King of the Mountain

Roz and Terry materialized in front of the Ranger station they’d spent nearly a week living in. Pokémon went about their lives, heading to work, running errands…certainly not preparing to confront a god.

“So now what?” Terry asked nervously. Looking around, neither of them could see any sign of Archimedes or his team.

“We must follow them without being noticed,” Roz answered.

“I mean, yeah, I get that, but how? I bet Archimedes can sense Pokémon the same way you can.”

Shoot, I didn’t think of that. “We may need to linger behind then,” Roz mused. “Once they have engaged Registeel they will be too preoccupied to discipline us.”

“Oh, that’s real comforting. How long are we supposed to wait?”

“I am unsure. Ten minutes will likely be sufficient.” I hope. “In the meantime, we should ensure we are adequately supplied.”

Terry nodded and they both went to the market to stock up. There was no telling for certain what they would need, but it was hard to go wrong with Oran and Leppa berries. They also picked up a few sleep and stun seeds. Terry admitted he had no idea if such things even worked on Registeel (telepathically, of course), and both Pokémon hoped they’d have no reason to find out.

“What do you think? Should we risk going now?” Terry asked afterward.

Roz checked the clock on her holtab. She floated above the town and scanned both visually and psionically for Archimedes and Flint. Cliff’s Dark-typing would make him exceptionally difficult to detect; not impossible, but not worth the trouble. Thankfully he would be just as easy to see physically as he would be difficult to presence sense.

“I believe so,” said Roz, after descending. She and Terry triple checked their supplies. The Elgyem felt woefully underprepared, but doubted she’d get another opportunity like this anytime soon. 

“You know, I didn’t think you cared this much,” mused Terry once they’d left the village boundaries. “N-not that I’m saying you didn’t care,” he amended quickly. “It’s just…I never saw you as someone who would do something like this.”

Roz said nothing.

“Ranger work always felt like something you saw as a responsibility rather than something you were actually passionate about. At least, that’s the impression I had. But…I guess you just don’t show you care…ugh, I’m mucking this up.” The Cubone took a calming breath and continued.

“What I’m trying to say is…thanks. I feel kinda bad for doubting Archimedes and the others. But I just couldn’t live with myself if something happened to them when I could’ve done something, anything to help. I’ve looked up to them for so long…” he trailed off.

“We can discuss this later. For now we need to plan. If we are seen, we are here to observe what happens nearby while Registeel is active, but did not consider making those observations until just after they left. You will let me explain this. Understood?”

“Y-yeah. Good idea.”

“Now, what can you tell me about Registeel?” she asked.

Terry considered what he knew. “Probably not much you don’t already know. It’s a god with power over metal that lives under Mt. Steel. It’s why the soil around Greenmetal Village is so fertile, and where the village gets its name,” he explained. “In combat…I don’t think anyone knows what it can really do. I’m sure it knows some really powerful Steel-type moves, but beyond that?” He shrugged.

“In other words we could be heading into anything right now.” 

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

Roz assumed that would be the case but hoped she was wrong. Registeel would probably be just as violent as any other god anyone had tried to talk to recently. She was surprised no one had tried meeting with it sooner, though if the weather started acting up people would be more likely to want to talk to weather gods than those that controlled soil minerals.

At long last, they finally made it to the all-too-familiar entrance to Thunderwave Cave. Roz found no signs of Archimedes or his teammates, which was fine by her. Mt. Steel wasn’t on the verge of tearing itself apart, so even if they were inside and confronting Registeel, it wasn’t in the process of bringing the whole mountain down on their heads. 

Terry drew his club. “So this is it, huh? We’re going through with this?”

“If you are having second thoughts, now is the time to leave.”

“No, of course not. Let’s go.”

The minutes passed in silence other than the soft crackling of chargestone. It was just enough to swallow up the sound of Terry’s footsteps. Neither of them dared to say anything, not that they had anything to say at this point anyway. Roz formed a telepathic link with Terry just in case. The Elgyem thought back to her last trip here and the peculiar Pokémon she’d encountered. Was it still here? Did Archimedes and his team get past it? Her worries were interrupted by her companion.

<Do you still sense Registeel?>

They had arrived at the dreaded crossroads. For the third time in this very spot, Roz reached out with her senses. As she had simultaneously hoped and feared, that incredible power was still there. <Yes,> she responded.

Terry clenched his club tighter. <Do you think we’re gonna have to fight it?>

<Frankly I don’t know. Based on what you have told me, I do not believe that is an option.>

 <If we’re not willing to do that then why did we even come here? For moral support? Weren’t you the one lecturing me about leaving if I had second thoughts? We’re either in this or we’re not.>

<You were the one who asked about having to fight.>

<I-I’m not scared! Not anymore. I just needed to remind myself of why I’m here. We can’t do this if we’re afraid.> Terry rounded on her with a glare. <So are you willing to fight if it comes down to it or not? ‘Cause if you aren’t, you might as well go back to Crosswind Town right now.>

What had gotten into Terry all of a sudden? Not five minutes ago he’d been a bit nervous…oh, that explained it.

<If you can’t even answer a simple question, then you’re clearly not ready.>

<You know I can sense your emotions right now, right?> said Roz. <Maybe you’ve fooled yourself into thinking you’re not scared, but you haven’t fooled me.> She paused and took a deep breath. <I do not know what assistance, if any, we will be able to provide. So I must ask you something in turn: if we are in clear peril, are you willing to leave? Or are you so committed to proving yourself that you will throw your life away?>

The Cubone merely huffed and started walking down the tunnel that led to Registeel. Roz wasn’t having any of that, and grabbed him with telekinesis. Not enough to actually impede him, but a firm enough grip to get his attention.

<I want an answer, Terry. I will not continue with you if you will resist if we need to evacuate.> There was turmoil on Terry’s side of their link. If she’d wanted to, Roz could’ve pried into what was going through his head. She really should’ve. But as much as she wanted to know exactly what he was thinking, Roz hesitated. Then the whole mountain trembled. Was that a roar?

<They’ve already started!> Terry took off down the tunnel with Roz close behind. The rumbling never stopped. Roz and Terry took advantage of this to guide them when they came to split paths. They came across a few dead ends, but their route was more straightforward than expected. Glancing back, it looked like most of the tunnels reconverged after splitting. Then they arrived.

The chamber was well-lit by an abundance of Chargestone covering the walls and ceiling. There was a lot on the floor as well, though, based on what was happening, that was probably because it was being shaken off. An Alakazam and a Charizard hovered off the ground while a Tyranitar jumped, then stomped back down to create a shockwave. His intended target was something Roz had only seen pictures of, and none of them did it justice.

Registeel was large, but not overwhelmingly so, probably only around two meters tall. In the pictures she’d seen, Roz always found its appearance odd, even a bit comical; certainly not what she’d expect of a Legendary Pokémon. But in-person, it emanated an aura of pure power. The sensation that had first alerted her to its presence was almost overwhelming. She tried to turn off her psionic senses, but it made no difference. The being in front of her was no mere Pokémon.

The whole chamber heaved under the force of Cliff’s Earthquake. Crystals and chunks of the walls and ceiling broke off and tumbled to the ground. Roz feared the whole thing was about to collapse. Registeel was only slowed down momentarily, and continued steadily advancing on the Tyranitar. Coming to his ally’s rescue, Flint swooped in and blasted it with a stream of fire that distorted the air around it. Registeel’s metal body glowed red hot, but it didn’t so much as flinch. Flint held the Flamethrower as long as he could, slowly backwinging, but eventually had to take a breath. Registeel continued emitting visible heat waves even after the flames stopped.

Registeel stopped and for a split second, Roz thought Flint’s attack might’ve had an effect. That hope was shattered when it raised a hand toward the Charizard. Electricity streamed from the Chargestone around the chamber into its open palm. Before she could stop him, Terry charged into the room with his club held high. Lightning surged from Registeel’s hand toward Flint…before curving in midair and redirecting itself toward Terry. The Cubone gritted his teeth as he absorbed the blast, but absorb it he did. 

All eyes, as well as whatever Registeel had, turned to him as he stood there, panting. They noticed Roz shortly thereafter. The dot pattern on Registeel’s…face blinked as it let out a series of metallic tones and ran toward Terry. The Cubone panicked briefly, but held his ground and threw his club. It collided with a hollow clang, but the stampeding Legendary didn’t react. 

Terry was moments away from being smashed by Registeel’s raised fist, when an unseen force grabbed him and pulled him toward Archimedes’ outstretched hand. Registeel kept going, intent on taking his fury out on Roz instead. Before it got anywhere near her, Roz teleported a good distance behind it.

Roz pulled a stun seed from her bag and telekinetically launched it at the titan. Its brittle coat burst on impact, releasing a small cloud of paralytic toxins. Registeel halted in place…for about two seconds.

“I’m guessing it didn’t want to talk?” said Terry.

Archimedes didn’t bother answering him, addressing his team instead with a simple “pull back.” Roz felt herself seized by a psychic grip and tugged roughly toward the Alakazam. Cliff and Flint moved toward him as well, but Registeel made to intercept Cliff. The Tyranitar braced himself.

Its punch landed with a crack. Cliff roared in agony, clutching at his arm. Chips of his stony hide fell to the cavern floor, covered in the thick black liquid that replaced blood in many Rock-types. The telekinetic grip on Roz slackened just enough for her to lunge toward him. Wrapping both of her arms around one of his, she teleported both of them next to Archimedes. All five Rangers vanished immediately as Archimedes teleported them.

They reappeared back at headquarters in Crosswind Town, in the administrative suite. Cliff’s oily ichor dripped onto the floor from the arm he held clutched to his chest. Roz reached into her bag for an Oran berry, but Archimedes beat her to the punch by producing a Sitrus berry. The Tyranitar took a bite then pressed the fruit to his wound, gritting his teeth. Once the bleeding subsided, he rounded on Roz and Terry. “What do you two think you were doing there?”

“We-” Terry started before Roz cut him off.

“It occurred to me that direct observation might be informative,” she said, struggling to maintain her composure. Her fingers flashed rapidly behind her back.

“Oh yeah, real informative alright,” said Flint. “ What could possibly make you think this was okay?” The Charizard’s tail blazed, a clear sign of strong emotion in his species.

“Our intention was to watch from a distance without becoming involved. When we arrived, it appeared that you were in an unfavorable position and we decided to intervene. I apologize if this was not the correct course of action. But I cannot begin to unravel this mystery without data. Data that I believe are best gathered from direct observation.”

Archimedes crossed his arms and gave Roz a stern stare. “Roz, what was my instruction to the Rangers before we left?” 

“With all due respec-” Roz started

“Answer the question.”

Roz’s hands trembled. She struggled to remain steady in the air. After a calming breath, she answered “to not follow you.”

“And what did you do?”

Terry spoke up. “Sir, we-”

“You will speak when your turn comes, Cubone.” The Alakazam didn’t even need to raise his voice, but it might have been preferable to his cold, uncaring demeanor. “What did you do?” he asked Roz again.

“We followed you.”

“We could’ve gathered that data, Roz. Your presence was…inappropriate at best.”

“With all due respect sir, you three were preoccupied with fighting. Based on previous reports, I assumed Registeel would react violently to your presence. I had hoped that by watching from a distance I could notice details you might miss.”

Flint snorted, releasing a plume of smoke from his nostrils. “Details like what?”

“Who could say?” Roz answered. “We know so little about these incidents. That is why it is so crucial to gather any information we can.”

“You should’ve cleared this with us in advance,” Cliff grunted, still cradling his arm.

“I agree,” Roz admitted. “But I did not think of it until you left.”

Archimedes stared into her eyes for far longer than was comfortable. “We are not in a position to make important decisions at the moment,” he said at last, glancing at Cliff. “We will discuss this tomorrow. For the time being, you are dismissed for the day. Come see us first thing in the morning. Both of you.”

Roz reached out her hand to Terry, but Archimedes stopped her. “You will leave through the front door.”

“S-sir?” said Roz. The Alakazam, no, all three of them merely glared at her. Terry gulped. Roz opened the door and she and Terry left the executive suite…right into the office area. Several Pokémon gave them questioning looks. And why shouldn’t they? Afterall, they shouldn’t have been in there. They felt the stares of all the other Rangers the whole way out of the office. Dulce noticed them once they made it to the lobby.

“Whoa, hey, what’s wrong?” the Steenee asked.

“We’ve had a rough day,” said Roz. “We are retiring early.”

Dulce checked the clock. “Already?! It’s not even 10:00!”

“We received clear instructions from the administration. Speaking of, we need an appointment with them first thing in the morning.”

“Um, sure. I’ll need to check to make sure you’re allowed to leave this early though. Hold on a minute.” The Steenee left her desk and went back into the office area.

That hadn’t gone as planned, to say the least. Roz had fully expected to be noticed at some point, but had somehow held out hope that the administration wouldn’t react quite so harshly about it. She had hurt their trust in her, which obviously wasn’t good if she expected them to keep providing her with information. Still, it was a risk she knew she was taking, though it was accompanied by an unpleasant thought. Up until now, she’d figured she could offer something nobody else could. But in all her time with the Rangers, she had failed to deliver a single significant lead to the cause of the disasters. 

Then again, maybe getting fired would be for the best. It would move her out from under the Rangers and allow her to operate as she saw fit. She would no longer have to be as wary about keeping secrets from Archimedes. Money would become a problem, though, and she’d need to find some sooner rather than later.

Dulce was gone for all of three minutes. “Yeah, you guys are good to leave, and I’ll get you down for an appointment first thing tomorrow. I…I hope everything goes okay.”

“Thank you,” said Roz. The moment she and Terry were out the door, the Cubone held out his hand. Roz looked at him, a bit confused. He was stone faced, not even looking at her. Still, she figured out his intention quickly enough, and took his hand.

The door opened behind them. “Hey, youse two alright?” A Sableye stood in the entrance, frowning.

“Oh. Hi Kelly,” said Terry.

“What exactly happened back there?” the Sableye asked.

“We would prefer not to talk about it,” said Roz.

Kelly stared at her. Her gemstone eyes and Dark-typing made the Sableye very difficult to get a read on. “Alright, I ain’t gonna pry if youse don’t wanna talk about it. But you know where ta find me if you ever do,” she said, looking directly at Terry. The Cubone nodded. Once Kelly was back inside, he and Roz clasped hands again.

The moment his door closed, Terry flung his bag to the ground and collapsed, sobbing quietly. It took her a moment to figure out what was behind the apparent mood swing before Roz realized it wasn’t a swing at all. “Terry…” No response.

What had she expected? If there were any obvious clues when these Legendary Pokémon attacked, someone would’ve noticed by now. Now she was in real danger of losing her job, quite possibly the only position around that also furthered her own goals. And Terry…

“I’m so stupid.”

“Terry…”

“Why did I ever think they’d need help from someone like me? I mean, look at me. I’m just some loser wannabe who…” the Cubone forced himself into a sitting position. “I’m no good for anything.”

“That isn’t true,” said Roz.

Terry rolled his eyes. “That’s what they all say. Look at you. You can fly, teleport, sense Pokémon from far away. You’re incredible! Me? I know how to hit stuff. Whoop-de-doo.”

Roz hovered over and settled down next to Terry. “And yet the Rangers clearly saw potential in you. And I think I know what.”

The Cubone snorted and turned away from her. “Really? ‘Cause I’d love to hear it.”

“You’re easily the most generous person I’ve ever met. You found me out in the woods, lost, and offered to take me in without a moment’s hesitation.” The Elgyem stood up and walked around to Terry’s front, then awkwardly knelt down. “ Maybe you don’t think that means much, but it does to me.”

 “Hmph. So in other words, I’m a good person because I’m not completely heartless. Good to know.”

Roz sighed internally. How was she supposed to break through to someone like this? “What about when we rescued Monty? I never could’ve done that without you.”

Terry drew his club and glowered at it. “The Magnemite would’ve shown up in a few more minutes and you’d’ve been fine,” he said, putting the club down and rolling it away. “Glad I could be a punching bag for you though.”

There was an uncomfortable silence as Roz tried to think of what she could say next. Terry broke it for her. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are? I’d give anything to forget it all.”

That came out of nowhere. “I rather doubt that. I’ve had my work to keep me busy but…I don’t know how much longer that’s going to last. Believe me, not knowing who you are, where you’re from…it’s not fun.”

“‘Fun’,” Terry said with pure venom in his voice. “You think I care about fun?

“You know what I mean,” Roz retorted. “You claim I have such incredible powers but really, I barely know how to use them. Think back to Thunderwave Cave or how you protected Flint just this morning. You think I could’ve done any of that? Razor took me down in one hit. I never would’ve lasted long enough on my own to save Monty.”

Terry started to protest again, but Roz stopped him. “You’re not thinking straight right now.” The Elgyem breathed deeply before continuing. “It was foolish of us to assume we would be able to contribute in any meaningful way.” Terry clenched his fists and glowered. “You are at no more fault than I am, however. Without the very abilities you are so envious of, we never would have ended up in this situation.”

Terry said nothing at first. Roz couldn’t blame him; it was a terrible argument. “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “That was…really childish of me.” The Cubone stood and picked up his club. “It’s just, I’ve always looked up to them. To have them calling me out like that, it hurts. Especially when I know they’re right.” He cut Roz off when she tried to protest. “I’m not saying I’m useless or whatever. But what we did today wasn’t smart.” Terry’s club went back in its holder. “There’s still plenty of day left though. What’d’ya say we get some training in?” he asked with a grin.

~~~

Logbook entry #1428

Morphology: Registeel—god of metal. No further data.