By the morning of the fourth day, we were still here. That first night was not the last time I'd seen the Tentacool surface. It would stand watch at random intervals of time, always in the same spot, always waiting. Then it would go back under just as quietly.
December was passing us by… if it was December at all, I reminded myself. I clung to that Narnia time hope once again, but it didn't make me feel anything anymore.
Work on the raft was actually coming along, though! Unfortunately, we didn't have much in the way of ideal resources. Most of the few trees we had at our disposal were skinny, so Kieran and I had to go up again to get some logs. Gab even joined us one time! Having someone to hold the tree still was a definite plus. With that out of the way, we'd had Lola and Valérie try to carefully carve holes into the bigger logs so we could interlock the smaller ones into them. Kieran had tried his Fury Attack on one and accidentally broke it in half. Well, that's where we got our pegs! The bark pieces, though the inspiration for the project, would have to be used as paddles. They covered more area and were far less dry than the logs.
The other big issue was testing its usability. Of course, the Tentacool looming about meant that just getting on it and trying to cross the lagoon was a no-go. The most we could do was what Micheal had done early on with the bark: hold it from the shore. It looked promising, but that was about as far as we could get.
In the meantime, we'd taken a break. When not busying ourselves with the soreness-inducing, splinter-giving raft work, the beach was used for Tic-Tac-Toe or hangman games, a regular chillaxing spot, and even a little wall of sandcastles we'd gradually built up along the cliff. We'd kind of made it our little corner of the multiverse, in a way… probably the closest thing to a home since PowerPoint Point!
And there I sat again, slowly waiting for dawn, alone with my thoughts. Watch shifts' usefulness had been debated for a while now, and while the Gardevoir incident certainly pushed us in their favour, the water-bound Tentacool had been the only thing we'd seen the level throw at us in days. Six way split it was! It meant longer sleep for everyone. I got the last shift that night, and someone would wake up on their own soon enough.
I'd explained the Sing incident to Gab on that night when she'd woken up about an hour later, and she assured me she'd pass the word along as I went to sleep.
I didn't speak about it again.
Still, being alone among a group of sleeping Pokémon reminded me, and the phantom feelings the memory brought made me uncomfortable. It wasn't that Sing was creepy— though it kind of was, to be fair— it was more like… I hadn't stopped myself from doing it. There was some advantage to having Pokémon instincts in the brain. If you were in a pickle, a random move or ability could quickly save the day! On the flip side, though I hated to admit it, the different parts of my brain felt like they were merging.
I hadn't known that song before, but I'd thought I did! Counting that, and how flying was becoming second nature, or knowing for a fact that suddenly not having feathers or a beak would be at the very least initially shocking? Even though that was who I actually was. It was weird and invasive at best. At worse… I didn't want to think about it. Another time, Chloe, another time.
Hm. Time. That again.
What if time had passed in the real world? What would that mean for me?
It didn't look like I needed to take my puberty blockers here. If anything, I guess Swablu didn't have much sexual dimorphism to begin with. But would I be behind in my human body if we spent too much time here? Ugh, I didn't want my voice to change!
How was my dog Paprika? Did he still wait for me on the couch by the front door in case I came back from school? How were my moms? My brother?
Were the authorities still looking for us? Had they even started looking? How would they know to find a glowing fissure in the fabric of reality that, as far as we knew, might have disappeared weeks ago? My family would never think I was in another world and transformed into a Pokémon, and I had no way of telling them it was a possibility.
Another attempt to change the subject. The water was a little choppy this morning, as a breeze swept over the waves. The wind was blowing from behind me over the lagoon, and I smelled more earth than salt.
My insides felt as though they were the same temperature as the cool morning air. I could breathe okay, but a figurative yet very solid block of ice laid in my lungs. It was like any oxygen I took in had to go all the way around it to actually get breathed in.
I needed to fly.
Where, though? Anywhere. This place was too small. I'd seen it too much. Maybe it was time to check on something new. Something Kieran and I had deliberately chosen not to explore. There was bound to be some novelty there. Fresh info was good.
Would I loop back through the level? Maybe I could clip out and escape back home. Out of bounds. Let's go out of bounds!
With little to no time for second thoughts, I was already in the air. I couldn't speak out. That wasn't how I panicked. If I kept on this path long enough, I'd be all clear! Distract me, strong tailwinds!
Wing flap after wing flap, I picked up speed. These winds were deceivingly hard to navigate, though. There were barely any usable air currents to help me stay afloat. They all led to the waves. This kind of flight was barely any fun. It was exhausting. Ironic how the air felt more painful when it wasn't blowing in your face.
Painful wasn't exact. More like empty. No support. There was a reason seagulls took flight against the wind.
I flapped my wings harder. I had to rise above the cliffs! I wanted to see what was outside! Needed it. Craved it. I could see the opposite shore getting closer, but the middle of the water had the worst wind streams. I got buffeted along. That was hard enough, but then I realized there was something in the air making me a little light-headed. Then, there was a voice I heard from every direction.
Stay together. Please. Dear God, stay together!
I gasped. Who was that?! It felt eerily similar to the Growlithe vision. Was it the same person who sent it? They sounded like they were having an awful time, howling with a hoarse and desperate voice. Only one thing left to do: ignore the advice, go higher, and get more information. Let's go!
"Chloe!" A different, terrifyingly faraway voice strained. Lola.
This snapped me out of my reverie almost instantaneously. I turned back to face her, it being another difficult maneuver. The Absol stood on the edge of the shore, tense and alert. The slowly brightening sky helped my long-distance vision; allowed me to see her scrape at the sand anxiously, to see her eyes almost pop out of their sockets. Then I looked down, toward the direction her gaze led to.
The Tentacool.
I avoided a purple sting, but just barely. What did hit me were those infamous red pixels, some dragged along with the sting. I'd thought it was the sting at first because the red grazing me felt... sharp. Mere contact was instantly uncomfortable, and a few more seconds of exposure had them feel like a hot knife on my skin.
How do the boss Pokémon deal with this?
I couldn't think long before the Tentacool's aim got better. A poison sting hit me square in the shoulder, in a way where moving that wing was extremely awkward. And awkward in flight meant downed.
I grew dizzy as I landed among the waves. My wings might as well have deflated as the feathers shrunk from the water. A massive fog was flooding my eyes, caused by both poison on the inside and saltwater on the surface. The sting, although its effect remained, had disappeared. The Tentacool's false red eyes loomed and got bigger in my sight.
I caught a glimpse of a piece of wood floating toward me. Before I knew it, something pulled me by my feathers and harshly placed me on top. I coughed out water.
"Crap!" Lola exclaimed. "It's getting closer!"
The raft! The raft had come for me! My vision wasn't getting any better, but through the haze I recognized the five classmates who'd come for me.
"Row!" Micheal yelled.
So, they weren't going to fight the boss Pokémon either. I guessed I was relieved by the more immediate medical attention. The raft advanced shakily, rocking with the waves and paddling motions. The water was so loud I couldn't tell if the Tentacool was gaining ground.
Lola bent down to my height. "Hey. Hey, stay awake."
"I'm starting to see black spots," I mumbled.
"Val, boost me!" Gab ordered. She must've heard me. I saw a flash of yellow and black as the thrown Emolga glided over the water, shocking random spots with multiple bolts. I couldn't tell whether the Tentacool was hit, or even intimidated. I did hear a yelp, then a buzzing sound from behind me.
"Operation meat shield's back on the menu!" Kieran declared.
Gab rocked the raft as she landed, hopefully uninjured. I focused the hardest I could on the battle. Kieran taunted the jellyfish with quips and placed himself directly into the line of fire! Poison stings flew through the air but they were blocked by Beedrill stingers, Kieran zipping around between the Tentacool and us.
"Oh, wanna see a Poison Sting? You don't have anything to shield yourself with, you friggin water balloon!" He shot his own attack triumphantly.
The stings all fell into the water.
"In there! Go in there! Go in there!" Lola urged.
What? Where?
That was when I swore my mind broke. All I tasted was sea salt, and all I saw was getting harder to distinguish. Suddenly, the raft hit something solid. A shadow fell upon everyone as something shielded us from the light. I could feel my body overheating, yet chills went up and down my spine. I would forget I blinked and snap my eyes open when wondering why I wasn't seeing anything. The raft had stopped moving completely. I was carried off it and everything went dark as someone used it to block off an exit. Accompanying my shallow breaths, I heard a very close echo. Were we in a cave? I shivered from the cold clinging to drenched feathers.
"Fantastic! What do we do now?!" Kieran asked.
"You gotta suck out the venom from the wound", Lola said. And then everyone looked to her. "Okay, no, I don't want to do it. I will if we need to."
"Kieran!" Micheal said. "Uh, you're the Poison type! Do something!"
"What?! What do you want me to do, make it double poison?" He threw his stingers in the air.
"Okay, people, we're letting the squirrel through," Valérie sighed, pushing the others away to make room for the doctor and her backpack. I was thankful that some people could think straight during a panic like this.
Gab and Valérie knelt next to me. Their figures were blurry. The darkness wasn't helping.
"Pass me a Pecha. There's a pre-sliced one near the top," Gab said, before receiving it and passing it to me.
I chewed on the mild sweet fruit, though the outside of it was a little dry. Everyone was quiet. I swallowed the first tiny bite.
"Eat the whole thing, okay?" Valérie stressed. She gently patted me on the back, easing some of my daze.
There were so many more confusing emotions that were swirling around in my head. Whatever that fugue was motivated by was still there, in the back of my mind. There was remaining fear from that brush against the Tentacool, and ensuing relief from being helped out. Then, maybe... somewhat being offended that everyone was wisecracking while my life was possibly in danger?
I was stressed, confused, and... tired. I hadn't realized just how tired I'd been. When your brain is buzzing with constant distractions, burnout hits hard. You're left with no problems dealt with, and thoughts out of order.
I shuddered and let out a chirp, then slowly opened heavy eyelids. My vision was clearer than before. The exhaustion was also easing a little bit. The tiniest bit in world, but still an improvement. I squinted through the dim lighting in this cold cavern and observed my rescuers.
In the corner of the room, Lola paced and looked downright pale, even with her recently acquired dark blue face. Gab held the backpack up but hadn't closed it, searching for something within it. Valérie was eerily quiet at my side. Kieran sighed, turning to Micheal. They shared that look that they always gave each other, some kind of mutual understanding that they'd gained through something as unimportant as a failed math test. I'd never get that.
"I'm better already," I mumbled. I tried to fluff up my wings, but they were still wet. "Sorry about that."
"What happened?" Micheal asked. Hadn't I known the context, I would've thought he'd seen a ghost.
"I, uh… I panicked," I sighed. "Wanted to clear my head somehow. It spiralled."
"Mm," he replied.
Gab brandished an Oran berry from the bottom of the bag and practically shoved it in my face. "Here you go."
"Thanks."
Even my sense of taste felt less numb as I ate the second berry. Lola finally stopped her pacing, stopping dead in her tracks and focusing on a spot on the walls.
"Guys?" She spoke. "You'll want to see this."
Gab nodded. With Flash's typical crackling sound, the room lit up, the rays intensified by the walls' closeness. When properly able to see, this cave took my breath away all over again.
I couldn't believe my eyes. The walls were covered in ink writings. Gab had her hands to her mouth and looked like she was about to cry. She wandered further in, taking in the sheer amount of text. She finally paused in front of a colon and parenthesis written low on the wall. The Emolga had to stand on her toes to place her palm on it. She slid her hand up and down, as if to check if that smiley face was real.
"The notes guy," she choked out. The words hit me with a wave of relief. I knew that's what I thought, but after a loss of hope like that, someone else starting the discussion brought a smile to my face.
Valérie stepped closer. "The guy's bilingual," she muttered. "That part says "tree"."
"That's right, you know some French," Gab pointed out.
"God damn it, I knew it would be crucial!" Lola exclaimed. The mockery was forgiven by everyone, the group being too busy to care. "What's the rest say?"
"I knew more when I was little," Valérie sighed. "My mom tried to keep it going. It's from her side of the family."
"Your mom?" I asked. "Oh, of course! That explains the accent in your name."
"You just think in text, don't you?" Valérie laughed.
I turned my eyes back to the wall. The humid, tightly packed sand underneath my talons indicated that this place got flooded during high tide, but the ink closest to the floor barely looked faded.
After a moment of inspecting the writing, Valérie continued. "I don't think we'll need it. From what I can tell, at least, it's the same thing that's written in English."
We were interrupted by what was obviously the Tentacool trying to ram the raft. I didn't even need to see it to tell it only tried a couple times, then went back underwater to mope. The sad splash almost made the mollusk's pout audible. The slamming stopped; silence returned. We all just stared back at each other. No words were exchanged yet we all agreed we'd hang around the cave a little longer.
My shoulders relaxed.
Lola and Kieran had gone off to investigate another opening in the cave, following a long and slim hallway. It gave me déjà-vu from our first days wandering around. Old habits die hard. Gab and Valérie were writing down what they could with charcoal on some dry extra fronds in the backpack. I guess we did get something out of the roasted berries! I sat closer to the edge of the cave.
"Hey," Micheal said from behind me.
His voice was still slightly distant. While I'd given my word that I was resting, I just realized that sitting next to the shore didn't inspire confidence in my promise.
"Hey," I chirped back. Even though I was barely in the cave, my voice echoed against the walls.
He sat next to me. I didn't feel like having a talk and depleting the mood any further. However, sitting in silence felt worse. I needed to fill the void somehow. Like wind forcing its currents into churning water. There was a small amount of light from gaps in the wood of the raft, some ripples bouncing onto the rock walls. Bright as the water was on the outside, the shadows descending on it from within the cave allowed me to see reflected stalactites.
Micheal cleared his throat.
"The truth is, we needed this," he said. "We needed a day off. But I guess your day off won't come until we get back home, huh?"
I avoided his pitying eyes by staring deep into the water. The rippling surface was shining. In it, I saw reflections, all perfect mirrors. Since I was near the edge myself, I also saw a Swablu peering up at me. Well, perfect reflections weren't necessarily true, were they? What did a mirror know about who I actually was before?
Next to my reflection was a Litleo— Micheal. It was strange how much faster I'd gotten accustomed to seeing him like this, while I had been a Swablu for weeks and was still in denial. Micheal stared into the water just like I did, and our reflections made eye contact. Were we thinking the same thing?
I didn't know. I wasn't used to thinking about one thing at a time like this. My scatterbrained habits took over and asked other questions. Was Micheal really a Fire type? He seemed as fascinated as me by the water's peaceful appearance, not scared the slightest bit.
"We can pick it up for you," he suggested.
"What? I—"
"Look, morale is important. We need it if we want to get through all of these dungeons. But... putting it all on you, that wasn't fair. We can pick it up if you want."
As I stared, trying my best to not look wide-eyed, he shared a pitying, yet friendly smile. He continued.
"You shouldn't need to be cheery all the time, Chloe, but letting things out once in a while would be the first step to staying happy."
I had finally become a victim of one of Micheal's speeches. Lola and Kieran could've commented that it was cheesy, Gab could've blushed and walked away, and Valérie could've accused him of spouting pseudoscience since he wasn't a studied psychologist... But cheesy was just what I needed.
I stepped closer and leaned on him. He was predictably warm because of his type and soft fur. I hadn't really had much contact with him other than landing on his head. What can I say? I liked to feel tall. Being this small compared to what was essentially a lion cub was a hit to the gut. I sniffled against his side for a minute, and then, it was over. A huge wave of relief fell over me.
"Is that all you needed?" Micheal asked.
"I... I think so?"
He looked skeptical, but I guess he let it go. "Great. Don't be afraid to tell any of us if you feel like this again."
We ended up staying like this for a long time, long enough that I eventually fell asleep. It was a dark, dreamless sleep, and I welcomed it with open... wings? Talons? Arms. I decided arms still worked if I was going to get them back.
When I did wake up, I found I had some weight on me. Micheal was still to my left, but, when I looked, Gab and Lola were sleeping to my right, Valérie leaning on the both of them. Kieran was behind me and probably had intended to stay away from physical contact, but right then his wing was resting on one of mine. Despite himself, he was still a part of the pile.
I thought of waking up my classmates, but despite it being around noon I resigned against it. The boss could wait a few more minutes. I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.
It was an unusually bright day in this level. The sand was gleaming white, blinding as we exited the cave through an opening back on the beach. Said opening had been expanded through Scratch and Fury Attack, along with a lot of time and effort.
"There," Valérie said, placing fronds out next to the sandcastles. They were under the best ramshackle rock shack we could build, hopefully placing them out of the elements for a long time without hiding them so well that no one could find them on accident. She took a step back. It felt almost solemn, like we'd buried the copied notes instead of passing them on. "Ready?"
I nodded. This was the second battle in a row where I'd been stationed with Valérie, though this time I wouldn't stick around for long.
"Okay, then. Relay's a-go," she stuck her hand out and I headbutted it. I let the moment sink in for a sec, then raced through a carefully memorized path through the tunnel.
The dark hallway quickly became undecipherable, so I had to focus. Swablu did not have good night vision and Gab had a spot somewhere else in the formation. Flash was unavailable for now. It was tiring to maneuver with no wind, but it allowed to control my speed and direction much better.
Finally, a spot of light. Faint beams helped to define the end of the cave, filtered through gaps in the raft's wood. Paws or shoulders pressing on the raft belonged to Lola, Gab, and Micheal; waiting and looking in my direction was Kieran. I landed on his shoulder.
"Relay!" I announced and hopped off.
As soon as I'd left, the thrum of Beedrill wings bounced off the walls. He took off to meet Valérie.
"Now!" Micheal commanded, prompting Gab, Lola and himself to start ramming the raft from inside.
The plan had mostly come from these three this time around. The raft fell back on the water with a wet thump, only for Lola to dig her front claws in to let Micheal and Gab hop on before it floated out of reach. I joined them soon after.
The Tentacool surfaced almost immediately. It swam closer but stopped abruptly when Gab ran to the front of our ship. Her cheek pouches crackled with electricity and the mollusk glared, immobile. I'd learned Gab had scared the Tentacool a little during our last encounter with it, from what the rest of the group could tell me. Threatening to Spark it was enough to keep its attention on us. This standstill was what we wanted.
Closer to the shore, Kieran had picked up Valérie, the Meditite clinging to his legs for dear life as they flew low over the waves. Despite the situation, Valérie's sharp focus was evident on her face. A trail of water-based Hidden Powers fell into the lagoon as silently as we could make them. It was a game of testing the Tentacool's patience, along with its attacking nature being downplayed by fear. Hopefully bosses could fear.
Unluckily, one Hidden Power spawned way too high for it not to make a splash. Valérie's expression changed in a split second, and she bit her lip, eyes wide. That moment lasted forever, and the orbs collided so loud with the water. The Tentacool slowly turned to the side—
"Ah!" Lola yelled. With no words coming to her fast enough, she'd settled for a sharp vowel. The Tentacool's attention was recovered!
"Ah!" Gab growled.
With nothing else to do from the raft, I joined in. "Ah!"
And we kept at it. We looked ridiculous. We, however, did not look as ridiculous as Micheal and his stupidly loud and flashy Noble Roar.
The Tentacool readied a Poison Sting but was hit by a long-distance String Shot! Valérie landed on the boat face first with barely a grunt. Kieran took his turn distracting the jellyfish, pestering it with more from his long-range moves. Valérie was up in a flash, ready for the next phase of the plan.
"Now!" Micheal shouted.
After another Poison Sting assault, the Tentacool was gripped by a sudden gaping whirlpool from under it. Unnatural ripples pressed against the enemy and held it spinning in the center, above the water. I knew that holding something as slippery as a Tentacool would be hard in the first place, especially if you were holding it in place with water. Valérie had her feet firm on the floor, eyes and fists clenched shut. I'd only get a few moments to do my part. I took flight and dug for that melody again.
This time, willfully, the song was drawn forth and I relished in it. I paid attention to the different pitches as they spewed out my mouth. I'd dabbled in singing back home, so this new science honest to goodness became interesting again!
I kept circling the whirlpool, getting as close as I knew was safe. And thankfully… Sing seemed to be working! The Tentacool's eyelids obviously grew heavy and it was starting to go limp. Meanwhile, everyone else had been exposed to the song on the raft. That's where the Chesto berries came in. Everyone on the team except for me held one in their hand or mouth. Quick glances back to the raft confirmed that Chesto berries kept soporific effects at bay, to my great relief.
The song ended, just like that. The Tentacool's eyes were closed now as it bobbed up and down the surface of the water. Surprisingly, I felt some sympathy for it. Possibly because it was so vulnerable like that. Who knows? Maybe the Tentacool had needed a nap too.
I landed on the raft, appreciating that everyone was awake and present— even Kieran wasn't flying anymore! Valérie exhaled loudly. The whirlpool lost speed and depth until it didn't exist anymore. The Tentacool was still, though I could see it breathing.
"That's actually kinda pretty, you know? That song," Lola smiled. I returned it.
"Here," Micheal offered to Lola, a bark paddle in his mouth. She took it. Not able to help in that regard, I sat on the wood, feeling wind through my feathers.
Next came the last part of the plan. Confidence was in my heart, though a small flutter of fear kept me on high alert in case our foe woke up. The final step was up to the Meditite and Emolga. Valérie threw her hand up.
The combined Hidden Powers formed a column, and, after a quick signal to Gab, Valérie lifted and rotated it into a horizontal position, making it almost look like a battering ram. One end landed right on top of the Tentacool, and the other got as close to the raft as she could bring it. Gab shot a very controlled bolt of lightning right into the tube. As long as there were electrolytes in water, it could conduct electricity! And this salty lagoon was chock-full of minerals that fit the bill.
As the electric attack flowed through the water, Valérie winced and lost focus! Luckily, as the column limply fell back into the lagoon, the bolt had long reached the Tentacool. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't satisfying to see it dissolve in one hit. A little morbid, Chloe, but spite is spite.
A bell rang, followed by the hum of countless disembodied voices. Joined with the thrashing of the waves, they almost sounded like they were part of the wind pushing us forward. At the other end of the lagoon was a collection of giant seashells. They were all subtly coloured so they didn't stand out from the wall. In the middle was a conch shell, which filled itself with a welcome new light.
I cheered, and the others joined in with such enthusiasm that I knew for sure that Chesto berries were basically solid coffee. The wind was gentler as we paddled to the other side.
The portal was already bright from afar, but as we got closer it became a flurry of different colours. In contrast to the previous portal and to this entire level, this new door was a vortex of fiery hues. Orange, red, the slightest hint of a smoky blue-green… all of it promised to be different than this level.
This was our new path: a phoenix rising from the ashes.
A/N: Oof, sorry to disappoint, Chloe, but this is not the end of the journey! I have a lot more plans in store. I won't give much away, but we're not even halfway done. See you soon.