Scorched Cape ( watch?v=w3aUsxAGRFM)
B1F
The moment they stepped inside Formora fervently wished they didn't have to go through this place.
It was hot. Not five seconds in and she was already sweating buckets. The humidity clung to her like gum on a shoe, and the worst part was she couldn't escape it. How in the world was she going to get through this?
This was going to be a long trip…
Once the initial surprise at the heat passed, she turned to observe her surroundings. The floor was comprised of a reddish-orange rock that, based on Firnen's occasional foot-hopping, was heated. The walls were a deep crimson stone, and there were steam vents here and there around the chamber. More scorch marks could be seen, and shards of gems and pebbles were scattered haphazardly across the floor.
"Wow! It's like a sauna in here," Kia exclaimed joyfully, spreading his wings to soak up the heat.
"How can you two stand this place?!" Formora demanded, wiping off her forehead.
"You're an ice-type, Milady. Heat affects you more than most Pokemon. Don't worry, I'm certain we'll be out of here soon," he said reassuringly.
"Can we go? My feet are medium-rare by now," Firnen piped up, grimacing as he switched his weight from his left foot to his right.
"Yes, let's get out of here ASAP. I hate this place," Formora agreed fervently, starting at a comfortable pace down the southward corridor.
To everyone's surprise, though, the first two enemies they encountered were a Krabby and Wooper in a narrow corridor.
Formora scrunched up her face, not expecting two water-types in a hot and humid place like this. Oh well, they were still dead anyway.
As per usual, she ducked inside the wall beside her. To her utmost delight, the atmosphere inside the wall was much cooler than the outside. It was still uncomfortably warm, but to a much more tolerable degree. Thank the heavens…
Back to the battle, Formora, she thought, turning her attention back to the two water-types. The Krabby had already attempted to snipe Kia down with Mud Shot, but the Vibrava's Levitate Ability made it all too easy for him to evade. In return he shot the Krabby with Sonic Boom, and Formora was swift to add in her Shadow Ball.
The Krabby crash-landed against the other wall, and fell limply to the floor, stunned. Firnen moved in quick to finish it off as Formora and Kia rushed for the Wooper.
The wily blue enemy dodged Kia's Dragon Breath, jumped high into the air and Slammed right into him. Kia let out a deep gasp as the air was knocked from his lungs, and he began to fall to the ground. At the same time, Formora heard an exclamation from Firnen. She turned just in time to see the Fraxure eliminate the Krabby with Dragon Claw, wiping mud from his face.
"Stupid thing Mud Shot me," he explained briefly before going to help the grounded and dazed Kia.
"Stop it" Formora growled at the Wooper, blasting it with Shadow Ball. It was knocked flat onto its back, and Formora quickly ran from the wall and picked it up, holding it out to Kia and Firnen.
"Destroy it!" she yelled, holding on tight to the squirming foe. She held its head still so it couldn't turn and spit mud at her.
Having recovered from their wounds, the boys utterly obliterated it with a combined Dragon Pulse/Dragon breath combo.
Formora wasted no time in moving on, as she was already tiring again due to the blasted heat.
B2F
They'd not spawned with Stairs, but a Magby and Charmander.
Oh yay, on top of the heat she now had two fire-types to contend with. This day just kept on getting better and better.
Her situation made her angry, and in rage she pummeled the nearby Magby with Shadow Ball. The stupid foe was sent careening into the far wall, where it made a most satisfying thwack.
The Magby was soon joined by the Charmander, having been struck by Kia's Earth Power. Firnen rushed forward, his claws elongating and gleaming in Dragon Claw, but the two enemies recovered and nimbly jumped out of the way.
The Charmander startled the Fraxure with a Scary Face, causing him to stumble and drop his attack. The Magby avenged itself by spitting out a thin stream of fire at Formora.
She braced herself, and howled in anguish as the edges of her body were licked by stray flames as the stream of fire spun itself into a sort of prison around her. Every so often she'd be burnt by the edges of the Fire Spin.
She scowled, unable to move or attack. She was well and truly trapped by flames, and as beads of sweat fell from her chin they splashed onto the lower rungs of the fire prison, where they made a small hiss as they evaporated.
"Hold on, Formora!" Kia said as he made the ground open up again. Both fire-types were caught by the yellow fire, and when Earth Power ended they'd disappeared.
The Fire Spin faded away, and Formora was free to move again.
She strode forward down the first corridor she spotted, gasping heavily. Luckily, though, the hall took her directly to the Stairs.
B3F
Weather Condition: Sunny
Oh great, and now the freakin' sun was out too.
Formora was openly panting by now, struggling to endure the combined humidity and the blast of the sunshine. She moved slowly, conserving her energy. She cast about desperately for a pool of water so she could quench her dire thirst, but alas, none were found.
She grimaced. She knew she wouldn't last much longer without aid, and there was no telling how long this Arceusforsaken hellhole was. Probably around the length of Seafoam Sea, but that wasn't a guarantee.
She needed to stave off the heat, but how…?
She glanced at the walls beside her, and got an idea. The space inside of the walls were much cooler than the outside. It was still warmer than she preferred, but was much more tolerable.
"Too hot. Gonna travel in the wall," she said briefly to her teammates before ducking inside the left wall.
She breathed a sigh of content relief. It was much better in here than out there, in the sun. This was much more preferable. True, she was still hot and thirsty, but she could manage for the time being, at least.
Traveling parallel to her teammates, she moved onward.
Thankfully, the Stairs weren't far up ahead.
B4F
Formora was relieved to see they'd spawned with the Stairs, and that the sun had disappeared. She quickly descended, wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible.
B5F
She laughed in joy.
Once again, they'd arrived in the Stair room.
B6F
Weather Condition: Sunny
Traveling through the walls provided much relief, but it came at a sheer cost: she became hungry much more rapidly, and soon she'd eaten all of their apples.
Eventually, she had to return to the dungeon proper. She could still draw upon their berries and seeds if she had to, but she'd rather save those as a last resort. Besides, some of their seeds were bound to have unpleasant side effects.
Thus, by the time they found the Stairs, one would think the poor ice girl was melting like an ice cream cone by how much she was sweating.
At least the next room they came to held an apple. She snatched it up greedily, saving it for later. Her vision was starting to go hazy, and to top it all off there was a Charmander now entering the room.
She fell inside the wall, croaking out, "You deal with it," to her teammates.
If they responded, she didn't hear them as she fell onto her back, gasping for breath as she took in the cooler air of the walls. She closed her eyes, and rested for a few minutes.
By the time she was ready to come out, the Charmander was nowhere to be seen. However, Kia was sporting a large burn on his wing. It was clear every movement he made antagonized it, but he said not a word, only put up an enduring face and marched ahead carefully,
She followed suit, wondering if this mission was worth it at all.
B7F
A Krabby had soon come to greet them after they spawned. It Shot Mud at Kia, and the dragon nimbly evaded in the air, his burn having gone away as soon as they descended to this floor.
Kia retaliated with Sonic Boom, but the Krabby scuttled quickly out of the way, straight into an oncoming Firnen's Dragon Claw.
"Woo!" he shouted joyfully as his attack collided with the foe. The Krabby landed roughly in the ground, pebbles and gem shards embedded in its skin.
It glared at him angrily and spat a steady Bubble Beam at him. Formora countered with Powder Snow, disintegrating the bubbles with her ice. That proved to be too much effort, and she quietly retreated from the fight, saving her energy.
She needed water, and soon. Her mouth was as dry as sand, and she was starting to have to fight to stay focused.
A noise made her turn, and she saw Kia utterly destroy the stupid Pokemon with a close-range Dragon Breath. The foe disappeared instantly, and Formora slowly stood, bracing herself for the rest of the trip.
Thankfully though, she soon found the Stair room without too much of a hassle from the foes.
-Waypoint-
Oh thank Arceus there was water here. She didn't care so much about the fact that she'd reached the waypoint; all she was concerned about was water.
She gulped down mouthful upon mouthful of water, hardly caring about the stale taste or that it was as warm as a hot tub. The water rejuvenated her, gave her energy. She felt much better, and was confident that she could reach the end of the dungeon. She'd have to rehydrate before possibly fighting Azelf, but there'd be a lake nearby so she didn't really have to worry about that.
Ah, water was truly the most precious thing in the world. She could recall plenty of times where she'd been worried about dying of thirst, but she did not care to revisit those unwanted memories.
"Come on!" she said, almost playfully, as she ran farther into the dungeon.
Lower Scorched Cape ( watch?v=Uqeh11wvFg4)
B1F
Weather Condition: Sunny
Annnnnnnnnd the sun was back. Great. At least she was feeling more like her usual self, but that wouldn't last much longer.
The walls had changed to a deep scarlet color, reminding Formora distinctly of dried blood. The floor were more of a burnt-orange color, and gems no longer littered the floor. More steam vents pockmarked the landscape, and they were larger and most likely hotter than the ones on the previous floors.
The good news was, water was lining the edges, so Formora no longer had to worry about dehydration. The bad news was, they'd spawned with a Quagsire and, that was new.
The Magcargo kicked off the fight with Ancient Power, sending a glowing white ball of energy straight at Formora.
She squeaked, and flung herself to the side, barely missing the powerful attack by an inch. The ground underneath began shaking, and she heard the telltale roar of the ground opening up to spew out an Earth Power.
She rolled onto her back, and watched as the Magcargo was bathed in yellow light. Nearby, Firnen had been struck by the Quagsire's Mud Shot. She managed to hit the water/ground-type with Ice Beam, earning her a thankful look from Firnen before he dove back into the fray.
And once the ground returned back to normal, the Magcargo (who was four times as vulnerable to the blow) was severely wounded. It shakily spat Incinerating embers at Kia, but its aim was way off. He didn't even have to move from his position in the air.
Formora got up, throwing a Shadow Ball at the Magcargo as she did. The purple ball landed solidly on its shell, and it vanished in an instant.
The Quagsire was soon defeated as well, but the battle had left Firnen tired and heavily wounded.
He ate an Oran Berry, and the trio came together.
"Almost done...and it seems the foes here are stronger. I suggest we proceed with much caution," Kia advised.
Formora nodded tiredly, already feeling the effects of the heat. "Yeah...yeah. Let's just go, okay?"
B2F
Whilst sluggishly traveling down a narrow corridor plagued with steam vents, the trio ran across a Wooper. Formora fell into the walls, taking a few moments to collect her bearings. How she hated this place! How would she ever be able to defeat Azelf, if it came to that…? Hopefully Hidden Cove and Lake Caution would have more favorable environments.
She turned back to the battle, and saw with a shock that it was over. Just how long had she been daydreaming?!
"Please, it was nothing," Kia shrugged when she voiced her surprise. "It didn't seem to realize I have Levitate, and kept trying to nail me with Mud Shot. Beating it was too easy."
Huh. Rather nonplussed, Formora continued along, and in a chamber that held a Red Gummi and a Charmander.
The orange foe quickly threw up a Smokescreen, preventing both parties from seeing one another. Team Renegade all threw attacks into the dark gray cloud, but no cries rewarded their efforts.
The Charmander came bursting through the cloud, clamping its Fiery Fangs onto Firnen's arm. The Fraxure screeched with pain, waving his arm wildly in a vain effort to dislodge the foe.
Both Kia and Formora grabbed the enemy's legs and yanked it off of Firnen. Formora tossed it into the air, where she and Kia promptly sniped it down with Shadow Ball and Dragon Breath.
Then she stumbled, having spent more energy than she'd wanted. She took a quick drink from a water pool nearby, and grimly continued onward, where she soon found the Stairs.
B3F
Weather Condition: Sunny
Oh thank Arceus there were Stairs in the spawn chamber. The heat coupled with the blasted sun made this the perfect hell for the overheated Formora.
B4F
Weather Condition: Sunny
Oh, Formora was not doing well on this floor. While she was plenty hydrated, she couldn't do anything to stave off the heat. She'd already broken and ate all of their edibles in order to travel through the walls, but now she'd run out and she was forced to remain in the dungeon proper lest she faint of hunger. But now, her vision was spinning, and her head felt as light as air.
She'd hardly noticed the Magcargo and Charmander heading towards her, and easily succumbed to the Magcargo's Incinerate.
A bright white light surroudded her, and the next thing she knew she was back in the dungeon, Only this time, she was back at tip-top shape. No exhaustion, no overheating, just perfectly fine and healthy.
Hm, at least she'd had the sense not to eat the Reviver Seeds…
The heat was already starting to affect her again, so she wasted no time in taking to the walls and blasting the Magcargo with Shadow Ball as it was already being struck by Kia's Earth Power.
The damn thing fainted, leaving only the puny little Charmander. It managed to evade her Ice Beam, but Firnen dove in to rake its face with Dragon Claw. He put the foe in a headlock, yelling at Formora and Kia to take it down.
One Ice Beam from Formora and a regular attack from Kia ensured that they no longer had company.
Formora came out of the walls, scowling. "Ergh! I can't believe I fainted. I'm Formora! I don't get defeated."
"You had heatstroke, and feel warmth and flame much more severely than the rest of us do. No one can fault you, Formora," Kia said, shaking his head.
Formora wiped off her forehead, then crossed her arms, already turning to go. "Mmph. It'll never happen again."
B5F
Not three seconds after they'd stepped into the first hall they spotted, a Wooper and Krabby game to engage them. Formora, as always, ducked inside the wall to escape the heat and give herself an advantage.
The Wooper started by spitting out a giant Mud Bob at attack was prevented by an excellently-timed Protect, and Kia swiftly punished the blue foe with Dragon Breath. Formora instead threw a Shadow Ball at the Krabby behind the Wooper.
The Krabby was not at all expecting an attack to come from the wall, and so the Ball landed perfectly. As the foe struggled to comprehend what just happened, Formora ended the Wooper with Ice Beam.
The boys now turned their attention to the Krabby, and it barely had time to blink before it was erased by a combined Dragon Rage/Dragon Breath.
The Stairs, it turned out, were in the next room.
B6F
As luck would have it, the Stairs were in the second room they came across. However, a tiny little Krabby was determined not to let anyone pass.
Formora hung back, allowing her teammates to engage the enemy.
The Krabby dodged Firnen's Guillotine, and landed and hard Stomp on his skull. The Fraxure gave a strangled cry and fell to the ground in a stunned heap.
Kia swooped in, avenging his teammate with a hard Dragon Breath to the Krabby's face. The orange and cream foe chittered in pain as it stumbled backwards a few steps. Kia swiftly followed up with a successful Feint Attack, but was knocked out of the air by the angry Krabby's Bubble Beam.
By now, however, Firnen had recovered from the blow to his head, and stalked up to the foe from behind, surprising it with a knockout Dragon Claw.
"Better not have given me a concussion," he grumbled angrily, rubbing the swollen lump on his head.
They descended.
Scorched Cape Lake
Formora was not met with the usual Scorched Cape scenery, but a vast room that stretched miles wide in diameter. Most of this space was taken up by a large lake with bright blue water. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and the entire room was one big sauna, thanks to the overabundance of steam vents.
There was no sign of life as Team R approached, but that did not mean their quarry wasn't here.
"Hello? Azelf?" Formora called, her voice echoing across the room. "We are Team Renegade, and we have urgent business with you!"
Nothing happened.
"Please come out! We just wish to talk!" Kia added. Formora had to bite her tongue in order to keep from giggling.
Still, nothing happened.
"Why are you being so shy? I thought you were the legendary Being of Willpower!" Firnen taunted.
This time, a head poked out from the surface nearby. It wasn't Azelf, but a Goldeen.
"Azelf isn't here," he informed them.
Team R crowded round the edge of the lake. Formora made sure to stay a safe distance from the edge.
"Where is he? Do you know when he'll be back?" Kia inquired.
The Goldeen shook his head, looking miserable. "No, he was kidnapped…"
"Kidnapped?!" Team R exclaimed. "By whom?"
"I don't know...a giant hand appeared out of nowhere and took him," the Goldeen sighed, nibbling his lip.
"When did this happen?" Formora demanded. Whoever had decided to get in her way was going to pay dearly.
"Three days ago. A Shiny Litwick and a Pumpkaboo came by. They called themselves Team Banshee or something. They fought Azelf, but won. He spoke with them for a bit, then they left. Soon after they did, a giant golden ring appeared in the air. A purple arm came out of it, and grabbed Azelf. He...he struggled as hard as he could, but he was still tired from his fight earlier. The hand retreated back into the ring, and it vanished. I haven't seen him since…" the Goldeen explained.
Team R shared a glance. The Shiny Litwick and Pumpkaboo had come before them? Why?
"What did Azelf talk to them about?" Formora inquired. It would be good to know why the two ghosts had sought out a powerful legendary like Azelf.
"Um, I think they were looking for Uxie? I'm not sure…" the Goldeen said.
Formora stood, ignoring the heat and the cascade of sweat rushing down her face. "I see. Boys, we're leaving. Now."
"We should go to Divine Shore immediately. Those two girls could be there already," Kia urged once they'd finally left that stupid, stupid dungeon.
Formora nodded. "I agree, which is why we're going there immediately. Someone's decided to kidnap Azelf, and it wasn't the Dark. Whoever is behind this is going to pay in blood. I don't know why the ghosts are after Uxie, but we'll beat it out of them soon enough. Now come on!"
Sumatra was waiting for them outside of Seafoam Sea, and she gladly took the trio back to land. As she swam, Team R made their report to Giratina. Their lord was angered that someone was interfering, but could not think of a possible culprit. He told them that he would set watchers on Scorched Cape in case either Azelf or the kidnapper came back.
It was nighttime by the time Sumatra came to shore, and the trio bid her farewell before going off to make camp. Formora found an excellent supply of dandelions and other edible plants, while the boys preferred the meager berries they'd scavenged around the coast. They had a long trek to the north ahead of them tomorrow, so they swiftly went to bed after dinner.
Elsewhere…
She stood on top of the hill, gazing down sadly at the highlands below her. Though it was far into the night, she could see the remains of the village a few miles away, the ashes long cold by now.
She felt tears come to her eyes, and her best friend in the world came to stand beside her.
"There was nothing you could have done, you know," Xerneas told her gently, softly. "He wanted to avenge their sacrifices, and nothing you could have said would've made a difference."
"But I could have stopped him," Cresselia said bitterly, turning to face him. "I should've done more to turn his heart away from the Dark! But I didn't...I thought that if I warned him of what happened to all the other spies, he wouldn't have gone. But he did, and now...and now he's in their hands forever…"
"What could you have done, aside from holding him against his will? No, he still would have found a way. He was young and naive, wanting to make a big impression on the world. He thought that if he could stop Formora, then his life's work would be done. And he did do a great thing: he destroyed her Joy Ribbon," Xerneas refuted calmly.
Cresselia was silent, and turned back to the highlands below.
"How can you stand it?" she whispered, numbness spreading all through her body. "How can you stand all of this misery? I'm supposed to be the healer of nightmares, yet I cannot even heal my own!"
"I stand it because I've seen it many, many times in all of my previous lives. But life always wins. The blackness of death has always been vastly overshadowed by the bright aura of life. Even now, I can barely feel the suffering the Dark has caused. All around me I feel the spark of joy that is life. I take great comfort in that. If you could feel what I can, Cressie, all your nightmares would be gone in a flash. Now come on. We cannot change the past, but we can direct the future," Xerneas responded, nudging her.
Cresselia nodded, but her face was grim.
"Very well. But first I will make sure Pikipek never has to suffer again. It is the least I can do."
Heyo, I'm back! Lotta homework, not a lot of free time :(
The next post shall include: a shore, the cove, and a dumb riddle.