary of each type. In passing it on to us, we will be able to keep it safe without letting harm spread to any more pokémon."

"…Wait," Teresa said, taking a shaky step forward. "The only way we know that Forbidden Attacks can be passed on…is if the user dies. Is there…another way?"

"No," Tanzenarc replied gravely. "But it would prevent the user from becoming a monster. Prevent a more tragic outcome for all the pokémon and humans of Inari."

Blazefang stared at the immense rock type, open-mouthed in horror. "But…that can't be. I…I wanted to get rid of it. From the first time I used it. Is there no other-"

"You helped create the Forbidden Attacks, did you not?" Arien asked, looking Tanzenarc directly in the eyes. "Can you tell us, with absolute certainty, that there is no way to stop the 'madness' in ordinary pokémon?"

"Not indefinitely," Tanzenarc replied, a sadness in his voice.

"There's…the ice type," Stormblade said slowly. "We were told that pokémon have him locked up in a secure area. If that's-"

"Can it last forever?" Tanzenarc asked, turning his gaze on the scyther. "Even if they slip up?"

At once, several of the other pokémon began talking, but Snowcrystal remained quiet. Thoughts raced through her head. Two of her friends, part of her family – killed? Even if they could be taken and locked up as the ice type was, that was no life. She couldn't let that happen to them. Especially Yenn. Not after the things he'd been through. The growlithe closed her eyes, trying to drown out the frantic conversations around her. No. She didn't go all this way with Blazefang, and Yenn didn't escape Cyclone and learn to trust them just to-

"We can't do that!" the growlithe cried, loudly enough that most of the chatter stopped. Tanzenarc turned to her, his face unreadable. "We set out together, and we're going to finish this together. We…we can't just give up and accept that something like this is the only way. It…can't be."

"Snowcrystal," Justin began quietly, approaching the growlithe, "we don't need to blindly accept this, but we need to think…" he winced. "…Think about everything." He glanced to Katie for support, who avoided his gaze. "I mean, they're legendaries, and they created these things, so…"

Tanzenarc gave a sigh. He leaned his massive head down to the growlithe, who still stood closest to him. "I understand that you care about these pokémon," he said gently. "If there were another way, I would take it. But this is the only hope we've got. The only pokémon who stand a chance at safely carrying the burden of Forbidden Attacks for the long term are legendaries. I know you want a better outcome, but it is naïve to think this is something that could so easily be overcome. At least this way, no other pokémon will fall victim to the Forbidden Attacks."

Snowcrystal fought back a feeling of helplessness that was threatening to overwhelm her. "Fortunarc didn't think your plan was the only option. There has to be a different way."

There was silence for a moment, Tanzenarc's expression patient but grim. The other pokémon still looked to Snowcrystal, standing before the legendary. Then, a single voice spoke up.

"She's right."

Every head in the group turned toward the speaker. It was Thunder, her eyes narrowed and pointed down to the cavern floor. Her scythes were shaking and her teeth gritted as if she was holding back a snarl.

"That…is the most reckless and stupid plan we could have heard," Thunder continued, looking up to meet Tanzenarc's eyes. "You're a legendary who has been around for who-knows-how-long, and a young growlithe has more sense than you do."

Tanzenarc tensed, his body stiffening as he suddenly looked dangerous.

"So that's it, right?" Thunder continued. "That's your plan. Kill them and hope it works? And if not, then oh well, you tried? What's to stop you from losing control? Are we just going to keep killing everyone who gets a Forbidden Attack forever, just to stop it from getting too strong again? And you're trying to sacrifice pokémon unfortunate enough to stumble upon them, in the hopes that you can do a better job? I doubt you'd be singing the same tune if it was you going insane, you needing to be culled."

"We brought these powers into the world," Tanzenarc said. "It is a burden the legendaries of Inari need to bear."

"It's a risk. You don't know that it'll work," Thunder replied.

Snowcrystal looked back at the scyther, a feeling of gratitude coming over her. No matter how she sometimes acted, Thunder didn't want anything to happen to anyone from Snowcrystal's family either.

"Damn it, we didn't come this far to listen to garbage like this," Thunder spat. "If you're not going to clean up your mess properly, we can find someone else. Fortunarc thought you were full of crap. So you don't even have all your legendary buddies in on this. Tell me how this was supposed to work, again?"

"Fortunarc has no plan," Tanzenarc growled, his voice icy cold. "She chases fleeting hopes. At least this way-"

Thunder interrupted him, darting to stand beside Snowcrystal, directly in front of the looming rock type. "Don't you think it makes more sense to exhaust all other options first, before potentially giving any legendaries a destructive, uncontrollable power? Before killing pokémon who were lied to or who just didn't know?"

Snowcrystal glanced up at Thunder, surprised at the enthusiasm in her voice. Of all the pokémon who could – and probably would have, had Thunder not done so first – stood up for her and the others, she wouldn't have expected Thunder to be the first one.

"I agree with them," said Stormblade, also stepping forward. "We don't know what the long-term effects of any pokémon possessing a Forbidden Attack are. We should be careful."

"Tanzenarc," Snowcrystal said, speaking calmly, "I understand what you're trying to do. But like Thunder said, it could make things worse. Besides, it's not our choice to make. The pokémon who have Forbidden Attacks should be the only ones deciding whether or not to go with your plan."

"Can you tell us where any other Inari legends are?" Rosie asked, speaking up boldly for the first time since Tanzenarc's arrival. "Why don't we ask as many of them as possible, see what they think. I know you all have scouts you use to relay information to each other."

Tanzenarc kept his eye on Thunder, who was still glowering at him. "It is difficult. Information is fragmented, and not all of the Inari legendaries have made themselves known to the others. But if that's what you want to do, so be it. Be aware that several of the others do not have any sort of plan. Some only want to hide."

"From what? Your ridiculously dangerous ideas?" Thunder snapped.

Tanzenarc lifted a foreleg and slammed his foot into the ground. The cavern shook, but Thunder didn't waver. "We are trying to undo the disaster we have caused. If there is no other plan, rejecting the one we have outright would be foolish."

Thunder huffed at him. "Watch me," she said, turning around and walking back to the others, clearly done with the conversation.

"She's right," Snowcrystal said. "We need to find out more, at the very least, before anyone tries such a thing with even one legendary."

"Very well, then," Tanzenarc said tersely. "If you find out anything, or nothing at all, you know where to find me. I have nothing more to say to any of you." With that, he turned around and walked back into the looming darkness. He looked over his shoulder for a last set of words. "I suggest you trainers return your pokémon."

The three trainers had barely done so, leaving only Snowcrystal and Vicky out, when the room began to shrink again. In under a minute they were back in the small, cramped space with the tiny tunnels marring the otherwise smooth wall.

The small form of the shuppet appeared from behind them, shaking her head. "I thought you'd be more help," she said in disapproval before floating down one of the tunnels.

Justin gave a sigh. "Well, that sure went well."

Wordlessly, they made their way back into the first open cavern and then through the crawlspace and into the cool night air. Yenn immediately flew over to them, hovering above the group anxiously.

"Did…did you find him?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Snowcrystal, her heart heavy. "We did."

-ooo-

It had been two days since he'd visited the Pokémon Club being hosted in one of Steelspire City's famous towers. Two days since he'd seen Nathanial Mausk look into his eyes and speak with that cold tone.

Damian shakily raised his hand to press the elevator button, mentally preparing himself for whatever he might encounter on that floor. Floor forty-six. He tried to block out the memory of the last time he'd stepped into that room, so close to where rare pokémon were said to be showcased, where the mysterious white growlithe might still somehow be.

The growlithe had to be there. It had to be worth it. His pokémon had seen no sign of the white growlithe in the past couple of days, and Damian's desire to help Snowcrystal in some way had prompted him to try the Pokémon Club again, despite his fear. When he'd left the club the first time, he hadn't even noticed Scytheclaw pick up the card that gave him access to the higher floors. Now, Damian was glad that he had.

The elevator came to a smooth stop and the doors opened. He stood there for a moment before Scytheclaw whispered, "Card." He then shakily held out his hand and let the worker scan his pass, luckily remembering that his pokégear needed to be checked as well right after the man finished.

He and Scytheclaw stepped out of the elevator, moving down the same hallway they'd taken only a couple days before. Damian's leg had been feeling worse that day, but he had dismissed Nightshade and Scytheclaw's concerns. He just needed to get into the right room, see the rare pokémon, and then leave. He only had to put up with the pain of walking long distances until then.

They entered the big two-story room that contained the doorway leading to the rare pokémon showcase. Damian immediately glanced around, scanning the groups of people scattered across the room and the upper walkways.

No sign of Mausk.

Damian breathed a tense sigh of relief. "Okay," he whispered to Scytheclaw, "let's see the pokémon and the get out of here. If they have the growlithe, we'll…we'll ask them what we can."

He and Scytheclaw made their way to the other side of the room, where a door guarded by two workers stood beneath a sign advertising a glimpse at rare pokémon, including one "never seen before." No one paid any attention to Damian as he limped past, every other trainer either talking in a group or preoccupied with the trading machines or grooming stations.

To Damian's relief, there was no rush to see the rare pokémon, so the workers let him walk right through the door. He and Scytheclaw made their way through a short hallway and then into a medium sized room, where several makeshift enclosures had been set up, each one carefully customized to a pokémon's type.

Like with the previous room, Damian quickly scanned the area for Mausk, but there were only a few trainers looking around at the enclosures at the moment, none of them looking similar to Mausk at all.

Scytheclaw approached the closest enclosure, Damian following. They peered through the glass at a small pool, a raised area made to look like marshy ground next to it. Swimming around in the pool with a couple of water toys in its mouth was a pale green totodile. The water type paid the two no attention, too fixated on whatever game it was entertaining itself with.

"…A shiny," Damian said, turning away from the enclosure and limping toward the next one. He peered inside it to see a snow-white eevee. Looking down the line of enclosures, it seemed like most of the pokémon being kept in the room were shiny, but all of them were fairly small species. With Scytheclaw steadying him, he made his way toward the back of the room where a larger enclosure was set up, a sign above it indicating that it was the display for the 'never before seen' pokémon.

They walked up to the glass, peering through and looking into an enclosure of water and various plants until they spotted it.

It was a black and silver dratini, snoozing peacefully underneath a bush at the edge of the water. Damian felt the hope drain from him, unable to even admire what was clearly some sort of anomaly.

"…Huh," Scytheclaw said as he looked into the enclosure, his voice barely disguising frustration. "That's interesting, but it's no growlithe."

Damian drew his attention to the sign on the side of the enclosure, quickly reading the short description. "It's genetically modified," he said after a moment. "Not that way naturally. I guess that's why the trainer who gave me that card was so disgusted by this."

"Yeah, well, they changed its color. So what?" Scytheclaw sighed, stepping away. "Ugh, what a waste of time."

Damian turned to follow him. "I mean, a lot of people say that sort of thing should be used to improve the lives of pokémon, not just make odd-colored ones to sell, so I guess I can understand why he felt that way. Then again, I'm not sure how easy fixing genetic diseases would be. At least this isn't something like those fossils in Galar."

"Well, whatever," Scytheclaw said. "Wait here a moment, I'll check the others."

Damian stood by the dratini's enclosure as Scytheclaw darted around the room, getting a look at every pokémon on display. "Nah," he grumbled when he returned to Damian, "no growlithe here."

They walked back into the larger room, stopping to take a break in a quiet area near one of the walls. "Mausk can't have claimed the growlithe for himself, right?" Damian asked. "They don't trade those pokémon, do they? I mean, I know he wanted Snowcrystal, but…he wanted her to sell for a lot of money, so he wouldn't spend a ton on…"

Scytheclaw shook his head. "I don't think the growlithe was ever here."

"What a waste," Damian muttered.

"Well, you did what you could," Scytheclaw replied. "Let's get back to the hotel."

Damian didn't say anything more as they made their way back down the hallway, to the elevator, and down to the ground floor. As they walked down a short hallway leading to the main lobby room at the front of the building, they passed a row of windows looking into another room that was set up as a dining area for people and pokémon.

Scytheclaw did a double-take, his look of alarm prompting a glance from Damian, who froze, the color draining from his face.

Mausk was there again, sitting at one of the tables with a group of ordinary-looking trainers who each looked to be around Mausk's own age. Damian tensed, memories of what had happened a few days ago – and then flashes of memories from the underground – flooding his mind.

"Let's go," Scytheclaw said. He shot Mausk a murderous look through the glass while muttering colorful insults under his breath.

Damian, however, found himself frozen to the spot, something about the scene before him making him unable to turn away from the window. Mausk's table wasn't near the windows, and neither he nor the trainers he was with had noticed anyone looking into the room.

"Damian?" Scytheclaw asked.

Damian didn't reply. He watched as Mausk talked and laughed amongst the other trainers, like it was just normal. The others talking to Mausk as if he were a good friend, or family. Damian wasn't sure if any of them knew what sort of dark secrets Mausk was hiding, or if they were just like him.

Suddenly, he felt his fear momentarily pushed back by anger. Bitterly, he turned away from the window, moving forward at a pace that he knew was too brisk for his injuries. "Right," he said to Scytheclaw. "Let's go."

To be continued…