Episode 27: World of Premonition
That hour of rest flew by. Perhaps because it was dark all around them, Kayla couldn't help but feel a little tired the whole time. Or perhaps Mathildaath's curse was stronger than she thought, and the lanterns illuminating the camp weren't strong enough. Either way, her and the team had accounted for everything they needed to. Their stock of items was good, everyone was in good health, and with a little time left, they chose to relax the extra time away.
"Hey, Kari?" Kayla said quietly, looking up from her seat at their camp.
The Furret beamed up at her name almost too excitedly. Ashe and May were with Gema and the others, leaving just Shannon and Pola. The former chose to meditate by their tent, while the latter lounged by their campfire.
"I, uh… I wanted to talk about, uh, last night," Kayla said.
"Last night?" Kari cocked her head. "When does last night count as over here? It's always night."
Y'know, when we like… outside the dorm?" Kayla clarified. Kari yelped and went bright red.
"Oh? What were you two doing?" Pola leaned toward them, half-lidded.
"Er, Kayla?" Kari squeaked. "You're sorta supposed to wait until you're alone to talk about personal stuff."
"I, know- but I just thought… ugh, forget it," Kayla sighed.
"Oh? But you said something, that means you hafta talk about it now. I need the juicy gossip," Pola teased.
"Can you just like, buzz off? You're right, this isn't the time for this. I just wanted to apologize," Kayla sighed.
"… I wanted to talk about it, too," Kari admitted, rubbing her face. "But that's why we have to win. We have to win, go back home and then we can talk about it, right?"
That brought a smile to Kayla's face. "Yeah."
"I envy how you're not nervous about this. I mean, this is gonna be a pretty tough battle, ya'know? We could die here," Pola remarked, twirling her singular weave of headfur around a digit. "I guess I get it. We're doing this, ready or not and whether we like it or not. Might as well have nothing else on the mind. I kinda wish they'd hurry up so we can get a move on, though. In this house, we jump straight into the lava!"
Wait, that was— Kayla flinched and spun around to Pola. She had her fist raised high.
"But well, that's me. I'm nervous and I can't help it, but what about you, Kayla? You're always being cool 'n stuff, but you're not usin' that as a mask to hide your nervousness, are ya? 'Cos if ya are, you don't need to just 'cos you're our leader 'n all that. I'd feel way more comfortable if I saw you being yourself," Pola started scratching the back of her head. "So c'mon! You two can talk about what's on your chest. I won't judge or tease, promise!"
"Pola, you just—" Kayla gasped. No, wait. I shouldn't. It's probably just a coincidence.
"Are you two having fun there? We're ready, you know," May's voice interjected. The Pichu hopped down from the branches above with a disgruntled look. "We needed you to be ready at a moment's notice."
"And we're ready. No need to have that attitude. Is the way ahead clear?" Pola grumbled, paws on her hips.
"As clear as it'll ever be, but it won't be forever. If we go now, we'll get the jump on that archfiend. Let's go!" May waved for them to follow. Pola and Kari obeyed right away, leaving Kayla to gawk.
Okay. It's not a coincidence. This is it, right? And this time, things have to be different, Kayla frowned. She took a deep breath in, and then breathed out slowly. "Shannon! It's time to go. Let's do this."
The Pachirisu took a deep breath of his own, and then jogged alongside her. A short romp through a thicket and over some roots, and the team made it to a cave carved into the side of a mountain wall. Ashe held a torch as high as she could to keep the space illuminated.
"The others have already left. This way should give us a shortcut to our fiend, but we should still hurry," Ashe informed. "Kayla, since your PET can float, do you mind leading the way with it out? That way we can refer to the map."
"What about enemies? I suppose I could hear them," she obeyed anyway.
"The ferals have long since cleared the area or been put to sleep by Mathildaath's curse. Our only opponent will be that guardian fiend," May replied.
"So it's just the big boss now… okay," Kayla nodded, and her PET flew out. The holographic map floated beside them as they walked.
This couldn't have been the same cave the others went through. It was too small and cramped. It was a wonder Ashe even fit, but by holding the torch in front rather than up, it turned out the cave fit her perfectly. It was naturally cylindrical, yet it didn't feel natural due to the perfectly still air. Just as she was told, Kayla couldn't hear a hint of life either, besides the crawling and mumbles of her friends.
"Whoa!" she hissed, not realising she reached the end. The cave slid right down into the orchard and was high enough to overlook almost the entire area.
Their map was misleading. The orchard was huge. Acre upon acre of woodland stretched as far as the eye could see, all surrounded by mountains in the far distance. A shorter mountain stood in the centre where Mathildaath's shrine awaited, illuminated by a huge, lustrous moon. It gave the air a chilly, bluish-whitish hue, filled with glistening particles. This only seemed to affect the shrine however, as everything else was naturally coloured and lit up by moonlight.
The real problem however: the entire area was underwater. An unnatural flood for sure, with a deep layer of water that allowed only a few treetops to peek through. The water wasn't clear either, taking on a green hue. Nothing here moved except for those glistening particles around the shrine, which seemed to make Kayla shiver.
"What seems to be the holdup?" May got her attention, casually walking around her.
"I-er, there's… the whole place is actually underwater," Kayla replied.
"What?" Pola gasped. "How're we supposed to do this?"
"I don't think I can hold my breath for that long," Kari added.
"They said something about our PETs. I guess we swim and keep our heads up for only a moment so we don't fall asleep or something?" Shannon cocked his head. "I don't think I can do that."
"You all don't know?" Ashe asked.
"Know what?" Kayla turned to her. There was silence. "Seriously, someone say something already!"
"Well, don't dawdle," May waved playfully, and leapt off the cliff.
"MAY!" Kayla screeched. The Pichu disappeared into the water below. She gazed down until the ripples vanished, and then groaned. "We're really doing this, aren't we?"
"The little shit's got somethin' up her sleeve, she's gotta," Pola complained.
"Hnng, I hate water… fine, but I hate water, I swear if this is some nasty trick," Kayla grumbled. She moved to slide off the cliff and instantly retracted, feeling her chest twist. It took another round of pouting, and then a deep breath, and then she shut her eyes and bounced down.
"Geronimo!" Kari cheered beside her.
"C'mon Shannon, you get to take another dip with yours truly," Pola giggled.
"Would rather not relive that memory," he grumbled. He still hopped off with her, while Ashe floated not far behind.
The moment Kayla hit the water, she instantly regretted it. The water was deep enough to totally submerge most of the woodland, while being as cold as she expected it to be, if not colder. At the very least it was clear below the surface, making for an entrance to a world she couldn't have ever dreamed of.
Orchard Overgrowth lived up to its name. It really was an orchard down here, lined with row after row of fruit trees, bushes, and vegetable fields, all of it so overgrown that it was like the woodland was constantly fighting with itself. Tree roots strangled each other where trees were close enough, bushes were oddly shaped as though they tackled one another down, while the fields could be mistaken for mosh pits with how densely packed their flowers were. With the whole area underwater however, the colours were slightly distorted, and not a single edible plant or vegetable could be seen for miles.
Kayla shivered as reality caught up to her. There were no slopes or easily climbable trees, while the water was so clear that she could see Mathildaath's moon filling the sky rather than the surface. Despite that moon being there, she didn't feel tired, and instead strained for oxygen. She needed a way out, fast.
"Is something the matter, my dear Kayla? You're looking awfully blue in the face," May said, making her jump. Bubbles came from the Pichu's mouth, while their voice was muffled and distorted by the water, yet they stood there unaffected. In fact, continued bubbles implied they were breathing just fine.
"Whoa-ack-ack, oog, wha-whoa," Kari let out her own round of surprised gurgles. "H-hey! It feels funny, but I'm- I am, aren't I? I'm breathing the water!"
Kayla's eyes were wide and she wasn't willing to try it, though she had no choice. Shutting her eyes, she let out a little breath, instinctively refusing to breathe in. Needing air, she just as nervously opened her mouth, expecting to choke. Water rushed in, and yet, it didn't come with the expected discomforts of being underwater. She gasped, and water only seemed to fill her mouth, while air filled her lungs. The sensation still had her gurgle and shiver.
"Wha-what's going on? This feels so weird, and… wet and, I-I dunno!" she cried. "May! Explain!"
"Don't you ever wonder how teams explore underwater dungeons?" May palmed her face.
"I figured it was just water types? Wouldn't that be safer? And like, normal?"
"Exploration teams, rescue teams, adventurer badges, certain gear and equipment like the PET, all come with environmental protection barriers built in," May began, tucking her arms behind her back. "Uninhabitable environments like underwater, superheated regions, frigid climates, low oxygen locations… the badges provide protection to those environments for a time. How long it lasts depends on your rank. They also only work in mystery dungeons."
"How the heck does that work? It doesn't make any sense!" Kayla flailed angrily. "Think they could've made it so we don't have to swim, either?"
"That would make it counterproductive," May replied.
"So that's what Gema meant when he said we only had two hours," Shannon remarked, examining his PET. "They even display oxygen level."
"Two hours is plenty! So we get to walk around here and breathe water? That's so cool!" Pola remarked. "I mean I dunno if I'm ever gonna get used to this, but just think of where we can go with all this!"
"No… No! I disagree completely!" Kayla pouted, stomping the floor. "It's cold! And wet! And the water's all heavy, all the stuff in my fluff is ruined, and- oh gods, our treasure bag! Does that become waterproof?"
"No. It doesn't," May cocked her head.
Kayla started stomping even more. "ARGH! This is stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid, gross, slow and, and- rrraaargh, I hate water! I hate water, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!"
"Wha… wow," Kari remarked, covering her mouth. "You really don't like water, huh?"
"NO! I DON'T!" Kayla yelled. She tried to hyperventilate, but even that felt like swallowing water, making her gurgle.
"Why'd you jump in the river to hide from the Orbies?"
Kayla froze. "Kari, of all the- why do you remember that?"
"Your fluff turned all puffy, and it was really funny!"
"Oh right, my hair!" Kayla cried. "Yeah, okay- I'm done. Let's hurry up and get this over with so we can get outta here, please!"
"I don't even have a comment for this," Pola remarked.
"I'm not surprised, but I'm surprised," Shannon added.
"Um, girls? A little help, please?" Ashe softly called out. The group gazed back and forth, but couldn't see her. "Up here!"
Ashe was fighting fruitlessly against the water's surface, face down and flailing her hands and feet. She was even redder and poutier than Kayla, so Kari stretched up and pulled her down. "Hee hee hee, you're like an actual balloon!"
Ashe looked away and grumbled. "Thanks. I never noticed."
"Eheh, right… they signed you up for this, but you're full of air," Shannon laughed nervously. "Can you sing underwater, too? The PET isn't stopping our voice from bubbling."
Ashe's eyes widened. "No. But I can fight without my Fonic Hymns. You don't need to worry."
"This just gets worse and worse," Kayla slumped.
"Ears open now, Kayla. We need you," May teased.
"Great. I finally get how Pola feels," Kayla sighed, but obeyed.
Even though she was breathing fine, it didn't take long to conclude that she would never get used to this. A dungeon in an orchard should have been cakewalk, relaxing even. Instead, Kayla felt heavy and sluggish as she lumbered through the water, uncomfortably kicking her feet every time she tried to hop over tree roots. Kari bounced alongside her, uselessly paddling to try and swim but never staying afloat for more than a metre. Shannon was relegated to holding Ashe down, and walked as normal. Pola and May were the only ones to swim properly. Like this, progress was slow, but Kayla couldn't see them going much faster.
Even without feral enemies, it was hard to appreciate this dungeon. It was by far and away an ordinary, overgrown orchard, just underwater. Said water probably killed all the crops, so Kayla couldn't even have greedy thoughts on whatever normally grew here. Just overgrown thickets and forest walled in by those distant mountains, and a few weeds on the flatter parts of the floor. The soil was soggier than a mud pit, while the cold water made her feel like she was being pulled down even step, making her slower than a rock type. Peeking at the map, it looked as though two hours might not even be enough at their pace.
She glanced up. Mathildaath's moon was huge, looming over everything no matter the angle or what was overhead. It didn't look like the actual moon, now that she could get a proper look at it. This bright white glowing sphere was patterned with flowing gases in plenty of shades of blue grey, and visibly rotated. Maybe it was due to her view of the water distorting things a bit, but she could clearly tell that the stars were around it, too.
"Don't stare too long. I don't believe the water gives us total immunity," May warned. "If any of us fall asleep underwater, it's mission failed for everyone. We can't take any chances."
"Fall asleep- oh right! May you're a genius!" Kayla gasped.
"That is what I am, yes."
"Jirachi, what if I dreamt all the water was gone? I can do that, can't I?" Kayla asked excitedly.
"Kayla… your aim is to stop the disturbances, not cause more," Jirachi came out of her ponytail. Annoyingly, he was completely unhindered by the water. "This is the archfiend's domain, a reality made by her dreams being brought into the real world. Attempting to counter that will only do what has happened to you before."
"Y'know, you've gotta be simpler with these explanations," Kayla said. The group kept walking while they spoke.
"The initial dream that you saw as a premonition, and those nightmares you had when I tried to reach out to you. That is all that will happen. Strange, chaotic realities that you have no control over," Jirachi explained. "Even when you escaped from the false Gilded Hall earlier, the realm you generated was not of your vision, correct?"
Kayla cocked her head to think about it. "You're right, that wasn't what I pictured my dream would be. Mathildaath was able to threaten me through there too, and spawned those weird shadow monsters. And I definitely didn't dream of her."
"Precisely. As long as we are exploring her realm, we are essentially at her mercy," Jirachi stated.
"Can something here go well?" Kayla sighed. "Lemme guess, my clothes are gonna be ruined coming out of this, too. We'll smell like fish or something."
"But fish is delicious. You'd smell delicious!" Kari giggled. Kayla gave her a half-lidded frown.
"I've never heard you complain so much. You really don't like water," Pola spoke up.
"How many times have I gotta say it?" Kayla cried. "I can't help it. I can't swim. I can't hear very well or smell down here either. So yeah, you've got me, water's my weakness, okay? Go ahead and laugh."
"Not like any of us could beat you in the water, given the circumstances," Pola shrugged. "Just, you're gettin' kinda annoying, now."
"What? I- you! Argh," Kayla growled.
"I think it's fair!" Kari argued. "I can't swim either. I just think it's really funny that I can blow bubbles anytime."
"Yeah, look on the bright side. That's what we do, right? Who's ever seen a pretty forest this deep underwater? It's not even outta a storybook!" Pola remarked.
"This is a pretty forest?" Kayla grumbled, half-lidded.
"I must admit. I've seen my fair share of nature, but if you told my past self I'd be walking in an underwater forest, I wouldn't even be able to picture it," Shannon added. "It's not a unique forest, but this is a unique experience."
"I wish I could move properly. The world below the waves has always interested me, but I have little way of exploring it," Ashe commented.
"See? You're the only one who's whinin'," Pola put on a snarky grin.
"Whaddya mean? May hasn't said anything yet!" Kayla cried. "Hey, May. Say something. Agree with me. Underwater sucks, doesn't it?"
"Hmm?" the Pichu stopped swimming to look at everyone. There was a pause for her comment, so she tucked her arms behind her back as always. "If you're all complaining, that's the best thing about the water. It muffles all your BS."
There was a round of silence.
"Wow. I think she doesn't agree with anyone," Kari's eyes were wide.
"Now if you're satisfied, can we get a move on? I wanna be outta here as soon as we can," Kayla snapped, continuing on.
"Hmm. Remind me never to go to the beach with you," Pola groaned.
"The beach is fine. If it's a fun trip, I get to use a floatie, too," Kayla smiled. "But true, it's not exactly my idea of a fun day out. It's too hot, it's wet, and sand gets all over my fluff."
"It's fun to dig holes and make sandcastles, oh and the treats! There's always places selling dogs and ice cream," Kari started giggling. Her tail wagged extra slowly and she immediately noticed, making her blush.
"Hold on hold on. You use a floatie?" Pola raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I do. Anyone who can't swim uses one," Kayla replied.
"Selling… dogs?" Shannon muttered.
"C'mon, Kari's got the right idea. You've gotta like the food there or something. Tell me you're not all boring!" Pola pouted.
"Well I've never had ice cream for one, and they don't do plant dogs, so…"
"YOU'VE NEVER HAD ICE CREAM?" the whole group responded this time, making her cringe and freeze.
"I…" Kayla's voice went high pitched, and her cheeks flushed. "Don't look at me that way! I've had stuff with cream in it before, doesn't that count?"
"Geez, no taste in appearance, no taste in food, no taste in socials… now no taste in cool dungeons, too. I thought I was starting to get you, but I really don't," Pola sighed and swayed her head. "Fine, whatever, I give up. Let's just get this over with."
There was more to that than Kayla liked, she realised quickly. She sighed instead of arguing, and focused on their current surroundings. Unlike the previous dungeon, this place didn't repeat itself so much. The terrain here was very different to how it looked a few dozen metres away, with hills and sections of plain grass. The mountain walls were a bit closer, too.
"Hey, what if it's inside the cave?" Kari pointed to the side.
A little to the left were a few downward hills and the cave she mentioned. It also looked like it led to the shrine, but glancing at the map, it also led to their target. She didn't confer with everyone, she just took off, trying to concentrate. Bubbling noises irritably muffled any other sounds she needed to hear, and breathing through her nose just felt like snorting water. Now that they were close, she didn't know how she was going to handle the battle.
Starting to wonder why Gema enlisted us for this, she thought, squinting as they entered the cave. It was dark in here, but not enough that she couldn't see ahead. The path was linear but swerved enough that there were walls and corners. The path descended too, much to her worry. "We're not gonna get so deep that pressure crushes us, are we?"
"That would be bad. The PET can't protect against that," May sung. It took everyone a moment to realise what she just said.
"Wait what? Why don't you tell us these things before?" Kayla cried.
"If I did, would it encourage you more?" the Pichu continued to sound like she wasn't taking this seriously.
"… Part of me wants to trust you as I don't think you'd be doing this if you could die doing it, but another part of me worries you're actually enjoying my suffering," Kayla went half-lidded.
"More than you could ever imagine."
"… You're horrible," Shannon said.
"At least we can agree she's a bitch, right?" Pola nudged Kayla, who grumbled and turned away.
"Kari, we shouldn't touch things!" Ashe cried out.
Kari was away from the group, something Kayla would've noticed if she could hear properly. This part of the cave was wide enough that the distance was completely black, save for these strange, white blobs in the background. Kari ignored Ashe's order and approached anyway, and then suddenly screamed at the top of her voice.
"Okay I heard that. What is it?" Kayla rushed over. Kari was shivering, and the moment Kayla looked, she flinched, too. The white blobs were only muffled by the distance. Once close, even she would recognise an Oddish and Excadrill. They were Pokémon made of stone, but perfectly textured, shaped, and detailed. "These aren't statues, are they?"
"I can think of a few Pokémon who could turn others to stone," May replied, rubbing her chin.
"There's so many, too! And they all look like they live here. There's grass types, flying types… Pokémon that'd probably eat the stuff that grows here," Pola added. More statues were neatly arranged behind these two, as if someone put them here. Perfectly spaced apart like a collection of figures, there were enough that one could safely say the entire population was collected here.
"The perpetrator is likely still nearby," May warned, drawing her fan. "Weapons out and wits about you. This is what we came here for."
"Part of me hoped we'd fight outta the water, but I guess we're doing this," Kayla sighed, glancing at her map one more time. They were right on top of the target, so she put her PET away.
She was really trying here. She'd normally catch on to things like wind, wings flapping, footsteps, any natural movements or habits that contributed to building her world of battle, but it was a whole different procedure here. Her friends were easy enough to lock onto, if only because she could tell they were there rather than who was who. But for their potential enemy in this cave, she had no idea. There were no sounds outside of bubbles and light gurgles, and everyone's light gait made footsteps impossible to hear. It being a cave rather than the outside grass meant she couldn't pay attention to the current, either.
A little deeper into the cave and a few more white blobs were found, but these were arranged in a circle all around them in the distance. Something made Kayla stop here, directly in the centre of them all. There was a ceiling here, and the distance was shrouded in pitch black darkness. She could only see a few metres beyond herself and her team, and that's when it clicked.
"It's here!" Kayla shouted and shifted a foot back, making the others pose for battle. However, nothing happened for a moment. "Don't bother trying to play us, I know you're there."
"Is there? I don't see anyone," Kari replied.
"The light. We're too deep in the cave for there to be light, and Pola's not using Flash. These statues, they're glowing somehow. And who better to turn Pokémon into statues? You guys are ghosts, aren't ya?" Kayla smirked.
A subtle tremor ran across the floor as if there was a reaction, to which her heart sped up. A second later, glowing red eyes appeared on the white blobs, one by one until all of them were staring at the team. Eerie, white, see-through bodies began to form around those blobs, and they creaked as they grew in size, growing arms and protrusions as they stretched taller and taller. A moment later, the team were surrounded by a forest of ghostly coral, illuminating a white, cloudy, thundery sky. This was it, what Kayla needed. To her, this was her world of battle.
"Cursola! They're called Cursola!" May announced seriously. "Don't touch their bodies or they'll drain your energy and turn you to stone!"
The party stood back-to-back with one another thanks to her warning, aiming their attacks or weapons at each of the Cursola. None of the ghosts moved however, instead mumbling strange gibberish to each other. They wobbled slightly as well, looking at their fellow ghosts rather than the party.
"I don't think they're our target," Kayla whispered, realising. She instinctively tuned into her surroundings again, where she noticed the current moving. It was subtle, but something was drawing the water away, as if inhaling. Kayla's eyes widened, and she gasped. "Girls, move!"
A massive Shadow Ball attack came from the north, which the group dove away from. Kari was too slow and got hit however, leaving her shivering on the spot as dark, sludgy energy splattered over her form.
"There!" Shannon pointed and shouted.
"Shannon, don't let go of me!" Ashe cried.
"Sorry!"
Where he pointed was where the water was getting drawn to, but it had stopped. In its place were two more red eyes that glowed in the dark. After a moment, a sinister grin lined with massive, pointy fangs grew below the eyes, soon followed by a white, curled moustache. The monster gave a great, gurgling roar that blew an enormous current their way, illuminating the remaining darkness to reveal the monster fully: a Jellicent, the blue form with the pointy tentacles below it. Its fangs were just about visible below the moustache, their tips peeking through.
"Heh, try and blow us away, huh? Alright, we'll play," Kayla smirked, charging herself with Quick Attack. She took off, aiming to circle the bulbous beast and distract it. "See if you can keep up with me ya big balloon!"
"Er, Kayla?" Kari squeaked.
"Kari, Pola, don't mind me and do your thing!" Kayla shouted without looking for them.
"We er, could if you were going somewhere," Pola pointed out.
The comment had Kayla glance at them, and then her feet. Her fast running motions had taken her off the ground and nowhere else. She wasn't even floating toward the surface, she simply suspended herself in place. "Oh god damn it—"
Hydro Pump cut her off. She didn't even know how Hydro Pump worked underwater, but it did, sending her hurtling toward a Cursola. Kari was quick to react, and stretched an arm over to catch her.
"Guess we leave this one to me," Pola put a paw by her mouth. Just as she began to recite however, she noticed the Cursola start to wriggle more. Shortly after, dark purple flames appeared around her face, and the water around her became murky.
"Get outta there!" Shannon coughed, kicking himself into her. The duo just about avoided the flames converging, where they burst into a murky blast.
"Whoa, you just…"
"Don't start. Concentrate!" he ordered, getting off her. He retrieved Ashe from May, who'd caught her when he let go.
"That was Hex," Kayla warned as her and Kari returned to the group. "It might look like fire, but it's a ghost move. The water won't stop it."
"And that came from the coral. Despite there being six of us, it seems we're outnumbered," May added, still sounding like she was teasing.
"U-um… I hate to say this, but I can't really hit ghosts," Kari squeaked.
"Neither can I. Well I can, but," Kayla confessed with a huff, glaring at the Jellicent. Its grin grew wider as if it were laughing at them. "Ice Beam's not gonna do much against that guy."
"Shannon, can I get you to stay safe? The rest of you, protect us," Ashe ordered, held down by one leg. "Kayla, Kari, you two are immune to ghost type moves. Use that to shield us."
"I know," Kayla groaned, seeing a Shadow Ball charged by the Jellicent. She kicked herself forward and took the attack with her back. Although she was meant to be immune, there was a degree of force to the impact that shook her bones, followed by the murky energy that lingered over her. It made her shiver and sniffle with cold, as if a chill pierced her body down to its very core. "Gah… I am not gonna get used to that."
Glancing around, the Cursola each mumbled odd gibberish, possibly to each other. Whatever it was, Hex attacks followed in the form of dark flames forming around each of them. The fireballs shot into the team after a moment, exploding into more dark water. Kayla could only shut her eyes and brace each hit, though it was useless – the impacts still left her feeling like jelly, while the chills made her feel like she might be sick. And now with the dark smoke all over the water, she was losing track of her friends.
"Rrrgh, nuts to this!" she growled, bringing up Ice beam. The moment the smoke began to clear a bit, she let loose toward Jellicent, hitting it square in the centre of the moustache.
"Kayla!" Ashe cried, but the Buneary ignored her. She kept shooting her beam until Jellicent's moustache was totally frozen over.
"Oh, I see," May grinned cockily. She wound back and performed a throwing motion, though she also thrust both palms with her throw as it shooting a projectile of energy. Her fan sliced through the water at shocking speed, where it lodged directly into the frozen jellyfish.
"I can finish it!" Kari squealed, and thrust her claws towards it. Her arms stretched, and although she wasn't as fast in the water as May's fan, she was still fast enough to slash in a way that looked like it hurt. She swung in a wide arc, one arm after the other for a two-hit slash that shattered the ice and dislodged May's fan. Jellicent flipped upwards through the water, cursing in its own gurgly language.
"Yeah!" Kayla cheered and jumped for joy. "Uh- wait a minute."
Jellicent wasn't finished yet. In fact, it was just getting started. Somehow, the moustache came right off, shattered and lingering in the water as shards of ice that melted into nothing. What was left of Jellicent was a bulbous orb with a maddened gaze lined with fangs, each fang differing in shape and length. It roared and its eyes glowed red with rage, though their glow was within the Jellicent's body, resembling bright red flames that leaked out from the eye sockets. That mouth of his also stretched along the entirety of the monster's face. With the red glow from within illuminating those wide fangs in the dark waters, it was finally clear why this was a monster guarding an archfiend.
As if a part of the monster, the background changed, too. It didn't look or feel like they were underwater at all anymore. Shades of grey, white, and black slowly scrolled by, flicking into different triangular patterns, accented by blinking red glows and a swirly, cloud-like pattern above. Kayla didn't rejoice however, and tightened her gaze on this new monster.
"Ashe, Pola, do your thing!" Kayla demanded, and took off. She made sure not to use Quick Attack so that she could actually run, and quickly growled at herself. She wasn't nearly moving fast enough.
Thankfully, Jellicent wasn't fast, either. Now enraged, it made a lot more noise and wrenched about as it charged more attacks. Several Shadow Balls formed in front of it, and each one fired one after the other. Kayla habitually used Quick Attack and launched off the ground, only to float longer than she expected. The next three Shadow Balls came straight at her, to which she shut her eyes and braced. More impacts to her side and stomach made her sputter, followed by that harsh chill she was growing to hate.
When she opened her eyes, Jellicent was right up close to her, and she screamed. Its tentacles wrapped around her like ropes, only with their flat, slimy surface, it was as if they stuck to her. She immediately tried to kick and squirm free, but it clung so tightly that it was fruitless.
"Kayla!" Shannon cried. "Ashe, it's now or never!"
He glanced at her, and then realised he needn't worry. The Jigglypuff had a Shadow Ball attack of her own held and ready, charged to over half her size. With Jellicent stuck in place holding Kayla, she finally had a clear target, and fired with so much force that both her and Shannon were launched backwards. The Shadow Ball was slow despite, but sizzled with all sorts of murky, dark energy, and grew in size as it travelled, pulsating by the second.
"That's!" was all Kayla could hiss before bracing for the worst.
By the time Ashe's attack reached Jellicent, the Shadow Ball was larger than it, and engulfed it completely. Kayla was let free, but kept her eyes shut until she felt solid ground beneath her. Electric-like crackles and spurting pops filled her ears, soon joined by the grating gurgles and roars of Jellicent in agony. The Shadow Ball finally exploded into smoke, leaving behind the heavily damaged ghost type.
"It's not over!" Ashe warned.
Shannon was quick. He stood on Pola's right and thrust both arms to use Protect, while May took her left, holding her fan open to protect herself. Kari had her back, and even grew to make sure she properly guarded the Plusle. Like this, Pola was protected from the Cursola, while having a clear view of the lingering Jellicent. Seeing that, Pola grinned, and then posed to cast her magic at last.
"I call upon the elements of the sacred trio, rise forth and run my enemy through! Nature Power! Tri Attack!" she recited quickly. The three elemental orbs flew out and circled her. With a forceful thrust of both arms, the electric orb grew in size and shot through the water.
"Tri attack is normal type!" Kayla cried.
"Na-uh, mine ain't!" Pola bragged.
True to her claim, the electric orb set off an agonizing yell from Jellicent as electricity surged all over it. It jittered in place for a moment before bright explosions began to engulf it, followed by a final, blinding burst of crystals and light. The group had to shield their eyes and brace, but were unharmed.
"Whoa, it's just, gone? What happened, why did he blow up?" Kari cried.
"No surprise there. It was a monster, not a real Pokémon. We can treat it the same as that monster we fought in the crystal den," May replied.
"Phew. Guess that's the big one," Kayla sighed, and then quickly felt calmed. The Cursola weren't attacking, and didn't wriggle as agitatedly, either. "You guys cool all of a sudden?"
The Cursola slowly exchanged looks with one another. They were quiet, but Kayla could hear them making a few sounds, too. Their tone was calm, and they settled.
"You meant to tell me all those Hex attacks came from the Jellicent, too?" Pola remarked. "Thing was more of a powerhouse than we thought."
"K-Kayla!" Kari shrieked suddenly.
"Wha-what, what now?" she bounced. Kari looked horrified for some reason, and then scrambled over as fast as she could. Kayla was a little concerned when the Furret pulled her shirt off, and then her eyes widened. Her arms had large open gashes from shoulder to wrist, and were bleeding profusely. Thanks to the water clouding the blood too, it looked worse than it probably was. "Oh. Guess I was taking damage after all."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, the fuck, you're wounded. Shannon, hurry up!" Pola rushed over in just as much concern. May grit her fangs and took Ashe from him.
"Eheh, girls no need to panic," Kayla snickered.
"How can you laugh? You're bleeding like crazy!" Pola cried. She and Kari held her arms up so that Shannon could get a clear view of them. The Pachirisu cupped his own paws over her wounds as he mumbled his incantation, and Life Dew began to sooth her. "How'd this even happen? Doesn't this hurt?"
"Not at all?" Kayla smiled. "I guess when he wrapped his tentacles around me… right, those are stingers, aren't they?"
"They normally aren't, but as long as that was a nightmare monster we were dealing with, anything is possible," May had a hand by her chin.
"Kayla…" Kari whined quietly. "It was some kinda ghost move. I saw the blood through your shirt…"
"Seriously, there's no need to worry. I feel fine," she assured. The Furret looked like she might cry. "These are just cuts. We get 'em all the time."
"These aren't just cuts," Shannon argued as he moved onto the other arm. The first arm had scabbed over, but was still red. "My Life Dew's only good for small wounds. Hopefully we can get you patched up properly at the camp."
"Stop exaggerating, seriously. I'm fine," Kayla grew annoyed.
"Well it's a good thing that we're done, either way. We can use an Escape Orb to leave," May said.
"I thought you girls wanted to stay?" Kayla asked.
"Our mission is completed and our orders were to return to camp as soon as. You being wounded is a reason to hurry," May stated.
Kayla turned to the side. The magical illusions that hid their surroundings had long since vanished, and they were back in the cave. There was a pinhole light in the distance ahead while a lack of ceiling gave them a clear view of the moon in this enclosure. "How much time we got left?"
"… Like, half-an hour, I think?" Pola hesitantly replied.
"Let's look around a bit. Would be a shame to come all this way and not see the sights," Kayla walked off.
"Kayla!" Shannon cried.
"You guys don't have to come with if you don't wanna. But if you don't, then who's the killjoy?"
" That's what this is about? For fucks- you know I'm all about that, but seriously, your arms," Pola snapped. "You were bleeding like crazy. How the hell aren't you like, screaming or hissing or whatever…"
"I must admit, I'm ashamed to have not noticed right away," Ashe sighed.
"Oh wait, I never explained it to you girls, did I? Yeah long story short, I can't feel or use my hands or arms," Kayla smiled at them.
"You explained it to me before and I knew, but until now, I never knew it was like… this," Kari admitted, playing with her paws. "Just because you don't feel it, doesn't mean it's not a thing though, right? You could still faint from losing blood and stuff, right?"
"Of course. I think, anyway," Kayla cocked her head. "Mind putting my shirt back on?"
There was silence, and everyone stared at her.
"What?"
"You hate water," Pola said.
"Gema's orders are final," May said.
"He made sure to point at you, too," Ashe said.
"And I'm worried about you… I can't help it," Kari finished. Kayla glanced at Shannon, who wasn't making eye-contact.
"You… should take care of yourself. Those were pretty bad wounds," he said.
Staring at them all brought the Buneary to giggle, and then she laughed aloud. "And this is why I have the world's greatest team. Alright, let's do this."
"I swear to fucking god, if you think you're showing me up, you're only making yourself look more dumb," Pola joined her.
"You have a plan!" Kari squeaked. Kayla was surprised by the slight aggression in the tone, and turned to face her. Kari had the lightest blush, but otherwise, the most determined look Kayla had ever seen. "You only do this kinda stuff when you really care about something. So please, tell us what's up!"
Kayla gawked for a moment. Instead of replying, she locked eyes with the Furret, and frowned intently. For the first time, it actually feels like Kari's on the same page, and not out of some spontaneous habit. Let's see how much she gets this.
It took a moment for Kari to realise what was happening, and she lost her nerve, prodding her paws together. She quickly went on all fours however, where she returned Kayla's focused frown. "U-um, something's real stinky about this mission, don't you girls feel it too?"
"Something stinky?" Pola raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah! Didn't they say they picked guardians we'd have an advantage against? But three of us are normal type Pokémon, and that was a ghost," Kari reasoned.
"Hmm… dare I say?" Shannon came forward. All eyes turned to him. "There's no way they didn't know about the water, too. Yet still they picked Ashe, a Pokémon who can't even go underwater. They didn't even have any tools up their sleeve there."
"You're not suggesting there's foul play here, are you?" Ashe was surprised.
"I'm not suggesting anything," Kayla grinned. "I'm just doing what I came here to do."
"You're gonna try and beat the archfiend with broken arms?" Pola asked. "Damn it you already know how I feel about this stuff!"
"And you're welcome to go back to camp and tattle all you like," Kayla teased, shutting her eyes as she walked off. Kari gasped and caught up to her.
"I'm not letting you get any more hurt. I promise!" she announced.
"You guys have a real habit of throwing yourselves into the pits, don't you?" Shannon sighed, and then jogged to catch up. "I don't know why I'm doing this anymore…"
"Because you're a cool friend?" Kayla smirked at him.
"I only have one goal in this, and nothing about it is honourable. But that doesn't mean I have to be dishonourable all the time," he reasoned. "Just… let's work together on this, please? Seriously, you're badly wounded. Any other Pokémon would be screaming in pain with wounds like yours."
Kayla had to hold herself back from a cool quip once she saw his concern. "I won't be a hero."
"Guess that's the best I can ask for, huh?"
"Sorry. This is the most action I've ever seen in my life. Ain't no way I'm gonna back down now," Kayla grinned.
"Rrgh, fine. Would be a dick move to let you kill yourself here," Pola grumbled, joining them.
"That's the spirit!" Kari cheered, and gathered them all into a big huddle.
"Kari- for goodness- stop it!" Pola coughed.
"Team Daybreak always stick together, 'cos we're the bestest buddies in the whole wide world!"
"Wait when was I part of the huddles?" Shannon's tone changed completely.
"The moment you joined, silly!" Kari giggled.
"She's right. Never a time you weren't," Kayla added.
The whole time, May stared intently at the team, unable to hide a serious scowl until Ashe came into view. The Jigglypuff had to swim forward a little bit and curl forward to look down at May. The Pichu looked like she might kill, and was thankful it was only Ashe that saw her like that. She instantly turned to a smug grin, and slowly clapped to grab everyone's attention.
"I see now, this is how Team Daybreak operate. Your reputation precedes you," she spoke aloud. "You all seem to have forgotten the agreement, however. I am the commands for this operation."
"Oh great. Here it comes," Pola groaned and swayed her head. There was a pause.
"Well then? Lead the way. Our air supply is limited," May said, bringing back Kayla's grin.
"Miss May!" Ashe gasped.
"If I try to stop you, you'll only run off on your own. It's up to us grownups to keep the rest of you rabble in check," the Pichu joked, and then became stern. "If your actions wind up putting you in real peril however, you have nobody to blame but yourself. I hope you're ready to burden the consequences of your team, in that case."
Eesh, talk about not mincing words, Kayla faked a laugh. "You in, Ashe?"
"You needn't ask. We only have one Escape Orb. If any of us were to leave, we'd actually be abandoning the rest," May shrugged with a smug smirk.
"So I don't have a choice there, do I?" Ashe sighed. There was a pause.
"Wait a minute, are you joking, or?" Kayla said.
"I always only pack one Escape Orb. What's the point in packing two?" Kari said, a dumb smile on her face. There was another pause.
"… I love you girls," Kayla sighed.