Last Time, on Explorer's of Prehistory...
Venom, Aero, Cotton, Ace and Kiara went off for a dangerous expedition into the tundra of Icicle Island, in search of the missing Team Vampire, along with the missing Akasha, Crystal and Storm, who went off on their own to save the exploration team. While on this perilous journey, our heroes were attacked by a horde of territorial Abomasnow. Thankfully, the battle was won and the party was saved by the arrival of the famous exploration team Team Rose!
What will happen next? Find out now!
Team Rose was a bit of a celebrity team back on the mainland. The first team to ever get the gold explorer's rank, despite the notoriously difficult and brutal Gardevoir Guild's incredibly high standards, and the victors of dozens of explorations. To make matters all the better, they had never failed in a mission they had been given, and where considered to be the cream of the guild's crop, the best of the best.
The leader and founder was Rose, the Roserade, daughter of the Roserade Providence Ambassador to the Dragonite Empire, and also a famous explorer father to boot. As such, she inherited her mother's quiet and sophisticated mannerisms, and her father's lust for adventure - and treasure.
The Dratini was Dracia. Like Rose, she too was from an upper-class family. Of course, most Dratini (and Dragon-types in general) were from upper-class families, given the fact that it was the Dragonite Empire, and Dragon-types, naturally, were going to be a big deal there. Dracia was the more reckless member of the team: impulsive, impatient, and impish, as well as short-tempered and an ability to hold a nasty grudge defined this girl's life, along with her love of gold, a love that was provident of all Dragon-types.
Lastly, there was Hula, the Bellossom. Hula was quiet, and that was pretty much it. She rarely talked to anyone, and usually just served as Rosa's gofer: "Hula, go for food," or "Hula, go for water," or "Hula, go for supplies," and the like. Of course, Hula was more than happy to be in Team Rose. If she wasn't, she would have said so, right?
Team Rose had many dealings with Ace in the past. They often dragged criminals, kicking and screaming, into the officer's waiting hands, and Ace, in turn, rewarded them for their efforts. As such, they dealt with each other quite often, and knew each other by name, though they weren't exactly friends.
Friends or not, Team Rose had just pulled them out of a dangerous situation, and were therefore deserving of some gratitude. The party thanked them as humbly as they could muster (Venom included). However, Team Rose had been thanked so many times that thank yous meant very little to them nowadays. Today, they were searching for a real prize.
"So," Ace asked the explorers, "what are you doing here?"
"Well, if you must now, officer," Rose said (for it was she who did most of the teams' talking), "we're currently searching for the Cave of Dreams. To be frank, it's the only thing on this rock worth the voyage we had to take."
"That so?" Ace folded his arms. "I don't recall seeing you at the inn," he said.
"We know," Rose said casually. "We saw Team Vampire, and decided not to risk an encounter with them. Knowing their outrageous tempers, it could have gone quite south."
Dracia nodded. "What jerks," she muttered.
"They seemed pretty nice to me," Cotton whispered to Aero.
Aero shrugged. "I guess they're rival teams," she whispered back.
"Finding the Cave of Dreams is the goal of many explorers," Rose said, moving on, "so it's only natural that a gold-class team like us should search for it. Sadly, our rivals got a head start on us."
"We would've beaten them here, if Hula hadn't been so late!" Dracia said, casting a glare at Hula.
Hula turned pale. "S-sorry," she whispered so quietly that they barely heard her.
"Anyways," Rose continued, annoyed that she had been interrupted, "we arrived mere moments after Team Vampire arrived, and stayed at the inn in town to plan our next move. When we did come to the inn on the mountainside, we heard that you were here and likely wandering into a dangerous situation with a team of... to be frank, amateurs... and likely needed help." She looked over to the others and smiled. "No offense, of course."
"Eh, none taken," was the general consensus and reply. It was true, after all.
"And, so, here we are and all that," Rose concluded. "Please, officer, scuttle on back to the inn. We'll handle Team Vampire's rescue."
"Can't do that," Ace said. "And before you even ask, Rose, you know why. I'm an officer of the law and have sworn to uphold the law and save any Pokemon in distress, yadda yadda etc., etc., you get the picture."
Rose hardly seemed impressed. "I understand your concern and duties," she said, raising her flowery hands, "but let's not beat around the bush. You should never send an officer to do an explorer's job."
"She's got a good point," Kiara said.
"You just want to go back to the inn!" Aero snapped back.
"And why not?" Rose looked over Aero skeptically. "Tell me, eh, Ariel..."
"It's Aero."
"...Quite right. Tell me, Aero, what experience do you have in a situation like this? Regardless of what experience you may or may not have," she went on, not letting Aero get her two poke in, "you are certainly not in the Gardevoir Guild and you certainly don't have a gold-rank. You'd just get in the way and interfere with the rescue. Besides that, it's far too dangerous for you."
"Now listen here," Ace said, the tone of voice surprising everyone, "these Pokemon have been through a lot. I've seen them fight against the Darkclaw Pirates, something you've never done, and they've survived a cataclysm and the destruction of everything and everyone they held dear. They may not have a rank like you, but that does not, under any circumstances, mean that they are not skilled. And, 'to be frank' I'd take them over you, even if we were exploring the Abyss itself to go and fight Giritina!"
Silence naturally followed the bold statement. The survivors were silent, Team Rose was silent, and Ace was silent, and breathing heavily. The survivors were also mostly red in the face, save for Venom who was cold blooded and therefore couldn't blush. Team Rose was a different story. Dracia looked like she was almost fuming, but Rose was completely expressionless, the gears in her petaled head turning. Hula was nervously looking back and forth from either side, terrified that a fight might actually break out.
It was quiet; so quiet that you could actually hear the snow landing on the ground.
"Heh... Hee... Hehehehehee..."
Rose's slow chuckles finally ended the silence. The Roserade put a rose to her mouth as she giggled away. "My, my, to be frank, my dear Ace, that was quite... mmm... enlightening." She looked to Hula. "Does that work, or is there a better way to put it?" she whispered.
"Maybe... uh... inspiring," offered Hula meekly.
"And it was inspiring as well," Rose added. "If you honestly think you are completely up to this task, then by all means, please come with us."
"What?" Ace muttered.
"What?!" exclaimed Dracia. "But they'll-!"
Rose shot the Dratini a glare that spoke her thoughts perfectly. "They'll be fine," she hissed. "Besides, if Officer Ace is credible (which he is, frankly) then, frankly, I don't see we shouldn't take them with us. If the rumors of this dungeon are true, then, frankly, we need all the bodies we can throw at it." She ruffled her scarf. "Very well," she told the survivors. "Tag along if you'd like. Just don't expect us to share our supplies."
Ace nodded. "We won't. Let's go."
Venom nodded. "Let's get this over with," he huffed.
"Right!" Aero said, clenching her fists.
"Let's do it!" Cotton said bravely.
Kiara groaned. "Yeah, yeah, you guys go ahead," she encouraged. "I'll just head back to the inn..."
"Fine."
"Go ahead."
"Good riddance."
"Have fun."
"Frankly, we're better off without you, darling."
Kiara's eyes widened and she whirled about. "W-what was that?!"
"Quitters are not needed in this business," Rose said smugly. "In fact, I feel the good name of the Gardevoir Guild tarnished by your mere presence, frankly. Run along now, no need to concern yourself with us, darling."
"Oh..." Aero chuckled. "Burn."
Kiara snarled. "You little..."
"Come along, now," Rose ordered. "Let's be off and all that."
Kiara scowled, and then grinned. "Oh, no," she laughed, "there's no way I'm falling for that trick!"
"What trick?" Cotton asked, before Aero tugged her away.
"That trick where you act like you don't want me to come when you do," Kiara explained, examining her claws. "I've seen it a hundred times, and it's not going to..."
The Persian paused as she realized that she had lost her audience. In fact, they were walking off, and were about ten yards away. "Well... Well fine!" Kiara sniffed. "Go and die out there. See if I care! I'll be back at the inn, safe and warm!" She was about to pounce off, when a thought popped into her mind. "How do I get back again."
A roar of anguish and rage filled the tundra as Kiara bounded after the newly formed team.
"I say," remarked Rose to Venom. "Not the brightest star in the sky, is she?"
Venom snickered to himself. "You have no idea..."
"So, do you know where Team Vampire headed off to?" asked Aero to Rose.
"We do," Rose answered.
"We copied their map," Dracia announced proudly before Rose could stop her.
Ace looked at the Roserade suspiciously. "Come again?" he asked.
Rose frowned underneath her scarf. Dracia would pay for that one. "Well, frankly, they didn't hide the fact very well."
"What fact?" Ace questioned further.
"The map," Rose said. "They bought it in one of the pawn shops in Dragonite City. Hula just happened to be doing her shopping when they bought it and passed it onto me."
Hula looked ashamed. "You don't need to give me credit..."
"Well, they were planning their expedition in the cafeteria," Rose went on, ignoring her flunkie's protests, "not the wisest move, frankly, but thinking has never been one of Vlad's stronger suits, and we just happened to overhear and Dracia just happens to be an excellent artist who just so happened to have her sketch pad on her."
The story smelled like a lie and they all knew it. Rose didn't seem to care, however, and kept moving. "Come, come," she ordered, pulling a piece of paper from underneath her scarf and unfolded it. "The map's right here, and it was a good thing we copied it, too. Friendly competition saves the day for Team Vampire and whatnot. If they made it this far, than we'll find them at the X."
"And hopefully those kids, too," Ace added hopefully.
"I hope they're okay," Aero muttered.
Rose laughed. "It's only Team Vampire. How much trouble could they possibly get into?"
"Dram! Dram, are you alright?!"
Vlad didn't give his brother time to answer. The Crobat's body was covered in frostbite, half-frozen blood, and bruises. His wings barely seemed to work, and the upper-right one was slightly crooked. Gritting his teeth, Vlad grabbed Dram's wing with his teeth and gave his wings a powerful beat, lifting his brother off of the icy ground.
"GROOOOOOOOOOOWR!"
The enraged roar filled the cave, shaking the ground and and the ceiling. Massive chunks of ice began to rain down from above, forcing Vlad to flap his wings even faster as the chunks began to pelt his already weakened body. To make matters worse...
"Crunch... Crunch... Crack..."
"GROOOOOOOOOOOWR!"
The beast was chasing them down, and Vlad knew it. Gritting his fangs so hard that he drew blood from his brother's wing, he propelled himself harder than before. There, laying ahead of them in this horrible, dank place was a tiny hole, big enough for the two bats but far too small for their pursuer. It was their only chance, and Vlad knew it.
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOWR!"
A beam of frigid cold shot over Vlad's head, narrowly missing him. The Crobat knew he wouldn't be so lucky the next time around, so he acted at once. With every ounce of strength he had, he hurled his brother's body into the hole and dive-bombed after it, just squeezing into the tunnel.
It was cramped, far too cramped to fly, and Vlad didn't have any time to lose. With a grunt he shoved Dram to the very back of the tiny little tunnel, keeping both of them as far away from the entrance as possible.
Something landed on the other side of the tiny cave. A pair of glowing yellow eyes peered into the cave, glaring at the two brothers.
Vlad held his breath, waiting for the creature to make its move. He knew that trying to reason with it wouldn't work - he had already tried and had been struck down for his efforts. So, he waited, making sure to have his Sludge Bomb at the ready, just in case.
The beast glared and then gave a hissing screech as it rose up and unleashed a freezing gale, so bright and powerful that Vlad had to close his eyes. When he opened them, the beast was gone - but it had left a calling card. The entrance of the tiny burrow, the only way out, had been frozen shut by a powerful Ice-type attack.
Vlad swore quietly and sighed.
"Urgh..."
Dram's eyes slowly popped open. "What happened? Where are we?" he asked.
Vlad flopped over to his brother. "We're trapped, that's where we are," he said, quietly.
Dram scowled, swearing loudly as he tried to sit up - and swearing even louder when he realized just how much pain he was in and plopped back to the icy floor.
"We'll have none of that," Vlad ordered, pulling off his pack. "What on earth were you thinking?! Charging that thing just like that?! You could have very well been killed!"
"I know..." Dram muttered.
"Then why did you do it?"
"Because I knew you would always be there to back me up."
Vlad stared at his brother for what seemed like an eternity before sighing at his sibling's rather heartfelt confession. "Never mind. Just hold still," he ordered, pulling out some oran berries from the bag. "I'll fix you up and then we can work on getting out of here."
"You think we can break that?" Dram asked, looking skeptically at the huge chunk of ice that sat between them in freedom.
"If we try hard enough, then yes, I do," Vlad said, trying to stay somewhat optimistic.
Dram nodded. "Right. And what then?"
"Then we fly like the Abyss," Vlad replied. "Explorer's Rule Number One: No treasure is worth your life - or the life of your brother," he added.
"Or sister," Dram agreed. "Good thing you made Akasha stay behind, eh?"
Vlad nodded. "Yes, yes," he agreed. "Now get some rest. We'll start work on that wall as soon as we're able."
"R-Right..." Dram agreed. "This was a bad idea, wasn't it?"
"...Probably..."
"I mean, I haven't seen anything that looks particularly dreamish," Dram pointed out. "Maybe this is the wrong cave."
"Maybe," Vlad conceded, "though I don't think something like that would guard a cave that has nothing of importance."
Dram grunted but said nothing.
Vlad slumped to the floor, his wings finally giving in. "J-just get some rest," he ordered wearily. "We'll work on escaping later."
Dram nodded, curling up into his wings and closing his eyes as sleep overtook him. Vlad followed suit, curling up and closing his own eyes.
Well... he thought. At least Akasha will survive.
"Wow... We actually made it..." Akasha whispered.
They were deep underground, having climbed down almost one-hundred feet to get this far, but it had all been worth it. Standing before them in the icy darkness, barely illuminated by their lanterns and Akasha's echo-location, was the Cave of Dreams, a massive, threatening maw in the earth, daring any explorers brave or foolish enough to enter its jaws.
Storm was dumbfounded. "We made it," he said, quietly. "This is... so awesome..."
"Let's go and find your brothers!" Crystal shouted.
"Team Blizzard is go!" Storm agreed, leading the charge.
And with that, the children ran into the cave and into the darkness that awaited them.
...More... Intruder...?
...More intruders!
Those fools shall suffer!
"Grooooowr!"
Author's Note:
Geez, I love Rose. I dunno why, but a British Roserade with a superiority complex and a polite but snobby nature really is kind of entertaining to me. She was a ton of fun to write for, too. She makes a good character, and her sidekicks will be getting some more screen-time with her.
Well, Team Vampire's trapped, Team Blizzard is on its way to its own demise, and Team Rose now has a bunch of newbies travelling with them. Will anyone make it out of this exploration alive? And who - or what - is the beast that guards the ancient Cave of Dreams?
Tune in next time to find out!