Chapter Six - Blood and Water (Part 1)
Merry piled up a plate with berries and sweet breads, her tongue poking out as her appetite rivalled that of a half-starved snorlax. She was about to push the plate of bread back when green claws gripped it and dragged it aside.
“Oh!” She turned to smile at her friend. “Good morning, Fl…”
Flynn’s face was an odd yellow, and his pointy snout seemed somehow droopy. Dark rings circled his bloodshot eyes, and he turned to look up as she spoke. He started slightly when he spotted her.
“Merry?”
Merry’s mouth pulled down in a frown. “Are you all right?”
The snivy grunted and sat heavily on his stool. He turned the sweet bread in his claws, barely seeing it.
Kiki looked up from her plate and licked berry sauce off her nose. “Seriously, Flynn? What happened in that orchard?”
“Did something happen in the orchard?” Merry asked.
“Nothing happened in the orchard.” A pair of yellow paws appeared on her other side, and she met Rolly’s grinning face. He looked past her at the snivy. “Did it, Flynn? We were awesome. We got the berries. So much fun!”
His tiny tail was a blur behind him. He grabbed one of the sweet breads and plopped himself down beside Merry.
Peg looked between the pale snivy and the hyperactive corgi. “Then why does he look like he’s been dragged backwards through Swampy Swamps?”
Merry almost dropped her breakfast. “There’s a dungeon called Swampy Swamps?”
The teddiursa stared at her intensely, her paw back in her mouth. Merry diverted her gaze back to her plate. One of her berries was missing. She glanced at Rolly who was happily chewing the remains of a pecha berry.
Merry cleared her throat. “Rolly… have you ever been bitten by a hungry oshawott?”
The yamper's jovial smile fell, and Flynn stiffened beside her. Kiki and Peg’s eyes were on them, wandering from one to the next.
Rolly looked up at Merry and shrugged. “Pechas are my favourites, and there were none left.”
“Really?” Merry brushed back the fur between her ears. “If you’d asked, I would have given it to you? You don’t need to be so grabby.”
Flynn let out a hiss akin to a boiling teapot.
Rolly stared up at her for a moment longer, then his tongue lolled out in a happy pant. “Oh! A thousand pardons. I shall strive to be more considerate next time.”
He left his seat and waddled off to join Mocha and Scout.
Flynn turned his head slowly, and narrowed his eyes at Merry. “Do you have a death wish?”
“What?” Merry waved a paw at her plate. “Come on, Flynn. For the past twenty-four hours, I’ve eaten nothing but oran soup, oran and sitrus salad, and drank sitrus juice. I’m hungry right now.” Flynn’s expression didn’t change. “And why… why do you look so terrified?”
“That dog is insane,” Flynn hissed. He cast a quick glance to the far end of the table perchance Rolly had heard him. But he was too busy nattering to Mocha while Scout pilfered berries from her plate. “He’s also a terrible example to children.”
“How is he insane?” Merry asked.
“He showed up in my room last night and screamed at me.” Flynn lowered his head into his paws. “All because I scolded him for biting a tree that turned out to be a trevenant and almost got us all killed!”
“Why would he bite a tree?” Peg asked quietly.
“He thought there were berries hidden inside it.” Flynn rubbed the rings under his eyes with his claws. “But that’s not all. He ran off ahead of us, leaving me and Mushu to follow behind and mop up the mess, taking out angry pokemon on our own. He even bailed to grab the berries while Mushu and I tried to fend off a trevenant army.”
“Seriously?” Kiki’s muzzle crinkled. “That’s not on. You had every right to scold him for that. You’re meant to be training him. Correction is what he needs in that scenario.”
“Exactly!”
“If you ask me,” said Merry, “he either doesn’t take criticism very well, or you’re a terrible teacher.”
Flynn frowned. “Thanks, Merry.”
“You’re welcome.” She took a sip of her cheri juice.
“Either way,” said Kiki. “That’s not a valid reason to waltz into someone’s room and scream at them. What did he say, exactly?”
Flynn cast another glance across the table. Rolly had moved again, on the opposite side but closer to their group. He was chatting to the growlithe guard, but his ear was pricked and trained on them.
“I think I’d rather continue this after breakfast,” said Flynn.
The three girls took his message and nodded, returning to their meals. Kiki subtly changed the conversation, relaying all the useful crafting items she’d uncovered in the Vibrant Orchard. Colourful vines, beautiful flowers, tufts of cotton she’d woven into fabric…
It did little to lift Flynn’s spirits. He poked at his untouched breakfast with a claw, but he skewered it as the dining room door flew open.
Lance raced inside, staggering on three legs. His crimson eyes were frantic, and his fur stood out at odd angles, damp and soiled with dirt and algae.
The room fell silent save for the absol’s laboured panting. Pika rose in his seat, his black eyes trained on Lance.
“It’s Showa!” Lance gasped out. “He-”
The absol’s eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the floor.
Gasps of surprise and screams echoed around the room, and the pokemon leapt to their feet to flock towards the fallen absol. Pika scrambled onto the table, tapping his glass with a spoon. The ring sliced through the commotion, bringing the pokemon to a reluctant silence.
“Step away!” said the pikachu. “Give him some space! He needs medical attention, not a crowd. Gil, if you would go and alert Rose? And bring a stretcher. With haste, please.”
The riolu stood and dashed from the dining room.
Pika ventured closer to Lance. “Unfortunately, a psychic type’s levitation would be useless here. And I’m a little worried about that leg.”
Lance’s rear left leg had been tucked beneath him, but now lay at a more natural angle. A deep red gash marred his thigh, but the surrounding flesh was an unsightly purple.
Rose wasn’t long at all. She followed behind Gil, carrying a stretcher between them, and spotted Lance immediately.
“What do you think, Rose?” Pika asked. “Poison?”
“Definitely.” Rose aided Pika and Gil in getting Lance onto the stretcher. “And I’m low on pecha berries.”
“I’m afraid there’s none left in my larder,” said Rexi.
Merry’s claws twitched by her plate, and she cast a glance to Rolly. The yamper was watching everything unfold with a curious air.
“I’ll do what I can,” said Rose. “But more would be appreciated.”
Pika looked up at the table, his eyes wandering to Merry and Flynn. Kiki poked her head between them and waved, drawing Pika’s attention.
“Peg and I can go into the orchard to fetch some,” she said. “The Explorers of Stuff and Things could use a rest, and I was actually thinking of a trip to gather more vines.”
“Your vines may have to wait,” said Pika. “We need those berries quite urgently.”
“Then I’ll go twice!” Kiki shrugged. “Gil?”
“I want to know what’s happened to Showa,” he said. “If Lance is like this, then…”
The riolu trailed off and hoisted the stretcher with Rose. The pair scooted through the doors, held open by Mocha and Scout. Pika followed after them silently. The pokemon watched them go, then slowly began to mutter among themselves.
“What do you think could have happened?” Merry ventured.
Kiki shook her head, her ears flopping around. “I’ve no idea.”
Peg slipped from her seat and nudged the eevee with her free paw. “We should go. He needs those berries.”
“Oh, of course!” Kiki hopped down and followed Peg to the door, pausing to look back at Merry and Flynn. “Get some rest, okay? We’ll see you when we get back.”
Flynn clambered from his stool and grabbed an oran berry. “Not a bad idea, actually.”
Merry, her appetite well and truly squandered, followed after the snivy. “You’re not going to finish telling me what happened last night?”
“I’d rather get some sleep,” he said. “Chances are we’ll be the ones they send out on a Showa Search Party.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Flynn paused by the stairs and shrugged. “Law of the game, right?”
Merry blinked, then watched him climb the stairs. He had a point.
...
After the morning’s excitement, the rest of the day was fairly quiet. The other pokemon grouped into their teams to head off and fulfil errands or explore dungeons. Without Flynn, Merry was apprehensive to go, or to team up with someone she didn’t really know. After weighing up whether she’d rather assist Mocha and Daisy with the daycare, or help Rexi in the kitchen, she opted for the latter. Much to her surprise.
The tyranitar moseyed back and forth, cleaning up pans and laying out ideas for lunch, all while nattering as if he’d known Merry his entire life. After a while, she became less wary of his large feet, confident he could step around her with all the grace of an ice dancer.
“You really should visit Lilypad Lake,” he said. “It’s gorgeous in the summer, with the flowers in bloom and the cutiefly buzzing about!”
Merry gave him a warm smile from her spot on the counter as she hung up one of the larger pans. “It does sound lovely. You’re so fortunate to have grown up there.”
“I was!” A small frown appeared on his large face for a fleeting moment, but it was soon replaced by one of his friendly grins. “Where did you grow up?”
Merry opened her mouth to answer, as the default formed, but she snapped it shut again. She couldn’t very well tell him she grew up in a busy capital city. Rexi’s world probably didn’t even have cities.
She cleared her throat and straightened the pan on its hook. “It was very busy. Far away from here.”
“I might have heard of it?”
She shook her head. “I doubt you have. It was… very far away.”
“Oh. Well.” Rexi tapped his chin with a claw. “I can think of some busy places. Hamjam Town?”
Merry shook her head.
“Reuniclus Warren? Shoal Village?”
Merry shook her head again.
Rexi was about to continue when Pika strolled in, his face the very picture of concern.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Rexi,” he said. “I’m afraid I need to borrow Merry for a moment.”
“Oh! Go ahead.” Rexi stepped back and raised his tail to help Merry off the counter.
She could already guess what it was about. Flynn’s words echoed around in her head. ‘The law of the game, right?’ If they really had been sucked into a game, then it was only natural.
She followed the pikachu from the dining hall and through the relaxation room, drawing curious eyes from the young pokemon. Flynn waited by Pika’s office door, yawning widely.
“You look more rested,” said Merry.
“Thanks.” Flynn licked his lips and stretched. “Managed to grab a couple of hours.”
Pika unlocked his door and led the two friends inside. He closed it again behind them, muffling the sounds of excited hatchlings.
“I think I’ve got as much information as I can out of Lance.” He climbed into his chair and swivelled it to face them. “Now, I regret to say, I have quite the request of your team.”
Merry didn’t know what to say. Her mind was a reeling room of cogs and clockwork as she tried to process the pikachu’s words. Flynn’s expression told her that not only was he thinking ‘called it’ his mind was in very much the same state.
“Lance and Showa…” Pika paused to sigh. “They went to a place called Clamperl Cavern. Usually there’s nothing out of the ordinary there. They were looking for pearls to sell in order to buy supplies. What, Lance couldn’t say. He’d passed out again by the time he’d finished briefing me on all this. But things took a nasty turn in that dungeon. Something appeared, but Lance didn’t see it. All he remembers was laughter, then something attacking them. Something fast, that managed to move both on and off land. Showa was dragged into the water out of sight, but by what, Lance didn’t see. Lance tried to find him. But when his vision blurred, he knew he’d been poisoned. He had no choice but to run and get help.” Pika lifted his paws in a weak shrug. “None of us have any idea if Showa is even still with us. But from the sounds of it…”
Merry’s heart sank and she flopped backwards into the wall, almost dislodging a small book shelf.
“I don’t want to lose hope,” Pika went on. “So I’m asking if your team, with the help of Gil, will go and search for him.”
“Gil?” Merry looked around the room as if the riolu were about to leap from behind one of the many book cases.
“He’s already gone to recruit Mushu,” Pika explained. “I briefed him on this before I went to find you.”
“One question, Pika,” said Flynn. “Why us? We’re not exactly an experienced team. Surely one of the others-”
“You’re the right fit,” said Pika. “You’ve showed amazing promise. You faced a druddigon and survived. And out of all the other teams, you four fit the criteria for Clamperl Cavern. A water type who can cover the more flooded terrain, grass and electric types to counter the water pokemon that live there, and a fantastic swimmer in Gil.”
“All right.” Flynn hugged his arms around himself, matching Merry’s pose perfectly.
“What will we be facing?” Merry asked. “Any idea what might have poisoned him?”
“My first thoughts were quilfish.” Pika scratched behind his ears. “But Rose’s pecha concoction isn’t fighting it off very well, so my suspicions are something that wouldn’t naturally inhabit the cavern. It’s also not the right time for quilfish. They get washed in during high tide, but they don’t stick around unless it’s unusually choppy outside.”
“Toxapex?” Flynn offered.
Pika shrugged. “It’s possible. They live further away, but I am expecting something that doesn’t belong there. What worries me is the laughter Lance heard, but that could have been down to poison-induced hallucinations. Something that both quilfish and toxapex poison is notorious for. But… it’s not alone there.”
“Wouldn’t a psychic type be more helpful?” Flynn asked. “Or something that resists poison. Like a steelix!”
“Or a zangoose,” Merry offered.
Pika stared at them for a moment, then spread his paws. “I’m sending you.”
Flynn cast a sideways glance at Merry. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen a single psychic type in this guild.”
The door opened and Gil appeared, pushing Mushu in ahead of him. The small emolga practically bristled, his cheeks sparking.
“Oh dear,” said Flynn. “Someone’s been woken up from his nap!”
The snivy’s body stiffened as a surge of electricity ran through his body.
Pika stood up in his seat and clapped his paws. “Enough of that, please. I need you all in fighting shape.”
Gil picked Mushu up by his scruff and set him on his other side, away from Flynn. “I’ve already briefed him during the walk back here. He knows what’s going on. So… we’re ready when you are.”
Pika nodded and sat back down. “Then please, make haste. If Showa is still alive, then time is of the essence. Stop by the shop to stock up on supplies to make sure you are well prepared for whatever may be lurking.”
“I already stopped there on my way to get Mushu,” said Gil. “We’re fine.”
Merry blinked with surprise. “Shop? What shop?”
Pika inclined his head on one side. “You’ve never been to the shop?”
“We don’t have money…” Merry explained. “So I guessed-”
“Kiki did say something about being paid once, for missions,” said Flynn. “But with all the recent excitement I totally forgot about that.”
“Oh dear.” Pika rubbed a paw over his face. “This is quite the pickle. I must have overlooked this. Gil, please show them to their pidgey hole.”
The riolu ushered them out of Pika’s office, but instead of heading across the room he turned a sharp right. Beside the billboard advertising jobs was a large door. He opened it, revealing row upon row of tiny drawers, each baring the names of the various teams.
“Yowzers,” said Flynn.
Merry found theirs immediately and pulled it open. Three small bags of coins were nestled inside, along with a selection of travelling items from orbs to scarves.
“The Guild takes most of your earnings,” said Gil. “Otherwise it would crumble.”
Merry was barely listening. She bundled everything into Flynn’s bag.
“Wow. Even if you hadn’t saved us the trip to the shop, we wouldn’t need to,” she said. “We’ve got enough here, even two extra pecha scarves.”
Mushu took one off Merry before she could tuck it away, and licked it. His eyes widened with delight and he licked his lips. Then he stuffed the scarf into his mouth. Merry stooped to prize it free.
“They’ll be quest rewards,” said Gil. “Give them to Flynn and Mushu. I already have one.”
Flynn wagged a claw at Mushu. “Give it him. No one’s gonna want to wear that now.”
Mushu flailed his arms to try and grab it back off Merry.
“You can’t eat it,” Merry told him.
“But it tastes nice!” he protested.
“It’s for wearing,” she said. “It’s supposed to reduce your risk of being poisoned, and given the quest we’re going on, it’s necessary. Fasten it around your neck.”
Mushu muttered under his breath as he obediently tied the scarf around his fluffy neck.
“Now let’s hurry,” she said. “Showa needs us.”
...
WonderMap warping made things a breeze. The group stood on the sandy coast of the sea, staring at the gaping mouth of a cave. The tide was coming in, lapping water over their feet, and making reaching the cave a potentially soggy experience.
Gil took off ahead of them, splashing through the water. It barely came up to his knees. Flynn let out a sigh of relief and trotted after him, while Merry and Mushu closed up the rear. As they drew closer, the water ebbed back towards them, soaking Merry up to the waist. Then it ebbed back out again just as she reached the cave mouth.
“Are we all here?” Gil asked.
“Yup,” said Merry as she flicked water off her scalchop.
Mushu plopped down beside her on all fours and shook out his soggy coat.
They stood ankle deep in the salty surf as they looked around at Clamperl Cavern. The path inside the cave sloped upwards slightly, away from the water, and the walls along it were decorated with shells of all the colours of the rainbow. Luminous algae clung to the ceiling, providing enough light to see by.
“It’s gorgeous,” said Merry. “If we weren’t on an urgent quest, I’d want a good look around.”
Mushu shuffled through the shallows to admire the shells, trailing his paw over them.
“We should make haste before the tide comes in,” said Gil. “Otherwise most of the paths in this place will be water.”
Flynn clicked his tongue. “Any chance we can build a little raft?”
Gil stared at him, his eyes narrowed.
“No?” Flynn shrugged and turned back to the tunnel. “Okay then.”
Gil went on ahead, and Merry and Flynn waded after him. Merry paused to look back at the emolga, still admiring the shells.
“Come on, Mushu,” she said.
He looked up at her with a puzzled expression, then turned back to the red and yellow shell that had caught his interest. He shook his ears and scampered after them on all fours, splashing through the frothy water.
“It’s oddly quiet,” said Merry. “With a name like Clamperl Caverns, I was expecting it to be… well… full of clamperl.”
“It usually is,” said Gil. “Their absence is only solidifying Pika’s fears that something isn’t right in here.”
Flynn sucked in a breath, creating a startled and drawn-out wheeze. His friends froze and turned their heads back towards him.
“Something brushed up against my leg,” he squeaked.
Gil looked past him at the water, and the small fin of a fish pokemon poked through the shallows, moving away from them.
“It’s a barboach,” he said, turning back to Flynn. “You’re not scared of a barboach, are you?”
“What, with these things?” Flynn waved his vines, but he looked far from relaxed. “Nah! I just don’t want some slimy eel-thing rubbing up against my legs.”
“Then keep walking,” said Gil. “Otherwise the tide will catch up with us.”
The water was soon behind them, and the path levelled out into a wide room. More shells decorated the walls, and rocks lay strewn about covered with the glowing algae. The light reflected off the wet backs of small, round pokemon as they flopped about the place. A high pitched buzzing noise accompanied them, growing in intensity as their tiny black eyes fixed on The Explorers of Stuff and Things.
“No…” Merry squeaked. “Not tympole…”
One of the small tadpole pokemon raised up onto its tail and buzzed loudly. They formed a mob and rushed towards Merry and her friends. The oshawott froze with her paw by her scalchop.
Flynn cut in front of her and lashed out with his vines, sending two soaring back from them one after the other.
“What’s your beef with tympole?” he scoffed.
“It’s the faces!” Merry wailed. “They have creepy faces!”
One popped up beside her and she squealed, clobbering it on the head with her scalchop. It fell away from her, flailing on the ground as a red bump rose up between its vibrating warts.
The room lit up with electricity, and the vibrating came to a sudden stop. Mushu stood amid the fallen, sparking tympole and puffed out his chest.
“Mushu owns you all!” he bellowed.
“Huh.” Flynn folded his arms and nodded, impressed. “Pika was right to bring him along. Bet he couldn’t have taken that barboach, though.”
Merry smoothed out her fur as she tried to calm her racing heart. She turned to Gil. “I thought you said the pokemon were leaving this place?”
“Clearly not all of them have,” he said.
He turned to the one still-conscious tympole. It had righted itself, grimacing as it tried to nurse the bump on its head. He picked it up, and it let out a buzz of alarm.
“Do you know what’s going on in here?” Gil asked. “Because someth-” His words cut off as his face was engulfed with water.
The tympole wriggled out of his grip, and flopped away down the tunnel towards the rising tide.
“Well, that was rude,” said Flynn.
“We did encroach on their territory,” said Merry.
Flynn scoffed at her. “You’re defending the creepy-faced pokemon now?”
Gil flicked water from his muzzle and turned his back on the retreating tympole. “Come on. Maybe we’ll find some clues further in.”
Mushu had grown distracted by the shells again, turning his head left and right at his reflection in the glossy surface. Merry nudged him as she passed, and he reluctantly followed behind her.
The next tunnel ended in a small room that forked off at three other angles. But a flight of stairs stood to their right. The four explorers eyed it for a moment, weighing the odds.
“Did Lance say how deep into the cavern they got?” Merry asked.
Gil shook his head slowly.
Flynn sighed and hugged himself. “That would be really useful right about now.”
“My guess,” said Gil slowly, “is that he and Showa got pretty deep before they ran into trouble. Otherwise, Lance might have escaped much faster than he did.”
“Didn’t he have an escape orb?” Merry asked.
“Showa carries the bag,” said Gil. “That vanished when he did. Lance had to scour the dungeon looking for an escape orb or the nearest exit. Which, he didn’t say before he fainted again.”
“Then let’s take the stairs,” said Merry.
Mushu hopped up them first, sending Merry’s heart into her chest. She followed close behind, appearing in a large room decorated the same as the first floor. Shell after shell covered the walls, which Mushu was standing on tiptoes to examine.
Gil’s nose twitched and he clasped a paw to it. “What on earth is that smell?”
Flynn sniffed then, and coughed. “Oh yeah. What on earth is that?”
“Fish?” Merry suggested, sniffing the air. “Old fish.”
“There’s writin’ here,” said Mushu. “Paw prints.”
The other three turned to look at the emolga. He paced back and forth, wobbling on his hind legs to see further up the wall.
“Mushu saw it downstairs too, but there’s more of it here,” he went on.
“Writing?” Merry asked.
Gil pushed her aside as he dashed towards Mushu. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Mushu frowned up at the riolu who was now examining the wall. “Mushu thought it was graffiti.”
“Graffiti could still be clues.” Merry joined Gil’s side for a closer look. “If someone is lurking around here-”
“Pokemon can just be jerks,” said Mushu. “Could have been some fish decided to scrawl ‘Pika sucks’ everywhere.”
Merry blinked at him. “That’s what it said?”
Gil nudged her, drawing her attention to an almost indecipherable scrawl. She had to squint and tilt her head left and right before she made it out.
‘
I’ll win, Pika’
‘Ur a frawd’
‘
I know what chu r’
Gil sniffed at it and recoiled, his muzzle creasing with disgust. “It’s written in blood!”
“What?!” Merry took two steps back, her heart pounding.
Flynn took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his head. “Well this thing just got a whole lot more personal.”
“Yeah, to Pika,” said Merry. “Who on earth would-”
Now she’d seen it, the text stood out from the walls. Every shell was covered with it. An elaborate threat, made all the more sinister by its chosen medium.
‘
I’ll find chu’
‘
I’ll get chu’
‘
I’ll make chu pay’
Each sentence repeated over and over, the reddish-brown blood trickling and trailing from one word to the next.
“Why couldn’t they just write it in crayon?” Flynn whimpered.
Faint laughter echoed around the room, child-like and eerie, and for a fleeting moment Merry thought it was all in her head. Her three friends stiffened, ears pricked, as they looked left and right to try and spot it. Then it faded out, leaving behind an unsettling air.
Merry’s fur bristled. The room suddenly felt a lot colder.
“Okay,” she said quickly. “Let’s find Showa and get out of here.”
Flynn shuddered and rubbed his arms with both paws. “I couldn’t agree more.”
...
The tide was rising faster than they could walk. Pretty soon, they found themselves wading waist deep though the second floor of the dungeon. Mushu clung to Gil’s back, his damp fur sticking out at odd angles.
“Where on earth are those stairs?” Flynn muttered more to himself than to his friends.
“I don’t know,” said Gil. “But if we don’t find them soon enough, they’ll be lost under this water.”
“Yeah, and so will we.” Flynn shuddered. “Although Merry might be alright…”
Merry glanced left and right as they reached a fork in the tunnel. “I might be a water type, but I need to breathe as much as the rest of you.”
Flynn pointed a claw. “I think there might be another room that way. But it’s hard to say… is that fog?”
A faint pink mist clung to the surface of the water, obscuring the end of the tunnel.
“Oh great,” grunted Gil. “Dungeon mist.”
Flynn blinked and looked back at the riolu. “Dungeon what-now?”
“Mist.” Gil ushered them on towards it. “It used to be a common phenomenon when dungeons were a whole lot more dangerous, but it vanished years ago. Occurrences now are seriously rare. Lance never mentioned anything about it…”
“Wait… hold on.” Flynn turned towards him and raised his hands. “Are you telling me that this mist means there’s something dangerous lurking in this dungeon?! Like… like sharpedo, or carvanha, or… or… lugia?”
“Lugia?” Gil spat. “Pull yourself together and get a move on! We knew this dungeon was dangerous before we entered it!”
Flynn snorted and turned one-eighty back towards the encroaching mist. “I think you know a whole lot more than you’re letting on.”
“I haven’t a clue what’s happened to Showa, or what is causing that mist,” said Gil. “I’m as much in the know as you are.”
“Mushu can see a shadow ahead.” The emolga’s paw slipped as he clambered over Gil’s head to get a better view, clamping down over Gil’s right eye.
The riolu hissed and nudged Mushu back onto his shoulder.
Ahead of them, a lithe shape arced and twisted through the water. Flynn let out an audible gulp.
“Whatever it is, it looks like the tunnel ends in a large room beyond it,” said Merry. “Vine whip and thunderbolt at the ready. We’re going to try and get past that pokemon.”
They waded forwards towards the coiling shape. Flynn muttered under his breath ‘please don’t be a gyarados’ over and over. Whatever it was, it noticed them, turning its head in their direction and vanishing under the surface with a soft splash. Mushu’s cheeks sparked, sending small jolts of electricity over the damp walls and into the water.
The Explorers froze, eyes trained on the rising water. The creature’s long shadow appeared just beneath the surface, and it leapt out in a spray of foam. A long pink and cream body decorated with blue scales reared up before them, and fixed large crimson eyes on them.
“A milotic?!” Flynn squeaked.
They didn’t have much time to process it. The milotic opened its mouth and fired out a powerful jet of water, striking Flynn in the snout. He careened back down the tunnel before vanishing under the surf.
“Go get him!” Gil barked at Merry.
The riolu grabbed a sparking Mushu from his shoulder and swung him towards the milotic. Mushu struck the sea serpent in an explosion of sparks. The milotic let out a howl that was almost musical and mesmerising. Merry vanished under the water, dulling the milotic’s song. Just ahead of her, Flynn flailed as he struggled to reach the surface.
She grabbed the snivy and lugged him back up to the surface. He gasped, spluttering out water in exchange for gulping down air.
He wiped his eyes and nodded towards the milotic. “Think we can take it?”
Mushu was scrambling along its body, jolting it with electricity. Each one caused it to wail and it thrashed, swiping out with its tail. Gil was readying a thunder punch, but it fizzled out as the milotic’s long tail crashed into his chest. Before he could fall beneath the water, the sea serpent sent a beam of ice from its mouth, freezing Gil and the water surrounding him solid.
Merry nodded and nudged Flynn forwards. “You might wanna leap in there with a leaf tornado.”
“You kidding me?” Flynn squeaked. “One ice beam and I’m reduced to a mint sorbet!”
“And if we keep dallying, we’re all going to be drowned in this dungeon! We need to get past it, now go!”
Flynn gave a stiff nod and turned towards the milotic. It thrashed and flailed in a desperate bid to dislodge the irritating emolga. It was all the opening Flynn needed. He rushed forwards through the water… slowly.
Merry sighed and dragged her paw down her face. “We’re gonna die, aren’t we?”
Flynn shot her a glare over his shoulder then muttered something under his breath. He fanned his tail, propelling himself forwards. A grin spread across his muzzle, and he sped towards the milotic.
It noticed him, cracking one eye open. Glowing blue light emanated from its mouth.
Flynn swung his tail, shooting out of the water like a torpedo. The ice beam narrowly missed him, glazing over the surface of the water. Flynn twirled his tail again, spinning himself around in a flurry of leaves and debris. It struck the milotic, engulfing it until it was obscured from view. It let out an eerie cry and smashed its tail hard against the water, sending up a small tidal wave. It washed over Flynn, dragging him back down out of his attack.
Mushu had managed to leap free before Flynn’s attack struck home. The emolga landed on the ice, skidding along it on his claws. He twisted to face the sea serpent, cheeks sparking. As Flynn landed hard on his back beside him, Mushu let go of a thunderbolt. The milotic lit up yellow and screamed.
“Yeah! Take that you rotten snake!” Mushu shrieked.
The milotic, still sparking, sank back beneath the water.
Flynn sat up, rubbing his head. “Yikes, is this ice cold.”
Merry trotted towards him, her footing unsteady on the ice. She paused beside Gil, still frozen with his mouth wide open in a scream. She reached into Flynn’s bag and pulled out a small seed.
“What’s that?” Flynn asked.
Merry didn’t say anything. She popped the seed into her mouth, bit it, and it filled up with a hot spicy fire. An involuntary yelp left her mouth, and flames exploded around the ice. It melted away, and Gil landed on his bottom… then vanished beneath the water. He scrambled back out, gasping.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
With the milotic gone, they could finally enter the next room. The water was now up to their necks, and Mushu in a bid to stay dry perched on Gil’s head as much as the riolu would allow.
The room looked empty, and was void of any pokemon. No tunnels forked off from it, it was a dead end.
Flynn let out a bitter sigh. “No stairs.”
“No… don’t be so hasty.” Merry tapped her scalchop as she looked around. “There might be-”
She cut off as she ducked under the water.
Flynn let out a squeak and struck the surf with his tail. “Merry? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine!” She poked her head back out and grinned. “Just there in that left corner! Stairs!”
With collective sighs of relief, the pokemon rushed towards the far corner. As they clambered the stairs, that child-like laughter echoed through the dungeon.
They arrived on dry ground in a room covered with more shells and threatening graffiti. Merry’s heart froze. It was the same sentence, written over and over.
‘
Wat is yellow and sparky and red all over?’
Flynn’s gulp echoed around the empty room.
A disembodied voice cut through the air, child-like. Singing. It echoed off the walls.
“
Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream… Frantically, desperately, gloriously, beautifully… I will make you scream!”
Laughter, fading out into nothing.
Then there was gurgling.
The group turned to look behind them. Water trickled from between the shells, the force of it causing them to crack and shatter. Then it burst forth like a ruptured dam. The Explorers turned to run, but the water caught them, sweeping them through the room and out into the corridors.
Gil grabbed hold of one of the walls and reached out, grabbing Flynn by his flailing vines. But Merry was washed away, stubby paws waving as she desperately tried to remain above the water.
“Merry!” Flynn roared.
Gil tugged at the vines until he managed to grab the snivy’s paw. “Grab that ledge!”
He had to repeat it three times before it finally registered in Flynn’s head. He shook himself back to reality and spotted the ledge Gil was nodding at. The riolu’s claws dug into the soft wall while Mushu clung to his back for dear life. Flynn reached up with his vines and dragged himself up onto the ledge. It opened out into a narrow and low tunnel.
He wrapped his vines around Gil’s waist, fastening Mushu to his back, and hoisted them both to safety. Gil crouched on all-fours, trying to catch his breath.
Mushu dropped down beside him and poked his head back out of the tunnel. His ears drooped slightly, and not a single spark left his cheeks.
“Merry,” Flynn gasped. “We need to-”
“We will.” Gil stood up as much as the tunnel would allow. “These ventilation tunnels should keep us above the water for a good while. We’ll follow them round and see if we can find a wider area. Then you’re going to check if you have a roll-call orb.”
Flynn turned his head towards the riolu. “A what?”
Gil gave him a blank stare. “A roll-call orb. It calls the entire party back together.”
“Seriously? Then why haven’t we used one to find Showa?”
“Because he’s not in our registered party. He’s our mission target.” Gil nudged Mushu with his foot, drawing the emolga back to them. “Come on. When we’ve got more space, we can safely use it.”
“There’s no time for that!” Mushu exploded. “Forget your orb! Mushu will go find her!”
“If you jump in there, you’ll be washed away too,” said Gil.
Mushu’s fur bristled, and he turned to silently stare at the rapids raging below. “Mushu won’t lose someone else because of dumb, stupid water!”
He braced himself to leap into the rapids. Flynn stretched out a paw and grabbed him by the scruff, dragging him back from the edge.
“Let go of Mushu!” The emolga’s cheek’s sparked, sending jolt after jolt up Flynn’s arm. “Mushu will rescue her! Mushu will not let-”
“Mushu!” The snivy let go out of instinct and clasped his arm to his chest.
The emolga bared his sharp teeth and dropped to all-fours. Gil cut behind him, barring his path to the water.
“You can’t jump in there,” Flynn told Mushu. “If you do, we’ll lose you, too. Then you won’t be rescuing anyone.”
Mushu’s ears drooped again and he turned his head to see past Gil. “But… But she’s gone. Mushu… Mushu can’t…”
“We’ll find her,” said Gil, drawing Mushu’s tearful eyes to his. “But we’re no use to her standing around here arguing. Let’s get going, okay?”
Mushu nodded reluctantly and followed his team further into the tunnel.
The small tunnel forced them into single file. Flynn moved ahead of them, doubled over uncomfortably in the cramped tunnel. The raging water could still be heard the further they moved through it.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” he finally ventured to ask.
Gil’s silence did nothing to settle the snivy’s nerves.
...
A/N - Not the cheeriest ending, I know! I'll try to get Part 2 out in due time (it's complete, just needs proofing). And hopefully get more of this written in the near future. I've not quite finished this mini-arc yet...
