Chapter 19: Submerged and Subdued

The group made their way east. The air continued to get foggier as the temperature dropped. Despite the wet and cold, Solestral, Paul and Normad still felt warm from All-Terrain Mobility ability. On the other hand, General Cresselia and Cobalt used Safeguard to protect themselves from frostbites. About an hour later, the group spotted a Mystery Dungeon's orange portal at the top of the snowfall. The storage box was beside it. Solestral thought that the Mystery Dungeon was tough as there might be a continuous flow of snow piling on the Dungeon's floor. That would make exploration and finding the exit difficult.

As the group landed in front of the storage box, Solestral activated the box by placing her paw on it. The storage box hummed until warm-up was complete. It spoke.

"STORAGE BOX: 1094. CONDITION: GREEN. DIMENSIONAL SPACE: ALL CLEAR. PROCESSING USER'S DATA…FITS THE DESCRIPTION RUINS OF ORIGIN'S PROPHECY. WELCOME, SOLESTRAL. WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?"

"Firstly, I want to store this Aqua Repeller."

The storage box opened its compartment, and Solestral put her backpack inside. An item window appeared in front of her, and she selected to deposit her Scarf.

"IT IS DONE," It said, "IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO FOR YOU?"

"I want you to warp us to Mirage Water Cave Mystery Dungeon's entrance." she requested.

"WARNING. THE PORTAL IS SITUATED UNDERWATER. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT ALL OF YOU HAVE ITEMS THAT ALLOW YOU ALL TO BREATHE UNDERWATER. WHEN YOU ARE READY, I WILL TELEPORT ALL OF YOU AS REQUESTED."

"I have Bubble Shield. This should protect me when I am in the water and Water-Type attacks," said General Cresselia. She took out a necklace using Psychic from her Dimensional Storage and placed it on her neck. It was blue and had a bubble design on the pendant. It did not have any jewels on it.

Cobalt used Psychic and took out its Bubble Shield from its Psy Space and fastened it on its 'waist'. It replied, "I have Bubble Shield too. Unfortunately, I know that no more than four Pokémon can enter the Dungeon. I will wait outside that Special Mystery Dungeon's portal instead."

"As for me, Paul and Normad, we have All-Terrain Mobility ability. We should be able to breathe and swim in water with ease. Warp us there, Storage Box 1094!" said Solestral.

It responded, "AFFIRMATIVE."

The group teleported to the storage box beside the Mirage Water Cave Mystery Dungeon's portal. They were mesmerised by the blue, pink and green glowing crystals on the walls of the cave. The seawater temperature was a little chilly, but the group did not feel any discomfort from it. As planned, Cobalt kept watched outside the Dungeon. As Solestral, Paul, Normad and General Cresselia entered the red portal, they saw the Mystery Dungeon's layout was what the book 'The Influence of Dawn and Dusk in a Life Cycle' had described, but with more stunning appearance. An underwater Mystery Dungeon brightly lit by blue glowing gem balls, the walls and the ceilings covered in stalagmites and stalactites, and the floor covered in seagrass and sea kelp. Astoundingly, the height of the Mystery Dungeon was about 500m tall, and the corridor was about 20m wide. As the freshwater sat above the seawater, the seawater looked opaquer than the freshwater. The group also found many Fish, Jellyfish and Prehistoric Ocean Pokémon swimming above them, but these residents didn't seem to notice them. The group decided to use this opportunity and try to make their way to the stairs.

Once they managed to reach the room with the stairs, or they assumed it was supposed to be the stairs, but it was a sizable hole in the floor. Next to the hole was a group of Kinglers and Crawdaunts resting on the floor. General Cresselia notified Solestral and her friends telepathically.

"We have to be careful here. If we swim above the crustaceans, they will detect the changes in the current and attack us. I suggest that we should use an item to stun them before making our way to the next floor."

Paul agreed, "That's right. We still have forty-nine basement floors to go. We should conserve our energy. But do we have an item that can stun all of them?"

"I have…a Petrify Orb. However, this is the…only one I have right now," said Normad.

"Then we should save that item for later use and defeat those shellfish!" suggested Solestral. "Our movement is not affected by the water thanks to Madam Eterna's blessing, so we should be strong enough to take them down!"

Paul replied nervously, "True. If that is the case, allow me to power up my attack. I should be able to knock these Pokémon away. As long that…I am able to keep calm!"

"I will use Psychic to lift Kinglers above the ground while you knock back the Crawdaunts. My move will not work on Crawdaunts as they are Dark-Type Pokémon, unfortunately," said General Cresselia telepathically.

Paul used Work Up until he felt his offensive power had maxed out, then he muttered to General Cresselia, "Now!"

He hid into his shell and used Rapid Spin. As General Cresselia used her Psychic on the Kinglers, Paul tackled the Crawdaunts to try to clear a path towards the stairs. But when the Crawdaunts were wide awake from the attack, they used their pincers to stop Paul from moving. The blue tortoise was astonished. Even though he was in a panic, he knew there was another way to get out of that situation. He emerged out of his shell and shot Ice Beam at them. The ice inhibited their movements, so Paul managed to break free and urged the rest of his group to head for the hole. Solestral and the rest promptly made their way there and swam downwards. To their relief, they were in a room with a couple of items lying on the ground. There were two Oran Berries, Foe-Seal Orb, three Passho Berries, and Goggle Specs, which Solestral's Item Inspection ability had notified her when she touched it. The spectacles allowed the user to see trap tiles on the ground. And the trap only triggered when the leader of the group stepped on them. Once activated, any other Pokémon in the group can trigger it. The black kitty then talked to the group about it.

"Umm… Who wants to wear this spec? For it to be lying here, I think there might be trap tiles around…"

"Oh? You know about Goggle Specs? I am not surprised that there are traps here since this Mystery Dungeon is highly difficult. Why don't you wear it? You seem to be good at ordering us around, like a leader," hinted Paul.

"Uh-huh. Well, thanks for the compliment," Solestral replied sarcastically. "Anyway, I was thinking that maybe you wear the specs because it seems that you are experienced in venturing in the Mystery Dungeons, or Normad since he is very calm in front of danger. I am definitely not leader material."

Paul volunteered, "I shall wear it then. This item is very rare to get by, and it is very useful for long explorations."

He took off his Non-Stick Scarf and put on the glasses. The clear glass spectacles notified him that there were no traps in this room.

"Good thing this room is trap-free," he said, "By the way, do I look cool wearing this specs?"

"It makes you look nerdy," said the black kitten flatly.

"I have…to agree with Solestral," Normad chuckled a little.

"I think that it is better to consider the functionality of the spectacle than to think of it as fashion wear," commented General Cresselia.

Paul responded, "You two are so mean…except for General Cresselia. Alright, let's get the items and carry on our exploration. I guess I have to lead then since I am wearing the specs."

In about thirteen hours, including breaks, the group had reached B49. They were in a huge room without any corridors, but to their astonishment, they were in the Monster Room with nowhere to hide! There were Tentacruels, Cloysters, Kinglers, Omastars, Kabutops, Lanturns, Whiscashes, Crawdaunts, Relicanths, Lumineons, Blue Basculins, Jellicents, Dragalges, Bruxishes, and five huge School Form Wishiwashis. That floor had no items visible to the group. Solestral complained.

"What!? We have to fight them all? I am so exhausted already!"

"My main concern is the Wisihiwashis. They can disperse from their School Form to avoid attacks," said General Cresselia.

"I don't know whether we can take them down. We have used all our Orbs that can stun them. And this floor is almost covered in Trap Tiles, especially All Stats Down Tiles," worried Paul.

Normad asked, "Is there…a Berserk Tile nearby? We could use it…to our advantage."

The black kitten suggested, "Or I can use my Syncross ability. You know, that one we were covered in golden aura? But I am not sure whether it can last throughout the battle. Maybe if I use a Fire Gem as well..."

The blue tortoise opposed her idea, "Your Fire moves will just boil the water around you momentarily. What uses can a Fire Gem do in this situation?"

"As you said, Paul, I am gonna boil the water! Normad, use your Safeguard now!"

The big owl replied, "I think that…I know what you are going. Alright, my wall is up."

Solestral spoke in excitement, "Here it goes!"

She imagined that her friends were attacked by the residents, in no time at all, the golden light enveloped her. Her friends and General Cresselia were covered in it as well. The black kitten felt her body was light, yet full of valour. She took out Fire Gem from her backpack and placed her right paw on the Gem. The Gem glowed bright red. As Solestral felt the heat built up within her, she let go a powerful Flamethrower. She aimed her flames at the residents. The water instantly boiled around the residents, which deterred them from getting closer to the group. Next, the black kitten shouted.

"Find the hole while I hold them back!"

The crescent Pokémon appointed herself, "Leave the searching to me. I can use my abilities to find the hole. Let's make haste."

As Solestral kept on using her Flamethrower, the rest searched for the hole. As there were Trap Tiles in proximity, Paul rode on Normad and instructed the big owl and the General Cresselia where to avoid. The big owl and the crescent Pokémon had to dodge the residents as well. But lucky for them, the residents frantically swimming away from the boiling water. In no time at all, the trio found the hole. General Cresselia signalled Solestral telepathically.

"We have found the hole. I can use Psychic to bring you here. Are you ready?"

The black kitten responded in her head, "Okay! The Fire Gem is almost out of juice to boost my Flamethrower."

"Alright, I shall perform it now."

Solestral's body became stiff. And then she felt like she was as fast as Rapidash's sprint. The black kitten gritted her teeth as she flung at such a fast pace until she came in an emergency stop in front of the trio. She could finally take a breather, but she noticed that the residents were chasing after them.

"Let's descend to the last floor now!" said Paul.

In last-ditched effort, the Lanturns used Discharge. The electricity quickly occupied the whole floor, stunning and injuring everyone, except for Wishcashes. Solestral's group suffered little damage as the black kitten's second ability was still active, and Normad's Safeguard blocked the secondary effect of Discharge. As the group swam into the hole, Solestral looked behind to see the disgruntled residents. She smirked at them in their defeat.

Once they reached the last floor, they found themselves on dry land. The crystal wall was like the ones outside this Dungeon. The rocky floor was dry, and the cool breeze came from the artificial clear blue sky. There was a Pokémon in the middle of the room. It had a shell-like a clam, but purple with tribal stripes. It also had a beautiful fin hair, and its body affixed on the bottom of the shell. It greeted them using telepathy.

"Welcome to the last floor of Mirage Water Cave Mystery Dungeon. My name is Tapu Fini. I am the guardian of the second puzzle that states the truth you seek. It seems that you are blessed with remarkable abilities; that is why you can make it here. However, you will have to defeat me to learn the truth. All four of you can challenge me; I am not to be taken lightly."

Solestral questioned the guardian, "Can we take a break before fighting against you? We just encountered a Monster House."

It replied, "By all mean, yes. I am ready whenever you are."

"Whew. Thanks a lot."

The black kitten deactivated Syncross, and the golden aura that shrouded the group disappeared. As what Eterna had mentioned, it drained her energy substantially while it was active. She plopped on the ground and put an Oran Berry on the ground so that she could munch on it. She hoped that eating something sweet would replenish her energy a little. As for Paul, Normad and General Cresselia, they had some Oran Berries as well. After a meal, the group discussed how to defeat Tapu Fini.

Solestral spoke first, "Assuming that Tapu Fini is a Water-Type because it has a seashell, how do we going to face it? I cannot use Syncross again as it puts a lot of stress on my body."

"I cannot be certain that it is just a Water-Type. I read a book that stated Tapu Guardians are Fairy-Type as well. We don't have any moves effective against that type, but at least only Normad's Leafage is effective to Water-Type. It is a shame that we can't use status infliction because Tapu Fini can use Misty Terrain to prevent them from happening," answered Paul.

General Cresselia proposed her strategy, "If what you said is true, then my Psychic may stop it from using any moves. I am not sure how long I can maintain this, but the three of you can use the chance to bring it down."

"We can't use…Orbs on the boss. We…have no choice but to…depend on our attacks." said Normad.

The black kitten spoke, "I do have a Plan B. That only works if I have managed to get close to it. I really do not want to do this, but I think it will work."

"And what is your plan?" asked Paul.

"Let's say it is something that you least expected." Solestral got up and extended her limbs and gave a huge yawn before she continued to speak, "I don't want to drag the inevitable. Are we ready for battle?"

The rest replied in an agreement.

Solestral, Paul and Normad stationed themselves in front of General Cresselia. Then, they gazed at Tapu Fini, ready for a fight. Tapu Fini responded in kind.

It began to create Misty Terrain. General Cresselia immediately interrupted it with Psychic. That immobilised the Tapu Guardian. Normad used Leafage, while Paul followed up with Water Gun at it. The attacks landed, but Tapu Fini did not flinch. Instead, a blue aura was radiating off it. General Cresselia sensed trouble as she could detect the sudden surge of power.

"Back away from it!" shouted the crescent Pokémon telepathically.

Solestral, Paul and Normad promptly moved away from it, eyeing at its next move. Tapu Fini broke free from General Cresselia's binding and used Nature's Madness. A surge of water emerged from the ground and hit the group. The group felt their whole body ached in pain. General Cresselia responded by healing the group with Moonlight.

"What…kind of attack is this?" said Solestral as she panted from the attack.

"It is Nature's Madness. If we are hit by this move twice, we will be downed for sure!" replied Paul.

Normad warned, "Tapu Fini… is charging up for this attack again!"

As he said, Tapu Guardian was relentless. It used Nature's Madness again before General Cresselia could completely heal the group. The attack landed, and the group struggled to get up. Solestral was frustrated that the group was in a pinch. She had no choice but to execute her 'surprise' attack. Even though she felt excruciating pain, she dashed towards Tapu Fini. Then, she shouted.

"Screwdanae! Take this!"

She used her mouth and took out pink diamonds from her backpack. Next, she spewed Flamethrower to send the diamonds at the Tapu Guardian. Her plan was the use the diamonds to blind it. Her unorthodox strategy worked as Tapu Fini shut its eyes from the glare. Solestral then said to the rest of the group.

"Use your best attack at it, now!"

Without hesitation, Normad used Nature Power which turned out to be Power Gem, Paul used Ice Beam, and General Cresselia used Moonblast. Defenceless, Tapu Fini took the full hit. It staggered from the attack, but not defeated. It closed its shell, and silence filled the room. The black kitten then picked up the pink diamonds and put back in her backpack. Paul praised her for her action.

"Will you look at that? Your plan made Tapu Fini hid in its shell!"

"Now we need to…pry open the shell so that we can…defeat it. I wonder if it… is using a delay tactic…to make us restless?" said Normad.

"Allow me to force it open" volunteered General Cresselia.

She used Psychic, and sure enough, Tapu Fini's shell was chiselled opened. But to her surprise, it was readying an attack. It used Brine at the group. The concentrated saltwater caused pain in the group's eyes, and Solestral was irked by the stickiness of the seawater. Eventually, the saltwater stung, and redness began to form on her skin. Paul then quickly intervened with Water Gun at himself and the rest of the group. The group felt relieved as they were free from the saltwater.

"It seemed to be teasing us by hiding in the shell and throw an attack at us!" moaned Solestral. "Is there a move that can shock its very being?" Fortunately, she remembered that she had a Petrify Wand. She took out a sparkling red Wand and aimed at the Tapu Guardian. The red sparks flew out of the Wand and landed on Tapu Fini's shell. The Tapu Guardian was affected by the sparks and opened its shell in paralysis.

Normad made use of this opportunity and used Leafage on Tapu Fini. This time, the attack did severe damage. Once the Tapu Guardian regained its senses, it collapsed on the ground.

It spoke in exhaustion, "Good…teamwork, as I expected from the three of you that managed to acquire the first clue."

Solestral was astonished that it knew about their accomplishment in getting the first clue. "Did Mr Venusaur tell you about it?"

"There is no means of him…to contact me. I know it because the Mystery Dungeon told me. And now, I shall reveal the clue you seek."

A treasure chest suddenly appeared in the centre of the room. The golden chest has bluish glowing gem balls embedded on the lid and seaweed designs on the sides of the chest. The group approached the treasure chest, and the black kitty opened it. Once again, golden letters emerged out of the chest and formed one sentence:

It preys, it schemes, and ultimately, quenches its hunger by eating the heart that sustains Life.

"This message doesn't look good to us…" said Paul, "if eating the heart that sustains Life means Planet Sereni's core, we have to stop it as soon as possible!"

"You might…be right, but it can…also refers to us, isn't it?" replied Solestral.

"I would believe you, but that capital L intrigues me to think it must be something greater than ourselves. Oh, I wish we know who is responsible for all this mess on our planet already!"

General Cresselia spoke, "Hmm. I have already suspect someone is orchestrating the war. If this is true, then we have no time to waste. We must go to the third special Dungeon now."

"And just I thought that I can take a break for a few days… This Mystery Dungeon exploration was wearing me down," moaned Solestral.

Tapu Fini said, "All of you should escape this Special Mystery Dungeon and make your way to the third one now. The night time is overtaking the day time. And soon, the planet will be in complete darkness."

"I know! But why do have to conquer three special Mystery Dungeons just to get a complete truth? Why not just reveal the answer in one Mystery Dungeon?"

"It is to make sure you are up to the task. Training and seeking answers are the best solutions to get you ready to face the ultimate foe."

General Cresselia responded, "I see. We have to move on to the last special Mystery Dungeon then. Let's make our way to the exit."

"After a day rest, please. I am speculating that the final dungeon is incredibly tough," said Paul.

"The daylight is…losing its grip. I want to rest as well, but…will the planet be alright?" asked Normad.

"We will have to ask Cobalt. It should able to detect how fast the daylight is fading away," recommended General Cresselia.

"Let's go, then," said Solestral.

The group bid the Tapu Guardian goodbye and left the Mystery Dungeon using the Warp Tile. Once they were outside, they were shocked to see Cobalt in a weakened state.

The crescent Pokémon spoke in concern "Cobalt! What happened to you?"

Cobalt struggled to lift its head to look at the group and said, "With the daylight ceased to exist, I can't get my energy off the sun. That is why…I am in this state."

The sun rock wobbled and leaned on the cave wall to have a rest.