The sun was barely starting to rise in the distance and everything was fairly quiet (save for a few avians out in the wild chirping their morning songs), but the Coalition entourage was already quite a ways south of town, following the river. It was the same general direction that Sunken Cavern was located in, but sticking so close to the river made things noticeably marshier- perhaps that was a common vein for dungeons in that vicinity, Astrid figured. She knew her partner wouldn't have minded it had he been there, but a swamp was definitely not the sort of terrain neither she nor the Xurkitree sticking close to her would've preferred, much less a swamp with 'vanishing' in its moniker (and all of the implications that came with such). Lazuli was about as bubbly as the literal bubble pattern on her lower half, and the rest of the Coalition didn't seem to mind too much… except for Cinder, whose discomfort was very obvious for his fluffed out feathers and slightly narrowed eyes. He flitted along the trees alongside them, staying about as far away from any of the marshy puddles littering the ground as he could possibly get without outright ditching the team.
Perhaps the Kecleon Shop hadn't been open when Rozen had rushed over there, but they definitely made an exception in their usual business operations. Into the bag that Rozen carried were stowed six Luminous Orbs, coupled with the two that the Starstorm duo had stashed in their own bag. Raijin had figured that would be enough to get Lunala up and awake, at least- perhaps not to her full glory, but nonetheless far better off than she likely was. Two Reviver Seeds, at least one of them solely in case the Xurkitree couldn't recharge in their terrain and ran out of current, were stowed away in the Starstorm duo's bag along with a few Oran berries (just in case Rozen's healing wasn't an option), a few Heal Seeds, and an Escape Orb for a quick exit in case they managed to locate Lunala before the dungeon's end. Rozen's bag had a bundle of Guiding Wands tucked inside as well, along with two Pure Seeds- all rather hard to come by and usually stowed away only for particularly noteworthy missions, but the situation at hand necessitated it more than anything. Dren carried a bag in his tail too, stuffed with food so no one would faint for lack of sustenance. (Astrid had to doubt that a carnivorous dragon would munch on fruit or chestnuts, however, but she wasn't going to ask.)
"Big Blue, tell 'em about the orbs," Rush piped up as they strode along, giving Lazuli a nudge.
"Ooh! That's right!" Lazuli exclaimed, getting a little smirk, then giving a glance to the Starstorm duo, "You two! If you see an orb laying around in the dungeon, don't touch it! It's not an orb!"
Astrid blinked, and Raijin gave a little twitch.
"Th-then what is it?" the Dartrix inquired.
"A Stunfisk!" Lazuli answered. "Specifically, the Steel-type variant with the hard fins! Y'know, anywhere else, their mouths look more like the top of a Foongus and you'd totally expect to see Foonguses in swampy terrain too, but in the dungeons, they'll imitate orbs to lure their victims in before they snap shut! Fwoosh!"
The Azumarill made a motion imitating such, slapping her hands together with vigor that made Astrid flinch just a bit.
"What do you mean, 'snap shut?'" Raijin asked, tapping his fingers together in contemplation.
"Well, their fins are shaped kinda like a big set of teeth," Lazuli replied, not too fazed. "So once they have you, well… Have fun getting loose!"
"Annoying little fuckers," Rush remarked.
"Well, you'll have me to detect them," Adnea noted. "Perhaps not the Crawdaunts, however, unless I can see them from the memories of another dungeon-dweller, but those ones are far from sneaky about not appreciating your presence."
Astrid fluffed out just a bit at the idea of a living steel-fanged trap, and Raijin gave a little twitch. Getting caught by one definitely didn't seem like it would be a pleasant occurrence.
"… Duly noted," said the Xurkitree.
"A-ah… That's good to know…" Astrid's voice trailed off. "S-so… why does anyone go here? I-I mean, obviously Lunala can't help it, but for everyone else, if the wild ones are like that…"
"Stones!" Lazuli answered. "You can find Water Stones and an occasional Leaf Stone, so if you need those to evolve, you might opt to go here. You can always go see if Kecleon has any too, or you can barter around if someone has one that they don't need, but if you wanna handle it yourself, this is where you go."
The Dartrix nodded, thinking it was reasonable. They'd kept hold of the Shiny Stones they'd gathered in Starry Peak for that same reason- so they would've been easier to obtain for those that needed them. (Of course, the wild ones full of neurotoxin at Starry Peak probably diminished the amount of expeditions made to that location in the interim, but nonetheless, she figured it was the same principle.)
The river widened further down and branched off, the surroundings getting noticeably more damp and marshy to the point that the ground sloshed every time someone took a step, and some puddles became a bit too deep to be classified as simple 'puddles.' Getting to a piece of solid ground required either a leap or a fluttering of wings from everyone save for Raijin (due to his much longer stride), seeing as the area became more akin to a bunch of smaller islets scattered about a shallow pond. Little green splotches of moss colored the pale brown of the trees, and pale green leaves drooped down from their limbs like a bunch of falling teardrops. Occasionally the water would bubble, but whatever was situated down in the mud apparently wasn't keen on seeing what stirred above the surface. It was marshy and muddy, a few sparse cattails growing on a few edges of land and some of the trees having roots exposed for the ground having partially washed away, but of more concern were the sunken areas in the murky water that seemed to have a sucking effect on what was around them.
It wasn't hard to see why they needed Lazuli to reach the dungeon in the first place before long when they stopped at what looked like dark, gaping sinkhole in the middle of the marsh. Cinder was already looking apprehensive at it, and it wasn't hard to guess why.
"Don't let the look fool you- the entrance is flooded, not the entire thing," Lazuli noted, giving the Starstorm duo a glance. "But that's not a problem! That's why we have me and my bubbles!"
"It may as well be the entire thing that's flooded," Cinder remarked softly, getting a playful nudge from Rush in return.
A large bubble started taking form in the Azumarill's hands, which she stuck over Rush's head. Astrid couldn't help thinking that it looked slightly ridiculous, but she wasn't protesting its functionality.
Nonetheless, Rush snickered and gave a flippant wave, striding to the edge of their patch of land and throwing his arms out to the side. "See y'all bitches on the other side!" he shouted, slightly muffled and distorted through the bubble.
A deep plunk sounded as he sprang backwards off the edge and vanished under the murky surface, but not before shutting one eye and sticking his tongue out to make a goading face. Lazuli giggled, Adnea rolled her eyes, and Rozen shook his head with a hapless grin.
The Audino was next to go plunking in, then the Orbeetle, who hardly made either a sound or a splash (whether such was due to her relatively tiny size or the fact that she was floating via telekinesis and thus controlled her momentum was hard to tell). Cinder needed a bubble to cover his entire body, and even with it in place, still took a moment to stare and make disgruntled expressions at the water before he too vanished inside. Dren was next, making a huge splash that showered Lazuli, Raijin, and Astrid in murky droplets.
"Y'know, I didn't even think about it until now," Lazuli mused, forming another bubble between her hands. "Raijin, do you even need one of these? You don't really seem like the… 'breathing' type, if I'm being honest."
"I'm not; you're right," the Xurkitree answered. "Besides… I don't know how durable those bubbles of yours are, but something tells me you'd have a hard time betting one around my head, what with the spikes and currents."
Lazuli laughed. "Probably! We should try that sometime when we're not trying to rescue one of your bosses!"
Nonetheless, the bubble that the Azumarill formed was promptly situated over Astrid's head, and though it didn't feel blatantly strange, seeing the surroundings through a thin film of moisture with a slightly rainbow tint to it was… a rather different experience. It was pretty, to be sure, but definitely not something she wanted to be permanent.
Raijin gave her a little tap with his tail. "Wanna go together?" he inquired, sounding a little muffled on the other side of the bubble.
"Sure," the Dartrix replied. "Count of three, we both jump?"
Her comrade nodded. They both faced the sinkhole, Raijin still with his tail wrapped around her, and Astrid gave the little count before they both sprang in. She could feel the water buzz too from the electrical currents coursing through her comrade's body, and perhaps it would've been unpleasant to a Water-type, but she didn't mind it too much. Everything was shortly engulfed in murky dimness, little green water plants and algae only visible for the Xurkitree's glow. It was almost like a whirlpool, some force pulling them down, and not long after, it wasn't water they felt around them but rather air. Very, very damp air.
Vanishing Swamp B1F
"Ngh-!" Astrid cried.
"Ah-!" Raijin exclaimed.
… In a tangle of cables and feathers, they both went sprawling on the dungeon floor with a slight splash, the bubble around Astrid's head popping the moment she hit the ground.
"… If that doesn't win a prize for worst landing, then I don't know what will," came the voice of Cinder, his own bubble popping with a little ember from his beak.
"Oh, stop it," Rozen chided.
Astrid and Raijin picked themselves up from the damp, water-shrouded ground, brushing themselves off and the Dartrix trying to fluff some of the liquid out of her clumping feathers. The inside wasn't much better than the outside, and definitely wasn't better than the damp likes of Lake Lucent or Sunken Cavern- the ground was covered in at least ten centimeters of water, deeper in some areas with the ground sloping off or sinking into little murky pools, and wet sand and silt shifted underfoot with the slightest movement, making even the ground feel like it might swallow them up. Cinder had apparently taken to perching on Dren's back to avoid getting drenched in it, and Astrid definitely didn't blame him even if he hadn't had a weakness to water. Masses of tangled, gnarled greyish brown roots made up the walls, akin to the roots of the drooping trees they'd seen on the surface, and the same drooping leaves covered the ceiling. It was a swamp, alright- one that Astrid could fairly easily see someone 'vanishing' into with a misstep.
Lazuli came splashing down shortly thereafter. "Theeeeere we go!" she nonchalantly exclaimed.
"A'ight, that's all of us," Rush noted, giving everyone a glance. "We don't have enough Guiding Wands for every floor, so we're doing things the usual way for these first few before Swamperts and Barraskewdas try to kick our asses. Adnea, what's the run-down?"
"Masquerain south, Marshtomp north, two Stunfisks buried to the east and north, and a few Seakings in the pools," Adnea answered. "Maybe a Crawdaunt or two judging by what I can see, but I couldn't tell you directly about that species."
"Well, that ain't a problem," Rush remarked, striding off for the nearest corridor and waving them along after. "A Dark-type might get past you, but it sure as hell won't get past me or Big Blue."
"Safe to say I probably shouldn't go launching any Discharges here with these surroundings…?" Raijin inquired. "I figured out what electric attacks do in water at Sunken Cavern, and I wouldn't want to inadvertently zap any of you…"
"Yeeeaaaaah, probably best to play it safe on that one," Rush replied, getting a little smirk. "Ain't no use makin' extra work for Rozen shieldin' us when you got other super effective moves. Y'know, come to think of it, bringin' a Fire-type and an Electric-type to a mostly aquatic dungeon ain't somethin' I'd ever do under normal circumstances, but this ain't normal circumstances."
"Well, it's fun having all of us here like this!" Lazuli piped up. "Some quality team bonding over otherworldly shenanigans that probably don't bode well, y'know!"
Dren chuckled, giving the Azumarill a funny look. "When you put it that way…"
A bit ridiculous-sounding or not, Astrid had to admit that the aquatic fairy wasn't wrong. Perhaps not entirely right, but definitely not wrong.
Nonetheless, they all filed into the corridor, the ground splashing and sloshing as they did. Dren had to tuck his wings in just to fit, and even then still scraped the sides a bit.
"U-um…" Astrid's voice trailed off.
"What's up?" Lazuli amiably inquired.
"Is this place called Vanishing Swamp because of the sinkholes or because of… s-something else?" she inquired, curious but a bit hesitant of what the answer might be all the same.
"There have been documented vanishings due to both," Adnea chimed in. "Granted, such has not happened in seven years, but venturing out without knowing that the marsh has sinkholes or that the orbs in the dungeon are more than likely not orbs is a fine way to have a one-way trip."
Rozen gave a haplessly sardonic chuckle. "Years ago there was one poor Lombre that hit a sinkhole without noticing it, and when it sucked her into the dungeon, she landed right on the jaws of a Stunfisk," he noted, shaking his head. "Her friends found the poor dear with the softer bits of her head partially eaten and the jaws still clamped around her neck. It was dreadful."
Astrid's feathers fluffed out and her eyes went wide at the mental picture. "A-Arceus above, you're not kidding…?"
"He is not," Adnea noted. "I have that incident recorded in one of my books."
Both Astrid and her comrade gave little shudders at the idea of having a wild one munch away at their softer parts while said wild one also snapped a set of hard jaws down on them to prevent escape. She couldn't see Cinder's expression, but his feathers fluffed out too, though she guessed that his discomfort came from the idea of trying to eat a creature that was happy and running around beforehand.
"Have one of those things bite your head off, and there ain't enough Reviver Seeds in the goddamned universe to save your ass," Rush flippantly remarked.
No one was doubting that, to be sure.
Nonetheless, when they entered the next room, a pool on one side started to stir, and a Crawdaunt shortly emerged waving both claws and looking furious. It skittered straight towards them, but without much of a thought, Rush balled up one fist and slammed it into the angry crustacean, cracking its shell and sending it flying back into the wall with dazed eyes.
"And you can fuck right off too," the Scrafty remarked.
Vanishing Swamp B2F
From one of the pools, a Seaking or two tried jumping out to stab at them with their horns, but an Energy Ball from Raijin and a Razor Leaf from Astrid made them think twice about trying to pull a move like that (or at least, the one that Astrid hit thought twice about it, seeing as the one that Raijin hit was no longer conscious to think). Astrid had to guess that the purely aquatic ones were disturbed by their movements on the wet sand and silt, for every one of their steps made the ground shift below their feet, which was likely noticeable at least to some extent by the wild ones in the pools. However, something was noticeable to the expeditioners at the opening to another corridor- something that looked valuable for the terrain they were in.
"Well, isn't that just beautiful," Adnea flatly remarked of (what appeared to be) a Drought Orb situated in front of the entrance to another corridor. "This one knows how to catch outside prey efficiently, at least."
Both Astrid and Raijin studied the 'orb.' Had they not known to think twice about it, it would've been passable as the real thing for the most part, but Astrid had to mentally note that this one was less vibrant than the actual Drought Orbs that her team had made use of before. There was also a small seam that divided it in half- the Stunfisk's mouth. Everyone was keeping their distance from it, and it was sitting there unmoving.
"A'ight, Li'l-li'l Green, hit that thing with a Razor Leaf and make it think it's got a nice snack, will ya?" Rush instructed. "And once it snaps, Cinder, do the honors."
"Will do," Cinder affirmed.
Astrid didn't say a word and instead gave a few flaps of her wings to both get a better position for aiming at it and to shake a few of the sharp leaves loose. A dozen or so of them flew like little darts at the 'orb,' some of them jabbing into it and some jabbing around it. Nonetheless, as soon as the leaves made contact…
SNAP!
The steely jaws just below the surface of the mud snapped shut with a mighty clang, lurching straight up out of the water with the force. The 'orb' parted in half to reveal a set of sharp teeth that likewise snapped at what the Stunfisk deemed to be prey, shredding a leaf or two with a mischievous expression. However, that mischievous expression turned to dismay when it realized there was nothing tasty to sink its teeth into, and a Flamethrower from a certain Fletchinder perched on top of Dren's head made it unfurl and flop unconscious back into the water with a sizzling sound.
"… You weren't kidding," Raijin noted, tapping his fingers together.
Lazuli giggled. "Oh, come on! I wouldn't lie about carnivorous orb look-alikes!"
Astrid had to admit, if there was ever anything to not lie about, that was likely somewhere near the top. She was definitely glad to have been warned about such, for if she'd been there with only her Beast comrade, she could easily see one of them going to try to pick it up and getting a nasty surprise.
"A Marshtomp has just spotted the stairs and they are to our northeast, approximately two rooms ahead and one to the right," Adnea chimed in. "Luckily it is heading the opposite way so we don't need to worry about Earthquakes for the time being."
"Fuckin' fantastic," Rush affirmed, setting off that way without wasting any time.
Raijin, though, gave a little twitch. "'Earthquakes?' In a place like this…?"
"Well, they are Ground-types," Rozen noted.
"Just jump on my back if one tries to use that move," Dren said gently. "It'll be a fruitless endeavor."
"A-ah, right…" the Xurkitree replied.
Astrid blinked for just a second, mulling it all over. Having every team member present was making things much less of a struggle. Of course, had it just been her own team, she could've made the Stunfisks snap their jaws shut with her Razor Leaf and let her own two comrades finish the rest (if Arashi had been present, anyway), she and Raijin had doubly super effective moves for the Water- and Ground-types present, and Arashi's Quick Attack could derail a stray fish if one launched itself at them, but the setup with the rest of the Coalition took most of the risks away. Having Lazuli present essentially erased any need for Drought Orbs that Astrid's own team had run into before, Dren nullified the risks of Earthquakes, Cinder could hit the Stunfisks with a super effective move without making contact, and of course, Rush, Rozen, and Adnea were definitely valuable. If her partner had been present, she knew he would've called it 'synergy.'
Her eyes drooped, but she haplessly chuckled a bit to herself at the thought. It had hardly been a day, but she missed him.
Lazuli noticed her chuckling and inquired, "What's got you making that sound, huh?"
Astrid shook her head. "Don't worry about it."
Vanishing Swamp B4F
Another Stunfisk was dealt with in the same way, Astrid making it snap and Cinder dealing the finishing blow, and a Crawdaunt or two saw how useless their Night Slashes and Razor Shells were with Rozen to block them and Rush and Lazuli having no qualms about waving a fist or a pink-glowing arm at them.
The room they found themselves in was one fairly akin to the swamp's surface, with non-submerged patches of ground being difficult to come by and making the ones without wings take a leap to get to the next one. According to Adnea, there was another Stunfisk waiting at the bottom in one corner, but of course, no one was going to make it stir.
"You happy up there?" Lazuli playfully asked of Cinder, shooting him a grin as he perched on Dren's head.
"I am," the Fletchinder replied. "You jealous of my perch?"
Lazuli giggled. "Oh, please, if I was gonna be jealous of someone, it would be someone that's actually cool!"
Dren giggled a bit at the bantering.
On the other hand, the Fletchinder's eyes burned like little red-hot coals, but the way his beak curled up at the edges indicated that he wasn't actually angry. "Y'know what, Lazuli? You're my favorite Pokémon… besides every other Pokémon I've met."
"Are you two okay…?" Raijin chimed in, tapping his fingers and sounding concerned. "It seemed like you two got along…"
"It's just their infantile manner of socializing," Adnea flatly piped up, rolling their eyes. "It's quite amazing how much they smirk and snicker for such uncreative insults."
The two bantering ones shut up and went right back to their former demeanor the moment the Orbeetle indirectly chided them, and Astrid and Raijin shot each other a glance. It was Rush's turn to snicker under his breath, Rozen haplessly shaking his head.
"Now, not everyone has a fucking running catalogue of what everyone else is thinkin'," Rush remarked with a grin. "Tell us what the best one you've heard is, Adnea! Show 'em how it's done!"
"I will do no such thing," the researcher flatly refused without missing a beat. "If anyone gets insult fodder, it will not be from me, and you can just let the fact that you don't have all that knowledge eat away at your soul."
Rozen grinned, shooting her a glance. "Never change, Adnea."
The Orbeetle rolled her eyes again. "I suppose I should also mention there's a Marshtomp incoming."
At that, everyone paused, and sure enough, a finned blue figure came darting down one corridor, apparently curious as to what the unfamiliar voices were for its wide-eyed and grinning countenance. However, apparently it had mischievous ideas, for it balled one hand up and raised it over its head as if about to strike something.
"And that's an Earthquake," Rush quickly noted. "Y'all get on Dren!"
The dragon quickly flattened out to make such easier, and shortly Rush, Rozen, Lazuli, and Raijin were jumping onto his back as the Marshtomp slammed its fist into the ground. Astrid flapped her wings and took to the air right as the ground deformed beneath her feet almost akin to the ripples created from dropping a stone into water, for that same wave pattern spread throughout the room and flattened the mounds of earth instead of creating fissures. Dren too flapped his wings, ensuring that neither he nor the ones that couldn't take to the air were grounded to feel the force. Nonetheless, the entire ground below them was levelled- the murky waters coated all of it instead of having shallow patches, and the flip of a Seaking's fin just below the water's surface indicated the discomfort of another wild one.
"Arceus above!" Astrid exclaimed.
"That's even worse than on solid ground!" Raijin too cried in surprise.
Nonetheless, Lazuli fired off a Bubble Beam that both obscured the dungeon-dweller's field of vision and made it fuss in discomfort, for even if it lived in aquatic terrain, its Ground-type half still didn't take nicely to the attack. Astrid didn't waste time in sending a Razor Leaf at it too, which with all the bubbles around it, the hapless Marshtomp couldn't avoid. It slumped down unconscious fairly quickly, and Lazuli shot the Dartrix a wink.
Still, a disgruntled Seaking peeked up from the water, eyes narrowed at the outside company, and promptly pointed its horn straight at Dren before leaping up to strike. An Energy Ball from Raijin stopped it midair, and it too went slumping down back where it came from.
Rush snickered. "A'ight, I guess that means you're our ground for now, Dren."
"And I do not mind," the dragon replied, flapping his wings and gliding for the nearest corridor with its less submerged ground.
Back to venturing they went.
Vanishing Swamp B8F
Things went mostly smooth-sailing, the wild ones being taken care of quickly between the eight of them, and though the occasional Marshtomp was annoying and the occasional Crawdaunt combative, they weren't threats for very long.
"A'ight, let's start using those Guiding Wands," Rush said. "We got enough to last us 'til the end if that's how far we end up havin' to go."
Rozen reached into the pack he carried and pulled one out, waving it in the air. A little light glowed at the end of it and flew off to their west, seemingly making the walls of the dungeon see-through and revealing the location of the stairs. Astrid catalogued it, just a bit surprised at how it functioned… She'd been expecting something more akin to a wand functioning as a compass, but being able to outright see the object in question even through the walls was far more convenient. A very valuable item it was indeed.
"Hey, can we take a break before we go further?" Lazuli piped up.
"Y'know, I was just thinking that same thing," the Scrafty replied. "A'ight, y'all, let's try to be quick about it, though. Lunala ain't gonna save herself."
At the mention of Lunala, Raijin shrunk up and tapped his fingers together contemplatively, clearly apprehensive about her state. Astrid too couldn't help thinking about what condition they might find her in, for surely, it wouldn't be pretty.
Dren set the bag he carried in his tail onto a patch of non-submerged earth (which Cinder also perched on to keep from getting wet), and everyone but the dragon himself and Raijin retrieved a snack from it before the bag was closed and wrapped up again to keep from getting too damp. Astrid wasn't quite sure was the Salamence was doing, but he flung the bag onto his back, ventured over to a pool in one corner of the room and dipped his tail in just a bit, carefully watching the surface. She had an idea given that he was the group's only carnivore, but didn't bother asking outright.
The Dartrix turned to her comrade, who had his tail plugged into the ground. "Can you get a current here at all?" she inquired, holding a chestnut in one foot to peel it with her beak.
"Barely," the Xurkitree replied. "It's not quite Ultra Desert levels of bad, but… it's not far off, either."
"Are you feeling miserable yet…?"
"Not quite miserable, more just spent… but give me a floor or three, and I'll be looking a lot dimmer."
"Hot damn, that's gotta suck," Rush remarked, ripping the peel off a banana.
"One of the drawbacks," Raijin said indifferently. "I don't need to keep items on hand like you all, but in the wrong terrain… it's definitely not pleasant."
Splash!
A Seaking erupted from the water with its horn pointed at Dren, but just as quick, the dragon's jaws crunched down on the top of the fish's head. It got wide eyes for a second and tensed its fins up, but in moments, it drooped lifeless like a wilted flower, the force of the bite on its skull obviously doing it in very quickly. Astrid couldn't help fluffing up a bit, especially for the large red droplets that shortly dyed the pool a murky crimson color, and Raijin too gave a little twitch, likely feeling sorry for the unfortunate dungeon-dweller. Cinder got slightly wide-eyed too while directing his gaze straight at the ground.
"Perhaps I should mention that there's a Masquerain fluttering this way," Adnea chimed in.
"Where?" Cinder inquired, scarfing down a chunk of an apple.
Adnea nodded off at one of the corridors, which the Fletchinder flitted over to before breathing a Flamethrower straight down it. A hiss of pain and frustration could be heard on the other end and the walls were left with some blackened, ember-covered surfaces, but Cinder flitted right back over as if nothing had happened.
"Not anymore, there isn't," he remarked before ripping another chunk out of his piece of fruit.
"Oh my gods, you can't just go setting hallways on fire to get a single KO," Lazuli jested, shooting the fiery avian a smirk.
"Quite frankly, I'm not about to listen to a Water-type telling me what I can and can't set on fire," Cinder replied without a care. "You wanna be next?"
The Azumarill smirked even more. "Go on, try it! I dare you!"
However, at that, another very flat voice added to the mix once again, and Adnea's gaze could practically be felt staring straight through them. "Oh, yes. Go on. Try it. I dare you."
Both of them piped down as fast as they could. Rozen haplessly shook his head, and Rush muffled a bit of snickering.
"If any of the Light Trio can hear me, I apologize for these two," Rozen softly mused.
"Oh, come on!" Cinder squawked in protest, shooting the Audino a glance. "You can't just diss us to the highest beings of another world!"
"Maybe he can't, but I sure can," Raijin's voice added to the mix.
The edges of Astrid's beak curled up just a bit at her comrade's remark, knowing he wasn't truly serious, and another exasperated look from Cinder followed. Nonetheless, a grinning nudge from Lazuli shut the Fletchinder up.
Vanishing Swamp B13F
The wands made things move fast- there was no wandering around looking for the stairs, for locating them was taken care of the second they hit a new floor, and coupled with Adnea's surveillance of the wild ones giving a general idea of where hallways were, it was almost trivial. Of course, the occasional Crawdaunt with their typing that prevented her from scanning their minds might've been a slight annoyance, but with Rush's Brick Break and Lazuli Playing Rough with them, it wasn't much of a struggle. As far a struggle went, the only one on the team having a significant one was Raijin, for he hadn't been lying about dimming with no current to absorb. Astrid took note of it- his glow was much more subdued than usual but not quite gone, and his movements were much less fluid but rather more shaky.
"For a bunch of spikes and cables, you look awful," Cinder remarked, giving the Beast an uncertain glance.
"Oh, I believe you…" Raijin's voice haplessly trailed off, sounding distorted. "I feel it, too…"
"Dear, do you need a Heal Pulse…?" Rozen asked gently. "Or will that just prolong the inevitable?"
"Prolong the inevitable," the Xurkitree answered. "I'd rather just get it over with…"
The Audino nodded.
The Guiding Wand had revealed the stairs several rooms and hallways away, so getting there wasn't any problem, but as they ventured in that direction, Astrid gave their surroundings a look. The earlier floors had definitely been swampy and murky in their own right, but past around the eleventh floor, the ground had become noticeably more muddy and slick. The water was still fairly ugly, only broken occasionally by the flip of a fin or the wave of a claw underneath. She recalled that Rush had mentioned some other wild ones that they hadn't seen yet- Swamperts and Barraskewdas- that she figured probably felt more at home in the environment of the lower floors, so a little change in terrain made sense. (However, she was a bit wary about the prospect of a creature known for spearing potential prey given her own team's track record with pointy objects, but she kept that to herself.)
"Incoming," Adnea piped up as they entered the next room. "Lazuli, you'll want to bubble Cinder."
The fiery avian fluffed up just a bit but scurried off of Dren's head onto his back, where the Azumarill quickly set to covering him in a bubble. Not long after, a Swampert came bolting in from the adjacent corridor, looking confused as to why intruders were in its territory.
"Ain't that lovely," Rush remarked.
Astrid didn't waste time in leaving the ground while the others save for the floating Orbeetle huddled closer to Dren in case of an Earthquake, and though she sent off a Razor Leaf, it wasn't much use. The Swampert crouched down, growling, and started to summon up a very large, murky wave- a Muddy Water that rendered her leaves useless when they were swallowed up. Cinder gave a squawk of apprehension at the sight.
"Oh, no you don't!" Lazuli, on the other hand, fussed while darting out in front of everyone else. "Not today, anyway!"
The Swampert's attack might have been able to hit the entire room… but when Lazuli summoned up a Surf herself, it wasn't hitting much else except for the opposing wave from the Azumarill, which engulfed it too. Rozen put up a Light Screen anyways just to keep everyone else from getting utterly drenched, but even so, large droplets and misty spray were very easily felt even if it was the Swampert that both waves went crashing down on. Still, Astrid had to note how Lazuli had essentially nullified the attack- having her was definitely useful in more ways than one.
Nonetheless, the Swampert only became more disgruntled at the occurrences and balled up one hand, raising it overhead.
"No!" Astrid protested at no one in particular on seeing it about to set off an Earthquake, sending another Razor Leaf.
Lazuli was close behind in shooting an Ice Beam right into its face, which coupled with Astrid's leaves, was enough to knock it out. The ones confined to the ground were quite relieved.
"Jeez, those ones are a pain," the Azumarill remarked, still grinning anyway. "Almost always have two moves that can hit the whole room if they want to. And if they can't get you with Earthquake, they'll get you with Muddy Water!"
"Well, they ain't gonna get us with either one for now," Rush snickered.
They went back to trekking thereafter, Rush knocking the Swampert's fainted form out of the way with a kick, but still they were pausing again shortly.
"Ngh…!" Raijin gave a pained, distorted cry, going limp for a second.
The Xurkitree's glow flickered for a second and he would've slumped down onto the ground, but Dren quickly reached up with his tail and caught him beforehand. Astrid definitely took notice, her gaze instantly falling upon her comrade and one of her feet curling about one prong of his tail. Her feathers weren't fluffing out at all like they normally would be on making contact, and she couldn't feel any pulsing currents.
"Easy there, friend," Dren said softly.
"Raijin…?" Astrid too gently inquired, her grip firming up just a bit to see if she might feel anything.
A few disjointed, twitching motions followed, and the Beast was at least standing again, but he seemed rather unsteady. "Don't worry, I'm just… Ah…"
And all at once, he went limp again, his glow fading to dimness. Dren quickly angled himself and lowered one wing so that Raijin fell onto it instead of onto the murky ground, and the Xurkitree quickly resembled a haphazard tangle of wires more than a living creature.
"So that's what happens," Rozen noted softly.
The Dartrix gave a few flaps of her wings to get up to Dren's back too and nudged the bag that her comrade carried open, where a Reviver Seed was already starting to shine with a healing light.
"S-say, he's not dead, is he?" Cinder asked in almost standoffish uncertainty, fluffing up.
"No, but prolonging a state like this for an extended period would be rather unwise," Adnea chimed in, still flat as ever.
"Pfft! Ya think he would've mentioned somethin' like that before we came here, wouldn't ya?" Rush exclaimed, giving the Fletchinder a funny look.
Cinder fluffed up even more. "H-hey! There's nothing wrong with being concerned! It's not like I get worried about-!"
"Quit while you're ahead, Cinder," Adnea flatly cut him off. "You're a terrible liar."
He shut up almost as quick as the words had left his mouth to begin with. Astrid almost wanted to see exactly what lie he was about to tell, probably something along the lines of 'It's not like I get worried about our teammates or anything!' but she wasn't going to ask. (Had Arashi been with them, she knew he would've had no qualms about asking, but she didn't want to ruffle Cinder's feathers any more than they already were.)
Nonetheless, Astrid reached into the bag with one foot and grabbed the seed, to which it glowed even brighter with a golden hue. Shortly, her comrade's glow was returning too.
"Ah-!" Raijin exclaimed, jumping up again. "I fainted, didn't I? I thought I could make it to the stairs, but I guess not…"
"You did," Astrid replied. "I touched you and I couldn't feel anything."
Wordlessly, Raijin reached out and gave her a little poke with one finger, to which her feathers fluffed up for a second. "Better?"
She gave a little giggle. "Yeah."
"Are you feeling better, dear?" Rozen asked, studying the Beast.
"Just like normal," the Xurkitree answered.
"Good, then let's go find Lunala," Rush said, motioning them all along again.
No one was in disagreement, and they set off for the stairs again.
Vanishing Swamp B18F
Things still went rather quickly with the wands- on around the sixteenth floor, the stairs were only a single room over, which Astrid couldn't help but find amusing seeing as they could've taken ten steps north and discovered them just as fast. The Swamperts could definitely prove troublesome, but between Dren nullifying their Earthquakes, Lazuli countering their Muddy Waters, and Rozen blocking out the rest, there was hardly a thing they could do except be annoying. The pools still contained Seakings and Crawdaunts- apparently two Crawdaunts trying to throw the other out of the same pool in one room- but another creature was added to the mix that… was a bit more problematic.
"Reflect!" Adnea cried.
A pool's surface stirred for hardly a split second before a Barraskewda Aqua Jetted from it, sharp snout pointed right at the Audino. A Reflect went up, and just in time too, for the spear-like snout was poised straight at his neck before colliding with the protective screen.
A psychic glow coated the fish to hold it in place and Adnea's eyes glowed from the other side of the Reflect, the dungeon-dweller shortly under the effects of her Hypnosis. "Sleep," the Orbeetle said flatly. "Sleep and leave us alone."
When her glow left, the fish fell limp into the murky water covering the ground, not snapping its jaws or spinning its tail to run away.
"Okay, those are scary," Raijin mused, studying it. "They just jump out and try to stab whoever's closest…?"
"Pretty much," Rush answered. "Vicious little bastards."
The Xurkitree shook his head. "Lunala, if I see you and your head is stuck in a Stunfisk or you've got one of those fish stuck in your ribcage…"
A little chuckle escaped Lazuli's mouth. "That would just be the worst luck, wouldn't it?"
"Well, with how things have gone for us lately, we may as well expect anything at this point," Astrid piped up softly.
Her comrade shot her a glance. They didn't have to say a word- they both thought it was an accurate assertion.
Vanishing Swamp B22F
Even with a relatively easy trip, they couldn't reach the bottom fast enough. On the twentieth and twenty-first, they made use of the Pure Seeds to get through even faster, bypassing any roadblocks that could possibly get in their way. The ground was still covered in murky water, damp even in the highest places, and what looked like a waterfall covered a rather large, dark opening in the back that Astrid assumed was the exit. Yet, far more importantly, a certain figure was limp in the middle of the floor, her face partially submerged and wings splayed out haphazardly.
Despite the name 'Light Trio' and any description that Raijin had given, the figure before them was as dim as could be. A thin film stretched over most of her body, between the gold frames of her wings and tail to a skeletal frame making up her arms and chest, and it was such a dark shade that the light around her darkened as well as if being sucked into a black hole. The only 'lights' she seemed to have at all were her closed eyes, the deep pink edges of which almost appearing like a projection on a screen from within her head. Her fanged mouth rested slightly open, and her bony fingers were curled up in a fairly tense position, making her look stressed out even in her unresponsive state.
"Lunala!" Raijin cried, frantically darting over to her and kneeling down beside her. "Urgh, did they really push you this far…?! You're not supposed to be dark like this…!"
Even the Xurkitree's glow took a dimmer hue around her. He reached out and gently touched her face with one hand, but she didn't move. A few tiny sparks to her chest didn't elicit anything either.
Astrid blinked for a moment at seeing such sheer darkness and studied her for a moment. Just like she'd said to them that morning, Lunala definitely looked like she had nothing left. Yet this wasn't any ordinary creature, not even any ordinary Ultra Beast- this was an otherworldly legendary, so to see her looking so weak was nothing short of worrying.
"… Hot damn, she looks rough," Rush remarked, blinking a few times too.
"… Arceus above," Dren breathed softly.
"She's still alive, but in a very deep state of unconsciousness," Adnea noted.
Astrid took a few careful steps closer to the dim one's curled fingers, gingerly reaching out and taking one of them in one of her feet. It was cold, something absolutely devoid of energy. If it hadn't been for Adnea's words saying otherwise, she would've easily believed that the creature sprawled out before her was dead.
"Well, let's change that," Rush said, crossing his arms and looking at the ethereal Beast. "Let's bust out those orbs. Dren, Cinder, y'all make some fire, and Rozen, you give Raijin a Helping Hand for glowing."
The rest of the Coalition members nodded. The stash of Luminous Orbs were quickly fished out of the bags, and everyone stood back from Lunala, ready to avert their gazes from the intense brightness that was soon to come. Rush, Rozen, and Lazuli held an orb in both hands while Raijin held one and Astrid had another grasped under one foot, and the firebreathers were sure to keep a safe distance.
"Count of three, light this place up," the Scrafty instructed. "One, two, three!"
All at once, the orbs erupted in blinding flashes, two Flamethrowers added their warm glow to the mix, and though the Xurkitree didn't fire it, Rozen's Helping Hand made Raijin's Dazzling Gleam outright painful to look at. The expeditioners shielded their gazes from it all, but even so, the sheer brightness practically burned through anyways and left everyone seeing stars even when the glows and flashes faded in moments. Astrid flinched, clamping her eyelids shut tighter and sticking both wings over her face just to be safe.
"Ah…!" another voice added to the mix- an ethereal one with just a slight hint of a metallic, robotic edge.
When they stopped shielding their gazes shortly thereafter, the figure before them had quite a different look as she levitated up off the ground. Her eyes shot open, a third one joining the other two, and the dimness was replaced by a vibrant glow akin to the moon against the night sky. She stretched her wings up and greatly resembled a celestial body too- the metallic frames of her wings and tail made a circle and the film stretching between them comprised the moonlight.
"Oh, wow, she's pretty!" Lazuli exclaimed.
"Tch! She's a legendary and that's what you say?!" Cinder remarked, giving the Azumarill a nudge.
A quick nudge from Dren's tail shut the two of them up.
The intensity of Lunala's glow faded and seemed to condense into a bright sphere underneath her bony ribcage, though the rest of her wasn't left dark by any means. The thin film of her wings and body took on the hues of the night sky, deep blues mixed with dark purples, all of it shimmering softly like a galaxy full of stars. The third eye faded from her forehead, but still as if it were all just an astral projection, a glittering starscape took form within it. It was an absolutely majestic sight, Astrid thinking that the phrase 'out of this world' applied in more respects than one.
Still, even though a little smile spread over Lunala's face on seeing them all, her form shook as it floated and her smile was quickly replaced by a tired look as her wings drooped and the rest of her followed. Adnea's psychic glow surrounded her for just a moment and Dren lurched forward, letting the starry Beast fall across his back instead of onto the ground.
"Ngh…! Thank you…" her faint, ethereally metallic voice said. "I'm still… feeling weak…"
Raijin wasn't wasting any time in darting over to her side and kneeling down to look her in the eye, reaching one hand up to her face with the utmost care. "Lunala…" he said softly.
She too reached one shaking hand out and placed it on the side of his head, which flickered and dimmed for a second the moment her fingers made contact. "Never have I been so happy to see someone but so upset at the context…~" her voice trailed off, barely audible and a little grin spreading over her mouth again.
"What happened…?"
"Void and Salem, they… It was… really bad and… we lost Solgaleo. She's trying to get him and Necrozma to fuse, and… I tried, but I just couldn't…"
The Xurkitree gave a horrified twitch, his own hand shaking. "… W-what…?"
Lunala's eyes drooped, flickering between being open and closed. "I'll… show you later. But right now, I'm…"
Her eyes shut and her hand went limp, making a little splash as it fell on the marshy ground. Raijin froze, studying her as if she were playing a huge trick, but it was obvious to everyone that that wasn't the case. Astrid's feathers fluffed out and she darted over too, grabbing one of Lunala's limp fingers. At least she wasn't so dim anymore, which definitely had to count for something, but getting her back to full strength evidently wasn't something that could be accomplished so quickly.
"We need to get her out of here and get her under the sun," Raijin said quickly and hesitantly, straightening up. "We need her functioning, now."
That much was plainly obvious, and the others were definitely on the same page. Adnea, Cinder, and Astrid got the starry Beast into a less sprawling position on Dren's back with their telekinesis and winged capabilities respectively, folding her wings up so they wouldn't haphazardly bump everything as they walked. Raijin cradled her head in his arms as gently as possible, and Rush grabbed her tail so it didn't drag the ground. Astrid couldn't help noting how cold Lunala's hands felt, utterly devoid of any warmth. Such a long time of exerting herself at full capacity had clearly taken its toll, and the Dartrix's heart sank for her.
Lazuli bubbled them all again before they scurried out through the waterfall, wanting to get Lunala a source of light as fast as possible.