This'll be the very last time I introduce new characters to the story. They'll most likely play a bigger role in the sequel, but for now I'm not quite sure.
I'm sorry for those of you who submitted OCs and didn't get to see them in this fanfic, but I'll probably introduce them in the sequel!
-.-.-.-.-.
High above Vulcana City, the steaming pinnacle of the Hot Peak Volcano belched smoke into the sky. The huge mountain had remained dormant for years, but recently, perhaps because of the natural disasters that were slowly becoming more frequent across the continent, the volcano had begun to show these strange and worrying signs of activity. If it erupted, it would end up burying VulcanaCity under several tons of lava and ash.
While the city bustled with activity, the slopes of the Hot Peak Volcano appeared to be deserted. However, there was indeed some movement on the precarious, rocky mountainside closest to Vulcana City. Three large Pokemon trudged up the volcano, slowly and steadily so as not to risk an accident. They were Team Hydroburn, the Silver-ranked rescue team.
The leader was Cannon the Blastoise, who had followed in his father's footsteps as an explorer. His other two teammates, Blaze the Blaziken and Kate the Meganium, were close behind him as they made their way up. The atmosphere around them was simultaneously determined and excited, for this was Team Hydroburn's first big mission as a rescue team, more important than saving innocent Pokemon or retrieving rare items.
"How much farther?" grunted Cannon, whose short legs weren't made for climbing and were thus aching badly. "It's been hours," Kate agreed softly, in similar pain.
Blaze sighed. "You two reptiles are seriously out of shape," he said scathingly, although a chuckle broke through his words. "My dad used to take me rock climbing when I was a Combusken. We climbed pebbles like this every day, just for the view."
Both Cannon and Kate glanced at him, the Blastoise with skepticism and the Meganium with innocent curiosity. Blaze held his serious expression for about two seconds before breaking out in a grin.
"The only thing worse than a fire-breathing bird is a fire-breathing bird with a sense of humor," Cannon said, smiling as well.
Kate suddenly stopped climbing due to the ache in her feet. "Can we take a rest?" she asked timidly. "We've been climbing for hours… and my feet hurt…"
Cannon would have argued that they should keep moving, if it wasn't the Meganium who made the request. He always did have a soft spot for her. "Alright then. Let's take a quick break – but not too quick, remember. We have a very important job for the Guardians to do, and I don't want to bungle it up."
The three Pokemon sat down on a flat ledge that was just big enough for them. They were about halfway up the Hot Peak Volcano, and their vantage point offered them a stunning view of the city far below them.
"I think it would be a good idea to take this time to review what our mission entails," Blaze stated seriously, crossing his legs in a lotus position. "After all, we all know that Cannon doesn't have the greatest memory."
Kate couldn't help but smile softly as the Blastoise roughly punched his partner in the shoulder. "Blaze makes a good point. It is a good idea," she put in before the hot-tempered Blaziken could retaliate.
"Fine, if only to prove I can remember some things," Cannon conceded. "Alright, Team Sunburst told us to find the Shard that's rumored to be in this mountain. How was that?" he added sarcastically to Blaze.
The huge hawk-like Pokemon facepalmed. "We're not supposed to specifically find the Shard," he corrected exasperatedly. "We're here to confirm its existence. Remember, the Guardians have been convinced that it's hidden deep inside the Hot Peak Volcano for some time, but they're not able to prove it. That's why we're here."
Cannon rolled his eyes. "I was close enough," he said indignantly.
Kate agreed, "He's got the basic idea memorized." She was given an approving smile from the Blastoise, and she quickly looked away.
Blaze wisely said nothing. Instead, he averted his eyes up toward the smoking peak of the mountain. "The cave is supposed to be near the top of the volcano," he muttered. "We've barely gotten halfway there, and we started climbing almost two days ago!"
Shaking his head, Cannon started firing jets of water from his cannon to see how far down the mountain he could reach, just to pass the time. "We're not holding you back, are we, uber climber? How would you fight the wild Fire-types that undoubtedly live in the volcano without my Water-type moves to back you up?"
Kate followed Blaze's gaze up toward the pinnacle and shuddered. "It doesn't feel right," she murmured. "It feels like the mystery dungeon you two found me lost in before I joined your team." Indeed, the volcano seemed to have that unnatural vibe radiating from it, something that only a fully-evolved, pure Grass-type could detect.
"For the last time, mystery dungeons disappeared hundreds of years ago," Cannon objected. "It was just a particularly confusing and maze-like part of the Bughaven Forest, that's all."
Kate fixed him in an unusually hard stare. "Then how come it seemed completely different when we entered it on a rescue mission a year later? And how come Blaze ended up losing half of the items in his treasure bag when he ended up fainting a quarter of the way through?" she asked, her normally soft voice carrying a touch of irritation in it.
"All he's saying is that there haven't been any recorded instances of mystery dungeons in centuries," Blaze broke in, coming to his best friend's defense. Cannon gave him a nod, and Kate's annoyance rapidly faded. She always felt down when others made her seem incorrect.
Cannon noticed her becoming upset and suddenly got to his feet. "Why don't we keep climbing?" he suggested, starting up the slope again. "We've still got the whole rest of the afternoon to cover as much ground as we can! The sooner we reach our destination, the better!"
Blaze and Kate exchanged glances, then simply shrugged and followed their leader up the Hot Peak Volcano once more.
-.-.-.-.-.
A thick fog bank had rolled in by the time the Windchaser and Seasearcher had reached their destination. Junpei, whose eyes were already adapted for seeing through sandstorms, had taken his position in the Murkrow's nest. When he saw the edge of the coast suddenly melt out of the fog, he immediately flew down to gather his teammates.
"Alright, Sand Dragons!" he called, prompting everyone on deck to look over at him. Eugene and Terence gathered at the spot the Flygon landed upon, making sure their treasure bags had adequate supplies. This was something they did only out of habit, as their current mission wasn't the hardest.
"Now, we are approaching Seaside Village," Junpei began, pointing a claw at the coast – which was indeed visible to everyone else by now. "Let's briefly review our mission before we head out, as we always do."
Eugene nodded understandingly. "We've come here to pick up Lancelot's family and bring them to the Guardians' isle," he recited. Terence added, "And then we are to decide what to do next in terms of the missing half of the family, namely Lancelot himself and his daughter."
Junpei beamed. "Excellent! Glad to know you two are as on top of things as I am!" he enthused. "Now let's go, Team Sand Dragons! Onward!"
The hull of the Windchaser bumped against the shore, and the Seasearcher subsequently bumped against said boat. The three Dragon-and-Ground-types jumped off of the boat and were immediately swallowed by the fog.
"It's nice to see that Junpei is as enthusiastic as ever," Tesla remarked to her teammates. Burner and Drain nodded as they stared at the spot where the Platinum-ranked team had disappeared. "Let's just hope they finish their mission quickly, so we can go back home and plan ourselves a rescue mission," Drain hissed.
But just then, Junpei, Eugene, and Terence suddenly landed on the boat again with individual thuds. "That was quick," remarked Tortuga. "I never doubted them," Shadepelt added for good measure.
However, Burner noted the panicked expression that the trio shared. "Hang on," he cautioned the other Pokemon, and then turned to Junpei. "What happened? Is there something wrong?" he asked.
"You bet there's something wrong!" Eugene said. "Seaside Village has been demolished!"
Everyone watching exchanged shocked glances. "You're kidding," Miranda said, nervously swishing her tail. "How is that possible?"
Terence agitatedly thrashed his own tail. "We're telling you that it's true enough. We wouldn't lie about something this dire." He instinctively looked at Junpei, waiting for the leader of their team to make a decision.
He did after taking a second to stop himself from panicking and to think things through. "All of you had better come with us," he finally said, grimly. "We don't know what caused it, but we can't take any chances. There's safety in numbers."
Even the easygoing Tortuga was worried. Shadepelt and Sinestra even looked frightened.
"Come on," Burner said, already making his way off of the ship. "We might as well check this out for ourselves. Drain, take out the gangplank so that everyone can get off the boat."
The Pendrula obediently did so, angling the gangplank so that it made a nice, easy slope down to the shore. The Windchaser's crew all filed out one at a time and made their way onto the shore in single file. Some of them wobbled slightly, feeling unused to having steady ground beneath their feet after so much time at sea.
The fog made it hard to see very far in front of them, so the Pokemon proceeded with caution. They made sure to stick together so as not to get lost. Team Bloodsucker and Team Sand Dragons were at the head of the group, ready to combat any threat that may be lurking in the thick curtain of mist. Cobalt, Amanita, Shadepelt, Tortuga, Miranda, and Sinestra brought up the rear, clustering close to one another for both safety and emotional security.
After what felt like forever, the first ruined buildings began to melt out of the clouded wasteland they seemed to be trapped in. As the Pokemon walked further, more buildings slowly appeared. The combination of fog and ruins created an eerie atmosphere that kept everyone's mouths shut.
At last, they stopped when they reached the town square. The fog was lighter here, allowing them to see farther. Everything was grey and hazy as they looked around in all directions and saw nothing but smoldering ruins where shops and markets once stood. There was no sound at all, except for the wind sweeping across the nearby ocean and making it stir. The occasional wave crashed distantly against the shore.
But there were no locals in sight. It was completely deserted.
"This place was totaled," Cobalt observed, keeping his voice to a whisper.
"What could have done such a thing?" Amanita asked softly, huddling closer to Miranda. Sinestra, in turn, shivered and pressed against the older Eevee.
Suddenly, Tesla called out quietly. Her clicking voice was easily heard across the square. "Come take a look at this, everyone," she said. "I believe I have found something of importance!"
What she had found indeed raised everyone's suspicions as they clustered around to see for themselves. Some sand had spilled onto the ground from a nearby bunch of ripped-up sandbags. Clearly imprinted in the sand were three-toed footprints. A single black feather stuck out from the sand, and was suddenly blown out and across the square by a gust of wind.
Tortuga suddenly pointed with a flipper to something a short distance away. "Look, there are some more over there!" he informed them. Indeed, there were a couple more feathers trapped under some fallen wood, shifting and shuddering as the wind futilely tried to blow them away.
"This doesn't mean what I think it does, does it?" Eugene asked, gnashing his teeth angrily. It sounded like he didn't want the question answered. The footprints and feathers spoke plainly for themselves.
"It was the Darkfeathers," Burner buzzed furiously, his abdomen glowing brighter as it heated up in anger. "It was the Darkfeather gang that destroyed Seaside Village!"
Sinestra timidly stepped forward and asked him, "D-Did… did everyone escape?" She looked up at the Fire-and-Flying-type with frightened eyes.
It was Terence who answered her. The Terralyrk sighed and turned his gaze toward the fog-covered sky, as if looking for the telltale dark shape of a Darkfeather soaring through the mist. "I wish I could give you a definite answer," he replied sadly. "But I'm afraid that I can't say for sure…"
-.-.-.-.-.
On the other side of Seaside Village, near the northern coast, another ship faded out from the ever-thickening fog. The crew was unnerved by the sudden cloud that almost seemed to have sprung out from nowhere, for it only magnified the danger that they were already in. The waters of the western ocean were more dangerous than they ever were with the Jellicent Kingdom ruling them, and the fog would hide any foes that stalked them.
Needless to say, everyone was surprised and confused as to why Team Crustacean would stop the ship while they were in such peril. It was Pteryx who voiced their concerns, of course. "Why'd we stop?" he squawked loudly. "Them jellyfish'll be on our tails in no time flat if we don't keep movin'!"
It was Boomer who settled him down. "No worries, mate," she cautioned him. "Claw's always gotta reason to justify his actions." The Clauncher was indeed right, as Claw and Chet soon gathered up the Pokemon and began to explain themselves.
"Listen up, me hearties!" the Kingler boomed. "I know we're in dangerous waters, but we ain't gonna last two days out on the high seas without supplies! We've laid anchor in Seaside Village in order ta get them supplies – but the Jellicent Kingdom is in command of these waters now, and there ain't no tellin' what they'll do if they find us!"
Chet picked up where Claw stopped. "It's going to be a long journey to the Guardians' isle, so we'll need a lot of food and water. We're all going ashore into Seaside Village to get these supplies, but we're going to have to leave within the hour. We can't risk having the JellicentKingdom find us, and we'll only be safe from them when we cross into the southern ocean."
Pteryx was still not convinced. "Yeah? An' how're we gonna get these supplies without any P? We're broke an' helpless!"
Claw chuckled and hefted a heavy-looking sack out from behind him with his big pincer. "Swiped this from El Nino himself, I did," he guffawed. "I'm tellin' ye, workin' fer the Abyssal Raiders warn't all doom an' gloom. There be some perks to bein' a criminal – or at least actin' like one."
With effort, Lancelot lifted the sack over his shoulder and walked toward the edge of the boat. "Now come along, all of you," he ordered. "We're safer if we stick together, and I don't want anyone being left alone on the boat if the Jellicent Kingdom finds it."
At this mental imagery, even the most skeptical Pokemon decided that it wouldn't be worth it to argue. Lancelot and Arthur put down the gangplank and left the Tranquility first, and Team Crustacean stayed behind while Gaby, Luke, Okami, Jowl, Cliff, Terra, Wyvern, and Pteryx followed them. The three Water-types went last, checking behind them constantly to see if they were being tailed.
Any hopes that Seaside Village provided some protection, or indeed was still as bustling and active as ever, were immediately squashed upon seeing the first of the ruins. It was a demolished shop, looking relatively intact but still sporting some nasty damage. An entire wall had been torn down, and behind the counter, various items could be seen strewn around the floor.
Everyone stopped dead at the sight of the building, standing mostly alone in the fog. The shadows of other buildings could be seen beside and behind it, which looked in even worse condition even through the thick cloud. But there were two Pokemon who didn't notice that – their focus was riveted on the shop in front of them.
"What the Distortion World happened?" Wyvern breathed, stepping up to the counter and placing a claw on it. He reached up and touched the familiar little bell dangling from the roof, and it made a cheerful tinkling sound that soon faded into nothingness. As he watched, the string holding the bell up snapped, and it dropped behind the counter and out of sight.
"Our home!" squawked Pteryx. "It's been destroyed! Our… h-home…" He trailed off as his normally loud and demanding voice cracked. His jolly, energetic attitude evaporated, leaving fear and insecurity behind in its place. None of the Pokemon – even Luke, who knew him and his brother well – could ever recall seeing Pteryx this upset.
The Archen sniffled, something no one was expecting to hear. Wyvern picked him up and held him close, patting him gently on the back. There was only silence as Pteryx buried his head in his older brother's feathers and sniffled again, louder this time.
It was as if all hope had drained out of him now that he knew that his home no longer existed.
The group kept moving while the two fossil Pokemon lagged behind. The deeper into Seaside Village they walked, the more destruction they found. Houses, markets, warehouses, and everything else had been completely wrecked. Every time a new building melted out of the thinning fog, the group's mood became grimmer.
"Did a natural disaster do this?" Okami asked, keeping her voice down. "I-I don't know…" Terra answered nervously, shrinking back behind Arthur. Her face had turned very pale, and her tail flame barely flickered.
Gaby and Luke had joined Wyvern and Pteryx at the back of the group. All four of them were dead silent, each enveloped in their own personal worrisome thoughts. Gaby's were perhaps the most worrisome of all.
Where is Mother and Topaz? she asked herself. The question circled around her mind like a hungry Mandibuzz. Are they alright? Did they escape the destruction? Or are they…?
A quiet sob unwillingly escaped her mouth, and Luke heard. He instantly knew what she must be thinking, and his heart went out to her. She looked just like she had on the Windchaser – timid and insecure. The Victini floated alongside her and gently took her hand as his wide blue eyes met her watery crimson ones. He tried to make himself look reassuring, but he knew that he looked just as worried as she did.
Gaby, however, appreciated his concern, and smiled at him.
Suddenly, Lancelot and Arthur stopped walking and readied their weapons. "There's something up ahead," the Gallade whispered, extending his swords.
"Follow us cautiously, noble friends," Arthur added, lances held in front of him. "What we see through the fog may not be an ally, but an enemy."
Indeed, as the rest of the Pokemon squinted through the mist, a shadowy figure could be seen advancing towards them. It was large and undoubtedly powerful, moving slowly so as not to startle them – or in order to sneak up on them.
Everyone readied for battle. The monstrous figure took the last few steps through the fog and slowly revealed itself to be –
"Tesla?!" blurted Luke, too shocked to stay silent.
The Conductula was just as shocked to see all of these Pokemon in front of her, many of which she knew, or thought she knew, to be prisoners of the Abyssal Raiders. She had seen Luke, Pteryx, and the rest taken before her very eyes! She never even dreamed of finding them here before her, all safe and sound!
Her multiple eyes flicked from one Pokemon to the other. Team Knights had gone missing a long time ago, but they were clearly here with the others. Team Crustacean was with them – perhaps they played a part in rescuing the others from the Raiders. She didn't know who the Archeops, Charmander, and Growlithe were, but she could only assume that they, too, had been rescued.
"Everyone!" cried Tesla, suddenly enough to make the other group jump. "Everyone! You have got to see this! I can hardly believe it myself! Everyone!" She scuttled back into the fog, still yelling at the top of her lungs (if she had them).
"Team Bloodsucker's here!" cried Okami, totally ecstatic. "And that means everyone else is here too!"
Luke's eyes shone. "Burner? Tortuga? Come on, let's follow Tesla!" His voice carried with it some semblance to the old Luke, the happy-go-lucky Victini before this series of catastrophes had happened.
The two groups found each other in the ruined main square. Wyvern, Pteryx, Gaby, and Luke, under ordinary circumstances, been driven into deeper concern and even fear had they taken the time to look around at the true measure of destruction that had befallen their home, and that now surrounded them. But these were not ordinary circumstances – there was a bunch of familiar-looking Pokemon waiting for them when they got there.
"It's Wyvern and Pteryx!" shouted Tortuga, his usually carefree demeanor replaced with utter joy. The two Rock-and-Flying-types spotted him instantly as he waddled slowly over to meet them, and their hearts beat faster with a new excitement.
"Whaddaya think about that? We're a family again, big brother!" Pteryx cried. He had lost hope upon seeing his home destroyed, but he had regained it upon seeing his lifelong friend. The Archen hopped out of his brother's arms and pounced on Tortuga, wrapping his feathery arms tightly around the Tirtouga's shell.
Wyvern, who hadn't seen the Prototurtle Pokemon since they had rode the Tranquility into the storm, was doubly excited. "We are! Team Fossil is whole once more!" he agreed, a huge grin splitting his toothy muzzle in two. He ran over and picked up both Pteryx and Tortuga, smothering them in a huge hug.
Arthur, Burner, Junpei, and even Claw got teary-eyed at the sight of their reunion. The four rescue teams – Sand Dragons, Knights, Crustacean, and Bloodsucker – gathered together, immediately launching into an enthusiastic conversation full of hugs, shoulder punches, and pats on the back.
"COBALT!"
Terra's voice split through the cheerful and noisy atmosphere as she laid eyes on her long-lost friend. The Riolu flinched at the suddenness and familiarity of her voice, meeting her eyes almost immediately. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her as well – Terra, his best friend, teammate in Team Bluefire, and secret crush.
The Charmander ran over before he could react and wrapped her stubby arms tightly around his neck, simply too happy to see him again. "I thought you were dead!" she said, tears running freely down her cheeks. "I thought the earthquake that sunk our island killed you too!"
Cobalt blushed heavily and awkwardly hugged her back. "Um… w-well, I thought the s-same of you, to b-be completely honest," he replied.
That was when Cliff knocked them over and started licking the Riolu all over his face enthusiastically. "Ugh! Cliff, knock it off!" Cobalt protested, but he soon gave in to laughter, along with Terra, as the Puppy Pokemon continued to smother him with affection – and slobber.
The members of Team Eevui all squealed each others' names at once and clumped into one big group hug, nuzzling and licking each other joyfully. Jowl hung back at the sight of Miranda, blushing under his fur, but was suddenly ambushed by Sinestra. His younger sister leapt on top of him and embraced him, refusing to let go. He forgot all about the Vaporeon and happily reunited with his sister.
Team Fossil, Team Eevui, and the old Team Bluefire were at last whole again. Friends and family were finally together, after all the horrifying events that had unfolded against them. These were precious, peaceful moments that could be afforded to be spent on blissful reunions.
And spend they all did, with great gusto.
"This has to be the most touching thing I've ever seen," Lancelot thought with a smile.
"Sadly, we're gonna hafta ruin it fer our own well-bein'," Boomer responded. Her comment drew the confused stares of Team Bloodsucker and Sand Dragons. Eugene was the one that asked the question swimming through all of their minds. "What do you mean?" the Garchomp asked.
"Ever heard of the Jellicent Kingdom, maties?" Claw asked them. When he got six individual shakes of the head in reply, he continued, "'Course yeh didn't. Me team heard nothin' about them even after workin' fer the Abyssal Raiders a whole month. They've destroyed the Raiders and taken the western sea fer themselves. We're sittin' Ducklett long as we remain here."
Burner and Junpei didn't know the whole story, but they were smart enough to guess that they probably didn't have time for a more thorough explanation. "We need supplies," Lancelot cut in. "Our boat's on the northern side of town and completely devoid of food and other materials."
Drain nodded and spoke up after taking a second to think. "We'll quickly scavenge what we can from Seaside Village and then head for the Guardians' isle. We've got the Windchaser and Seasearcher with us, so you can come along as well. No Pokemon gets left behind, especially if there's a hidden danger lurking here as you said."
"So it's settled then," Junpei added decisively. He gestured at the other Pokemon, who appeared to be wrapping up their reunion while Gaby, Shadepelt, and Luke stood glumly on the sidelines. The Flygon continued, "Let's gather everyone up, scrounge for some supplies, get Lancelot's boat, and finally head home."
-.-.-.-.-.
"What a Feebas' nest this is!" Pearl exclaimed, floating across the damp cave and recoiling in disgust. "I cannot believe the Abyssal Raiders were planning to rule the oceans from this repulsive den!"
The two Jellicent were in the air-pocketed cavern that was originally El Nino's chamber. They couldn't wait for their soldiers to pick off the last of the remaining Raiders so they could at last get back to their comfortable palace. Right now, though, they were exploring the complex fortress to see if there were any valuables to be salvaged.
It didn't seem likely, based on how well their search was going.
"I say!" cried Khan, pointing at the large throne-like chair that the late Gyarados would often sit on. "That thug has the gall to sit on a throne! It admittedly isn't as magnificent as ours, my dear Pearl, but that is beside the point! By gum, that El Nino chap, not to mention his followers, aren't even royalty! The nerve!"
His wife glanced over at the huge stone chair and shuddered. "Dreadful-looking thing," she scoffed. The pink Jellicent summoned a Shadow Ball and casually lobbed it at the chair. It exploded when the dark energy connected, throwing bits of rock everywhere.
But instead of a flat cavern floor, a large hole in the ground was revealed.
"Now whatever could that be?" Khan wondered. The blue Jellicent reached down into the hole with a tentacle and found something at the bottom.
Him and Pearl both peered at the object that he retrieved. It was a rectangular piece of some kind of mysterious substance, probably a metal of some kind. It was a dark, rich brown, like the soil that was found in forests on the continent. The odd thing was that the color seemed to pulse and shift even as they stared at it. "Could this be?" Khan murmured.
Pearl nodded wisely. "This is a Shard," she said with certainty. "One of the five keystones that seal Xerneas and Yveltal, or so I've been told. I always thought that they were just legends."
The blue Jellicent laughed, a low chuckle that echoed softly in the cavern. "It seems as they are not," he replied. "But if we collect all of these here stones, then maybe it is we that will be legends, hmm?"
The two monarchs hovered in silence for a while, considering that idea. It was definitely something worth thinking about.
-.-.-.-.-.
Team Hydroburn belongs to RoyalBlue120.
Families are reunited! Rescue teams are restored to their full glory! Things can't get happier!
But they can certainly get worse. The Darkfeathers destroyed Seaside Village, and the monarchs of the Jellicent Kingdom have gotten their dirty tentacles on a Shard. What'll happen now? Things are looking dark indeed.
But for now… we can simply bask in the warm glow of the shining star of friendship.
Everyone: "REVIEW PLEASE!"
Chapter Question #26: Would you like to see mystery dungeons take on a bigger role in the sequel? After all, this story's almost done and we've just gotten our first mention of the subject.