There was a bit of bustling in town behind the Starstorm trio as they ventured further away, following a path leading south that appeared to be worn through the grass after years of traversing by other teams. The dungeon took a bit of walking to get to, winding through some forested sections of the area that eventually gave way to a marshier surrounding where the ground was a bit damp and the grass a bit tall but not irritatingly so. It certainly didn't seem like a place an Abomasnow would otherwise hang around had their target not been trying to hide.

Nonetheless, when they found a cave-like opening in the side of a small hill with some very odd carvings on the interior, they knew they'd reached their destination. They couldn't decipher most of the carved sections, as it was rather worn away in several places, but what snippets were visible resembled some rather crude drawings of strange, unfamiliar creatures and odd text that looked somewhat recognizable but couldn't quite be deciphered. It had all the looks of an ancient cavern, alright- there was no mistaking it. A stairwell in the center of the opening lead down into a damp, pure darkness, the air seeming almost akin to a thick fluid just from observing it.

As they made their way down, Astrid was keeping an eye out for anything that might have been lurking just beyond their range of visibility (which was more than usual due to Raijin's glow lighting up the surroundings).

The Xurkitree, though, piped up. "Say, I should probably mention… I'm not too familiar with 'fossil Pokémon.' I get that they're mostly extinct, but are they a cause for concern…?"

"Not in and of themselves, no," Arashi answered. "The evolved forms can be pretty strong, but that also goes for a lot of other Pokémon. Most of them are Rock-type, too."

"Which means we've all got a super effective move," Astrid noted.

Raijin nodded. "Duly noted."

Sunken Cavern B1F

When the staircase opened up into the first floor, the air still felt thick and heavy, likely due to the humidity given off from the deep blue pools in the ground that covered at least half of the room. Occasionally the surface of them would ripple from something stirring underneath, but by and large, they were still and the figures within obscured in murkiness. The ground underfoot was rather soft and dark soil interspersed with a few grey stones embedded in it that stuck up at odd angles, and though it seemed rich for growing, the dark green grass was only in scattered patches. Mostly dark brown stone made up the walls, some areas apparently made of carved bricks with more glyphs and etchings in them, but most of it was simply amorphous rocks that seemingly just so happened to fit together. Bright green vines or little tree shoots poking through cracked a few areas, some had little trickles of water that dripped down to the ground in a muddy puddle, and a few tree branches appeared to break through at the top. Still, most of the plant life was concentrated around the pool edges, where taller patches of grass sprouted and the occasional patch of reeds rose up. By and large, the place seemed to be an odd mix of cave and swamp, easily something that wasn't likely to be seen outside of a dungeon (and easily a place that one wouldn't expect to find an Abomasnow walking around without something being amiss).

"So we all remember Lake Lucent, right…?" Astrid inquired, surveying their surroundings as she headed for the nearest corridor.

"Hah! How could we forget?!" Arashi laughed.

"Yes," Raijin answered.

"The obvious exception there was the Shellos line, but most of the aquatic ones there didn't venture out of the water," the Dartrix noted. "I'm assuming that's not the case here, so we need to be careful about that if we get close to a pool, since something could easily jump out."

"That's good to know," Raijin affirmed.

Arashi grinned. "I'll admit, I'm not exactly looking to get ensnared by an Omastar either, even if I'm fine with the water."

As if on cue, one of the pools began to ripple and shortly a splashing sound came as a bug-like figure with sharpened forelimbs jumped out- a Kabutops, hissing and twitching its scythes. The Starstorm trio instantly turned their attention on it, Astrid quickly readying a Razor Leaf.

"Like that," the Dartrix remarked.

A flurry of sharpened leaves flew at their shelled company, who Slashed at the air with a disgruntled cry and succeeded in shredding most of Astrid's attack.

"That's a Kabutops," Arashi noted, spitting an Ice Beam next. "They're Water- and Rock-types, and you don't wanna get caught up in their scythes… well, unless you want to get slashed open and have them drink whatever comes out."

Raijin twitched a bit in surprise, and Astrid gave her partner a funny look. Maybe as wide as the universe stretched, someone would actively seek to have their body fluids drained by a scythe-like forelimb, but nonetheless, the odds seemed exorbitantly small. There were far easier and less messy ways to have a terrible day, that was for sure.

The Kabutops, however, was set off by Arashi's Ice Beam and cloaked itself in water, dashing out in an Aqua Jet that the Starstorm trio in turn dashed to avoid. Arashi certainly had no trouble scrambling out of the way, but it was a very narrow miss for Astrid and Raijin, and the Shellfish Pokemon had to stop itself before smashing into the wall behind them. Nonetheless, in the short moment it was regaining its composure, Astrid hardened one wing and dove down, delivering a Steel Wing to its head that elicited a startled cry and made it Slash up at her next. A few feathers on her chest were cut loose, but luckily, her hardened wing could stave off the brunt of the damage before she made her escape. An Energy Ball from Raijin had the shelled wild one limp on the ground shortly thereafter.

"Well, if it's a Water-type, I don't suppose it would drink sparks," the Xurkitree mused, studying it. "But that must be unpleasant for anyone else…"

"Let's not find out," Astrid said simply, heading for the corridor again.

Her comrades were in agreement.

Sunken Cavern B3F

The dungeon-dwellers didn't appear to be particularly problematic, but of course, they weren't all that nice either. A Kabutops jumping out wasn't a particularly common sight, but the occasional Omanyte or Anorith swam up to the surface of the pools to attempt warding off the expeditioners with an Ancient Power or Water Gun. The Starstorm trio's attacks aimed at the water's top plane sent the unevolved ones scurrying more often than not, and seeing as the pools were the only area they could freely traverse, there was rarely a counterattack before the intruding targets were out of reach. On solid ground though, Armaldos and their hulking claws were far less forgiving, but still, as they traversed another room…

Rrrrrumble!

A somewhat intense shaking and cracking seemed to come from someplace else on the floor for just a moment, but died down almost as fast as it'd came. The trio perked up regardless, trying to determine the source.

"Do you two think that's an Earthquake…?" Raijin inquired, touching his fingers together. "If there's a bunch of Rock-types here, anyway, and it seems a lot of them can learn that move…"

"Well, the ground isn't shaking," Astrid noted. "We'd probably notice a lot easier if it was. Besides, I don't think there's a lot of fossil Pokémon that naturally learn Earthquake, unless the wild ones somehow get ahold of TMs…"

"Pfft, that'd take an expedition team getting KO'd while carrying a TM, and it'd be a dumb move to carry a TM into a dungeon instead of using it before you set off," Arashi mused, giggling a bit at the idea.

That seemed to assuage their comrade.

Arashi, though, kept grinning. "You know, I'm pretty glad that the likes of the fossil amalgams don't actually exist. They'd be a pain!"

Astrid and Raijin perked up at those words next, the Dartrix turning her head around to give her partner a glance.

"… Amalgams…?" Astrid inquired.

"You mean, like… more than one in the same form?" Raijin was likewise confused.

"Yeah!" Arashi affirmed, not fazed at all. "You two probably wouldn't know, but there used to be these hypothetical fossil Pokémon called Dracovish, Dracozolt, Arctovish, and Arctozolt that no one could ever find in the wild despite, you know, places like this dungeon! Dracovish and Arctovish were supposed to have ridiculously strong bites, and Arctozolt and Dracozolt were supposed to be able to peck really hard with sparking beaks, and they all sounded really cool! But the thing is, the researchers that discovered their fossils apparently were really bad at their jobs and just shoved random halves of fossils together to make something cool, so they never actually existed, and we still don't know where the others halves of each fossil are!"

Astrid blinked, mulling it over. Such a happening and the hypothetical names did seem familiar, but she couldn't place why or where she would have been privy to anything of the sort. Nonetheless, she was at least relieved that it meant fewer foes to face.

Raijin, though, tapped his fingers together contemplatively. "So someone just… smashed some fossils together and claimed they discovered a new species?"

"Pretty much, yeah!" Arashi affirmed.

"That sounds incredibly careless," the Xurkitree remarked.

"Yup, it sure is!" the Frogadier agreed.

However, as Astrid made for one of the corridors, the rumbling sound resumed, sounding much closer than last time as if it were on the other side of the wall closest to them. She looked closely, and indeed, it did appear to be shaking, but just as soon as her eyes could go wide in surprise, the wall burst open.

"Wha-!" Arashi exclaimed, likewise caught off guard.

The domed head of a Cranidos came crashing through the wall followed by the rest of its body, and seemingly without even meaning to, it Headbutted Astrid clean across the room.

"NGH-!" the Dartrix grunted.

"Astrid!" Raijin cried, startled.

Astrid had to take a moment in regaining her composure, flapping her wings to steady herself, but Arashi didn't waste time in spitting a Water Pulse. The Cranidos didn't even seem to notice them until the Frogadier's attack hit, for it was merely shaking the shattered pebbles from its head, but when it did, the wild one instantly began to growl and turned on Arashi and Raijin next. It went rushing, aiming to Take Down whoever it hit first, but the Xurkitree planting all of his limbs around Arashi and sparking made the dungeon-dweller think twice for a moment. It was enough time for the Frogadier to shoot off another Water Pulse, to which the Cranidos focused its energy a bit before rushing again regardless. Raijin detached from the ground to dodge and Arashi leaped out of the way, thankfully avoiding the hit, for a jagged stone behind them was smashed to rubble when the Cranidos made contact with it. It didn't even faze the rocky creature.

"That thing is packing an awful lot of power for something so tiny," Raijin noted.

"It sure is," Astrid concurred, sounding a bit winded still.

Even so, an Ice Beam and Signal Beam both narrowly missed as the wild one made a beeline for Astrid again, who flapped upwards while shaking some leaves loose. A Razor Leaf sent down at the Cranidos was enough to knock it out, a snarl following as it went limp and the Dartrix landed. She dusted herself off and ambled back over to her comrades.

"That looked like a hard hit," Arashi said, studying her.

"It was," she affirmed flatly, shooting a glance to the fainted one. "I don't guess I've got any broken bones if I'm getting around, but jeez, it sure feels like it."

Nonetheless, they were setting off for the next room with her keeping watch at the front again while Arashi made note of the Cranidos line to Raijin. There wasn't any more rumbling to be felt or heard, but a Kabuto peeking up from its pool was quickly dispatched by a Razor Leaf and Energy Ball aimed back at it.

"This synergy is great," Arashi happily remarked. "That Cranidos didn't wanna touch your sparks, Raijin! We did good together!"

"I didn't think of having any defensive capabilities until Astrid mentioned it," the Xurkitree replied. "Honestly, I… I really like being on this team with you two."

"Yes! That's the Starstorm spirit!" Arashi cried with glee.

Astrid giggled under her breath at her comrades' antics, though it was mostly in amusement at her partner's declaration of 'Starstorm spirit.' It definitely seemed par for the Frogadier- coming up with a special brand of enthusiasm. Surely they hadn't been established long enough for such to be necessary, but if anyone was going to come up with it, it was definitely Arashi.

Still, she'd be keeping her eyes out for any more rock-crushing Cranidos rampages.

Sunken Cavern B7F

A fussing Armaldo tried to Metal Claw them to shreds almost as soon as it laid eyes on them, hissing at the unfamiliar figures with narrowed eyes. Astrid's Steel Wing could counter it fine enough, even if the Dartrix didn't like getting so close to a hostile wild one or the giant claws it stabbed at her with.

"Urgh, is this thing trying to skewer me?!" she cried haplessly, flapping one wing to stay in the air while her metallic-glowing one and the wild one's claw clanged off of each other. "I p-probably don't t-taste that good, I swear!"

"You're supposed to hunt in the water!" Arashi likewise protested, spitting a Water Pulse.

The watery stream certainly caught the attention of the wild one, for it summoned up an Ancient Power that it flung at both the Frogadier and Xurkitree. Arashi was quick to leap backwards out of its range, and though Raijin tried to dodge, he ended up holding up his arms to block a few of the glowing rocks from crashing down.

"Agh-! Sheesh!" Raijin cried.

Astrid flew upwards and rained down a flurry of leaves, and while the Armaldo growled in discomfort at taking her attack, it swiftly scooped up a pebble with one claw that it flung up at her. Another discomforted cry escaped, albeit from the Dartrix instead, as the stone whopped her upside the head and she was Smacked Down… right on the edge of a pool. Her comrades both perked up in alarm and Arashi looked ready to dart over, but thankfully, she only went clattering down onto a rock (albeit a much more jagged one than she would've hoped) instead of into the water. She quickly picked herself up, but not before a Kabuto's glowing red eyes Leered at her from the surface. A Razor Leaf sent it scurrying back to the depths.

"This one really hates outsiders!" Arashi remarked.

Still, another Water Pulse did more damage but also angered the Armaldo even more, a positively wrathful cry leaving its snarling mouth. It raised one claw up and ran for the nearest target, Raijin, but as soon as its claw made contact, a flurry of sparks were Discharged along the Xurkitree's limbs that easily carried over to the wild one. Something akin to a startled shriek left its mouth, but in any case, the dungeon-dweller was unresponsive on the ground thereafter.

The three of them were certainly relieved when it ceased its attacking.

"Sorry, that might've been a little much," Raijin said softly, giving the Armaldo a pat on the head.

The wild one of course couldn't hear, but Astrid had to figure that even if it did, it wouldn't have cared regardless. She straightened up a few stray feathers that the thrown pebble had mussed up, and they were off again… albeit hearing another rumbling sound not far away. Perhaps the sounds of their battle had attracted other wild company, but she didn't particularly want to stick around to find out.

"Let's get out of here before another Cranidos comes charging in," she remarked, scurrying for the nearest corridor.

Her comrades were close behind, and when the wall went smashing apart less than a minute later, they were nowhere to be found.

Sunken Cavern B9F

A quick break for snacks and recharging left two apple cores in a corner in the room prior, but the one that the Starstorm trio found themselves in posed a bit of a problem.

"This thing's like a smaller Stakataka!" Raijin exclaimed, his Energy Ball practically bouncing off the nigh-invulnerable head of a Bastiodon.

"Well, they do apparently have the same typing," Astrid noted, more concentrated on the smaller figure hiding behind its shield-like head.

The rather large Shield Pokémon seemed disgruntled at having intruders in its territory, but still couldn't be bothered to directly attack. It laid in one place next to a large pool taking up almost half the room with its tail nonchalantly flicking at the water's surface and its back to the wall behind it, leaving no room to sneak up. However, another Cranidos apparently liked the protection its absurdly durable form provided, for the smaller headbutt-happy one kept scurrying behind it after each attack.

The smaller Head Butt Pokémon darted out again with its domed head pointed at them, apparently intending to Take Down whoever it happened to strike. Astrid flapped up and sent a Razor Leaf flurry down at it, but only a few leaves hit their target and left scratches on its rocky hide. Arashi and Raijin both darted aside, the Frogadier aiming an Ice Beam at its feet that slowed it down for just a moment. However, the little rocky one was quick in breaking free of the ice that formed and went running for the Bastiodon again, which still laid nonchalantly next to its pool and put up a Protect to block out another Razor Leaf and Energy Ball that followed.

If a feral Pokémon could laugh and smirk at a foe, the Cranidos was doing it. Astrid's eyes narrowed.

"That Bastiodon seems like it's not going to give us any trouble, but it's still being annoying," the Dartrix noted, thinking for a second.

"But that little guy doesn't seem like it's gonna leave us alone," Arashi likewise mused.

"Probably not," Astrid concurred.

The shield faded, and the Cranidos peeked out again, apparently deciding on its next move and the target thereof.

"All of a Bastiodon's invulnerability is on its front, though," she said, still studying their foes. "Hey. I have an idea."

Her comrades were listening.

"I'll go perch on top of that hulking one's head and you two stay over here. If the little guy tries to duck behind the Bastiodon again, I'll be in a good place to deal with it, or it might just realize its hiding place is gone and stay out in the open where we can all deal with it. Raijin, you keep attacking the Bastiodon's front so it has to stay facing this way and won't move to give its little pal cover again. Arashi, you keep doing your thing."

"Let's do it," Arashi agreed without any protestation.

"Good idea," Raijin concurred.

The smaller rocky figure ducked its head down and went running again with reckless abandon, but the Starstorm trio scattered out of the way. The Dartrix went flying over to the Bastiodon's head and gripped hold of the top with her feet, which elicited some cries of protest from the one she perched on. Still, aside from some flicking around in an attempt to shoo her off, the Shield Pokémon couldn't be bothered to get up from its perch and do much else. A Signal Beam from Raijin made it fuss again, but the thick plating on its head was apparently as good of a shield as any. If her Xurkitree comrade hadn't been on her side, she probably would've ducked behind the Bastiodon to hide as well, but nonetheless, she couldn't help fluffing up a bit at being in such close proximity to Raijin's attacks.

Arashi, however, leaped over the Headbutting Cranidos, swiftly whirling back around and shooting an Ice Beam at its feet again to slow it down. The smaller rocky one snarled a bit, but kicked itself free nonetheless and scurried out of the way of a Water Pulse that followed. Evidently it wanted to scurry back behind its makeshift shield, but on seeing Astrid perched on top of the Bastiodon's head, a little startled cry escaped its mouth. Instead, it turned its attention back on Arashi and rushed to Take Down the Frogadier, but Arashi moved faster and dodged it while spitting another Water Pulse. Its Bastiodon pal seemed to grumble something that only the Cranidos could understand, and the hulking wild one got up to its feet and looked over as if it would go to shield the smaller wild one, but an Energy Ball from Raijin made it nix that idea. The Bastiodon growled and jerked its head back to block the attack, but at the same time, it emitted a horrible Metal Sound that grated on their senses. Astrid practically sank into her feathers and held her wings up over her head to try blocking the sound out, and her comrades too were flinching at it.

"Sheesh! I guess that one's really upset!" Arashi exclaimed with a pained expression.

The Cranidos set its eyes on Raijin next, but a shower of sparks along the Xurkitree's form made it growl and turn back on Arashi. Still, when it rushed the next second, another Water Pulse knocked it out with one last snarl. The Bastiodon grumbled something else, seeming to frown as best it could with its armored tusks obscuring most of its mouth, but nonetheless it nestled back down into its preferred spot next to the pool.

"Hey! It worked!" Arashi cried, grinning.

Astrid jumped down, getting yet another growl from the one she'd formerly perched on, but the armored wild one apparently couldn't be bothered to outright attack.

"Are we leaving that one alone?" Raijin inquired, glancing at the Bastiodon.

"Unless it starts attacking, yes," Astrid affirmed. "No need to go thrashing something that isn't hostile."

They regrouped and headed off again, the hulking armored one still flicking its tail against the water.

"Really, though," Arashi piped up, inquisitively cheerful. "How annoying are Stakatakas? Are they as bad as that?"

"Well, imagine that, instead of only one side being a good shield like Astrid said, all of them are," Raijin answered. "And they have eyes on all sides to see every incoming attack, so in other words, you can only face them head-on."

"That sounds terrible," Astrid's voice trailed off.

"There's a reason that Void has one as a bodyguard," Raijin remarked.

The next room had more pool than solid ground, but it also had the stairs in the middle, and the Starstorm trio was running up them before a surfacing Kabutops could get close enough to strike.

Sunken Cavern B13F

The lower they went into the cavern's depths, the thicker the air seemed to become, and though Arashi was perfectly happy with all the humidity and Raijin didn't even seem to notice, Astrid couldn't help feeling a bit smothered. Thankfully it seemed that Bastiodon-and-Cranidos duos were quite rare, for they didn't come across another hulking Shield Pokémon giving another dungeon-dweller a place to take cover. Armaldo claws still slashed away and many pools held a disgruntled Kabutops that went chasing after them, but at least the wild ones that attacked rarely had things to hide behind that weren't stones sticking out of the ground. Between the three of them, it was manageable.

"I wonder what Team Sweetheart's up to over at Starry Peak," Arashi nonchalantly said as they trailed through a tunnel.

"They seem like an interesting bunch," Raijin noted.

Astrid had to admit that they certainly seemed interesting, but well-meaning though they may have been, the energetic fawning and hugging set her on edge. Had Arashi not been the one to handle almost every social interaction, she probably wouldn't get a single word out between her flustered stammering fragments if faced with Ama's team again.

"… I hope they come back in one piece," the Dartrix said, slightly hesitant in her tone.

Arashi giggled. "Oh, c'mon! What're the odds of them not?"

Her head swiveled back to look at her partner. "Really, what are the odds? Us three and odds haven't exactly had the best relationship so far, unless I'm missing something."

The Frogadier didn't seem too fazed. "Yeah, well, that's just us getting screwed over! Besides, as far as us getting screwed over goes, it's been pretty-! Mmmffgggh!"

Whatever he was going to say was drowned out when several copper-plated fingers covered his mouth.

He cast a playful but dirty glance up at the Xurkitree. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"You were about to say some variation of it being a good day, weren't you?" Raijin replied.

The edges of Astrid's beak started to curl up.

"Well, yeah!" Arashi answered, still grinning.

"Astrid says that every time you say it, something terrible happens," Raijin noted. "I just stopped you from saying it."

Arashi's grin turned flustered. "You too, Raijin?! Oh, c'mon!"

Astrid playfully smiled up at their wired comrade. "Thanks."

Nonetheless, the next room they entered was again more pool than solid ground with somewhat large ponds in all but one corner leaving just a few dirt paths, but around them traipsed an Armaldo that noticed them fairly quickly. It was shaking its claws and looking unamused almost as fast.

"Hey, don't mind us!" Arashi exclaimed as if it would listen. "We aren't even here for you!"

The wild one clearly didn't care, for it was shooting a stream of Brine from its mouth moments later. There wasn't much room to maneuver without stepping into a pool, but the Starstorm trio managed it anyway and the Armaldo was shortly dashing at them with hardened claws. Astrid hardened one of her wings and flew at it too, slamming her wing down as its Metal Claw swiped at her. It growled at her, but growled even more when a Water Pulse from Arashi flew at it next. Nonetheless, an Energy Ball from Raijin certainly caught its attention too, but the armored one luckily managed to swerve aside in time to avoid taking the hits.

"These ones are vicious," Astrid remarked flatly, fluttering back from it.

"They really are," Raijin concurred, more green energy gathering between his hands.

It certainly seemed that way when the Armaldo struck out with a Fury Cutter while Astrid whipped up an Ominous Wind that hit it in return. The sparks that went coursing along the Xurkitree's body made it hesitate in striking for a second, which was plenty of time for Arashi to land an Ice Beam that froze one claw in place. Astrid flew at it again with a hardened wing and went for the top of its head, but at the same time, the armored one's other claw swiped at her with another Fury Cutter… which put her in the way of Raijin's Energy Ball when it hit.

"Agh-!" the Dartrix cried.

"Ah-!" Raijin was surprised, twitching in discomfort. "Astrid! S-sorry! Are you alright?!"

Arashi too let out a startled cry, eyes going wide.

She slumped down onto the ground in front of it with a pained and tired expression, but nonetheless, she picked herself back up, albeit shakily. That in and of itself relieved her comrades.

"Thank the gods I doubly resist Grass-type moves…" her voice trailed off.

The armored wild one, though, prepared to spit another Brine, but before it could, Arashi's Water Pulse finished it off. Astrid brushed the leaves on her face aside and regained her composure, still feeling less than stellar even if she did doubly resist the move.

"Are you okay…?" Raijin inquired, touching his fingers together and studying her.

"You look pretty bad," Arashi noted, smiling and patting one of her wings.

"One of the Oran berries would come in handy about now," she tiredly admitted. "I'm still awake, so everything's fine. I know you didn't mean to, Raijin."

The Xurkitree slipped the bag off and fished out one of the berries, and Astrid was ripping chunks out of it fairly soon to regain her energy.

Her partner chuckled, giving her another pat and shooting their comrade a grin. "Remind me never to get between you and a target," he jested.

The Dartrix shot her partner a pointed look. "See? What were the odds of that?" she said softly.

Arashi giggled, crossing his arms and grinning awkwardly. "Alright, alright, point taken!"

Astrid was certainly glad that she'd opted for the berry right after, for when they entered the next room, a Kabutops wasted no time in jumping from its pool and waving its scythes at them. Nonetheless, it too was taken care of soon enough, knocked out by an Energy Ball that wasn't intercepted by the wrong target.

Sunken Cavern B16F

They did find another Bastiodon, but unlike the one in floors prior, it wasn't hiding anything nor was it even awake. Two apple cores sat on a rock next to it, a tree bearing a few more of the red fruits growing overhead that must've provided it a relaxing place to sleep. Astrid carefully sliced the apples overhead down with a Razor Leaf, while Arashi leaped up to grab them before they could go pelting the sleeping wild one below. It was roused awake for just a split second, but apparently didn't seen anything worth ending its nap for and dozed back off in seconds.

"Those ones with the shield faces seem really docile," Raijin noted as they trailed off.

"As far as dungeon-dwellers go, I like 'em!" Arashi declared happily.

They didn't seem inclined to attack, but Astrid still wasn't sure if 'like' was the right word. 'Indifferent' was more like it in her opinion. They were only annoying when something else was around.

"They didn't tell us how far down this place went, did they?" the Frogadier mused. "I mean, this Harold guy must've wanted to get away from everyone, but I doubt Rush would send us to a 99-floor dungeon without telling us, aha!"

Astrid blinked; she hadn't even thought of such. "He wouldn't do that… would he?" she was a bit uncertain.

"I haven't even been in one that big…" Raijin's voice trailed off likewise.

Arashi didn't seem to care much one way or another. "Nah, he wouldn't! Cinder might ask us to visit one and not tell us it was 99 floors, but I'm sure Rush wouldn't pull something like that!"

The Xurkitree perked up, touching his fingers together. "Why is Cinder such a jerk? I mean, he called me an abomination the first time we met, and I'd be understanding if he doesn't trust me given the circumstances, but he seems to have an issue with the both of you as well when you haven't done anything to warrant it…"

"But Lazuli said he acted that way to everyone," Arashi noted. "Maybe that's just how he is."

"No one acts like that without a reason," Astrid said to the contrary.

Yet again, the Frogadier got a big grin. "I guess I'll just have to ask him!" he declared without a care. "But if he tries to roast me, you two better have my back too!"

"Don't worry; you're my partner," Astrid said without missing a beat.

"That's why I'm here," Raijin concurred.

Arashi giggled as Astrid lead them all into another tunnel, brushing aside a bit of undergrowth with one wing. They noticed a bit of rumbling someplace far off, but the Cranidos causing it didn't seem to be close enough to warrant any looking out for it.

The solid ground of the next room resembled smallish ribbons intertwining about the several pools that made up the brunt of the ground, the brush around one wiggling a bit as an Anorith nestled up in the weeds on the weeds on the water's edge. The rest of the room appeared to be empty of inhabitants, but still, Astrid kept watch on all sides as she headed for the lone corridor on the opposite side. Navigating it caused the three of them being a bit closer to the water's edge than Astrid would've liked, but if things weren't jumping out or swimming up close to strike, she figured there was nothing to worry about…

At least, until a pinkish-colored 'weed' along the ground started to move when they got close.

"Lileep," she said quickly, hardening one wing in preparation to strike it.

Arashi gave the tentacle an amused look as it stretched towards them. "That disguise only works when there's waves to mask your wiggling!" he laughed, Pounding it.

However, his face fell when the tentacle wrapped around his hand and he realized he couldn't yank it away. Astrid got an alarmed look too, but just as she was about to hit it with a Steel Wing, the tentacle contracted back down into the water, and Arashi went splashing in along with it with a startled cry.

Raijin twitched in surprise. "Did it just…?"

Astrid quickly cast a wide-eyed glance to her Beast comrade. "Drought Orb, now," she said quickly.

The Xurkitree instantly set to slipping the bag off and retrieving the item in question, but as he did, he uncertainly inquired, "I-is that a reason to be worried…? He's aquatic too; won't he be alright…?"

"Lileep hunt with their tentacles," Astrid explained, still eyeing the water intently and crouching down with her wings spread slightly. "They look like plants, but they're carnivorous."

"O-oh!" Raijin exclaimed, twitching again. "Duly noted!"

Nonetheless, the orb let loose a blinding flash shortly thereafter, and when it faded, several disgruntled Omanytes and Kabutos fell on the pool's dried-up bottom and flailed haplessly, while the Lileep close to them and one on the other side of the pool gave startled twitches themselves. Indeed, Arashi was still ensnared in the tentacle that had grabbed him, a bit of frozen residual from an Ice Beam stuck around the Lileep's face, but still, it wasn't letting go.

Nonetheless, the Frogadier perked up, haplessly dangling by one arm. "Hey! Thanks! This thing is sticky!"

Something akin a startled sound escaped the Lileep, but before it could do anything else, Astrid dove down and grabbed her comrade in her feet while Raijin blasted a Signal Beam straight down into the fossil flower's obscured face. It turned loose of Arashi and went limp, and Astrid flapped back up to the dirt between the pools.

"Nice try!" Arashi laughed, glancing back down at the fainted wild one.

Perhaps had they had any leverage to get close, the Omanytes and Kabutos would've made a strike next, but they were too busy fussing over the sudden change in their habitat to pay much mind to the intruders.

"Let's get out of here," Astrid said, casting the fainted Lileep a dirty glance and setting off again.

Thankfully, the stairs weren't too far away.

Sunken Cavern Pit

"Hah! We made it!" Arashi exclaimed happily.

Astrid looked around, almost expecting to see their target someplace in the room that met them… but no, there was no Abomasnow to be found. It was merely a connecting room beckoning them to the lower floors. A small and muddy-colored stream lined almost the entire edge of the dungeon, save for two openings leading into pure darkness both at the front and back.

"So this is one of those types of dungeons," Astrid noted, giving their surroundings a quick scan.

The Frogadier giggled just a bit. "Well, if we get wiped out, that's fewer floors to conquer!"

Astrid gave her partner a haplessly uncertain glance, strolling for the entrance to the lower floors. "Hey, when you say it like that-"

However, something caught the attention of all three of them when a whitish glow emanated from behind them, and they all whirled around to see what the cause was. Astrid more or less expected it to be a mischievous Abomasnow launching an attack to make off with their items, but no… It was something much more alarming. The very air itself seemed to crack and open up into a rift between dimensions, which they immediately placed as a wormhole. Astrid's beak fell open.

"Did they find us?!" Arashi hollered, likewise looking shocked. "H-how?!"

Raijin, however, was already sparking like a tempestuous sky, making the Dartrix and Frogadier keep a bit of distance to avoid inadvertently taking a bolt.

"If they did, then running isn't going to accomplish anything but drawing out the inevitable," the Xurkitree noted. "Unless Necrozma can give us a way out, but…"

Astrid couldn't think of any other reason that a wormhole would be opening in the middle of a dungeon except for malicious intent, and though the thought was absolutely terrifying, she crouched down with eyes narrowed at whatever was on the other side. It didn't take much reasoning to see how improbable the Blinding One intervening would be, what with their energy being so taken up by staving off Void's onslaught… yet, it shortly appeared that something was amiss, for it wasn't any Beast that emerged from the other side. It was a Tyrantrum, and a big one that towered over even Raijin. It bared its fangs and growled, the wormhole closing behind it almost as fast as it had come.

"Wait, what?!" Arashi exclaimed, alarmed but confused all the same. "What's a Tyrantrum doing in a wormhole?!"

Astrid was likewise confused, studying their new company and wondering how it would be warping around by such a method, but all the same, she eyed the tunnel leading into darkness behind them. If it wasn't one of Void's, then surely, they could outrun it, but oddly enough, her Beast comrade still wasn't moving even as the hulking ancient Pokémon took a few thunderous steps towards them.

"They could still be using it as a temporary emissary," the Xurkitree said carefully. "It's best not to take that chance. What type is this one?"

"Dragon and Rock," Arashi answered.

"Good. I'll make this fast," Raijin noted.

The Dartrix considered her comrade's words for a second, then relaxed if only just a bit. Salem's temporary subjects had been unpleasant, sure, but they'd managed to deal with them fine enough. Arashi looked a bit disbelieving, but still accepted the possibility with a nod too. The Tyrantrum, though, appeared more enamored with the sparking one, for it plodded closer with snapping jaws aimed at the Beast and only began to hesitate when the sparks faded in favor of a rainbow glow.

"Hey, now, sorry to thrash you, but I kinda have to," the Xurkitree nonetheless said rather gently to the snapping one.

Their company certainly didn't like the Dazzling Gleam that flared up and made a sound something like a whimper, but at the same time, it raised one foot up off the ground. Astrid's face fell, for she had an idea of what was coming.

"Wait, Raijin, get back!" she exclaimed.

Her comrade twitched in surprise at her call, but just as fast, the Tyrantrum slammed its foot down into the ground with enough force to make the entire room shake. The ground below it shattered like glass, setting off an Earthquake, and their comrade was far too close and caught off guard to avoid it.

"H-huh?!" the Xurkitree cried.

Astrid swooped her partner up just as the ground below them too split open with a fissure, but the ones that opened around Raijin were practically unavoidable. The glowing one lost his balance, the splintering earth shortly almost completely enveloping him as the pieces of the ground crashed back together. They could still see his spiky head and one arm peeking out, but the Xurkitree was limp and his head flickered for a moment before ceasing to glow.

"R-Raijin?!" Astrid exclaimed, still fluttering in the air with her partner gripped underneath her.

"Raijin, are you okay?!" Arashi cried.

No response. They hadn't seen his glow fade on any occasion, thus the sight of his limp and dimmed form didn't bode well…

"Did that thing just knock him out?!" the Frogadier shouted in disbelief. "But…! He's the strongest one of our bunch by a long shot!"

Astrid's face fell even more, and the Tyrantrum looked up at them next with a wild snarl. "You've gotta be kidding me," she flatly remarked. "We were warned about this place, too! This is terrible!"

She thought about their situation through for a moment, thoroughly perturbed at one teammate being unconscious, even more at the fact that he was the one most knowledgeable about wormholes opening and what such entailed. Still, she dropped back on the ground towards one of the sides, the huge set of jaws seeming to curve into a grin. Raijin still wasn't moving.

"What're you thinking?" Arashi inquired, eyeing their foe and crouching down to spring. "I'm fine with fighting, but you're the one with the best calls. Should we run instead?"

Astrid shook her head, the Tyrantrum snapping again and turning to face them with plodding, heavy movements. "We can't do that," she said quickly. "We can't leave Raijin. If wormholes are opening, someone from Void's faction is behind it, so we need him and his Beast expertise. And even if we ran… What if a faction group opens another and jumps out? He'd be left alone to the group he betrayed. We can't just abandon a comrade like that."

The Frogadier nodded, and their foe growled while taking a step toward them. "You're right; I didn't even think of that," Arashi acknowledged, then with a grin creeping across his face again, "You think we got this?"

"I sure hope so," Astrid replied, still studying the hulking figure and its bared fangs.

However, in a dungeon somewhat far away…

Starry Peak Summit

"You had one fucking job to do!" Sixty-O-Three hollered, bashing the glowing vessel into the side of a reflective rock hard enough to shatter the shiny surface.

"S-sorry…! It's just hard to concentrate on wormholes when you throw me around like that…!" the tiny voice inside whimpered back pitifully.

The Pheromosa growled, angrily tossing the vessel onto the ground and kicking it out of the way.

The summit was definitely abuzz with shrieks and growls… but not from the wild ones.

"Urgh…! What are these creatures?!" Jingle exclaimed in a pained voice.

Ama didn't look too sure herself. For all the cutesy smiling and happy singing the Blissey had done previously, her expression started to look somewhat perturbed. Both the Alcremie and Drampa next to her got some much-needed restoration from the Soft-Boiled healing light emanating from her egg, Millicent not saying a word but coughing and catching her balance after taking Seven Thousand's Toxic. The lovely scent of Aromatherapy followed from the Alcremie to heal herself, but nonetheless, she still seemed rather disoriented. Still, a Venoshock from the Nihilego followed, to which both the dragon and the creamy fairy scuttled behind Ama as she braced to take it.

"Greeting from Ultra Space, expeditioners!" Fourteen-Five hollered flippantly, balling his fist up while still flexing the other arm.

That certainly didn't come off a friendly sort of greeting.

The Blissey made a perfect shield against Seven Thousand's attack and didn't seem too fazed by it, but in the air, her Decorated Togekiss comrade deftly glided out of the way of Sixty-O-Three's Ice Beam before whipping up an Air Slash that sailed back down. With an absurd speed, the Pheromosa darted out of the way before rushing at Ama, Lunging out almost too fast to see. The Blissey nonetheless braced herself to take it too, and while it certainly hit far harder than she would've liked, she hung on with enough strength left to deliver a Counter… straight into a Reflect shield set up by Seven Thousand. The damage packed into her hit put a giant crack in the shield, but still, Seven Thousand didn't bother keeping it up for long and the lead sweetheart frowned in frustration.

"You not worry; we bring enlightenment," the Nihilego mused softly.

They had some serious doubts about what that entailed.

Chira, however, cloaked with a pinkish glow, rushed at the Buzzwole and intended to Play Rough, but with a swing of his fist, a Hammer Arm slammed her instead. The Cinccino would've cried out, but the loud crack that resulted from Fourteen-Five's fist took her voice away and made her eyes go wide before rolling back in her head. Even with her scarves and their slick oil lessening the blow, the force was absolutely unmistakable, and the elegantly furry one went crashing into the surface of a rock hard enough to shatter its surface to pieces. She didn't pick herself back up when she went slumping onto the ground.

"Chira!" Ama cried in dismay.

No answer.

"Oho, don't worry!" Fourteen Five laughed, balling up both of his fists. "We wouldn't be so uncouth as to kill such lovely specimens as yourselves!"

Still from the air, Yunael breathed down a Flamethrower at the Beast triad, but without a shred of concern, Seven Thousand glided in front of the fiery stream to block it from hitting anyone else and fired a Power Gem in return. Millicent scurried closer to Jingle and set to Decorating him too, and in turn, he breathed a Dragon Breath at their foes, but it sailed past as Sixty-O-Three and Fourteen-Five scurried aside. The Alcremie's movements became a bit erratic and her expression a bit angry, but she said nothing, and their enemies hardly bore a scratch.

Ama couldn't help her frown, patting her egg and scrutinizing the Beasts. "Tough love is still love," she remarked flatly, "but senseless fighting isn't. We won't fall to the likes of you! Love always triumphs!"

"It sure does!" Fourteen-Five enthusiastically concurred. "And we love Void more than anything!"