Client: Elekid
Mission:
"Worst. Vacation. Ever. It is so boring! Can I get someone to come explore with me? I could use some excitement!"
Dungeon: Swirling Sea
Floors: Client wants to go to Floor 31!
Rewards: Thunder Stone + 1000PD + ???
Zori & Luna
Mission:
"Worst. Vacation. Ever. It is so boring! Can I get someone to come explore with me? I could use some excitement!"
Dungeon: Swirling Sea
Floors: Client wants to go to Floor 31!
Rewards: Thunder Stone + 1000PD + ???
Zori & Luna
The Bulletin Board
Zori and Luna glanced at each other. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Lu? I mean, you ARE a Ground-type. You're weak to water..." Zori's voice was full of concern and sympathy with her partner. She really wanted this mission, but she refused to risk her partners in the process.
Luna tapped her bone club on the top of the Eevee's head. "Don't you dare switch missions to compensate for my type. If we can't complete a mission because of me, what is my purpose in being here?" The Cubone snapped sharply, sounding slightly insulted.
Zori nodded. She made sense. A rescue team should be able to take on any challenge, even if it was against their type or nature. "You're right. Let's do this thing."
The Seashore
Zori trotted back up to Luna, carrying a pair of strange-looking beads in her mouth. She dropped one in Luna's hands, and swallowed the other. Luna followed suit without comment, and the both of them raced for the water, leaping headfirst into the surf. They hovered underwater for a few minutes, waiting.
After a while, bubbles tore through the clear, mystical water as an Elekid jumped in. The two teammates nodded to each other. "Are you the Elekid we're to be escorting?" Zori asked quietly. Her voice was whispery and mystical. Another side effect of the beads, other than breathing underwater.
The Elekid nodded eagerly. "Take me to the thirty-first floor, right now!" Zori's ears twitch at the Electric-type's loud voice.
"As you wish, then." Luna replied with a little bit more patience than her partner had. Zori was seriously annoyed already.
The trio swam off toward the ocean floor.
Floors 1 - 5
Zori growled in a bad-tempered manner as the Elekid chattered on and on about his life back home. It wasn't pleasant talk, either. It was complaining. The Eevee flattened her ears in irritation.
"Servants are too slow! When I say I want ice cream, there should already be a great big bowl of the junk right in front of me! Not all this 'wait five minutes while I get it ready' crap! I mean, really! Why have servants if they can't do their jobs properly?"
Zori swam steadily along behind the Electric-type, groaning as she pinned her ears to her head with her paws. Luna was clearly not impressed by the Elekid's behavior, either, but she as far more laid back about the spoiled brat's attitude than Zori was. The Cubone was more nervous about the water, if anything. The half-blind Ground-type looked around anxiously with her good eye, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of trouble. Her body was tense, as if she was expecting an attack at any given moment.
Zori brushed up against the Cubone's side to try and soothe her, but the Ground-type twitched in alarm, glaring at the Eevee for frightening her. Zori mouthed a quick 'sorry' and swam a little farther away. They swam on in silence for a few minutes, excepting the Elekid's never-ending chatter and complaints. He had a mouth larger than an Exploud's. Good grief!
A distant, deep song-like cry distracted Luna. The Cubone paused, bringing the other two members of the group to a halt along with her. "What is it, Lu?"
"Why the hell did you stop?! I order you to take me deeper down, right now!" The Elekid screamed childishly.
Zori flattened her ears, growling at the Elekid's irritating nature. Boy, she couldn't stand not being able to sink her claws into his throat... Why did everyone insist on ticking her off today?
"I just thought... I thought I heard something."
Zori nodded slightly, her eyes flickering around to try and catch a glimpse of whatever her teammate had heard. Being partially blind, the Cubone had better hearing than most; including Zori, sometimes. Behind them, the Elekid was still impatiently screaming about wanting to go to the thirty-first floor.
Suddenly, a sharp yelp from behind her made Zori whirl around to face the Elekid. A school of Finneon swarmed around the Electric-type. He shocked them with a Thunderbolt, not thinking about the consequences. Zori doubled-over in pain, screaming into the water. Over half of the Finneon darted away, realizing that they were no match for an Electric-type. Luna, being a Ground-type didn't feel a thing. She darted over, swinging her club around wildly, and smirked as she felt it make contact with a few of the Finneon.
A moment later, they were swarming at her, using various Water-type attacks. She shrieked in pain, swinging a powerful Bone Club down on one of their heads. The fish-like Pokemon drifted unconscious toward the surface.
Zori, having recovered from the Thunderbolt, darted into the fray, using Bite. Her jaws clamped around a fin, and she shook her head viciously. The Finneon raced away, squealing in pain. Blood trailed along in the water behind it.
Some sort of black, smoke-like substance clouded over everything, bringing the battle to a sharp halt. A Smokescreen? Where did that come fr- WHAM. A Seadra collided with Zori's side using a powerful Giga Impact. Zori flailed uselessly in the water, only half-conscious. The Seadra took a moment to recover from the powerful attack it had launched, and Luna decided to take advantage of it. The Cubone swung her club like a boomerang. Bonemerang. That was a new one! It smacked the Seadra sharply in the side of the head, blood squirting into the water. The bone came flying back, and Luna caught it in her free hand, swinging it around to smack a final Finneon into oblivion.
The Seadra sent out a Hydro Pump at the Cubone, who braced for impact. The hit sent her spinning through the surf, The Seadra was about to launch a Bubblebeam when Zori re-appeared just behind the Water-type, driving her sharp little fangs into it's neck. The Seadra howled in pain, threw the Eevee off of itself, and disappeared into the deep.
The Elekid peeked out from behind Luna, who was swimming slowly back to Zori's side. Zori shook her head vigorously, before swimming over to meet the other two halfway. The three glanced at each other. "We'll have to be on our guard from now on." Luna noted quietly.
Zori nodded. "They travel in groups; we'll have to remember that. I didn't think that they shared a bond like that, but I guess they'd think the same if they saw the Guild." The Elekid stayed quiet for once, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Zori was breathing heavily; she'd taken a hard beating. But it was Luna whom she was concerned about. The Ground-type had taken a direct hit from a Hydro Pump. She looked about ready to pass out cold. The Eevee wrapped her tail around the Cubone, guiding her carefully through the water.
There was a coral reef on the ocean floor below. The Pokemon in the area had scattered, so it seemed like a safe enough spot to rest. The brightly-coloured coral was beautiful, but it wasn't the main focus of their mission. Zori settled Luna in amongst the coral, taking a Big Apple out of the team's supplies. She carefully held it up for Luna, and the Cubone took slow, pain-staking bites of the apple. Zori felt relieve when she could sere some of her friend's strength return. She pulled out an apple for herself, and she settled down to eat next to Luna.
The Elekid wandered, curious about everything, and feeling that his escorts were too boring for his taste.
Zori finished off her apple, wiggling her tail with joy at feeling her strength return. Her side hurt quite a bit, but that was okay. It wasn't terribly serious. Probably just a really bad bruise.
Luna got up, putting away her club, and adjusting her helmet. "You ready, Lu?" The Eevee asked her, her silver and charcoal fur glimmering in the strange light that shone down from the water's surface.
The Cubone looked around. "We might need our client first, Zori."
Zori swore. Couldn't the Elekid stay out of trouble for five minutes?!
Both Pokemon swam off through the coral, searching for the missing Elekid. A flash of movement attracted their attention. "Elekid?" Luna called out hopefully. No. It was a Mantyke. The peaceful Pokemon glided past without a second thought. Zori shook her head, seeing her partner reach for her club. "Leave it be, Lu. Mantykes aren't aggressive."
The Cubone nodded in understanding, removing her hand from her bone club, and following Zori through the maze of colourful corals. A wave of Electricity jolted the water around them, making hissing noises as the intense heat traveled through the cool water. Zori growled, and Luna readied her club. The pair shot through the water, heading for the source of the electric jolt. Another shock rippled through the water, and they picked up the pace. Luna ended up slamming headfirst into the Elekid, and Zori...
The Octillery hisses, wrapping a tentacle around the little Eevee's body. She squirmed, Biting into the Pokemon's tentacle with her sharp fangs.
Luna recovered from her mistake with ease, swinging a Bone Club into the Octillery's side. Tentacles Wrapped around Zori, squeezing the Normal-type tightly. Luna used Skull Bash, driving her bone-covered head straight into the Pokemon's soft body. The Octillery released the Eevee with a hiss, and slipped away into the coral.
Zori gasped for breath, glad to be free, but feeling a little lightheaded. Luna patted Zori's back comfortingly, waiting patiently as the Pokemon caught her breath. Then, the Ground-type led the trio down deeper into the sea, sinking slowly down to the next coral bed.
Floors 6 - 10
It was almost painful, listening to the Elekid's pointless chatter for so long. Zori's ears were ringing, and her sides still ached from battling the Seadra and Octillery. One would've thought that the Electric-type would learn to shut up after the first three times they were attacked. But no; they had to pick the idiot client.
She glanced over at her partner, her ears flicking warily. "It seems a little quiet here. Like a ghost town." She murmured softly to the Cubone.
Luna nodded, looking puzzled. "It does. One would think that somewhere as pretty as this would be teeming with life." The Ground-type sounded uneasy, like she'd much rather get away from this place than to keep going. Somewhere inside her mind, Zori had to agree with her reasoning. Unfortunately, the Elekid had no such sense.
"This place is boring! I demand you show me something more interesting!" He screeched.
Zori growled, fluffing up her water-logged fur. "I'll show you boring, you br-"
Luna covered Zori's mouth with one hand, holding the temperamental Eevee away from their client. "Yes sir." The Cubone answered, her voice twinging with irritation. She released Zori, and the Eevee swam in a circle, thoroughly annoyed.
The slow, deep singing returned, and this time, all three Pokemon heard it. Zori pricked her ears, forgetting about the Elekid. "Whoa... What IS that?" She asked softly, awed by the beauty of the strange creature's voice. It was a Pokemon, right? What else could have made a noise like that?
Luna shook her head helplessly. "It's the voice I heard earlier... I don't know what it is, but it seems to be getting louder the closer that we get to the bottom." The Cubone noted cautiously. She didn't want the Elekid to hear that. Of course, he did. Just their luck.
The Elekid swung his arm around, pointing a finger directly at the Sun Guilders. Zori flattened her ears, and Luna seemed uncomfortable. "I demand that you take me to the bottom, and show me what made that noise!" He snapped arrogantly.
Zori groaned. "Fine. But you'll follow our orders on the way down there. If we tell you to stand down, or get the heck out of here, you do it. Got that?" The Eevee noted sharply, lashing her tail. "We're a rescue team, not slaves. We have no intention of following your every order. It's our job to let you explore, and keep you safe, not be dragged around like rag-dolls." Her voice had an icy edge to it; she was clearly tired of being ordered around by the younger Elekid.
"FINE." The Elekid snapped back.
Zori sighed softly. Why did all of their clients have to be so bad-tempered and irritating? Luna tugged on her tail, pulling her through the water as she swam.
The little Eevee curled her body to look at the Cubone, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "So which path do you suggest that we take?" Her tone was still a little cold, but she'd calmed down.
"If we take that route, through the corals, we could end up trapped if anything comes our way. I think that we should take to the open-water, but stay near the coral, just in case we need somewhere to hide."
The Elekid crossed his arms impatiently, but said nothing, as was agreed to.
Zori nodded sharply. "That sounds like a decent plan to me." She agreed, sliding her tail out of Luna's grasp. She led the way through the water, swishing her tail from side to side like a fish. Luna followed closely behind, the Elekid at her side. Zori didn't seem to mind. Luna would absorb all of the electrical charge that the Elekid released, but it wouldn't hurt her one bit. Zori, on the other hand, was soaked to the bone, and didn't have resistance to electricity. That, and she liked not having her ears chattered off. ....Unless it was Legacy.
The Eevee shook her charcoal head, the silver swirls on her fur glistening. There was no room for daydreaming in the middle of a mission.
A soft crooning noise alerted their attention. Zori spun around, as did her companions. Large shadows were cast across the coral beds. They were almost circular in shape. Some thing nudged the back of Zori's head, and she jumped slightly. The Eevee turned again, coming face to face with a playful little Wailmer. The rest of it's group floated serenely around. Zori giggled, rubbing the Wailmer's nose. It crooned again, and floated happily off to it's mother, rejoining the larger Wailmer and their group. "Wailmer are so cute~" Zori noted, doing a playful back-flip. Water was so nice to move around in.
Luna nodded, and the Elekid was staring at them with wide eyes. "They're huge!" He cried out in shock. He'd always thought that they'd be smaller than that. Never had he considered that they'd be bigger than an Electivire, the final evolution of his own species. A Wailmer playfully bumped into him, and the Elekid hesitantly stroked the Water-type's smooth, rubbery skin, being careful not to shock it.
The Wailmer clustered around the group, blowing curious bubbles and looking happy in general. "This explains why none of the smaller Pokemon live here, Zori. Nothing can compete with a Wailer when it comes to needing underwater food sources." Except their evolutions, of course. But Wailord were HUGE. There was no way that they could live in these shallow seas anyway.
The Wailmer began to scatter, heading for deeper water as fast as their large, blubbery bodies could carry them. Zori watched them leave, confused. "Where are they going?" She asked, her tone filled with unease. Luna shrugged in response, and the Elekid just looked around, trying to find the source of the Wailer's fear.
An earth-shattering roar alerted everyone's attention at once. Zori turned flattening her ears with wide eyes. "HIDE!" She screamed, diving down toward the coral. Luna grabbed the Elekid by the wrist, diving after the Eevee. They crammed into a crack in the coral bed, squished tightly together. A massive set of jaws rammed into the coral, trying to reach them. Sharp fangs the side of Zori's entire body came unnervingly close to taking off Luna's head, and the Ground-type squished further down into the crack.
Zori scratched dirt off the sea floor, using Sand Attack to fling a massive cloud of sand into the Gyarados' face. It roared in anger, shaking it's head to clear the sand from it's eyes. Zori grabbed onto Luna's arm, pulling the Cubone closer and reaching into the bag she had slung around her shoulder. She pulled out a smooth, shiny disk, and smashed it against her chest. It seemed to melt into her body, instead of shattering. Sand and bits of coral rained down on their heads, and Zori reared back, firing off a powerful Dark Pulse into the Gyarados' face.
Luna cheered, squeezing out of the gap while she still could. She swung her bone club around, hitting the Gyarados in the side of the face with a Bone Club. It turned.
Zori hit it with another Dark Pulse. It turned back her way.
Luna swam around behind it, charging into the back of it's head with a Skull Bash.
Again and again they attacked, twirling and diving all around the massive Water-Flying type, it's dragon-like body twisting and weaving to try and keep up with the smaller, faster beings. It plunged an Ice Fang into the ground, getting it's fangs stuck in the coral beds. It roared, twisting to try and get free. Zori and Luna circled around, taking the advantage. Zori fired off a final Dark Pulse, and Luna used Bonemerang, both powerful attacks hitting it straight between the eyes. A sudden Thunderbolt charged through the open water, hitting only seconds after Zori and Luna's attacks. The Gyarados let out a final roar as it broke free of the coral, and sank down to the ground, out cold.
Zori and Luna gasped for breath, the former hurriedly grabbing the Elekid's arm, and leading the way out of there. They swam deeper, trying to get down and away from the Gyarados before it woke up. No one wanted to be near that thing when it woke up. Especially since it would most likely have a killed headache when it did.
Floors 11-15
The Elekid had been blissfully quiet since the attack of the Gyarados. The coral beds beneath had faded to open sand, and the trip had been clinging rather stubbornly to the ground as they swam along. It had been Luna's plan that they would be less likely to be noticed if they stayed close to the ground, and no one had been able to go against her logic. The open ocean was dangerous. They'd have to be increasingly careful. After all, if Gyarados hunted in the coral, no one wanted to know what might be lurking out here.
The school of Wailmer floated mildly far above, looking at peace in the cool waters. Zori found herself watching them with increasing interest. The way they moved, the sounds they made. If they reacted to something, she'd turn around and look. They were like a warning system.
A small school of rather ugly-looking fish passed by, one of them smacking Elekid in the face with it's ragged tail. The Electric-type shocked it instinctively. The school turned on them, enraged by the injury done. Zori used Headbutt, smashing her furry little skull into one of their sides. They didn't make noise, other than vague thrashing or bubbling noises.
Luna swung around her club a few times, clearing the area around her of Feebas.
The ugly fish darted at Zori, who was quickly growing tired of their presence. She fired off a Dark Pulse again, watching the shadowy waves of energy ram into the Feebas school. They floated down to the sandy bottom, beaten.
Luna grabbed Zori by the scruff, still holding onto the Elekid's wrist. "Let's move." She decided sharply, not leaving room for argument as she half-dragged the two over the sands.
Eventually, the Cubone released them, and they swam freely at her sides, not bothering to question her logic. The Cubone must've heard something coming with her enhanced hearing, and gotten them away from there. No one could argue with the hearing of a blind woman. It just wasn't wise.
The Cubone watched the Elekid carefully with her good eye, her blind one turned toward Zori. The Eevee recognized this as a tactic to protect their client. Zori could be trusted to hold her own in a fight, and keep herself out of trouble, but the much younger Elekid needed a bit of babysitting.
They paused on a ridge, settling down to eat. Luna fulled out some apples, and she and Zori chowed down. The Elekid rested on it's back in the sand nearby, being careful to keep within eyesight of the two stronger Pokemon. It didn't want to repeat the mistake it had made previously. Neither did Luna, apparently, who still had her eye trained on the form of the young Elekid.
"We should probably find out the safest path to go down from here. I think the terrain changes. Not only that, but the water's darker already. Soon we won't have much light from the surface. We could end up swimming blind." Zori flicked her ears, not sounding terribly pleased with the idea. To be stuck blindly at the bottom of the sea in pitch darkness did not sound fun, especially since the little bubble-like beads they'd swallowed could only provide them with water-breathing abilities for so long.
"The Elekid probably has some way of making light. He's an Electric-type, and he's the one who dragged us down here. He wouldn't come without bringing a source of light, would he?"
Zori sighed softly. "I suppose you're right, Luna."
After a while of lying in the soft sand, Zori flicked her ears. "We should probably get moving again." She murmured lazily.
Luna groaned in response. "But I don't want to go." The Cubone muttered drowsily. She was fine right here, curling up in the sand.
Zori sighed and pulled the tired Cubone to her feet. "Come on, Luna. ...Elekid, get up." She added, turning to glance at the Electric-type. He got to his feet slowly and obediently.
Zori gestured toward the deep. "Right guys. Our path leads that way." The charcoal and silver Eevee noted, her dark fur blending a little bit with the shadowy water. The silver swirls, however, did not, gleaming slightly. The sapphire pendant strung around her neck glowed faintly in the darker water as well, making her wonder if it would get brighter the deeper that they got to the bottom. Hopefully it would. Any light was good light, right?
Luna seemed unsure for a moment, but nodded firmly.
Elekid just looked excited. "So we're finally heading down into the dark water, right?!" He asked eagerly.
Luna and Zori looked at each other and nodded again. "Yes. Let's get moving." The trio headed down for the deeper water, with Zori in the lead, followed by Luna and the Elekid swimming side-by-side. The Eevee's pendant glowed faintly in the shadows. It was like a little lantern strung around Zori's neck, giving off an eerie blue light. It reflected off of Zori's silver-swirled fur and golden eyes, making her seem to glow as well. It was odd, but very pretty. And Luna now understood why Zori kept her pendant under her pillow at night.
The trip stayed rather quiet as they descended deeper into the sea, the darkness growing strong until it engulfed all but them, cast in the soft, sapphire light of Zori's pendant, and the golden glow of Elekid's electrically-charged body.
Zori could hear more than see, despite the glowing pendant around her neck. Faintly glowing lights bobbed up ahead, moving around like Volbeat and Illumise in the night skies. It sparked her curiosity, and clearly, she wasn't alone in her thoughts.
"They're so pretty~" Luna murmured in awe.
Zori nodded, following the Elekid, who had swam up ahead of her to go and investigate further. She couldn't help but wonder what they were. Volbeat and Illumise didn't venture down here, and she was pretty sure that they were the only rescue team down this deep into the water.
As they drew nearer, so did the lights. Whatever they were seemed to move closer, as though curious about the blue glow that Zori's necklace gave off. Maybe having a light was a bad idea...
One light in particular came closer. And suddenly, they could make out the figure behind the light. A Chinchou. That explained a lot. Seeing the trio and recognizing them as something other than it's species, however, the Chinchou became angry. Sparks shot off it's little glowing body.
Zori backed away slightly, ad Luna did the same, pulling the Elekid in behind her. Zori growled, baring her teeth as she floated there in the dark water. The Chinchou shot off a Thundershock, and Zori retaliated, breaking through the weak Electric attack with her Dark Pulse. It hit the Chinchou and sent it spinning backward. It twirled around and came back, firing various Electric-type attacks in every direction. Luna stepped in, brandishing her bone club. She struck the Chinchou in the skull with it, and sent it scurrying out across the sands, terrified, and probably with a serious headache.
The group made their way deeper into the water, moving as quietly and quickly as they could. They moved farther away until the light of the Chinchou couldn't be seen anymore.
Zori glanced over at Luna and the Elekid. "Let's avoid random glowing lights from now on..." She advised, the guilt of having technically started that fight showing in her expression.
Luna nodded in agreement. "It probably mistook you for another Chinchou or something, because of the way that pendant glows." The Cubone noted.
Zori felt further guilt spread across her body, her ears drooping sideways. "Yeah. I know."
Luna took the lead, gripping her bone club tightly as she took off into the darkness. The Elekid followed.
Zori hesitated for a moment, before she, too, plunged into the shadows, leaving any ounce of the surface's sunlight behind. The only light came from the pendant around her neck.
Floors 16 - 20
Zori had been forced to take the lead, the pendant around her neck lighting the way for her teammates. The water only got darker the deeper that they dove. It felt claustrophobic. Maybe it was the pressure of the water around them that made it feel that way. In any case, their trio clung pretty close together; Luna and the Elekid didn't want to be out of the range of the light.
Zori swam on slightly ahead of the others, leading the way.
"I wonder what sort of stuff you could find down here?" The Elekid asked curiously.
"Not a lot, I'm guessing. Maybe some carnivorous Water-types, more Chinchou, and some deep-water coral." Luna replied quietly, clutching her bone club tight to her chest as she swam just behind the Electric-type.
Zori shuddered slightly. Hungry carnivores were not her idea of a nice little stroll on the ocean floor. If anything,the fact that they could barely see a few feet in front of them only made that thought worse.
A flurry of movement in the shadows attracted Luna's attention, and she paused. Zori and the Elekid stopped, too, sticking close to the Cubone. The Elekid's body crackled with electricity. "What is it, Luna?" The Eevee asked her friend quietly.
"I saw something move." The Cubone pointed with her bone club. "Right about there."
Zori followed Luna's gaze.
Suddenly, the entire group flinched, leaping back as a rather large Sharpedo came tearing out of the deep, it's enormous fangs sinking into Luna's bone club and breaking it into two. Zori yelped, and dodged sideways, pulling the Elekid with her. She snarled fiercely, showing off her fangs, tiny in comparison to the Sharpedo's. Her dark tail lashed with anger.
Luna pulled out another club, having come prepared, and smashed it into the side of the Sharpedo's head. It barely did anything to the powerful Water-type. It turned on her, looking extremely angry.
Zori leaped toward it, blasting of a Dark Pulse. It hit the Sharpedo, and instead turned on her, seeming more irritated than injured. It was part Dark-type, and a Dark Pulse was not going to help their situation by much at all.
Zori backed away, twitching slightly. Sharpedos had very rough skin. If she tried to attack it with any of her other moves, she'd have to touch it, and that would NOT be good. Not at all. She growled as threateningly as she could manage, and it charged at her. She dived sideways again, rolling into the sand. The Elekid followed the suit, crouching in behind Zori. He was trembling with fear.
The Sharpedo gave a sharp howl of pain, thrashing in the water. Zori cringed, flattening herself against the cold sand. The Elekid mimicked her, and both narrowly avoided getting smacked in the face by the flailing Sharpedo. Another crash, and the Sharpedo swam off to find less irritating prey, blood trailing from it's gills.
A rather dazed-looking Cubone wobbled over, straightening her bone helmet. Her intact bone club was strapped to her side, as were the two broken pieces of the first one. It was apparent that she'd used Skull Bash, using the helmet to protect herself from the Sharpedo's rough skin.
Zori swam over, placing an anxious paw on the Cubone's shoulder. Luna slurred out something that sounded vaguely like 'I'm good' before she passed out cold. Zori held the unconscious Pokemon in her arms, looking rather uncertain as to what they were supposed to do from this point on. Even her client seemed rather confused as to what to do.
Neither of them were good enough swimmers to carry Luna back to the surface, but they couldn't just wait here... The awkward silence lasted for a few moments, when a voice called out from the waters.
Zori and Luna glanced at each other. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Lu? I mean, you ARE a Ground-type. You're weak to water..." Zori's voice was full of concern and sympathy with her partner. She really wanted this mission, but she refused to risk her partners in the process.
Luna tapped her bone club on the top of the Eevee's head. "Don't you dare switch missions to compensate for my type. If we can't complete a mission because of me, what is my purpose in being here?" The Cubone snapped sharply, sounding slightly insulted.
Zori nodded. She made sense. A rescue team should be able to take on any challenge, even if it was against their type or nature. "You're right. Let's do this thing."
The Seashore
Zori trotted back up to Luna, carrying a pair of strange-looking beads in her mouth. She dropped one in Luna's hands, and swallowed the other. Luna followed suit without comment, and the both of them raced for the water, leaping headfirst into the surf. They hovered underwater for a few minutes, waiting.
After a while, bubbles tore through the clear, mystical water as an Elekid jumped in. The two teammates nodded to each other. "Are you the Elekid we're to be escorting?" Zori asked quietly. Her voice was whispery and mystical. Another side effect of the beads, other than breathing underwater.
The Elekid nodded eagerly. "Take me to the thirty-first floor, right now!" Zori's ears twitch at the Electric-type's loud voice.
"As you wish, then." Luna replied with a little bit more patience than her partner had. Zori was seriously annoyed already.
The trio swam off toward the ocean floor.
Floors 1 - 5
Zori growled in a bad-tempered manner as the Elekid chattered on and on about his life back home. It wasn't pleasant talk, either. It was complaining. The Eevee flattened her ears in irritation.
"Servants are too slow! When I say I want ice cream, there should already be a great big bowl of the junk right in front of me! Not all this 'wait five minutes while I get it ready' crap! I mean, really! Why have servants if they can't do their jobs properly?"
Zori swam steadily along behind the Electric-type, groaning as she pinned her ears to her head with her paws. Luna was clearly not impressed by the Elekid's behavior, either, but she as far more laid back about the spoiled brat's attitude than Zori was. The Cubone was more nervous about the water, if anything. The half-blind Ground-type looked around anxiously with her good eye, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of trouble. Her body was tense, as if she was expecting an attack at any given moment.
Zori brushed up against the Cubone's side to try and soothe her, but the Ground-type twitched in alarm, glaring at the Eevee for frightening her. Zori mouthed a quick 'sorry' and swam a little farther away. They swam on in silence for a few minutes, excepting the Elekid's never-ending chatter and complaints. He had a mouth larger than an Exploud's. Good grief!
A distant, deep song-like cry distracted Luna. The Cubone paused, bringing the other two members of the group to a halt along with her. "What is it, Lu?"
"Why the hell did you stop?! I order you to take me deeper down, right now!" The Elekid screamed childishly.
Zori flattened her ears, growling at the Elekid's irritating nature. Boy, she couldn't stand not being able to sink her claws into his throat... Why did everyone insist on ticking her off today?
"I just thought... I thought I heard something."
Zori nodded slightly, her eyes flickering around to try and catch a glimpse of whatever her teammate had heard. Being partially blind, the Cubone had better hearing than most; including Zori, sometimes. Behind them, the Elekid was still impatiently screaming about wanting to go to the thirty-first floor.
Suddenly, a sharp yelp from behind her made Zori whirl around to face the Elekid. A school of Finneon swarmed around the Electric-type. He shocked them with a Thunderbolt, not thinking about the consequences. Zori doubled-over in pain, screaming into the water. Over half of the Finneon darted away, realizing that they were no match for an Electric-type. Luna, being a Ground-type didn't feel a thing. She darted over, swinging her club around wildly, and smirked as she felt it make contact with a few of the Finneon.
A moment later, they were swarming at her, using various Water-type attacks. She shrieked in pain, swinging a powerful Bone Club down on one of their heads. The fish-like Pokemon drifted unconscious toward the surface.
Zori, having recovered from the Thunderbolt, darted into the fray, using Bite. Her jaws clamped around a fin, and she shook her head viciously. The Finneon raced away, squealing in pain. Blood trailed along in the water behind it.
Some sort of black, smoke-like substance clouded over everything, bringing the battle to a sharp halt. A Smokescreen? Where did that come fr- WHAM. A Seadra collided with Zori's side using a powerful Giga Impact. Zori flailed uselessly in the water, only half-conscious. The Seadra took a moment to recover from the powerful attack it had launched, and Luna decided to take advantage of it. The Cubone swung her club like a boomerang. Bonemerang. That was a new one! It smacked the Seadra sharply in the side of the head, blood squirting into the water. The bone came flying back, and Luna caught it in her free hand, swinging it around to smack a final Finneon into oblivion.
The Seadra sent out a Hydro Pump at the Cubone, who braced for impact. The hit sent her spinning through the surf, The Seadra was about to launch a Bubblebeam when Zori re-appeared just behind the Water-type, driving her sharp little fangs into it's neck. The Seadra howled in pain, threw the Eevee off of itself, and disappeared into the deep.
The Elekid peeked out from behind Luna, who was swimming slowly back to Zori's side. Zori shook her head vigorously, before swimming over to meet the other two halfway. The three glanced at each other. "We'll have to be on our guard from now on." Luna noted quietly.
Zori nodded. "They travel in groups; we'll have to remember that. I didn't think that they shared a bond like that, but I guess they'd think the same if they saw the Guild." The Elekid stayed quiet for once, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Zori was breathing heavily; she'd taken a hard beating. But it was Luna whom she was concerned about. The Ground-type had taken a direct hit from a Hydro Pump. She looked about ready to pass out cold. The Eevee wrapped her tail around the Cubone, guiding her carefully through the water.
There was a coral reef on the ocean floor below. The Pokemon in the area had scattered, so it seemed like a safe enough spot to rest. The brightly-coloured coral was beautiful, but it wasn't the main focus of their mission. Zori settled Luna in amongst the coral, taking a Big Apple out of the team's supplies. She carefully held it up for Luna, and the Cubone took slow, pain-staking bites of the apple. Zori felt relieve when she could sere some of her friend's strength return. She pulled out an apple for herself, and she settled down to eat next to Luna.
The Elekid wandered, curious about everything, and feeling that his escorts were too boring for his taste.
Zori finished off her apple, wiggling her tail with joy at feeling her strength return. Her side hurt quite a bit, but that was okay. It wasn't terribly serious. Probably just a really bad bruise.
Luna got up, putting away her club, and adjusting her helmet. "You ready, Lu?" The Eevee asked her, her silver and charcoal fur glimmering in the strange light that shone down from the water's surface.
The Cubone looked around. "We might need our client first, Zori."
Zori swore. Couldn't the Elekid stay out of trouble for five minutes?!
Both Pokemon swam off through the coral, searching for the missing Elekid. A flash of movement attracted their attention. "Elekid?" Luna called out hopefully. No. It was a Mantyke. The peaceful Pokemon glided past without a second thought. Zori shook her head, seeing her partner reach for her club. "Leave it be, Lu. Mantykes aren't aggressive."
The Cubone nodded in understanding, removing her hand from her bone club, and following Zori through the maze of colourful corals. A wave of Electricity jolted the water around them, making hissing noises as the intense heat traveled through the cool water. Zori growled, and Luna readied her club. The pair shot through the water, heading for the source of the electric jolt. Another shock rippled through the water, and they picked up the pace. Luna ended up slamming headfirst into the Elekid, and Zori...
The Octillery hisses, wrapping a tentacle around the little Eevee's body. She squirmed, Biting into the Pokemon's tentacle with her sharp fangs.
Luna recovered from her mistake with ease, swinging a Bone Club into the Octillery's side. Tentacles Wrapped around Zori, squeezing the Normal-type tightly. Luna used Skull Bash, driving her bone-covered head straight into the Pokemon's soft body. The Octillery released the Eevee with a hiss, and slipped away into the coral.
Zori gasped for breath, glad to be free, but feeling a little lightheaded. Luna patted Zori's back comfortingly, waiting patiently as the Pokemon caught her breath. Then, the Ground-type led the trio down deeper into the sea, sinking slowly down to the next coral bed.
Floors 6 - 10
It was almost painful, listening to the Elekid's pointless chatter for so long. Zori's ears were ringing, and her sides still ached from battling the Seadra and Octillery. One would've thought that the Electric-type would learn to shut up after the first three times they were attacked. But no; they had to pick the idiot client.
She glanced over at her partner, her ears flicking warily. "It seems a little quiet here. Like a ghost town." She murmured softly to the Cubone.
Luna nodded, looking puzzled. "It does. One would think that somewhere as pretty as this would be teeming with life." The Ground-type sounded uneasy, like she'd much rather get away from this place than to keep going. Somewhere inside her mind, Zori had to agree with her reasoning. Unfortunately, the Elekid had no such sense.
"This place is boring! I demand you show me something more interesting!" He screeched.
Zori growled, fluffing up her water-logged fur. "I'll show you boring, you br-"
Luna covered Zori's mouth with one hand, holding the temperamental Eevee away from their client. "Yes sir." The Cubone answered, her voice twinging with irritation. She released Zori, and the Eevee swam in a circle, thoroughly annoyed.
The slow, deep singing returned, and this time, all three Pokemon heard it. Zori pricked her ears, forgetting about the Elekid. "Whoa... What IS that?" She asked softly, awed by the beauty of the strange creature's voice. It was a Pokemon, right? What else could have made a noise like that?
Luna shook her head helplessly. "It's the voice I heard earlier... I don't know what it is, but it seems to be getting louder the closer that we get to the bottom." The Cubone noted cautiously. She didn't want the Elekid to hear that. Of course, he did. Just their luck.
The Elekid swung his arm around, pointing a finger directly at the Sun Guilders. Zori flattened her ears, and Luna seemed uncomfortable. "I demand that you take me to the bottom, and show me what made that noise!" He snapped arrogantly.
Zori groaned. "Fine. But you'll follow our orders on the way down there. If we tell you to stand down, or get the heck out of here, you do it. Got that?" The Eevee noted sharply, lashing her tail. "We're a rescue team, not slaves. We have no intention of following your every order. It's our job to let you explore, and keep you safe, not be dragged around like rag-dolls." Her voice had an icy edge to it; she was clearly tired of being ordered around by the younger Elekid.
"FINE." The Elekid snapped back.
Zori sighed softly. Why did all of their clients have to be so bad-tempered and irritating? Luna tugged on her tail, pulling her through the water as she swam.
The little Eevee curled her body to look at the Cubone, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "So which path do you suggest that we take?" Her tone was still a little cold, but she'd calmed down.
"If we take that route, through the corals, we could end up trapped if anything comes our way. I think that we should take to the open-water, but stay near the coral, just in case we need somewhere to hide."
The Elekid crossed his arms impatiently, but said nothing, as was agreed to.
Zori nodded sharply. "That sounds like a decent plan to me." She agreed, sliding her tail out of Luna's grasp. She led the way through the water, swishing her tail from side to side like a fish. Luna followed closely behind, the Elekid at her side. Zori didn't seem to mind. Luna would absorb all of the electrical charge that the Elekid released, but it wouldn't hurt her one bit. Zori, on the other hand, was soaked to the bone, and didn't have resistance to electricity. That, and she liked not having her ears chattered off. ....Unless it was Legacy.
The Eevee shook her charcoal head, the silver swirls on her fur glistening. There was no room for daydreaming in the middle of a mission.
A soft crooning noise alerted their attention. Zori spun around, as did her companions. Large shadows were cast across the coral beds. They were almost circular in shape. Some thing nudged the back of Zori's head, and she jumped slightly. The Eevee turned again, coming face to face with a playful little Wailmer. The rest of it's group floated serenely around. Zori giggled, rubbing the Wailmer's nose. It crooned again, and floated happily off to it's mother, rejoining the larger Wailmer and their group. "Wailmer are so cute~" Zori noted, doing a playful back-flip. Water was so nice to move around in.
Luna nodded, and the Elekid was staring at them with wide eyes. "They're huge!" He cried out in shock. He'd always thought that they'd be smaller than that. Never had he considered that they'd be bigger than an Electivire, the final evolution of his own species. A Wailmer playfully bumped into him, and the Elekid hesitantly stroked the Water-type's smooth, rubbery skin, being careful not to shock it.
The Wailmer clustered around the group, blowing curious bubbles and looking happy in general. "This explains why none of the smaller Pokemon live here, Zori. Nothing can compete with a Wailer when it comes to needing underwater food sources." Except their evolutions, of course. But Wailord were HUGE. There was no way that they could live in these shallow seas anyway.
The Wailmer began to scatter, heading for deeper water as fast as their large, blubbery bodies could carry them. Zori watched them leave, confused. "Where are they going?" She asked, her tone filled with unease. Luna shrugged in response, and the Elekid just looked around, trying to find the source of the Wailer's fear.
An earth-shattering roar alerted everyone's attention at once. Zori turned flattening her ears with wide eyes. "HIDE!" She screamed, diving down toward the coral. Luna grabbed the Elekid by the wrist, diving after the Eevee. They crammed into a crack in the coral bed, squished tightly together. A massive set of jaws rammed into the coral, trying to reach them. Sharp fangs the side of Zori's entire body came unnervingly close to taking off Luna's head, and the Ground-type squished further down into the crack.
Zori scratched dirt off the sea floor, using Sand Attack to fling a massive cloud of sand into the Gyarados' face. It roared in anger, shaking it's head to clear the sand from it's eyes. Zori grabbed onto Luna's arm, pulling the Cubone closer and reaching into the bag she had slung around her shoulder. She pulled out a smooth, shiny disk, and smashed it against her chest. It seemed to melt into her body, instead of shattering. Sand and bits of coral rained down on their heads, and Zori reared back, firing off a powerful Dark Pulse into the Gyarados' face.
Luna cheered, squeezing out of the gap while she still could. She swung her bone club around, hitting the Gyarados in the side of the face with a Bone Club. It turned.
Zori hit it with another Dark Pulse. It turned back her way.
Luna swam around behind it, charging into the back of it's head with a Skull Bash.
Again and again they attacked, twirling and diving all around the massive Water-Flying type, it's dragon-like body twisting and weaving to try and keep up with the smaller, faster beings. It plunged an Ice Fang into the ground, getting it's fangs stuck in the coral beds. It roared, twisting to try and get free. Zori and Luna circled around, taking the advantage. Zori fired off a final Dark Pulse, and Luna used Bonemerang, both powerful attacks hitting it straight between the eyes. A sudden Thunderbolt charged through the open water, hitting only seconds after Zori and Luna's attacks. The Gyarados let out a final roar as it broke free of the coral, and sank down to the ground, out cold.
Zori and Luna gasped for breath, the former hurriedly grabbing the Elekid's arm, and leading the way out of there. They swam deeper, trying to get down and away from the Gyarados before it woke up. No one wanted to be near that thing when it woke up. Especially since it would most likely have a killed headache when it did.
Floors 11-15
The Elekid had been blissfully quiet since the attack of the Gyarados. The coral beds beneath had faded to open sand, and the trip had been clinging rather stubbornly to the ground as they swam along. It had been Luna's plan that they would be less likely to be noticed if they stayed close to the ground, and no one had been able to go against her logic. The open ocean was dangerous. They'd have to be increasingly careful. After all, if Gyarados hunted in the coral, no one wanted to know what might be lurking out here.
The school of Wailmer floated mildly far above, looking at peace in the cool waters. Zori found herself watching them with increasing interest. The way they moved, the sounds they made. If they reacted to something, she'd turn around and look. They were like a warning system.
A small school of rather ugly-looking fish passed by, one of them smacking Elekid in the face with it's ragged tail. The Electric-type shocked it instinctively. The school turned on them, enraged by the injury done. Zori used Headbutt, smashing her furry little skull into one of their sides. They didn't make noise, other than vague thrashing or bubbling noises.
Luna swung around her club a few times, clearing the area around her of Feebas.
The ugly fish darted at Zori, who was quickly growing tired of their presence. She fired off a Dark Pulse again, watching the shadowy waves of energy ram into the Feebas school. They floated down to the sandy bottom, beaten.
Luna grabbed Zori by the scruff, still holding onto the Elekid's wrist. "Let's move." She decided sharply, not leaving room for argument as she half-dragged the two over the sands.
Eventually, the Cubone released them, and they swam freely at her sides, not bothering to question her logic. The Cubone must've heard something coming with her enhanced hearing, and gotten them away from there. No one could argue with the hearing of a blind woman. It just wasn't wise.
The Cubone watched the Elekid carefully with her good eye, her blind one turned toward Zori. The Eevee recognized this as a tactic to protect their client. Zori could be trusted to hold her own in a fight, and keep herself out of trouble, but the much younger Elekid needed a bit of babysitting.
They paused on a ridge, settling down to eat. Luna fulled out some apples, and she and Zori chowed down. The Elekid rested on it's back in the sand nearby, being careful to keep within eyesight of the two stronger Pokemon. It didn't want to repeat the mistake it had made previously. Neither did Luna, apparently, who still had her eye trained on the form of the young Elekid.
"We should probably find out the safest path to go down from here. I think the terrain changes. Not only that, but the water's darker already. Soon we won't have much light from the surface. We could end up swimming blind." Zori flicked her ears, not sounding terribly pleased with the idea. To be stuck blindly at the bottom of the sea in pitch darkness did not sound fun, especially since the little bubble-like beads they'd swallowed could only provide them with water-breathing abilities for so long.
"The Elekid probably has some way of making light. He's an Electric-type, and he's the one who dragged us down here. He wouldn't come without bringing a source of light, would he?"
Zori sighed softly. "I suppose you're right, Luna."
After a while of lying in the soft sand, Zori flicked her ears. "We should probably get moving again." She murmured lazily.
Luna groaned in response. "But I don't want to go." The Cubone muttered drowsily. She was fine right here, curling up in the sand.
Zori sighed and pulled the tired Cubone to her feet. "Come on, Luna. ...Elekid, get up." She added, turning to glance at the Electric-type. He got to his feet slowly and obediently.
Zori gestured toward the deep. "Right guys. Our path leads that way." The charcoal and silver Eevee noted, her dark fur blending a little bit with the shadowy water. The silver swirls, however, did not, gleaming slightly. The sapphire pendant strung around her neck glowed faintly in the darker water as well, making her wonder if it would get brighter the deeper that they got to the bottom. Hopefully it would. Any light was good light, right?
Luna seemed unsure for a moment, but nodded firmly.
Elekid just looked excited. "So we're finally heading down into the dark water, right?!" He asked eagerly.
Luna and Zori looked at each other and nodded again. "Yes. Let's get moving." The trio headed down for the deeper water, with Zori in the lead, followed by Luna and the Elekid swimming side-by-side. The Eevee's pendant glowed faintly in the shadows. It was like a little lantern strung around Zori's neck, giving off an eerie blue light. It reflected off of Zori's silver-swirled fur and golden eyes, making her seem to glow as well. It was odd, but very pretty. And Luna now understood why Zori kept her pendant under her pillow at night.
The trip stayed rather quiet as they descended deeper into the sea, the darkness growing strong until it engulfed all but them, cast in the soft, sapphire light of Zori's pendant, and the golden glow of Elekid's electrically-charged body.
Zori could hear more than see, despite the glowing pendant around her neck. Faintly glowing lights bobbed up ahead, moving around like Volbeat and Illumise in the night skies. It sparked her curiosity, and clearly, she wasn't alone in her thoughts.
"They're so pretty~" Luna murmured in awe.
Zori nodded, following the Elekid, who had swam up ahead of her to go and investigate further. She couldn't help but wonder what they were. Volbeat and Illumise didn't venture down here, and she was pretty sure that they were the only rescue team down this deep into the water.
As they drew nearer, so did the lights. Whatever they were seemed to move closer, as though curious about the blue glow that Zori's necklace gave off. Maybe having a light was a bad idea...
One light in particular came closer. And suddenly, they could make out the figure behind the light. A Chinchou. That explained a lot. Seeing the trio and recognizing them as something other than it's species, however, the Chinchou became angry. Sparks shot off it's little glowing body.
Zori backed away slightly, ad Luna did the same, pulling the Elekid in behind her. Zori growled, baring her teeth as she floated there in the dark water. The Chinchou shot off a Thundershock, and Zori retaliated, breaking through the weak Electric attack with her Dark Pulse. It hit the Chinchou and sent it spinning backward. It twirled around and came back, firing various Electric-type attacks in every direction. Luna stepped in, brandishing her bone club. She struck the Chinchou in the skull with it, and sent it scurrying out across the sands, terrified, and probably with a serious headache.
The group made their way deeper into the water, moving as quietly and quickly as they could. They moved farther away until the light of the Chinchou couldn't be seen anymore.
Zori glanced over at Luna and the Elekid. "Let's avoid random glowing lights from now on..." She advised, the guilt of having technically started that fight showing in her expression.
Luna nodded in agreement. "It probably mistook you for another Chinchou or something, because of the way that pendant glows." The Cubone noted.
Zori felt further guilt spread across her body, her ears drooping sideways. "Yeah. I know."
Luna took the lead, gripping her bone club tightly as she took off into the darkness. The Elekid followed.
Zori hesitated for a moment, before she, too, plunged into the shadows, leaving any ounce of the surface's sunlight behind. The only light came from the pendant around her neck.
Floors 16 - 20
Zori had been forced to take the lead, the pendant around her neck lighting the way for her teammates. The water only got darker the deeper that they dove. It felt claustrophobic. Maybe it was the pressure of the water around them that made it feel that way. In any case, their trio clung pretty close together; Luna and the Elekid didn't want to be out of the range of the light.
Zori swam on slightly ahead of the others, leading the way.
"I wonder what sort of stuff you could find down here?" The Elekid asked curiously.
"Not a lot, I'm guessing. Maybe some carnivorous Water-types, more Chinchou, and some deep-water coral." Luna replied quietly, clutching her bone club tight to her chest as she swam just behind the Electric-type.
Zori shuddered slightly. Hungry carnivores were not her idea of a nice little stroll on the ocean floor. If anything,the fact that they could barely see a few feet in front of them only made that thought worse.
A flurry of movement in the shadows attracted Luna's attention, and she paused. Zori and the Elekid stopped, too, sticking close to the Cubone. The Elekid's body crackled with electricity. "What is it, Luna?" The Eevee asked her friend quietly.
"I saw something move." The Cubone pointed with her bone club. "Right about there."
Zori followed Luna's gaze.
Suddenly, the entire group flinched, leaping back as a rather large Sharpedo came tearing out of the deep, it's enormous fangs sinking into Luna's bone club and breaking it into two. Zori yelped, and dodged sideways, pulling the Elekid with her. She snarled fiercely, showing off her fangs, tiny in comparison to the Sharpedo's. Her dark tail lashed with anger.
Luna pulled out another club, having come prepared, and smashed it into the side of the Sharpedo's head. It barely did anything to the powerful Water-type. It turned on her, looking extremely angry.
Zori leaped toward it, blasting of a Dark Pulse. It hit the Sharpedo, and instead turned on her, seeming more irritated than injured. It was part Dark-type, and a Dark Pulse was not going to help their situation by much at all.
Zori backed away, twitching slightly. Sharpedos had very rough skin. If she tried to attack it with any of her other moves, she'd have to touch it, and that would NOT be good. Not at all. She growled as threateningly as she could manage, and it charged at her. She dived sideways again, rolling into the sand. The Elekid followed the suit, crouching in behind Zori. He was trembling with fear.
The Sharpedo gave a sharp howl of pain, thrashing in the water. Zori cringed, flattening herself against the cold sand. The Elekid mimicked her, and both narrowly avoided getting smacked in the face by the flailing Sharpedo. Another crash, and the Sharpedo swam off to find less irritating prey, blood trailing from it's gills.
A rather dazed-looking Cubone wobbled over, straightening her bone helmet. Her intact bone club was strapped to her side, as were the two broken pieces of the first one. It was apparent that she'd used Skull Bash, using the helmet to protect herself from the Sharpedo's rough skin.
Zori swam over, placing an anxious paw on the Cubone's shoulder. Luna slurred out something that sounded vaguely like 'I'm good' before she passed out cold. Zori held the unconscious Pokemon in her arms, looking rather uncertain as to what they were supposed to do from this point on. Even her client seemed rather confused as to what to do.
Neither of them were good enough swimmers to carry Luna back to the surface, but they couldn't just wait here... The awkward silence lasted for a few moments, when a voice called out from the waters.
"Zori?! Luna?!" A rather familiar looking Mudkip swam into view, looking incredibly worried, but otherwise comfortable in the cold, dark waters. Kai didn't need to see. His sonar told him exactly where he was.
He swam up to them, and Zori carefully shifted Luna to lie on the shiny Mudkip's back. Kai frowned slightly. "Are you guys okay? What happened?" He asked quietly.
Zori nodded. "Elekid and I are alright, but Luna went head to head with a Sharpedo. Literally." She murmured quietly, taking the bag off of Luna, and strapping it to her own body to take some of the weight off of Kai's back.
The Elekid nodded. "It was HUGE. I'd hate to see what a Wailord would be like!" The Electric-type noted excitedly, clapping his hands together, and shooting off a few sparks as he did so.
Zori laughed. "Wailord are big, but they're not aggressive. They're as docile as the Wailmer we saw earlier!" She corrected.
Kai rolled his eyes, adjusting Luna so that she wouldn't fall off. "Come on; let's get this mission over with so that we can get out of here."
Zori nodded, letting Kai lead the way into the deeper water, happy that Kaiyou had the common sense to follow them down into the sea. She hadn't really thought about bringing him with them originally. She'd thought that he'd still be tired from the last one. She'd guessed wrong. Kai had amazing stamina.
Traveling was much easier when Kai was with them. His sonar allowed them to avoid the larger, more aggressive Pokemon as they swam, and he could adjust their course to find the easiest way down.
Zori silently decided that Kai would be accompanying her on most missions. He was definitely a decent addition to their team. She understood now how Suki's opinion of the Mudkip had changed so drastically on their mission together. He was just reliable all the time.
A faint, reddish glow appeared up ahead, and Kai motioned for them to stay low, frowning. "I can't quite tell what they are. It's like they're made made of gel or something..." His voice was quiet, but steady.
Zori and the Elekid swam cautiously behind him, with the former swiping a gentle paw over her sapphire pendant to dim the glow.
As they swam closer, Zori realized why Kai wasn't taking them away from the glowing creatures. They were everywhere. There just wasn't really a way around them. Thousands of Tentacool floated just a few feet over their heads. Zori gasped quietly in surprise, watching them cautiously as she swam along behind Kai.
That explained why the Mudkip couldn't tell what they were with his sonar. Their large numbers and jelly-like bodies made it difficult for him. They all blended together.
Although the Tentacool seemed very calm, the charcoal Eevee couldn't help but keep an eye on them. It was possible that there might be a Tentacruel in there, and not by any means did she want to run into one of them. They were big and bad-tempered. She did have to admit that Sharpedo were worse, though. Especially now that Kai was here; they'd be fine as long as they didn't bother any of the Tentacool, she supposed.
The Elekid grabbed onto her tail with one hand, using it as a sort of reassurance that there was someone else there to keep him safe from all of the deadly toxins that the Tentacool carried in their tentacles. Pretty as they were, it was still a bad idea to tick them off. Sort of like how the patterns on the belly of an Arbok were pretty, or the markings on a Sharpedo...
Kai paused, looking uncertain and uneasy. Zori stopped behind him, glancing around cautiously. "Why are we stopping here, Kaiyou...? This isn't a great spot to stop for a break...." The Eevee whispered nervously. The Mudkip didn't reply for a few moments.
"Tentacruel..." The Water-type whispered back. Zori stiffened, and the Elekid hid behind her fluffy tail, looking rather frightened. His haughty nature and overly-proud attitude had disappeared ever since he'd come face to face with actual danger. He was just a little kid out in a very scary part of the sea.
The Eevee flicked her silver-swirled ears, watching the ruby glow in front of her. It grew stronger and stronger, until a rather large Tentacruel was visible in their sights. Zori gulped quietly. That was a lot more tentacles than a Tentacool's two. That also meant that there was a lot more poison to kill them with.
The Tentacruel shot off a Poison Sting at them, and Kai brought up a Protect without hesitation, growling threateningly. The Tentacool around them began to stir. This was anything but good.
Under the protective shield of Kai's Protect, the trio darted into the deeper water to escape the danger, with an unconscious Cubone still clinging to Kai's back.
Floors 21 - 25
Zori fired off a Dark Pulse, tucking in her paws and rolling to avoid another Poison Sting. Kai was busy trying to keep up a proper Protect to defend their client, the Elekid, from any attacks. Zori had a strong feeling that he wouldn't be returning to the Swirling Sea anytime soon.
Zori narrowly avoided a Poison Jab, flattening her ears in alarm. They'd managed to out-swim the Tentacool, luckily, but the Tentacruel and it's companion had kept up the chase. And boy did Zori not like their company. She bit down hard on a tentacle as it lashed out toward her. The Tentacruel lashed out with some more, and Kai came up behind her, hitting the Tentacruel squarely in the face with a Hydro Pump.
The Tentacruel shook, waving it's toxic tentacles around. Zori and Kai ducked low to the ground, using a light Protect to deflect the tentacles away from them.
Kaiyou leaped forward, and Zori shifted over to stand between Elekid and the Tentacruel. Kai used Mud Slap, whipping up a bunch of mud off the sea floor and slamming it into the Tentacruel's eyes. It thrashed about for a bit, giving them time to focus on the second one. He used another Mud Slap, quickly followed by a Hydro Pump.
The second Tentacruel screeched, lashing out at Kaiyou with a long, dark tentacle. It wrapped tightly around his little violet body, using Constrict to bind his tiny body. The Mudkip squealed in pain, twisted and squirming as he tried to break free of the Tentacruel's grasp.
Zori bounded forward with a massive leap, landing square on the Tentacruel's face. She used Bite, her sharp fangs digging into the jelly-like flesh of the Water-type. She inhales as she bit down, summoning the energy required, and she spat a Dark Pulse directly into the bite wound. The Tentacruel didn't exactly find it pleasant. It thrashed as the shadowy energy traveled through it's body like a wave of electricity. It threw Zori off, and she hit the sand. It released Kai as well, and disappeared into the shadows. Zori's pendant cast an eerie blue glow over the battlefield as the remaining Tentacruel recovered from the attack.
It reared up, about to slam it's tentacles down on Zori's fluffy little body.
WHAM. It howled it pain, having received a Bone Club to the face. Luna floated in the way, twirling a bone around her fingers with expert precision. Her expression was deadly. If looks could kill, every Tentacruel in the sea would float belly-side up.
The Tentacruel swung it's tentacles around again, trying to grab a hold of the irritating little creature in it's way. Luna met the swing with another Bone Club, knocking the attack off center enough to dodge. She then shot a Bonemerang into the eye-like ruby blotches on the Tentacruel's head. It didn't appreciate this, to say the least.
It flailed around in pain, and Luna took advantage of the situation, running along he sandy seafloor and springing up at the last second, using Skull Bash directly between the Tentacruel's eyes.
The Cubone landed on her feet, looking dazed, but relatively unharmed. The Tentacruel floated away on the water's currents, having fainted.
She swung her little club proudly, and returned to Zori's side, tapping the little Eevee on the head. Zori smiled proudly, accepting the Cubone's help and rising back onto her paws. Together, they moved over to Kai and the Elekid. The Elekid was holding the little violet Water-type in it's arms, looking both nervous and awed as a result of the battle.
"Enough excitement for you?" Zori asked it dryly, although one could swear that there was a touch of humor in her voice.
The Mudkip stirred slightly, and the Elekid let go, letting the Water-type float out of his arms as he began to wake up again. "And just think. One day, we might be able to get through a mission without someone passing out." He noted, his tone just as dry and irritated as Zori's.
Luna snorted, slightly amused. This was her first mission, so she didn't really understand that last part. Some sort of inside joke. She'd hear about it later. "Come on, then. Let's get the heck out of this place." She nudged Zori lightly with her club.
The now fully-functioning group of four carried on, being extra careful to avoid potential enemies as they went.
Kai took the position next to Zori at the head of the group, her glowing pendant and his sonar giving them a fairly good idea of what was ahead in the shadowy waters. Luna and the Elekid brought up the rear, the Ground-type absorbing any static off of their client to avoid attracting any curious Pokemon with the energy. That, and Luna was the most difficult to annoy, so the Elekid's quiet chatter wouldn't bother her while she kept an eye on him. But they didn't tell him that.
It was only after a little while that Kai altered their course again, motioning for the group to speed up a little bit. They were now traveling on an angle, as opposed to their previously straight path.
"Kai? What's going on? Is there a-" Zori's soft voice was cut off by Kai whipping a paw over her mouth.
He motioned for them all to be as quiet as possible, leading them down the slope a little bit farther. No one argued against his no-speaking rule. No one wanted to be proven wrong or become the reason that they were attacked.
Kai paused again, motioning for them to lie flat against the sand. They did as told, and the light of Zori's pendant was doused, engulfing them in total darkness. Something incredibly large floated over their heads with a roar. Elekid quivered with fear. The others stayed perfectly still, not wanting to attract any kind of attention. A second body rushed over their heads in the dark, this one roaring at the top of it's lungs. Zori's ears twitched. She'd recognize that roar anywhere. Gyarados. They're crossed paths with a group of hunting Gyarados. Would they ever get a break?
They lay still for what seemed the longest time, until the Gyarados and it's mate had disappeared from earshot.
A smooth paw tapped Zori's shoulder, and she got up, dusting off her pendant and showing their group yet again in it's dim light. Luna helped the Elekid to it's feet, and the pair shuffled in closer to Zori and Kai.
"It sounded like they were headed in our direction of travel. Is it possible that we might run into them again?" The Cubone asked quietly.
Kaiyou sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, you're right. We'll have to be on our guard the whole way down." The purple Mudkip did not look pleased at the idea of running into the Gyarados pair again.
Zori winced. "We've already had to deal with one of those suckers today. Back at the coral reefs. I'm not eager to fight another. Especially not if it has a friend."
Kai blinked in confusion. "The reefs? Gyarados don't normally swim up that far unless... You ran into one that just evolved. A young one. Those two were much bigger. A fully-grown pair will make the one back at the reef seem like a walk in the park." The Mudkip told them seriously.
The group nodded in unison. Right. Don't go looking for Gyarados. As if they would anyway.
"Let's get out of here..." The Mudkip added, taking Zori by the paw and half-dragging her back down the path they'd been taking. Luna and the Elekid followed without question, the Elekid, if possible, even more quiet than before.
As the group continued on, Luna leaned over toward the Elekid. "Something bothering you, kid?" She asked him quietly.
"I'm afraid of the dark..." He admitted quietly, tentatively shuffling closer to the Cubone as he nearby tripped over a rock.
"Ah. That would explain it. This isn't really my cup of tea, either. Water is... uncomfortable for my species sometimes." Luna replied calmly, half swimming, half walking next to the Elekid. "Just stay close to us and you'll be alright. Not much is going to get past the three of us at the same time." She assured the Electric-type quietly. She felt sympathy well up inside her. He really was just a child. An adventurous child, but a child all the same. She took him by the hand, and drew him in closer toward Zori. The light from her pendant would keep him feeling a little more comfortable, hopefully.
Floors 26 - 30
The ocean was pitch-black and extremely cold down this far below the surface. The water-logged sand squished strangely underneath their feet, and the lack of light made it difficult to tell where you were going, even with Zori's pendant to light the way. Only Kai could really tell where they were headed. Zori and Luna bother realized that they'd be hopelessly lost without him there.
As they traveled, Luna thought of Gary. The adorable, dim-witted Slowpoke might not have even missed her company. But she missed him all the same. There was something to be said for being a substitute parent; it made you softer. She felt sort of like his older sister. It was a strange feeling, to want to protect the newborn Slowpoke, but not a bad one. The Cubone made a mental note to go and find the little one the moment they returned home.
The Elekid walked next to Luna in complete silence, staring at the ground where he stepped. Every so often he'd see some colourful pebble or a lost little seashell, but there was nothing terribly interesting about this place. That is, until they came upon them. Deep-water coral.
Chinchou and Lantern floated about here, perfectly content to swim amongst the corals. An Octillery swam across the sand near the base of the corals, and a few Wailmer floated overhead.
Zori gasped in surprise and delight. The light from the Chinchou and Lantern lit up the reef surprisingly well. Even the Octillery gave off a slight glow, it seemed. It was different than the corals that grew near shore, but just as breath-taking. They were colourful, unique, and awe-inspiring.
The Pokemon down here seemed relatively docile, so they split into two groups. Luna and Zori went with Elekid, to ensure his safety as he explored the reef. Kai went his own way, patrolling the area to watch for any signs of predatory Pokemon. The Octillery would have to be kept an eye on, but the Chinchou and Lantern here seemed by far more docile than the Chinchou they'd encountered at higher depths.
As Kai swam about, keeping an eye on the Pokemon native to the reefs, Elekid was exploring every inch of the place.
The young Electric-type seemed to have regained his curiosity. He shoved his head between two corals, coming face to face with a Chinchou. The surprised Pokemon flitted away, heading back to it's parent Lanturn. Elekid giggled, and moved on, swimming over to a group of Remoraid. He reached out and touched one of their scaly bodies before it flitted away into the depths of the coral.
Luna watched, smiling underneath her skull helmet. Zori flicked an ear, brushing it against Luna's shoulder as she did so. The Cubone glanced at her. "Is something up?" She asked, moving off again to follow the ever curious Elekid.
Zori nodded. "I think I can hear something moving out there." She murmured back, gesturing with a vague paw toward the open, black ocean.
Luna frowned, but said nothing, catching up to the Elekid and grabbing a gentle hold on his arm, drawing him back toward the safer, inner section of the corals. "Stay close, alright?" She told the Electric-type sternly before letting him go again.
The Elekid nodded, and began to explore some more of the reef, being careful to stay within a few few of the Cubone.
Zori motioned to Kai to come over to them. "Hey Kaiyou? You sense anything out there?" She asked the Mudkip quietly.
The Mudkip turned his head, searching the depths beyond the reef. "Yeah. The Gyarados are out there. They followed us here, I think. This might be their hunting grounds."
Zori shivered uncomfortably. "If this is their hunting grounds, why are they hanging around the edges like that? It's like they're nervous of coming closer." She asked, frowning. Any hungry land predator would've struck by now. There was no way that anyone would wait like that for so long when they could already be eating.
Kaiyou glanced around them. "It's probably because the Lanturn are here. They're partially Electric-types, and Gyarados are particularly weak to that. I have a hunch that these are the Lanturn's breeding grounds, where they raise their Chinchou. The Octillery probably do the same, using the Lanturn as protection against the Gyarados. The coral would offer a place to hide for young of both species. But I don't think that there's enough food here to sustain the adults and young at the same time, so the Lanturn and Octillery probably leave at regular intervals to find food..."
Zori nodded, understanding where this was leading. "And so the Gyarados wait until after the adults have left before striking the reef to get themselves a decent meal." She finished. The charcoal and silver Eevee looked around at the busy reef. "If the Gyarados are waiting, then it won't be long before the Lanturn and Octillery leave for food, then. The young will be left to fend for themselves, and the Gyarados will come in. We can't still be hanging around when that happens, then." Zori noted, watching Luna pull the Elekid away from a particularly curious Chinchou. The pair of young Electric-types were shooting sparks at each other.
Luna held a slightly squirmy Elekid in her arms, frowning as she noticed that some of the Lanturn has disappeared. Those that remained were on their way out, and the Octillery was already gone. She swallowed. "Zori; what's going on?" She called out nervously.
Zori flattened her ears, and rushed over to the pair, motioning for the Elekid to stop squirming. Kai followed Zori in close. "That's our cue to leave, Luna." He told the Cubone seriously.
The Ground-type and their client seemed confused, but followed them none-the-less as Zori and Kai tried to lead them out of the reefs. They stretched on for quite a while. It was very pretty, but the disappearance of the Lanturn and Octillery caused an unusual, eerie silence to fall over the reef. Even the normally playful baby Chinchou seemed uncomfortable.
A loud crashing noise somewhere behind them made Zori turn, her ears flat. A massive Gyarados was snapping up some of the Chinchou. It was feeding time. "RUN!" She yelled.
Kai put on a burst of speed, and Luna grabbed onto the Elekid, following the suit. Zori grabbed onto the Elekid's other arm, swimming as fast as she could to help. The child kicked it's legs. The group of three managed to keep up with Kai, who was well-accustomed to swimming. It was easy for him.
The noise was incredible. The pair of hunting Gyarados were not quiet about taking their meal. Nor did they have to be. The young Chinchou were not a challenge, despite their type advantage over the much larger predators.
Just as the trio reached the edge of the reefs, an enormous shadow loomed over them. Bigger than the Gyarados. Bigger than anything any of them had ever seen. A Wailord. Zori's eyes widened, her ears folding flat against her head in awe. The mammoth Pokemon ducked it's head down, it's huge jaws opening wide. It swallowed a group of Chinchou and Remoraid in one gulp. Another Wailord did something similar, although this one took a Gyarados with it.
Kaiyou hurriedly ushered the group away from the reefs. The pod of feeding Wailord were incredibly dangerous. Docile as they were, it would be deadly to hang around here any longer. Even the most soft-hearted creature had to eat.
They didn't stop running until the Wailord pod was out of sight. They were all breathing hard. No one could really say anything about what they'd just escaped from. The reef ha been beautiful, but it was also much more dangerous than they'd originally thought.
"You weren't kidding... when you told us that Wailord were big, Kaiyou..."
The shiny 'kip nodded in response. "Wailord. The biggest thing in the ocean. Also the one with the biggest mouth." He noted with a grin.
No one could argue with that statement. Especially not Elekid. He was shaking, but he looked extremely excited. "THAT WAS AWESOME! I knew they'd be big; but that was just insane! They were just like fwoosh! Did you see the way they snapped up that Gyarados?! It was like they didn't even notice it!" The Elekid's chatter went on like that for several minutes while the others caught their breath some more.
The little Electric-type continued on further, even after they'd picked up where they'd left off, and headed deeper into the sea.
Floor 31
Far off from the deep-water corals, and even farther from the shoreline, Kaiyou, Zori, Luna, and the Elekid walked along the base of the Swirling Sea. Their mission was nearly over, but they didn't let their guard down too low. There were many things in the sea, and they weren't eager to come face to face with something more dangerous than what they'd already encountered.
The water this deep was icy. The pressure was incredible, weighing down their steps as if they walked with lead strapped to their backs. It was strange. Like they walked into another world.
A slow, deep singing attracted the attention of everyone in the group. They'd heard it before; closer to the surface. But now it was much, much louder. And all the more haunting.
In total silence, the group progressed closer to the sound, silenced by the awe-inspiring voice. It was something big. Not as big as a Wailord, but it probably still dwarfed a Gyarados.
Out of the deep, a faint, ruby-toned glow was visible from the very bottom of the sea. It shone more spectacularly than Zori's pendant by far.
Glowing tribal markings covered the body of what appeared to be some kind of Pokemon. The noise it made was enough to inspire curiousity, but no one got closer. Whatever it was, it was sleeping, and waking it up was a poor idea at best.
And so they stayed there, watching and waiting. It wasn't long before the silence was broken again.
Zori coughed, her lungs aching. After a few moments, a smooth, shiny bead popped out of her mouth, and the little Eevee held her throat with her paws, holding her breath.
Luna could feel her own lungs beginning to tire as well. It was definitely time to leave.
The Cubone grabbed the Elekid and Zori in her arms, and Kai pulled out their team badge. The metal symbol flashed, and all four Pokemon disappeared from the bottom of the sea.
The Guild
The soaking-wet trio from Team Stormcloud dropped down onto dry ground, following by their client; Elekid.
Zori coughed, taking in deep lungfuls of fresh air. She held a now useless shiny bead in her paws. Luna coughed up hers moments later. They were glad to not have coughed them up sooner. It would've been incredibly bad to run out of air before the mission's end.
Kai simply shook his little body, not bothered by the transition from breathing air to breathing water. He hadn't even needed a bead. He could breathe water just fine.
And so ended Team Stormcloud's adventure in the depths of Swirling Sea.
He swam up to them, and Zori carefully shifted Luna to lie on the shiny Mudkip's back. Kai frowned slightly. "Are you guys okay? What happened?" He asked quietly.
Zori nodded. "Elekid and I are alright, but Luna went head to head with a Sharpedo. Literally." She murmured quietly, taking the bag off of Luna, and strapping it to her own body to take some of the weight off of Kai's back.
The Elekid nodded. "It was HUGE. I'd hate to see what a Wailord would be like!" The Electric-type noted excitedly, clapping his hands together, and shooting off a few sparks as he did so.
Zori laughed. "Wailord are big, but they're not aggressive. They're as docile as the Wailmer we saw earlier!" She corrected.
Kai rolled his eyes, adjusting Luna so that she wouldn't fall off. "Come on; let's get this mission over with so that we can get out of here."
Zori nodded, letting Kai lead the way into the deeper water, happy that Kaiyou had the common sense to follow them down into the sea. She hadn't really thought about bringing him with them originally. She'd thought that he'd still be tired from the last one. She'd guessed wrong. Kai had amazing stamina.
Traveling was much easier when Kai was with them. His sonar allowed them to avoid the larger, more aggressive Pokemon as they swam, and he could adjust their course to find the easiest way down.
Zori silently decided that Kai would be accompanying her on most missions. He was definitely a decent addition to their team. She understood now how Suki's opinion of the Mudkip had changed so drastically on their mission together. He was just reliable all the time.
A faint, reddish glow appeared up ahead, and Kai motioned for them to stay low, frowning. "I can't quite tell what they are. It's like they're made made of gel or something..." His voice was quiet, but steady.
Zori and the Elekid swam cautiously behind him, with the former swiping a gentle paw over her sapphire pendant to dim the glow.
As they swam closer, Zori realized why Kai wasn't taking them away from the glowing creatures. They were everywhere. There just wasn't really a way around them. Thousands of Tentacool floated just a few feet over their heads. Zori gasped quietly in surprise, watching them cautiously as she swam along behind Kai.
That explained why the Mudkip couldn't tell what they were with his sonar. Their large numbers and jelly-like bodies made it difficult for him. They all blended together.
Although the Tentacool seemed very calm, the charcoal Eevee couldn't help but keep an eye on them. It was possible that there might be a Tentacruel in there, and not by any means did she want to run into one of them. They were big and bad-tempered. She did have to admit that Sharpedo were worse, though. Especially now that Kai was here; they'd be fine as long as they didn't bother any of the Tentacool, she supposed.
The Elekid grabbed onto her tail with one hand, using it as a sort of reassurance that there was someone else there to keep him safe from all of the deadly toxins that the Tentacool carried in their tentacles. Pretty as they were, it was still a bad idea to tick them off. Sort of like how the patterns on the belly of an Arbok were pretty, or the markings on a Sharpedo...
Kai paused, looking uncertain and uneasy. Zori stopped behind him, glancing around cautiously. "Why are we stopping here, Kaiyou...? This isn't a great spot to stop for a break...." The Eevee whispered nervously. The Mudkip didn't reply for a few moments.
"Tentacruel..." The Water-type whispered back. Zori stiffened, and the Elekid hid behind her fluffy tail, looking rather frightened. His haughty nature and overly-proud attitude had disappeared ever since he'd come face to face with actual danger. He was just a little kid out in a very scary part of the sea.
The Eevee flicked her silver-swirled ears, watching the ruby glow in front of her. It grew stronger and stronger, until a rather large Tentacruel was visible in their sights. Zori gulped quietly. That was a lot more tentacles than a Tentacool's two. That also meant that there was a lot more poison to kill them with.
The Tentacruel shot off a Poison Sting at them, and Kai brought up a Protect without hesitation, growling threateningly. The Tentacool around them began to stir. This was anything but good.
Under the protective shield of Kai's Protect, the trio darted into the deeper water to escape the danger, with an unconscious Cubone still clinging to Kai's back.
Floors 21 - 25
Zori fired off a Dark Pulse, tucking in her paws and rolling to avoid another Poison Sting. Kai was busy trying to keep up a proper Protect to defend their client, the Elekid, from any attacks. Zori had a strong feeling that he wouldn't be returning to the Swirling Sea anytime soon.
Zori narrowly avoided a Poison Jab, flattening her ears in alarm. They'd managed to out-swim the Tentacool, luckily, but the Tentacruel and it's companion had kept up the chase. And boy did Zori not like their company. She bit down hard on a tentacle as it lashed out toward her. The Tentacruel lashed out with some more, and Kai came up behind her, hitting the Tentacruel squarely in the face with a Hydro Pump.
The Tentacruel shook, waving it's toxic tentacles around. Zori and Kai ducked low to the ground, using a light Protect to deflect the tentacles away from them.
Kaiyou leaped forward, and Zori shifted over to stand between Elekid and the Tentacruel. Kai used Mud Slap, whipping up a bunch of mud off the sea floor and slamming it into the Tentacruel's eyes. It thrashed about for a bit, giving them time to focus on the second one. He used another Mud Slap, quickly followed by a Hydro Pump.
The second Tentacruel screeched, lashing out at Kaiyou with a long, dark tentacle. It wrapped tightly around his little violet body, using Constrict to bind his tiny body. The Mudkip squealed in pain, twisted and squirming as he tried to break free of the Tentacruel's grasp.
Zori bounded forward with a massive leap, landing square on the Tentacruel's face. She used Bite, her sharp fangs digging into the jelly-like flesh of the Water-type. She inhales as she bit down, summoning the energy required, and she spat a Dark Pulse directly into the bite wound. The Tentacruel didn't exactly find it pleasant. It thrashed as the shadowy energy traveled through it's body like a wave of electricity. It threw Zori off, and she hit the sand. It released Kai as well, and disappeared into the shadows. Zori's pendant cast an eerie blue glow over the battlefield as the remaining Tentacruel recovered from the attack.
It reared up, about to slam it's tentacles down on Zori's fluffy little body.
WHAM. It howled it pain, having received a Bone Club to the face. Luna floated in the way, twirling a bone around her fingers with expert precision. Her expression was deadly. If looks could kill, every Tentacruel in the sea would float belly-side up.
The Tentacruel swung it's tentacles around again, trying to grab a hold of the irritating little creature in it's way. Luna met the swing with another Bone Club, knocking the attack off center enough to dodge. She then shot a Bonemerang into the eye-like ruby blotches on the Tentacruel's head. It didn't appreciate this, to say the least.
It flailed around in pain, and Luna took advantage of the situation, running along he sandy seafloor and springing up at the last second, using Skull Bash directly between the Tentacruel's eyes.
The Cubone landed on her feet, looking dazed, but relatively unharmed. The Tentacruel floated away on the water's currents, having fainted.
She swung her little club proudly, and returned to Zori's side, tapping the little Eevee on the head. Zori smiled proudly, accepting the Cubone's help and rising back onto her paws. Together, they moved over to Kai and the Elekid. The Elekid was holding the little violet Water-type in it's arms, looking both nervous and awed as a result of the battle.
"Enough excitement for you?" Zori asked it dryly, although one could swear that there was a touch of humor in her voice.
The Mudkip stirred slightly, and the Elekid let go, letting the Water-type float out of his arms as he began to wake up again. "And just think. One day, we might be able to get through a mission without someone passing out." He noted, his tone just as dry and irritated as Zori's.
Luna snorted, slightly amused. This was her first mission, so she didn't really understand that last part. Some sort of inside joke. She'd hear about it later. "Come on, then. Let's get the heck out of this place." She nudged Zori lightly with her club.
The now fully-functioning group of four carried on, being extra careful to avoid potential enemies as they went.
Kai took the position next to Zori at the head of the group, her glowing pendant and his sonar giving them a fairly good idea of what was ahead in the shadowy waters. Luna and the Elekid brought up the rear, the Ground-type absorbing any static off of their client to avoid attracting any curious Pokemon with the energy. That, and Luna was the most difficult to annoy, so the Elekid's quiet chatter wouldn't bother her while she kept an eye on him. But they didn't tell him that.
It was only after a little while that Kai altered their course again, motioning for the group to speed up a little bit. They were now traveling on an angle, as opposed to their previously straight path.
"Kai? What's going on? Is there a-" Zori's soft voice was cut off by Kai whipping a paw over her mouth.
He motioned for them all to be as quiet as possible, leading them down the slope a little bit farther. No one argued against his no-speaking rule. No one wanted to be proven wrong or become the reason that they were attacked.
Kai paused again, motioning for them to lie flat against the sand. They did as told, and the light of Zori's pendant was doused, engulfing them in total darkness. Something incredibly large floated over their heads with a roar. Elekid quivered with fear. The others stayed perfectly still, not wanting to attract any kind of attention. A second body rushed over their heads in the dark, this one roaring at the top of it's lungs. Zori's ears twitched. She'd recognize that roar anywhere. Gyarados. They're crossed paths with a group of hunting Gyarados. Would they ever get a break?
They lay still for what seemed the longest time, until the Gyarados and it's mate had disappeared from earshot.
A smooth paw tapped Zori's shoulder, and she got up, dusting off her pendant and showing their group yet again in it's dim light. Luna helped the Elekid to it's feet, and the pair shuffled in closer to Zori and Kai.
"It sounded like they were headed in our direction of travel. Is it possible that we might run into them again?" The Cubone asked quietly.
Kaiyou sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, you're right. We'll have to be on our guard the whole way down." The purple Mudkip did not look pleased at the idea of running into the Gyarados pair again.
Zori winced. "We've already had to deal with one of those suckers today. Back at the coral reefs. I'm not eager to fight another. Especially not if it has a friend."
Kai blinked in confusion. "The reefs? Gyarados don't normally swim up that far unless... You ran into one that just evolved. A young one. Those two were much bigger. A fully-grown pair will make the one back at the reef seem like a walk in the park." The Mudkip told them seriously.
The group nodded in unison. Right. Don't go looking for Gyarados. As if they would anyway.
"Let's get out of here..." The Mudkip added, taking Zori by the paw and half-dragging her back down the path they'd been taking. Luna and the Elekid followed without question, the Elekid, if possible, even more quiet than before.
As the group continued on, Luna leaned over toward the Elekid. "Something bothering you, kid?" She asked him quietly.
"I'm afraid of the dark..." He admitted quietly, tentatively shuffling closer to the Cubone as he nearby tripped over a rock.
"Ah. That would explain it. This isn't really my cup of tea, either. Water is... uncomfortable for my species sometimes." Luna replied calmly, half swimming, half walking next to the Elekid. "Just stay close to us and you'll be alright. Not much is going to get past the three of us at the same time." She assured the Electric-type quietly. She felt sympathy well up inside her. He really was just a child. An adventurous child, but a child all the same. She took him by the hand, and drew him in closer toward Zori. The light from her pendant would keep him feeling a little more comfortable, hopefully.
Floors 26 - 30
The ocean was pitch-black and extremely cold down this far below the surface. The water-logged sand squished strangely underneath their feet, and the lack of light made it difficult to tell where you were going, even with Zori's pendant to light the way. Only Kai could really tell where they were headed. Zori and Luna bother realized that they'd be hopelessly lost without him there.
As they traveled, Luna thought of Gary. The adorable, dim-witted Slowpoke might not have even missed her company. But she missed him all the same. There was something to be said for being a substitute parent; it made you softer. She felt sort of like his older sister. It was a strange feeling, to want to protect the newborn Slowpoke, but not a bad one. The Cubone made a mental note to go and find the little one the moment they returned home.
The Elekid walked next to Luna in complete silence, staring at the ground where he stepped. Every so often he'd see some colourful pebble or a lost little seashell, but there was nothing terribly interesting about this place. That is, until they came upon them. Deep-water coral.
Chinchou and Lantern floated about here, perfectly content to swim amongst the corals. An Octillery swam across the sand near the base of the corals, and a few Wailmer floated overhead.
Zori gasped in surprise and delight. The light from the Chinchou and Lantern lit up the reef surprisingly well. Even the Octillery gave off a slight glow, it seemed. It was different than the corals that grew near shore, but just as breath-taking. They were colourful, unique, and awe-inspiring.
The Pokemon down here seemed relatively docile, so they split into two groups. Luna and Zori went with Elekid, to ensure his safety as he explored the reef. Kai went his own way, patrolling the area to watch for any signs of predatory Pokemon. The Octillery would have to be kept an eye on, but the Chinchou and Lantern here seemed by far more docile than the Chinchou they'd encountered at higher depths.
As Kai swam about, keeping an eye on the Pokemon native to the reefs, Elekid was exploring every inch of the place.
The young Electric-type seemed to have regained his curiosity. He shoved his head between two corals, coming face to face with a Chinchou. The surprised Pokemon flitted away, heading back to it's parent Lanturn. Elekid giggled, and moved on, swimming over to a group of Remoraid. He reached out and touched one of their scaly bodies before it flitted away into the depths of the coral.
Luna watched, smiling underneath her skull helmet. Zori flicked an ear, brushing it against Luna's shoulder as she did so. The Cubone glanced at her. "Is something up?" She asked, moving off again to follow the ever curious Elekid.
Zori nodded. "I think I can hear something moving out there." She murmured back, gesturing with a vague paw toward the open, black ocean.
Luna frowned, but said nothing, catching up to the Elekid and grabbing a gentle hold on his arm, drawing him back toward the safer, inner section of the corals. "Stay close, alright?" She told the Electric-type sternly before letting him go again.
The Elekid nodded, and began to explore some more of the reef, being careful to stay within a few few of the Cubone.
Zori motioned to Kai to come over to them. "Hey Kaiyou? You sense anything out there?" She asked the Mudkip quietly.
The Mudkip turned his head, searching the depths beyond the reef. "Yeah. The Gyarados are out there. They followed us here, I think. This might be their hunting grounds."
Zori shivered uncomfortably. "If this is their hunting grounds, why are they hanging around the edges like that? It's like they're nervous of coming closer." She asked, frowning. Any hungry land predator would've struck by now. There was no way that anyone would wait like that for so long when they could already be eating.
Kaiyou glanced around them. "It's probably because the Lanturn are here. They're partially Electric-types, and Gyarados are particularly weak to that. I have a hunch that these are the Lanturn's breeding grounds, where they raise their Chinchou. The Octillery probably do the same, using the Lanturn as protection against the Gyarados. The coral would offer a place to hide for young of both species. But I don't think that there's enough food here to sustain the adults and young at the same time, so the Lanturn and Octillery probably leave at regular intervals to find food..."
Zori nodded, understanding where this was leading. "And so the Gyarados wait until after the adults have left before striking the reef to get themselves a decent meal." She finished. The charcoal and silver Eevee looked around at the busy reef. "If the Gyarados are waiting, then it won't be long before the Lanturn and Octillery leave for food, then. The young will be left to fend for themselves, and the Gyarados will come in. We can't still be hanging around when that happens, then." Zori noted, watching Luna pull the Elekid away from a particularly curious Chinchou. The pair of young Electric-types were shooting sparks at each other.
Luna held a slightly squirmy Elekid in her arms, frowning as she noticed that some of the Lanturn has disappeared. Those that remained were on their way out, and the Octillery was already gone. She swallowed. "Zori; what's going on?" She called out nervously.
Zori flattened her ears, and rushed over to the pair, motioning for the Elekid to stop squirming. Kai followed Zori in close. "That's our cue to leave, Luna." He told the Cubone seriously.
The Ground-type and their client seemed confused, but followed them none-the-less as Zori and Kai tried to lead them out of the reefs. They stretched on for quite a while. It was very pretty, but the disappearance of the Lanturn and Octillery caused an unusual, eerie silence to fall over the reef. Even the normally playful baby Chinchou seemed uncomfortable.
A loud crashing noise somewhere behind them made Zori turn, her ears flat. A massive Gyarados was snapping up some of the Chinchou. It was feeding time. "RUN!" She yelled.
Kai put on a burst of speed, and Luna grabbed onto the Elekid, following the suit. Zori grabbed onto the Elekid's other arm, swimming as fast as she could to help. The child kicked it's legs. The group of three managed to keep up with Kai, who was well-accustomed to swimming. It was easy for him.
The noise was incredible. The pair of hunting Gyarados were not quiet about taking their meal. Nor did they have to be. The young Chinchou were not a challenge, despite their type advantage over the much larger predators.
Just as the trio reached the edge of the reefs, an enormous shadow loomed over them. Bigger than the Gyarados. Bigger than anything any of them had ever seen. A Wailord. Zori's eyes widened, her ears folding flat against her head in awe. The mammoth Pokemon ducked it's head down, it's huge jaws opening wide. It swallowed a group of Chinchou and Remoraid in one gulp. Another Wailord did something similar, although this one took a Gyarados with it.
Kaiyou hurriedly ushered the group away from the reefs. The pod of feeding Wailord were incredibly dangerous. Docile as they were, it would be deadly to hang around here any longer. Even the most soft-hearted creature had to eat.
They didn't stop running until the Wailord pod was out of sight. They were all breathing hard. No one could really say anything about what they'd just escaped from. The reef ha been beautiful, but it was also much more dangerous than they'd originally thought.
"You weren't kidding... when you told us that Wailord were big, Kaiyou..."
The shiny 'kip nodded in response. "Wailord. The biggest thing in the ocean. Also the one with the biggest mouth." He noted with a grin.
No one could argue with that statement. Especially not Elekid. He was shaking, but he looked extremely excited. "THAT WAS AWESOME! I knew they'd be big; but that was just insane! They were just like fwoosh! Did you see the way they snapped up that Gyarados?! It was like they didn't even notice it!" The Elekid's chatter went on like that for several minutes while the others caught their breath some more.
The little Electric-type continued on further, even after they'd picked up where they'd left off, and headed deeper into the sea.
Floor 31
Far off from the deep-water corals, and even farther from the shoreline, Kaiyou, Zori, Luna, and the Elekid walked along the base of the Swirling Sea. Their mission was nearly over, but they didn't let their guard down too low. There were many things in the sea, and they weren't eager to come face to face with something more dangerous than what they'd already encountered.
The water this deep was icy. The pressure was incredible, weighing down their steps as if they walked with lead strapped to their backs. It was strange. Like they walked into another world.
A slow, deep singing attracted the attention of everyone in the group. They'd heard it before; closer to the surface. But now it was much, much louder. And all the more haunting.
In total silence, the group progressed closer to the sound, silenced by the awe-inspiring voice. It was something big. Not as big as a Wailord, but it probably still dwarfed a Gyarados.
Out of the deep, a faint, ruby-toned glow was visible from the very bottom of the sea. It shone more spectacularly than Zori's pendant by far.
Glowing tribal markings covered the body of what appeared to be some kind of Pokemon. The noise it made was enough to inspire curiousity, but no one got closer. Whatever it was, it was sleeping, and waking it up was a poor idea at best.
And so they stayed there, watching and waiting. It wasn't long before the silence was broken again.
Zori coughed, her lungs aching. After a few moments, a smooth, shiny bead popped out of her mouth, and the little Eevee held her throat with her paws, holding her breath.
Luna could feel her own lungs beginning to tire as well. It was definitely time to leave.
The Cubone grabbed the Elekid and Zori in her arms, and Kai pulled out their team badge. The metal symbol flashed, and all four Pokemon disappeared from the bottom of the sea.
The Guild
The soaking-wet trio from Team Stormcloud dropped down onto dry ground, following by their client; Elekid.
Zori coughed, taking in deep lungfuls of fresh air. She held a now useless shiny bead in her paws. Luna coughed up hers moments later. They were glad to not have coughed them up sooner. It would've been incredibly bad to run out of air before the mission's end.
Kai simply shook his little body, not bothered by the transition from breathing air to breathing water. He hadn't even needed a bead. He could breathe water just fine.
And so ended Team Stormcloud's adventure in the depths of Swirling Sea.
Chaos Divide
Once back in the safe, dry guild, the Elekid attempted to wipe some of the water from his fur before addressing the team.
"Well, life threatening danger and waterlogging aside, that was pretty fun!"
He extended a small bag towards Zori with a grin.
"So fun in fact, that as well as your bonus 2000PD and Thunderstone I was wondering if you'd let me join your team as well!"
As he spoke a small cluster of Pokemon gathered at the guild entrance. A cackling Feebas, a blissfully floating Chinchou and a scary-looking Sharpedo.
Each wanted to join the team.
[Take one recruit as well as the Elekid if you wish~]
"Well, life threatening danger and waterlogging aside, that was pretty fun!"
He extended a small bag towards Zori with a grin.
"So fun in fact, that as well as your bonus 2000PD and Thunderstone I was wondering if you'd let me join your team as well!"
As he spoke a small cluster of Pokemon gathered at the guild entrance. A cackling Feebas, a blissfully floating Chinchou and a scary-looking Sharpedo.
Each wanted to join the team.
[Take one recruit as well as the Elekid if you wish~]
Zori & Kai & Luna
Zori shook her head politely at the Elekid as a no thanks, and motioned for the Chinchou to come over to them.
It bobbed in the air and floated over, shooting off little static sparks with joy.
Luna accepted their team's reward graciously, looking delighted. The Thunderstone was the one part of the reward that she hadn't told Zori about; she'd be so surprised!
The Cubone gave the Elekid a one-armed hug before Team Stormcloud left with their new Chinchou friend, ready for a decent night's sleep.
