Return to Frostbitten Summit

Flaire stood there looking at the entrance to the dungeon. He was nervous as he clutched the badge in his claws. It almost didn't feel real; this moment was something he'd been thinking about for a long time. It had been delayed for so long because of how busy his team had been but now he finally had an excuse to return to the dungeon. As much as he'd like to say he came only for the articuno he'd met here some time ago that wasn't true. He was currently also leading a mission to help locate the missing ampharos mate of their client Espeon. The ampharos was a victim of the region's wild phemomenon, much like the other pokemon he'd come to see. Though he had hope that he could help the articuno now, the ampharos might be a different story. Flaire knew that the articuno could fight off the effects of the dungeons somewhat given his previous encounter with her. Maybe the badge would be enough to help her then and there. If not he would be dragging her back much like how he was going to bring back the ampharos to her mate.

"You ready?" Hunter placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. It felt good to have the pokemon that had been with him then be here as well.

"As I ever will be." Flaire responded, nodding.

"According to what information we managed to gather it seems like the ampharos is somewhere in the deeper parts of the dungeon." Reaper spoke as they approached, glancing between the two. Even they were more subdued than usual; obviously understanding how important this was to Flaire.

"Then we'll head in and keep an eye out for her. I'm sure an ampharos will stick out amongst all the native pokemon here." Flaire stored away the badge in a pouch he'd brought along just for it. Had to make sure it was safe. There was another in there as well in case they deemed it safe to try and use it on the ampharos as well. It was always a toss up when a pokemon had been in a dungeon for any significant length of time.

The trek through the dungeon was tense and quiet. None of them were pokemon who were much for small talk after all. Plus Flaire was rather focused on his own personal mission. Hopefully the articuno was still in the depths of the dungeon; he didn't particularly like the idea of being ambushed by a legendary. They encountered a few of the local wild pokemon along the way, but they were easy enough to scare off. As much as Flaire wished they could help all the wild pokemon out there he knew there was no point until they could fully cure them. Though it still felt slightly wrong to at the moment be one of the people who decided which pokemon were worth saving. Who's to say that all these pokemon didn't have friends or family missing them? Why did they matter less than any other pokemon?

He shook off the thoughts. They'd only be distractions right now. Distractions he couldn't afford right now. Though he had no doubt that his thoughts would circle back to this at some point. Finally they reached the end of the dungeon. Flaire glanced around the room, remembering the first time he'd been there. It really didn't look any different. "Be on your toes. I suspect they might both be around here." He mumbled, looking at his teammates.

"Stick close to each other. We don't know how bad things have progressed for either of them." Hunter glanced at the upper parts of the room. Suddenly the iron jugulis fusion froze and pulled both Flaire and Grim back. Electricity sparked on a fresh layer of ice where they just stood.

"Found em!" Reaper enthusiastically pointed out. Flaire frowned as he took in the state of the two pokemon that had attacked them. It was the two they were looking for at least, but the articuno looked even more disheveled and wild than before. It was no wonder their odd communications had dried up as of late. The ampharos was in a similar state. Flaire's heart went out to her mate. It was going to be a very emotional reunion once they got her back.

"Alright you two, the only way we'll be able to get them back safely is to fight them." Flaire's chest felt tight but he did his best to ignore the feeling. "Hold nothing back."

Flaire set up a sunny day as his teammates rushed forward. The two feral pokemon rushed forward to meet them. After Hunter used a fiery dance on the articuno, Flaire rushed forward with a flame charge. Wincing in sympathy as he collided solidly with the legendary bird pokemon's chest. Nearby Grim was engaging with the ampharos. A dragon tail had the wild electric type stumbling backwards. Flaire crashed into the articuno's chest with a flame charge to stop them from hitting Hunter. Hunter gave him a grateful nod before hitting the articuno with a dark pulse.

Before the duo could do anything else Grim skid to a stop in front of them. Flaire glanced over where they'd been, the ampharos was stumbling towards them with electricity sparking around her body. The zweilous fusion shook themselves off. "Well this could be going better." They mumbled.

The three turned their backs to each other, keeping their eyes on the two wild pokemon as they circled the group. "I believe it may be best to try and end this quickly." Hunter frowned. "I don't want to prolong their suffering."

"Then we do it together." Flaire subtly gestured to the large icicles handing from the ceiling. If they could hit them just right they should be able to end this... without impaling either of the pokemon they were trying to save. He'd just have to break off the tips before they could fall all the way down. After a quick nod from his teammates he leapt into the air. Grim collided with the wall with a dragon tail which caused the icicles to start falling, while Hunter hit both of the wild pokemon with an air slash to keep their attention. Time seemed to slow as Flaire pushed off a wall towards the falling icicles. With as much precision as he could get he broke away the sharp bottoms of the icicles with several brick breaks. If he missed a single one he risked one or both of the pokemon they were trying to help getting seriously injured.

Flaire held his breath as he landed, listening for the sound of the icicles impacting. There were a couple cries of pain and the sound of shattering ice. He only risked a look once the sound of the chunks of broken ice bouncing off the floor ceased. He slumped in relief as he saw no signs of the ampharos or the articuno being impaled. After allowing himself a moment he rushed up to the articuno, he needed to act fast. With only a few seconds of eye contact with Hunter as a warning he tossed the second badge at them. Thankfully the iron jugulis fusion had no issue catching it. He was just hoping this would work. It would be nicer to return the espeon's mate not totally out of her mind. Flaire would be willing to be the two had a lot to talk about.

Cautiously he approached the knocked out articuno and gently placed a claw on her head. With a deep breath he placed the badge on her head. Glancing over he saw Hunter was doing the same with the ampharos. He waited there for several tense minutes, the only sounds the far away sound of wind against the ice and breathing.

The articuno's eyes slowly fluttered open, they were unfocused but they were clearer than they were before. Slowly her gaze traveled over to him, surprise and recognition flashed across her eyes. "You?" She blinked and looked around, finally seeming to realize that she was pinned. "What?"

Flaire grinned and helped push the ice off of her. He looked over to see Hunter helping up the ampharos, who was clutching her head. "Welcome back." Flaire stood back to allow her room to stand up. Shakily she stood. "I neglected to tell you about the partial cure that had been created." Flaire looked down. "I was waiting to see how others that used it fared. Though given the opportunity to come here for another mission I figured it would be worth trying it on you. How do you feel?"

The articuno glanced down at herself, a slight frown gracing her beak as she took in her disheveled appearance. "I am clearer of mind than I have been in a long time. Though I feel as if I am in desperate need of some self care."

Flaire chuckled as his teammates came over with the ampharos in tow. "Ah it is nice to see you again, now that we're not fighting." Hunter bowed his head in greeting.

The articuno repeated the gesture. "Ah yes, it is good to see you again as well."

"If you're willing, we are prepared to take you back with us. While the partial cure will help you immensely it is still possible for you to revert back for a period of time." Flaire sighed.

"Typically only due to a certain trigger though. Based on others it seems that trigger varies from pokemon to pokemon. Though you should be able to lead a relatively normal life." Hunter added, looking between the two cured wild pokemon.

The ampharos shivered. "Can I request we continue this conversation somewhere warmer? I'm not really built for this sort of climate."

Flaire looked up at the articuno with hope in his eyes, she looked back eyes seeming to search for something. "I would be happy to leave this place with you. Although it was once my home I fear it has started to feel much more like a prison in recent time."

The walk out was rather silent, but it was far more comfortable than the walk in. Flaire glanced over at the articuno. "My name is Flaire by the way." They had agreed rather early to not share their names. Mostly at the request of the articuno who wanted to be properly in her right mind before introductions. Now felt like the right time to him.

She glanced over at him before smiling. "And I am Winter. It's a pleasure to properly meet you Flaire."

Flaire found he quite liked how she said his name. "The pleasure is all mine... Winter."