An Elsa Among Men
	The morning started off poorly. Losing sleep for irrelevant reasons was one of the few things that could set Elsa into a bitter mood. Waking up to people overreacting about a minor quake that barely knocked books off of shelves only exaggerated the problem. The psychic lifted herself out of bed to go about the days business, several minutes earlier than she had planned.  Quickly running through the options for the morning made short work of several ideas she had. Scouting was still off the table, setting more traps would not be as effective due to the foes they were facing, and there were still not interrogations that needed to be done. Routine patrols around town and wasting time speaking with her Pokemon seemed the only sensible thing to do.
	Setting a time and a place for everything made for simple planning and organization. In the army, everything was delegated to a certain time and place. Before she had been enlisted, her work took place, and any other activity was closely considered if it was to fit into her day. After the train crashed and sent the two groups on this path of endless surprises and disregard for reason, Elsa still held that fondness for patterns and routine. Simply having nothing to do was almost bothersome, it isn't that she didn't want to spend time with her two friends, it only meant that something wasn't happening that caused the break in pattern for her time to be open. The German floated out of the sleeping quarters, flanked by her two dogs. Attempting to find any more salvage in the pit of a town would most likely prove fruitless, but the psychic was already set into the idea that it would pass the time and prove adequate patrol around the town.
	As she was idly burning fallen leaves to mask any odors from shower-less weeks, the ground under her began to tremble. Mostly disregarding it, the woman simply floated off the ground, letting her feet drag against the ground to keep an idea of how large the tremor was.
	-Stronger, not by much, but stronger. An attack, but which of the two could interact with the ground to that degree. The steel and water knights should not have power where Terrakion is most apt to stand.-  She mentally projected the idle musing to the two Pokemon trying to gain their footing again. -No buildings have been affected, although collapsing them on top of us in the night would have been a smart idea. If Cobalion lives in a fortress of some sort, it may prove useful to attempt to undermine it in a similar way. Digging or heating supports before heading into his most fortified position. Good idea.- The tremor halted, the trees swayed lightly in the wind as the ground ceased it's attempt to shake them loose. Elsa shrugged and filed away the information deep inside her mind, repeating several patterns of attack on a hypothetical fortress before going about her patrol.
	She passed by Virizion's jail before briefly pausing, whistling for the two dogs to follow her inside. Before floating through the doorway, the woman made a cursory inspection of herself. The knight had shown more interest in aesthetics and appearances than his brother, and it would not hurt to go in prepared.
	As usual, the slender man in uniform cast a judging gaze her way before beginning his prepared lines, "Have you come running to me to see what has happened? Or did you just miss me?" He motioned around, "Your untimely help is out at the moment, Mew is with your comrade, and Shaymin isn't in either, so you have the pleasure of just me."
	-I was going to ask if these tremors were natural or not, but since you seem to already have some degree of knowledge besides theories on why they occur. I don't believe I need anything else now, thank you.- The psychic dips slightly as she floats, nodding her head to one side and turning to go.
	"You don't even know what causes it in the first place, why should you decide if it is natural or not? Events happen all the time based on reactions and actions of Pokemon you take for granted and abuse, yet you set the standards." The knight crossed arms, giving a dull stare.
	Elsa refrained from leaving and mentally tossed at the man, -If you are volunteering an explanation, then I will gladly stay to hear, but I doubt that you will give up the information that freely. Whenever you-
	Standing, the man brushed off his pants and interrupted, "I will not assist you, I will say that without assistance humans by themselves would not survive in their current state. You've disregarded all the help you gain with your Pokemon workforce, and don't acknowledge the natural world that you came from. That has come to haunt you."
	-I would disagree, humans would survive, in smaller numbers and lesser strength than before, but they would still survive without Pokemon. It would take many generations to try to move on, but we would never recover. The same could be said for Pokemon, they would live, but definitely not in the same state ever again.- The legendary knight huffed, turning and stretching his shoulders before shaking his head. Elsa regarded him for a moment before turning to leave. -You wish us gone, but disregard any positive things we can create for both humans and Pokemon.-
	Levitating along her usual path of the town proved to be as fruitful as a Tropius with a potassium deficiency. The stale routine brought about no useful salvage beyond a few flammable objects that could be used later for things. Steadily, the sun had risen to it's peak, and set above the town casting rays through the sparse clouds. As Elsa sat eating the midday meal she saw the other captive walking towards her with his Rhyhorn in tow. Terrakion had not shown any signs of changing out of that singular pair of clothes that he appeared in after their fight. She floated in the air a few feet until he noticed her, or at least gave an acknowledgement that she was there.
	"D'you not ever go out foraging for food or scouting?" The man gruffly asked as he looked around as if to check if someone was watching.
	-Terrakion, there was a minor agreement after the Captain and I stumbled onto your abode, those that are unable to move silently and efficiently weren't to leave the town unless it was necessary. I might be a levitating telepath, but I hold no large shares in controlling my own body. They are correct in assuming that I would not be the most stealthy party.- Elsa cocks her head to the side, giving a bemused look. -I did presume that you paid no mind to where I went.-
	 The ram-man snorted, "Well you too often run to tell me you're heading out, going someplace, or just trying to reign me back when the night comes in. It's hard to ignore you humans when you butt into everything. I'm perfectly content without you trying to check in on me."
	Elsa scrubbed at her pant leg with one hand, attempting to get some mud off before it dried, -You've usually been fairly up front about when a conversation should end, but I have to ask. If you are still not altogether happy with how frontal I've been, why did you drop by to speak? Was it simply to say that you wished to have some privacy?-
	Adjusting his own uniform in response to Elsa, Terrakion narrows his eyes and glances around once more, "Since you have shown to have some restraint in some areas, and you are not as disrespectful as some others, there is something I would mention to you. These earthquakes might become worse, and I'm worried  of a few families of Pokemon that still live in the cave system that this guy did." He pats the Rhyhorn affectionately, glaring down, "I'm not asking you to do anything, but if it gets to the point that the caves collapse..."
	The German leans back in midair, -The same cave system where we found you and where Groundon has taken up residence?-
	"There is a stone that can be rolled away and you can get further into the ground. Few rock types live down there. I ain't asking anything, just if it gets worse, there information is out there. In case you wanted to get them out or see that they're alright."
	She idly rubbed Anbruch's spikes, pondering, -I appreciate you telling me, the others are not actively searching for anymore Pokemon, and neither am I, but if things get worse I can check on the caves.-
	The Legendary backed up, ushering his rhyhorn back as well. He nodded once and headed somewhere else in the camp. After Elsa had finished the meal, and begun thinking on other matters, she turned to the Growlithe, -Don't act like you're not interested in what is there. Just because it's underground doesn't mean it has to be damp. It was quite warm last time we were there, although I'm not certain how far underground he meant to imply it would be.- The woman shrugged, floating the remaining equipment back into her rucksack and packing up to continue the day.
	Very few Pokemon showed any life in the regions outside of the town, and even most captured Pokemon were quiet as dusk approached. Elsa walked towards the Western side of town, surveying the trees and land around them, judging if any threats were possible and how quickly her Litsquad could be ready with their traps. -Flying types are nearly impossible to capture in stationary traps like these, it would be best for you to simply burn them and back off. Invisibility and incorporeality give you innumerable advantages to normal Pokemon.- The three litwicks rotating around her head like a series of possessed moons. Elsa was not as prepared as the ground lurched for the third time, and as she stumbled to the ground, her eyes were darting around. She nervously tried to see if anyone had seen or if anything was taking place in the immediate vicinity. The shudders lasted for nearly thrice as long for this occurrence, and the power was many times over the previous two quakes combined. -I will now accept that this could potentially be threatening, for those still bound by land.- She brushed her knees off and took to the air, floating towards where she assumed Terrakion was silently meditating, or sleeping.
	The man was standing, alert, when she found him. He was glaring to the North and only noticed that she had come up when she cleared her throat. -Some of the less spry trees broke in the forest, along with some of the supports for those houses cracking. I intended on at least checking on those caves. Did you want to come along, since you know the way?-
	Terrakion angrily straightened out his uniform jacket, turning around to face Elsa, "First, I have given my word that I would remain inside this town, and I won't go back on that just to satisfy a curiosity about what is still in the caves. Second, this Rhyhorn can show you the way, it  is more his concern than mine anyway." He tugged impatiently at the sleeves and Elsa looked over, noticing that they were beginning to show some wear.
	-I can simply release you from that singular part of the oath, if both parties were in agreement that it would be better for the event I see no point in holding to an oath that holds no weight except for your own pride.- She raised an eyebrow, waiting for his response.
	"Then you do not understand why I took the oath, I don't see why I bothered letting you know in the first place." Terrakion kicked a foot into a clump of dirt in impotent anger.
	-I suppose then I will go with the Rhyhorn, you previously mentioned that he knew the way into the other cave system where the Pokemon would be. Hopefully I should be back before the nightly raid.- She nodded at Terrakion, -I'll return and let you know how the prospecting went shortly.-
	The legendary Pokemon gave a shrug as she set out to the North with his rhyhorn tagalong. Elsa looked back once to see what his reaction was, but in the dusk light she wasn't able to make out even what direction he was looking. Elsa cautiously returned Anbruch and sent the three Litwicks back towards their positions in town, keeping Wyrda out to light the way. -It should be fine, the location is simply behind or under where Groudon is camping for the moment.- As the night approached, there was not a single sign of a wild Pokemon, no chirping pidgeys, not crackling kakunas as they shed their coccoons. Floating slightly slower through the underbrush proved only to agitate the rhyhorn who kept leaving her behind, so she maintained the same pace to get there at a reasonable time. To Elsa's slight surprise, it was completely dark by the time she had arrived at the cave entrance, but the rhyhorn showed no sign of slowing down.
	Heading inside, Elsa psychically called out, -Groudon, is anyone inhabiting the cave currently?- It did not receive a response, physical or mental, so the rhyhorn shuffled further inside towards a large boulder. As the psychic spectated the rock Pokemon, it braced against the stone and shoved it aside, not really caring about where it ended up, simply getting it out of the way of the large hole behind it. It quickly trotted inside the passageway as Elsa hurried behind, keeping Wyrda out for the only remaining source of light as they lost sight of any starlight.
	The passageway wound down and looped back once until it opened up into a large chamber. The cave itself was several hundred meters wide and gradually dropped off towards a pit in the middle of the room. The center contained what appeared to be a taproot that sunk deep into the Earth. Various plants, roots, and shades of clay or dirt stuck to the root as it coiled a small spiral into the void. Gazing around at the chamber, no Pokemon were immediately apparent besides the growlithe and rhyhorn, but a light from deep within the pit set Elsa's hair on end. -Wyrda, I will call you if needed, Rhyhorn, do not make a noise.- The nervous psychic returned the glowing dog and hunched over, holding onto her pack with one hand while she set her eyes on the pit.
	A deep rumbling growl set many  rocks tumbling down the incline towards the pit, although where Elsa and the Rhyhorn sat the hill was not as steep so no stones were in their immediate path. The growl of some creature reverberated off the dripping stones of the caves ceiling and settled within their bones. As the green glow slowly approached the pits edge, a hulking serpent curled it's way up the root. The black head gave way to a green and black crest on it's back, several green and white hexagons marking it's black body and giving off bioluminescence to light up the dark abyss. The lumbering snake began chewing on the roots and gave a mournful howl, but this howl was not simply an animal calling, as it intoned it's own psychic signature onto the howl the German and Rock Pokemon hiding shivered from the power.
	[From below the surface Zygarde will not yield, the death decay and destruction caused by man, from the root of the world Zygarde changes the field, while both sides bicker argue in turmoil I change the seas skies and lan', now the future is held in mine own hands to be healed, I urge the world to do what I must to do what I can.]
	As soon as the creature has finished with the rough, rumbling rhyme, the stones around the pair begin shaking as a fourth earthquake begins. -This is the cause?- Elsa ponders aloud, staring at it and jerking to a start as the rhyhorn bolts for the entrance. The loose stones have already begun to move under their feet though, as the rhyhorn charges, a boulder takes it in the side and knocks it towards the pit before it comes to a halt in the tremors midst. Elsa immediately looks around and begins levitating to avoid any rolling stones, starting to head over to the trapped rhyhorn.
	[Where does this human intrude from, when this even is already in motion, a coward destroying the world come, when you are dead a burial you will not receive by land sky or ocean.]
	Elsa whipped around as she was noticed by the creature just in time to not see the falling stone from the ceiling.
	Waking up, Elsa tried to float up out of the mound of hard objects she was laying on her side in. Immediately the pain in both her knee and the crown of her skull stopped that action. Judging by the darkness, the Zygarde had left and was no longer illuminating the area Falling back onto the stone she lit a fire in one hand and looked down at a boulder laying across her knee, keeping her pinned head downhill on her side. Secondly she gingerly touched up the back and side of her head as she realized the crackling and flaking was blood falling out of her hair as it moved. As far as she could tell she wasn't bleeding anymore, but there was no way to tell the time. Reaching for her bag, she jerked sideways as her hand only laid down on cold, wet stone. Increasing the flame in her other hand, she held it up and looked around spotting the rhyhorn, similarly trapped under stone, and her bag, nearly 50 feet down the slope.
	Cursing in German, Elsa began attempting to pull her leg out of the snare, discovering that the bounder had everything below her knee on one leg trapped she turned to attempting to lift the bolder with telepathy. The huge stone did not budge at all when she threw her whole weight against it and used her psychic powers at the same time. "This is not too bad, I can still move things and make it roll." She muttered. Attempting to move gravel and dirt out of the way only exaggerated the problem as the boulder began to roll towards her torso, and there was no guarentee that she would survive it rolling over her. Several more paragraphs of curses followed while she began thinking.
	Over an hour later, Elsa continued focusing fire on the stone, attempting to warp or melt it and transfer the molten stone somewhere else before it burned her or lit the remainder of her clothes on fire. The energy required soon left her gasping for breath and lying in the dried pool of blood and gravel.
	Without a way to tell what time she had woken up, the closest judgement of time she had was how hungry she was becoming, whish suggested she had slept most of the night after being knocked out and woke up in the early morning, craving eggs. "Eggs with toast and preserves, salted, peppered, anything, just eggs."
	After alternating from napping and simply thinking, Elsa began to talk through options with herself, vocalizing both to her bag which was out of her telekinetic reach, and to the Rhyhorn which was unable to free itself as well. "The Knights knew about the creature, at least in some way, if it was always in this cave remains to be seen. If Terrakion intentionally sent me here to meet it, it is not an effective assassination method. The creature didn't kill me, simply left me incapacitated and trapped, or maybe it simply acts as a neutral party like the trio or land, water, and sky. It did mention them several times."  She paused to clean her hands, burning a fire around them to burn away impurities, such as her blood. "If there was a plot to simply trap me here, would he have left his rhyhorn as well, instead of just telling me where to go? Virizion might have done this, Keldeo would have, but Terrakion would not. These tremors must affect the other areas just as much as our town. Thus the reason Terrakion asked me to come here. A neutral party who detracts from both sides, unlike one who gives a boon to both sides."
	It felt as if several more hours had passed, but as she counted the seconds and calculated when she might pass out from dehydration, there was a grinding from a very near distance. -Ivan, Karsten?- She tentatively called out. A burst of fresh air slapped her in the face, waking her up from the stupor, she attempted to look further back, but only managed in twisting her knee again. The psychic fell back and stared straight ahead, reciting facts to keep from screaming in pain. A loud grunt echoed through the cavern, a grunt that both intrigued and made her wary. The deeper voice than any of the humans in the town, the pitch that was closest to Terrakion, the Knight of Rock.
	Elsa lit another fire in her hand, looking carefully back as Terrakion haphazardly stepped over loose stones towards the Rhyhorn. -I suppose that it was odd when I did not come back and bother you within an hour, Sir Terrakion?- He flinches when he is addressed directly, but continues towards the Rhyhorn, picking up stones and tossing them further into the cave until the Pokemon is completely free. The rhyhorn quickly scuttles up the stones and out of the cave, eager to leave at the first chance, but Terrakion slowly picks his way towards the trapped woman.
	"How did you manage this?" His tone is incredulous, critical, and sad.
	-Apparently earthquakes are far more dangerous than I had thought.- She paused, -After I've starved, can you either take my bag and give it to the others so my Pokemon will survive, or tell them where I am?- The psychic looks over holding a flame in one hand and a stony faced expression.
	Terrakion stands, looking at the German woman for a solid minute, his expression never changing from a determined look. "Convince me to help you. I can get that rock off of you in a second."
	Elsa raises an eyebrow, -You know both sides of this argument already, I don't need to read your mind to see that. Any pleading on my part is baseless, it is what I chose to do after you provided the information. If I was going to beg, I would have started crying when you first came in. I probably wouldn't save me, if I were in your situation.- She does her best to shrug without putting out the sole light source.
	"Well I can't just leave you here, I was the one that told you to come here." He stares
	-You did only suggest it, I came on my own. Unless you know that serpent here would cause the Earthquakes and trap us, you have no major part in the blame. Of course, if you did know about the serpent, I will feel some resentment for that not being part of the heads up.-
	Terrakion steps forward and lifts the boulder off the leg of Elsa, she cries out for a split second in surprise and pain before regaining her composure. -Thank you. A second time you've given me my life back. I must say before I forget, there were no Pokemon here, not much activity in the forest either.-
	The man snorts in frustration, "I'm not doing it because I'm trying to save your life, I broke my oath coming here.. to find the Rhyhorn, you were simply here and I could not proclaim to stick to the oath that I already broke. You will lose to our force, not our deceit and Zygarde." He pauses, "It is a herald of sorts for the Pokemon of this conflict, like Celebi is for you. He simply acts in a more overt way."
	Elsa hobbles and limps before levitating up and over towards her bag, picking it up. After releasing her Pokemon and giving them a small amount of food and explaining what happened she turns back to Terrakion, -If the families of Pokemon had been here they would have been crushed unless they were as tough as your Rhyhorn."
	He nods, "He lives on the heart of the Earth itself, his stake is his own survival."
	-So I suppose we should reaffirm that oath if you want, I hold no hesitance trusting you.-
	"You should! Are you an idiot!? I was going to just leave you, you're just one of the humans trying to ruin this Earth, and more specifically one of the humans fighting us here!"
	-I will take that as an affirmative, you do want to take a similar oath.-
	"Listen to yourself!" Terrakion yelled, then laughed exasperated, "Fine, fool."
	-Good thing that I can float and don't have to walk on this knee though. Don't know what I'd do if I had been taken completely out of commission.-
	"Stop tempting me, just get on the rhyhorn and if it hurts too bad we'll wait. I won't have them thinking I chased you out here then shattered your fragile legs and forced you on your own back. One word of any of this to anyone, and I won't help you next time! I am the tough one!"
	-Of course, I won't betray your trust. Thank you.-