/With the Third Kai Copy on the Dark Type Floor/
After they had learned the key to traversing between the doors, the two Copies not following Kai and Co. used a bunch of guessing and hoping in order to find a floor with a Pokémon they knew. While it was helpful knowing that the gems (when held) would increase the chances of going where they wanted, it felt like only a matter of time until they eventually found their way back to the Dark Floor and would have to try again. It was an improvement at least, instead of wandering aimlessly through a few rooms, they could now blindly walk into a random floor, fingers crossed that they would be lucky enough to find someplace new.
It was rough for the third copy to keep coming back to the Dark Type Floor every few attempts, getting the feeling that the others had successfully found a Pokémon and had accomplished what they set out to do. Having the most of Kai's self-conscious tendencies, the third copy took each return to the Dark Floor as a failure of their abilities, and after five consecutive returns in a row, threw in the towel and sat next to the door, defeated.
"I know that the others aren't having as much trouble as I am!" The Copy said aloud. "I bet the first already found Kora, too! Maybe I should just dispel already so Kai can know about the doors and gems and stuff."
"Kai? Did... Did you just say 'Kai?'" A voice spoke from a tunnel. The Copy was startled, unaware that they weren't alone. From the tunnel came a Zoroark, thinner than most, with a cut mane. She spoke softly, her tender voice taking some of the stress off of the Copy's shoulders just from hearing it.
"O-Oh! I didn't know anyone else was down here!" The Copy exclaimed, embarrassment causing them to blush beneath their dark fur. "Are you, Diana, by any chance?"
"Not only do you know my son's name, but you know mine, too? If I knew you before, I'll have to apologize because I have no idea who you are." Diana replied as she approached the Zoroark Copy. The Copy cussed under their breath and slapped their forehead in disappointment.
"Sorry, it's just... god I'm an idiot! It's hard to explain, Mo- MISS! Miss Diana!" The Copy tried to explain. "I guess... I already messed up enough, so... I-I'm sorry."
"Sweetie, just calm down and breathe. You can take your time, I'll be right here." Diana comforted the Copy. "It's strange, I know there aren't any other Zoroarks on the island other than Kora and I, but... do I know you?"
"N-No! I mean... I-I can't say... I-I mean..!"
Diana giggled and placed a paw on the other Zoroark Copy's shoulder, giving them a sweet smile and telling them it's alright. The Copy admitted to having a lot on their mind, and asked if Diana would sit with them until they could clear it up. Diana didn't hesitate, taking a seat right next to the Copy and the two sat together in silence...
...For roughly thirty seconds...
"Ah, how fortune shines it's glorious light upon me!" A very posh, somewhat distorted voice broke through the quiet, followed by the sound of metal clanging on rock and an ominous breeze. The Copy shot up, sensing something terrible, while Diana looked at the tunnel, waiting to see if her suspicion was correct. After a moment, a Bisharp walked through the tunnel and was watched closely by the two foxes.
"Zen? I didn't know you were down here too?" Diana spoke. She stood up to walk over to the Dark Steel Type, but something was telling her that she should definitely keep her distance. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Me? Why, I've never felt more... alive! Surely, Diana, you are not growing suspicious of me? Of course... it must have been oh so very long since you have even seen me, correct?" The Bisharp replied.
"Wh-What do you want?!" The Kai Copy asked. The Bisharp chuckled, which grew to a laugh, then a bone chilling cackle!
"You exactly why I am here, Copy! Unless... you are more of a brainless fool than I had anticipated! Oh, how brightly my fortune radiates!" The Bisharp declared with a "HAH!"
"Look, Zen, I've always been alright with you talking they way you do, but you sound like the king of a kingdom that fell because everyone talked with such an uppity attitude, they accidentally broke their necks from holding their head high enough to match." Diana told the Dark Steel Type. "And what's this about a copy?"
The Outlander's question was set aside so the Zen could run up to the other Zoroark and kick then in the ribs, boiling over with frantic, maniacal laughter the entire time. Getting the feeling that maybe Zen might not be entirely there, and the sudden urge to stop him from attacking the Zoroark she just met, Diana grabbed the Zen and pinned him on the ground.
"*cough* *cough* H-He's not the real Z-Zen! He's a *cough* m-manifest of him!" The Copy explained through pained breaths. "But his o-orders were to find o-out how the doors worked, not f-fight me!"
"Ah, but you see, when I overheard that you three were tasked with eliminating me, my true purpose became ever so clear! My lord, my benevolent creator, has gifted this test upon me! Surely, the reward I should receive is salvation! True salvation!" The Bisharp spoke, his voice becoming more deranged. "I was advised to avoid confrontation, but that was a rouse, to see if I have the perception to perceive the true task I am expect to complete!"
"In Arceus' name, you talk more than Zen! But what I'm getting is that you might be crazy." Diana replied. The Zen manifest erupted with thick, Dark Energy, knocking Diana off of him and immobilizing the Kai Copy.
"Once I destroy you, and uncover the location of your sisters, I shall return triumphant to my creator, and graciously accept the gift of pure, true, everlasting LIFE!" The Zen told the Copy, a smile cracking through his face and spreading through his cheeks.
"Thunder!" Diana shouted, instinctively firing a mighty bolt of electricity at the Bisharp. The attack barely fazed the Zen, only agitating him and bringing his attention to the Outlander.
"My goodness, where are my manners? Who am I to neglect the Hero of Arceus the attention she so rightly deserves? Perhaps you can forgive me, I believe a one-way trip to visit your God should suffice!" The Zen aimed his hand at Diana as a yellow ball of energy formed. Just as Diana realized the attack the manifest was preparing, the Zen fired the Hyper Beam without any hesitation. Diana got out of the way just before the beam struck her, losing just a bit more of her mane, and also allowing the attack to blast a giant hole in the wall behind her.
"O-Oh my lord..!" Diana exclaimed, the force of the explosion shook the very ground she stood on. For a moment, she thought now would be a great time to grab the other Zoroark and run, but when she turned around, Zen was standing right there with another Hyper Beam ready to fire.
"Your sacrifice won't be in vain, Diana. Your death shall assist in my ascension, and should there be anything left of you, I will hold a proper burial for you." The Bisharp said softly, which was drowned in the multiple layers his voice gained. It sounded more sadistic than whatever it was he was going for.
With a blinding light, earth-shaking force, and an increase in creepiness due to his laughter, the Manifest fires the Hyper Beam at Diana, point blank. Not wanting to wait for the dust to settle naturally, the Zen exerted intense pressure to clear out the room, and was baffled at the lack of Zoroark bits in the crater he created. He looked around and saw the two fox's retreating through the hole in the wall... and laughed.
"Marvelous! How could I forget? You are the best illusionist of the three, why would one not use the power bestowed upon them by our almighty? This truly is a test of my faith!" He exclaimed.
"I-I'd prefer if you weren't so passive-aggressive, or even aggressive-aggressive!" The Copy replied as they fled with Diana.
The room they were led to was vast and empty, and included it's own patched-up wall. The two foxes attempted to hide in a corner or find a tunnel, but the Bisharp was already right behind them. He grabbed hold of both Zoroarks' manes and threw them behind him. Diana surrounded herself with electricity and charged down the Bisharp, unleashing a flurry of punches on him. As per her last attack, the Manifest was less physically damaged, and more pissed off.
"Lady Diana, if I am not mistaken, I do believe you have begun to wear down your welcome." The Zen warned.
"I could say the same for you! Attacking this Zoroark? Proclaiming to kill in the name of Arceus for salvation? I don't know what on earth you're going on about, but you aren't well!" Diana told him.
"Arceus? If I was in service to that goat, I'd have brought some hay prior by to this hunt." The Manifest replied. "But since we're on the subject of your deity, if you would just stand still, I remember arranging a meeting between you!"
"And with that disrespect in mind, I think I'm gonna electrocute this guy and go back to looking for my son." A blinding flash of light enveloped Diana, her fur crackled with electricity, and her hair turned bright yellow. "You, uh... I don't your name sweetie, but go and find the Galvantula that are on this floor, they look mean but I promise they're nice! Either that or they helped me just to help themselves." The Outlander muttered that last part to herself.
"O-Ok!" The Copy hurried towards a tunnel, hoping they were lucky enough to find the right one.
Diana launched forward, reached the Bisharp in the blink of an eye, and slammed her fist into his metallic face! The Outlander seemingly floated around the Dark Steel Manifestation, striking his body twice more before touching the ground. Whenever she struck the Manifest, an afterimage of herself remained, which was disregarded by her opponent.
"You do indeed strike with the force one would expect of an Outlander to Arceus, Diana. That being said, I find it hard to believe that this is all you are capable of." The annoying verbose Manifest mocked Diana.
"You aren't wrong, my attack hasn't finished yet." The Outlander explained, snapping her claws. In an instant, each of the afterimages closed in on the Bisharp, creating powerful flashing of lightning, followed by mighty thunder that reverberated throughout the floor. Each afterimage strike packed exponentially more power than Diana's original attacks, with the added effect of partially blinding the Bisharp afterwards.
While the Zen Manifest was dazed, Diana spun and kicked him off his feet, and used the momentum to slam her heel down on his skull, cracking the ground beneath him and leaving another afterimage. While the Bisharp remained grounded, Diana jumped into the air and sent down a mighty Thunder onto the afterimage, creating a gigantic electrical explosion. The Zoroark Outlander landed beside the Bisharp, who laid on the ground, sparks dancing off his body.
"Who are you? How are you so..?" Diana began to asked, knowing that the Bisharp was still fine. "You look like Zen, but... I know you aren't!"
"But I am! It is a pity that you can forget the face of one of the Pokémon you personally saved, Diana! I am Zen, through and through!" The Bisharp replied as he stood. "To be frank, your recollection of me isn't of my concern, however. The only one who I need to remember me is my Creator! The very same who will grant me Salvation! Through LIFE!"
Thick blackness spread from the Zen Manifest, covering the floor and trapping Diana in place. Her electric aura fizzled out once the blackness touched her legs and a painful cold pierced her body.
"You were indeed a fine test for my newfound endurance, Outlander. Thanks to you, I know that I will pass my Creator's test with relative ease. Which begs the question..." The Bisharp walked passed Diana. "If destroying the three Copies are to be just as easy, wouldn't that mean my test is even greater? What, or rather, who else would prove me worthy of salvation through their defeat? It surely makes you think, does it not?"
"Y-You leave that Zoroark a-alone!" Diana demanded. "Don't you lay a finger on her!" Diana paused for a second, not knowing why she said what she did, but stuck by it anyway.
"I will do what I must. Just hope you yourself do not prove to be the key to my salvation, Outlander, and you shall rejoin what's left of your family in piece." The Manifest fell into the blackness, which had covered the entire chamber at this point, and appeared in front of the Copy he was pursuing.
"N-No, wai-!" Without a chance to retaliate, the other Zoroark Copy was instantaneously destroyed by the Bisharp Manifest. All it took was one thrust of his hand, and his target was but a puff of smoke.
Despite not knowing the Zoroark, Diana was pained to see her so brutally eliminated. For a second, sadness shook her to her knees and the instinct to cry overwhelmed her, but it was too quickly followed by utter outrage. Raw fury swelled within Diana, something she hasn't experienced in perhaps decades! As her rage grew, so did her aura.
The Bisharp couldn't care for anything on this floor anymore, he did his task and knew how to find the others. But, as he made his way towards the stone door, a flash of bright blue electricity caught his eye. He was barely able to turn his head when he felt something strike him in his helmet. Sure enough, it was Diana, totally enveloped by blue electricity with matching blue hair.
"You are foolish, allowing your feelings towards a Pokémon you have just met to take yourself over like this. Pathetic." Without really any effort, the Zen Manifest threw his fist into Diana's stomach hard enough to instantly dispel her aura and render her unconscious. "You? A hero? Unbelievable."
/Within the Dragon-Ghost (Giratina) Floor/
K2 was able to hold Z2, Kai, Mia, and Skully above him and took the brunt of the fall, shattering the ground beneath him, pushing rocks up a couple feet from below, but at least Kai and the others were safe. The worst shape anyone other than K2 was in was shaken up from the sudden stop.
The Kora Copy groaned as he let go of Z2, a whole new world of pain suddenly opened to him. Once everyone got off him, K2 rolled onto his chest and coughed painfully.
"You ok bro?" Kai asked, nudging K2's side. Mia had worry all over her face, but it melted away once K2 gave the two a thumbs up and attempted to push himself up.
"Th-This is... nothing..!" The Faux Fox smiled through his excruciating pain.
"I-Incredible!" Z2 exclaimed as they watched K2 rise up from the ground. "Even if your mane cushioned any of that fall, you shouldn't be able to stand! Like, copies aren't normally meant to take as much damage as you do!"
"Really..? I've been smacked around worse than this! I think..." K2 stumbled a bit but managed to regain his balance. "That was a lie, I've never been in so much pain in my life."
"You're a remarkable Copy, K2! I envy you, actually." The Other Copy admitted. "Normal copies are nowhere near as powerful as you are! If I take two or three clean hits from anyone I'm out! Poof! Gone like a flame hitting water!"
"Oh, you make me blush!" The Kora Copy gushed, stretching his back out and instantly regretting it. "Owwwwww!"
"Well, I made sure K2 was as close to Kora as possible! I think the Guildmaster said he's a 'one-to-one' of my brother, or something like that. I think that means he's exactly like Kora, so, yay!" The Zorua cheered gleefully with his Eevee companion.
"I think he's even better than that! When Kora first turned into that Dragon Form, Z could sense a ton of power from him, but it is nowhere near as potent as K2's!" Z2 explained, poking K2's back and apologizing when he jumped.
"I dunno what that means..." Kai replied. "Is he better than Kora?"
"It's hard to say, but it's definitely in K2's favor! Oooooooo, just thinking of how a fight between those two is-!" Z2 suddenly froze. It was still pretty dark, but with what little light they had, Kai and Mia saw a horrified expression upon Z2. "A-AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Z2 clutched their chest in pain and fell to their knees.
"What's wrong?! Did you realize we're stuck down here forever?!" Skully asked, getting himself pushed away from the frantic Zoroark and the Pokémon comforting them.
"Z2? What happened? Are you hurt?" K2 asked, grabbing hold of the Other Copy's paw. Once they felt someone grab their paw, Z2 pulled K2 in and buried their face in his chest fur and started sobbing.
"I-I-It's my sister! Sh-She's..!" Z2 could barely speak between each sharp breath and her face being inside a thick floor of fur. "Sh-She was s-s-so scared! She's g-gone!"
"Your... sister? Calm down, we can't understand you!" K2 told the crying fox. Z2 tightly hugged K2, crying and shaking.
"Th-There was D-Diana a-and..! Th-There was..!" Z2 suddenly let go of K2 and turned away from the others. The Other Copy took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "... She was destroyed. By the manifest of Zen sent before us."
"ZEN!?" Kai and K2 exclaimed in shock.
"No way, how can you be so sure?!" K2 asked in disbelief. "Zen is a jerk sometimes, but he wouldn't just-!"
"When copies are made and destroyed, all the memories they acquired are shared with their creator and any other creations made before hand. I know exactly how my sister's last moments went, and they weren't even that long..." Z2 explained, holding their chest again. "Even with Diana's help... she never stood a chance..."
"I can't... I'm sorry..." K2 said softly.
"Was it really Zen?" Kai asked, hopping onto K2's shoulder.
"No, before we were sent off to check in with you guys, Z created a Zen Manifest to find out how the doors worked." Z2 answered.
"Didn't you say that you were going to beat a manifest or whatever when we first met?" K2 asked. "Maybe he found out about it and planned on taking you three out first?"
"Maybe? I don't know. All I know is that he's gone off the deep end, is stronger than all of us, and is on his way to finding me and my last sister. We have to find Z and-!"
"Now hold yer horses!" Skully objected with an odd accent. "I'm know I'm speaking for everyone here, but what does that have to do with us gettin' outta here?!"
"Zip it, Bonehead. We're helping Z2, and if you don't want to, you can stay down here for all I care." K2 said firmly. Skully let out a surprised gasp.
"We owe Z2, ya know? Besides, we weren't really gonna leave you alone again, right K2?" Kai said, nudging the back of K2's head. The Kora Copy groaned and nodded.
"Yeah, sure. But for the sake of my sanity, cut the whining! Please?" K2 told the talking skull, who happily nodded and sunk into the thick red mane of the Zoroark.
"Thanks, guys." Z2 said, giving everyone a warm hug and a smile. "Let's hurry up and get out of here, it's starting to give me the creeps.
There was only one tunnel, which was much larger than most tunnels anyone else and found. There were even different colored crystals, which was a surprise to Skully. He had no idea this was down here; an entirely undiscovered area on the floor he spent what now seems like an eternity alone on. He recognized the crystals as Dragon Type and some were Ghost Type, but asked someone to bring him closer to one just to be sure.
K2 put the head on one of the Dragon Type gems, wanting to see how exactly you test a gem for what type it is. Skully started bouncing on the gem, turning slightly until his horn was able to land on, and break through, the gem. Nothing happened for a moment, but then Skully started to glow!
"Aye, it's Dragon Type alright." Skully stated as the gem began to fade. "Also, I guess I've never use a Dragon Type move before."
"That's an odd thing to bri-" Right as Z2 was talking, the skull just started throwing up the same color as the gem. How pleasant...
"You see, when a Pokémon takes in the gem of a type they have never learned to use properly before, the sudden rush of energy is so overwhelming that their body, or just my head in this case, will reject it the same way your body rejects food when you've gorged yourself on it." Skully explained, spitting out the last bits of Dragon Type energy.
"Good to know..." The others said in grossed-out unison.
After making sure Skully didn't have any more energy in him, the group continued down the tunnel. It was so much brighter than the upper layer thanks to the Dragon Gems. The further down they progress, the more this ominous sensation started to fill the air, some kind of pressure coming from deeper within. Everyone was starting to get a little antsy, especially Kai and Mia who had a faint glow to them the whole time.
/Five Minutes Later/
The pressure was gradually increasing, but after some time it hit the four Pokémon hard! K2, even with most of his injuries healed, fell to a knee, Z2 was struggling to stand, but suprisingly, Kai and Mia were relatively alright. The two young Pokémon hopped out of K2's mane and tried to help him up.
"I-I'm alright, I just need a sec." The Kora Copy assured the two, bringing himself back up.
Kai gave the two Copies some energy, hopefully enough to make it through the tunnel. Even with the added energy, however, K2 and Z2 were still having trouble walking. Before Kai gave the two more energy, Z2 stopped and reminded them about what too much excess power might do to a Copy, which is make them go crazy. Both Zoroark's decided it'd be best to rest up and heal, hoping that would be enough to carry them through this unexplored cavern they've found themselves in.
"I guess now's as good a time as any," K2 started saying as Mia attempted to heal him. She's nowhere near as good at healing as Tia, but it's more than enough for now. "You referred to one of the other copies as your 'sister'... doesn't that mean Z's a girl?"
"Yeah. We were gonna tell you guys soon, I mean we are friends after all. It's just..." Z2 let out a sigh and laid on her back. "There's a bunch of stuff we need to tell you guys, but we couldn't decide on how to do it. All at once seemed like too much, especially since we practically just met, but if we kept telling you guys little snippets here and there, that just doesn't really feel right either. We want you guys to trust us, and we want to tell you guys everything, but now doesn't feel like the right time."
"You can start by telling us why you and Lee came here in the first place. Although, I'm fairly certain it's because of the Time Gear." K2 suggested, sitting in front of Z2.
"That's one of the reasons. To be honest, Lee was planning on looking elsewhere before coming here, but I made him come here. He said that he's been to Sunset Valley once already and had a terrible time, but..." Z2 sat up to face K2, and also allow Mia to heal her. "I... I really needed to see you guys."
Kai and K2's ears perked up, confusion riddling their minds. In K2, a very faint warmness rose in his chest, and he felt like he was younger for some reason. Kai felt pretty much, just confusion.
"Have we... met before..?" K2 asked. "I mean, has Z and Kora met before?" Z2 smiled warmly and put her claw to her mouth, silently informing the two foxes that she won't tell just yet.
Mia, who wasn't paying attention to their conversation, hopped out from behind Z2 and put on a proud and triumphant smile as she trotted over to Kai and sat herself beside him. The Eevee noticed that K2 was thinking really hard about something, and Z2 was giggling to herself. Mia shrugged and curled up, it probably isn't that important. Kai followed his friends lead, even bringing out Skully and placing him beside them, leaving K2 and Z2 alone.
"That Zen Manifest thing..." The Kora Copy brought up once the other three were asleep. "If we were to face him now, before we regrouped with everyone, would we make it?"
"I don't know. He's hellbent on offing me and my sister, so I definitely wouldn't. He think it's a test, and that if he passes it he'll become a real Pokémon."
"Real?"
"A couple months back, when Z was training to make multiple copies that functioned properly, Lee brought up that there might be a way to create a Copy or Manifest that was permanent, an entirely new Pokémon. That old Wolf said it was forbidden by Arceus, but he think's Arceus can shove it."
"Hm... He doesn't sound like a big fan of Arceus, which isn't surprising seeing how he fights. I don't think any other Pokémon uses darkness and tentacles like him. Does he have a grudge or something?"
"Every time Z asked, he goes on this long tangent about the past, or angrily mumbles to himself for a while until Z dropped it. Most of what we could surmise from it was that it has something to do with his master, who he's waiting to reveal as some big surprise, and is another reason we came."
"I'd say it's doubtful that anyone on this island would have been his master, but I was wrong already about the Time Gear. I'm not sure about you, but I've been feeling this... disorientating sensation every time we walk through the stone doors, and coming from that place we met back to here made me feel groggy and slow. In fact, this pressure is coming from a powerful gem further down this tunnel."
"My my, you're quite special, K2! Insane battle prowess and incredibly accurate senses? Kai made you into a unique Copy, you know? Maybe we can take on that crazy Manifest and live to tell the tale!" Z2 yawned and stretched out her back. "Man, this is the first time I've been active long enough to actually get tired. I wonder how sleeping is like?"
"It's nothing special, but it helps when you're healing, or just need to waste some time. I'll stay up and make sure nothing happens, you go get some rest." K2 told the other Copy, who was happy to oblige. The Kora Copy sighed and looked at his paws. "A way... to become real..."
/With Lee and Co. on the Fighting Type Floor/
Lee and Zeke must've dozed off, because they were awoken by Kai screaming and holding her chest. Lee swiftly went to the fox's aid, holding her in his arms and asking what was wrong. Kai wasn't able to speak coherently for a moment, but when she calmed down she pushed Lee away and hurried towards the stone door.
"I made a mistake, we have to go now!" The Other Zoroark stated. "I know how the doors work, just get up and go!"
"We'd first like an explanation, Kai! What happened? You can at least tell us that, right?" Lee asked, following behind Kai.
"It's that Zen Manifest! He went crazy and killed one of my copies, and he's hunting the others as we speak!" Kai hurriedly explained. "I can't dispel him from here, and if he gets any stronger I won't be able to!"
"I didn't know you sent out clones? Wait, what do you mea-!" Zeke started to ask before being grabbed by Kai and dragged towards the stone door.
"There. Is. No. Time! I'm not sure how long we have until he's capable of creating different gems to properly use the doors, so please shut up!" The Dark Type said as she herself created a Dark Gem, threw open the door, and tossed her companions inside.
/The Rock Floor/
Upon reaching a floor she didn't want to go to, Kai shouted a series of cuss words and stomped off to find another door. This floor, unfortunately, was home to a very high amount of Parasect. Once they reached the "center" of the Parasect nest, Kai immediately cast the entire chamber aflame and kept on walking. Zeke was actually terrified of the impressive show of firepower, confirming that he was yet to fully get used to Lee or Kai.
At the pace Kai was going, which was basically running, the trio found the door with no trouble at all! No trouble if you don't count a group of larger Parasect, that is. Much like before, Kai was determined to not slow down her pace, and sent the opposing Mushroom Pokémon to their fiery demise. Lee was quite impressed with Kai's focus and determination, and if the situation wasn't as dire as Kai made it out to be, he'd clap for her.
"Uhhg! It's still random!" Kai groaned, after already being so far away from where they entered. Probably too focused on stopping a 'monhunting Manifest at the time. In a haste, Kai created a Dark Gem and went over to open the door, but tripped on the claw of one of the Parasect she scorched. The gem bounced on the floor and bumped into the door, which caused it to faintly glow white.
"Looks like that did something." Lee pointed out as he helped Kai up. "You need to cool off for a moment, Kai. I don't want you running after this Manifest and getting hurt."
"He's not gonna hurt me, he thinks I'm his God! But... you're right." The Other Zoroark thanked the Wolf. She took in a deep breath and mellowed out a bit. "I'll make sure not to just drag you guys around, but we still gotta keep moving! It won't be long until the Manifest either finds out there was no test and goes on a rampage, or think's I'm the final test and tries to kill me. So, no pressure."
/Dark Floor/
Lee shivered lightly when he felt the leftover dark essence in the area, proof to him that the Zen Manifest was dangerous. Zeke felt like something was crawling all over him, but he tried to not let it show. It didn't help that he'd get randomly jittery and get a little carried away and sort of freak out about it.
Once the trio were in the large room where the battle took place, they were met with a sinister pressure washing over them. Kai felt dreadful being there, but thought it would help to look around and assess the aftermath herself.
The chamber was beaten, craters scattered about, cracks in it's walls, and the dark energy of a deranged Bisharp were present everywhere. Despite the largeness of the chamber, it felt somewhat claustrophobic, or just like they weren't supposed to be there. It was enough to make even Lee antsy, which is surprising to say the least. With nothing much more to see, the trio were about to make their leave when Zeke noticed a black and red something in one of the craters.
"Lee, Kai, look at that." Zeke waved the two over and pointed near the center of one of the larger craters. "That's a Pokemon, right? I'm pretty sure that's a Zoroark, actually."
"Kora, maybe?" Kai asked, walking over to the Blaziken's side.
"No, the mane's too short..." Zeke squinted and got a bit closer to the edge of the crater. The Pokémon he was seeing was face down, and he couldn't remember any Zoroark's with a short mane. The Fire-Fighting Type made his way down the crater, and it took him holding the Pokémon up for him to realize who it was. "Oh shit it's Diana!"
"The Outlander?" Lee questioned, following behind Kai.
"No, the OTHER Diana!" Zeke replied, oozing with sarcasm.
Kai went over to examine the unconscious Zoroark, glowing a dark pink and placing a paw over Diana's forehead and chest. It took her a moment, but Kai was relieved to say that Diana's alright, whatever injuries she had were already healing at a breakneck pace. The only thing of note is, when Kai went to check Diana's mental state, the Outlander's mind was full of confusion and the feeling of missing someone, as well as thoughts of Kai's Copy.
"I bet you feel flattered," Lee joked, "being able to bring emotions like that up without even being here. I think you might actually get what you've been searching for, Kai."
"Thanks, Lee." Kai hugged the Wolf softly, making sure to bring in Zeke for the hell of it. "And thanks for letting us bring you along, Zeke. I know you'd rather be with Nate, but I'm glad you're with us."
"It's alright, Kai. I'm just helping a friend! Nate will understand. Minerva, on the other hand..." The Blaziken chuckled and returned the hug. "I've got some explaining to do when this is over."
"While I enjoy this grandeur display of closeness, isn't there a Manifest we need to take care of?" Lee pointed out. Kai nodded and she and Lee were heading for the exit when Zeke stopped them.
"What about Diana?" Zeke asked. "I know bringing her along would complicate things, but leaving her here feels really bad."
"Leave her by the stone door, and I'll leave some Gems for her to use. Dragon Gems in particular. I'm guessing that she's trying to find Kora, so we might as well throw her a bone or two." Kai suggested.
One short trek with an unconscious mother later, and the trio were ready to finish hunting down the Bisharp Manifest running loose. It was after she placed the few Dragon Gems next to Diana that Kai remembered something from her Copy.
"I think there's a good chance that both my Copies and the Zen will end up in a Dragon Type area." Kai stated. "Although they were looking for everyone, they were more focused on trying to find Kora than the others."
"You're obsession with that kid is getting pretty close to being gross, Kai." Lee told her.
"You know it's nothing like that! It's just that we know he's down here and none of us have seen him! I don't think even his friends have any idea where he is!" The Other Zoroark replied, crossing her arms. "Back to my idea, if we try to regroup with my other Copies, then Zen will find his way to us!"
"And if he doesn't?" Zeke asked.
"He's an incredibly powerful Manifest of Dark and Steel Type energy, if he doesn't show, we'll just come back here or check out the Steel Type floor." The Dark Type answered.
"And while we're waiting, it would be nice if you actually told us how the doors work, seeing how much you found out already." The Wolf finally suggested. Kai chuckled nervously and tapped the stone door with a Dragon Type gem and opened it up.
"Yeah, I'll do that!" The Other Zoroark replied as she entered the door.
/With Rio, The Adamant Chamber/
Who knows how long Rio had been out? He didn't, all he knew was that he was practically crushed under some incredibly intense pressure, then it all went black. After that, he's pretty sure he's been asleep until just this moment. The Outlander woke up, his fur lightly dusted, his legs and left arm numb, and his right arm jammed inside the giant gem he remember throwing himself into before blacking out. There was a crick in his neck and any time any part of his body moved it would creak and crack. He felt like he was made of stone!
"Uhhhhggg... Orion..?" Rio groaned. "Orion..? What happened?"
At first, he didn't get a response. Maybe the voice was asleep? An odd thought, but not entirely unrealistic. Rio brought himself to his feet, which he could barely feel, and had realized his arm was stuck inside the gem. He was about, shoulder deep, which he would be proud of if he was able to properly stand.
"Hey, Orion!" Rio called out, expecting an answer but receiving not a sound.
With aching bones and a stiff body that was refusing to cooperate, and no inner voice pepping him up with jokes that barely count as jokes, Rio tried to yank his arm from the gigantic gem as best as he could being as tired as he is. It was as easy as it sounds, meaning not at all. He was obviously getting nowhere so Rio gave up and slumped back down. He started to wonder how long it would take the others to find him, how long it's already been, and what happened to Orion. Luckily, two of his three questions were answered.
'Two and a half weeks.' A voice suddenly spoke. Rio thought it was coming from behind him for a second, but he recognized it was Orion shortly after. 'You've been asleep, for two and a half weeks.'
"Good Morning, Orion. That's not exactly a hilarious way to wake someone up, you know?" Rio replied with a light chuckle.
'That's because I wasn't joking. After you launched yourself at this gem, you used up all the aura I had and smashed your arm into it. And until you were inside the gem, you felt maybe... two? Three hundred times earth's gravity in the form of pressure? For about five seconds.' The voice explained. "Once you had your arm in, I started siphoning energy out of it to convert to aura, but you were much closer to death than you'd like, so I had to use that aura to keep you alive before I was able to use it to cancel out the pressure.'
"So... even when I was out I was still feeling that much pressure?"
'Actually, while I was keeping you alive, the energy I was siphoning out must have some correlation to the pressure because it got weaker the more I took out. You did some quick thinking when you were awake, if we messed up at any point we'd have been turned to dust.' Orion further explained.
"Really? Hm..." Rio smiled a little and started to stand back up. "Alright, how do you propose we get unstuck?"
'There's still quite a bit of pressure left, and from what I can tell, this Gem is capable of restoring it's lost energy, so the best thing to do would be to slurp the hell outta it!' Orion suggested with more energy than before. Rio grinned and placed his left paw on his right arm.
"There's some of that Orion I know and love!" Rio cheered.
Aura bursted from his arm, shooting out the whole in the gem and covering most of the room with a brilliant blue light. Intense power shot up Rio's arm, filling every ounce of his body within seconds! It was exhilarating, and it helped with all of the Outlander stiff joints!
'Alright, looks like there's a bit more energy left than I expected!' Orion admitted. 'Maybe try shooting some out of your other arm before you start bursting at the seams like a Minerva at a dessert buffet?'
Rio nodded, but he was then hit with a different kinda energy. Like cutting to the center of a chocolate volcano cake, a rich flow of divine energy overtook the Outlander, causing him to throw his head back and shout in blissful agony. It made Orion feel really awkward.
"Wh-What is this?!" The Outlander shouted. The same pattern of glyphs that lined the walls of this chamber etched themselves up Rio's arm and covered most of his body. When the glyphs reached Rio's eyes, they turned black and crimson red, and a black, sinister aura erupted from within Rio. "G-GAAAAHHHHH!"
'Rio!' Orion exclaimed, but he wasn't heard. Surprising, seeing how he's inside Rio's head. 'Are you al- AHHHHHGGGGG!' Orion could feel something being pulled from him, then slamming right back into him. The sinister aura began to fade back into Rio.
Fortunately, the Gem dissipated not too long after, and Rio fell to his knees, gasping for air. He felt stuffed, but at least the pressure was gone, and his body was totally awake now! So, yeah? Honestly, neither Pokémon knew what exactly just happened, so neither really knew if they should be worried or not.
"I don't think I want to ever feel something like that again." Rio told Orion as he tried to stand back up.
'You and me both.' Orion agreed.
With the Gem gone, a giant hole in the ground was revealed, with a tunnel having light coming from it. First, both Pokémon were surprised at just how much larger the Gem really was, then they decided to investigate the tunnel. It was a bit of a hassle, since the walls were so steep, but with their abundance of aura and energy, Rio and Orion were able to fall most of the way and not be too hurt at the end.
The tunnel was tight, and the light coming from it actually originated from the other end, and it was so strong that Rio had to cover his eyes so he couldn't be blinded by it. After a minute of blind shuffling, the Lucario stumbled into a chamber with two absurdly bright gems, a pedestal in the center, and a rough gem sitting upon it. Rio carefully smashed the two gems so he could finally see, and noticed something odd about the gem in the pedestal.
"Is there something wrong with that gem? It looks kinda, not there. Or is that just me?" Rio asked Orion as he approached the pedestal.
'I don't think it's any ordinary gem. Unlike every other gem we've seen, this one is more pure energy than fancy rock. Oh! I remember now! It's, uh, Dialga's orb! What was it called again..?' Orion pondered.
Rio shrugged and approached the odd gem, uh, orb. At first glance, it really doesn't look like much. Throw it in a pile of other rough-cut gems or crystals and you couldn't tell the difference. But, for somebody able to sense aura or any other form of energy, it was an entirely different story. The closer Rio got to the orb, the more of these clock-like mirages appeared around it, and the sensation of sand blowing against his body slowed his movement. By the time he was able to grab the orb, Rio felt like he was in the middle of a sandstorm.
'... but that doesn't explain why his orb is called the Adamant orb! You'd think that the God of Time would come up with something that makes more sense, like the Temporal Orb, or the Orb of Ages, maybe even Orb-alga!' Orion's voice suddenly spoke.
"What are you even talking about?" Rio asked.
'Wait, you weren't listening? I was talking for like, two minutes about the Adamant orb! I thought you were just listening to me talk because we are friends, and you value my opinion!' Orion whined.
"Oh... wait... two minutes? I'm pretty sure I was walking for like, thirty seconds."
'Were you? I wasn't focusing on whatever it was you were doing, kinda thought you were waiting for me to finish before we grabbed the "Adamant" Orb.'
"If it'll help you get over this, it's probably called the Adamant Orb because time keeps moving no matter what anybody does. You can't stop it or change it's course, just make the best of it."
'Whoa... Did you just make that up? No offense, but that sounds like something outside either of our intelligence range.'
"Speak for yourself, I'm at least average intelligence."
The two chuckled and decided it was time to leave. Obviously, the Adamant Orb is important, so it was coming with them. It made Rio's arm feel both tingly and cold, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. Maybe Jirachi know's what to do about it.
/With Zen and Eva, the Palkia Floor/
First red flag, there was no ground where Zen and Eva appeared. Second red flag, they fell upwards, then sideways, then back down. Third red flag, probably when they hit the ground and it felt like rubber. In less than two minutes, both Pokémon had the feeling that there was something wrong with this floor.
"I'm not gonna say that was fun, because we both know it was, but I would love to know why that happened at all." Zen said once they were able to stand.
"You might've had fun, but the ceiling and walls still felt like stone to me! We just got here and I already hate it." Eva groaned.
They made it to a tunnel that acted like it was made of stone, thank god, and followed it all the way to the end. Much to their surprise, it led right back to where they came. They made no turns, no loops, no nothing. The path itself didn't even arc or curve at any point!
Now, at the three minute mark, Eva has had enough. She angrily punched a wall, and it just decided to be paper or something and the Zangoose fell through it. Zen made the mistake of snickering quietly, which made Eva even more livid, and resulted in him being blasted with a Flamethrower.
"God, Eva! What's your deal?!" The Bisharp snapped. He quickly recomposed himself and cleared his throat. "You can't be getting so worked up over this, we won't get anywhere! I am aware of my admittedly childish/uncharacteristic excitement over scientific discoveries, however you have never been one for allowing your temper to get the better of you."
"It's not ME! It's this... this HELLHOLE we walked right into! Giant bugs? Magic doors? Now we've ended up in an area that is LITERALLY meant to mess with us! We walked in a straight line and ended right back where we started, Zen! Gravity changed three times when we first got here, Zen!" Eva angrily exclaimed. The Zangoose sat on the floor and buried her face in her paws.
"Eva, I get it. This place isn't exactly promoting sanity for those inside it. The native Bug Pokémon are gigantic, nowhere really feels safe, and nothing makes sense. But, at the end of the day, we still have each other." Zen comforted his friend, sitting beside her. "I'll be honest, if I came down here alone, I'm not sure how long I would be able to hold myself together. I only made it this long because we were lucky enough to get stuck down here together!"
"You... you don't have to be modest. We both know I wouldn't last a day by myself down here. I think you'd find a way on your own." The Zangoose said.
"Well, yes, but that defeats the purpose of this pep talk." Zen replied. He wrapped Eva in a gentle hug, another uncharacteristic thing for him to do, and let out a sigh. "I apologize if this is odd, but... I think you need a hug."
"It's actually, really nice. Your body blades aren't as sharp as they're supposed to be, and your pretty warm too." The Zangoose replied, returning the hug with a tighter one.
"Perhaps because you hit me with a flamethrower not too long ago?"
"Oh, right... sorry." Eva chuckled and let go of the Bisharp.
The two stood up and looked down the tunnel they were now in, preparing themselves about what's to come.
"It's safe to assume that we'll run into more ridiculous events, correct?" Zen asked.
"It'd be weird if we didn't." Eva replied.
"If I were to make assumptions, I'd assume this area to be larger than the Parasect's domain. We should be prepared for a long stay."
"Eh, I'm not worried. Well, I'm a little worried. It'd be better if we had Kane with us, the three of us could find our way out in no time!"
"Alright, I wouldn't give him that much credit."
Eva rolled her eyes and playfully punched Zen in his shoulder. The two followed the path they stumbled upon with high hopes of a speedy exit. Hopes, that were shattered much later than they were hoping to stay.
/One Week Later/
"I hate this. I hate this with every fabric of my being." Eva stated. Believe it or not, the pair had indeed spent an entire week on the exact same floor. What's worse, after every few turns, they'd magically wind right back in the first room they arrived in.
"I am unsure of what is more unsettling. The maze-like structure of this area, or the fact that neither of us are hungry, or even thirsty." Zen said. "What remarkable attributes this place has."
"Zen, I am about one wrong turn away from absolutely losing it. If we don't find a way out, I'm gonna burn everything I see to cinders."
"Other than the walls, that only leaves me, but it shouldn't get to that." Zen turned towards a wall and placed his hand on it. "I've been doing a lot of thinking this past... week... and I think I might have found a solution."
"Please, just tell me what we have to do! Please!" Eva pleaded. "I am ready for this nightmare to END!"
"Ever since we came down here, I've been wondering what this place could be. I know I've had some form of encounter with caves or special areas that hold confusingly-large, interlocking systems of caverns and chambers that seem unworldly. I've finally nailed it down to a Mystery Dungeon. I'll try to keep this short, but Mystery Dungeons have some connection with certain items that would allow the wielder of said item to escape the dungeon nearly instantaneously! Of course, I am referring to the Badges that Guild Members acquire upon join any guild. What I was planning at first was for both of us to throw whatever we have relating to the Guild together and see what happens, but that plan holds no guarantee for success. So my penultimate plan was for us to forge a guild together and declare any item we could find as a badge, but that was just desperation settling in. That was when I remembered the first day we spent down here, and how you found that secret tunnel in a fit of rage! At first, I chocked that up as a coincidence, there simply was just a weakened wall with a passage behind it, but with the functionality of Explorer Badges in mind, I knew there was more to it! So my final plan revolves around the idea that the badges give off either a special energy or wavelength that causes a reaction within the dungeon that would metaphorically but quite literally spit the party of explorers outside the entrance to the dungeon!"
"..." Eva stared blankly for a second and slowly nodded her head, showing that she got basically none of that.
"Exactly how much of that did you understand?" The Bisharp asked.
"Um... something about... mystery..?" Eva shrugged and chuckled nervously.
"Wonderful. My apologies, I'm sometimes unaware of the capacity of other to fully understand my ramblings. And even shorter version would be, uh, we are going to hit this wall with aura and hope a reaction happens. Since you and your family are Guild Members, it is possible that you would have some form of positive impact on the Dungeon."
"Man, have you always been such a talker?" Eva asked, standing beside the Bisharp.
"It feels like I've been unable to talk as much as I would have liked recently, sorry."
The two firmly planted both hands and paws on the wall and closed their eyes. It's not easy for most Pokémon to summon up energy without using an attack, especially not Normal Types, but they have no other choice. Zen began to glow with a light black aura, his breathing calmed, and his body relaxed. Meanwhile, Eva was focusing so hard that she was starting to turn red! Zen peaked and saw her struggling and placed a hand on her back.
"Calm down, Eva, breathe. You need to focus, and remain calm. Focus." Zen told her.
"I-I'm trying but, I don't feel anything!" Eva replied.
"You can do it Eva, just, focus. Focus on something, something that drives you."
"You mean getting out of here?"
"This is serious. Focus on something or someone that pushes you forward. Focus on one thought."
Eva started to focus on someone, a friend, and her chest started to feel warm. She suddenly calmed down, causing Zen to grin.
"Good. Now, focus on the feeling you get when you think about that. Use that feeling to focus your body even further."
The feeling of warmness washed over Eva's entire body, and a sort of giddiness rose in her heart. She felt butterflies for the first time in a while, and she was able to calm even further.
"Perfect, I knew you could do it. Now, use that feeling, and focus on only that, focus until you can't hear your worries anymore."
Eva took a deep breath and let out a long exhale, a weight seemed to have lifted off her shoulders, and she forgot that she hated being trapped in a cave. Her heart calmed, her breathing slowed, and her entire body was blissfully warm. When Eva opened her eyes, she was engulfed in a hot pink and white aura, dancing around like flames. She turned to Zen, who looked proudly at her.
"I can't see it, but I can feel it. Your aura is magnificent, Eva." The Bisharp congratulated his friend.
"When did you learn to use aura?" Eva asked.
"My master taught me when I was young. When we split up, part of my training was to become adept in summoning aura, and we both assumed that sensing and seeing aura would come soon after, but I wasn't that fortunate." Zen paused for a second. "Hold on, you can see aura?"
"Yeah, mine's is hot pink and white. And yours is light black, sort of like grey."
"Gray?"
"Yep, grey. I'd have thought your aura would've been much darker but, gray kinda suits you. Not entirely bad, but probably not a saint either."
"Ouch..."
"Hey, I'm not the one who's killed Pokémon before!"
"Alright, whatever! We're getting sidetracked! Put your paws back on the wall." The two repositioned themselves on the wall once again and their auras started to flare up. "Now push as much of your aura out into the wall as you can!"
Both Pokémon's auras lept off their bodies and slammed into the wall! Eva wobbled for a second and used Zen to support her. For a moment, nothing was happening, and the two were about to lose hope. When, all of a sudden, the wall started to ripple and swirl, and suddenly a tunnel formed! Zen and Eva cheered with glee and rushed down the tunnel without a second thought, hoping, no, knowing that they were finally going to escape this hell!
/Deeper Within the Palkia Floor/
Minerva and Kane ended up in a vast, open chamber with Water-Dragon gems lighting the area, and glyphs decorating the walls. Static was amazed at all the pretty colors and shapes, and hopped off Minerva's head and scuttled all around to take everything in. Upon not seeing a certain Dragon-Fox, Minerva turned towards Kane and swiftly jabbed him in his gut.
"Whhhyyyyy?!" Kane groaned, clutching his stomach and coughing.
"Anytime we go to a room, an' Kora ain't in it, I'm gonna punch ya. So ya betta hope he's in the room past that tunnel." Minerva said coldly. Kane fell on his side and started breathing in sharp breathes.
"Every moment... I try to help you... and you decide to hurt me anyway..." The Scrafty said weakly, slowly getting to his feet. "I'm... startin' to get sick of it..!"
"If ya wanna fight, lizard breath, come at me!" Minerva challenged Kane, spreading her arms out. "I'll even be generous an' let ya get the first shot!"
Kane thought about doing it. He really thought about doing it. He spent a year in hell with Diana, learned to be nice from her, and tried to make amends to Minerva, but she's making it extremely difficult to even be around her!
'So what if I was a dick?! Everyone's been a dick to everyone else!' Kane thought. He quickly shook the thought from his mind, however. 'No, Kane! We changed for the better! Don't let one Pokémon you crossed ruin that! How about we find Kora and put this plan in action!'
Kane let out a sigh and turned away from Minerva. He heard her insult him for cowering out, but he tuned that out. He focused solely on his plan, and didn't care about the feline's bitter hatred towards him anymore.
The tunnel was quite large, maybe ten Pokémon could stand side-by-side and have ample room still, and it was surprisingly tall, too. Along the walls were more gems, and long the bottom of the walls were glyphs that seemed to move. Kane couldn't figure out if it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, or if he was finally going crazy after a year in this hellish nightmare.
At the end of the tunnel was, get this, a massive room with a waterfall! And a pond! The water was... odd, however. It was deep purple with white specks scattered through it. There were more gems along the water's edge, and when Kane looked into the pond, he didn't see his reflection. Instead, he saw a giant gem, which was weird because there wasn't a gem above them, although there was plenty of room for it.
"Alright. This place is definitely weird." Kane said as he stepped away from the water.
He had momentarily forgotten about Minerva and the promise she made, unfortunately, and was filled with a sudden, unbearable pain in his back. With a scream of agony and a thud, Kane fell to the ground and was flailing his legs in pain!
"I like to keep my promises, Kane." The Meowth told the in-immense-pain Scrafty. Static hopped off Minerva and poked Kane in the side, accidentally giving him a shock and making him scream again.
"G-God-G-GODDAMNIT!" Kane yelled at the top of his lungs. He was quite furious now, and that voice in his head telling him to keep calm sounded like a faint whisper compared to the overwhelming fury that surged through his body.
With no remorse, Kane slammed his fist with incredible force into Minerva's chest, sending her flying backwards and smashing into a gem! A black aura began to seep from his body, but before he was drenched in it, Kane managed to calm himself down. The Scrafty held his head; a slight headache starting to form.
"Uhg... listen, Minerva. Hate me all you want... but I won't just take your punches anymore. From now on, if you hit me, or try to, I'll knock you flat on your ass, or lack thereof." Kane stated with a weak chuckle. The headache started to worsen, and his body felt weak. "O-oooohnnnn... Wh-What's..."
Kane fell forward and blacked out, right as Minerva got herself back up. The feline dusted herself off, wincing a bit when she patted off her chest, and walked over towards the passed out Scrafty. She was about to kick him, when all of a sudden...
"WE DID IT!" A female voice exploded from behind Minerva.
"THANK THE HEAVENS!" A male voice joined in. Minerva turned to see Eva and Zen barreling towards her at top speed. The two seemed to have tunnel vision and couldn't see Minerva at all.
"H-Hey! Slow down!" The feline yelled, but the Bisharp and Zangoose couldn't see her either.
With all the noise and shaking, Kane actually managed to lift his head up and saw the two Pokémon sprinting towards him.
"E-Eva..? Zen..?" He muttered. He wasn't seen either, and by the time he fully recognized his teammate, they had unknowingly kicked him in the face during their mad dash, and tripped over him. Which led to them piling onto Minerva and Kane, and Static to hop right on top of everyone.
"Uhhhhhhgggg... Wha... Where are we..?" Eva groaned, propping herself one her arm.
"What happened..? I can hardly recall anything after we ran into that tunnel..." Zen felt something soft under him and assumed that it was Eva's tail. When he rolled off of it, however, he was met with a sudden, powerful pain shooting up his side and throughout his body as he slid across the floor.
"The hell is wrong with the two of ya!?" Minerva shouted. "First ya come runnin' for ya lives, then ya fall right on top of me?!"
"Minerva..?" Eva asked, rubbing her eyes.
Zen coughed and groaned, not bothering to stand up due to the pain.
"Yep... I'd know that punch anywhere. You two can do whatever, I'm going to rest here for a moment." Zen replied.
Eva let out a gasp and instinctively hugged Minerva, happily crying, but not enough for Minerva to notice.
"We were stuck down here for FOREVER! I am so happy to see you again, Minerva!" Eva said, tightening the hug. "Are you by yourself? Are you hurt? I'm sorry we fell on you!"
"Whoa there, Eva. I'm fine, but ya friend ain't. Neither of 'em. In fact, the two of ya numskulls kicked the shit outta Kane's face before ya tripped! It was hilarious, until ya fell on me."
Eva looked down and gasped once more at the sight of her unconscious friend. The Zangoose swept Kane right up off the ground and practically jumped over to Zen and grabbed him too. She was probably unaware of their injuries, because she was hugging so tightly that Zen yelped and Kane woke up in shock.
"Guys! We're together again! We found Kane!" Eva cheered joyfully, which was enough for Static to join in too. After a little while, Eva lost her footing and fell backwards, adding her to the growing list of injured Pokémon.
Kane and Zen looked at each other and gave each other a genuine and warm smile, then laughed when they realized Eva was trapped beneath them. The two boys helped each other, and Eva, off the ground.
"You look... skinny." Zen said.
"You don't look too hot yourself, metal head." Kane shot back. "Believe it or not, I've been down here for a whole year! And the only thing to eat was either giant bugs, or gems!"
"Yeah, we noticed. Wait, you still get hungry?" Eva asked. "We haven't since we got here about two weeks ago."
"The hell?" Minerva exclaimed. "Whaddya mean ya've been here two weeks?! We got down here, like, maybe two hours ago!"
"Diana and I have been down here a year, and yet you find Zen and Eva spending two weeks here unbelievable?" Kane asked, crossing his arms.
"I didn't believe a thing ya told me, since I'd rather ya be senile so I could leave ya down here and forget aboutcha." The Meowth replied.
"That about what I expected. Surprised you guys spent so long together without tearing each other apart." Zen pointed out.
"This idiot keeps followin' me around, and he's been sooooo annoying! Do ya know how many times he said he knew how to find Kora? I don't!" Minerva exclaimed. Static made his grand entrance by, surprise surprise, jumping onto Minerva's head. "Oh, and I got a kid. I mean, I accidentally hatched him and now he won't stop followin' me, so I might as well adopt him, right? I named him Static."
"Interesting. For a Joltik, this little guy is enormous! Of course, what would you expect when it's parents are also gigantic." The Bisharp stated, patting the top of Static's head. He was surprised when Static shocked him, but the smile on the baby's face proved it was friendly. Eva also tried petting Static and was also shocked when she was shocked.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, I have a plan." Kane told Zen and Eva, pulling them in for a huddle. He went on to explain the Dragon Floor, the important chamber, the ancient mural and glyphs, and finally his plan to discover the secret of that chamber. When Kane mentioned the Creation Trio and how their respective orbs may be the key, Zen's eyes lit up.
"That explains the craziness of that first area we ended up in." Eva said with a groan, smoke rising from her maw since she loathed the thought of that place.
"I'm in." The Bisharp stated firmly with a confident grin on his face. "But, I would like to examine the Lustrous Orb once we acquire it."
"Fine by me, all I want is whatever's hidden in that room!" Kane replied. "And, uh... I didn't know how to ask, but... why do you have a sword and you have a gauntlet?"
"It's a story we will save for another time. Right now, we need to find out how to find the Lustrous Orb, and perhaps Kora and Nate while we're at it. It's likely that, since they entered the Stone Door together, both their typings combined and sent them here." Zen said, catching Minerva's attention.
Kane led his two friends to the pond and pointed at the lack of their reflections, and the reflection of a giant gem that doesn't exist. The Scrafty explained that he practically just got here, so he wasn't able to think of anything to try yet, so every idea was still on the table to try. Zen pondered for a moment, which was all he needed really.
"A floor dedicated to Palkia, the God of Space, has a pond and waterfall similar in looks to space, and when you look through it, you see a giant gem instead of you reflection." The Bisharp thought outloud. "Logic dictates that it this pond is nothing more than a barrier protecting the Lustrous Orb, then."
"Maybe your logic..." Kane muttered just quiet enough for Zen to still hear.
"But There's gotta be a catch, right?" Eva brought up. "I mean, this doesn't look that deep, and from what I can tell there's nothing really guarding this room, so how would you keep someone out? Other than that god forsaken maze..."
"What maze?" Kane asked, getting only a groan and shudder from the Zangoose.
"The pond itself, of course! Much like that hellish area we just escaped from, there must be some form of spacial distortion effect in the water, which explains it's appearance." Zen surmised proudly. "The only problem left is, who's going to test the waters and find out what happens?"
"For that pun, we're nominating you." Eva and Kane said simultaneously.
"Ha! That was my plan all along! Have fun washing down my ingenious humor!" Zen chuckled and faced the pond, giving Kane and Eva a nod before jumping in. When the Bisharp's body touched the waters surface, he suddenly began contorting and distorting, and a pained scream escaped his lips. Kane and Eva were able to pull him out, but his body was still distorting lightly.
"Well, shit." Kane said. "How the hell are we supposed to get through that?"
"Sheer will? Maybe it isn't as bad as it looks?" Eva suggested.
"No, it is possibly worse than it looks. I can feel my insides fazing inside each other, then jumping back out and hitting other parts of my insides. It's awful." The Bisharp informed his two companions. "I'm actually barely holding onto consciousness right now, if I was in there any longer I would out like a log."
"Wonderful! Maybe we can throw Kane in and go find somethin' else to do!" Minerva chimed in, ever the cheerful Pokémon in the room.
Kane ignored Minerva's comment and tried to think of a solution. It was difficult, mostly because none of them have ever encountered anything like this. He couldn't come up with anything, and let slip a tiny bit of anger in the form of him stomping on the ground and his aura spiking. Fortunatelty, that gave Eva an idea.
"What if we used our aura as some sort of barrier or something, like what Rio does!" The Zangoose exclaimed. "Zen taught me a little while ago how to use mine, it's honestly not that hard!"
"I taught you how to summon forth your aura, yes, but I never really taught you how to use it. Pushing it out isn't the same as condensing it around your body as a protective shell." Zen pointed out.
"How hard can it be?" Eva replied with a shrug. She drew out her aura, causing a light shift in pressure, and closed her eyes. The others couldn't exactly see her aura, but the more she focused on having it condense, the more she started to glow a radiant pink and white. Unknowingly, her body also got a bit slimmer and toned, with the only one to notice being Kane.
"Y-You're..." He started to say, but stopped himself before anyone heard him.
Zen stood up in awe; Eva's ability to harness aura so effectively in such a short time is beyond incredible! She's a natural!
"See? It's easy!" The Zangoose said with a smile. Kane blushed for a second before clearing his throat and shaking his head.
"That's incredible, Eva!" The Scrafty proudly exclaimed. "In fact, I'm positive Kora would've had to do the same thing to get through the pond, right Minerva? Looks like you'll just have to wait for us to come back up with Kora and the Lustrous Orb, huh Minerva?"
The feline growled and glared at Kane, while Static shot him an adorable smile from on top of Minerva's head.
"Anythin' y'all can do, I can do bettah!" Minerva stated firmly.
"I admire your enthusiasm, but it took me a year or so to master summoning it, and I'm still working on properly utilizing it for battle. Eva seems to be a prodigy, so I wouldn't jus-!" Zen spoke, but was interrupted by a sudden increase of electricity in the air, and a slightly greater shift in pressure. The Bisharp looked in total astonishment as, without even condensing it, Minerva's aura was powerful enough for him to clearly see.
"What was that? I can't hear ya through all this aura!" The Meowth mocked. "Gotta say, the lightning is new, and I kinda like it."
"Wh-What?!" Zen asked. "H-How?! Since when could you use aura?!"
"I dunno. Maybe that's why I'm so strong!" Minerva jokingly replied. She condensed her aura around her and Static, then approached the pond.
She was going to make a snide remark about her ability to use aura, until she looked into the pond. Unlike the others who saw a giant gem, she saw a Pokémon floating in a void, unconscious. She immediately recognized it as Kora and completely forgot about the others.
"Kora!? Kora, can you hear me?!" She yelled into the pond. "Don't worry, I'm right here!" Without saying anything to anyone else, Minerva dived right into the pond and swam towards Kora.
Eva went to the water's edge and looked back at Zen and Kane.
"You guys coming?" She asked.
"D-Don't worry about us! We'll catch up in a moment, we just gotta... learn how to use our auras as good as you two!" Kane replied. "Stay safe, Eva."
"You too, Kane." Eva let out one more sigh before falling into the starry pond.
The entire experience was otherworldly. It was like Eva was engulfed in the softest blanket, and the gentlest buzz washed over her body as she passed through. The edge of her aura would blend with the space she was falling through, causing it to look bubbly and wavy. The deeper she sank, there was more void than water, and more stars for her to fly past. Eva couldn't see the surface she fell under anymore, and after a while, it didn't feel like she was sinking down, rather she was floating up instead. She looked up and saw up and saw the gigantic crystal growing closer through an opening in void. As she grew nearer, the void gradually turned to a more water-like state, and her speed quickened. In mere moments, she reached the surface.
/The Lustrous Chamber/
Eva rose from the water as if she was walking through a door, entering a huge chamber with an enormous gem in the center, and glyphs and smaller gems on the walls. After taking a few steps, Eva could feel a great pressure weighing down on her, and her aura instinctively expanded to cancel it out. She looked around for Minerva, and maybe even Kora and Nate, but couldn't find them anywhere.
"Hey, Minerva! Kora! Nate! Anybody here?!" She shouted. There weren't any other tunnels, so it isn't like they were in a different area, right? As Eva walked around the gem to find the others, she heard the faintest voice, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. It didn't stop, and after a while she started hearing something tapping on some glass? It took a moment for Eva to realize that the Gem was actually vibrating lightly, and upon closer inspection, she could see a blurry figure of a cat inside it.
"Wait... Minerva?" Eva asked, confused at what she was seeing that was when it clicked. "Minerva! You're stuck inside the gem?!"
The figure nodded, which is when a blue figure came into view beside Minerva.
"It's Nate! That means Kora's in there too! Right?"
Both Minerva and Nate nodded. Eva cheered for a moment, very much relieved knowing almost everyone was together again. That glee was replaced with worry because she then realized that they were trapped inside a giant gem.
"How'd you guys get stuck in there?" The Zangoose asked. Her question was quickly answered when she touched the gem, and was wrapped with starlight and magically transported within the gem.
"-don't! Touch... the gem..." Minerva said, sighing and falling on her rear. "God... dammit Eva."
"Wh... what happened?" Eva looked out the crystalline walls she was now confined in. She then gazed upon Nate, looking defeated, and Minerva, looking disappointed. Static was there too, but he was sleeping off next this weird, giant, black egg thing.
"Hi, Eva. Long time, no see." Nate said as he sat next to Minerva. "Nice of you to drop in, hehe."
"Yea, now ya trapped with us, too." Minerva added.
"Oh... I couldn't really hear you guys outside the gem, so..." Eva scratched the back of her head and sat beside Nate.
She thought it would be nice to give the Feraligtr a hug, since it was probably a long time since they last saw each other. When Eva wrapped her arms around the reptile's body, he gave her a gentle smile and hugged her back with one arm. Since his hand was near her face, Eva could see bruises on his knuckles, and scuff marks on other parts of his body too.
"How long were you down here?" Eva asked. Nate let go of Eva and groaned.
"A little less than a week, I think. I've been trying to count the hours but it's really difficult. You see that egg thing? That's Kora."
"Kora? What happened?"
"When we first walked through the Stone Door, and he was still asleep, we went to a floor with a bunch of blue gems and a swarm of Parasect. I was outnumbered and outmatched, and they were relentless when they were chasing us. I wanted to find an exit, since I knew Kora would be even less useful if he was awake and saw the swarm, but we got cornered."
"Parasect..?" Eva muttered to herself. She had forgotten about her suspicions of those peculiar Pokémon until Nate brought them up.
"Right as I was ready to fight, Kora suddenly snapped awake. As you'd expect, he screamed like a child when he saw the Parasect, but then... something happened." Nate shuddered at the thought of whatever it was, piquing both girls' interest.
"What happened?" They both asked.
"While he was screaming his head off, and those Parasect were getting closer, the ground started to shake. It got so violent that I fell to my knees. I thought it was weird for an earthquake to hit in a Mystery Dungeon, but that's the thing, it wasn't an earthquake, it was Kora! I was able to look back for a split second just to see him drawing something from the gems, then he just... exploded!"
"What?!" The two girls exclaimed, looking over at the egg and feeling a bit more worried than before. "Was he..?"
"The blast was so strong that I was sent flying and banged my head on the wall hard. It was a while before I came to, but when I woke up, Kora was unconscious again. He was still breathing, and his pulse was still there, but I couldn't wake him up." Nate looked sorrowfully at the Zoroark encased in darkness. "I carried him through the floor, and there wasn't a Parasect in sight, not even any remains neither. I came across a door that was open and had a white light coming from it and walked inside."
"I'm guessing that brought you guys here?" Eva asked.
"We went to a room that had a pond with space in it. Of course, I didn't know that until after I stuck my face in to get a sip of water and felt like my face was being ripped from my body. Some of the space splashed onto Kora and, well, that happened. The moment I touched it, though, I was covered in a black covering and panicked a little, falling right into the pond. Then I saw a gem in the reflection, grabbed Kora, swam down and winded up here."
"You guys had an easier time here than I did..." Eva signed. "Zen and I spent a few days Fighting Galvantula for those Parasect, then spent a week in a stupid maze that made no sense!"
"There's Galvantula down here?!"
"Yep, and they're a massive buncha bitches!" Minerva answered. "I mean they're huuuuuge! And pretty damn tough, too! Rio and I saved Diana and the jackass from a horde of 'em! Oh, then we snuck through some nestin' area, I accidentally hatched Static, and we fought Lee and Z and..." Minerva looked at Nate for a second before finishing. She does remember there being a Blaziken, and she also remembers him being called Zeke, but how was she supposed to tell Nate that Zeke is working with the bad guy.
"And... what?" Nate questioned.
"Uh... there was a huge battle goin' on between the Parasect and Galvantula! There was maybe hundreds of each of 'em!" The Meowth replied. Nate shivered again at the mention of giant Galvantula.
"Sounds like everybody's down here, then! We just gotta get outta here and find a way to meet up with the others!" Eva said, filled with hope. "Once Zen and Kane find a way to get down here, they'll think of some way to get us out."
"Ya mean by joinin' in the fun?" Minerva asked sarcastically.
Eva was about to retort when both of the aforementioned Pokémon suddenly appeared right in front of her.
"Dammit Kane! I told you not to touch the gem!" Zen yelled angrily.
"I'm sorry, how else do you inspect a giant gem?! I thought I saw Eva and Nate in here!" Kane yelled back.
"Well congratulations are in order, you were right!"
Kane looked at Eva and Nate, choosing to ignore Minerva. He let out a defeated sigh and sat down. Zen paced around the others, one hand on his chin and the other gliding on the gem wall as he walked, immediately going into speculation mode. Eva and Nate fell on their backs and let out a groan.
"So... what's with the egg?" Kane asked. Nate didn't bother sitting back up to reply.
"I need a moment, I'll explain when I wake back up..." The Water Type said as he shut his eyes.
Kane felt as if he might have upset the mood inside the gem, and decided to join the Eva and Nate and laid on his back as well. Who knows, maybe some rest will do him some good.