"And now Team Terra will present their findings," Miles concluded his introduction and sat down at the table with the others as Team Terra stood up.
Teams Renegade, Jacks (minus the always-late Jace), Terra, Miasma, and Deviant were seated in the Intel meeting room, along with Kay and Kyurem. Most of the Pokemon were shivering violently from Kyurem's aura. Only Formora, Kay, Sonya, and Sumatra were unaffected.
"Thank you Miles. As you know, yesterday we four explored Restored Haven, formerly known as the Deadlands. We found that the lethal conditions have disappeared entirely, and the dungeon seems to be the complete opposite of what it once was. For example, fresh, drinkable water and food are found almost everywhere. The air is safe to breathe, and no lava geysers erupt. Actually, the terrain has changed from volcanic to forest, though the Pokemon are about the same level as before. The volcano at the end seems to be dormant, and the Pokemon found inside are now predominantly forest-dwellers," Sumatra reported.
"The st-stones near the e-e-entrance seem to b-b-be tombstones, o-on account of—" Katrina was interrupted by the door being slammed open.
Inside the doorframe was Oksana, holding a squealing, injured Shiny Pichu by its ear. It was missing its left eye.
"Leesten up, everyone! Thees leetle rat has something to tell you~!" the Eelektross boomed before turning to her squirming captive. "Tell them what you told me, or eet's the other eye for you!"
"P-put me down, pl-please!" the wretch whimpered.
Oksana said nothing, only put the tip of her claw over his right eyelid.
"Alright alright! J-just don't hurt me anym-more! At the end of D-d-deserted Desert, there's a v-village. A Shiny Village. Now pl-please, let me go!" he begged.
"Congratulations! Your purpose has been fulfeelled. Time to die," Oksana beamed. And before the Pichu had time to register her meaning, Oksana snapped his neck effortlessly.
She looked up, holding the lifeless body in her hand carelessly. "You heard heem. I had Murkrow check eet out already; she can confirm the veellage's presence. Now, don't you guys have Shinies to geeve me?"
"Um, yes, of course. All of you go round them up. Take Teams Ascension and Prestige with you; they're good at hunting Shinies," Miles directed, caught somewhat off-guard.
Formora stayed behind, looking at the corpse with interest. "How does it feel to kill someone?"
Oksana shrugged. "You get a rush that's like no other. Of course, after a murder or ten, you start to become used to eet. So, you have to get more…createeve, to feel that high again. Now please, I do meess having Pokemon to play weeth."
Deserted Desert ( watch?v=prDOCQW0ZrU)
The party (concealed underneath the effects of Team Prestige's Vanilluxe's Invisify Orb) crowded around the entrance to the dungeon, which was marked by two sandstone pillars. Countless dunes blanketed the area to the horizon from all directions, interrupted only by cacti. There was no sign of a village, nor any higher life. But if Oksana confirmed the presence of Pokemon here, there would be.
"Alright, let's get going. The Invisify effects will wear off soon," Vanilluxe said impatiently. "I've been here before; the dungeon is 16 floors, and a sandstorm will appear on B5F and stay for the rest of the place. When we reach the end, I'll make us all invisible again. Then Team Renegade, Kyurem, and Kay will speak to the village while the rest of us spread around the town to catch any would-be runaways. Sound good?"
"What if we find non-Shinies?" Jace piped up. He'd shown up to the Intel room right when Formora had been leaving.
"We d-don't need 'em. They can g-g-go around and spread w-word of our assault. Let th-the enemy know that no matter wh-wh-where they are, we will find th-them," Cradily shook his head.
"I agree; if w-w-we destroy the Light's c-confidence, then it'll be that m-m-much easier to deal the f-finishing blow," Vanilluxe's partner Blastoise said, pounding his fist into his hand.
"Well if we're all in agreement, let's go then," Formora said impatiently, marching straight into the dungeon before anyone could say anything.
B1F-B4F
True to the biome, the dungeon was dry and sparse. The floor was made of cracked, parched dirt with a few inches of sand on top. The walls were nothing but two rock mesas stacked on top of each other. Cacti of all sizes grew haphazardly around the area, their spines glimmering wickedly in the bright sun. The air was dry and arid, and above all else it was much too hot for Formora's liking.
"Ugh, those villagers sure picked one hell of a place to hide," she muttered, licking her lips. "Let's not waste any time."
Team Renegade moved swiftly and stealthy through the halls, pausing only to KO enemies who tried to tangle with them. The foes were obviously composed of Pokemon who thrived in the desert, such as Maractus, Cacnea, Vibrava, Baltoy, Krokorok, and Gabite. It was strange at first, KOing Vibravas, but Formora soon got used to it. Still, there was something unnerving about attacking Pokemon who looked like her teammate…
B5F
Weather condition: Sand
As was expected, a vicious sandstorm brewed the moment Team R arrived on the floor. Kia was unaffected, his species right at home in the desert, but Firnen and Formora weren't so fortunate. The two non-ground-types shielded their faces against the sand whipping at their skin.
"Ugh! And we have to deal with this for the rest of the way? Screw that, change the weather, Kia—phwah! *cough* *cough*—and quick!" Formora grimaced, spitting sand out of her mouth.
"Aw," Kia pouted, but obeyed. He took out a random orb, and shattered it.
Weather condition: Hail
"Ooh! Now this more like it!" Formora laughed as hailstones as big as her eye began falling. None would ever hit her, but her teammates wouldn't be so fortunate.
"I beg to differ," Firnen grumbled, covering his head with his hands.
"As do I," Kia agreed, doing the same.
"Aw, lighten up! It's just hail," Formora giggled, skipping merrily down the hall.
B6F-B10F
The sandstorm continued to rage as the trio slowly made their way through the dungeon. It was abated with the help of the weather-changing orbs they carried, but they did not have very many of them. So, by the time Team R hit B10F, Formora and Firnen were completely vulnerable to the anger of the storm. They both tied their scarves around their eyes in an effort to shield their eyes from the sand. The fabric of Formora's Froslass Bow was transparent enough for her to have a general sense of vision, but she and an equally-blind Firnen were forced to rely on Kia's immunity.
All in all, the sooner they reached the Shiny village, the better.
B11F
Weather condition: Sand
Trekking through a hot desert was tiring enough. Add in an unending sandstorm, and you had two exhausted Renegades and a Vibrava who felt right at home. The trio tried to shield themselves from the storm as best as they could in a little corner of a small room, and rested as best they could. They ate, and suddenly had the sense that they weren't alone.
"It's probably one of our teams, but nevertheless it wouldn't hurt to make sure," Formora said grimly, standing.
Cautiously, they made their way through the halls, searching for the unknown party. The party, as it turned out, happened to be Team Miasma.
Formora rounded a sharp corner, straight into Cradily.
"Wah!" she exclaimed in surprise, reflexively summoning Shadow Ball. Cradily did the same, summoning a giant Ancient Power.
Both leaders soon recognized the other, and dispelled their attacks.
"Oh, Team Renegade! Wasn't expecting to see you," Cradily greeted. "Why do you have those scarves around your faces?"
"Because of the sand," Sonya grumbled, holding her hand in front of her eyes.
"Makes sense. So, how are you three holding up?" Binacle asked. He and Cradily certainly had no need to fear the storm.
"I'll be very happy once we find that village," Formora scowled, crossing her arms.
"Da! I hehte thees plehce! There's too much sand!" Sonya agreed vehemently, an equally-irate scowl on her face.
"Well, we should probably get going before Sonya loses it. See you at the end, Team R," Cradily said hastily, nodding a goodbye at the trio.
The two teams split back up, and went about their own explorations.
B12F-B15F
Though Formora hoped the sandstorm would cease, she knew it would not. Luckily, they were on the last few floors of the Arceusforsaken dungeon, and the end would not come soon enough. After this job, she vowed to stay far away from deserts for a long while. She had to rest more often, since the heat was as endless as the storm. Why couldn't those stupid Shinies have picked a colder place to hide? She'd enjoy making them suffer very much.
On B13F, Kia accidentally stepped on a Slumber Trap. Pink mist was sprayed from the trap and into his face, but thanks to his Vibra Scarf, he merely shrugged off the cloud and moved on.
Later on the same floor, Giratina's voice came from the mirror inside their bag. He looked tired and a tad ragged, but he sounded just fine. He told the trio that a large mirror would be waiting for them on the shore of their island. He would establish a link between this world and his own, for Team R and Glace's purposes. Any who tried to follow would soon meet a grisly end. Formora reminded him of the reason that Glace was joining their side, and her leader responded that he already warned the Pokemon at the compound about Glace's beauty. The Glaceon's soon-to-be comrades knew not to stare or ask her on a date; she would be right at home.
Formora thanked Giratina for his updates, and he disappeared from the mirror's surface.
B16F
Weather Condition: Sand
When they arrived on the final floor, Formora was facing a hall directly to the west. As luck would have it, she could faintly see the outline of the Stairs from her spot.
"There it is! Let's go!" she said in delight, racing for them.
But, as she was running, she heard a click and the ground beneath her sink a little. Suddenly, a Maractus, Baltoy, and Gabite were surrounding her. She swore. A Summon Trap, of all things.
She managed to evade the Maractus' Petal Dance, blasting it in the face with Ice Beam as she did. Kia and Firnen dove after the other two. Kia sent the Baltoy flying with Feint Attack while Firnen slashed at the Gabite with Dragon Claw.
Formora shot another Ice Beam at the Maractus. It ducked, and threw a beam of green energy at her. The beam enveloped her, draining a healthy portion of her energy and giving it back to the Maractus.
"You really think Giga Drain will save you?" she muttered, shooting off another Ice Beam, aimed at her foe's left foot.
As she expected, it jumped right, straight into her waiting Ice Beam. It flinched at the unexpected blast, and another Ice Beam caused it to vanish.
Kia and Firnen finished up their own fights (though Firnen was sporting an impressive gash on his shoulder from a Slash), and the trio completed the dungeon.
Desert Village
To Formora's utmost delight, the storm had finally stopped. There was an oasis about ¼ of a mile away from the exit. The group waited until everyone had arrived, and Vanilluxe threw down another Invisify Orb.
"Alright, everyone spread out," she whispered. The group separated, with Team Renegade, Kyurem, and Kay walking to the oasis, where the village had to be.
And indeed, there it was. Surrounding the oasis were multiple crude huts and tents. Shiny Pokemon were everywhere, attending to their chores. There were a couple non-Shinies as well, but they were in the minority. Formora's fingers twitched, and she wasn't sure if it was from excitement or lingering effects of the poisoned Deadlands air. Probably both.
The five made their way to the center of the town. Of course, the villagers knew something was up when they approached. Despite his invisiblity, Kyurem's aura cut through the heat of the desert.
Moments later, the five reappeared, much to the town's surprise.
"Hello, Pokemon of…whatever you call this place. I have a question for you: are you missing a Pichu?" Formora greeted. The shocked faces told her the answer. "Wonderful! The good news is, we know where he is. The bad news is, well, he's dead. And he told us where this place was. So that's pretty neat, doncha think?"
"Who are you?! What have you done to Pichu?!" a Shiny Machoke stepped forward. Judging by the wrinkles on his face and the authority he seemed to carry, he must be the village elder.
Formora put an innocent expression on her face. "Me? I haven't done anything to him! Honest! But, well…have you heard of an Eelektross named Oksana?"
Everyone in the village began screaming, fleeing for the dunes.
"Ooh, she'll be happy to know she's famous," Formora beamed to her teammates.
"She deserves to meet her biggest fans," Kay agreed, laughing as she started running after the Shinies.
Rounding up the village took less than an hour. The villagers weren't expecting an ambush in the dunes, and were woefully unprepared for a fight. Some of the braver/stupider ones tried to fight back, but all Kyurem had to do was stand near them, and they fell into a fitful shiver.
"Aw, look, they thought they could fight back!" Formora teased. She was watching over the prisoners as the others were rounded up. A couple had tried to escape, but a few broken legs later fixed that. "Did you really think you could hide from us? It's almost cute, really, to think that you could live in a tiny little village and not be found. Idiots, all of you! You brought this upon yourselves. I hope it was worth it, because Oksana has been feeling very lonely."
Everyone who was Shiny was brought to the compound. The few non-Shinies were permitted to leave, as they were of no use to the Dark. Since the village was so small, everyone would know everyone and have tight bonds with their fellow fugitives. There were enough of these bonds between the Shinies for Oksana to test and play with.
Team Renegade helped deliver the prisoners, and as the sun started to dip towards the horizon they spotted the mirror they were to bring to Sunset Beach on the shore.
"Come on, or we'll be late!" Formora urged, picking up a corner of the Tyranitar-sized mirror.
Transporting a giant mirror to the southwest coast was no easy task, but this was why they brought their bag with them. It could hold up to 64 items of any size. If they wanted to, they could hold 64 giant mirrors in it, and the bag wouldn't be any heavier. Formora didn't really understand or care about the mechanics behind it, but whatever the cause, it made transporting the mirror a whole lot easier. Sunset was just beginning by the time they arrived at the beach. The sky was painted with faint streaks of orange, pink, and purple.
"I'll Bypass my way to the cliff, in case Glace or anyone else is waiting for us," Formora said, taking out the Bypass Stone.
"We'll join you as quick as we can," Kia said as she warped to the cliff.
Sunset Beach Cliff
No one was there, and Kia and Firnen arrived after about twenty minutes, and it took them but a few minutes to properly set up the giant mirror. After that, all they had to do was wait for Glace and her partner.
All too soon, Glace and a Herdier who had to be her partner Caine burst out of the dungeon.
"Formora! Hurry! Everyone's chasing me!" Glace screamed at the surprised group as what seemed to be an entire town appeared behind her.
There was a Chesnaught, Noivern, Zangoose, Greninja, Nidorina, Vespiquen, Lilligant, Leavanny, Ivysaur, Pelipper, Dewott, Chimecho, Jigglypuff, Meloetta (oh, Team Siren was here? This could be bad…), and Team Banshee of all Pokemon.
"It's over, Glace!" the Jigglypuff—Ranna—hissed, getting into an attack stance.
"Wow! You weren't kidding," Kia exclaimed, looking at the intruders.
"All of you are under arrest!" the Chesnaught boomed, throwing a volley of Seed Bombs at them, as if he could stop Team Renegade.
Formora, Firnen, and Kia neutralized the incoming threat with their own attacks. There was a small boom, but no one was hurt.
"We'll hold them off. You two hop inside the mirror!" Firnen yelled at Team Rogue as Team Renegade placed themselves between the two opposing parties.
As if on cue, Lord Giratina's telltale purple maelstrom appeared inside the mirror. The vortex swirled until it encompassed most of the mirror's surface, churning violently like the ocean during a storm.
Team Rogue, unused to their new leader's power, hesitated.
"Jump in! It's a portal!" Kia encouraged, sending most of the intruders away with Earth Power. Glace and Caine braced themselves, and jumped.
They fell into the mirror, where they were immediately swallowed up by the purple whirlpool.
"NO!" the stupid Litwick of Team Banshee screamed, taking a step forward. Formora smiled. Yes, come closer. Give her a reason to quickly KO the brat.
But the Litwick stayed put, and the crowd was looming closer to the three Renegades. The trio backed off, heading for their violet escape.
"Nice try, but it appears we have a new member! How does it feel to know one of your closest friends turned traitor?" Formora laughed, enjoying the devastated looks on the group's faces.
"Stay and fight! Or are you too much of a coward to do so?" the Litwick demanded.
Formora laughed again. She wasn't falling for the obvious bait! "Ha, please. You're just a mere annoyance to me. You're not deserving of my special attention. Run along with your friends, now," she dismissed, making a shooing motion as she prepared to jump into the mirror.
"So you're just going to ignore the fact that the Champion of Light is standing right in front of you?" the Litwick said boldly.
Her blood running cold, Formora whipped around to face the little Shiny.
"What did you just say?" she whispered, not believing her incredible luck. If this little idiot was telling the truth, then she was the one Formora was fated to kill!
"Come on, Formora!" Firnen shouted impatiently, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the portal alongside him and Kia.
She fell through the whirlpool, watching her ultimate enemy fade away amidst the purple storm. For what seemed like hours she and her teammates plummeted. She soon became dizzy, and she closed her eyes, though it didn't help at all. Like when she had first been summoned to this world, she soon felt her body begin to spasm, and she could see bright flashes of light even through her closed eyelids.
She opened her mouth to scream, but her cry was cut short as the lights and dizziness overwhelmed her, until finally she lost consciousness.
While the Chesnaught, Zangoose, Noivern, and Greninja play only a teeny-tiny role here, they were originally submitted by pxrceptor :)
The next post will include: Formora's perfect birthday, a gift for Shinx, and a delayed death sentence.