Deep Lake Lucent B1F

The air was much thicker and damper than the upper floors, and little droplets trickled down from the stalactites with regularity to fill the caverns with their dripping sounds. The layer of liquid coating the ground was thick enough to splash slightly with every step they took, but it wasn't thick enough to impede their traversing (or at least, impede Astrid's, since Arashi wasn't fazed much one way or another). The rocky walls bore more cracks from which tiny waterfalls flowed either into pools or into large puddles. The pools themselves weren't murky, but seeing through them wasn't an easy feat either on account of how dark their blue hues were along with the dimness of the cavern. Only the faintest indications of silhouettes could be made out lurking inside.

"Still not lucent," Astrid remarked, scanning their surroundings.

Arashi giggled. "There's a reason! There always is!"

She wasn't so sure, but she wasn't going to protest it. The room they traversed only had one circular pool in one corner, but with nothing leaping out of it, they let it be. No use going and stirring up the dungeon-dwellers if they weren't attacking, and Astrid certainly didn't want to meet another Octillery's Octazooka anytime soon.

"So are we gonna see the same wild ones here…?" Astrid inquired.

"Probably a mix- some that we've already seen, and some new ones," Arashi answered. "At least, that's what's typical. I haven't heard of any anomalies in this one, but you never know, aha!"

She considered the possibilities for a moment, then mused, "Well, we've seen Dratini here… so if we get knocked out by a Dragonite's Hyper Beam coming out of nowhere, I'm gonna be pissed."

Her comrade laughed. "Now, that would be wild!"

Oh, 'wild' it most definitely would be- but whether those were good or bad connotations when Arashi used the word, she had no idea. (Probably the opposite of what she herself thought of it, she figured.)

Nonetheless, they strolled into a tunnel, water droplets streaking down almost akin to rain as they passed through. It wasn't submerged like its name might suggest, but the dungeon was definitely more befitting to Water-types than others. The feeling of her feathers clumping together wasn't the best, but Astrid supposed she wouldn't be drying off anytime soon. (It helped getting the black ink out of her plumage, at least, which she was thankful for- she couldn't help but think she bore resemblance to a drooping, ovoid Murkrow.)

"I bet the others are out at Verdant Meadow already," Arashi said, giving a quick glance behind them, then with a grin, "Poor Veeko's probably freaking out, and I'll bet anything that some Roselia is cursing Trixie's existence!"

Astrid chuckled a bit. "That seems about right."

"Next mission we go on, we need to take her with us," Arashi supposed. "Charlie and Lila too if they feel like it, but she's been asking, and we've had plenty of fun going solo."

"If the next mission doesn't involve getting close to Salem, anyway," Astrid mused. "I sure hope this Lord of the Lake knows what they're doing."

"Oh, I'm sure they do," Arashi brushed it off.

More pools than rock greeted them on the other end, around which ambled a Quagsire that gazed at the air for a second before it noticed them. It let out a cry that maybe would've been threatening… if not for the clueless, unconcerned look plastered on its face that said otherwise.

"Now this is what I'd be glad to see more of," Astrid remarked.

A flap of her wings sent a Razor Leaf its way, and Arashi spit a Water Pulse too, while the Quagsire seemed to be deciding on a target for a Mud Shot to no avail. When their attacks hit, it let out another shout of discomfort and seemed to forget what it was doing several seconds prior, but seemed to lock on the Dartrix as the source of its frustration and fired a Water Gun instead. Arashi Quick Attacked it, which upset it again, but a swift Peck from Astrid knocked it out before it could do anything else.

Arashi giggled, hopping over its limp form. "They must be pretty happy most of the time, but they don't seem very smart!"

"Don't jinx it," Astrid said with a small grin, trailing for the next opening.

However, a red and rounded head peeked up from one pool that instantly wiped the grin off of her face, for the Octillery's turret-like mouth had the beginnings of an Aurora Beam forming in it. Instantly she was taking to the air and sending a Razor Leaf down at it while it crept out, the icy energy sailing just underneath her and crystallizing around a stalactite on the opposite side of the room.

"Oh, come on," Arashi remarked, crouching down.

The Froakie rushed it in another Quick Attack while Astrid hit it with another Razor Leaf, but while their foe's tentacles flailed in discomfort at the sharp leaves jabbing through its skin, one of them wrapped around Arashi when he made contact and an Octazooka spewed from its mouth at him next.

"Awwww, jeez!" the Froakie protested.

He tried to quickly rub the ink out of his eyes while the Octillery's mouth started dribbling with poison before it spewed a Gunk Shot at Astrid. The Dartrix squawked in discomfort, quickly flapping out of the way before diving down and Pecking the Jet Pokémon. Its tentacles eased up just enough for Arashi to make his escape, albeit still drenched in ink. (The straps and several splotches on their bag took a much darker hue as well.)

"I do not like these things!" Astrid cried in dismay.

Arashi leaped back as a Razor Leaf rained down on the Octillery, finishing it off.

The Dartrix breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Guess they never have to worry about type advantages when they're carrying those moves…"

Arashi giggled, hopping back to her side. "Must be convenient- for them, anyway!"

The Dartrix shook her head haplessly and went for the corridor again, Arashi close behind. The ink seemed to be wearing off of him almost as fast as it had coated him, and Astrid couldn't help but be just a bit jealous of that fact.

Deep Lake Lucent B2F

A Gastrodon floating about on the surface of a pool became upset almost as soon as the Starstorm duo entered the room it occupied and started creeping towards them with furrowed eyes.

"We should see what its ability is first," Astrid suggested, eyeing their foe.

Arashi wasn't far behind and spit a Water Pulse, which the Gastrodon let out a flustered growl at.

"So it's Sticky Hold and not Storm Drain," Astrid noted on seeing it seem to take damage.

"That's not so bad, we just can't touch it!" Arashi exclaimed, readying another Water Pulse.

The Gastrodon summoned up an Ancient Power and flung several rocky masses at the two of them, which Arashi jumped out of the way of and Astrid took to flying to avoid. The Dartrix shook some leaves out of her wings and sent a Razor Leaf, while the Gastrodon was more intent on Mud-Slapping Arashi with several clumps of mud it spit from its mouth. Astrid's leaves only scratched its shell on the upper portion of its body, but several also stuck into its gooey underside and made a sticky purple liquid trickle out. They took care in noting where it was so no one wound up inadvertently stuck in one place.

Arashi leaped out of the way of the muddy clumps, but the leaves apparently tipped the big gelatinous one over the edge for what it was willing to put up with. If a creature with such an unassuming face could snarl, the Gastrodon was certainly snarling, and its pseudopods seemed to be clenching into little 'fists' that tightly gripped the ground. A wave of Muddy Water gushed forth from around its body, and the remaining moisture in the room seemed to condense into its attack too.

"Oh, sheesh-!" Arashi cried.

"Ngh-!" Astrid grunted.

The entire room was quickly swamped by the wave and it overtook them, and even if they both may have resisted the attack, it still was unpleasant. The two of them went battering against the room's back wall, utterly swallowed in the murky water while the Gastrodon glared at them.

Nonetheless, the wave (thankfully) wasn't permanent and it dissipated, and they both slumped onto the ground. Two lone Wishiwashi found themselves displaced out of their pool and haplessly flopped about on the ground, trying to get back in.

"Owwww…!" Arashi protested.

"Urgh…!" Astrid breathed, staggering back to her feet as fast as she could.

The Gastrodon was already aiming for them with another Ancient Power, but another Water Pulse from Arashi knocked it out before it could be of much use.

Astrid shook her head, shaking off a little. "Well, I still think I'd take Sticky Hold over Storm Drain…"

"Me too," Arashi concurred.

A Quagsire crawled out of the pool next, but its back was turned and it seemed to be humming to itself without a care in the world. One quick glance was shared between the Starstorm duo, and they scurried off into the nearest corridor before it could notice them.

Deep Lake Lucent B3F

However, much to Astrid's dismay, a room with nothing but a small bridge over a room full of water met them once again, and she found herself hesitating to cross it. Lake Lucent B4F had been enough trouble with the same layout; she didn't want to repeat it with stronger foes so close to the dungeon's end.

"Is this one a Monster House too?" the Dartrix asked, carefully scanning the environment. "C-can we go around it…?"

Arashi peeked around her, looking it over too.

There weren't any silhouettes to be seen, and definitely no Golbats were hanging from the ceiling in wait, but of course, those lurking in the pool couldn't be fully discerned in any case. It seemed rather quiet and peaceful… but she couldn't be too sure.

"It doesn't look like it's a Monster House," Arashi answered. "It's probably similar terrain that just happened to have the same layout. But we can go back if you want."

She shook her head. "If it's not a Monster House, then that's fine… I just didn't want to get swarmed again."

Her comrade giggled. "Me, neither! But we should be fine here."

Astrid nodded and stepped out onto the rocky bridge, and true to Arashi's guess, nothing popped up from the water to ambush them straight away. The room seemed empty, save for whatever might have been stirring further down under the surface. Droplets plopping down onto the water's surface from the stalactites covered the pool in ripples, which might have been pretty to watch had they not been in a dungeon. Still, Astrid's eyes darted back and forth between both sides of the bridge, and she kept watch for any red appendages that may have tried to drag either one of them into the depths again. (Maybe Arashi wouldn't be too worried, but she definitely had no desire to meet another Octillery in its natural habitat.)

Something splashed about on the far end of one side of the pool, which they quickly noticed was yet another lone Wishiwashi flopping about harmlessly.

"We've seen plenty of those little guys, but not one has attacked us," Arashi mused nonchalantly.

"I'd prefer to keep it that way- the faster we can get to the bottom, the better," Astrid replied.

However, as soon as the words left her mouth, a bright flash easily caught their attention from the water, and what looked like a frenzy of very small silhouettes began to coalesce into a larger one. A little squawk of alarm left her beak at seeing it appear so fast, and Arashi definitely took notice too.

"What is that?" Arashi was a bit puzzled.

… Astrid had an idea, and she didn't like it one bit, especially not when it began moving towards them. "W-we should run," she said quickly.

She turned to do just that, and her comrade was fairly quick to catch on, but too soon for them to get very far, the creature- or rather, creatures- breached from the water. A gaping maw met them, connected to a much larger body of varying shades of blue- a school of Wishiwashi. It seemed intent on swallowing them up, too, and was in the prime position to do so.

"No-!" Astrid cried, frantically flapping her wings.

Arashi went to jump, but a little cry of dismay left his mouth as it was too close to escape. The mass of Wishiwashi went crashing down into the water, the Froakie disappearing along with them.

Astrid's beak fell open, the Dartrix staring haplessly at the spot her comrade disappeared. A sharp cry of fright left her beak the next second, and she turned to the water. "You've gotta be kidding me!" she shouted, frantically pacing back and forth, "Arashi! Oh, Arceus above, Arashi!"

A flurry of leaves hit the surface of the water, but just as soon, they floated harmlessly on the surface. Another squawk left her beak, the Dartrix's mind racing with a million thoughts on what to do.

Likewise in the water, her partner was protesting too.

"Oh, come on!" Arashi objected.

A few of the Wishiwashi broke away from the school and tried to Beat Up the Froakie, but their attacks were more annoying than anything else. He shooed them off, trying to get the bag loose and open it up without its contents floating free everywhere. There was at least one upside to being swallowed by the Wishiwashi school- unlike a Sharpedo or Gyarados, there was no actual danger of being eaten for lunch, even if the situation heavily resembled it. There was definitely a downside, however- one of the little fish made an Uproar, and the rest followed suit, making an almost deafeningly loud attack with absurdly heavy reverberations. Arashi winced, feeling weak just from that alone. Nonetheless, he managed to get the bag open, and reached inside for the Drought Orb.

Astrid, on the other hand, still stared holes through the water.

"Agh, can I even swim in this body?!" she fussed, her feathers puffed out in panic.

She was about to find out, she figured. No way was she leaving her teammate alone to fend off such a huge foe.

However, before she could make a move, another bright flash came from the water, and one that didn't resemble the Wishiwashi's distress signal. If a miniature sun could have appeared under water, that's what it looked like… and it quickly dried up whatever liquid was on the floor. The school of Wishiwashi split up when their surroundings changed so drastically, and the lone figure of a Froakie was left in the middle of a pile of tiny, flopping Small Fry Pokémon at the bottom of the pool.

Astrid blinked.

Arashi grinned. "Little help?" he playfully called up to her.

Without missing a beat, she darted down to her comrade and swooped him up, leaving the pool with just the myriad of flopping ones.

"I used the other orb- I didn't think I could take them like that, aha!" Arashi laughed.

"I'm glad we brought two, in that case," Astrid breathed in relief. "I thought you'd be a goner if you couldn't escape!"

"Me too! Guess that's why we haven't seen any of them attack us!"

That sounded reasonable as anything. Astrid set him down on the bridge and landed herself, her feathers slicking back down to their usual positions. (She also had to notice that what was left of the ink still clinging to them had seemed to evaporate along with the water in her feathers formerly diluting it.)

"I really hope the Lord of the Lake isn't a Fire-type, or I'm gonna feel awful for them," the Froakie mused, giving the evaporated pool a glance.

Astrid had to agree.

Deep Lake Lucent B5F

"You know, this is gonna make a great story to tell later," Arashi happily giggled, "When we get back, if anyone asks us how the mission went, we can say that an Octillery tried to drown you and I got swallowed by a Wishiwashi school! Hah, I bet the Expedition Coalition would recruit us straight away if they heard that, aha!"

Astrid shook her head, chuckling nonetheless. "You really aren't gonna let that go, are you?"

"Never!"

"Well, don't tell your idols that we got saved by items, then, or it might not sound as cool," she remarked with a slight grin.

The Froakie didn't seem worried at all. "If Rush remembers us, that's all that matters!"

Perhaps it was, Astrid thought.

Into another corridor they went, where a Golbat was roused from its sleep on the opposite end and instantly began screeching at having company. Arashi hopped backwards a little for a better vantage point and spit a Water Pulse, while Astrid stirred up an Ominous Wind to halt it a bit. The Froakie darted forward and leapt at it in a Quick Attack while it tried to Crunch Astrid, which knocked it off of its course. The Dartrix was quick in delivering a Peck to it too, which did it in.

"Don't worry; Astrid doesn't like strangers, either," Arashi giggled, hopping over its limp form.

Astrid shot him a playfully pointed glance. "H-hey, now, it's not that I don't like them, it's that I'd just much rather let you do all the talking…"

The room they entered was mostly empty, at least of living occupants that they could see. There was but one small pool in a corner, and it didn't seem to be stirring with anything, thus they headed for the next.

"Hey, Arashi…?" Astrid's voice trailed off in contemplation.

"Yeah?"

"Do… Do you think these Expedition Coalition Pokémon could beat Salem…? I mean, you said that Rush and Rozen were practically invincible together, right…?"

"Well, if no one else could, I'm sure they could!" her partner answered. "But that would involve them facing Salem first, and you can't exactly track Salem down, otherwise I'm sure they'd try!"

She nodded. If Salem wanted her, then maybe having a team like that in her corner was a good idea… A really good idea…

Of course, that would surely involve more work. Even if her comrade was a fanatic, she had to consider the possibilities.

Deep Lake Lucent B6F

"Hey! This must be the end!" Arashi cried happily.

It certainly seemed like it, for the room they wound up in had none of the usual corridors leading out from it. Much like the connecting floor at the end of the dungeon's upper division, the perimeter was lined by a pool with no silhouettes in it, and a great deal of miniature waterfalls coalesced into a cascade running into it. At the opposite end of the room from them was one rather large pool detached from the watery perimeter of the room by a thin circle of rocky ground, the water clear but of a rather dark blue color. Behind it was a smallish strip of solid ground before a wide hallway leading into pure darkness, what they guessed was the end of the dungeon.

"They should be here, then…" Astrid mused, glancing about their surroundings for any sign of another presence.

"Hey! Lord of the Lake! It's us! Astrid and Arashi, Team Starstorm!"

At that, the larger pool started to ripple, and a much bigger silhouette than most they'd seen (of course barring the Wishiwashi school) in floors prior came into view. A big splash followed as it emerged and jumped out, the water falling off of a hard silver shell covering a hunched arthropod body- a Golisopod. The claws that would otherwise be on the hind set of arms were retracted out of view.

"Ah, so you've come," said a deep, gravelly voice, their company taking a few steps closer to them. "I had a feeling I would be seeing you soon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Astrid fluffed up shyly at their company, though she tried not to be too discomforted. 'Lord of the Lake,' facetious or not, had apparently been an accurate description nonetheless, for the dungeon certainly seemed like a fitting place to find a Golisopod. The lack of the giant claws that would otherwise be there put her just a bit more at ease, but still, she couldn't help but be on edge.

Much to her relief, Arashi was the one to carry on. "Say, what's your name?" the Froakie asked. "We know it's not 'Lord,' aha!"

The Golisopod chuckled a gravelly chuckle. "That is correct," he said, hunching a bit and reaching one of the larger hind limbs out. "I am Azure. My comrade has far more ostentatious tastes than myself and suggested the moniker; I merely went along with it for covertness."

Arashi giggled, giving the best attempt at shaking hands he possibly could when Azure's appendage dwarfed his hand a dozen times over. "Nice to meet ya, Azure!"

"You are Arashi, correct?"

"Yeah, that's me! And that's Astrid, but I guess that's obvious!"

Azure looked at the Dartrix, straightening back up. "I thought so. You seem very shy."

The one in question fluffed up even more. "A-ah, er, I-!"

Azure chuckled again. "Do not fret. We all have different areas of comfort."

She deflated. "R-right…"

Clearly, her comrade was more than comfortable in engaging with their company, and quickly piped up cheerfully, "Alright, so what's going on, Azure? You'd mentioned having something urgent regarding Zariel and Salem and having a plan where no one got hurt."

The Golisopod nodded, two of his front claws rubbing together in what seemed to be a contemplative look. "Yes, that is correct. I prefer to have as little of a mess as possible when it comes to taking part in battle… which can be more difficult in certain situations than others, but it does seem I have handled it this time. You see, you could say that I am much more acquainted with Zariel than most, so when I heard news of her defeat, it instantly caught my attention. She is a truly terrifying creature when she runs wild."

The Starstorm duo had their attention caught as well. Astrid carefully took in Azure's words, cataloguing each one, while Arashi got wide-eyed at the mention of the Golisopod being acquainted with their fire-breathing foe.

"Wait, do you know her?!" the Froakie cried, grinning.

"Something like that, yes," Azure answered. "I've seen many of her exploits and many of Salem's. But you know how it is- anyone who goes up against Salem gets crushed. There are things you cannot openly speak about when it comes to her. I did not wish to have my name anywhere in the records."

Arashi nodded, and Astrid did too, albeit with much less enthusiasm. The Dartrix's feeling of the spike through her body was plenty of a reminder of how Salem's syndicate treated dissenters.

"Oh, absolutely!" Arashi concurred. "She'd try to kill you if you went up against her, I'm guessing."

"I suppose she would," Azure mused, clicking his two front claws together. "But I suppose you could understand my motivations here. When something bad befalls a comrade you value greatly… You cannot ignore that, yes? I simply cannot stand by the wayside anymore."

Arashi nodded in agreement again. "Totally! I'd be a wreck if anything happened to Astrid!"

Astrid gave her friend a glance, then shifted her gaze back to the Golisopod. She understood the sentiment, to be sure… But somehow, their company was still putting her on edge. Perhaps it was still the recollection of their battle with the Charizard and Azure's mentioning of her antics that did so… Azure seemed candid enough, but in any case, she searched for a reason.

The word 'comrade' seemed to tickle her senses when the Golisopod said it. Indeed, Zariel had mentioned having a comrade when the rain had started to wear on her, as if having her missing teammate there would've nullified the Starstorm duo's efforts. Of course, they'd won that fight by taking advantage of the rain's effects, given that a Fire-type would've been highly uncomfortable in it and Arashi's Water-type moves were boosted… Therefore, Zariel having a Water-type partner to cover her made sense…

The poster's words yet again graced her mind. 'Only known underling is a Charizard who has also escaped apprehension thus far; suspected to also be in contact with an aquatic species.' Golisopod was an aquatic species. She might've doubted the association, but as Azure had put it… 'I am much more acquainted with Zariel than most others, so when I heard news of her defeat, it instantly caught my attention.' 'When something bad befalls a comrade you value greatly… You cannot ignore that, yes?'

… Perhaps it was ridiculous, but Astrid wasn't overlooking it.

She studied Azure hesitantly. "… You're Zariel's comrade, aren't you?"

Two gazes fell on her at once, a wide-eyed and awkwardly uncertain one from the Froakie and an indifferent one from the Golisopod.

"H-huh?!" Arashi exclaimed. "Why would you think that? He wrote us asking for help!"

The Golisopod looked her straight in the eyes, still clicking his claws together. She shrunk up a bit but didn't take her eyes off of their company as she replied, "Z-Zariel mentioned having s-someone else when we made it rain… Water-types do well in the rain, so that would c-cover her weakness, and Golisopod is a Water-type. Salem's poster mentions a suspected aquatic species, and if he's mentioning how he's seen Zariel and Salem a lot, then..."

Azure's eyes practically stared holes in her. Her own eyes went wide, and Arashi started looking a bit reluctant though he still smiled.

"… You lured us here to get revenge for Zariel, didn't you…?" Astrid said, hardly above a whisper. "O-or at least, because of… m-me…"

A look of pure disbelief was plastered on Arashi's face. He awkwardly looked to Azure and mused, "Oh, c'mon! Water is the most common type of them all; let's have a bit more faith in this guy than that! He's clearly just on the run!"

Azure didn't even look at the Froakie as he replied, "… No, the human is sharp. I have to commend her- I wasn't expecting to be found out that quickly."

Astrid whimpered, fluffing up and taking a few steps backwards. This was not how she had imagined this meeting going, and it didn't bode well for one second. They weren't out in the open, there was no settlement nearby to run to…

Arashi's face fell. "W-what?!"

Azure chuckled again, ceasing to click his claws. "It's true. I had hoped to string you along and turn you over to Salem without a fight by convincing you it was Zariel that I had a problem with. I suppose Astrid sees straight through that attempt, so it seems fruitless to keep the act up now."

She was still terribly frightened, but nonetheless, her wide eyes went narrow.

Arashi certainly wasn't amused, either. "Now, that's just dirty!"

"Of course it is," Azure brushed it off. "As much as I may value Zariel, I'm not about to let the human slip away. Salem wants her, and Salem is going to get her. You can't possibly run forever, Astrid- you may have escaped another I have not met, and you may have escaped Zariel, but you will not escape me. I set this encounter up for that very purpose, so if you were smart, you would give up."

"Well, it's not gonna work anyway!" Arashi hollered, "You can't have her, and she's not joining you!"

Certainly, Astrid didn't intend to join Salem any time soon. Perhaps she could swoop up her comrade again and escape down the dungeon's exit before a fight could happen… Perhaps. That hinged on what moves Azure had in his arsenal that might get in their way, but it was worth a shot. If this was one of Salem's underlings, then a battle wasn't the best option. This one wasn't like Zariel- if they could leave the dungeon, Astrid could fly them both away unimpeded.

The Golisopod, however, wasn't fazed. "Go on and attack me if you're so sure, Arashi. You also have gotten lucky in this turn of events, but I must ask the both of you… Just how far do you expect your luck to take you?"

Astrid's eyes went between Azure and the path out. There wasn't any time to waste if they were to escape, and she spread her wings out to flap.

Arashi, however, apparently had another idea. "We can do this! I'm not scared of you!"

The Froakie rushed for him, and Astrid's eyes went wide again.

"H-hey, Arashi-!" the Dartrix cautioned, though she quickly realized such was useless.

Arashi's Quick Attack was fast, but Azure's First Impression was faster. Almost too quick to see, one of Azure's larger back arms shot forward and his claws extended straight through the Froakie's body without a shred of resistance.