"Thank you for helping my Grimer and Muk digest the oils they're eating. But I must ask one further thing of you," Team Delta's Leader said, letting his guard down in his body language.
"Please, I know you think we're an evil organization, but you've got to give up your hatred for Team Delta for this once." The voice underneath the mask sounded desperate and needy. Riley let his guard down without noticing it.
"You have to trust me, please. Even if you never trust me again, trust me now. We mean no ill will here in Emerald Atoll. All I said earlier was the raw truth and nothing but, it was our work that saved the Pokemon in this area.
"While I wish I could do more to help, I unfortunately can't. I must stay here and make sure the rock-filters as well as the Grimer and Muk here are all doing their appropriate job. Here, take this," Team Delta's Leader said, handing Riley a really really dark blue-topped PokeBall.
"That's Ripgill, the Zipped-Up Pokemon. It knows how to use Ripgill Abyss, which I'm entrusting to you so you can dive down to the bottom of Emerald Atoll and investigate the oil tanker down there that exploded, causing this major oil spill. Do you believe me to be telling the truth?"
Riley looked sternly into the masked man's visor.
"I presume a Pokemon is at fault for this event, but I will not blame the Pokemon for this. It is foolish building in a Pokemon's habitat and then expecting them not to investigate. Either way, take my Ripgill, and these." The Leader of Team Delta handed Riley a folded-up navy-blue diving suit, complete with spots of armour that stood out rather definedly compared to the rest of the suit's stretchy, warm fabric. It even had a helmet that was very similar to Team Delta's Leader's helmet, except this one had a visor that was made of tinted glass as opposed to having no visor and using a pseudo-visor made of a holographic screen.
Riley accepted it. He would do this. It was his duty to help Pokemon, and if it meant helping Team Delta, he would do it anyway.
"Thank you, uh... Riley, right?"
Had Riley told the Leader of Team Delta his name? Probably, if he knew it. Or maybe someone else told them his name. Either way, it didn't matter. There was a temporary truce now, and, with reluctance, Riley forgot his grudge against Team Delta just for the time being.
He left the cave and sailed on Lapras' back back to Sandra's ship. "Hey, what's up?" she asked. Riley answered. "You want me to heal your Pokemon? Alright. It'll only take one second." She took Riley's four PokeBalls and brought them with her into the interior of the ship, which was located in the back of the hull. She brought them back up and handed them to Riley. "There, all healed." She quickly went back to her work, and Riley quickly went to his work.
He swam on Lapras' back into the middle of the oil leak and deployed Ripgill. The Pokemon, even though incredibly intimidating, offered to assist Riley with no with no reluctance at all. He changed into his Team Delta diving suit and put the helmet on. He assumed he looked cool, even if he was wearing Team Delta's clothing. He called Lapras back into the Pokemon Caller and then held on tight to the rope that was tied around Ripgill's wide neck region as it submerged into the water.
A light on Riley's brand-new helmet illuminated the way a little, but the gas everywhere made everything just so dark. He tried looking around for a short while, but he just couldn't see a thing.
"Ren..." a pleasant voice sang. Riley turned in the direction he heard it. "Sy..." it sang, trying to get his attention. Riley guided Ripgill to go in that direction. A pleasant blue light illuminated the area where the singing was coming from. In the light, Riley could make out a womanly physique that was very pale white, and a fish's tail that was emerald green. Furthermore, there were elegant, if not huge hands the same colour of the tail. No wait, the tail was actually hair, and the hands were too. Or, at least, they were something like hair. They had no strands or anything of the sort, rather they had the texture of fins, but they extended from the figure's head like hair.
"Sire..." the sing-songy voice said softly. Was this a Pokemon? Yes, it must have been.
The figure swam to the east and slightly downward. The Pokemon must be trying to guide him. He followed it. It stopped on a chunk of abyssal land that was floating in the water, unable to reach the top of the water because of its weight, but not heavy enough to fall to the bottom.
Ripgill followed the singing sound and the glowing light coming from the Pokemon's blue eye. It swam at a rather consistent distance away from Ripgill, guiding it through the murky oil spill like a foglight. It stopped in front of what looked to be a sliding chrome door that was bent and forced open for whatever reason.
It sat there and crossed its legs, assuming a sitting position in the dark water. Riley guided Ripgill to it, then gestured that he wanted to speak with the Pokemon. It responded, "Syra." It's voice was undisturbed by the water and sounded like a song sung by a Goddess. Riley was relieved when he heard it.
It sang its beautiful song as it swam into the building, the door of which it had been standing in front of. Riley, not wanting to lose the sound, followed the Pokemon through the wide hallway of the building, until he came upon a machine. It looked to be a drain. Perhaps, when the building was in commission, this machine drained the water out of the room and possibly also refilled it as submarine-like ships entered the building, carrying the workers? Either way, it was most obviously broken.
Riley guided Ripgill towards where the feminine Pokemon was waiting for them. It gestured with its hand-like fins that extended from that back of its neck that it wished for Riley and Ripgill to follow it. Riley soon discovered why, as he found himself in a maze of smaller hallways. Where was he supposed to go? Which rooms lead where? As he followed the sound of the song, the little light that Ripgill's red eyes were emitting showed Riley that these halls, even the maze they were, had doors that connected them to other rooms and possibly even other halls- other mazes.
He eventually got close enough to the source of the relaxing sound to once again see its glowing blue eye. He observed that there were rune-like accessories on its wrists and just before the fin of its tail. There was a pattern on the smooth round surfaces that looked vaguely like waves. What were these accessories? Were they somehow natural, or had the Pokemon been given them by a human, or perhaps another Pokemon with crafting skills? Were they as ancient as they looked, or newer? Was this the last of this Pokemon species, or the only one of them- a legendary Pokemon, perhaps!?
He followed the beautiful Pokemon through the maze of halls until it guided him to a very unique room. There were several barrels of black tar, similar to the lobby of the building in the Power Source Fields. He proceeded.
The black tar was billowing out of the room like smoke from a smoke machine. Hadn't Team Delta's Leader asked Riley to come here? Was the singing Pokemon trying to help him by guiding him here? How pleasant of it!
Holding tightly onto Ripgill as to not be blown away by the pressure of the escaping black fluid, Riley urged Ripgill, whose mouth and gills were all tightly zipped by its zippers, to swim through the barrel-lined hall and towards the Pokemon.
The end of the hallway beheld a tall stairway leading up to a small door. He pushed his knees in against Ripgill's scales, ordering it to raise its body in the water. It swam upward until it was level with the doorway, then followed the beautiful Pokemon that they had been following through it.
Another stairwell. Like the room before, this hall showcased plenty of stairs. Though unlike the previous room, this hall was nothing but stairs. Riley had Ripgill swim up them until he encountered the Pokemon, who had stopped singing now that they were approaching the surface of the water.
He approached it, and it jumped out of the water, giggling as it did. It must have been having fun with Riley, he thought. He'd have to thank it, but how...? But it walked away, its walk alluring like that of a model as it headed up the stairs and through another door. Riley hopped off of Ripgill and returned it to its black-coloured PokeBall in the Pokemon Caller.