Chapter 48: Friend or Foe?

Crom and his companions plodded up the path leading to the shrine, their glum and trepid mood from yesterday's rough progress hung in the air like a cloud as they beheld the half-repaired shrine before them. At least the supplies they'd left had gone undisturbed overnight, the lumber and Iron Thorns unmoved from the places they left from the prior evening.

"Er… where do we start?" Pladur asked.

"I suppose we could redo that support pillar," Ander buzzed. "But I'm not sure how we'll manage to get the roofing done in time… or the painting for that matter."

"… We're not going to finish, are we?" Crom murmured.

Kiran paused and went silent, struggling to try and think of something to say back, only to fail to come up with any candid reassurance. The Swellow ruffled his feathers uncomfortably and shook his head, deciding that perhaps the best that could be done was to simply speak his mind.

"Let's try at least, alright?" the Flying-Type offered. "I can't say how this will turn out, but let's do our best, and keep up hope that we'll make things work out."

"I guess so…"

"Hey!"

The group turned to the source of the voice, where they saw Salvini rushing up the path towards them. She covered the ground between them with impressive speed, only stopping to catch her breath once she'd caught up with the others.

"Sorry I'm late," the Grovyle said. "I got held up by some last-minute packing on the way up."

"It's fine," Ander sighed. "You haven't missed much yet."

"Oh?" an inquiring voice asked from the shrine's entrance. "But it seems that you've made a decent amount of progress."

The group turned to the entrance of the shrine, where a certain Mienshao waved over at them from behind the unfinished pavilion, ambling over as he passively sized up their progress on the shrine thus far.

"Hertsog!"

"Sorry I couldn't make it yesterday," the Mienshao apologized. "But since it's the last day, I decided to set things aside to try and make it count."

"Don't worry about it," Pladur answered. "If it wasn't for Salvini here, I don't think we'd have gotten as far as we could have."

"Salvini?" the weasel wondered.

Hertsog turned and blinked, startling somewhat at the Grovyle's presence behind his hired help.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you said you were too busy."

"Er… well…" she began. "A friend let me know that you were busy specifically with trying to fix this place up, and-"

Salvini stopped mid-sentence as a familiar Leafeon and Ariados emerged from around the bend of the path, scanning the scene for the whiskered face of their former superior.

"Hertsog?" the Leafeon called out. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, we got your letter," the Ariados added. "Why didn't you tell us that this was what you were up to the first time? We'd have helped-"

Payak abruptly froze in place as the rest of the gathering came into view, along with the form of a familiar Grovyle standing among them. The sight similarly did not elude Phyllis, who like her spider partner, uncomfortably shifted her glance away from the group.

"Oh… you managed to get everyone together again," the Leafeon murmured.

"Who are the new Pokémon anyways?" Payak questioned. The Ariados shifted his gaze and noticed Ander working at his woodpile, eliciting an uneasy shake of the Bug-Type's abdomen.

"And what's that Scyther doing here?"

"They're some help that I hired. But you'll help, won't you?" Hertsog asked. "With all the work that I see that needs to be done, I'm not sure we could finish without a couple extra paws."

The pair paused and looked at each other uneasily, unsure what to make about the unexpected Pokémon present. After a moment to visibly mull the matter, the pair turned back to the Mienshao, ready to announce their decisions…

"… Yeah, I guess I'm in," Payak chittered.

"I wasn't really sure what I could do to help," Phyllis mumbled, "But if you already have another Marked here…"

"Then let's get to work," Kiran chirped. "It sounds like we don't have any time to lose here."

The Swellow and his partners set off at once for the worksite, uncovering the supplies to begin their day's work. Phyllis and Payak similarly joined in, though for one reason or another seemed to keep their distance from Salvini… Ah, there'd be time to ask about it later, Kiran reasoned.

For now, there was a shrine to be rebuilt.


"He's still not back?"

Pleo's words hung in the air as Team Traveller shambled out of their room and into the hallway leading downstairs. The three Pokémon carried on tiredly, yawning and squinting against the morning sunlight coming through the windows as they made their way for the hostel's lobby. It was a brand new day, and in spite of their hopes, their missing teammate still hadn't returned.

"Maybe something really did happen to him out there..." Guardia murmured.

"But what are we supposed to do?" Pleo asked. "We can't wait here forever for him!"

The little Lugia hopped off a short flight of steps and soared down ahead into the lobby. The white bird pulled his wings in and started to sleepily preen his feathers when he looked up and noticed Guardia and Nida staring at him slack-jawed.

"Pleo, you just flew!" Guardia exclaimed.

"Did it hurt at all?" Nida added.

Pleo's eyes went wide as the realization dawned on him: he really did just take off, and barely felt a thing! The Lugia gave a surprised, disbelieving beat of his wing, moving it back and forth a few times.

"I mean, it's still a little sore, but I didn't notice it," Pleo replied. "Does… this mean it's better now?"

"If it's not, it's really close. And that means that we can get off this island and move on to Sormus-" Nida began, only to be cut off by the sound of a sharp hiss from behind.

"Oi, careful about flying around inside! These furnishings aren't easy to replace!"

The three flinched at the sound of the chittering scold and turned as heavy footsteps stomped up. There, looking over them was none other than the hostel's visibly unamused Flygon proprietor.

"Oh, er… sorry about that," Pleo said. "We'll be more careful next time."

"I guess it's alright," Rasp sighed, giving a shake of his head. "But did you not sleep well? You look a bit tired right now."

"We were kept up by a crying Pokémon last night," Nida explained. "By the time we finally fell asleep it was the early morning."

"And Elty still hasn't come back…" Pleo muttered. "You would still be able to help us find him, right?"

"I would," the Flygon responded. "But I have to drop off a replacement mat for my father first."

"Oh... well, I guess I understand," the Lugia murmured, heaving a heavy sigh. Even though Rasp had been so helpful so far, it was a shame that he wasn't able to look out for their lost teammate.

"Sorry if it's not all that helpful," Rasp said. "But I've already lost a bit of time unlocking this place and doing the morning rounds. Around these parts, you have to look out for your own first."

"I guess that's fair," Nida sighed.

"If he's still not back after I'm done, I'll take you around to look for him," the Flygon reassured. "But until then, hang in tight, okay?"

Rasp nodded to the young Pokemon and left, his father's mat under one arm. Nida and her friends watched him shuffle into the crowd outside, standing around for a moment unsure of where to go from there.

"There you all are!"

Pleo, Nida, and Guardia jolted upright and turned around at the sound of the familiar yipping voice. There behind them was none other than their missing Growlithe teammate, prancing along full of morning vigor… seemingly none the worse for wear and without a hint of unease over being absent overnight.

"Elty?!"

"So…?" the Growlithe began. "What did I miss?"

"Eh?! Where have you been?!" Guardia demanded. "We just told Rasp that you were still missing!"

"I had to lay low after some 'mons from the Torrent Tsars spotted me leaving that 'scavver shop'," Elty answered. "By the time I got back, it was the middle of the night and you locked the room up."

"Wait, but then why didn't Rasp see you earlier?" Nida asked. "He would have told us if he knew you were around."

The Growlithe blinked, seemingly lost at his teammate's question. After a shake of his head, Elty folded his ears back, and gave a sheepish smile.

"Er… I wound up sleeping in a broom closet," the little dog insisted. "You know, someplace quiet to crash?"

"Eh? But Rasp just came by saying that he unlocked the hostel this morning," Pleo murmured. "How did you get in before then?"

Elty visibly paused, deep in uneasy thought. After having an answer come to mind, he sat down and gave a disarming wag of his tail.

"Uh… well, I didn't start in the closet," he explained. "I dozed off in a box in front of the door when I couldn't find a way in. Rasp must've moved it indoors while I was sleeping."

Nida and Guardia traded dubious glances with one another, and even Pleo seemed to find the Fire-Type's tale a bit hard to swallow. Elty found a box to doze off in right in front of the inn and Rasp brought it in without noticing the extra weight? There was surely something that he wasn't telling them...

"Anyhow, while I was out, I think that I found a lead for Blackmoon Village," Elty offered.

"Oh?" Pleo chirped. "What was it?"

"One of the shopkeepers near the docks said that she knew a thing or two about it," he replied. "She said that she'd be open to telling us about the place if we came during her break."

"Eh?" Guardia asked, eyeing Elty dubiously. "Care to give a little more detail there?"

"Well… it's hard to put in words, but I'll lead the way," the Growlithe insisted. "I'm the one who knows the way around this town, after all."

Nida, Pleo, and Guardia stared hesitantly at Elty. His story obviously sounded fishy... On the other hand, this was the port he called home, and he'd come back for them when he could have just run off. All the more to think that they were making making much ado out of nothing here.

"Alright, lead the way," Nida sighed.

Elty obliged with unusual enthusiasm, bounding out the door and beckoning for the others to follow. The others tagged along into the morning sun, eager to meet this shopkeeper to find a lead to Pioppo Island. The now-reunited group carried on following the heels of their canine guide, none the wiser that he once again led them along with a knowing smirk.


At the hillside shrine overlooking Fensedge Village, the repairs went by smoother than Crom had expected earlier that morning. The process of Pladur and Hertsog replacing the upside-down support beam went by quickly, leaving Kiran and Payak to work on the roofing and free the pair to help Salvini right and reassemble the toppled monoliths. Phyllis, unable to fully be swayed from her aversion to the site was kept busy providing support splitting shingles for the roof. At the same time, her Scyther counterpart took a reprieve to slip a pair of canvas sheathes over his blades. The Bug-Type stopped to dab some charcoal dust on them before sketching some shapes onto paper which the others surmised to be cutting patterns.

After a few hours of work, the shrine's buildings began to slowly take form, serving to lift Crom's spirits as he helped to ferry batches of shingles and Iron Thorns to and fro. His latest delivery took him over to the side of a small pavilion taking shape near the path where his team captain swooped down in order to carry them back up.

"Heh, I think it's actually starting to look like a shrine now!" the young Druddigon exclaimed.

"Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves, Crom," Kiran chided. "The roof still needs to be finished."

"Er… right."

"I think I can handle the rest here," the Swellow chirped. "Maybe see if the others need an extra set of claws to help."

Crom nodded and wandered off to check on his coworkers. Up near the roof of the larger pavilion which needed the beam transplant, he found Phyllis and Payak working together. The former stuck tiles onto a strand of Payak's web on the ground so that he could pull them up to the roof. Currently, the Ariados looked a little disgruntled as he inspected a curved tile which didn't seem to fit onto that section of the roof at all.

"Eh? Phyllis?" the Bug-Type murmured. "You keep sending me tiles that don't fit for this roof."

"Izvinyavaĭ, it's just really hard to judge what you need from down here," the Leafeon said.

"... Look, I know you feel… different about this place than most Pokémon," Payak began. "But your help would really come in handy up here. I can't exactly cut these tiles up if they don't fit, you know."

Payak looked down and saw Salvini approaching under his rooftop perch. The Grovyle paused and looked up uneasily, placing a hand tentatively on one of the pillars and weighing whether or not to head up.

"Hey, Payak… did you need-?"

"... Nevermind, I'll figure something out on my own," the Ariados chittered.

Salvini glanced up at her former teammate, a pleading look in her eyes. It found no purchase with Payak however, who pretended to busy himself adjusting some roof tiles. The Grovyle sighed and let the matter rest, wandering off to make herself useful elsewhere, prompting Crom to turn back puzzledly to the rooftop spider.

"Eh?" he asked. "How come you didn't let Salvini help you?"

"Er… I don't think that she'd work well with us, Druddigon," Phyllis answered, shaking her head.

"Huh? But why not?" Crom murmured. "You need another Pokémon to help, don't you?"

"We had a falling out over her deciding to put her feelings before work, and it wound up coming back to bite us all," Payak harrumphed. "I just can't work with 'mons like that."

"... I didn't get that sort of feeling from her at all, though," the dragon insisted. "She seemed like someone who always tries to help out other Pokémon."

The two Pokemon eyed one another warily, glancing back at the young Druddigon with a hint of skepticism etched across their faces. Neither one said anything though, instead allowing Crom to continue his explanation.

"I mean, she does seem like the type who might get into more than she bargained for in the process..." the Dragon-Type began. "But from what I've seen of her, she just seems like she's trying to brighten others' days."

The three looked at each other uneasily for a moment, before Crom shuffled along. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Payak and Phyllis both seemed to be deep in thought, as if visibly wavering on a hard decision.

"Well, I can't say he was really wrong there," Phyllis murmured. "She always was one to try and help out, even if it meant crossing a line."

"If she'd only known where to draw the line," Payak sighed. "Then we'd all be doing our rounds right now and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"... But, then would she really still be Salvini?"

The Ariados paused and mulled the matter over, before turning and calling out just loud enough for Crom to hear in the distance:

"... Salvini?" he asked. "Were you still up for helping out with those tiles?"

In the meantime, Crom continued along, heading over to the shrine's now-righted stone menhir to pick up a new bucket of paint when he heard footsteps pattering up behind him.

"Hey! Kiran let you go already?" Pladur asked.

"Oh, I was actually looking for some more work to do," the young Druddigon said. "Is there anything else we need to assemble?"

"Nothing here," his father replied. "Why, this shrine's been put together enough that we ought to start painting it!"

"Oh? What's this place supposed to look like?" Crom wondered.

Pladur opened his mouth to respond, but failed to find an answer as he stared blankly at the shrine and realized he didn't actually have any clue beyond Hertsog's sketches as to what the shrine looked like. While the Mienshao certainly had a decent command of perspective, there was not a clue as to what colors filled in the parts of the shrine scribbled out by the charcoal streaks.

"Er… now that you mention it…" Pladur murmured.

As he scanned the area for some guidance on the matter, he caught sight of Hertsog passing nearby. He held up a claw to stop him and ask for some advice.

"Hertsog!" the Fraxure cried. "Do you know how this place is supposed to be painted?"

"Well… the roofs were deep royal blue, and I remember the railings were grayish white," the weasel answered. "And there was a mural of our Protector on the rear walls."

"Oh?" Crom asked. "What did it look like?"

Hertsog frowned and held his paw to his chin. He thought, and thought, before giving an uneasy twitch of his whiskers. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he simply couldn't think of an answer to the Druddigon's question. Gah! If only he had better documented the shrine as it once was!

"Erm…"

"Check in my bag, Hertsog!" Salvini's voice called.

"Oh?"

The Mienshao followed Salvini's finger along to a small bag that had been set beside one of the menhirs. There, he slipped his fur-sleeved paws in and opened it to see a stack of papers blackened with charcoal. Hertsog pulled them out and began to peruse them, quickly realizing that they were all scenes depicting the great stag that was Protector of their island.

"Ah! That's right! They looked like these rubbings!" Hertsog exclaimed. "… Except, it's missing the colors for it."

"Er…" Pladur murmured. "I don't know how we could solve that-"

"Like so."

The Scyther held out his blades before the Fighting-Type, holding a few scraps of paper between them with his flats. Hertsog gave a curious twitch of his whiskers before taking them and looking through them. There, on them were the forms of a great blue-and-black stag with many-hued horns... Ah! This was it! These were the colors the Protector had been painted in so many years ago!

"These ought to give you an idea of what to work with," Ander offered.

"Huh?" Kiran asked. "But where did you get these, Ander?"

"... I remembered seeing some drawings from long ago," the mantis answered. "It's no big deal."

The Swellow paused, looking down at the sketches still incredulous at Ander's change of heart. Kiran slowly stuffed away the drawings, before clearing his throat, fishing for something to say back.

"... Thank you," the bird answered.

Ander gave a dismissive wave of his blade and shuffled off to go and help Phyllis with her task of splitting shingles. From there, Hertsog and Pladur headed off with the drawings to go and prepare paint for the emergent shrine as Crom and Kiran occasionally gave glances at the Marked Scyther wondering what had swayed him so...

And wondering how it would be best to give them their thanks later.


Back in Rosequartz Town, Elty's guidance led the team deep into the settlement's warrens. The four passed alleys and shifty-looking lanes before reaching a place where the whiff of seawater reached their noses. They were evidently close to the harbor, near enough that the masts of the ships in harbor peeked over the nearby rooftops. The Growlithe led his teammates along into a courtyard behind a cluster of sleepy shops, Guardia casting a wary glance at her surroundings as she paced deeper in.

"So... how did you meet this Pokémon again?" she asked.

"Yeah, didn't you say you had to lay low the whole time?" Nida pressed.

"I heard about her from the 'mons that hid me," Elty answered. "They told me she'd be here and that this was the best time to try and talk with her."

"Huh?" Pleo wondered. "But who told you?"

"A not-so little bird told him," a low, rumbling voice answered.

Nida and Pleo froze and felt their blood run cold at the voice. Just then, a flurry of activity broke out as one after the other, Pokémon in golden scarves emerged from alleys and behind boxes, casting predatory sneers. Guardia too blanched as she saw that intermingled among the faces were those of a familiar Yanmega, Marowak, and Manectric. With a series of dull thumping footsteps, it soon became apparent that the owner of the low voice was none other than the same Aggron pirate who'd raided Bluewhorl Town—Hess. The captain of the Iron Fleet stepped forward with a growl, staring down his newly encircled victims.

"It's been a long time, brats," the Aggron sneered.

At once, Nida, Guardia, and Pleo realized what Elty had been hiding from them. He was waiting to lead them into this ambush! Filled with rage and disgust, Nida whirled to the Growlithe, baring her teeth and seething.

"Elty, you betrayed us?!" the Nidoran shouted. "Why would you do this?!"

Some puzzled stares went about the gathered pirates, mixed with stifled laughter. Among them was a bemused-looking Ledian, who gave a teasing look at his Growlithe counterpart.

"Wait, Elty?" Kichiro snickered. "That's what they've been calling you?"

The Growlithe folded his ears back and snorted out a few cinders with an annoyed huff. That spike ball just had to leave something behind after they parted ways, didn't she? Elty shook his head, turning his attention back to the glaring Nidoran.

"Look, this is my place and I told you I was leaving once I got my bag back," he growled. "So fork it over peacefully, and then you're free to-"

"Spend a nice long stay with us as hostages," Hess added.

At once, Elty's eyes widened and his fur stood up out of surprise. That- That wasn't why he led Team Traveller here at all! What was the Captain doing?

"H-Huh?" Elty protested. "But I thought we were just getting my bag back."

"I'm getting something back for all the grief their stupid hick town has caused me," Hess growled. "Some ransom money sounds like a good consolation!"

"Ransom money?" Pleo gulped.

The Aggron gave a heavy stomp against the ground, prompting Team Traveller's hearts to race as a low snarl from the pirate captain filled the air.

"As for you three, I'd suggest you know when you're beat," Hess growled. "Even that little bone-headed monster of yours can't help you in a fight with my entire crew!"

A few of Hess' cronies chuckled nervously, no doubt remembering their recent abortive raid on Bluewhorl. Although their captain was menacing, no one could quite forget the sight of the Aggron being blown clear across the island by none other than the seabird he was currently trying to intimidate. Hess glanced at the uneasy-looking crew, his menacing visage quickly slipping into a nervous one as he too remembered Pleo's power. He quickly shook the expression away; his crew would never let him live it down if he backed down now. With some effort, he pulled his face back into a mean snarl and rallied his crew.

"H-Hey, what's with that attitude!" he chided. "It won't be that hard to teach these brats a lesson!"

Hess gritted his teeth and stomped the ground again, thrusting his face towards Pleo's. The young Lugia flinched and shrank away, but even after asserting his dominance, Hess had trouble shaking the nervous undertone from his voice.

"G-Go ahead, try me!"

Pleo brought his wings together with a startled squawk, prompting the Aggron to flinch and reflexively shield himself from the gust. After realizing that his feet were still firmly rooted to the ground and the attack left little more than a dull breeze, the Steel-Type blinked before turning back to Team Traveller with a malicious smirk creeping over his maw.

"I was right? I mean- I was right!" he crowed. "Hah! You really don't know how to control your own power!"

Some derisive laughs went around the gathered gold-scarves. Maybe they couldn't handle this 'Protector' back on Tromba, but they could certainly handle him now. Pleo, Nida, and Guardia inched back uncomfortably as the pirates began to close in with battle stances, not least including their Aggron taunter ahead giving a few explorative taps against the ground to sense out underground stones.

"Well, unfortunately for you, we do!"

Hess crouched and readied himself for a stomping leap, prompting Nida, Pleo, and Guardia to flinch and brace themselves for the Aggron's incoming blow. Elty watched as the Steel-Type leapt up and reflexively tackled the other members of Team Traveller back, sending them stumbling back as a mass of stones ripped out of the earth and sailed overhead. The Rock Slide carried on, sailing across the gathering trailing a plume of dust and dirt. The oncoming mass of earth prompted Pokémon to hastily scurry out of the way in a panic, before it collided directly into a hapless Voltorb.

"Augh!"

Nida thrashed against the feeling of a heavier body pinning hers down, reflexively kicking at the furry presence and flinging it off of her. As Elty tumbled back with a yelp, the Poison-Type saw that amidst the dusty confusion, there was an open path for the street outside, prompting her to reflexively cry out to draw her teammates' attention.

"Run!"

Team Traveller bolted for the exit under the cover of the nascent dust cloud as attack after attack flew in their direction. With each assault, the dust cloud grew larger and thicker until it enveloped the entire courtyard in a confusing mass of shouts, coughing, and pained yowls. Sensing that his underlings were now hitting each other more than their targets, Hess stomped the ground, hastily bellowing out for order.

"Gah! Cease fire! Cease fire!" the Aggron shouted.

The Steel-Type coughed as the dust swirled and settled out of the air, revealing a cohort of battered and confused pirates... with the three blue-scarfed brats nowhere to be seen.

"Wh-What?!" Hess exclaimed. "How did-?!"

As some confused looks filtered around, Elty felt something grab him by the nape of his neck and lift him off the ground. The Fire-Type reflexively flailed, before coming face-to-face with a seething Ledian.

"What did you do, Elty?!" Kichiro hissed.

The Growlithe pawed at the spot where Nida kicked him, scowling at the indignity of being lifted off the ground and having his name knowingly botched. Sensing that he needed to clear the air quickly, Elty quickly shot back at the Ledian's insinuations.

"I jumped the gun, alright?" the Growlithe huffed back defensively. "Why are you giving me the third degree? That rabbit just kicked m-"

"Hey!" Rodion exclaimed. "They're making a break for it!"

"Huh?!" Hess looked up, catching sight of Pleo beating his wings for takeoff. With Nida and Guardia hanging on tight, he finally managed to lift off the ground… but his flight was short-lived, as a sudden crosswind blew him off-course, sending him spiraling down again.

"After them!" he bellowed.

The Aggron stormed off, his underlings swarming after him as Nida, Pleo, and Guardia desperately ran past the courtyard's entrance. The Steel-Type charged after them, and after seeing an approaching cross-street, he reflexively went wide-eyed as he saw the three attempt to sneak off.

"Hold it right there!"

Hess leapt up and landed on the ground with a forward slide, sending forth a hail of stones that zipped along. The stony barrage narrowly missed the youngsters overhead, carrying on into the street with a series of loud crashes followed by startled outcries.

"ARGH! My leg!"

"My shop! My poor shop!"

"C-Cad sa diabhal?! Wh-What was that?!"

"Hurry!" Hess shouted. "Don't let that Protector get away!"

At once, a pregnant silence settled over the crowd, incredulous blinks going around both shopkeeper and pirate alike. The gathered Pokémon turned their heads to follow the fleeing Lugia and his companions, then to the Iron Fleet, and then to each other. Going wide-eyed at his realization that he'd spoken too much, Hess stammered, desperately trying to concoct an explanation to put the cat back in the bag.

"E-Erm," the Aggron stammered. "What I meant to say was-"

"Wait, that overgrown Wingull is a Protector?!"

"So those sea yarns the Iron Fleet were telling are real?!"

"Let's go get him!"

Much to Hess' dismay the nearby brigands and even a few shopkeepers took off running, some after his targets, others off to other parts of town to gather reinforcements. The Aggron grimaced, throwing a claw over his face with a groaning whine.

"Argh! Why does this always happen to me?!"

Hess gave an annoyed shake of his head before charging off, his underlings following suit in their pursuit of the Protector and his companions. At the back, a lonely Growlithe hesitated on a now-empty street.

This... wasn't how he thought things would go. He was finally back where he belonged, but for whatever reason seeing Team Traveller chased around like this didn't sit well with him.

"Oi, mutt! Schiet op! Get moving!"

Elty looked up and saw Valatos gesturing impatiently for him to follow. The dog shook his head and dashed along afterwards. A good run always helped him settle his mind, and who knew? Maybe he could use it to make things go as planned after all.


Two knots away from the unfolding chaos in Rosequartz, a school of marine Pokémon in blue bands with red dots cut through the water. The clan of sea nomads climbed upwards, breaching the surface and bobbing along the waves as Orleigh's green hills became visible in the distance.

"We're getting close," a Relicanth reported. "I can see the masts from the ships in port!"

"Then get ready to take your positions," the leader Dragalge instructed. "Sea team will create the diversion at the harbor, and the land team needs to make the most of our time to check the spots we talked about."

"That's your cue, Dimitri," Kuda grunted. "You're ready for it this time?"

"I'm ready- Huh?"

As the Kabutops whirled his head to respond to his Kingdra teammate, he blanched at the sight of what laid in the distance beyond. There, off in the rapidly approaching distance was a frigate with indigo sails barreling straight towards them followed by what looked to be a veritable of pink and blue shapes on the horizon. A volley of jets of water and shadowy gusts of wind sailed off from behind the ship as the hazy, incoherent sound of shouting rang out, which made Viktor's eyes widen as he realized the pink and blue forms were a sea of Frillish and Jellicent.

"Vniz!"

The nomads hastily broke ranks as the frigate barreled on ahead, Dimitri and Kuda diving down just in time to dodge the frigate's hull passing overhead. The Kabutops watched as the ship's accompanying swimmers zipped by, and looked up just in time to see a Sharpedo and Tentacruel zip by. The ship and its cohorts passed, leaving a wake of churning, turbulent water. The Kabutops stared blankly for a moment, before popping up to the surface along with his teammate spluttering out of startled shock.

"Those- Those were the same Imperials from earlier!" Dimitri cried.

"How did they beat us to the punch?!" Kuda exclaimed.

Dimitri froze as the frigate sailed on for Rosequartz, his eyes widening as a sinking realization dawned on him. The Imps who ambushed him just past Spirit Trench must have gone back and told their superior! If they didn't do something quick, they'd get Pleo before the rod could, and take him to a far more impossible place to rescue him from than Orleigh!

"We need to hurry," the Kabutops muttered. "If the Imperials are in on this too, we don't have much time to work with."

"You don't have to tell me!" Kuda snapped. "Get a move on-!"

"Hey! What are you doing?!" a roaring voice demanded.

The pair spotted Viktor glaring at them intensely, turned away from the frigate and motioning for them to follow.

"Huh?!" Dimitri exclaimed.

"I said get down!" Viktor shouted "Our plans didn't account for a bunch of Pokémon from Spirit Trench stirring the pot!"

"But Ataman," Kuda protested. "This is our only-!"

The Kingdra was cut off by a shadowy, cutting gust of wind slicing across his side, prompting the seahorse to thrash in the water with a startled yelp. Dimitri turned in the direction of the attack, seeing that a number of the shapes were breaking off from the horde, revealing themselves to be Jellicent preparing a fresh salvo of spectral attacks.

"Now!" Viktor snapped.

The three hastily dove under as a hail of shadowy beams and gusts passed overhead, slicing through the water as a number of the spectral jellyfish broke off in pursuit of them. As Dimitri weaved around jets of water and ghostly attacks, he was bothered all the while by how thoroughly the rod's plans had unravelled and how the situation had gone out of his claws.

"I just hope the kids will make it through alright…"


Author's Notes:

- Izvinyavaĭ (Извинявай) - Bulgarian: "Sorry" (informal) (BGN/PCGN 2013 Romanization)
- Cad sa diabhal - Irish: "What the hell", "What on earth". lit. "What the devil"
- Schiet op! - Dutch: "Hurry up!"
- Vniz! (Вниз!) - Russian: "Get down!" (BGN/PCGN Romanization)