A/N
Thanks for reviewing, VGS2.
This chapter was originally a LOT different, and had some different events and stuff, but I ended up completely redoing it. It was too cramped, poorly paced, unfocused, etc.
Also, been a while since I last updated, eh? Haven't been feeling motivated lately. Hope this isn't the beginning of the end like it usually is for my fics.
The room lay largely blanketed in dark, A monitor's blue light washed over a small patch of carpet, with a long shadow stretching across it. The large, red ears of the umbra's caster remained perked up in focus.
Salami's tired, bloodshot eyes swam back and forth across the computer screen. He lifted his mug of cola to his lips, taking a slow sip of the acidic beverage. The burn traveling down his throat helped greatly to anchor his focus, with its low, hissing fizz distracting him just enough to stay awake.
Part of the vulpix's mental focus enveloped the keyboard. Each key was pressed in a swift and purposeful rhythm; willed to act before even the fox's conscious mind registered its own command.
Words appeared swiftly on the screen, each materialized in less than a second as the text's cursor glided left to right, left to right.
Thus far, information regarding the disappearances is scarce. What little we do know has been gleaned together through speculation, or patterns seen in law-enforcement's investigation.
I wish that they would simply share what they know, however I do understand the need for confidentiality. The populace does not need to be riled up with false information, and the perpetrator of these crimes is best (for us) not knowing what they know.
I've come to a few conclusions, some of which I believe to be factual. This information was obtained through a combination of looking through news reports, asking around town, and grilling Basil for information (as a member of the guild, while still secretive, the liepard is much more forthcoming with little snacks of knowledge.)
I believe that there isn't one individual indulging in this criminal activity, but rather multiple. Numerous reports of disappearances have, upon investigation, seemed to happen at the exact same time as one-another. This, to me, suggests that there is more than one pokémon behind this. While I am confident in this claim, my next proposition poses a potential explanation for it to be a lone criminal.
A few of the reports have come from first-hand witnesses of the disappearances. These are the most recent ones, so perhaps our friend(s) have gotten sloppy? The reports describe the pokémon being there one moment, then gone the next. This perfectly matches up with what I and a handful of others experienced during the Layer-Cove Dungeon incident.
One of our comrades, my dear friend Tart, simply vanished while we were not paying attention. No sound, no anything. Another close friend of mine, Shallot, as well as my own father attempted to pursue the kidnapper deeper into the dungeon. Judging by the fact that they have not been seen since, it's safe to assume they were more successful than anyone would have wanted.
The two moves that are most likely to have been used to accomplish these kidnappings, in my opinion, would be dig, and teleport. More likely the latter, in this case, given the complete silence and the fact that our prime suspect is an alakazam (of the evolution line most famous for this move).
The possibility of teleportation puts a damper on my criminal-organization theory, as theoretically, they would be able to travel between targets practically instantly given enough skill with the move.
There are a few things, of course, that still don't make sense. For one: What is the motive? From what I can tell, only pokémon with association to the guild have been targeted. Perhaps they aim to weaken us before doing something more ambitious?
But, why not just kill, then? The mental signature of a pokémon does not just up and disappear when they die, so they are obviously being intentionally hidden somewhere. Unless, they actually are being killed, but just being cloaked so that we feel like it's less risky to send out exploration teams? Or, perhaps it's to prevent discovery of the bodies, as something big could be revealed in autopsy?
Perhaps if we could figure out just how they're being cloaked to begin with, that would be a start. With our prime suspect being an alakazam, we know that in the case of it being a single perpetrator, they would not possess the dark-typing required to block out psychic readings.
That's another point for the group theory, I suppose. But, there have been over sixty disappearances as of now. Not even a dark type, nay, a whole GROUP of dark types, could veil this many pokémon from view for so long.
It just doesn't make sense.
Another question is to be posed: Does this assumed group have any association with the relentless torrential downpour that has been spreading across the coastal regions? It has had disastrous consequences on just about everything.
Terrain collapsing, houses flooding, flora and fauna drowning, crops not receiving sunlight. That's not even to mention, the increased humidity is causing everything to slowly heat up, with breathing becoming harder.
I'm lucky to currently reside in upper Layer-Port, which is largely unaffected due to our separation from land and towering height. The rain extends out here, but everything kind of just builds up at the bottom.
With everything that's been going on lately, disappearances, insane weather, civilians are beginning to panic and mostly keep to themselves indoors. I can't believe that those cowards are hiding away instead of trying to help like the rest of us.
Team Sunflare has recently taken up the responsibility of clearing out the skies with sunny-day. They're remarkably successful, being able to keep our entire district dry from about morning until noon. If enough volunteers join in, we may just stand a chance at fighting off this rain.
I'm going to head down to the library after dinner to look for potential information. Unfortunately, a large portion of the books are written in unown-script, which leaves them completely inaccessible to me.
That librarian bitch may be able to read them, but her incessant riddles are too infuriating to consistently decipher.
It's extremely inconvenient that, out of all the pokémon to disappear, Tart had to be amongst them. She was, is, the only one close to me who cared enough to learn unown-script. I'd try to learn by myself, but for now I'd rather not waste time learning when I could spend it researching what I already can.
I must succeed. For my friends, for my family, and for the world.
Waffle glanced nervously to his side, looking Coco up and down. The equine seemed confident enough, but many doubts still lingered within the espeon's mind.
"Are... You s-sure that there's a c-component shop down there? A-a-and, are you sure i-it won't hurt you?"
Coco gave a patient nod, with a warm smile.
"On the first account, I trust my sister's judgment on anything to do with shopping." His smile turned more fond, as he thought about his family member. "On the second, yes. I have been down there many times, and it has not harmed me yet."
The two slowly walked along the dock, their legs occasionally touched by the rising ocean waves. They made their way into a metallic, white structure, which jutted up straight from the sea as opposed to being built atop the planks. As they approached, two more pokémon could be seen waiting for them.
Floss gave an enthusiastic wave to the pair. Pear gave an impassive huff, turning his head with crossed arms.
The four stepped into the metallic structure, allowing the sliding door to clank shut behind them. They each applied a cylindrical device over their muzzles, held in place with bands around the back of their heads. Waffle used his still shaky psychic powers to assist Floss, as she had been struggling quite a bit. They each then applied goggles to their faces, before strapping on hefty backpacks..
Coco glanced about the room, before nodding, and pressing a button.
A robotic voice crackled to life.
"Welcome! After confirming that your equipment is properly applied, please insert five poké."
The ponyta inserted the requested coins into a slot. A chime echoed around the room. The elevator began to descend slowly, with the quiet hum of working machinery. A long, slow hiss filled everyone's ears as the small room began to pressurize.
Upon the chamber's ceased movement, four small slots near the top opened.
Waffle found himself shivering in displeasure, huddling up to Pear as the water slowly streamed in. The chespin was, to put it lightly, outwardly displeased by the psychic-type's contact. He let one hand come to rest on Waffle's back, stroking his short fur comfortingly.
Waffle felt himself relaxing, giving a content purr.
Soon enough, everyone found themselves completely submerged. The water seemed to wave, boil, and distort around where Coco's then-absent mane and tail should have been. The door to the outside opened, releasing a flurry of bubbles as it did.
"Now, Waffle," came Coco's voice, filling the espeon's head. "Just talk normally to communicate, okay? The telepathic transceiver will do the work for you."
"O-okay!"
Pear gave a small shake of his head, the movement made sluggish by the water's resistance.
"How do these things even work anyway? They don't connect to the backpacks or anything, so I'm sure those aren't air tanks."
Floss was the next to hop into the conversation, leaping up excitedly.
"It's simpwe! I mean... Sim.. puh puh. Pl... Simp-ull! Thewe's psychic technollllogy to telllepote the aiw up and down fow us!"
Coco gave a nod, affectionately rubbing the skitty's head.
"That's right. The backpacks are just to keep us weighed down easier."
Waffle gave a small nod.
"Makes sense to me..."
The four advanced out into the water. Waffle glanced about, his eyes filled with wonder.
A landscape of smooth rock stretched far out. Homes, paths, stores, and more seemed to be carved out from the underwater cliff-face. Various plants of the likes Waffle had never seen sprouted out from many crevices. Up, down, all around, the wondrously chiseled architecture of Layer-Port's deepest level seemed to fill the water with an elegantly designed chaotic maze of stone.
Many pokémon could be seen heading to and fro, though the vast majority were of natively aquatic species.
Many colorful lights illuminated the submerged town, painting its gray surfaces with a whole rainbow of brilliant color.
Waffle was abruptly thrown out of his stooper, a chill running up his spine as a new voice filled his ears. A familiar voice. The last voice he needed to hear.
"It's quite a lovely place, isn't it, honey?"
The rest of Waffle's group were already turned to face the voice. He stood stiff. With a shaky breath, he turned to face the new arrival.
Another espeon stood there, just a bit shorter than Waffle. A soft gaze was visible in her eyes, with her ears flattened back in a cautious display.
"M-mommy...!" Waffle breathed, stepping back.
The older espeon flinched from her son's reaction, averting her gaze.
"I am not upset, my dearest Waffle. I simply wish to talk."
The assurance fell upon deaf ears. Deafened by the ringing built up within Waffle's head. His heart pounded, his thoughts cloudy. Without much thinking, he quickly shed his weight-pack and swam off in a panic.
Waffle's mother made forward with an outstretched paw, reaching with a desperate cry. It was no use, however, as her son disappeared into the bustling crowd of the town square.
The espeon felt her posture sag a bit, before giving out completely, falling to the ground. She felt her limbs float just a tad, but did nothing about it.
Pear, taking advantage of the distraction, made off to vanish as well.
The psychic-type simply stared aimlessly, lost in her own emotions. She was promptly startled upon feeling a hoof come to rest on her back.
"Ms. Pancake?" prodded Coco. "Do you mind sharing what that was all about?"
"Yeah! I didn't know Waffllle was youw son!" Floss added, nuzzling up next to her.
Pancake let her form relax once more with a quiet sigh. She pushed her back up a bit to meet Coco's touch, as well letting her chin come to rest atop Floss' head.
"I-It... It doesn't matter. So l-long as he's safe..."
"You'd best have a plan to get us out of this, or I'm going to kick your ass." Pear shot a hateful look toward Waffle as he spoke.
Waffle returned the look with one of equal ire.
"Yeah, shut up. I'll think of something."
"Who are you telling to shut up, shrimp?"
"You."
"...Fair enough."
Waffle glanced upon the buildings to his right side, examining the signs whenever one was present. It wasn't long until he came upon what he was looking for.
"Okay, Waffle," the espeon thought to himself. "Just stay calm. Don't panic. Just get what you need and get back to the guild. You can worry about family issues later."
As he tried to reason with himself, he could only feel his breaths growing more hyper. He was knocked back to his senses as Pear gave a not-so-gentle nudge.
"Chill out, shrimp," huffed the chespin. "Panicking never does you any good."
Waffle gave a sigh. His eyes soon caught onto a specific sign.
"Th-thhere it is. Kelp's Electric."
"Still don't get why they have a hardware store underwater specifically catered toward land-technology."
"W-well, a-at least there's one somewhere in town."
"Tsch."
Waffle swam up onto the stone ledge, ascending one story onto the upper pathway. Pear followed soon, taking a nearby set of stairs, They advanced forward a bit more, before reaching the door. It swung upwards as they pushed it open, then slowly fell shut behind them.
"O-okay. Just need a s-standard FSL plug, a-and some wire."
"Just hurry up and find it. The sooner we get it, the sooner we get home, the sooner you fix the oven, the sooner I can eat."
"Y-you could have gotten a s-ub on the way, o-or something."
"I don't want no soggy-ass sea-sandwich, Waffle."
"...Fair enough."
Sliding glass-doors parted with a swift slide, making way for three pokémon to proceed inside. A ponyta, skitty, and espeon all entered. The entrance closed behind them.
Amongst the various pokémon in the lobby, a goldeen sat at a desk, shuffling through small, thin slabs of stone. He peeked over his glasses to observe the newcomers, before giving a small nod. He lifted a device from off his desk, securing it to the side of his face.
"Good evening, Pancake," said the goldeen. He then squinted a bit more, smiling. "I see you have also brought some of Team Glamour with you. What a pleasant surprise!"
Pancake gave a weak smile, nodding. Her expression was hardly visible under the mask, however.
"Y-yeah! Just found them on the way."
The goldeen grew concerned, swimming over quickly. Floss and Coco both backed off as the fish swam in circles around the espeon, an eyebrow raised.
"Forgive me for not noticing sooner, but where is your husband? Did something go wrong on the mission?"
The espeon's pupils shrank a bit. She attempted a furious shake of her head, though it was drastically slowed by water resistance.
"No! No, nothing like that. He just stopped for supplies on the way back to the guild, is all. Relax."
With a relieved nod, the fish retreated back to his desk.
"Of course, of course! Sincerest apologies for assuming the worst." He gave a worried frown, before speaking once more. "I do hope I did not offend."
Coco gave a small sigh, shaking his head.
"Apple, my good sir, you simply must relax," soothed the ponyta.
Pancake stepped forward as well, placing a paw on the fish's head.
"I'm sure you are quite busy, so we will not hold you up any longer. Do take care, Apple."
The water-type gave a nod, resuming focus onto his tablets.
"Yes, yes, you are both correct. Best wishes."
The land-dwellers, after giving their farewells, made their way toward the hallway.
The underwater portion of the guild HQ was a lot less drab in appearance, colored with inviting pinks and yellows as opposed to the sterile whites and grays of its sister-building.
The hallway's walls were lined with various carvings and paintings directly on its surface, all contributed by visitors and teams alike.
"I don't think I evew asked," started Floss, "but, why did you decide to live and wowk undo-wato?"
The group stuck to the right side of the hallway, which has a current to help push them forward. An opposing current ran parallel on the left side. Various pokémon made their way up and down the corridor, the majority adapted to the aquatic environment.
"It's just nice, I suppose," Pancake replied after a moment of thought. "It's pretty much exactly the same as guild work on land, except there's different scenery and you can swim."
The trio stopped at a particular door, The espeon lifted a paw to press a button, causing the shutters to open slowly. A small, metal room was revealed, which the three soon stepped inside of. The door shut with a clank. Before long, three slots opened near the bottom of the wall, beginning to drain the water from the room. Once finished, a second door on the opposite side opened up.
The three stepped inside.
The walls were painted to depict a bright blue sky, with photorealistic clouds adorning its surface. The carpet below their feet was a luscious green, presumably to mimic grass. The room was lit with a circular white light in the middle.
Pancake, upon squeezing the water from her fur with psychic, unequipped her aquatic gear and hopped up onto her bright yellow couch. Coco's renewed flames dried him off as well, with Floss leaning close to his tail to share in its dehydrating power.
Upon removing his mouth-piece, Coco gave a polite bow.
"A pleasant residence you have here, Ms. Pancake. It is an honor to be allowed into the abode of such a renowned exploration team such as yours."
Pancake gave a small laugh, staring up at the ceiling.
"It's good to hear your first impressions are positive! Everyone else down here makes fun of us for 'bringing the land down here'. All in jest, of course."
Floss hopped up onto the arm of the couch, curling up slowly
"Mmm... I've a-l-ways wanted to decowate ouw apawtment mowe, but evewyone ewese lllikes it bllland and bowing."
Coco gave a small chuckle, ruffling the cat's head fur. She let out a small hiss, swatted away the offending hoof.
"It's mostly about the money, Floss. We do not particularly wish to invest in decor until we are more well-off."
"Soooo... Have you tried... this-a one?" The ponyta's horn glowed faintly, with a case levitating off from the shelf.
"Have you tried getting lose?"
Barbie gave a small giggle. She bowed her head, poking an unamused vulpix's cheek with her horn.
"Aww, you're, like, so silly!"
"Cool." Salami roughly shoved past the equine, eliciting a small squeal. Soon recovering, she pranced about, coming to a stop in front of the vulpix. His brown paw, having meant to grip the book in his sights, instead found itself on a fluffy white chest. He quickly yanked his paw away, back-stepping to avoid further contact. "S-sorry!"
Barbie gave him a bright grin, nodding her head.
"No prob, Salami!" She turned, giving a brief toss of her head, making a big show of re-lighting her horn. The large book levitated off the shelf, engulfed in her magical aura. "Was this the one you wanted?"
Salami's timidity melted back into disamusement as the book settled upon his back.
"Ugh."
The fire-type took hold of the book with his own psychic grasp, then roughly yanking it away. He shot his unsolicited companion a nasty glare, which received a bright grin in return.
Salami's glare turned to the gothitelle's towering figure on the far-side of the room. He trudged along toward her slowly, with Barbie bouncing along behind him as he approached the front-desk.
Salami attempted to stand on his hind-legs to reach up to the desk's surface, though found himself a bit too short. A small growl escaped his throat, the fault of a certain ponyta lifting the book onto the desk.
Avoca looked down at the two with a small nod.
"So, comes a shimmer and flame; seeking knowledge, assistance, no fortunate, no fame. Here schemes a fox, though clever and keen, the intel he seeks involves one unforeseen."
"Just tag the fucking book."
"The flame is a power most dangerous to behold; one misplaced spark; there goes what you behold. With a tongue of fire, if no thoughts, you save? To be careless with this gift brings consequences grave."
Avoca tagged the book with its return date, then levitated it back onto Salami's desk. She waved the two patrons off as they departed.
"Bye bye, Mrs. Avoca, and, like, thanks for the wisdom and stuff! So good to see youuuu!" called the ponyta with a wave.
"Good luck, you two. I fear you will be needing it quite soon."
Pear ditched his weight-pack, shaking his head.
"You're on your own, Waffs. Try not to die."
"B-but!"
Waffle's head quickly turned back and forth, between the fleeing chespin and the approaching beartic. He prepared to swim off as well, until his father's low, rumbling voice met his ears.
"Waffle, wait." Waffle did as told, however not of his own will. His father's command made his muscles seize up. The beartic, upon seeing this, rested his large paw on the espeon's back. He visibly relaxed, however remained tense. "Your mother and I; we are not upset with you. We merely wish to talk."
Waffle took a long, slow breath. He straightened his posture, looking up to face his father. The towering form of the beartic blocked out the shimmering light of the pink street-lamps, just barely illuminating his face around the edges.
The bear slowly knelt town, hoping to put on a less intimidating display.
Waffle felt a smile reaching at his lips, despite himself. He gave his father a hesitant hug, which was returned with a small rub on the head.
A small stream of tears built up within the ice-type's goggles.
"Oh, kiddo... You look just like your mom, now."
"Yeah... I guess I do..."
Waffle felt his father lift him up into his arms. His anxiety began to melt away.
Oh, how he had missed the touch of family.
The espeon zoned out, simply soothed to be with his family again. Minutes, hours, days could have passed; Waffle did not know. At some point, he found himself nestled between his parents on the couch. Everything felt right in the world.
It was a long time before anyone spoke, but it was his mother's voice that first met his ears.
"We were just... Scared, honey. We respect your decision, and we will not fault you for it, but... We wish you'd trusted us enough to keep in contact."
Waffle turned to look into the fellow espeon's eyes. They shared a long, warm look.
"I... I know. I'm just... I'm really sorry, mommy. I really am. I just didn't want my friends to end up like... Her."
Waffle felt tears coming to his eyes, mirrored by his mother's own. A paw came to rest on his cheek, which he leaned into.
"You've only been gone a little while, but you've already changed so much. Your sister would be so proud of you, honey."
A second, much larger paw came to rest on Waffle's back, stroking his fur carefully.
"You're brave, kiddo. Braver than you could know. You've had the courage to do what your mother and I just weren't brave enough to do. You faced your fears head-on, instead of running away. Hiding in another life, hiding underwater, always hiding somewhere. Just, please don't cut us out again, okay? It was... Scary. The thought that we may never hear from you again, just like... You know..."
"Waffle raised a paw to his father's own colossal form, mimicking the soothing petting motions that he and his mother had received so many times before. The beartic, despite the sorrowful atmosphere, managed to give a small chuckle."
Salami huffed silently with the effort of pushing the door open, trudging into his shared bedroom. He briefly glanced to the window, where a certain chespin was sneaking in at the same time. Pear carried a small box on his back as he walked toward the door.
"Uh, why didn't you just use the front door?"
"Force of habit."
Barbie gave the chespin a small smile. The expression faltered a bit, an eyebrow raising in mild confusion.
"Hey... Where's my bro? And Waffle?"
"Family drama. They'll probably be back in, like, a couple hours."
The ponyta gave a weary sigh, though accepted the metal box with a nod. She levitated it onto her bed.
"Guess he won't be fixing the stove in time for dinner. Family is, like, important and stuff." She over-dramatically held a hoof to her forehead, looking up in anguish. "Oh, like, whatever will I do with my newfound free-time?!" She opened one eye, a mischievous smirk crossing her muzzle as she took sight of Salami. The vulpix gave her a deadpan stare.
"Uh, absolutely not."
"What iiiff...?"
"Nope."
"I weeeere...?"
"No."
"To help-"
"No!"
"you-"
"No!"
"..."
"..."
"Helpyoustudy!"
"Arceus, damn it all!"
Barbie kicked the door shut with one leg, leaving the room only lit by Salami's monitor. She leapt over to the vulpix in question, settling down to hug him from behind as she wrapped the two of them in a blanket.
"Woohoo! Group study session!"
"Kill yourself."
"No way; almost made that mistake once already!"
"Cool; didn't ask."
"Hmmm... You're, like, kind of a dick or something."
"Absolutely."
The vulpix flipped his book open, then levitated his keyboard over. He began to slowly type as his eyes glanced across the paper. One after another, he flipped through the pages.
"Wowie, you read fast, don't ya'?"
"No. Now, leave."
"Sure seems like it!"
"I can't read unown script; I'm just looking at the pictures. Shoo."
The vulpix flinched at the squeaky gasp of the equine atop him.
"Ooooh! I can read unown script! Maybe I can, like, dictate stuff to you?"
Salami's interest was perked. All at once, he shot up, nose pressed against Barbie's own.
"You... can?"
"Totally!"
The fire-type jerked his head away upon realizing his physical contact. He leveled her with a forced flat expression, which morphed into a puzzled frown.
"Wait... Uh, why do you know unown script?"
"It's, like, what everyone used back home. My brother's, like, gotten rusty, but I'm a journalist for a newsletter back home."
Salami nudged the book aside to take a seat across from the ponyta. The psychic-type gave the fox a tilt of the head, herself settling into a more comfortable position.
"That's, uh, pretty interesting. I've always respected that kind of work; the people deserve to be informed, and all that. It's the best way to save them."
Barbie gave him a large grin, nodding eagerly.
"It's my main passion! It's what led me to coming with my brother to join the guild, actually. The opportunity to go around, get into the thick of the action, actually experience the big news before it's reported? The chance to get in there and spread pokémons' stories for the world to see? It's, like, everything I could have wanted, and more."
Salami gave a slow nod, a smile cracking at his muzzle.
"That's, uh, very noble of you. I can respect that."
"Oh! That, like, makes me wonder; what's your reason for joining the guild?"
Salami put a paw to his chin in thought.
His eyes first went to his damaged ear, a hefty chunk missing due to the shot he'd taken on the previous mission.
His eyes then fell to the cape flowing down his back.
"I... Well, it's never really been my dream. I'm just here for my friends and family really. Shallot's always wanted to be a hero, Tart wanted any excuse to get out of town ASAP, and my family has been in the business for generations. I kinda just felt, uh, obligated? But... More and more recently, with everybody who gave me purpose absent from my life, I don't know why I'm still here. All I've really been trying to do is get them back, you know? Other than that, I'm just... Angry, and aimless. I even pushed away my own mother, when she only wanted to help. I guess I kinda just... Feel like I'm maybe a bad person?"
Barbie let a hoof come to rest on Salami's back.
"Salami... I'll, like, be honest, 'kay? You're a spiteful, overly-critical, ill-tempered recluse who sits on a computer all-day in his free-time. However, let it never be said that you're a bad person. With how much you've stuck by your friends sides, fought for what you believe in, and all the work you're doing trying to fix things? You've got, like, a good heart in there. You've just gotta chill a bit, okay? You're not alone in this fight."
"I... Just, I don't even know where to start. I've only had, like, three friends for as long as I remember, and I don't even know why they hang out with me."
"Just, like, apologize for being a dick, don't continue being a dick, and just talk to people."
Salami slumped a bit, heaving a long sigh.
"But... What if they don't give me another chance?"
"Hey... If I'm willing to give you another shot after all how you've treated me, everyone else should be a cake-walk."