Brushwood Tangle 5F

"Rina? Rina, are you here?" Veeko called, looking around.

Nothing.

"She's gotta be somewhere, little guy," Arashi noted, holding up a leaf and peeking underneath it.

The Eevee whimpered as if he weren't so sure.

Where that somewhere was, they had no idea. The Pikipek wasn't immediately visible to them, and calling didn't receive an answer from the room they wound up in or the corridors close by. Lila tried to illuminate some thicker areas with her sparks to no avail, and Charlie didn't return from the thick tangles of vines and branches that he crawled into with the little bird either.

However, a certain Croagunk evidently brushed up against the wrong shrub, for the familiar shrieking sound of a buried Oddish met their ears and Trixie turned a bit flustered at the bunch of leaves underfoot.

"Agh, no!" Trixie cried, Poison Stinging the bundle of leaves right off the bat.

"Way to go, Trixie," Charlie remarked sarcastically, peeking his head down from the ceiling.

Astrid gave her a glance, wondering if perhaps the shrieking Grass-type would emerge from the ground and cause them problems, but apparently it wouldn't even get that chance, for Trixie Poison Stung it over and over again, at least three times, back into the dirt. The shrieking stopped in mere seconds, though the Rowlet couldn't help but feel just a bit sorry for the Oddish.

"Oh, come on, I could've let Veeko take that one," Lila remarked.

"Too late," Trixie flippantly shot back with a smirk.

Nonetheless, there were two tree trunk hallways waiting for them after they verified that indeed, Rina was not in their starting room. They looked between them, thinking.

"Should we split up?" Charlie guessed.

"We could definitely cover more ground that way," Arashi agreed.

"Let's do it," concurred Lila. "There's six of us, so let's do groups of three. Obviously, Veeko stays with me."

"And I'm staying with Astrid," Arashi declared, sticking his free hand around the Rowlet.

"Then I'm taking the expeditioners," Charlie decided, taking up next to Astrid and Arashi.

"Fine by me; I'll take up for the little guy if something big jumps out," Trixie said with a smirk, happily flexing her poisonous fingers.

"If we don't run into each other while we're looking, let's agree to meet up by the stairs," said Lila. "That way we don't get lost from each other."

That was agreeable to them all, and they set off, Lila's bunch to the left and the remaining to the right. Veeko was sticking to his sister like a shadow in the absence of the larger group, but no one else seemed particularly concerned with the reduced numbers.

"Just between the three of us, I'll just say I picked you two because I think you're the group less likely to get us killed by accident," Charlie chuckled.

"I would certainly hope that doesn't happen," Astrid mused shyly, giving the Aipom a little glance backwards.

Arashi grinned. "Well, we are the official ones now, aha!"

What looked like an Oddish's leafy crown sprouted out of the floor in the corridor, which they were all very careful to avoid stepping on. Astrid flapped, Arashi hopped, and Charlie climbed over it.

Something did catch their attention in the next room over- a limp form lying on the ground, but not the one they looked for. A Carnivine laid there in the middle of the floor, slumped over to one side as if it had been latched to the ceiling some time before and then was swiftly knocked out in one hit before it could strike back. Astrid eyed it, not quite sure what to make of it, for it didn't seem to be sleeping (and if it was, she had to question the comfort of such a position).

"I-is it… unconscious…?" the Rowlet inquired.

"Looks like it," Arashi concurred.

"If it was asleep, it'd still be stuck to the ceiling," noted Charlie. "Maybe a wild Noctowl wandered too close early in the morning and the fight didn't end in its favor."

She figured that such an encounter would at least leave some sort of visible mark if the Carnivine was still out cold, but she didn't see any. In any case, the thought of accidentally disturbing it and getting chomped by its giant maw kept her from looking.

"Rina?" the Rowlet called.

"Rina? You can come out! It's us- Arashi, Astrid, and Charlie!" said the Froakie.

The Carnivine evidently was unconscious, for their cries didn't wake it. At the very least, it permitted them to search the room in peace.

. . . . .

In the other, though, there was much more uproar.

"Seriously?! Poison Powder on a Poison-type?! You really aren't that bright of a host, are you?" Trixie half-laughed and half-shouted at a Parasect creeping towards them.

"I think it was aiming for me, but thanks," Lila laughed, preparing a Swift.

The Mushroom Pokemon waved one claw in the air, scattering about more spores that were dispersed by the starry discs. Veeko was keeping far back, watching with wide eyes.

"Sheesh! The ground here is basically a bunch of living booby traps!" exclaimed Trixie. Then, grinning, she cried without missing a beat, "Isn't it great~?!"

"N-not really," Veeko softly dissented.

The Parasect lurched at the Jolteon, waving one claw in an attempt to Slash her, but a Thunderbolt dropping on it gave Lila enough time to jump back.

"HEY! Brainless buffoon!" Trixie shouted while charging up and giving the mushroom a poison-drenched thwack. "I'm over here!"

The Parasect was Astonished at her move, hunching down just a bit and shielding its head with its pincers. However, some more powdery dust was emitted from under its mushroom, which caught the Croagunk off guard and made her stall for a moment as it wafted through the air around her.

"Oh, by the gods, not this mess," Lila groaned, shaking her head and preparing another Swift.

"H-huh…~?" Trixie chirped confusedly, stumbling a bit but still grinning.

It didn't take long for her to be asleep on the ground, the Sleep Powder working all too well. Veeko whimpered in worry, but nonetheless, Lila's Swift put the Parasect out too, the insectoid body falling limp with just its claws sticking out from under the mushroom.

"W-what happened?" Veeko asked nervously.

"Sleep Powder," Lila clarified, "She'll wake up, but she's useless for now."

"O-oh…"

The Jolteon carefully grabbed Trixie with her mouth, throwing the Croagunk onto her back where Veeko had formerly taken up. Both of Trixie's arms draped over Lila's sides limply, and even while she was asleep, the Croagunk seemed to be grinning at finding a softer surface. Both Lila and Veeko set to looking for Rina, but their calls didn't elicit any response. It did seem to elicit the attention of something else though, for two squeaking Fomantises skittered in through the corridor, and Veeko began looking hesitant almost right away, knowing his sister would likely make him fight again, while the Jolteon wasn't fazed at all and prepared to attack.

… However, the Fomantises merely blinked at them before turning around and running the other way, causing Lila to get a confused look.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Hey! My little brother needs practice!"

They were gone before the wary Eevee could get any. Lila shook her head and the both of them merely set back to looking for the Pikipek.

Trixie was still snoring peacefully when Lila and Veeko made their way to the next room, a quite long one with the stairs set in the middle. At about the same time, the other three strode in through a hallway on the other side, and immediately noticed Trixie on Lila's back. They strolled up to each other, Astrid, Arashi, and Charlie giving the Croagunk some concerned looks.

"What happened?" asked Arashi.

"Is she okay…?" Astrid inquired.

"Sleep Powder," Lila explained. "We tried to look under a mushroom, turned out said mushroom was a Parasect… And we also got visited by some of the little squeakers, but they ran away for whatever reason."

"Well, we found a fainted Carnivine- maybe they were friends and the Fomantises just wanted to help!" Arashi mused.

"I doubt that," Charlie said to the contrary.

Astrid doubted it too, but still didn't think much of it. In any case, the five that were capable set to searching. Charlie carefully crawled about the tangled vines and the others left peered underneath the shrubbery closest to the ground, while Lila left Trixie carefully slumped against the staircase, but still, after a minute or two of inspecting, they were interrupted yet again.

"Hey! Guys! We got company!" called Charlie.

They looked over, and he pointed to the corridor he and his other two comrades had come from, where sure enough, there were two squeaking Fomantises running out.

Lila studied them, a bit perplexed. "We just saw those two!"

Yet they still seemed to be ignoring her and instead ran straight for the Froakie holding the bag, squeaking away.

"Veeko, you take the one closest," said Lila, glancing to her little brother.

"Hold on!" cried Arashi, still smiling and looking at the squeaking ones.

Charlie unfurled himself from the tangle he was inspecting and shot the Froakie a disbelieving look. "You're not seriously going to try befriending these things, are you?"

"I just wanna see what they want!" Arashi said to the contrary.

Charlie and Lila both shook their heads, but Astrid studied them, not stepping in but still ready to if they raised a sickle or a glowing leaf at her comrade again.

"We have Rina to find, we don't have time for this," Charlie protested.

"Just give me a second!" Arashi said in objection.

The Aipom rolled his eyes, but nonetheless the little squeaking ones strutted straight up to Arashi, one of them merely staying in place and squeaking away while the other traipsed around to his side and reached for the bag again.

The Froakie looked at them funny, but still grinned anyway. "What is it you want? Haven't you seen a bag before?" he jested, taking it off of his shoulder and setting it on the ground.

Two high-pitched squeals were the response, the Fomantises jumping up and down in what appeared to be a happy dance. The others present weren't quite sure what to think, but the Froakie certainly seemed perfectly content with their interaction, while Astrid, however, wasn't quite buying it and still kept a watchful eye on them.

"If he tries to leave with two squeakers, he's getting Thunderbolted," Lila remarked.

Astrid certainly hoped that neither of those things would happen.

Yet still, the 'squeakers' in question didn't seem to be hostile, but instead just rather mischievous, for one of them eased the bag open with its two sickles and the other reached for an Oran berry without giving their search party company any attention at all.

"You've got these growing here, silly! What's so exciting, huh?" Arashi laughed at them, then looking at the others, "See, they're just curious!"

However, when he turned his glance away, the one holding the bag open readied a Leafage.

"Watch it!" Astrid cried, readying her own.

"Huh?!" cried the Froakie, quickly turning back.

His face fell when he realized that indeed, they were still hostile. Almost like a blue blur, Arashi rushed it in a Quick Attack, but that didn't stop the glowing leaves from still colliding with his body.

"Agh! Ow!" the Froakie yelped.

They didn't regard him at all. Rather, after Arashi jumped back from the one he'd just attacked, they still seemed far more interested in the light blue berries, for the empty-handed Fomantis squeaked something to its tagalong that then started scurrying the other way while carrying a berry. Astrid couldn't help but be confused by the entire display, still ready to attack but slightly unsure of how to proceed with such.

"M-maybe they're hungry…?" mused the Rowlet, albeit in a last-ditch guess.

"I'd believe that easier if they weren't almost completely photosynthetic," Lila brushed it off. "Veeko, take the one that's running."

The one that wasn't running, however, shot Arashi a glare and raised up one sickle for a Fury Cutter, but a Pound from the Froakie cut that maneuver short before it could strike. Veeko still seemed like he'd much rather stay back and watch the rest, but in any case, he charged the running one and Tackled it, causing it to fling the berry out of its arms with a squeak.

"Finish it off!" called the Jolteon.

"Ngh…!" Veeko grunted, backing up as the Fomantis regained its composure.

Their feral visitor gave him an angry shriek, shaking one of its sickles, but Veeko rammed himself into it again and shut it up, letting out a breath of relief after disentangling himself.

Lila chuckled, striding up to the Eevee and giving him a nuzzle on the back of his head, which Veeko certainly seemed to appreciate. "Your movements are getting quicker," she noted.

"R-really…?" her brother inquired, still looking a bit hesitant.

"Yeah! You need more practice, but you seem to be getting the idea."

"Hmmm…"

It was still apparent that the Eevee wasn't going to go seeking out practice, but he accepted Lila's words. Charlie retrieved the flung berry and stuffed it back in the bag, which Arashi again took up.

"Let's hit the next floor," said the Jolteon, "Rina's not-"

She was cut off. "Uh, guys!" came the cry of Charlie once again.

Again they looked over to the corridor, and noticed that yet again, they were not alone, but their company was different… and already looking unhappy. It was a primarily pink figure, able to look down on them all, light red eyes furrowed in vexation- a Lurantis.

"There you are!" came its voice, noticeably feminine and sounding like an angry hiss.

Something in the air seemed to change as soon as the words left, but it was hard to get a handle on what. Astrid quickly glanced around and noticed the space in the room was beginning to fill with delicate pink petals that hadn't been there before, pretty as could be, gently floating… Floating and seeming to orbit around their glaring visitor with their gently swirling trajectory…

She reached out with her wing to get Arashi's attention and looked at him, wide-eyed. "Run."

The others seemed to notice it at about the same time, too, all of them taking off towards the stairs and Lila quickly throwing Trixie on her back again. It wasn't just some atmospheric attribute of the forest- it was the beginnings of a Petal Blizzard.

Still an angry hiss followed them. "You think you're gonna get away from me?! Run all you want, cowards!"

The petals began to glow and quickly descended on the escaping youngsters like a swarm of scavenging Mandibuzz. Several cries of discomfort filled the air as they bolted, Veeko ducking under Lila and Astrid throwing up a wing in an attempt to shield her Water-type comrade beside her. Charlie shielded himself with his three hands, but the only one left completely unprotected was Trixie… who still seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Astrid didn't mind the petals much either, for she barely felt them, but nonetheless she still was of mind that it would have been better with them completely absent.

The Lurantis growled, taking off after the stairs too. "I will find you! And I'll teach you a lesson!"

"What did we do?!" cried Charlie, getting pelted by another petal.

"Do you guys know her?!" called Astrid.

"Nope!" Lila answered, tearing off up the steps.

Veeko was practically glued to Lila, Charlie was close behind, and Astrid and Arashi reached them mere moments later. The ceiling opened up above them and all of them rushed in as fast as they could manage, a quick glance downwards revealing the Lurantis at the bottom of the steps and sprinting up with glowing sickles on her arms. The ground closed like a trapdoor below them, shielding them from whatever the Lurantis was about to do and leaving the floor below empty once again.

Brushwood Tangle 6F

"Ngh! C'mere, you!"

"Owww!"

Someone certainly seemed to be stirring again with the change of scenery, Trixie's eyes bolting wide open before she leaped up from Lila's back and took a poisonous swing at the nearest target- which just so happened to be Astrid's beak.

"Trixie, what's wrong with you?!" cried Charlie.

"Agh! Sorry, Astrid!" cried the Croagunk, her eyes shooting wide and her face turning embarrassed. "Where's the Parasect?! What happened?!"

The Rowlet rubbed her beak with one wing, feathers ruffled in uncertain discomfort. "I-it's alright…"

Lila rolled her eyes. "I took care of the Parasect; you got hit with Sleep Powder."

Trixie laughed awkwardly, sticking one hand behind her head and wearing a wide grin. "Oh, so that's why I feel so refreshed! Hehehe, Lila, you must have really nice fur~"

In silent response, the Jolteon's fur sparked and stood up on end like a bed of needles, which shut the Croagunk up after another mischievous giggle left Trixie's mouth.

Nonetheless, thankfully, there was no angry Lurantis in the room with them, but her actual location was another matter entirely. There was no Pikipek in the room either, at least that they could see, their surroundings still being some dense undergrowth and tangled walls of trees and shrubs. There was again but one corridor, which certainly made taking directions easier.

"S-so you guys don't know who that was?" Astrid asked uncertainly, peering around their entourage, "W-was she another one like that Rhyperior…?"

Veeko seemed more alarmed than anyone at the thought, though the Rowlet certainly wasn't happy with the possibilities either. At her question, several glances travelled about their bunch.

"Well, she didn't threaten to kill us," Arashi mused flatly, not sounding too convinced himself.

"She definitely wasn't wild, at least…" noted Charlie.

"Maybe she's tied to all those squeaking Fomantises- we still don't know what they've been wanting," Lila supposed. "Let's not split up like last floor; we don't know what else she has in her arsenal and she seemed like she'd give us trouble in smaller numbers."

"If she's on this floor too, we have to find Rina before she does," Arashi proposed as well. "We gotta move fast."

They all agreed upon those conditions and set to looking, keeping a careful eye out for any visitors, squeaking or otherwise. The little Eevee was visibly unsettled by it all, his ears slicked back and tail tucked while he surveyed the undergrowth. Charlie crawled into the thick tangles and Lila illuminated others with her sparks to survey them, while Trixie and the Starstorm duo checked the thick growth as well for any fainted little birds. Yet it still seemed that, like the previous attempts, there was nothing to be found.

Astrid couldn't help but be puzzled by Rina's absence, for something about it didn't seem to be adding up. If she and Veeko had indeed just been running away and Veeko's ability alone had allowed him to escape, Astrid couldn't make sense of how the Pikipek had made it past an altercation on the fourth floor, much less all the way to the sixth or further. The fainted Carnivine they had seen earlier certainly hadn't been the work of such a little one, to be sure. Something, something tugged at her mind about that fainted figure, but she couldn't place what.

Nonetheless, the entourage made quick work of the floor and regrouped to decide their next course of action.

"If we're being hunted, we should tread carefully," Charlie mused.

"We should," Lila concurred. "I think me and Trixie should take the lead when we're not searching going forward here."

A gleeful gasp came from the Croagunk in question, her poisonous hands forming into happy fists as her expression beamed. "Ohoho, you think so?!"

The others certainly seemed interested in Lila's reasoning for such, for several pairs of eyes (minus Veeko's) went slightly wide.

"I do," said the Jolteon, "Simply because- and I think it goes without saying- I'm the strongest one here, and Trixie's got a type advantage over basically every other Pokémon in this dungeon and she's, well, pretty aggressive. Astrid has the advantage too, but I think she and Charlie should stay at the back because they can keep surveillance the easiest and watch our backs. That puts Arashi and Veeko in the middle, so in case we walk into any Petal Blizzards or that Lurantis runs up behind us, you two don't get wrecked. And also that way, we've got two of us that deal damage she's weak to on either end."

They considered it for a moment, and several nods travelled about their bunch. Trixie certainly wasn't protesting the arrangement, nor was Veeko. Arashi seemed a bit bummed about not being at the front anymore, but nonetheless accepted it on the grounds that indeed, a Petal Blizzard wasn't anything he looked forward to. Astrid was fine being the tailing guard, knowing she had easily the largest circle of vision with her swiveling head, and Charlie seemed totally content to help her as well.

Charlie took to walking midway through the next corridor they traversed as there appeared to be a sleeping Carnivine latched to the ceiling, and no one was of mind to disturb it. Astrid didn't see any company following after them, squeaking Fomantis or not, which was something of a relief. Still, what wasn't an instant relief was not seeing a Pikipek immediately visible in the next room. The stairs, however, met them on the other side along with two more corridors, but of course they would be taking none of them quite yet.

"We're not leaving without searching this entire floor," said Lila. "And if that Lurantis shows up, we'll just have to fight her even if she is crazy."

"Can we at least ask her what's wrong first?" inquired Arashi.

"If she'll answer us, sure," Lila didn't mind.

They set back to work, combing the floor for places that Rina might hide (or someone might hide her limp body).

Astrid parted a few fronds of a rather large fern, seeing if perhaps a little bird had nestled up inside them but finding nothing. Arashi peeked under a shrub, finding nothing but dirt underneath. The Rowlet strolled over to her comrade, careful to avoid what looked like an Oddish's crown.

"Hey, Arashi?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't think that Lurantis is another incident… do you…?"

He chuckled, shooting her a grin. "Do you?"

Her eyes darted around. "Ho-honestly, she struck me as more upset than… murderous… but I'm not the native here, so I could be wrong."

"Nah, I'm on the same page as you. I'm not sure what 'lesson' she wants to teach us, but those squeaking Fomantises probably had something to do with it. Really, I'm just surprised to see a dungeon-dweller talking, aha! You don't see that often!"

Astrid was more surprised to see Rina nowhere, but that much went without saying. Veeko was looking more perturbed by the minute at the absence of his friend.

"Trixie!" Charlie scolded from the ceiling.

"Agh! Whoops!"

Astrid looked over to see what the matter was, and realized it was the Croagunk inadvertently nudging against another Parasect's mushroom top. Both she and Lila prepared to attack it if it stirred, but oddly enough, it was holding perfectly still, which got a few funny looks from the entourage but no protests.

"… Eh? You sleepy?" Trixie inquired, eyeing it mischievously.

"Don't wake it if it is," Lila advised. "The less trouble we have fighting the residents, the easier we can find Rina."

Trixie shrugged, going back to looking about in the undergrowth.

Veeko stuck his head under a leaf, pulling it out and looking downtrodden. "Nnnn… I hope she's okay… This was such a dumb idea…"

"Don't beat yourself up," Lila comforted, giving him a little scratch between the ears.

Charlie called the Jolteon over to illuminate another tangle higher up in the branches, which the Jolteon trotted over to do. There was still no little Pikipek to be seen in it.

There wasn't a little Pikipek to be seen in any part of the room, they soon deduced. They chose the corridor on the left and trekked down it, taking up in the formation that Lila had laid out again.

"If this room doesn't connect to the one that the other corridor leads to, we'll go back and check that one next," declared Lila.

"Ha, at least we know where the stairs are when the time comes," Arashi happily remarked.

That certainly was a nice thing, Astrid had to admit. However, when she swiveled her head backwards to glance at the room they'd just left and saw two squeaking Fomantis running around, she was on guard again. "Guys," she whispered. "They're back there looking… Keep your voices down…"

Charlie too noticed them around the same time. Veeko's ears slicked back again in hesitation, while the other three perked up on guard as well.

The Aipom hung from the ceiling in the same spot for a few moments to watch them, and Astrid kept her head turned backwards as she followed along. The Fomantises seemed to be talking to each other, squeaking and flailing their sickles while looking around in every direction.

"What're they doing?" Lila whispered back, shooting a glance over her shoulder.

"Talking," Charlie said back, keeping his voice down.

The Fomantises looked around a bit more before skittering away someplace out of sight.

"Now they're leaving," Astrid added, turning her head forward for a second.

"Good," whispered the Jolteon, keeping her eyes forward. "Keep your guard up, everyone."

That much went unsaid, as everyone was watching out for any sudden attackers. There were none, at least as they entered the next room, another two corridors branching off from it. Still no obvious sign of Rina met them.

"Sheesh, those little guys must be peeved!" Arashi exclaimed, albeit in a softer tone than was usual, hopping over to a nearby fern.

"Seriously, I'd like to know what they're on about too," Charlie concurred, looking around to decide which tangle to inspect first.

"M-maybe we can ask Lurantis…" Astrid mused.

"Oh?! Ask me what?!"

The borderline hissing voice was back, immediately catching their attention as their heads jerked up to find the source.

The glowering light red eyes of the Lurantis looked them over from one of the corridors of the new room, her sickle arms held ready to strike. Two squeaking Fomantises scurried out from behind her, although they stayed at her side while stamping their feet and looking flustered. The entourage certainly hadn't expected to be seeing her so soon, but still couldn't be very surprised about it. All six of them moved tightly together as the Lurantis took a few steps closer, the Fomantises staying behind her.

Arashi leaped out in front of their bunch. "Hey, look, we're not here to cause trouble-"

"Save it," commanded their company, pointing a sickle straight at him with a slightly glowing tip. "I've got no time to entertain the questions of trespassers."

"We're just trying to find my friend!" Veeko yelped haplessly, looking terrified.

The Lurantis laughed sardonically, holding her sickles under her face in a gesture that might have been playful in any other context. "Oh, I'm sure you are. Which one are you referring to?! The pathetic little bird, or the other one?! Don't play dumb with me, you little brat! I know well what's going on here!"

If her drop-in hadn't caught them off guard, her remark sure did. All eyes locked on Veeko, who in turn got even more wide-eyed.

"Veeko, did you come with someone else?!" Lila questioned, looking between her little brother and the Lurantis.

"N-no!" cried the Eevee, looking just as confused as he did frightened. "It was just me and Rina! I don't know who she's talking about!"

Astrid, however, began to get a bad feeling and cast her uncertain gaze to the Lurantis, hoping for clarification. "C-can you tell us who this was? W-we just came for the Pikipek!"

"Of course you just came for the Pikipek," the Lurantis shot back. "But don't you worry about her. She should worry about you, since I won't stand for this nonsense another minute! The Fomantises are upset that someone picked their favorite berries to snack on, but I'm upset that this tangle has been disturbed by no-gooders!"

That answered one question, yet raised several more. The Fomantises were upset over the Oran berries, that much made at least some sense… but where Rina was, who had disturbed the forest and in what way, and why that had anything to do with the entourage was a whole other matter. If anything, it certainly solidified that they were not messing with another crazy Pokémon like had occurred in Tranquil Tunnel, but nonetheless, the words coming out of her mouth certainly seemed crazy.

"We don't know what you're talking about!" Charlie protested.

"We just came here because my little brother and his friend wandered too far into the forest and ended up here!" Lila too objected, striding closer. "Did they disturb you?! Because frankly, if two little Pokémon that can barely stop being classified as toddlers scare you, then your issue is somewhere else!"

The Lurantis growled. "I'm not scared of them, you miscreant," she shot back, pointing a sickle at Lila next, "nor are the little ones hiding in the ground, so you can quit that innocent act like you're just here to rescue some kid. I know the game you're playing, and it won't work!"

"Guys, I don't think we can talk this one down," Trixie remarked flatly, shrugging while looking at the Lurantis.

"That's right!" cried the Bloom Sickle Pokémon, "So if you want me to ease up, you'd better knock! Me! Out!"

That declaration along with the glow her sickles took on the next moment dashed any hopes of a peaceful resolution. The Lurantis quickly looked over her shoulder and made her own squeaking sound to the Fomantis, causing them to dash away into the corridor they'd come from.

"Veeko, stay back and pay attention!" Lila likewise called to their own small and weaker company.

Trixie was the first to make a move, drenching her hand with poison and rushing at the Lurantis to sting her, and moments thereafter Lila's starry discs were added to the fray. They both connected fairly easily… straight into Lurantis' sickles, right as she crossed them in an X-Scissor and shrugged both hits off. The Swift dissipated almost instantly, and the attack flung Trixie backwards into the wall with a nice thud.

"Agh-!" the Croagunk grunted, sliding back onto the ground.

"What the-!" Charlie cried in alarm.

Astrid had her wings held out ready to fly closer for a Peck, but hesitated. Several glances went backwards to the corridor they had entered from, leading to the stairs… It seemed like a good way out, but no one took it. They needed Rina, and going back through would only lead them to another meeting with the angry one before them.

Their aggressor held her sickles up, several sunny orbs of yellow energy absorbing into her body. She chuckled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And if you want to escape with the stairs, go ahead and try! Just know I'll slice them down before you can leave!"

The energy consolidated into one big glowing ball over her head, almost akin to a miniature sun, which elongated and flattened out into an outright glowing blade.

"Uh, guys…!" Arashi croaked.

They scattered as she brought the Solar Blade down into where they had been moments before, the attack leaving the ground singed in the areas it made contact and slicing clean through some of the branches forming the corridor's ceiling. They didn't much want to think about what would happen if it had made contact.

"Arceus above!" Astrid cried in surprise.

"Yep, definitely no negotiating!" exclaimed Trixie.

Veeko's mouth practically hung open, no words coming out of the little Eevee.

In any case, the Lurantis was ready to go again, summoning up another flurry of pink petals that swirled around her. Astrid knew what was coming and wasn't much fazed by it, thus she took to the air and darted towards their attacker while Lila readied another Swift and the others shielded themselves as best they could in their surroundings. The glowing stars from the Jolteon targeted the petals that were shortly unleashed, mostly those around Veeko and Arashi.

Astrid, though, shrugged them off and dove down at the Lurantis, giving her a Peck on the head that elicited a slight cry of distress. Several more cries came from the entourage, most of them from a certain little Eevee hunkered down beneath a large fern branch with his ears pulled over his head.

"Ngh! Try that again!" the Lurantis angrily taunted, shooting the Rowlet a dirty look.

One sickle took a purple glow before Night Slashing at the one in the air. Astrid gave a hard flap of her wings to move out of its way, and it appeared the Lurantis would've attacked her again if she didn't have her attention grabbed by a certain Croagunk Poison Stinging her. Rather, the Lurantis turned to Trixie, but a Thunderbolt dropped on the Bloom Sickle Pokémon and stalled her for a moment.

"Tch! Have some nerve, do you?!" their assailant hollered.

A certain Aipom dropped down from the ceiling, Tail Whipping her on his way down, to which the Lurantis turned and hit him with an X-Scissor hard enough to fling him back across the room.

"Agh!" cried Charlie, leaving a clear trail of flattened underbrush from the force.

"Charlie! Are you okay?!" called Arashi, looking between Charlie and the Lurantis.

The Aipom got back up, but was clearly having a harder time doing so. He shook himself off, a pained expression on his face. "I'm alright," was the less-than-enthusiastic reply.

The Lurantis clearly wasn't going to give them much time to recover, for the room filled with pink petals again. Astrid dove to Peck her again while Arashi practically turned into a blur for a Quick Attack, and while the Lurantis certainly noticed them, she wasn't dissuaded at all. A Petal Blizzard rained down on all of them (save for a little Eevee whose eyes only peeked out from beneath his fern branch), and Astrid dove down for her comrade on the ground in hopes of shielding the Froakie.

"Jeez! You just don't let up, do you?!" Lila remarked.

"Thanks a ton," said Arashi, easily ducking into the Rowlet's wings.

A Swift from the Jolteon collided with their assailant's sickles when the Lurantis held them up to block her attack, but nonetheless the dungeon-dweller let out a frustrated cry and began charging sunlight again while glaring at Lila.

"Remind me to never come back here!" Charlie cried upon seeing the Solar Blade's beginnings.

The ones closest to the Lurantis scattered, but Astrid yet again gave her comrade a glance. "Now might be a good time to use that orb!" she exclaimed as quickly as the words could leave her mouth.

Their assailant's eyes turned from irritated to perturbed at the mention of such. "Orb?!"

The Froakie was on it almost as fast as the Rowlet had said it, quickly reaching into the sack and removing the Slow Orb. Perhaps this target wasn't the Beast, but either way, someone was going to get wrecked otherwise, and the entourage didn't want it to be them. Arashi held the orb up, the Lurantis immediately turning her Solar Blade on him instead. However, it was to no avail, as much to her dismay, the orb emitted a flash of energy before dissipating to nothing, her movements slowing to half the speed they used to be. Even as she brought the sunlight blade down, Arashi was able to easily hop out of the way.

"Perfect," Lila said with a smirk. "Take her out before it wears off!"

Astrid's attention was piqued a bit at the mention of it wearing off, but she accepted it nonetheless and figured that such was unavoidable. In any case, she flapped over and again and dove down at the Lurantis several times in rapid succession before an X-Scissor was directed her way, at which point she darted off in the opposite direction. Lila's Swift too elicited a (slow and drawn-out) cry of frustration, while Trixie gave her another Poison Sting. Petals began filling the room again, but the Lurantis summoned them too slowly for them to pose much of a threat.

Charlie, though, made his way to Arashi's side, still looking somewhat pained. "Hey, can I use one of those berries? I don't think I can take another attack from this one and stay conscious."

"Sure thing!" was the answer, Arashi quickly retrieving the item in question from the bag.

Charlie gulped it down as fast as he could, and instantly began looking more vibrant.

Their assailant, however, began charging more sunlight, albeit half as fast as she formerly would have been. The little flecks of sunlight that she gathered were practically creeping along as slow as a drunken Weedle.

"Hah, and this is even better than perfect!" Lila happily took notice thereof.

A Swift, a Poison Sting, and a Quick Attack all collided with the Lurantis at the same time. A Scratch did shortly thereafter, Charlie once again dropping down for a better point of contact. Their attacker's eyes furrowed in unspoken wrath, but she still stood there, gathering sunlight as fast as she could under the orb's influence. She seemed to be getting worn down, but she still wasn't letting up, and Veeko's eyes practically bulged out of his head from under his leaf at the display.

Astrid, however, wasn't too sure, giving the Lurantis a peck and then retreating, albeit with a cautious eye. "G-guys, are you sure…?"

"Sure of what?!" called a grinning Trixie, flexing her poisonous fingers, "We've got the advantage! Take it!"

The Croagunk and the Jolteon certainly were going to take it, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon getting stung by Trixie's toxic touch and Lila letting another Swift go. However, as the starry discs flew, the Lurantis' movements seemed to speed up, and the Solar Blade dropped much faster than the others were anticipating. Lila noticed it aimed for her, and her happy look faded.

"Lila!" Veeko cried in dismay from under his leaf.

The Jolteon went to dart away, albeit to little avail, before another round form collided with the blade of sunlight and rammed it off course. Astrid winced a bit as she did so, but the Solar Blade didn't feel too bad. As strong of an attack as it was, and as strong as the Lurantis seemed to be, she definitely felt it, but her own Grass-typing and the added benefit of the Flying-type negated much of the damage it would've caused otherwise. Still, some of her feathers had certainly seen better days, as did the ground the attack made contact with. Lila let out a sigh of relief, while the Lurantis let out a cry of fury.

"Thanks, Astrid!" said the Jolteon.

"N-no problem," replied the Rowlet, shaking herself off and facing their assailant again.

The Lurantis had evidently had enough of them, for her sickles took on their sinister purple glow again and she rushed at them, letting out an angry hiss. Neither Astrid nor Lila had to think twice before bolting in opposite directions, the Night Slash barely making contact with them but getting close enough for discomfort.

"You little wretches!" their attacker shouted in rage.

More pink petals were summoned that instantly flew at those not hiding themselves out of sight. The entourage gathered close together again, trying to shield each other and themselves by huddling tightly, all but the Rowlet and Croagunk looking pained.

"These Petal Blizzards are really taking a toll," Arashi uncertainly acknowledged, fishing out a berry and promptly shoving it in his mouth.

"This is ridiculous," said Charlie, wincing at a petal.

"We gotta end this," agreed Lila, shaking her head.

"You still got that seed, don't you?" asked the Croagunk, "The Blast Seed? Astrid can get close the easiest, so why don't we let Astrid fly up there and give her a surprise?"

The Rowlet in question perked up, all eyes turning to her. Arashi retrieved the seed, while the petals about them came to a stop.

"Give it here," Astrid agreed.

Her comrade held it out and she carefully took it in her beak, being careful not to pierce the shell or damage it otherwise. She looked to the Lurantis, who appeared to be gathering more sunlight while her last attack faded and the entourage huddled.

"Talk all you want, I'm going to exterminate you!" their assailant declared with a glare.

Astrid's eyes narrowed in concentration and she flew at the Lurantis, not even regarding the charging Solar Blade that her friends scattered under the threat of. Their assailant's eyes narrowed too in wrath at the Rowlet, the sunlight elongating and flattening out, but as it did, Astrid crushed the seed in her beak and instantly felt why it was called a Blast Seed. The Lurantis seemed to notice too, for her face fell.

If eating the seed was what a Flamethrower felt like, then Astrid became instantly glad she was not a Fire-type. She couldn't help but open her beak with the overwhelming heat she felt, and the second she did, a mighty burst of flames shot forth from her beak that practically dwarfed her little body and overwhelmed the Lurantis.

"No-!" the Lurantis cried while trying to shield herself with her sickles, but it was too late.

The gathered sunlight dissipated into nothing and Astrid flapped backwards in precaution, landing on the ground with her comrades but still keeping herself ready to go.

"Ehehe, that was rad!" Trixie exclaimed gleefully.

Charlie too smiled, but awkwardly. "Did… did we just see a Grass-type breathe fire?"

The little Eevee watching them from across the room evidently had the same sentiments, for his wide eyes looked confused as well.

"You did, and I am not doing that again," the Rowlet declared softly, still on guard.

Nonetheless, the burst of flames cleared, leaving the Lurantis looking utterly drained, not to mention singed in a few places. A gasping sound came from her before she collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Still the entourage studied her to see if she would make a move, but she did not.

"… Well, seems like we won that one, aha!" Arashi exclaimed, instantly brightening up.

"Seems like we did," concurred Lila. "Let's go-"

"Ngh…!"

The sound of a pained grunt caught their attention, the Lurantis twitching a bit before struggling back to her feet. Again they were all on guard, a bit hesitant at the sight before them.

"You bunch of no-gooders," remarked the Lurantis, "I won't let you-…! Ngh-!"

She collapsed again with a pained cry. The entourage exchanged glances, but Arashi hopped straight over to her.

"Hey! Don't get too close!" Charlie protested, running after him.

Astrid had to agree with the Aipom and too skittered after her comrade, Trixie and Lila soon following, yet it seemed that any threat the Lurantis posed had been nullified, for she merely studied them all with narrow eyes.

"Hey, no one's fighting anymore," Arashi said gently. "Clearly there's something more to this that we don't know. We just came here because Veeko, that little Eevee, and his friend Rina the Pikipek got separated after accidentally ending up here, but you're saying there's someone else that upset you. Who are you talking about?"

The Lurantis studied them a bit more, but finally eased up and replied, "… Alright. If you're still questioning me after you've won instead of running off, I suppose I should believe you. I don't know what their name is, nor what kind of Pokémon they are. I'd never seen them before, but they've got a very strange energy to them, and they're strong."

Astrid's heart started to sink. She had an idea of where this was going, and the others seemed to as well.

"It's rare that anyone comes here, given that this dungeon isn't exactly one with treasures hidden everywhere," the Lurantis continued, her voice still a slight bit hoarse. "All we want here is to live in peace. So when some of the wild ones come fussing to me about someone new in our domain, I take note of who they are."

"Wait, 'the wild ones?'" inquired Trixie. "You mean you're not a dungeon-dweller?"

"No, I very much am," replied the Lurantis. "You're assuming that non-feral ones always prefer living in towns and settlements, but I much prefer this tangle."

It was odd to most of them, but they accepted it.

Astrid, however, crept a bit closer, looking shy but more unsettled at what was on her mind. "U-um, if I may… W-was it a creature made out of cables and wires that you're referring to…?"

The Lurantis perked up- as much as she could in her battered state, at least. "Why, yes," she clarified. "Do you know what that species is…?"

Astrid shook her head, her feathers ruffling. "I-it calls itself a beast, n-not a Pokémon. B-but it's attacked me before, a-and it beat up Nez, this r-really nice Nidoking, not too long ago…"

The light red eyes narrowed. "So it is malicious."

Several nods were her answer.

She sighed. "Then forgive me for lumping you in with it. I see I was wrong. But, you must understand, it's not often that I see the wild ones scared of anything. I can tell if someone is lost, or if someone is here for a legitimate purpose rather easily when I watch them, but this one's objective I could not discern, so I took the path of caution instead."

"But what does that have to do with Rina? They weren't here together… were they?" Lila uncertainly inquired, still looking a bit puzzled.

"… No, they were," was the answer, immediately catching everyone's attention. "That creature, or beast I suppose, had her cradled in one arm and she wasn't fighting it at all, so I assumed they were friends. I also thought so because, well… have you noticed that these past few floors have been a little quieter? That's because the beast's Discharge knocked out every single Pokémon in whatever room they went into, so your other avian friend wouldn't have to lift a feather. We all resist the Electric-type here, but even so, that thing was frightening. I wanted to observe some more before I attacked, but it cleared the dungeon faster than I could track it. I assumed your arrival shortly thereafter had something to do with it, but clearly it does not."

The entourage all looked at each other, wide eyes and unamused faces displayed across every member, even the Eevee who was still tucked under a leaf. Astrid's feathers puffed out, her expression horrified, and Veeko scurried out of his hiding place to meet them.

"We have to go," Lila said quickly.

"Take care," said the Lurantis, regaining a bit of her strength, at least enough to get off the ground with.

The entourage turned and darted towards the corridor leading to the stairs, but Arashi stopped and looked back at their company. "Hey, what's your name? We can't forget about you!"

"Just call me Lurantis- I'm the only one of my kind here and I don't care for fancy titles," was the nonchalant answer.

"Thanks for your help, Lurantis!" he called back, hopping after the rest again.

Lurantis waved a sickle as they vanished down the corridor.

Brushwood Tangle 7F

"Oh, Arceus above! Rina!" Veeko cried, darting up to the Pikipek's side.

Thankfully, they could see the end of the dungeon very easily, and the last room was empty save for a lone Pikipek slumped over unconscious in the middle of it. The others were at her side in mere moments, too.

"Rina! Rina!" the Eevee cried, trying to shake her awake.

"Hey, little guy, take it easy," Trixie advised.

Arashi produced the Reviver Seed from the bag and held it to Rina's limp form, where it began to glow and emit a warm energy. The Pikipek began to stir, her eyes shooting open and her wings fluttering a bit, and shortly the seed dropped back on the ground with its power spent.

"Huh?! What happened?!" she exclaimed, looking about at all the faces over her. Then, jumping up and locking her gaze on the Eevee, "Sheesh, we had a really stupid idea! We got knocked out, didn't we?!"

Veeko turned hesitant again. "E-er, w-well…"

"You apparently did," clarified Lila. "Rina, we need you to tell us everything that happened. Literally everything."

The Pikipek didn't have much trouble doing so, attempting to straighten out some of her feathers as she replied, "Well, there was this Tangela, alright? And it attacked us! And Veeko managed to get away from it, but I couldn't! I mean, I guess I Pecked it enough to where it got annoyed and let go of me, but then this Parasect showed up! And I thought I was a goner, so I just started running down the tree hallways trying to find the stairs! I mean, I think I might've stepped on a few Oddish or something, but I don't really remember much after I got cornered with the Parasect on one side and then this Carnivine on the other. I just felt this jolt, went to sleep, and… well, here I am!"

She relayed the story in such an upbeat manner, and several others got funny looks. Trixie was grinning her shifty grin, and Arashi seemed interested, but the rest wore concerned countenances.

"So that thing knocked her out too," noted the Croagunk.

"Huh? What thing?" Rina inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"Alright, so we met this Lurantis that said she saw the beast that attacked Astrid and Nez carrying you around," Lila informed. "You don't remember that?"

"Pretty sure I would remember something like that," The Pikipek said nonchalantly. "I guess Trixie's right! If it knocked out Nez and Astrid, I guess it knocked me out too-…" then, getting more flustered, "W-wait a second! But…! W-why?! I mean, I'm glad a Carnivine didn't eat me, but what does it want with me?!"

"C-can we get out of here? I've got a bad feeling about this," Astrid spoke quickly, nervously scanning their environment.

They obliged, leaving through the last stretch of tree hallway while keeping their guard up. The town was visible on the horizon, farther back than when they had entered the dungeon. The sandy path lead straight to it, the same set of cliffs that Astrid and Arashi had seen after exiting Tranquil Tunnel visible on the opposite side of the trees, and while there was no Beast among them, the Rowlet couldn't help but be wary as they walked along.

"Swear you won't tell on us, Lila," Veeko pleaded. "We won't do this again…"

"I swear," the Jolteon brushed him off. "Have you two learned your lesson?"

Two emphatic nods came from the Eevee and Pikipek.

Trixie, however, chuckled and traipsed up to Astrid's side, sticking an arm around her. "Now I see why Arashi wanted you as a teammate," she laughed, "You're sharp! You take those enemies out!"

"And she won't get us accidentally killed, either," Charlie chuckled.

"See?! I told you Team Starstorm was a great idea!" exclaimed Arashi.

Astrid blushed under her feathers. "Th-thanks, guys."

They didn't speak a word about what had happened once they made it back to town, much to Veeko and Rina's delight. Astrid couldn't help but wonder just how long Arashi could keep a handle on his excitement at a semi-legitimate mission, but he seemed to be managing fine with just a grin and the occasional gleeful laugh, the both of them knowing exactly what it was about. (She also couldn't help but wonder if his parents would find out about the day's events one way or another, but she kept that to herself.)

. . . . .

However, still hidden from prying eyes once they left the dungeon, the entourage didn't know someone else had been watching since they had discovered Rina. It secretly wished a much smaller brigade had come… That much would have been manageable. Two or three could be knocked out in one fell swoop with little to no issues, but four or five or six, and someone was bound to notice something that they shouldn't.

"I'm not going to leave you alone."

It would still have to wait for a better opportunity.