Chapter 50: Downward Spiral
A few hours after Pleo's fateful escape, things had uneasily settled down in Orleigh and its surrounding waters. Nagant had withdrawn with her frigate - minus a small number of sailors who were unaccounted for - and the last few Jellicent were driven back into the sea from whence they came. The town was left battered by the storm of jellyfish and enemy fire, a few stray plumes of smoke curling up visible from the far side of the island. There, the groaning members of the Khranitel Rod surfaced, battered and covered in welts from their hostile encounter with Spirit Trench's residents.
"Argh… no one mentioned there'd be a swarm of meduzy!" a Whiscash whined.
"I think that my welts have welts…" a Dewgong groaned, rubbing a flipper at his side.
A nearby Lumineon looked around at her compatriots, and after sensing that there were too few faces, turned nervously to Viktor.
"Ataman, is everyone here?" she asked.
The Dragalge looked back as a Golisopod leading a Luvdisc and a Shellder swam up, the Poison-Type counting with his fins before giving a satisfied shake of his head.
"They are now," Viktor grunted.
"Urgh… how did this happen?" Dimitri sighed. "We didn't even make it to shore, let alone find the kids."
"That frigate that pulled into port must have baited those ferals into following after them to attack the town," a Relicanth murmured.
"Grr… we should have stuck it out and gone in," Kuda growled.
"For what? To get overrun by jellyfish and captured by pirates? Get real, Kuda," Viktor snapped. "Besides, the deti might not even be on the island right now."
"Huh?!" the Whiscash exclaimed, the catfish's protestations joined in by a similarly incredulous outcry from the Dewgong.
"Ataman, what do you mean?!"
"Don't you think the timing of that frigate was just a little too coincidental?" Viktor asked. "We already know that the Empire is aware of this Protector. Why would one of their frigates show up on the island where we knew he was if not to try and spirit him away?"
A pause hung over the gathered Pokémon, as reluctant voices began to murmur. They were swimming themselves ragged as is, and it was hard to argue the Dragalge's point… but where was Viktor going with this?
"If we want to find those deti, our best bet is to track down that frigate," Viktor explained. "We split up into groups of four and search the currents around Orleigh the ship might have taken."
The gathered sea nomads floated and bobbed in stunned silence for a moment, as a grudging realization came about that they didn't have many other options for getting Team Traveller back. One after the other, Pokémon began to affirm their Ataman's orders, some enthusiastically, others with audible hesitance.
"Nikolai, Sergei," Viktor instructed. "You two take some teams and stay here to watch the island in case something happens."
"Understood Ataman," the Whiscash grunted back, the Golisopod in their midst respectively also giving a nod. Some scattered well-wishes and impatient calls for actions floated around in an ever-growing din, only to be silenced by the Dragalge leader batting a fin against the water's surface.
"Alright, let's get moving then," Viktor said. "We don't have much time."
The gathered sea Pokémon quickly went their separate ways, hastily splitting into teams of four per their Ataman's command. Viktor led the bulk of his underlings off into the deep blue, hoping that they would be able to find Team Traveller before their ever-increasing foes did.
"A-Are we there yet...?"
Nida flicked her ears, unable to shake the sense that she'd been in this situation before. She was once again on Pleo's back, high above the sea and headed off for an island she knew only from the map she glimpsed at in snatches inside her bag. Like last time, Guardia was cowering at the rear, poking at her with her bone. That said, there were also things that were noticeably different. Elty was sprawled out unconscious on Pleo's back, held in place by the Nidoran. On top of it all, there would surely still be many more hours of travel left to go before they saw land again.
"Guardia, does it look like we're anywhere near land right now?" Nida snapped.
"But-But I can't take this anymore!" the Ground-Type whimpered. "Cubone aren't supposed to be a step away from falling and getting dashed to pieces like this!"
"Ugh... I told you not to look down," the Nidoran sighed.
"H-How am I supposed to do that when Pleo's constantly lurching and falling?!" Guardia demanded.
"But that's how flying works..." Pleo murmured.
The Lugia lurched again after catching some turbulence, drawing a frightened squeal from the Cubone as she clung to Pleo's back wide-eyed and white-knuckled. As Pleo straightened out, the Ground-Type caught a glimpse of waves breaking against an object in the distance, her eyes lighting up as she realized it was a stony outcropping.
"Look!" Guardia cried. "There's land there! Let's stop there for a bit!"
"We're in the middle of the ocean," Nida protested. "It's safer to keep going until-"
Pleo abruptly jolted again, drawing a shriek from his Cubone passenger as she screwed her eyes shut and dug her claws in for dear life.
"A-Aaah!"
"Sorry! Sorry!" the Lugia squawked. "It's just that my wings are getting tired faster than I thought they would!"
"Nrgh…"
Nida felt the presence under her forepaws budge, prompting her to look down and see that Elty was starting to stir. The Nidoran looked off at the rocks below, and back down to the re-awakening Growlithe, before sighing exasperatedly.
"Ugh... fine. Take us down, Pleo," Nida muttered. "We could use a chance to patch ourselves up anyways."
Pleo nodded uneasily and began a slow, spiraling descent down to the rocks, coming to a running stop on the surface. Guardia toppled off, gagging as she climbed back up to her feet. Her Lugia and Nidoran teammates noticed that the bone lizard looked an unhealthy greenish color, and vomited over the side, prompting the two to recoil from disgust.
How had they ever gotten to this point? They were supposed to be looking for the Knights' Ledger, but here they'd gotten sidetracked with one misfortune after another. The pair heard shifting and moaning, and looked back in time to see Elty begin to stir and open his eyes.
"Agh…" the Growlithe groaned. "I feel like I just got hit by a-"
The little dog paused and jumped in a start as he noticed his surroundings were completely different from what he had expected. Instead of waking in the Iron Fleet's familiar hideout or even one of Rosequartz's streets, he found himself laying on a bunch of rocks with water all around him. As the sound of the sea's waves filled the air, the Fire-Type looked around in a panic, hoping to see some sight of Rosequartz Town. But alas, no matter where he looked, Elty saw nothing but the vast ocean and his former teammates.
"H-Huh?! Where am I?!" he yelped. "Spike ball?! Why are you still-?!"
The Growlithe caught himself. The spike ball, the mewa, they were all supposed to have fled! So then... they dragged him along?! Why?!
"What did you do?!" Elty cried. "Why am I in the middle of the sea right now?!"
"This wasn't my idea," Nida hissed. "Ask Pleo if you want an explanation so badly."
The Growlithe scowled and whirled his head to face the young Lugia to his left. The young Legendary hopped back, startled at the Fire-Type's venomous demeanor and fumbled with his words before starting to explain to Elty his recollection of their escape.
"You got hurt back in that big fight with that mean crab," the young Lugia explained. "So we helped you get away-"
"You call dragging me out into the middle of the sea help?!" Elty fumed. "What is wrong with you?!"
A woozy moan filled the air as Guardia lurched back from the rocks' edge, rubbing away some spittle from the edge of her mouth. The bone lizard shook her head and gave an exhausted look at her Fire-Type teammate.
"Ungh… can you save your earful for another time, Gardie? I'm not feeling so good-" the Cubone groaned, only to be cut off by a fiery growl.
"I save your hides from those Imps, and you stupid clods repay me by kidnapping me?!"
Nida and Guardia's expressions quickly hardened into angry glares. After leading them straight into a pirate ambush, this mutt had the gall to insinuate they were the bad 'mons for saving him from certain doom?
"Saving? That's what you're calling trying to get us captured by your thug buddies?" Nida scoffed.
"Gardie, you're really not in any position to complain here," Guardia snapped, shooting a piercing glare at the visibly irate dog.
"Those Imp Pokémon were going to capture you!" Pleo cried. "And if they had gotten you, who know what would've-"
"Then you should have let me take my chances!" Elty shouted. "I don't need you to help me!"
The young Lugia froze, stunned and shaken by the Fire-Type's rant as his eyes started to mist up. Nida similarly failed to anticipate Elty's outburst, stirring up a much angrier response from her end as she fanned her barbs out and narrowed her red eyes into a deep glare.
"You ungrateful canalla!" Nida seethed. "We ought to have just left you and flown off earlier!"
"Yeah, well whose fault is it that didn't happen, huh?!"
A loud smack rang out followed by a yelp, making Pleo and Guardia flinch. The two looked, just in time to see a visibly seething Nida pull a leg back to her side. Elty was a little ways away, pawing at his jaw as he got up growling ugly-sounding words under his breath.
"Fine, have it your way!" Elty spat. "See if I help you the next time that shrimp takes a shot at you! Or when that Samurott comes to cut you down to size!"
Pleo's eyes began to water as each word from Elty and Nida's feud cut deeper and deeper at him. They- They really hated each other that much? After everything that they'd gone through together?
"S-Stop… please…" Pleo begged.
A loud thump rang out against the stone, piercing the air as an exasperated, raspy cry rang out:
"All of you, just quiet down!"
One by one, Pleo, Nida, and Elty turned to see a visibly frustrated Cubone staring at them, pulling the knob of her club up from the stone she slammed it down against. Guardia gave a stern glare, before shaking her head and sighing.
"Look, back home, when the bones of a colony found themselves unable to work together, they'd split up into two colonies and each went their separate way," she sighed. "If Gardie here really wants to be a thieving thug so badly, then we're all better off just letting it happen."
"Hrmph, someone's finally talking sense-" the Growlithe huffed, only to be interrupted by a silencing swat from the Cubone before she continued.
"As I was saying... Right now, we're in the middle of the ocean and are in no position to do that," Guardia said. "So let's get to Sormus first, and then we'll part ways."
Pleo looked back and forth at Nida and Elty, as the two scowled, before giving grudging nods of agreement. The young Lugia jerked his head up out of alarm, could they really have thought that Guardia's suggestion was the right thing to do?
"Nida?" Pleo asked. "We're not really gonna-?"
Nida harrumphed and shook her head, motioning with her paw for silence. The Nidoran sprouted a frown for a moment, before clearing her throat to speak.
"Let's just get to Sormus already," the Poison-Type said. "All I want to do is get back home, and if Elty doesn't want to come, I'm not forcing him."
"Hrmph," Elty grunted. "Fine by me."
One by one, Nida, Elty, and Guardia clambered aboard Pleo, their mount standing silent and adrift. Everything felt like it was falling apart… He couldn't bring forth his powers when they were needed or keep them from hurting other Pokémon like Bech and Rasp, and even his friends were coming apart at the seams... Why was everything going wrong? Was he that bad of a Protector?
"Pleo? Aren't you going to fly?"
The Lugia heard Nida's words brush past his ears, prompting him to ruffle his feathers uncomfortably. He set off, reluctantly beating his wings as he leapt up, and continued his course for Sormus with joyless and heavy wingbeats.
Out on the high seas northwest of Mengir, the Siglo Swellow carried on in its journey for Otvaga. The crew was kept particularly busy, both by keeping the ship moving at a healthy pace, and from preparing the ship's colors for Otvaga's waters to draw less attention.
Back in Mengir, the crew had purchased spare sails to replace those stolen by the Iron Fleet, a suitable canvas for the ship's normal colors to accommodate ports that would surely be unwelcoming to Company sails. The swap had built up quite an appetite among the sailors, which kept Crom and Pladur's claws full with cooking. After going through a flurry of orders during the meal rush, the two finally were able to emerge onto the deck to share some of the fruits of their labor together, perching on a small stack of crates shaded by the ship's rear mast.
"How far are we from this 'Otvaga' place anyways?" Crom asked.
"Not far, I think," his father reassured. "I'm pretty sure that after this next buoy, there's only two more left before we reach the place."
"Eh?" the Druddigon wondered. "But when would that be?"
"Oi! Captain!" a squawking voice cried. "The next buoy's up ahead!"
Crom blinked incredulously, as a smile began to spread over Pladur's face. The axe-headed dragon gave a bemused shake of his head, chuckling at their coincidental timing.
"Sounds like right now-" the Fraxure began, only to be cut off by a further cry from the Doduo lookout.
"And there's a bunch of 'mons on it!"
The pair looked up with a start at the bird's squawk, just in time to see their crewmates gathering around the railing. The dragon father and son set aside their gummis and made their way over to peer out at the sea. There off in the distance, a large group of Pokémon clustered themselves at the base of a whitish-gray buoy.
The thought flickered over Crom's mind that perhaps they might be ferals, or even pirates. A closer examination however, revealed that the creatures seemed too tired and disorganized to be preparing an ambush. On top of that, their scarves were not matching; hardly an intimidating appearance for would-be brigands.
"Take us over there and ready the anchor!" Beatrix ordered.
The ship's Hitmontop First Mate threw his weight against the tiller and at once the Siglo Swellow steered towards the buoy, a splash following as the anchor was dropped to slow the ship. The schooner coasted along, and came to a stop beside the buoy, a haggard group consisting of a pink Gastrodon, a Stufful, and a Ferroseed coming into view. The motley cohort looked up at the twin-masted ship, trading apprehensive, unsettled looks with one another.
"Er… hello?" the pink Gastrodon gulped.
"Hoy!" the Hitmontop called. "Aren't you taking on a bit many passengers for a swimmer?"
"Uh... well we were just passing through you see…" the Stufful began.
"Oh, to where?" Beatrix asked. "If it's anywhere near Otvaga we could give you a ride."
The three Pokémon inched back, bracing themselves as if expecting an impending attack. The three strangers traded furtive glances with each other, before uneasily turning their attention back to the ship's deck.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea…" the Gastrodon stammered.
"Yeah," the Ferroseed added. "We really should ge-"
"Oh for crying out loud, stop being so nervous already!" a squeaking voice snapped. "These bumpkins couldn't push you around even if they wanted to!"
The crew collectively blinked and did a double take at the voice, turning their attention to the Gastrodon where a small, furry creature with a ringed tail and annoyed scowl emerged from behind. Hold on a minute! The voice, the scarf, the ever-present dripping sarcasm...
"Scout?!"
"Eh?!" the Ferroseed cried. "You know each other?"
"We know each other, yes," Kiran sighed, tucking his head under a wing. Scout frowned upon seeing the crew's reaction, giving an impatient stamp of his feet and swish of his tail before scoffing and continuing on.
"Oh so now you decided to play the cavalry," the Sentret fumed. "You could have done it before we had to swim out of Orleigh!"
"Wait, Orleigh?" Natrix demanded. "What were you doing there of all places?"
"I went to drop off one of Hariti's letters there," Scout explained. "In retrospect, I should have just hired a courier."
"Because you were tired after such a long journey?" Crom asked.
"No, you clod!" the brown-furred rodent snapped. "Because I spent half a week tied up in a basement by pirates!"
The gathered crew of the Siglo Swellow blinked and an awkward silence filled the air, before the Stufful from the other group cleared his throat to add his own commentary.
"Er… yeah," the little bear said. "That's kinda why we're all here."
"Come on aboard," Beatrix offered. "We can talk this over while we patch you all up."
The three strangers paused and mulled the matter over, before turning back and each shaking their heads at the offer.
"Thanks but no thanks," the Ferroseed answered. "We've already tested our luck enough as-is."
"Yeah, based off these buoys, it looks like we drifted off course," the Gastrodon grunted. "And the sooner we get to Otvaga, the better."
"I think I'll stick here. I need a new ship anyways," Scout said. "Besides… I think that the others might wanna hear more about what went down."
The Gastrodon gave a short thanks before gathering up the other two Pokémon, the mollusk slowly swimming off ahead of the bow. The crew threw a rope over the side, allowing Scout to clamber up to the deck, where a quickly-growing crowd gathered around plying the Sentret with questions.
"So what happened out there?" Philips asked.
"Yeah," Natrix added. "I doubt that those pirates just let you walk out of Rosequartz, so how'd you do it?"
"Like I said, I went to Orleigh to deliver a letter. But I got mistaken by some pirate courier and got thrown in a basement," Scout answered. "About a day afterwards, Kiran's twerps came by and tried to break me out."
A startled Swellow's squawk filled the air. Scout turned his attention to Kiran to see that the bird had puffed out his feathers from surprise.
"They what?!" the Flying-Type exclaimed.
"Eh? What's with that reaction?" the Sentret demanded. "They've been island-hopping for almost two weeks by now."
"But then where are they?!" Crom cried. "They helped you get away, didn't they?"
"I said that they tried to break me out. They got chased off by the guards!" the Sentret huffed. "I got away the day after, after the guards went off chasing some 'god' and the town got trashed by a swarm of ferals. The kids were too busy flying off the other way for me to try and escape with them."
A series of puzzled grunts and exclamations filled the air, the gathered Pokémon being collectively taken aback by the Sentret's testimony. Pladur shook his head and darted up to Scout, half-disbelieving the rodent's words.
"Wait, you saw them again after you escaped?" the Fraxure asked.
"Yeah, I saw them flying away from town as I escaped," Scout responded.
"Eh? But, do you know where they flew off to?" Ander pressed, only to be met with a shrug from the ferret.
"Beats me, I just saw them flying out of town. I don't even know if they made it off the island," he replied. "For all I know, they hid in the wilderness on the other side."
"But what are we supposed to do if he's around a place like that?" Crom murmured, only to be answered with a firm, buzzing voice.
"We go there and evaluate our options," Beatrix said.
A chorus of startled outcries followed the Illumise's words. Beatrix wanted them to go to Orleigh?
"Eh?!" Philips squeaked. "Captain Beatrix?!"
"You can't seriously be suggesting that we sail up to una cueva de ladrones!" Pat exclaimed.
"I'm suggesting that we don't have any leads as to where the kids went right now," Beatrix remarked. "And the sooner we get more information, the sooner we can figure out how to act on it."
"But we wouldn't last in a fight against that many pirates!" Natrix protested. "For crying out loud, the only thing we have to work with other than our own fighting skills is a Lyle Gun!"
"Like I said, we're going there to get more information," the captain insisted. "We'll stay a healthy distance from the island and try to pick up what we can from there."
Some uneasy "erm"s and "ah"s floated around the gathered sailors, along with a scattered protest here or there about a sudden stomachache. The Illumise flitted up and motioned for silence, before continuing to speak.
"If anyone else has an idea of where they'd be, now's the time to raise it," she said. "Otherwise we'll be making a choice right here and now whether to turn tail or keep going after our Protector."
An uneasy pause settled over the gathered Pokémon. None of them wanted to get anywhere near Orleigh, but even so, there really wasn't any lead that was better than the one that Scout gave them.
"… Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Let's move on," the Hitmontop First Mate ordered. "Though I want you lookouts to remain vigilant for any potential blind spots!"
There was a brief pause before 'ayes' began to circulate among the crew, as one by one the Pokémon returned to their stations. A few were enthusiastic, while others betrayed obvious hesitance and nervousness. Orleigh was undoubtedly treacherous waters to deal with, and the less said about their odds in a direct fight with pirates there, the better. Even so, fortune favored the bold, and with their Protector likely holed up in that den of thieves, they'd surely never get him back by timidly avoiding the place.
And so it was that the Siglo Swellow changed its course and set off, sailing for murky waters with an ever-thickening cloud of tension filling the air.
Back in Rosequartz, the Iron Fleet's base had come off relatively lightly from the calamity that befell the town. Yes, there were a few fresh holes punched into the wall, and the rear scaffolding had collapsed, but the half-finished structure was largely intact…
"Argh… my… everything."
Though the same could not be said for its occupants. In a corner, a wounded Noibat and Staravia staggered over to a table where Kichiro sat grumbling under his breath - their other comrades being in similarly haggard shape. Even the crew's Aggron captain wasn't exempt, as Hess lumbered in panting, staring ahead in a catatonic silence as water dripped off fresh scrapes and cuts on his hide.
"How on earth did this happen?"
"Could be worse," the Staravia said. "We could've gotten captured like Rodion and those other guys did."
Hess went silent at the fliers' chatter and trudged over to his stool by the indoor rock garden. The Aggron plopped down onto the seat and buried his face in his claws.
The encounter with the Clawitzer had been a total debacle. Her underlings had carried off a number of pirates from town, for what everyone presumed to be bounty money or simply to make an example of some of their ranks. The losses included a good chunk of his crew, the most painful of which was Rodion. He himself had only been saved by virtue of his sheer weight, though with his first mate gone, he'd be hard-pressed to keep the crew in line without Rodion's knack for heading off brewing troubles.
The Steel-Type hung his head and groaned, trying to think of some way that his crew could bounce back from this calamity. He didn't get a chance to think for long, as he heard a loud buzz and felt a weight on the back of his head. The Aggron pirate blinked and looked up just in time to see a Yanmega perched on his metal head, the Bug-Type speaking up full of vigor and cheer.
"Hey, look on the bright side," Valatos reassured. "We made it to raid another day. All the time you need to get some fresh blood, plot your revenge, and-"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT RIGHT NOW!" Hess bellowed.
Valatos hastily flitted away and retreated to a different table occupied by his companions, where they traded uneasy glances with one another. Hess sighed and buried his face in his arms on the table, prompting the fliers to give unamused stares at him and murmur in the background.
"This wouldn't have happened if Rodion planned the ambush," the Noibat muttered.
"Nor would any number of past screw-ups," Kichiro hissed.
"Yeah, well, it's kinda late for that now," the Staravia growled.
Hess drooped and looked away to try and ignore his lackeys' stares, only to stop and realize that looking weak in a time of crisis surely wouldn't make anything better. The Aggron shook his head, gritted his teeth and steeled his eyes into a serious scowl, readying himself to face his underlings once more. The Steel-Type turned back, full of forced enthusiasm... only for a loud bang to ring out from the doorway.
"Hess!"
The Aggron jumped at the sound of a harsh, familiar voice from the door. Hess turned around reluctantly, where he saw the Conkeldurr messenger from earlier at the door, sporting fresh welts and a glaring scowl over his face.
"Oh, drown me…" the Aggron gulped.
"Hrmph, seems like you're quite popular these days," the Conkeldurr said. "The Council sent for you again."
Hess blanched at the mention of the Council and buried his head in his claws. There was no way that they could be pleased with the state of the town right now, but surely they'd understand and not turn him into ship cladding... right?
... oh who was he kidding?
Pleo's journey continued on as the sun made its course across the sky. Every now and then he'd spot a group of Pokémon passing below him, or a ship off in the distance; but even so, the journey felt far quieter than he had expected. His friends hadn't talked to each other since they left the rocks, or said much of anything for that matter… Maybe it would be best to try and break the ice to get them talking with each other again?
"The sky's really pretty today, don't you think?" Pleo chirped. "What do you think those clouds on the horizon look like?"
"Like clouds?" Nida grunted.
"Hrmph," Elty huffed. "How should I know?"
"I-I'm not opening my eyes right now," Guardia whimpered.
The Lugia blinked and fumbled with his words a little. That topic hadn't gone as planned… Perhaps he should try striking up a conversation with Elty? Nida did say he was 'lippy', so he'd want to talk more, wouldn't he…?
"Uh… Elty! You've been to Sormus before, right?" Pleo asked. "Did they have 'mah-lah-sah-dah' there too?"
"Does it look like I'd have gone there to find malasada?" the dog snapped.
Pleo looked back in time to see Nida glaring at Elty, the Fire-Type reciprocating in kind as Guardia continued to latch onto his back cowering. The young Lugia faltered and turned back ahead drooping, his spirits lowered by even his attempts to stir up small talk failing on the team.
"I guess not…" he admitted. "It's just… I thought there would be something to talk about…"
A sudden gust of wind rocked the Lugia, prompting his passengers to latch onto him for safety, and Guardia to open her eyes in a panic.
"A-AAH!"
For a brief moment, the Cubone looked down, and began to feel faint, prompting her to jerk her head back up to try and stave off vertigo. Off in the distance, she saw the clouds part, revealing a cluster of dunes punctuated by stony hills on the horizon, and a white-sailed ship carrying along in the water a little ways in front of it..
"Ah! There's land!" Guardia exclaimed. "Just past that white ship there!"
"Hrmph," Elty snorted. "About time."
"Come on Pleo," Nida sighed. "Let's just get there and get this over with."
The young Legendary carried on with a sigh, flapping his wings and driving forward towards the land. Pleo charted a course to keep his distance from the ship, only for an easterly crosswind to blow him closer towards it. As the seabird struggled to right his course, he was able to better notice the ship's details. It was a large, two-masted craft, with white sails sporting blue sun designs. Most curiously, there were a large number of Pokémon on the deck, who suddenly seemed to burst into activity.
"Huh?" Pleo murmured. "What are all those Pokémon doing down-"
Fwish!
A large, pressurized jet of water sailed overhead, prompting Pleo to drop in the air, and the four members of Team Traveller to cry out in a startled panic.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
"Wh-What was that?!" Guardia squealed.
"The ship just attacked us, bonehead!" Elty yipped.
"But why would it do tha-?!" Pleo squawked.
The four looked down at the deck of the ship, where amidst the sea of activity, one figure in particular stood out. To their horror, next to the railing was none other than the form of a Samurott with blade in paw, his neck bedecked in a lavender scarf.
"Lyn!"
THWAM!
Lyn pounded a paw against the Nektar Weide's railing, growling irritatedly at his missed shot, panting from exertion from having just spat up a Hydro Cannon into the air. As the Samurott seethed with a free paw tightly wrapped around a seamitar, Ketu looked on from a small distance, turning his head up with a sigh from picking at his claws.
"I told you that that that bird was slippery-" the Weavile began, only to be cut off with a bellowing roar.
"Enough! All of you, I want your fire on that bird now!"
The deck hands gave a hasty salute and one after the other began disgorging attacks up into the sky. Lyn watched as the young Protector turned tail and weaved around the flurry of beams and projectiles. A cry went up from the Crobat captain of the fliers as they attempted to give chase, only to be thwarted by a strong crosswind from the east blowing them back towards the ship. Unamused, the Samurott twitched his whiskers and sheathed his blade with a growl, dropping to all fours in order to give pursuit.
"Ugh. Do I have to do everything myself?" Lyn fumed.
The otter clambered up onto the railing, readying himself to vault over into the water. As he planted his hind legs, a startled buzz and the sound of flustered wingbeats approached from behind as Ellsberg rushed over waving for attention.
"Lyn?!" the Mothim exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"
"I'll pursue them from the water!" the Water-Type barked. "You just keep the ship moving as fast as you can and keep firing!"
Ellsberg tried to reach out to Lyn in protest, only for the Samurott captain to leap off the railing and dive into the sea before he could get even close. The otter straightened out in the water into a torpedo-like shape, tearing through the water and returning to the surface. There, directly ahead of him, was his prize's flailing form. All that was left was to pitch him out of the sky, and scoop him up. A task he was all-too-ready for.
"This ends here," Lyn growled.
The Samurott's mouth began to grow frigid as cold air built up within the back of his throat. He spat up the contents, coming out as an icy beam that sailed high up into the sky, directly at the white bird's body.
"Look out!"
Just after the sound of Nida's petrified squeak, Pleo felt a freezing burst zip by his wingtips. The young Lugia jerked up in a panic, drawing cries from his passengers as they clung to their startled mount during his erratic flight.
"H-how did Lyn find us?!" Pleo squawked. "I thought the Company didn't we know we were in these waters!"
"I don't know Pleo, but just keep flying!" Nida pleaded. "We'll worry about that once we've landed!"
On cue, a gout of fire sailed past, prompting the Lugia to move to the left. As soon as Pleo backed away, a crackling bolt of electricity shot by his wings on the right, prompting him to lurch back. As Guardia clung to Pleo for dear life, the world underneath flew by in incoherent glimpses. In the midst of her frightened vertigo, the Cubone could clearly see the world below changing from the deep blue of the sea's water to the friendlier appearance of golden sand, a sign that they'd crossed over land.
"Yatta! Yat-!" the Ground-Type cried, only to be cut off by a startled whine from Elty.
"Agh! Incoming!"
Nida and Guardia whirled in the direction of their Growlithe teammate as a torrential jet of water surged up from underneath. The Fire-Type spat up a column of embers at the water in a panic, followed by a barb flicked from his Nidoran companion. The attacks sailed on into the Hydro Cannon, only for the torrent to sweep them away and slam into Pleo from below.
For a fleeting moment, the three felt Pleo rise in the air - the water rolling off his plumes like droplets off of wax paper - only for him to go limp and dive into an uncontrolled spiral.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
The Lugia fell further and further, the sandy ground beneath growing visibly closer by the second. All the while, his passengers desperately tugged at his feathers and body with their paws and mouths, pleading with their mount to come back to his senses.
"Pull up! Pull up!" Guardia squealed. The Ground-Type tugged desperately at the falling Protector, the bird weakly stirring to her claw pinches.
"Ngah…"
The young Protector cracked his eyes open, where he fuzzily saw shapes on the ground fast approaching. He weakly fought against the air with his wings, trying to level his body out only to feel a heavy blow and sand scraping against his stomach. Pleo pitched forward, before tumbling head over heels, the world going black as his teammates' screams faded into the darkness.
"Pleo?"
"Come on, get up."
Pleo felt the sun beating down on him along with a repeated prodding along his side… was that Guardia? He began to move his wings weakly, feeling sand in his feathers, and a throbbing pain from his belly. The Lugia raised his head, his vision running muddy as he cracked his eyes open to the harsh glare of a desert in the late afternoon.
"Nrgh…"
"Oi, he's moving!" a yipping, canine voice cried.
"Don't just stand there!" a squeaking voice exclaimed. "Help him up!"
The young Protector felt his body get lifted up, and tottered as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. He began to see that he was at the foot of a large, sandy mound. Behind him, a trail of disturbed sand and feathers marking where he had crashed and tumbled along. Pleo looked seeing similar dunes around him, a few stony hills in the distance, and his three teammates looking battered and waiting anxiously ahead of him.
"Are you alright, Pleo?" Nida asked. The bird blinked a few times, before staggering up woozily to face his teammate.
"I… I think so," he answered weakly.
Guardia went over to her teammate and examined his body, brushing her claws over the Lugia's plumes. An explorative pat and a subsequent wince from Pleo quickly revealed a deepening bruise under his belly's feathers, prompting her to cast a glance at a satchel that had been set aside on a rock.
"Hang on," the Cubone reassured. "I'll see if we have something to heal him with."
"Ugh… well this was a great way to arrive in Sormus," Elty groaned.
Nida lowered her ears and shook out her spines, shooting an annoyed glare at the Growlithe. They'd just crashed into the middle of some gods-forsaken sand pit and his first instinct was to complain about them?
"Really, Elty?" the Nidoran hissed. "Can't you wait until after we're out of the woods before whining about being around us?"
The dog's mood quickly soured at the allegation, prompting him to growl and bare his teeth at his rabbit accuser. Was she seriously assuming the worst of him now when they'd just tumbled into the middle of a desert?
"Well excuse me if 'crashing into a sand dune' isn't my idea of a good time!" the Fire-Type snapped. "I didn't ask for you to make me cross paths with that Samurott again!"
The pair's bickering went on a ways, before Guardia threw down the remains of the Oran Berry she was pressing against Pleo's stomach and stamped the sandy ground irkedly.
"Both of you, shut up!" she growled. "I'm in the middle of something here!"
The Cubone's interruption did little to settle the mood, as the three broke out into a heated argument. Pleo drooped and looked away, when he chanced to spot a moving shape slip in the air past the crest of the sand dune. The young Lugia warily trudged up and squinted, where off in the distance was the white-sailed ship they'd encountered at sea with what seemed to be large groups leaving it from sea and air...
And much to his horror, coming through the surf and onto Sormus' desert beaches was none other than its Samurott captain, blade drawn and ready for battle.
"A-Aah! Lyn's already coming for us!" he cried.
Nida, Elty, and Guardia went silent and scampered up the dune to see for themselves. One after the other, the three went wide-eyed and flushed pale. There wouldn't be much time before Lyn made his way inland, but just what could they do in a situation like this?!
"We need to get out of here," Nida said.
"How?" Guardia demanded. "We don't know this island at all, and there's no visible cover we can hide under!"
"Actually…" Elty murmured. "Don't be so sure about that."
The Growlithe raised a paw, gesturing off inland into the distance. There, looming high into the sky was a tall column of fog, a surefire marker of a Mystery Dungeon. Even so, the Fire-Type's discovery failed to bring any ease to Nida or Guardia's eyes, the pair shooting suspicious glares at their teammate.
"Why on earth should we trust you now?" the Nidoran huffed.
"Yeah, where does this Mystery Dungeon lead to?" the Cubone growled.
"But we need somewhere to hide!" Pleo exclaimed. "There's nothing here for us!"
"Look, I'm going there if you're coming or not," Elty huffed. "If you want to chance it with Lyn and his cronies, be my guest!"
The Growlithe took off, running as fast for the fog in the distance as his pudgy frame would allow. Pleo beat his wings out with a start, and began to run after the dog, calling out after him.
"Elty! Wait!" Pleo squawked. "Hold on for us!"
Nida and Guardia blinked incredulously at the entire episode, watching their teammates' forms grow increasingly distant before they grudgingly turned to face one another.
"This was not the sort of lore I wanted to gather from here," Guardia groaned. "But it doesn't look like we've got much of a choice."
"… Bueno," Nida grumbled. "Let's just get out of here."
The two ran after the white bird slipping off in the distance, hobbling a bit from their rough landing. This… wasn't how things were supposed to go. With how much more chaotic their arrival was, could they even assume Dimitri would've made it to Sormus to show them to their next destination? Either way, it was a priority that would have to wait, as they wouldn't be going anywhere fast if Lyn caught up to them.
Author's Notes:
- meduzy (мeду́зы) - Russian: "jellyfish" (BGN/PCGN Romanization)
- una cueva de ladrones - Spanish: "a den of thieves", lit. "a cave of thieves"
- Yatta! (やった!) - Japanese: "I/We did it!" (Hepburn Romanization)
- Bueno - Spanish: "Good", used in this context as "Fine"
