Pokemon: The Unknown Continuum
Chapter 29: Into The Hollow
"D-Dialga?!" I said loudly in shock. Had my actions gotten the attention of the lord himself?! It was incredible that I'd be great enough to attract Dialga's attention! And to think I had been telling that he could be wrong! Assuming it was actually Dialga and not an imposter, of course.
"My lord!" I said, bowing before him. It must have looked very egotistical from an onlookers perspective, kneeling at what looked like a human version of myself. "May I ask a question?"
"Certainly, but don't waste too much time." Dialga said calmly. He didn't have that aura of nobility and righteousness that I'd expect, but then again, it'd probably be pretty hard to have that with mu human body.
"Why did you keep your identity a secret for this long? Also, is there any reason why you chose to appear as my human self?" I asked, looking up at him.
"Because you'd likely spend so long bowing before me when there's more pressing matters at hand, and it's easier to appear as something you're familiar with. Namely, yourself. Stand, Floyd." He instructed as I stood up straight. "What you will need to do is to convince the guild to get to that island that I told you about earlier. It is only in the crater on the island that will allow you to come to my world."
"But how can I do that? Everyone seems dead set on going to Brine Cave. Wouldn't it look a bit suspicious that I suggest that we change plans to them all of a sudden?" I asked, given that I wasn't a very persuasive person.
"You managed to navigate this alien world in an alien body and spent many months in that terrible future. You've conquered every challenge thrown at you so far, I'm sure you can find a way." He told me. I sure wish Dialga had more concrete advice than this. Why did he give simple encouragement over more concrete instructions?
"I'll do my best for you my lord, but I need to know more – is the tower in danger right now? When do you think it will collapse? I want to know how much time we have." I inquired.
"About a week, give or take a day, but the sooner you arrive and end this nightmare, the better. You should make it here at Temporal Tower in three days if you leave tomorrow." He said formally. Thinking back to the map, we could easily explore Brine Cave and get to that island in three days, maybe even two at a push, and it'd be quicker to go by Brine Cave first, just in case this entity was lying about being Dialga.
"I know this next question will be uncomfortable for you, but...how did this happen? How did the time gears get removed from Temporal Tower? I heard from Uxie and the others that you were doing some kind of maintenance on it, but it seems like as soon as they were removed, things started going bad pretty quickly. I am assuming you can't just get the gears yourself." I said, as he sighed, looking quite sad.
"I cannot, and what you learned was a lie. The time gears must always remain in the tower, else, well, you saw what will happen. This was the work of my father, Arceus." He said, as I coughed in shock. I was used to the idea of potentially defying the creator of existence itself by now following his religion, but this was a whole new level of heresy!
"I have no qualms about speaking my mind about him now that you have seen what he has done. My father, while almost completely omnipotent, is incredibly petty. This may come as a shock to you, but do you know the real meaning of our existence? God or mortal, our purpose in the eyes of our creator is the same – amusement. He has told us before that he made everything out of sheer boredom, and one day, he decided things weren't exciting enough for him any more, so he removed the time gears and tricked people into protecting him, just to see what would happen." Dialga said. This might have completely destroyed someone else spiritually, but I felt oddly fine with it. Why, putting a spanner in a childish god's plan felt like the absolute pinnacle of being a hero!
"Fascinating..." I said, smiling slightly. "So why haven't your children helped you?"
"They were also deceived by my father. They believed me to be insane, and while my mental state will likely deteriorate with the tower, my mind is still clear as of this moment." Dialga said, and given what I saw in the future, his fears were well founded.
"All this talk of deception...what if you're actually Arceus trying to mislead me so that I don't interfere with this evil plot? Now I heard Brine Cave was a savage place, but from what I heard, that entire island is an active volcano where I'd be extremely lucky to make it to Dialga's world, let alone get back. I'd ask you to prove that you're Dialga, but like you said, Arceus is near omnipotent. Anything Dialga could do, Arceus could also do, am I correct?" I asked as whoever I was looking at frowned and took a deep breath.
"When you put it that way, no – there is no absolute way I can prove I am Dialga. It is why I'm asking you to trust me. Please Floyd, think of everything you've worked for – don't throw it all away." Dialga asked me. The idea of saying no to his face felt like most blasphemous act imaginable, but from everything I learned, it seemed like it might be for the best.
"Dialga, I'm sure you'll understand me when I say this – I'm going to Brine Cave first. If you are Dialga and I need to go to that volcanic island, I'll have enough time to check out this cave and arrive at the island. I can do that in three days, maybe two at a push. You said the tower had a week, and it'll take four days maximum to reach it. That's plenty of time. If you really are Dialga, then I apologize with every brain cell I have, but if you're not, then I avoided walking into what could be a trap. Do you understand why I'm taking this precaution?" I said, trying to remain calm. If it was Arceus, he could probably vaporise me in an instant, but on the other hand, what fun would that be? I didn't want to bank of a vague notion like that, but it seems like I already made my choice.
"...I understand Floyd. You've been deceived before, and I can see why you would not want to take that chance. I just have one final request for you." He said, sounding disappointed. "Don't die."
"The entire world tried to kill me. I'm pretty sure I'm going to survive in that dumb cave. Well, if you are Dialga, see you in a few days, my lord." I said politely and nodded. "I'd, uh, be more in awe, but, well, I got things I need to take care of."
"Indeed you do, it's that attitude that will serve you best. Hopefully, we'll see each other face to face in good time." Dialga said as he snapped his fingers as the cave around us and slowly melted away as if it were paint on a soaked canvas. Dialga then seemed to be blown away like ashes from a camp fire in the wind, leaving me in a white void. It was actually really horrifying seeing what looked like my human self disintegrate like that, and looking back at what happened, I'm rather surprised it didn't happen sooner to me in the waking world. The following dreams were just a slew of scenarios within Brine Cave, given it was the only thing my mind was focusing on right now. It was at this moment where I realised I had forgotten to tell Dialga something.
"Ah, shit, we're not heading there tomorrow! We're meeting up the day after!" I yelled as I fought off an angry kabutops in my dream. "Oh no, he's not going to think I lied in any way...no, we'll still have enough time regardless. Everything will be ok, it'll all be ok..." I swallowed hard as I kept telling myself that. I had gotten this far – not too much further now. I can end this and save everyone. He'll understand as long as I pull through in the end.
"Floyd, are you still asleep?" I heard someone say from the left as the entire void become much brighter. I closed my eyes shut tightly before opening them slowly, seeing Serge stand next to me. "You slept for almost thirteen hours." He said, helping me to my feet.
"I'll be well rested then, won't I..." I said, still thinking about what Dialga or whoever he was said to me, and anything that would give away whether he was really the lord or not. "By the way, did 'he' ever speak to you last night?"
"He didn't actually, how about you?" Serge responded.
"Aye, he did. He said he was Dialga himself, communicating to me through dreams, and yet, I can't be sure it was actually him."
"How not? Suppose it'd be really hard to prove, and I don't want to be tricked again." Serge said, sharing my concerns.
"I said to him that we'd be swinging by Brine Cave first, and if it really is a false lead, we'd go to that volcanic island right afterwards, since we have a week left. Besides, if we're too slow and we survive, we could go back in time again to try again, right? Somehow doubt that'd be easy though. I've been thinking though – I also saw dreams of my human self when we were in the future. He also seemed to have his own agency, so I doubt I just dreamed him up, but I don't think that could have been Dialga. He was kind of strange, but hardly an animalistic maniac, so that must have been someone else, but who?" I said, droning on a bit about all the possibilities.
"We can discuss this later, Chatot wants to see us all. Wonder what he's announcing?" He said as I followed him through to join the others.
"I have a note here from Wigglytuff, and he says that he's moving the plans for delving inside the cave forward to tonight rather than tomorrow. He said that weather predictors he talked to have said that it'll be very stormy tomorrow evening, which could make going into Brine Cave a death sentence as parts of the cave are vulnerable to sudden flooding. The weather will supposedly be clear for this entire day, so we'll be getting everything ready now." Chatot announced, occasionally glancing at the note Wigglytuff left him.
"But how will he find Grovyle and get to the cave all in a day?" Loudred asked, which was a very good question now that I think of it.
"Wigglytuff's no ordinary pokemon, he'll make it. I just hope we won't be too tired, and if he's running slow, he told us to go ahead without him and he and Grovyle would catch up. I guess it depends whether Grovyle can keep up with him." He said, making me really glad that Wigglytuff was on our side. "I'll hand out a list of everything you should bring, and if you need help, come speak to me." He handed us out a brief list of stuff. Looking at it, there was nothing out of the ordinary aside from a strange object called a distress orb.
"Never seen one of these before." Sunflora said, as we were all handed one from Chatot that he got from a locked box.
"A new development by those crazy orb makers. Anyway, these orbs are all connected. If you get in trouble, close your eyes and activate it. Now you'll need to close your eyes, as it'll emit an incredibly bright flash of light that should dazzle everyone around you. It'll also alert the other orbs and it'll tell them where you are. Feel free to flee there, as they'll track your movements. They're very expensive...wait, that's not important when we're facing armageddon!" He said, chuckling ever so slightly. "When you think you're out matched and aren't in a position to get to safety, use them, and we'll come and get you."
"So we're splitting up then?" I asked, looking at the strange cyan orb.
"It's been several years since Wigglytuff and I have been there, and we don't remember how we got there. Remember, we only have a few hours before the lower parts of the cave will start flooding. Anyway, we'll be leaving here in about five hours. Get your stuff together and mentally prepare yourself. I'd normally forbid you from going there, let alone ask you, but it seems as though we don't have much choice. If anything bad happens there, then you have my sincerest apologies." He said somewhat solemnly.
"I should really be telling my mum where I'm going." Bidoof thought out loud to himself.
"You said you'd be an explorer, Bidoof, of course you'd be going to a few really weird places. Still, bet no one expected you'd be going into a different dimension, eh?" I said, trying to make him feel a bit better.
"Remember what happened to Corphish? I don't want to die Floyd." He said, starting to sound afraid.
"Bidoof, you'd probably not survive for more than one year in that future, and from what I saw, if you could see what you will become if we fail, you might wish you were dead." I told Bidoof, thinking of what Serge and I saw in Treasure Town in the future. I wondered around, chatting to the others about how they felt about all of this. Seemed like everyone was scared to an extent, but some were dealing with it better than others. Sunflora was particularly panicky in spite of being one of the more experienced explorers here.
"We should probably get our stuff. Guild storage is open to all members now, so we'll see what's there and go out and buy the rest." Serge said to me, pointing to Wigglytuff's office.
"Hah, 'buy!' Those shop owners should be paying us for saving everyone! Eh, whatever, I'm sure they'll give us a refund, and if they don't, I'll use my newly found reputation to blacklist them and ensure their business tanks." I said, still trying to fool around a bit in order to keep my own spirits up. If I didn't, I might end up as an emotional wreck under the extreme pressure.
"Whoops." Serge said as he accidentally dropped his relic fragment while packing his bag. Thankfully, it wasn't damaged, but it did catch Chatot's eye.
"Interesting, mind if I have a look?" He said as Serge picked it up.
"Well, ok then. Just be really careful with it. It's part of the reason why I decided to sign up." Serge said as Chatot inspected it very closely, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny of it. Chatot suddenly gasped, almost dropping the fragment. "You know something about it?!" Serge said, looking excited.
"Not too much, but the symbol on it. My memory's not perfect, but I think this intricate symbol could be the same as the one we saw in Brine Cave! I'm not sure exactly what it could mean, but I'd definitely take it with you. Now, if you look at the back of it, it's rugged, but not as rugged as most rocks and stones when they are broken off. It could be some kind of elaborate key or something. If that's the case, then guard this thing with your life, Serge! I wish you'd have shown me this sooner, it's a fantastic find! Where did you find it?" Chatot asked, clearly fascinated by all this.
"I think I might have been given it. It wasn't direct or anything, but there was this floating green being there. It floated and was about one and a half times my size. Couldn't make out what it was since it was so foggy, and it put something down on a tree stump and left. After it didn't come back for a few minutes, I just took it for myself, assuming it gave it to me. I'm assuming the fragment had something to do with him unless he just found it and assumed it was junk." Serge said, as I soon thought of something. Now I wasn't entirely sure, but I theorized that these green entities could be Dialga's children! I had to check somehow, and I knew just how to.
"Hey, I'll be back in just a little second." I said, dashing into my room to get The Righteous Tome and ran back to join Serge and Chatot. "Right, it reads here that Ivan Nazar described Dialga's children as being just under three foot tall, green, fairy like and had very large heads when compared to their bodies. Was that what you two saw?"
"It was!" Chatot said happily. "Well, it's not complete proof, but it seems very likely that Brine Cave is the right way to go based of everything we know, especially given how the celebi told us that it was a gateway to his father's home, and if they're Dialga's children, well, you get the idea."
"Which means that whoever was speaking to me in my dream probably wasn't Dialga and was trying to trick us. Now, I'd guess it was Arceus, the real creator of everything and stuff, but if it was, why would he draw attention to himself by suggesting that Arceus stole the Time Gears? Either this guy is just as nutty as he described, or it could be someone else. Could it be the same being that spoke to me in the future?" I said, wondering about the things that were said. At least now I was confident that I was going the right way, but scared to know that there was some force trying to get in our way. Whatever that thing was, I'd be sure to make it suffer if it's a pokemon, and if it's neither pokemon or human, well, let's just say that the 'no killing under any circumstances' maxim as spoken by Dialga doesn't apply to demonic entities or whatever.
"Ok, I'll go tell the rest of the guild that we're pretty certain that this is the right way to go. Hopefully that'll inspire more confidence. Anyway, you should continue getting ready." Chatot said, gesturing us to leave the office.
"So, who could it be that's trying to deceive us then?" Serge asked as we walked into to town to buy the rest of the supplies.
"Arceus would likely be the only one powerful enough to do that. Still, he's pretty much all powerful. If he really wanted to stop us that badly, we'd simply be removed from existence. So in a strange way, we don't need to worry about him." I said, Serge giving me a confused and shocked look. "Think about it, if he does interfere directly, then we lose. It's completely out of our control, so let's just focus on the stuff that's in our control, right?"
"You're unusually positive about all of this, given that you just admitted there may be nothing we can do." Serge said, still sounding confused and concerned.
"Look, Serge, when the pressure and stakes are this high, it keeps me sane. I'm probably not as mentally strong as you are, and it helps me get through each day. Besides, I doubt it'll come to that. If Arceus really did create everything for personal amusement, maybe he's just enjoying watching our adventures or something. I guess we can just hope he doesn't write over the bits he doesn't like, eh?" I said, chuckling slightly as we approached Kecleon's shop.
"We'll need three heal seeds and two sitrus berries." Serge asked him, digging his wallet out of his bag.
"What are you guys doing at the guild? Why all the sitrus berries, they're so expensive. You planning something massive? Had a few others asking for the same thing." The kecleon asked, getting the stock from the cupboard and putting on the counter. "8,997 Poke please."
"Saving the world. We aren't even kidding here. You should be really giving this stuff for free to help us." I said, putting my money together with Serge's. Combined, it was just enough.
"I'll believe that when I see it, and yet, I've felt irrationally terrified lately. Everything feels so strange, and I have this feeling that it should be sunset already. Look, if it works, and it ends up to you guys and the fate of the entire planet, I'll, uh, make it up to you somehow when you get back, ok? I don't want to end up homeless after it's all fixed you know." He said while handing us our goods.
"I'll look forward to it." I said, giving him a slightly sarcastic smile before returning to the guild headquarters. It seemed like we were the last ones to get all of our stuff together as we sat at the dining table for a meal. No one was eating very quickly, not even Bidoof. We all knew what we had to do, but clearly none of us knew whether we could pull it off.
"Hey you two, what happens after Brine Cave?" Loudred asked, eating a burger by putting the entire thing in his giant mouth.
"Well, it should take us to Dialga's world. No idea what that's going to look like though. Anything could happen there. I don't even know if gravity will function normally. I do know that you can at least breathe there due to the prophet Ivan Nazar and-" I explained before I was cut off.
"This is going to be crazy..." Loudred muttered loudly. "Never thought I'd help save an entire planet, I didn't sign up for this. Needs to be done though, but how can you prepare for something like that?"
"The best we can. Like I said to a few others, I've been through some incredibly nasty shit to get to this point. It's just a little further for me, and with all of you here at my side, we'll see this through, don't worry pal." I said, patting him on the arm as I scarfed down a hot dog. No one else spoke much outside of quiet low voices occasionally sounding to the person next to them. Seems like the guild was committed to this, albeit still in disbelief at all this to an extent. I can hardly blame them though.
"Seems like we're not coming back here until we complete our mission." Serge said as we stood in our rooms, psyching ourselves up for the task ahead.
"Yeah, it's why I'm taking this with me." I said, holding The Righteous Tome. "Maybe Ivan Nazar's descriptions of Dialga's world will help us to get through it. Besides, it gives me something to mentally lean on. Oh...it's happening again...I'll be up in a few moments." I said as I passed out.
((What did Floyd remember this time? If you have a lot of spare time and care to check out the spin off to Pokemon: The Unknown Continuum, then check out the fifth and sixth chapters of Scenes From a Memory that can be found on my profile. If you don't want to, here is a 'too long, didn't read' version))
I felt like I was in a cinema of my own life, showing chapters that I had forgotten all about. Seeing myself from human eyes, I watched the last time the sun ever set, Earth's longest and final day. I loved through things that I was both proud and ashamed of doing, from fighting off a mugger armed with pokemon on her side to starting on a bunch of Arceists in a cocaine induced rage. I witnessed my father's survival plans for the end times and joined with him alongside Grovyle, Dusknoir and Omar as we sat in our home, clinging on dearly to everything we have as a band of five. We watched our supplies slowly diminish with no end in sight, and Omar and Dusknoir at odds with one another. Seems like things were going from bad to worse over time, and there was no salvation in sight, and everyone seemed as clueless as each other of what to do rather than hanging on to dear life.
Standing in the entrance hall, we all checked out bags one last time before Chatot stood in front of us, looking a little nervous. I swore I heard him mutter 'I wish Wigglytuff was here' before shaking himself a bit, readying himself for a speech.
"I can't promise you'll all survive. I really wish that all of you could be safe, but that's simply not the case. This place will chew you up and spit out your corpse if you give it even the slightest chance, and after that, is utterly unknown to us. Maybe it'll be certain death in Dialga's world. Maybe we'll all die, and we'll fail. I've taken as many precautions as possible, however, but they are far from full proof. Those of you who are willing to follow Floyd and Serge into the abyss and push through into the unknown, please step forward." Serge and I obviously stepped forward immediately. Looking behind us, the guild members looked afraid, and yet, of all people, it was Bidoof that stepped forward, shaking slightly.
"I...I'm not gonna let anyone else die. By golly, I'd find it hard to live with myself if I had a chance to help save our planet and I didn't do anything about it." He said, his voice wavering, but his will remaining firm. Loudred and Sunflora stood forward next, which spurred on the rest of the guild one by one.
"Will you all give your lives to each other and the mission if need be? Sorry you two, it should really be you guys that should be saying this, but I'm an authority figure to these people." He said as I frowned slightly.
"Way to break the speech Chatot. Still, I think everyone's ready. Is it time to head out?" I asked as Chatot looked outside of his window.
"It's time. Guild, move out!" He said as we marched out of the headquarters. Many of the townsfolk noticed our more solemn expressions as we walked briskly out of Treasure Town. The road was clear, no one daring to get in our way as the sun approached the horizon way out in the distance. I looked back at Treasure Town behind me for a brief moment. To think that I'd not see that place again until I carried out my mission. Over the past few months, the wee town stared to grow on me slightly. I could happily live there for quite a while if my other self – my past self – would stay there in the human world.
"So, Floyd, are humans the dominant kind where you come from?" Chatot asked, trying to break the thickening layer of tension that was surrounding us all.
"...Yes." I said hesitantly. I really didn't want to give the impression that the pokemon there were subservient to an extent to mankind.
"So how do you fight? I mean, this world is quite violent when you think about it, given all pokemon here are given formal combat training in school to control their abilities and powers, does the same apply to you?" He asked, making me feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Well, let's just say that there's a reason why I was able to pick up fighting as a snivy pretty damn quickly – we're really good at learning things. Most of the time, anyway. Also, my world isn't quite as violent, but we're no strangers to combat as a species." I said, not wanting to give a straight answer. If he knew what my world was actually like, he and everyone else here might be disgusted. I didn't want to chance them taking it the wrong way.
"Well, maybe we'll all try to find a way to have a look at it one of these days. Once everyone's back and safe, maybe we can all look into it. It'd be the trip of a lifetime!" Serge said, sounding quite excited at the idea of it.
"You really might not like what you see though, it's hardly paradise. Besides, I think I've done enough adventuring to last several lifetimes. It's been a thrill, don't get me wrong, but it's all so scary to me. I think I might just rest after all this is over." I said, sighing, watching the bottom of the star gently kiss the horizon.
"Floyd..." Serge said, sounding a little sad.
"Serge, even if I'm terrified a lot of the time when I go on a little adventure, we're still a pretty fantastic duo at this. If you're still adamant about it, well, I'll stay with you. Oh it's super stressful all right, but I'd be lying if it wasn't fulfilling. Still, that'll all have to wait, we have much bigger things to deal with. We nearly there Chatot?" I asked him, flying just ahead of us.
"Indeed, see that barred up cave entrance way ahead of us?" He said, pointing with his wing for a second. The rock formations around it look completely thrashed by harsh weather and crashing waves, to the point where it looked unstable. It looked like it could collapse at any moment, and from what I could see, the cave seemed to lead under the sea itself. "I really hoped we'd never have to go back here...come, help me remove these planks." He said as his right wing suddenly went very stiff as he sliced right through one of the planks, breaking it in half.
"Did you put these here?" I asked, trying to hack through another one with my tail. They looked pretty new, so they must have been replaced recently.
"Wigglytuff and I did, yes. Seems like people started really respecting the 'keep out' notices after someone tragically died down here five years ago. Anyway, it's time to split you into groups. Serge, Floyd and I will be the lead team. Sunflora, you will lead Chimeco and Bidoof, Loudred, you will go with Croagunk. I'd send Corphish with you, but...well..." He said, sighing sadly. Diglett and Dugtrio, you can dig around. I trust you can avoid accidentally digging into water, right?
"Indeed, we can tell where the weak points are within the cave and avoid causing any damage. We think we'll be fine." Dugtrio said, all three mouths speaking in unison.
"Hopefully Grovyle and Wigglytuff won't be too long. I'd imagine they'd be able to catch up with us pretty quickly once they arrive. Anyway...let's go." Chatot said, trying his best to sound confident. The air inside lived up to Brine Cave's name, as I reflexively coughed from the saltiness. The tunnel seemed to be pretty wide as for now, and there were no signs of life. Everyone stayed huddled as Chatot lit a torch to guide us into the darkness.
"Doesn't seem too bad so far..." Serge muttered to himself as we came to our first fork in the road. This entire place reeked of the world's saltiest fishmonger, reminding me of a time where I tried some fish in Australia many years ago that was so salty I couldn't eat it and almost threw up on the floor. I remembered the slight taste of vomit lingering in my mouth, as it was doing so again now.
"Ok, Loudred's team, you're with me, the rest of you go right. Remember the distress orbs if you get in trouble." He said, as we followed him further down into the depths of the earth and sea. I started to hear scuttling deep down into the depths.
"Check the ceilings and walls, they hide in there sometimes..." He said, keeping his voice low as we kept looking all around us. Looking to the right, I thought I saw the wall twitch for a second, and on closer inspection, it looked like some kind of creature. Looked like a kabuto, but we had no reason to disturb it further. I had already assumed that our presence would provoke its elders, and I was already scanning every inch of the tunnel as I kept just behind Chatot. Nothing much happened, but that eerie scuttling seemed to be getting louder as we pushed onwards. Chatot suddenly squawked loudly as he suddenly turned around and flew very quickly over our heads. I barely had time to look around as he crashed firmly into something that fell from the ceiling just behind us. Whatever he hit got the worst of it as whatever it was suddenly ran away behind us. Loudred meanwhile was grunting in pain, and it looked like he was hurt quite badly.
"My arm...arrgghh..." Loudred said, his face scrunching up as he was trying not to scream.
"It's not that bad, but the air here will make it hurt terribly." Chatot said, getting out a bandage. "Trust me, I have first had experience." Loudred seemed to have gotten his arm cut a bit by something sharp. Didn't look too bad thankfully, but if Chatot had been a split second slower, he might have been forced to leave.
"Looked like a kabutops." He said, standing up, still clutching his arm.
"They hide well, I'm not surprised no one saw it. Anyway, we've reached another fork. Loudred, are you sure you're willing to go with just Croagunk like that?" Chatot asked, sounding concerned.
"I'll be fine. I know the risks, and I'm taking them. Besides, it's just in pain, I can still use it." Loudred said proudly. Croagunk looked concerned for him, but as per usual, stayed quiet.
"Well, if you're sure. I just hope things go ok for you. We'll go right, you'll go left." He said as we split up. I looked at my distress orb closely. Nothing had changed, so we were all ok so far. The air became even saltier and the cave walls and floors got a lot damper quite suddenly. I had a feeling down this deep, the place would be flooded at high tide. With only three of us, I felt even more vulnerable, expecting anything to jump out or even through a wall at any moment. The water droplets falling from the cave echoed all around, drowning out the sounds of movement from our enemies, making me shiver a bit. Serge especially didn't look to good as he sniffled slightly.
"Get down!" Serge yelled suddenly from in front of me as I went prone in an instant. He shot a jet of flames right over me, almost singing my tail and blasted something hard in the chest before surrounding himself in fire and charged head first into it at high speeds. Seems like another kabutops tried to rush us from behind. It didn't seem to want to give up either so I got up, leapt in the air and swung down hard with my tail leaf, slicing at the top of it's head. It made a strange screech as it ran back into the darkness.
"Why did we have to go back here..." Chatot muttered, making sure that the two of us were ok. "It was about this far into this cave I wanted to turn back the last time, but Wigglytuff insisted on pushing onwards. It's coming back to me now though, I think this might be the right path if we see an opening ahead shortly." I heard noises of struggling coming from far away, though I couldn't quite tell where. We walked carefully onwards regardless, catching an ambusher before he got a chance to attack from an alcove in the cave wall. Suddenly, something in my bag vibrated.
"The distress orb!" Serge said, noticing it as I pulled it out. It was labelled 'Loudred' in red writing, seemingly inside the orb. I heard something let out a horrifying screech from somewhere else in the cave that chilled my blood.
"Well don't just stand there, we have to help them!" He said, ushering us back.
"But the mission-" Serge said before he was cut off.
"You're unbelievable Serge!" He said before he flew off to help Loudred.
"He's right Serge, the world should be saved for everybody!" I said, chasing off after Chatot. For a split second, I understood what Serge might have been trying to say. It was cold, but given how dangerous this place has been, the more time we stay in it, the bigger the risk to our lives, and by proxy, the world. I hurtled myself down the other fork in the cave network. I heard Serge trying his best to keep up from behind me, as we charged into the black. I saw a small cluster of figures ahead, which were thankfully Chatot, Loudred and Croagunk. One of them was screaming in agony, and it turned out to be Croagunk. I chocked when I saw his condition: one of his arms looked like something had impaled it, and he had a massive gash that went down his face, just over to the left side, all the way down to his torso.
"He saved me when we were attacked!" Loudred said, looking terrified.
"Hold him like that while Floyd and I put bandages on him. You did give him a sitrus berry, right?" He said as Loudred nodded. I held them in place as he wrapped them around the many wounds he received, but it would not stop the incredible, indescribable agony he seemed to be in, which was amplified by the salty air. He didn't even need to take a breath to continue the awful shriek he was bellowing out, as he writhed in his current position, making it difficult for Chatot and I to put the bandages on.
"Carry him out now, and don't stop running until you reach Treasure Town! I don't think he'll make it without proper medical care, now go! That sitrus berry will only do so much to keep him alive!" Chatot ordered, and Loudred needed no further instruction as he picked him and started running up the cave's slope. "I just hope he makes it...come, we've got to continue on the right path." He said, looking more afraid than I had ever seen him. Seems like all three of us were shaking a bit from what we saw and the thought of what could happen.
"By the way Serge, were you seriously considering abandoning them?!" Chatot said angrily at him after we had calmed down a bit.
"You said we didn't have much time down here, so I thought in that moment that we should be beelining for this door to Dialga's world." Serge said, sounding disappointed with himself.
"Like I heard Floyd say when I was flying away, 'the world should be saved for everybody.' Besides, we still have enough time, we'll make it. Still, I can see your point Serge – it's why I didn't go with Loudred and Croagunk." Chatot said as we pushed onwards. "I'm pretty sure this is the right way. There should be a small clearing where the cave opens up briefly and closes into a tunnel, then more tunnels, then that marking on the cave wall should be just past another one of those openings. If there's not much trouble, I think we'll be there in about half an hour as a rough guess, it's coming back to me."
"And what did you find on the way last time?" I said, my breathing becoming heavier as my head twitched in the direction of any strange sound.
"There were a bunch of vaporeons in the first clearing. The way we got past them was effective, if a little embarrassing. Something attacked me up ahead past that, and let's just say that it it weren't for Wigglytuff, I wouldn't be speaking to you now. I'm surprised he was able to continue after that, but like I said, he's no ordinary pokemon." He spoke as he coughed a few times, presumably due to the salty air. I took a drink from one of my water bottles, looking all around. Speaking of bottles, I can see why we had to split up now, as this tunnel would have caused quite the bottle neck. Even bad puns like that weren't helping me too much now as I shuddered again. I felt the weight of the world on me, and it seems like it was just as fragile as I was. One slip up and it's over for everything. I was always one to perform under pressure, but this was something else entirely.
"Hrm, seems like they're still there." He whispered, pointing to where the cave opened up.
"How did you deal with them? Didn't sound like you fought them directly.
"I, eh...made myself look appealing. Wigglytuff sneaked past them then I flew away." He said, laughing nervously.
"It works though. So we'll just do that again, right?" I said, not caring how things were done, just as long as we could get to Dialga's world.
"They might not fall for it again, and besides, I'm in my forties now. Now, I'm still pretty attractive, don't get me wrong, but not quite as good looking as I used to be." He said as I gave him a bemused stare.
"Well, Chatot, I'm sure you're still better looking than I am. Seriously, this isn't my territory. I never even looked that good as a human, and this...just trust me Chatot, you still have this." I said, trying to encourage him, since as much as I wanted to save the world, I'd much rather do it without having to try and seduce a pokemon.
"You're younger and more exotic, you'd do it better." Chatot whispered back, trying to protest.
"Chatot, I'm a proper pokemon, so you can trust me here - you're still handsome." Serge said, trying to feed into his ego, and it seemed to work.
"Well, if you two insist then. Ok, when I hold my left wing out, start sneaking round." He said as we got ready to move. I didn't know whether to cringe, laugh or cry at what Chatot was doing, and yet, it seemed to work. Chatot gave us the subtle signal and we moved out, seeing him get their attention. I desperately tried not to laugh at the things he was saying, but I was able to hold on without making much sound as we sneaked round the edge of the opening. Chatot must have saw that we were at the far side as he suddenly flew over the vaporeons and right at us.
"Leg it you two!" He said as we dashed down the tunnel ahead, as the vaporeons gave chase, looking furious. Still, it seemed to be a short lived chase as their footsteps vanished rather quickly. "Don't tell the others, I'm begging you." He said, gasping for breath.
"We won't you covered for us pretty good there." Serge said, smiling at him. "I guess we're pretty close now, huh."
"We are indeed. I just really hope Loudred and Croagunk made it out. Were this for any other cause, we'd all be going back to help them. I don't know what Wigglytuff would have done here, but...I made my decision. I just hope it was the right one." Chatot said as we continued into the depths. Small pools were common now that we were this far deep in that we avoided in case there was anything lurking in them. I suddenly lashed out at a splash in the water, thinking something was ambushing us from there, only to see it was just a drop of water falling from the ceiling.
"Relax Floyd, try not to panic." Serge said, trying to calm me down.
"I've been unable to relax for a few weeks. I forgot how to. Let's just keep going, and be safe instead of dead." I said, hearing some shambling up ahead. The puddles became unavoidable, and eventually the entire ground was covered in a thin layer of water.
"Nearly there?" Serge asked Chatot who was flying above us. He started to shiver as it started to become quite chilly down here.
"Yes, just a little longer. There's been no distress call from anyone else, so I assume they're doing ok." He said as I noticed another kabutops hiding in the wall. It seemed to be sleeping, but I wasn't taking any chances. Whether it was actually hostile or not, it was a potential threat to existence itself as I hacked at it viciously and mercilessly, giving it no time to react or strike back.
"Was that necessary?" Serge asked as I gave him a somewhat confused look.
"I thought seeing the bigger picture was your forte. Besides, pretty much every feral pokemon we've ever encountered has been hostile, they're all the same." I replied firmly.
"Right, this was where Wigglytuff saved my life." Chatot said after a short while as he gestured us to top.
"Just ahead of us is where we saw the inscription, the deepest part of Brine Cave as far as we know. Serge, I want you to shoot fire around this opening here, I want to keep an eye for any ambushes, as it was here I almost died." Serge obeyed shooting jets of flames in different directions to briefly illuminate the cavern. There was nothing on the ceilings and walls, but at the far end, we saw silhouettes of three figures standing still.
"See that? It's like they're waiting for us." He said, blowing another stream of fire, and I saw the pokemon in the middle, a carracosta, shoot us a nasty smile from across the cavern.
"We've been expecting you Floyd!" It said loudly and slowly walked towards us. I had absolutely no idea who this guy was, but he sure knew me.
"You another one of Dialga's agents?! He's insane! You're a heretic for going against his sane word and following that pile of madness! I'll fuck you up for standing in my way!" I yelled back at him as he just laughed in response.
"You're absolutely right! He's completely mad! But I'm not his agent. I serve a higher power!" He boasted, and I already felt the hate for this stranger welling up inside me. Anyone who got in my way, who got in the world's way, will suffer terribly by my hand, no matter who, no matter what.
"Arceus I presume?" I said, only for him to laugh again. Nothing about him seemed subtle.
"My master despises the creator! Remember your recent dreams Floyd?" He said, and I assumed he was talking about the dreams where I saw a strange entity in the guise of my human self. "That entity, Darkrai, is my master. He's been keeping an eye on you ever since you came from the future, and is most displeased with you. We've tried to be subtle about all this – trying to get the town to lynch you, trying to lead you astray in dreams, but it seems like we have to take more direction, don't we?"
"Wait, did this Darkrai cause the eternal night to happen?" Serge said, breathing heavily in anger.
"...So he succeeded?" Carracosta said as he smiled wickedly. "And you went back in time to try and reverse it? How quaint! We both know that won't work. You can't change the past, no matter how small or large a change! Floyd, for someone who worships Dialga, you should know that better than anyone!"
"Wait...so..." I said, starting to think that everything is futile due to some temporal law I didn't know about. "...So why are you even trying to stop me. If it were impossible, you would not even have to try and stop me!"
"Clever. Very clever. Your a sharp man Floyd. Possibly why you've survived this long. I see you've been able to manipulate this cyndaquil and chatot to your side."
"That's not hard to do when you're threatening a never-ending night where we supposedly succumb to starvation and madness!" Chatot said, spitting as he spoke. "And there'll be a lot more of us coming soon!"
"Hrm, I'm being fed information now...Serge." He said, pointing to him. "You hold they key to Dialga's world. It won't matter if we all die to you. As long as we destroy that, you're never getting there, and the master will achieve his goals."
"That won't happen! We've fought many different enemies who wanted us dead, what makes you different?!" He snapped at Carracosta, who shot another nasty smile at us.
"Two reasons." He said, as this strange dark lightning-like energy surrounded him briefly. "The masters power..." The two pokemon who were standing behind him walked forward. "Say, Floyd, I'm not completely sure on this, but it seems like you went as a team of four to try and undo the master's work. There's Grovyle and you, so what happened to the others?"
"...Uh...I don't think they made it, but I'll see it through to the end for them! I'll mutilate you!" I screamed at the ancient tortoise pokemon who looked like he was about to burst into laughter.
"Oh they made it. Eventually. Ah, yes, their names. The master has told me them now." He said, looking to a samurott on his right, standing on two legs and holding both his shell blades.
"Omar. And over here, we have..." He looked to his left to see the haxorus staring at us blankly. "Kirk. It seems like from they way you look, you were real close to them, huh." I spluttered in disbelief. How did they get here?! Was it really them?!
"...What did you do to them?!" I screamed in fury. I hadn't felt this angry since Dusknoir back-stabbed me. "If it weren't for Dialgan law, I'd kill you where you stand!"
"Upset that you weren't turned into a larger and more powerful pokemon? Well, it doesn't really matter why they're serving the master, because the three of us will end your mission right here." Kirk and Omar, stood at attention all of a sudden and stared at me. They showed absolutely zero emotion on their face. Were they under some kind of mind control, or did they back-stab me as well? I felt a tear fall out of each eye as I looked at them in turn. "Why...father, it's me! Floyd! The snivy over here! We're almost there, we can do this! Everything we've worked towards, it's finally all going to happen! We'll preserve the world! ...Dad?" But there was no response from him as he just grunted slightly.
"Omar, it's me! You're best buddy! ...Don't you even remember me?" I sighed sadly as I bowed my head, as my muscles felt like lead.
"Get ready to kill on my command!" He ordered as the three of them adopted a fierce fighting stance.
"Guys...take care of my folks, but please be gentle. That cunt in the middle... he's mine!" I growled as I spoke those words.
"...I'm not going to argue with that. Just try to stay focused." Chatot said, clearly not knowing how to react to what Carracosta revealed to me. I stared daggers at him, and narrowed my eyes. Oh, how badly I wanted to brutally murder him! Dialga may think that murder under any circumstance is wrong, but in my opinion, I saw this as a rare exception! Still, his words are law, and I had to obey them. Carracosta should feel very lucky about that. The stand off was falling apart now, and any moment now, we'd be thrust into a bloody battle. I could feel it in my blood and flesh.
"Kill them all!" Carracosta ordered as we flung ourselves at each other. This Darkrai...I wonder if he was a pokemon? Could I just...no. It wouldn't matter. I'd do it anyway.
