<Pidgeot's POV>

I took Water Angel's pokeball with me, and Lucky followed. We silently advanced through long and wide corridors. A door would show up every now and then, but no other pokemon seemed to be around.
"This silence is so odd...," I commented. "I expected this temple to be infested with enemies after the reception we had when we entered the forest."
"Maybe we just came here at a good time," Lucky suggested. "Although I doubt it's as simple as that."
"Then maybe it's just the calm before the storm. Do you think they're brewing something?," I asked.
"Maybe. What worries me is that if they have the power to possess creatures, I doubt we could have just slipped in without them noticing."
"Me too. In any case, we'll have to be very careful."

We carried on in silence for a while longer, until Lucky spoke again.
"I wonder if the others are having any more luck than we are..."
"I can picture someone making a bad joke out of this, but I hope they are," I said, avoiding an easy word game. "I hope we can find some water soon. I could use Water Angel's advice and I'm sure she'd like to be able to get out of that pokeball."
"Yeah, it can't be much fun for her. Oh, I wish I could live up to my name for once!," exclaimed Lucky.
"And that was the joke I was thinking of," I told him. "Anyway, you haven't been inside a labyrinthical temple before either, have you?"
"No, but I reckon most Meowths would have a better sense of direction than I do."
"That attitude won't help you. Believe me, I spent years comparing myself to most Pidgeots. That really doesn't help."
I thought for a moment, contemplating our situation.
"Hmm... Maybe it's time for a change of strategy," I proposed. "We're making too much noise to pick up anything from around, but maybe if we stay quiet for a moment, we'll be able to hear something. Hopefully the Gyarados."
"It's worth a shot, to be honest we're been so busy searching we've been oblivious to everything bar what we're looking at," Lucky agreed.

We stood still, trying to pick up any sounds from around us. Everything looked unbelievably silent. It indeed felt like the calm before the storm. My attention was turned back to Lucky when his whiskers started quivering.
"I can't hear anything, but I think I might be able to help with one of our problems... follow me!"

I followed the Meowth up to a point where the corridor widened into some sort of hallway. In the center of it stood a large fountain. He was right. At least one of our problems was solved.
"I *knew* I could sense water nearby!," celebrated Lucky.
"Great! How did you do that?," I asked him.
"Water vapour in the air," he shrugged. "Well, these whiskers have to be good for something, after all!"
"Maybe you do live up to your name, then," I commended him. "Ok, time for a reunion."

I tossed Water Angel's pokeball towards the fountain and watched the bright beam of light grow and adopt her shape. When the light faded away, the sweetest Kingdra in the world was sitting before me.
"You were right, it does feel good to be out!," she cheered as soon as the water touched her scales.
"Thank Lucky for that," I told her.
"And I will. Thank you, Lucky."
"Don't mention it. We needed to find a place we could all put our heads together, after all," replied the Meowth leaping up to a nearby ledge.
"Indeed," I agreed.
"And it's great that you found it," added Water Angel. "If only we were so lucky to find the pool Estel mentioned... I'm worried about Amber's father."
"Hmm... as much as I hate to say it, there isn't a lot that can be done apart from search thoroughly and hope that one of the groups finds it eventually," considered Lucky.
"I know," she nodded. "Well, to boost our hopes I can say we aren't the most favored of the groups. Others have better chances to find anything in a place like this."
"I suppose so. Especially Kirei and Ventura," Lucky giggled. "Assuming Kirei doesn't get too much on Ventura's nerves."
"Or viceversa," Water Angel added.
"Then maybe we should seize the moment and try to come up with a plan for after we've found the Gyarados. Or more important, the Black Dragon," I suggested.
"Where did the master of improvisation go?," my all time companion tested me.
"Some situations do call for a careful plan," I explained.
"I don't know, I suppose when we find the Gyarados somebody is going to have to try talking to them," Lucky said.
"That could be hard even if they haven't been possessed yet," Water Angel sighed. "Though we could at least reach out for one of them."
"Hard? All you have to do is show them your Hidden Power and they'll be impressed enough for you to earn their respect."
My comment caused her to blush.
"I believe their pride must be a little bruised now that they've been captured. They may be more willing to accept advice from outsiders," she replied. "But there's really no way to know until we're there."
"I hope it doesn't come down to having to prove ourselves before they'd listen, though," Lucky shuddered.
"All I know about them is what Amber said. She said most of them respected only power. Which makes sense considering the way they were lured here in the first place. Amber's father was an exception and was, for that reason, seen as an outcast," Water Angel revealed.
"Great, so the big question then is going to be do you think we as a group will be able to impress them enough to make them listen?," Lucky uneasily paced up and down his ledge as he spoke.
"I guess that's something we'll have to see when we're there," I reckoned. "But the things we've already done seem to hint that we should have no problems."
"I suppose... well, as long as Gyarados are impressed by survival skills I'll be alright," Lucky shrugged, still looking nervous.
"Let's just hope we don't really have to test ours. I still recall an awful experience with a Gyarados years ago," Water Angel brought back old memories.
"If you're talking about what I think you are, I wouldn't say it was so awful. You put that Gyarados back in his place and saved me at the same time," I reminded her.
"I wouldn't have made it without you, you know that."
"Why do we always go back to the same discussion no matter what?," I wondered.
"I don't know," she gave me a wide grin. "Maybe you're right, maybe it wasn't that awful after all."

By then, Lucky had begun staring into the distance in a thoughtful way.
"Oh, sorry, how impolite we've been!," Water Angel apologized, noticing him. "Not to mention we've completely digressed from the subject. Lucky, do you have any ideas?"
"It's alright, really. I suppose we can always hope that the Gyarados will consider accepting our help the lesser of two evils, I'd be willing to bet that staying in captivity would dent their pride more than listening to us would," Lucky reflected. "I really can't see any other real option here than hoping for the best. Once we're back together again we'll have creatures like Lagi and Pearl to do the talking, and I'm sure there's plenty who probably COULD put on a show of strength if it had to come down to that."
"My exact thoughts," I said. "I think we should worry about the Black Dragon. Has anyone stopped to think what it wants with this forest in the first place? I mean, I know ruining a sacred place sounds like the thing to do for an evil being, but no one does something like this without a purpose. What could it be? And what can we do to stop it?"
"I don't know. Maybe this place helps it brainwash the other pokémon somehow," Lucky guessed.
"The two questions are probably connected. Maybe we should try to keep our enemies at bay long enough to find out the answers," suggested Water Angel.
"I suppose so...," Lucky accepted.

At that moment, the Meowth's ears pricked up.
"That's lousy timing. Someone's coming!," he warned us before jumping down the ledge and edging forwards cautiously.
"Water Angel, get down!," I called out while hiding into the shadows.

Once Water Angel was out of sight under the water, I directed my attention at the corridor we had come from. An Eevee walked into the room, wearing one of those cursed pendants.
"All is as it should be...," she said in a cold voice after looking around. She then sniffed the air and froze.
"That scent...," she begun, but quickly shook her head trying to dismiss it. "No time for weakness. That is just a memory. We have other things to do."
That sounded like the spirit talking through her. It pushed her back towards the corridor. The Eevee twitched and went into a violent spasm before she went out of sight.
"What are we supposed to do now???," Lucky hissed to us, shaken by the Eevee's suffering.
"It seems to me that the Eevee wasn't completely possessed. We could try to help her," Water Angel proposed.
"Right! I don't think I can stand back and watch this much longer!," Lucky made his position clear.
"We have to be extremely careful not to attract all the Black Dragon's followers towards us," I warned him. "I can be stealthy, but we need a way to stop her from alerting the others when I come out of the shadows."
I wanted to help as much as everyone did, but I needed to think of a way that wouldn't backfire. I really needed inspiration to kick in.
"Well how are we supposed to do that? We have to do something, she seems in so much pain!," Lucky urged me.
"If only we could take the pendant before she got the time to react...," I thought out aloud. "I could use Agility before Faint Attack, but I've never done anything that required so much precision. I'm not sure if it would work."
"Well we have to do something!," Lucky insisted.
"If it doesn't work, I can set up a Smokescreen to buy us some time," Water Angel gave me the support I needed.
"You're out there, aren't you?," I heard the Eevee's voice again. "Please. Stop me. Now."
She rolled back into my range of sight and I could see she was shaking. I had to act.
"Alright, you two give me a nod and I'll try it."

My two companions nodded, and that was my cue to spring into action. I rose as high as I could without getting to close to the ceiling and started circling around the room to gain speed. When the acceleration was enough, I dove into the shadows, blending with them, to emerge exactly above the Eevee. At that moment, I heard what sounded like whips springing towards me, immediately stopped by others of the same sort. I couldn't help but look back, if only for a split second. The sight that caught my eyes was one of vines tangled into each other, struggling: some to reach me, some to shield me. I looked forward immediately, but it was too late to stop my fall and I ended up bumping into the Eevee I was trying to save. I reacted quickly before making things worse, and grasped the evil pendant in my beak, pulling it off and hurling it against the nearest wall. Upon hearing the satisfying crash, I turned to look at the Eevee again. She had collapsed in exhaustion.

"Is she alright?," Water Angel's voice came to me from the fountain.
At that moment, the Eevee began to move again... And speak.
"I'd forgotten what this was like. At least things are less confusing. Thank you," she said, getting up and turning towards the exit.
"Wait a minute. Is that all we get?," asked Lucky.
"Yes. Unless you need more from me, I suppose I owe you that," the Eevee replied.
"I know this isn't the best place to hang around, but you should rest for a while before you try to make it out of here," I told her. "You've putting up a hell of a fight; you'll need time to recover."
"You'd be surprised at how little I need recovery," she smiled half-heartedly. "The only thing that bothers me is that the demon seems to be better at using my hidden power than I am..."
"I wouldn't think so by the way you helped me a moment ago," I remarked. "I've seen some possessed pokemon before and none of them would have been able to pull that off."
"Yeah, that was quite amazing," Lucky agreed. "I've not seen anyone manipulate a Grass hidden power like that since... well, Milliardo, actually."
"Actually, it did remind me of him now that you mention it," I admitted.
"No. I'm sure whatever he can do is far better than what I can manage," the Eevee said in a sad tone. Her voice was no longer cold, now it inspired compassion.
"How can you know that? You'd have to see him first," words came out of my beak before I could think of anything better to say.

"Why don't you all come over here again?," Water Angel interrupted the conversation. "You'll be less exposed and I won't have to shout."
"Good plan," said Lucky, escorting the Eevee to the fountain.
I followed them, and the four of us were finally together.
"Much better," Water Angel said. "So... do you have a name?," she asked turning towards the Eevee.
"My name's Rhiannon. I was staying at the temple for a while. It was the only place I ever felt at home until this evil set in," she replied. "And what are your names?"
"I hate it when those things happen. No that I really remember the last time I felt completely at peace," I commented before introducing us. "I don't have a name, so you can call me Pidgeot. The Kingdra in the fountain is Water Angel, and our friend is Lucky."
"It's nice to meet you," Water Angel smiled.
"Yeah... a pleasure," agreed Lucky. He and Rhiannon stared at each other for a moment. "You know, you do look an awful lot like a... friend... of mine. Before he evolved, that is."
"I'd make a comment, but I'd end up sounding like a friend of mine I'd be a hypocrite to take after," I said.
After all the time I'd spent telling Tsunami to cut off his comments on others, who was I to do the same? But luck had it so that I'd end up saying it anyway.
"What were you going to say? I'm intrigued now," Rhiannon started, soon to be joined by Water Angel and Lucky with a "so am I" and a "you know how it goes about curiosity and cats".
"Bah, not much. Just that you seem a lot nicer," there I went. "But it's not like me to comment about those not present."
"Oh, so who is this friend that everyone keeps talking about?," Rhiannon inquired.
"Milliardo, he's a teammate of mine," Lucky explained, "and... anyway, he's an Umbreon. Really nasty sense of humour when he's annoyed - and boy, does he have a short fuse - but I think he's quite a nice guy underneath it all."
"An Umbreon..." Rhianon mused. "Yes, I think I can see that. He sounds like he's doing very well for himself. I'm sorry, I really have to be going now."
"You sound like you know him," Water Angel noted.
Rhiannon smiled.
"Maybe. Thank you. You may not realise it, but you've made my day with what you've told me. And I thought I could no longer feel."
"Wait a minute...," Lucky began before anyone else could reply, but the ending of that sentence never came.
"What's going on?," I questioned. "I'd never seen you act so strangely."
"Umm... okay, if you want to know can you just come over here for a second, out of earshot? And please promise me you won't tell anyone else about what I'm about to tell you."
I thought for a moment. It would feel too rude to hear a secret in front of Water Angel and not tell her about it, but maybe he hadn't meant 'absolutely anyone'. I had to ask.
"Anyone out of this room?"
"Anyone at all," came the cutting reply.

I turned to look at Water Angel and she approved it. Resigned, I moved closer to Lucky and lowered my head to his level. What I heard was a huge revelation. I could understand why he didn't want me to tell others about it. Although the truth would have to come out eventually, it wasn't up to me. We conversed on the subject for a few seconds, and I gave him the best advice I could, assuring I'd be there to hear him any time he needed to talk. We then turned our attentions back to the rest of the group.
"Okay... uhh... Rhiannon, I don't suppose you know where there's a large pool around here, do you?," Lucky asked.
"This temple's a large place. Even I get lost sometimes," Rhiannon admitted. "In other words, no. I haven't seen enough to know of any pools."
"It's a pity. But don't worry. One of us is bound to find it," Water Angel assured.
It was a wonder how everyone was managing to act naturally after such an awkward moment. I'd have to keep up.
"I do stand a better chance of navigating, though," Rhiannon said. "I can help you for a while, if you like, but I'm afraid I can't stay for that long."
"How come?," asked Lucky.
"I've other things I have to do, I'm sorry."
"Maybe we can all meet again soon," I tried to compromise. "But first we need to get out of here, and I'm not planning to do that until I'm sure there are no more threats around."

Rhiannon seemed to concentrate for a moment. Then, she turned to us again.
"The enemy is not near here," she revealed. "It's safe for us to proceed for now."
"What exactly did you do?," I asked her.
"I've been given a few useful abilities in my time. I can't say how, or why, maybe when we meet again I can explain. For now just trust me. I can feel their presence, and right now that's far enough away to be of no threat to us."
"Alright, I trust you," I decided. "I've seen stranger things."
"What shall we do, then?," asked Water Angel.
"I suppose we just keep on exploring, right?," suggested Lucky.
Water Angel sighed.
"I knew this wouldn't last. Ok, I'm ready to go."
She gave me a resigned look before returning to her pokeball. We both knew it was the only way, but I wished she could move freely like I did. It took me that long to realize that, in some aspects, I was a lot luckier than she was. But then again, didn't we both specialize in making things right no matter what cards were dealt to us?