Last Time, on Explorer's of Prehistory...
Venom, Aero, Cotton, Ace and Kiara were brought out of the tundra and into a cozy inn, run by a Froslass named Yuki. Though she was friendly towards them, Yuki actually put some sleeping poisons into their drinks and used Dream Eater while they were asleep to discern their true intentions. Discovering that they were all honestly lost in the tundra and that they weren't thieves or treasure hunters, seeking the mysterious Cave of Dreams. As an apology, Yuki allowed them to stay at the inn for free! While there, Kiara encounters a familiar face: Storm, the Glalie, a mischevoius young Ice-type who played a rather painful prank on the Persian. (I love alliteration!) However, Storm's misbehavior was quickly forgotten when he reported that exploration teams were on their way to Yuki's inn!
What will happen next? Find out now!
The pine doors of the inn were flung open as Yuki floated outside, gazing down the path to the foot of the mountain, quickly catching sight of the approaching group of Pokemon, climbing - or rather, flying up the mountain. The Froslass had a good mind and memory for Pokemon, able to recognize most species upon sight, but it honestly took her a few seconds to recognize this trio. She had never seen them before in real life, and with good reason: these Pokemon were by no means adept at surviving in such a cold environment.
The Pokemon quickly caught sight of Yuki as well, and, with words of encouragement from their leader, picked up the pace. There were three of them, all similar and yet different in appearance The smallest one was a Zubat, a small, blue, bat-like Pokemon without eyes, who relied on echo-location to find its way around. It flew besides a much larger counterpart, Golbat, who was almost identical to its smaller evolution save for two things: Golbat had eyes and Golbat had a mouth size that would make even a snake Pokemon jealous. The last Pokemon was the final form of this line, known as Crobat: a sleek, aerodynamic bat with a dark violet body and four smooth-looking wings that allowed it to fly easily, no matter the environment it found itself in.
The trio of Pokemon quickly made their way to Yuki; the wind was gentle that day, and interfered very little with their flight. When they arrived, they landed, flopping down in the snow in front of Yuki. "May I help you?" the Froslass asked calmly.
The Crobat gave a polite and admittedly handsome smile. "I believe you can," he said in a rich, velvety voice, "if your name happens to be Yuki the Froslass."
Yuki nodded, still on the defensive. "It is."
"Excellent!" The Crobat bowed his head. "Allow me to introduce myself and my siblings. My name is Vlad. The Golbat is my brother Dram, and the Zubat is my sister Akasha. We are Team Vampire, a silver-ranked exploration team."
Yuki finally allowed her suspicions to rest as Vlad reached into the bag that hung off of his right upper wing, and pulled out an Gardevoir Guild Explorer's Badge. His two siblings did the same. Gardevoir Guild Badges were notoriously difficult to acquire (Yuki had rumors of some horrible, life-threatening "Trial" that scared most new recruits away) so if these guys had them, chances are they were telling the truth. "I'm glad to meet you," she said politely, bowing her head. "May I assume that you are searching for the Cave of Dreams?" she asked.
"You assume right," Dram cut in, his voice more guttural and gravelly than the soft silkiness of his elder brother's.
Vlad nodded. "We are," he confirmed. "We were told by the townsfolk that your inn has detailed maps of Icicle Island, along with supplies sufficient enough to last through the harsh journey. We've come in hopes to purchase your wares."
Yuki sighed, shaking her head, and for a moment Vlad was internally terrified that he had said something wrong. His fears were more or less put to rest when Yuki said, "Come with me," and floated back to the inn.
"What's with her?" Akasha piped, as usual not nearly as quietly as she should have.
"Shh!" Vlad hissed. "Never mind that. Come along, let's hurry - before you know who shows up..."
His siblings scowled in unison and nodded.
The moment that Team Vampire entered the inn, they were accosted by Crystal and Storm. Both Ice-types absolutely loved to hear stories from the explorers who stopped at the inn. Thankfully, Vlad was excellent with children and was more than happy to give a few stories of his team's daring deeds. Naturally, a silver-ranked team like Team Vampire probably never had done anything exceptionally legendary, but, if Vlad was telling the truth, they had done some impressive and dangerous missions.
Of course, this current mission would likely prove more dangerous than anything they had ever done.
Naturally, the exploration team caught stares from the survivors as well. Even Venom stopped pretending to brood and watched the groups of bats. They seemed odd when they compared them to most explorers that they had either known personally or heard of. They were friendly, not particularly hardened by battle, and, perhaps the strangest of all, they were all siblings; very close siblings. Normally people put together teams with members of other species and families, but Team Vampire put together a team of just brothers and sisters, all of the same type.
Ace recognized the team, having worked at the mainland all his life and also having worked often with the Gardevoir Guild, and he quickly, and quietly, filled in the Aero and Cotton when they asked about the group. "Team Vampire," he whispered, "a silver-ranked exploration team. Leader's Vlad the Crobat, and his two team mates are his brother and sister Dram and Akasha. They work mainly as bounty hunters and rescue teams. I think this might be their first real exploration."
Dram's ears twitched and he cast a suspicious glare at the whispering Pokemon. Of course he heard everything that Ace had said: the Zubat line had incredibly sensitive auditory senses. Scowling to himself, he hissed a small sonic vibration into the air to his brother and sister, so high-pitched that the other Pokemon couldn't hear it. "Vlad, they're whispering about us."
Vlad barely even broke off from his story. "What are they whispering about?" he asked, staying in a frequency that was inaudible to the others.
"They're just talking about us," Akasha whispered. "The green guy looks like he knows us."
"Are they saying anything bad about us?" asked Vlad.
"Not really..." Dram admitted.
"Than be civil and introduce yourselves to them," Vlad answered, returning his attention to Crystal and Storm.
Dram scowled. He loved his brother with every fiber of his being, but he didn't share his manners or social skills. To be honest, aside from their species and their parents (Heaven rest their souls) they shared next to nothing in common. Thankfully, Akasha, their younger sister, was much more social than Dram and was quick to introduce herself to the survivors. "Hello!"
Yuki winced. That girl was young, barely nine years old from the sound of her voice. Such a young girl, heading into such a harsh environment... "Ahem... Mr. Vlad, might I speak to you for a moment?" she asked.
"Oh, certainly," Vlad said politely. "Excuse me, children, but I need to speak to Ms. Yuki for a moment," he told Storm and Crystal.
"Aww..." the Ice-types moaned as Vlad flitted off to speak to Yuki behind the desk.
Yuki lowered her voice as much as she could, knowing that the Crobat would hear what she said. "I am not your mother," she stated, surprising the Crobat, "and I am not trying to tell you what to run your team. I will, however, tell you this. The wilds of Icicle Island are so cold that even an Ice-type can and will freeze to death. You and your brother are adults and can make your own decisions, but your sister is young and small. The tundra is too dangerous for someone so young."
Vlad blinked, surprised by the Froslass's tone of voice; she almost sounded angry. "Akasha has been with us on every exploration we've gone on," he answered calmly. "She's a valued member of the team, and she hates it when I treat her like a child. If I tell her to stay behind, she'll make a terror of herself. Besides," he added, "we came alone, and I have no one to keep an eye on her while we are gone,"
"I'll keep an eye on her," Yuki said.
"I'm afraid we'd have nothing to pay you for," Vlad said meekly. "We've spent most of our funds to get here, and the rest are going towards supplies."
"I'll watch her for free," Yuki replied.
Vlad smiled politely, though inwardly alarms were going off in his head. A free babysitter for his sister? It sounded good - too good. And that meant that somebody was getting screwed over. "Really?" he asked. "That would be very kind of you... but I don't know how long we'll be gone."
"If you survive, you'll be back in less than a day," Yuki statted.
Oh, well, that certainly is encouraging, Vlad thought.
"May I be honest with you?" Yuki asked.
"No. Lie to me," Vlad replied.
"Pokemon who go to find that cave," Yuki hissed, her tone darkening, "either come back empty handed or they don't come back at all. You're all Flying-type's - you're weak to Ice-type attacks. You will find no easy foes out there."
Vlad's smile fell and he sighed. "I understand," he said. "Thank you." He turned his attention back to his team. Akasha hadn't heard a word of what was said between him and Yuki, due to being too focused on pestering those odd Pokemon with questions, but Dram had heard everything, and was staring at his elder brother with a curious look on his face.
Vlad forced a smile and flew up into the air. "Excuse me, everyone!" he announced. "As wonderful as your hospitality has been, I am afraid that we need to head out. The Cave of Dreams awaits us!"
Venom raised his tail. "Excuse me," he said.
"Yes?"
"Why are you searching for this cave?"
Vlad snorted laughter. "Because it's there, of course!" he replied.
Venom rolled his eyes. The cold must have gotten to the Crobat already, he decided.
Vlad went on: "Now, I know you might be worried that we might not survive..." He just resisted catching an accusatory gaze at Yuki behind the counter. "However," he continued, "just because we are merely a silver-ranked exploration team does not mean that we cannot rise to this challenge! We will find the Cave of Dreams or we will d... ahem... or we will return home shamed and empty-winged!"
The survivors looked from one to the other, shrugging and giving Vlad some applause for his troubles. Vlad, satisfied, flew down to Dram. "How did I do?" he asked.
"Six out of ten," Dram replied.
"Let's go!" Akasha shouted, flying over to her brothers.
"Uh, yes," Vlad said, "you see, Akasha, Dram and I are going it alone for now."
If Akasha had eyes, they'd be wide open. "W-what?! Why?!" she demanded.
"Because," Vlad said, "I have a very important job for you! You need to keep your ears open for..." He lowered his voice. "You know who..."
Akasha nodded, finally understanding. "Oh..." she said, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Now, if you hear them," Vlad continued, "send us the signal, alright? Trust me, we'll hear it. This exploration is important, and I don't want them ruining our plans!"
Akasha gave a winged salute. "Okay!" she declared. "I'll do my best! They'll never get past me!"
"Good," Vlad said. "Dram," he told his brother, "let's get the supplies packed up!"
Dram nodded. "Right!"
Vlad and Dram shouldered their now heavier bags. They were now filled with new supplies for their exploration; tends, dried mushrooms, blankets, oran berries and heal seeds, and aspear berries, the usual supplies for an arctic expedition.
So, the two brothers bravely set off, their sister shouting their praises as they left into the tundra that lay beyond the mountain: the wilds of Icicle Island.
Noon came, and then passed, and soon the sun was setting.
Akasha was flitting about silently outside, ears twitching as she awaited a sign of her brother's return. Loyal to her family always, she stood her ground and kept her ears peeled, even as the cold wind blew all the harder, and even as she silently drifted off into sleep as the sun finally dipped behind the mountain.
Yuki floated over to the sleeping Zubat, shaking her head. Akasha had been the youngest explorer she had ever seen, and to know that her brothers might never return to see her again... It made her almost shamed to be an innkeeper. Sadly, she had bills to pay.
Yuki sighed, scooping the sleeping, shivering Zubat into her arms and floated back to the moonlit inn. She couldn't tell that she had been seen. At the foot of the mountain path, a Roserade, her face wrapped in a scarlet scarf, lowered her spyglass with narrowed eyes.
Morning came, and so did the time to leave.
Venom yanked his bag off of the floor, throwing it over his head and down to his neck. Inside of the bag was enough poke, generously donated by Yuki, to get him to the mainland. After that, he could make his way to Scale.
The others were equally well-equipped for their own travels. Thankfully, this time they would be travelling not in a dingy but in an actual factual passenger ship, authorized by the Dragonite Empire and with a goal to bring them to the mainland to seek their own fortunes and follow their own paths. Though few of them knew exactly what they wanted to do, they all knew that the empire had the most opportunities to offer them for the future.
"Ready to go?" Ace asked, shrugging his own bag over his shoulders.
Venom grunted in response. He didn't know why he was so grouchy that day; after all, soon he'd be rid of all these annoyances. So, why did he feel to unhappy? "Yeah, I'm ready," he hissed, surprising himself with his own lack of poison in his voice.
"Good, good," Ace said with a grin. "How about you?" he asked, turning his attention to the girls.
"Ready!" Aero said, giving the Sceptile a fanged grin and raising her thumb.
"Ready," purred Kiara.
"More water..." whimpered Cotton. She was ready.
"Well," Ace said, "let's set off!"
The group was just about to set off, when...
"Wait!"
Yuki burst out from the inn, concern etched on her normally neutral face. "Have you seen the children?!" she asked worriedly.
"Which ones?" Kiara asked.
"All of them!" wailed Yuki. "Storm, Crystal, and that little Zubat, Akasha, they're all gone!"
In that instant, the desire to leave vanished. Ace's detective mode switched on, and it was almost as if a different Pokemon was inhabiting his body. "When did you notice that they were missing, ma'am?"
"Just this morning," Yuki said, "when I went to wake the children up, they were gone!"
"Any sign of break in?" Ace asked.
"No... The doors were locked last night..." Yuki said, shaking with worry. "I didn't see any broken glass, and only I and Crystal have the keys to open the doors."
Ace's gears began to turn. "Any reason why Crystal would run away?"
Yuki gaped, a combination of horror and offense washing over her face. "W-what on earth makes you think she would run away?!" she demanded. "I love Storm and Crystal as if they were my own children! They have no reason to run away!"
"What about the Zubat?" Venom asked, wincing as he felt... concern - actual concern - in his voice.
"I'll handle this investigation sir, thank you," Ace told the Arbok. "Please keep behind the yellow tape."
"What tape?!"
"What about the Zubat, Akasha? Did she have a reason to run away?" Ace pressed on.
Yuki slowly looked away. "...Maybe."
"Ma'am, if you don't help in this investigation, I can't help you," Ace warned.
"She could have left..." Yuki admitted, "to find her brothers."
"So she went to the tundra?"
"Perhaps..."
Ace nodded. "Your children seemed to be enthralled by explorers. They could have viewed this as a rescue mission and went to help Akasha find her brothers. Crystal used her key to unlock the door and they tagged along to help Akasha find her brothers."
Yuki's eyes were wide as a tear slid down her face, freezing halfway down. "Oh, dear..." she whispered.
Aero cleared her throat. "Uh... Excuse me, officer..." she said. "But, why would they go out to save those two boys? I mean, they've only been gone a day."
Yuki turned away and sobbed. Aero winced, seeing that she had hit a nerve without intending to.
Ace sighed. "Ma'am, please, help me to help you. If you know anything, you need to tell me. It's the only way for me to help you."
"Officer..." Yuki shivered. "Hundreds of Pokemon have set out for the Cave of Dreams... and not all of them come back. If Team Vampire hasn't returned yet..." She sighed. "Then I don't believe they'll be coming back at all. They're dead."
Author's Note:
Another early update! Sorry, but I've got places to be! Seeya next update!