The Story of Team Fate - An Explorers of Sky Fanfiction
Chapter 38 - Responsibility
Surrounded Sea, Sparks' POV
"Wet wet wet wet wet…"
"Violet, please… stop panicking… I got you." I say to Violet, trying to regain my lost balance with her slumped over on my back.
I grunt quietly, trying to hide the weight of Violet and her backpack on top of her weighing down on mine as I take more steps through the cave, the floor flooded with water that's shallow enough to submerge all of my paws, but nothing above that, fortunately.
"Wet wet wet wet…" Violet continues muttering in hasty panic, as if she never listened to me and is stuck in a trance.
She's probably overwhelmed by fear… who would've known that of all things, it'd be a cave full of water that gets to her the most? I guess I should be glad that the other damp caves we've explored didn't exploit her fear this much…
"Don't worry about it, Sparks. It should only be a few more floors now before we reach the end." Chime says, levitating beside me.
"Don't worry about what? Having to carry Violet?" I ask. "Because if that's the case… then I have to admit that I'm actually getting tired of all this weight on my back… even if Violet is surprisingly light to me despite being slightly taller than me."
"What? No, no, no, you can't put Violet down here. Exposing a Fire type to too much Water can numb them, and I say numb in a bad way," Chime responds. "Not like anastasia or anything."
"Anastasia? That's a new one. How do you know that word or what it means?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"For the same reason I somehow know the word 'claustrophobic'. Meaning… no idea," Chime says with a shrug. "Well, it could also be the fact that my girlfriend's a nurse. But anyway, back to what I was saying, it's a good thing that you're carrying Violet. I'm just saying that you don't have to worry because you only have to carry Violet for a few more floors before we reach the end."
"Oh… well, at least that's a plus. I really don't have any reason to complain. If anything, this is the closest Violet and I have ever gotten to each other." I say with a slight chuckle.
"You got that right. You and Violet have gotten to heights that I can only dream of getting to with Chimecho. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even slightly jealous."
"You'll get there one day. So… another question. Of all the special mystery dungeon maps you could've gotten us as a graduation gift, why did you have to give us the map to a mystery dungeon that's flooded with water?" I ask.
"Hey, cut me some slack. That map was on sale at the Kecleon Market, and I heard that a special treasure awaits at the end for the daring few who went there." He replies.
"Wet wet wet wet wet…" Violet continues muttering, her voice now starting to echo once we head down a slightly slippery set of stairs to find ourselves in a large empty room.
I take a quick look at the room's vastness.
"Big room… seemingly empty… you know what that means, right?" I say to Chime.
"You bet I do," Chime replies, putting on a determined look and getting his ropes ready. "I've stayed in Waterfall Cave long enough to know how these rooms work."
Then, as if on cue, the three of us find ourselves surrounded by a horde of Kingdra.
"Good on you three for getting this far!" One of the Kingdra say to us, in a welcoming but at the same time challenging tone.
"Accompanied by a Fire type, too! That's quite daring of you!" Another Kingdra says to us in the same tone.
"So, daring explorers who have come here, we have one more challenge for you in this final room!" Another Kingdra says, this time sounding more aggressive than the others.
"As the Kingdra of Surrounded Sea, we challenge you to a battle!" The fourth Kingdra says.
They all then take what I assume to be their battle stances. "En garde!"
"Now this is a challenge!" I hear Chime say, sounding excited.
"Well, Kingdra, we accept your challenge! We can take you on!" I say.
"Wet wet wet wet wet…" Violet continues muttering.
Okay… now I just have to make sure I keep my balance during this fight because I don't want to drop Violet…
My thinking then gets cut off when I see the four Kingdra shoot all their Dragon Pulses at us, and because the added weight on my back is too much for me to dodge, I end up blocking the attack with a Charge shield. The recoil of the Dragon Pulses sends me reeling back slightly.
"So I take it that I'm going to have to be doing most of the dynamic battling here?" Chime asks me as I absorb the shield.
"I can't exactly do most of the dodging here, you know," I reply, Violet still continuing to mutter to herself on my back. "Sure I can sit here using Charge, but I can't exactly fight back with anything other than Discharge."
"Don't worry about it, bud. I got this! I've been wanting to test out the new moves I learned!" Chime says, sounding excited as he teleports away, reappearing behind the Kingdra.
"While I'd love to be courteous to you polite Pokémon, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you in your tracks." Chime says to them, wrapping his ropes around two of the Kingdra.
An electrical jolt then goes through Chime's rope, leaving the Kingdra Paralyzed and dropped to the floor by Chime's Thunder Wave. I then notice the two other Kingdra charge at me with Outrage charged, only to get knocked away by Chime using the paralyzed Kingdra wrapped by his ropes as weapons.
"How's that for head-to-head combat?" Chime taunts, hitting another Kingdra with a paralyzed one.
As Chime continues fending off the Kingdra and occupying the Kingdra, an idea comes to my head.
Okay, so while the Kingdra are distracted, I might as well set up Charge shields to power up my Discharge…
I then let out the electricity I absorbed from my previous Charge shield to set up a large Charge barrier and immediately absorb it.
Okay… I think I should be able to launch a Discharge now… I know how to direct it so that it won't electrocute Violet… hope this wor-
"Sparks! Watch out!"
I immediately step out of the way to the sound of Chime's warning, right as a Dragon Pulse barely misses me.
"Chime! You were supposed to fend them off!" I say once I see him on the other side of the room.
"The paralyzed ones managed to break free!" He replies as I notice the four Kingdra regroup.
"Okay, we may have been weakened, but that doesn't mean we can't still put up a fight!" One of the Kingdra says.
The Kingdra then group themselves so that two of them face Chime and two of them face me.
"Now everyone… Hydro Pump!"
"Oh no…" I mutter.
The two Kingdra in front of me both fire their combined Hydro Pumps at me, the two combined blasts of water speeding towards me in such a way that I have little time to react.
Oh no… I better think of something fast…
The idea of setting up a Charge shield to defend myself comes to my mind, but the idea to keep Violet safe just in case my shield breaks comes to me first. I quickly turn my back to the Hydro Pump, getting ready to jump.
"Chime, catch!" I say.
I then manage to do a backflip, reaching enough height to jump over the Hydro Pumps, and at the same time using the momentum to launch Violet off my back.
I then land on the ground safely, getting back on my fours much easier now that I got Violet off my back.
Now to hope that Chime heard what I said…
I then look up to see that I managed to toss Violet off me successfully with what momentum I could muster. Looking over toward Chime, I notice that he manages to levitate over a Hydro Pump and shoots a Confusion beam out of his eyes towards Violet, catching her in his levitation.
"I got her! I got her!" Chime says.
"I don't think so!" One of the Kingdra facing Chime says, firing a Hydro Pump towards Chime.
"Oh shoo-" I hear Chime mutter to himself before getting hit by the Hydro Pump, too busy levitating Violet out of the way to dodge.
Chime!
The Hydro Pump launches Chime towards a wall, the impact making him fall to the ground afterwards. The damage must've made Chime faint, because after he fell to the floor, the Confusion force around Violet disappears, making her fall.
Without hesitating at the realization, I immediately run towards Violet to try to catch her as she falls, trying to use my Quick Attack speed to dash towards the other end of the room. Then, right before I could reach Violet-
"Aaaaaaah!"
I wince at the sound of Violet's scream as she makes contact with the water on the floor and jolts onto all fours, quivering and out of her trance. She turns to face me, a look of sudden fear in her eyes.
"S-S-Sparks? What happened? Why… why is everything wet?" She asks me. "My… my paws are starting to feel numb…"
I quickly head over to Violet as I notice the four Kingdra launch a combined Dragon Pulse beam at us. "Surrounded Sea, Violet. Just… stay still…"
I manage to set up a large Charge dome just as the Dragon Pulse reaches us, the powerful beam pushing against my electrical barrier.
Okay… I need to think of something quick for Violet… I can't exactly put her back on my back to fight now that Chime is unconscious… I don't have time to run over to him and feed him a Reviver Seed, either… looks like I'll just have to find a solution for Violet's water problem.
I try to come up with an idea, slightly struggling due to the Dragon Pulse clashing against my Charge dome while Violet whimpers beside me.
After a few seconds of thinking, an idea comes to my head.
What if instead of getting Violet away from the water… I get the water away from Violet?
Thinking fast, I open up my Treasure Bag and take out a Drought Orb.
It's a good thing I decided to bring this. I have been holding off on this since it's the only one I have and also because it only stays in effect for a short while in one room, but if there was any time to use it, it'd be now!
I quickly smash the Drought Orb against the ground, and once it shatters, the water flooding the floor quickly dries up to make way for the dry rocky ground. I look over to Violet to see that's she's stopped shaking and has calmed down.
"Here, take this." I say, going up to her and giving her an Oran Berry. "Feeling better now?"
She takes the Oran Berry in her paws and takes quick nibbles into it. "Yes… thank you…"
I smile at her. "That's good. You think you're ready to fight now?"
A now confident look comes across her face. "I'm ready…" Her confident smile then fades slightly. "Wait… who are we fighting again?"
"Just get ready! I need to absorb my shield before it gives way!" I say hastily, absorbing my shield to see the four Kingdra in front of us.
"Uh… okay!" Violet responds panickedly, stamping her paw into the ground and using Imprison.
"Now we've got you-" One of the Kingdra says, only to get thrown to the floor with the other Kingdra by several imprison forces. The Imprison forces then wrap themselves around the Kingdra, bounding them.
"Looks like I got lucky…" Violet says with a sigh. "I don't remember the last time my Imprison cooperated-"
Violet suddenly gets interrupted when a Dragon Pulse sends her reeling towards the wall. I notice that her Imprison immediately shrinks and hastily retreats back into Violet's paws once she hits the floor.
"Violet!" I exclaim. I then turn towards the Kingdra, agitated. "Knocking out two of my friends… Okay, now you're getting it!"
Using the previously absorbed electricity, I have it surge through my fur and let it out in the form of powerful Discharge blasts. My electricity shots speed towards the Kingdra and launch each of them towards a wall, kicking up a cloud of dust from the impact.
I sigh. "Okay… looks like that's finally over with…"
My moment of relief is then interrupted when I get pushed back by a Dragon Pulse.
"Haha!" I shake off the pain to see one Kingdra scoff at me as he approaches. "The other Kingdra told me that my cockiness would make me more prone to hits, but it looks like I'm still in this!"
As the Kingdra starts charging up a Hydro Pump, I get ready to set up a my absorbed Charge dome.
"EAT THIS!"
I'm about to let out my Charge dome when I notice something grab Kingdra by the tail and throw it towards the wall. I cautiously walk over to the Kingdra to see that he's knocked out, the Imprison force that grabbed him retreating back to Violet, who walks toward me.
"Okay, now it looks like that's finally over with," I say with a slight smirk. "You still okay, Violet?"
"I'm okay," Violet says, smiling back at me. "I only got hit by one move, after all. And it wasn't even a Water type move. Wait… where's Chime?"
"He… wasn't as lucky," I reply, motioning over to the side of the room where Chime lay unconscious. "He got hit by a Hydro Pump, and that was only the damage he took from this room."
"Ouch…" Violet comments. "Well, I'll go wake him up since I should still have at least several Reviver Seeds in my backpack. You've probably used up a few items heading through the rest of the dungeon so I think it's my turn to use one."
As I watch Violet head off to Chime, the group of Kingdra slowly approach me, this time appearing slightly beaten and bearing a much less threatening demeanor.
"So you've beaten us. Impressive." One of the KIngdra says to me.
"Accompanied by a Fire type, too! Daring and impressive!" Another one remarks.
"Truly, such capability also shows your responsibility. Now, I think it's time we grant you what you've come here for. The great treasure that is housed by Surrounded Sea." A Kingdra says.
After temporarily turning a small portion of the ground below him into water and using Dive in it, the Kingdra resurfaces with a box that looks a bit like a small treasure chest, offering it to me.
"Please do accept this. You have deserved it for your troubles." The Kingdra says to me with a slight bow.
All the other Kingdra proceed to bow as well. "We have all deemed you worthy. Please do take care of this treasure."
I slowly accept the box, feeling flattered.
"Uh… wow. Thanks." I say, accepting the box. I then notice something once I shakily but carefully hold the box in my paw.
Huh… this box seems light for something that sounds like a "great treasure" ...
I shake off the detail and manage to put the in my bag.
"It takes a lot to earn such a treasure," A Kingdra says. "Now, I think you better leave now. I feel like that Drought Orb should be wearing off any second now."
"Oh, right."
I don't want Violet to turn back into a broken record, after all… after hearing it enough times, I feel like the word 'wet' has lost all meaning…
Now to hope that Chime shouldn't be too injured to teleport us back out…
A few minutes later, Crossroads, Violet's POV
As the flash of light that teleported us here fades, I look up to the sky to see that it's darkened completely.
"Wow… it's night time already? Doesn't feel like our trip took that long…" I comment.
"Of course you wouldn't feel it," Chime remarks with a smirk. "You were stuck in a fear-induced trance because of… 'wet'."
I hear a slight chuckle come from Sparks.
"He is right. And while it was a bit of a hassle carrying you around, I couldn't help but find your continuous muttering amusing." Sparks says.
"Oh…" I say, somewhat speechless. "I don't know if I should be embarrassed or flattered."
"Why not both? Sparks likes it when you show emotion. He said he finds it cute. Really cute. I should know." Chime says.
"Uh…" I turn to face Sparks, who appears embarrassed as well.
"Heh… okay, okay, I have to admit…" Sparks says, turning his embarrassed look into a smile. "Once again, Chime is right. I find it… really cute whenever you smile, laugh… pretty much whenever you show any emotion… at all."
"Oh, Sparks…" I can't help but smile and blush. I walk towards him and nuzzle his cheek, kidding it afterwards. "I love you…"
Sparks kisses me on the cheek as well. "I love you too, Violet…"
"Haha! I'm right again!" Chime says in triumph. "It's like I've said, nothing gets past this Chingling!" I notice that he then starts to stagger for a bit.
"Hey… you okay, Chime?" Sparks asks, noticing as well.
"The damage from that Hydro Pump that made me hit the wall is still lingering… even after eating a Reviver Seed…" He answers. "I'm a bit shaken up, but I think I should be fine…"
"You sure you don't want that checked out? If I got hit by that combination I'd be writhing in pain…" I add.
"Hmm… you know, maybe I should. Plus, it gives me a valid excuse to be with Chimecho. Thanks for the idea," Chime says with a wink. "I'll be heading there right now, so see ya two tomorrow! And tell me what this 'great treasure' you got from the Kingdra once we see each other!"
Chime then teleports away (presumably closer to the guild instead of inside it since Chatot made the guild Teleport-proof now), leaving Sparks and I to ourselves.
"Looks like it's getting pretty late. Should we head back to Sharpedo Bluff now?" I ask.
"We should. We'll eat a few Apples to make up for dinner since Spinda's should probably be closed now, then check out what's inside this box the Kingdra gave us, and then get some sleep." Sparks replies.
"Sounds good to me." I say.
With the peaceful silent aura of a sleepy Treasure Town around us, we both walk back to Sharpedo Bluff paw in paw, enjoying each other's company.
I have to admit… today was a good day… we had a successful exploration, got some sort of treasure thing from the Kingdra, and this quiet night silence with Sparks… It couldn't possibly get any better, right?
Well, I'm with Sparks, so I wouldn't be surprised if it did…
An hour later, Sharpedo Bluff, Author's POV
Sitting down beside each other on their bed and finishing their Apples, Sparks takes the box they got from Surrounded Sea out of his Treasure Bag as Violet rekindles the flame on their firewood.
"Now that we've got dinner done with, it's finally time to see what's in this box. So what do you think is inside?" Sparks asks, putting the box on the floor.
"Hmm… maybe it's some sort of sea treasure! Like… some sort of antique!" Violet replies, starting to sound excited.
"Well… I guess I could see it being some sort of antique, that is, if it were really small," Sparks adds. "Though, judging from how surprisingly light the box was for something that should be containing a 'great treasure', I'm thinking something like an accessory, like a bag or a really big scarf. Well, whatever's inside, there's only one way to find out!"
"Open it! Open it!" Violet chants, an excited look in her eyes as she tries to keep herself from jumping from how giddy she is.
Sparks can't help but smile at Violet's enthusiasm as always.
'I love it when Violet is excited like this… though I can understand why she's so excited, she being enthusiastic on possible treasures related to myths and all…' Sparks thinks, putting his paw on the box. 'Wow… remembering about the time Violet told me that really brings me back to the day we met… but I shouldn't be reminiscing now. After all, this box isn't going to open itself!'
With a swift paw movement, Sparks flips the lid of the box open to reveal what's inside. Using the light of the fire nearby to get a view of the item, Sparks and Violet notice some sort of red rag in the box holding some sort of oval-shaped object. The object is mostly blue with a red sphere near the bottom of its center.
"Huh. It doesn't look like an antique or an accessory…" Sparks comments. He then places his paw on the object. "It's… warm."
"Wait a second…" Violet says with realization. "Is that…"
Then, as if on cue, Sparks feels the object twitch under his paw.
"It moved!" Sparks says in surprise.
"It… moved? I think it's an Egg!" Violet exclaims.
"Wait… an Egg?!" A look of shock comes across Sparks' face. "Did the we just head all the way to Surrounded Sea and accept a 'great treasure' at the end, only to find out it's an Egg?! How are we going to take care of this?! We don't even know what it's going to hatch into!"
"Sparks… calm down. We… we can do this. It's a big responsibility, but we can do it. We can have Chime and Chimecho help us out, so we're not alone in this." Violet assures. She then places one of her paws on the back of Sparks' neck and starts stroking it.
"Is… this gesture supposed to comfort me?" Sparks asks, slightly confused.
Violet does a small shrug, but smiles. "Well, that's what you always did to comfort me, so I thought I'd do the same in return. Is this… making you feel better?"
"Well… it doesn't seem like it comforts me the same way it comforts you, so…"
"How about now?" Violet then proceeds to wrap her paw around Sparks' neck and pull him closer to her, then takes her other front paw and wraps it around Sparks' side, putting her in a position that resembles a hug.
Sparks finds himself wanting to adjust, but he manages to feel comfortable and wraps his paws around Violet. "This… I like this. Thank you."
"It's nothing, really," Violet replies with a smile. "So, do you think we can take care of this Egg now?"
"Now that I think about it… sure. I'm up for it," Sparks says, smiling back. "Though… I can't help but notice that you don't seem too shaken despite this sudden responsibility we've been entrusted with… at least now I know why the Kingdra said something about us showing responsibility or something like that…"
"Well, I don't mind taking care of this Egg… we can do this together… plus, well… I have always loved the thought of us just settling down and taking care of a child of our own," Violet says with a slight chuckle. "I just didn't expect this privilege to come so soon."
"You know… I feel the same way… sorta…" Sparks responds. "Maybe I'm just having different thoughts because I'm still not one-hundred percent sure how Pokémon breeding works… at least, in terms of the process, so…"
"I think we should just get some sleep now…" Violet speaks up. An Imprison force then appears near Violet, goes over to the blue and red Egg and gently wraps itself around it, then brings it over to Sparks and Violet, leaning the Egg against Violet's fur before retreating back into her paws.
"We've had a big day today, getting the Egg and all… but tomorrow is going to be an even bigger day, so we need rest…" Violet says with a yawn.
"I agree… I guess I should start getting used to this new lifestyle from now on… but with you, I'm comfortable with it," Sparks says, smiling at Violet's yawn. He then gives her a quick kiss on the lips. "Good night, Violet…"
"Good night, Sparks…"
The two then doze off in a deep and peaceful sleep in their snuggle. The Egg remains leaning against them as they sleep, occasionally making small twitching gestures as Sparks and Violet continue their slumber.
NOTE: Salutations, reader! I know, I know, my updates have started to get really slow lately, which I sincerely apologize for. It's just that school has started to really pile up on me, screwing with my priorities and whatnot, so please understand! I'll still type chapters, don't you worry, but I don't think I can get them out as quickly as I normally would so I apologize! *Ahem* Okay, so with that said, I hope that this chapter was at least worth the long wait. A review on your way out would be greatly appreciated, it helps! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I hope you, yes you, kind reader, have a good day! :D