They continued toward Deedra Town in general silence, making light small talk but not much else. The battle with Roark set the party off balance, the surprise attack bewildering all of them.

Theus had grabbed his staff earlier inside the tent, now using it to propel himself forward. "I'd have thought that Roark would be a harder challenge; he was one of the better Exploration Leaders in his time. He won't be anything compared to Arthus however." He received no reply. Theus was going to say something else but figured that he shouldn't.

They continued along, reaching the town in the late afternoon. Buildings extended across the coast, dwarfing Karyon and Respit in size. All along the beach, there were docks set with ferrying or fishing services. Within the center were various buildings, providing a variety of other services, such as beds and food. On the fringes were many houses, providing homes for the many residents.

Derin halted, turning to Theus. He reached behind him and pulled out a brown sack, setting it in Theus' paw. "Our clan doesn't use money very much, but we keep some in case we need to buy things from towns. You can have mine though; without you, my father probably wouldn't have survived." Theus nodded gratefully, tucking it in the bag.

"Thank you very much Derin. We'll probably need it to pay the ferry." He replied.

"And to buy more supplies." Laryon noted. Derin turned back toward the direction they came from, travelling back to Samurott Clan.

They all waved to Derin, saying, "Safe journeys!" Derin turned back, waved to them, and returned to walking along it.

Theus began to walk down to the town, as did everyone else. As they approached the outer buildings, Laryon saw that the previous places they had been were nothing compared to Deedra Town. Pokemon were everywhere, taking goods from shops, bringing new ones in from the harbor, and taking new ones from another path.

They saw Pokemon advertising various goods. "Get yer Orbs here! Quality Orbs!"

"Wands! Wands aplenty! Anybody need Wands?"

"Piles of Seeds here, and lots of Berries too!"

Everywhere they went they saw stands with Pokemon behind them advertising, and Pokemon in front of them haggling for the best prices. Coins clattered and clinked as bargains were made and deals were sealed, everyone dealing with each other justly.

They crossed by a large wooden building that had a large circular seal atop it, and a Machoke at the front door, wearing an armband with the same circular seal.

Theus came close to Laryon and said, "That's the Dragonite Guild outpost. Usually there isn't a Guild Pokemon up front. Wonder what he's doing there?" A Buizel began to step up, receiving a menacing frown from the Machoke.

"No one gets entry, Guild rules." He warned.

The Buizel shifted uncomfortably and said, "My sister hasn't come back from a Dungeon for hours. Can you please send a team in to find her?" The Machoke shook his head, stepping closer.

"Guild's undergoing some organizational fixups. Go find a Freelance Explorer if you need help. Now leave, before I force you to." The Machoke grunted. The Buizel sighed, turning tail and walking in the opposite direction of Theus.

"I guess I'll have to go in there myself. Freelance Explorers don't exist these days." The Buizel sighed. Laryon wanted to say that they'd help, but a warning look from Theus told him otherwise.

"We have to get to Deity as soon as possible; we can't distract ourselves with such things. I'm sure he'll be fine." Theus said. Arianne punched his shoulder, scolding him.

"You heartless soul! Can't we do one thing?" She exclaimed. Theus held his paws up defensively, not wanting to suffer another blow.

"We've got to make it to Deity when Aram does. We don't have that sort of time, and that's final!" He continued on, leaving the disheartened Buizel behind. Arianne and Laryon looked at each other, thinking the same thing, and continued to follow Theus.

They continued to the harbor, leaving the shops behind to find a ferry. On the docks, there were many Pokemon, ranging from Golducks to Empoleon to Simipour, all advertising their services. Theus looked for one sign: A yellow one with a Lapras on it.

He found such a sign and went up to the dock, seeing no Lapras. The raft it used for carrying passengers lay tethered next to the decrepit dock, and on the other side was a small building, the foundation floating on top of the water. Next to the building was a sign that said, "Conduct business inside." Theus approached the building, knocking on the door.

"Come in, come in! The door's open!" An excited but weary voice said. Theus opened the door, and everyone entered the small wooden house.

Inside the building was split between the dock and the water, divided in half. On the dock side there was a desk, right next to the water, half submerged in water; the rest of the dock was bare. In the water, there was a Lapras, wrinkled with age but still strong. Connected to the wall was a chest, designed with a large handle to be opened with his mouth.

The Lapras grinned happily and said, "Welcome to Victor Lapras' Ferry Transport! How may I help you?" Theus looked around the sparse building, coming next to the desk.

Theus cleared his throat and said, "Uh, yes, we're here by the recommendation of a Walrein we saw yesterday. He said-"

"Ah yes, Wallace! He's always a good soul, recommending others to my humble business. Haven't had Pokemon ask for my ferry for some time, given the new 'added features' the other ferries have." Victor interrupted, saying 'added features' sarcastically, tossing his head. He smiled again and said, "I assume you'd be wanting a ferry to somewhere?"

Laryon stepped up and said, "We'd like to go to Deity Continent." Victor looked to the young Riolu and laughed.

"To Deity you say? Not too far from here, I'd think. I remember old Wallace saying something about guarding a ferry driven by a Sharpedo to there, carrying a small group of Pokemon wearing black armbands." Victor mused. Theus drew Arianne and Laryon closer, huddling.

He shook his fist and said, "Arthus is already there, searching for the Cocoon! If that relic would be anywhere, it would be on Deity!" He broke the huddle, smiling good-naturedly.

"Good sir, how much would it cost to get a ferry there?" Theus asked. Victor turned to a map on the wall, muttering to himself.

"Let's see…distance…weather," He looked to the window, checking the clouds. "Cargo…" He turned to them and asked, "What sort of luggage would you be packing?" They held up what they had: the sagging sack of supplies and Arianne's medical bag.

Arianne smiled weakly and said, "We packed light." Victor nodded cheerily, and returned to the map.

"Let's see here…all seems to be in order!" He turned back to them and said, "I believe it will cost you 500 coins!" Theus took the sack of coins from his sack and frowned.

He shook them out on the desk, counting them. They were of various sizes and values, ranging from 1, 5, and 10. Theus counted out what was needed, finding that there was roughly 300 left over. He shoved the 500 to Victor and said, "That should be quite alright, yes?" Theus asked. Victor opened the chest next to him, taking out a rag.

He gestured to the coins, setting the rag on the desk, saying, "Would you please scoop them onto the sheet? I'm not able to do that very well…" Theus scooped the remaining coins into his bag, while Laryon did as Victor asked.

He pinched the rag in his mouth, tucking in the corners, and set it in the chest, shutting it after. He turned back to them and said, "I'll be ready to leave in an hour. I'd suggest you get supplies for the trip; I don't have the capabilities for much more than the ferry, but at least I'm cheap!" He dove into the water, swimming out of the building and to his dock.

Theus looked at the sack of coins, then back to Laryon and Arianne. "Guess we better go shopping."

An hour later Laryon and company arrived at the Victor's dock, where Victor floated in front of his raft, hitched for the journey. The bag of supplies was laden with apples and berries, as well as a few other Dungeon items.

Arianne approached the raft with hesitation, saying, "I, uh, haven't really been on a boat before." The raft was a tied bundle of logs with a hut in the center, looking like it was designed for river travel. Inside the hut was a set of beds and a table, complete with a PokeBoard set and a chest for keeping supplies, as well as matches, candles and a lantern for the night.

Victor turned to her and said, "I assure you it's perfectly safe. I had it designed to float on the ocean like a breeze! Its structurally sound, and I had my Timburr friend check it out while you were away." Laryon stepped bravely aboard the gangplank, as did Theus.

Theus spun on the raft, saying, "Ah, it's been ages since I've been on a raft like this! Reminds me of when I was younger, adventuring all the continents and the dungeons they held!" Victor nodded his head, agreeing.

"I was an adventurer of sorts too when I was young! I was a powerful ferry Pokemon, bringing adventurers to distant islets in the sea. I had to rely on my strong sense of navigation and their directions to find these islands." He exclaimed.

Arianne took a deep breath, stepping onto the raft. "I hope I don't get seasick. I won't be able to treat myself to well if it comes to that." Laryon pulled up the plank, Theus securing it with the rope coiled on the raft.

Victor shook with laughter, saying, "Missie, you won't even know we're on the ocean unless you look around! I move as smooth as the wind!" He began pulling the raft, dragging it across the water.

Arianne quickly stepped closer to the hut, breathing quickly. She went around, opening the door and entering the hut, closing it. Theus and Laryon followed, the final leg of their journey to Deity beginning.

Aram stomped into a wooden building, shutting the door. Within there were three rows of eight Pawniard, all lined up. Lanterns hung on the walls, the windows showing the crystal-clear view of the outside. Stairs descended to the galley, the storage room, and the barracks, while the stairs above lead to the navigator's quarters-the navigator being Aram—and the top of the building.

He shut the door, and shouted out, "Alright everyone, get ready to go!" The Pawniard rushed to the ceiling, tying down ropes—despite their bladed arms—and dragging up an anchor. Pidgeotto flew in from the plateau of the Gigawatt Plains, swooping in and flapping their wings, creating a Tailwind. A Magmar breathed fire into a furnace and brought the great flame alight, inflating a vast sheet.

Over the course of several minutes, Aram felt the room shift slightly. He stomped upstairs and moved past the Pawniard, taking his position at the back of the ship. He pointed forward, directing the Pidgeotto to their course. The sheet continued to inflate, taking the shape of a misshapen sack.

The gondola rose into the air, and the sheet revealed the Guild insignia printed on it, the twin tails of Electivire and the arc of Arceus. It drifted south, and it began to float high in the air.

Aram called out to the Magmar, "Less heat there Moe!" He nodded, pulling on a rope. Heat escaped through a hole on the top, and they steadily dropped, stopping at Aram's signal.

Aram sat on his seat, looking up at the sky. He saw the dark storm clouds in the sky, aware of the warning. He rose his tails into the air, and a flash of light echoed through the clouds.

"Bring it."

Lightning shot from the sky, redirecting from the balloon to Aram's tails, filling him with electricity. He gave a contented sigh, holding out his arms. He shot a Thunderbolt off the side of the ship, forcing it to dissipate harmlessly away.

He took a deep breath, smiling. "It feels good to be flying again." He pointed to the south, calling out to the Pidgeotto. They nodded, changing the breeze. They floated swiftly to Deity Continent, riding the Airship Electivire.