Over the course of three days, Victor dragged his raft of passengers southwest to Deity Continent. Theus took to training Laryon how to fight, seeing the encounter with Gregorius and Roark as a sign that he needed combat lessons. He was taught how to Quick Attack, Endure, and, one of Theus' favorites, Force Palm.
On one such day, Theus and Laryon stood on the raft, Wingull flying above and Mantine and Remoraid swimming below. Arianne tucked herself in the hut, not wanting to see endless miles of ocean or risk becoming sea sick. Victor sung a seagoing shanty, which went something like this:
"Oh, I saw a gal,
She looked very swell,
Sailing 'cross the blue.
She swam her way on
Leaving me behind
With only a boo-hoo.
But she said one day
That she'd be back
With a gift for you-ou!"
Victor cocked his head, then said, "Darn, I forgot the rest!"
Laryon charged at Theus, paw outward and glowing with blue energy. Theus met it with his arm, countering it. Laryon skidded back, nearing the edge of the raft.
Theus tsked, shaking his head. "Concentrate, concentrate! Force Palm is a rather simple move, but it's not like Quick Attack; you channel your energy into force, not speed!" Laryon took a deep breath, and charged forward again. His paw glowed once more, and he jumped up, sliding on the raft. The energy left his paw and surged toward Theus, leaving him to cringe. It made contact, and Theus flew off the raft, swimming back to it. He left his cloak in the hut, leaving him to shiver in the biting ocean wind.
Victor belted out with laughter at the sopping Lucario, who grimaced with cold and embarrassment. He turned to the Lapras and sneered, saying, "You're lucky you have a layer of blubbery skin."
In the time that they weren't practicing fighting moves, Laryon played games of PokeBoard with Arianne, keeping his wits sharp. Arianne was beginning to feel like a third wheel in the party, as Theus was getting all the attention with his fighting moves and interesting backstory.
She moved her Caterpie next to Laryon's Mewtwo, sighing dejectedly. "I haven't had much need to heal anyone lately, outside of Seru after that fight. I need something to do…" Laryon leaned against the table, racking his brains.
He moved his Kakuna next to the Weedle and said, "I'm sure something will turn up. Who knows? Maybe Victor will pull a muscle."
Theus sat on the dock, making faces at passing Seaking. He stuck out his tongue, pulled his lips in, all sorts of faces, laughing to himself.
"Ha ha ha, look at those wild fish! They're so dimwitted they don't see what I'm doing!" Victor said nothing, secretly hoping for a surprise.
One Seaking did look up and saw Theus. He frowned, and charged straight for the Lucario's face, horn first. Theus flopped back onto the deck, his nose swelling up with pain.
The Seaking floated on the surface and said, "There's not just wild Seaking down here you know! Keep your insults to yourself!" He dove back underwater, returning to his errand to find undersea berries.
Theus clutched his muzzle and groaned. He said with a stuffy tone, "I'b gob do ged Ariande. She'b know whab do do." He returned to the hut to explain the situation, making it seem like that the Seaking was the one at fault. Victor chortled happily, paddling across the ocean.
"The old 'un acts just like a young 'un, and the young 'un acts like an old 'un. What a world!"
They also passed the time listening to Theus' stories from his past, reminiscing his various adventures in the Mystery Dungeons. One such tale was told on a warm night, calm and windless. They sat out on the raft, Arianne being slightly uncomfortable, while Victor continued to tug.
Theus stood up, moving his paws in various motions. "I charged through Unsightly Mountains to find the legendary Mask of Claydol, swiping enemies left and right. A Graveler came up, I blasted him away with Aura. A Hydreigon flew in, and I knocked him out of the sky!" Laryon and Arianne both sat attentively, wanting to hear the tale until the end.
Theus stopped, holding his paws in the air. "There it was, hanging on the wall. I reached the top of the mountain, and defeated ever guardian of this precious artifact. It was so mysterious but beautiful at the same time. Before I approached it, I had to take a step back in its glam-"
He took a step back off the raft, landing in the water once more, sending a splash of water into the air. All laughed wildly at his misadventure, Victor exclaiming, "The ocean doesn't seem to like you too much right now!" He crawled back onto the deck, shaking off his arms and legs.
Laryon asked, "What happened after you stepped back?" Theus received more laughter for the recent memory as he squeezed the water out of his tail.
He frowned and said while drying himself, "I nabbed it and sold it at auction. You happy?" He stomped into the hut, muttering about getting warm, leaving everyone else to wonder what his deal was.
On the fourth day of their journey, Theus ate yet another apple, one of their few that they bought. They couldn't cook any meals without a proper stove or fire, and even then, they had nothing to eat it with. They contented themselves with raw berries and apples, but Theus was craving seafood.
As Laryon and Arianne ate their own apples, he exclaimed, "I'm going to catch a nice big Basculin!" He stored outside with his staff, pulling off the wooden cap for the blade. Arianne and Laryon looked at each other and shrugged.
Arianne stated, "We'll see how well he does with most of the fish being out of his reach."
Theus leaned over the side of the raft, holing his spear high in the air. His eyes shifted between the many fish Pokemon that swam below, but he knew he couldn't catch any of them…from the deck.
He took off his cloak and dove into the water, swimming downwards. Victor stopped swimming for a moment to watch. "This time the Lucario actually wanted to go in. Wonder why…"
Theus continued to swim until he saw a lazy Basculin, its hanging open and its fins still. Theus stabbed at it, driving the other fish away, and he swam back up with his catch.
He grinned and said, "I bet they thought I couldn't do it, well I'll show-" He cut open the fish and immediately threw back into the water, fighting the urge to vomit. He had dealt with precooking the Basculin, but never tried to eat it raw as the Samurott Clan did.
Victor half-heartedly smiled and asked, "So, what was your plan there exactly?" Theus, disheartened, covered his wet form with his cloak, and stepped back towards the hut. "To remind myself why everyone always eats apples and berries."
Antics like this continued for a week, until Victor shouted, "Land ho! Deity dead ahead!" They looked out the window of the shack, then scrambled outside to see their grand destination.
The continent was more of a large island than anything, the corners of it distant from each other but still slightly visible. A large forest hugged the edge of the beach, and past that mountains rose high into the air. Storming clouds hung over them, the roar of a distant legend echoing from it. The entire continent had a distinct atmosphere, one of both forbidding and welcoming nature, like somewhere you want to be but know you shouldn't go to.
Arianne stood in awe and said, "It's more beautiful than I imagined." Floating lights floated from the forest, blowing in the breeze toward the ocean. Some hovered close to their raft, allowing Laryon to scoop one into his paw. It seemed like nothing more than a glowing little particle.
He let it go and said, "I wonder what will be there waiting for us?" Theus came between both and grinned.
"You've no idea. Out of all the continents, Deity is the most mysterious and elegant of all. Groudon made the other four, but this was designed by all the Legends and Myths together, bringing together their special landmarks in a single location." He explained.
Victor turned to them and said, "We'll hit the beach in around fifteen minutes, so make sure you're ready to disembark." Arianne went back inside to pack up their belongings while Theus stood with Laryon, looking out to Deity Continent.
Laryon looked around, then stopped, seeing an unusual shape. He pointed to the left of the continent, the north, and said, "What's that thing over there? It doesn't look like a cloud." Theus squinted, looking at the misshapen blob, then grinned.
He laughed out loud and said, "He did it! He really did it! I never thought that thing would go again!" Laryon looked to him curiously.
"Who, what? What are you talking about?" Laryon asked. The shape grew closer, and it cleared to be a large wooden house being suspended in the air by a giant balloon, being pushed by Pidgeotto in the back.
Theus explained, "Years back, when I first met Aram, he had invented a flying machine, one he called the Airship Electivire. I remember that its balloon got a hole, and it got damaged in a crash, but he apparently fixed it! He's coming by sky!"
On the Airship Electivire, Aram hung from a rope, looking at Deity Continent from above, searching for a landing spot. He spotted a large clearing and exclaimed, "Make for that landing spot! Moe, let the heat out!" The Magmar nodded, pulling on a rope and making the airship descend. It lowered gradually into the clearing, disappearing into the trees, with only the deflating balloon visible.
Victor whistled and said, "Well, bust my shell. I never thought anyone but the birds could fly, but they proved me wrong." Theus came close to him and pointed straight ahead.
"Victor, if you're as strong as you say you are, then you'll bring us as fast as you can to the beach! I want to meet with an old friend!"
Azure oversaw the kitchen as the children got properly fed and taken care of. It had been a week since the flood of Fort Ervine, and things had noticeably improved from before. She and Ferrick had moved into the Leader's Quarters, letting Erik finally have a room for himself. The barracks were fully converted into the children's quarters, while the Project Pokemon slept on the kitchen floor with blankets. This was done partially because of space issues, but also as punishment for their harsh treatment of their prisoners.
In the cafeteria, Project Pokemon talked amongst themselves about diverse subjects crowding the tables and waiting for dinner. Without Maxim, they haven't taken to serious duties; they only did as Azure commanded, her strong personality winning their loyalty. They were still loyal to Arthus, him being the last true commander of the Project, but as they talked with Azure, they slowly began to realize the errors of their ways.
Gaska flipped a Chesto pancake, humming a merry tune. "Ever since that old Maxim kicked the bucket, things have been better than ever! Don't need to worry about serving sizes or strict schedules no more!" Ian nodded, tittering joyfully.
"Yeah, we can eat whenever we want!" He exclaimed. Gaska yanked his tail and returned to monitoring the cakes.
"Quiet you. All you care about is yerself." Gaska complained. Azure entered the kitchen, a flower tucked in her ear, smiling wide.
Gaska whistled and exclaimed, "Well now, who's this pretty young girl I see? Someone have feelings for you round here? We should just have a Togetic come fly over you two."
Ferrick appeared, his claw over Azure's shoulder. He had taken Arthus' white cloak from his Tower, the length of it covering the scarred patches of his body. His face and tailfur remained relatively undamaged from the flood, letting him show himself comfortably. When he walked there was a slight limp, but other than that the flood was distant history.
"If you have a Togetic fly over us I'm afraid you'll be seeing stars before you know it." Ferrick replied. Ian's jaw dropped, his arms hanging loosely.
Gaska stood wide-eyed, blubbering for what to say. The smell of burning pancakes caught his attention, and he quickly got back to work in that regard. After that business he asked, "Well this is a surprise! How long have you to been like this?"
Azure looked to Ferrick and said, "We knew each other when we were kids, and were even raised in the same home. I guess we sort of grew closer as time went on." Gaska smiled appreciatively, pulling his hat up straight.
He pointed at the flower and said, "Where'd you get that? Flowers haven't grown round here the last I recall." Ferrick pointed out the window, where in the distance a patch of green could be seen.
"I went over to that meadow and came back with the flower just for her. A form of proposal, if you will."
