The purple glow of the Master Ball reflected dully off Articuno's abyss-black eye and three beautiful, silver crests. The ultimate capture device struck Articuno just below the neck and in a second the beautiful avian was converted to a bright crimson laser light. The ball snapped shut and returned to my hand. Articuno, the frigid lord of the Seafoam Islands, was my team's new warrior. "YES!" I shouted. "Hot damn!" It was time to close up shop in this forsaken cavern. I brought my Gengar's Great Ball back out and commanded, "Matariel, return!"

Matariel cast me a cold, sinister glare but quickly succumbed to the Great Ball. I put it away and threw the Master Ball back to the ice. "Articuno, we need you now!" I exclaimed. "Get us out of here!"

"Hurry, man! The floor will be gone any second!" Tech shouted at me. Articuno rematerialized in front of us, looking shaken but otherwise fine. I still can't believe how incredibly tough it was. I walked over slowly and stroked the soft and surprisingly cold feathers behind the bird's crests. Slowly, cautiously, I climbed on its back, placing my legs beneath its wings. If all the research about Pidgeot flight was accurate, Articuno should have no problem flying us out of here.

A strange orange light reflected off Articuno's slick feathers. I looked up at the ceiling of the cavern and saw that the collapse of most of the room had created a large opening to the outside. The orange and red rays of the sunset were streaming into the cave. Rummaging around in my backpack, I found an Escape Rope and tied it from my waist to Tech's. He seemed completely unsure of the whole plan, but this was the final option. The floor only had about another minute of stability. I felt a stabbing pain in my chest when I remembered Hunter, but knew there was nothing we could do. It was time to go.