Episode 32: World of the Sunbed
"Okay. You know the drill, Kari. Run it through me!" Kayla said cheerfully.
"Four revivers, four orans, four heal seeds, our thief tools, and eight apples! All checkeroo and ready to rumble," Kari replied just as cheerfully.
"Hold up, eight apples?" Kayla remarked.
"I'm already hungry!" Kari giggled as she chucked one up high and caught it in her mouth. "The blother threef arf for the rfoad!"
"Breakfast wasn't that long ago. How are you hungry already?" Shannon said.
"That's my secret. I'm always hungry, hee hee hee."
"She means it, too," Kayla snickered, leading the way to the academy's main entrance. "Whatever lasts ya. Let's go."
"And you just run with it," he sighed, following after her. "Wish I could eat that much."
For some reason, Kayla stopped at that. "Why can't ya? Are you hungry, too?"
"Er, I think we'd go broke if we all had that kind of appetite. I'm not hungry, no, I just," he began to mumble, and rubbed his face. "I like eating, okay?"
"Heh, I get'cha. Who doesn't?" she resumed their walk.
"Pola, apparently," Kari puffed out her cheeks. "I've gotta watch my figure, it's all about the delicate diet, don't wanna end up like a Snorlax, nye nye nye."
"Ha, nice Pola impression!" Kayla laughed.
"Does she really say stuff like that?" he cocked his head.
"Ugh, all the time when there's a party. Like, girl, live a little! An extra slice of pie at a celebration isn't gonna kill ya—"
"Wow, seriously Kari?" Pola groaned hoarsely.
"YEEK!" Kari squealed and jumped so high her head hit the ceiling.
"And I was nice enough to wait for ya. If that's what you guys think, maybe I won't help out after all," the Plusle posed with a hand on her hip.
"You coming in the end?" Kayla smiled.
"I'm not happy about it, but you guys don't stand a chance without me, and I'm not gonna let ya walk off to a mission fail. I'm too good for that," she bragged.
"Cool," Kayla said, walking past.
"… Wait wha? That's it? Just, 'cool'? No 'wahey, thanks Pola! You're so cool and heroic' or anything?"
Everyone kept walking, leaving her in the hallway.
"Aww c'mon guys, you've gotta get me some credit, right? I'm doing my shit properly and everything!" she cried, running after the rest of them. "Alright, I see how it is! See if I be nice next time!"
…
The walk to the mystery dungeon was far shorter than Kayla remembered. To her, that was a sign of how much stronger she and her friends had become in such a short time. It was a lengthy trek through places they were used to – starting at RSE Academy, through the Twinight Woods, no stop in Repose Town this time, and then through the fields and wilds up to the badlands as if they were going to Husk Tunnel. This time, they avoided the slopes leading down into the caves, instead keeping to the higher ground but away from the public roads.
In the past, a walk like this would be considered a major trip. Mum would stop them for several breaks on the way, and although it sometimes felt patronizing, Kayla would accept those breaks as an excuse to have a snack. She couldn't have imagined being able to walk half this distance in a morning, let alone in a day, and yet here she was, skipping along like it was a casual stroll through her local park. The desert coming into view made her proud of herself.
"This is it, right?" Kayla asked.
"Yep! Welcome to the Sunbed!" Kari announced, skipping ahead a few paces.
It was easy to tell why Ashe was reluctant to suggest this place. There was quite literally nothing here. A world of sand, sandy ridges, sandy fissures, sandy cacti, and nothing else of note. There were no clouds in the sky, allowing the sun to bake everything and render the scenery in wavering patterns. Even the dunes and cacti felt like they were figments of Kayla's imagination, and she had to shake her head as her eyes hurt trying to focus on them.
"Yup. Ready to call it quits?" Pola said. Kayla glanced at her, annoyed by her snarky smile.
"We're just getting started. This place isn't a mystery dungeon, right?" Kayla started walking.
"Whoa-hey, I'm being serious. Look at this place! Pokémon die out here, Kayla," Pola warned.
"Then I'd save your breath. No idea how long we're gonna have to walk," Kayla teased, walking backwards.
"Urgh seriously, you're too casual about this shit. It's like you're not taking seriously who we're fighting here," she rolled her eyes. Kayla faced forward again and nobody responded. "Really guys? No one but me?"
"I don't think you're changing her mind at this point," Shannon said. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get back."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," she grumbled.
As soon as Kayla's feet touched the sand, she entered another world. The difference in heat shot through her fur after just a few steps, making her frown. She glanced back to make sure, and the rest of Isnomia was still there. The fields and wilds that stopped dead at the desert were a few metres away, and were getting further away as the group kept walking.
She grunted as sudden pain irritated her. She was searing all over. Her body wasn't smoking or anything, but it felt like she was being cooked, and before long, she panted dryly, and shut an eye as even her eyesight was beginning to feel sore. The sunlight made the shades of the sand glare and burn her eyes.
Argh, wow… if I knew I was coming here, I'd have shed fur a little, Kayla shook her head to try and dry herself of sweat. "Okay, hah, it's hot. Like, hah, really hot. Is it meant to be this hot at the edge of the desert?"
"Don't look at me," Shannon replied.
"It's actually kinda nice. It's better than Husk Tunnel," Kari said, bouncing along beside her.
"You gonna be okay, hah, bouncing all that way?" Kayla asked.
"You're right, it's tricky! The sand's getting everywhere in my feet. It tickles, hee hee," she giggled as she settled to walk.
"… Sand's not supposed to tickle," Kayla raised an eyebrow.
"Ehee hee hee, it does though!"
"Hah, never change, Kari," Kayla slumped. She clenched her eyes to stop sweat from coming in, only to come to a realisation. She was sweating, but that sweat was being evaporated before it could run down her face. She could picture herself steaming as a result, and that only made her feel even hotter.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kari asked. Even that sounded muffled, despite she was right next her.
"Y-yeah… hah… just, hotter than I thought it'd be. Hah, I'll be fine," Kayla huffed, still slumped. She felt someone put their arms around her after a moment, making her jump and spin with force, ready to kick and punch her unknown assailant. She wound up shoving Kari, and held back. "K-Kari!"
No one replied. Kari herself was scrunched up in shock, while Pola and Shannon had wide eyes. The guilt and intense heat returned after a moment, making Kayla grunt and wrench.
"Seriously, you okay? You don't look so good, and that outburst," Pola asked.
"S-sorry. I didn't mean to hit you, Kari. Hah, I'll be fine, you don't need to worry. We just got started, I'm not gonna let this desert beat me," Kayla growled, forcing herself to walk ahead.
"At least take some water," Shannon replied. She felt patronized until she saw the canteen, where she allowed him to feed her a gulp.
A measly ten minutes later, or what felt like it at least, things felt worse than they were. Kayla couldn't understand it. Her eyes felt heavy, and the constant burning was starting to make her delirious. Forcing herself to glance back revealed they still weren't that far away from the mainland. Why was this world of the Sunbed so much different? Surely it should only have been this bad in the centre of the desert? And somehow, it felt like only she was feeling this heat. Shannon still wore his cloth and didn't break a sweat, Kari kept giggling about something, and Pola was casual with her arms tucked behind her head. All of them were exhausting to look at.
Am I weak to heat? I can't be, Kayla hissed at her thoughts, and dared to look up. Nothing but blue skies without a single other shade. The sun sat in the middle of the view, a sphere so bright that even by clenching her eyes shut, Kayla had to turn away from the intense red glare she got behind her eyelids. Every step was worse, as if she were walking on a grainy oven top. Her feet itched and she couldn't stand still for long, lest those hot grains actually burn her poor, fluffy feet.
Why… Why is this so dang hard? It's just a desert, I can't… Kayla couldn't help but pant as she looked up again. Even though she wasn't sweating over her eyes, her view blurred as if she was. Everything fluctuated with waves of heat, causing everything to look like an illusion. She couldn't tell what was close or far away anymore, not even her friends, who appeared as blobby smudges of colour amongst the orange and blue.
"It's a cactus," Pola beamed up and ran ahead.
"Mind you don't hurt yourself," Shannon teased.
"Oh please, I know how to handle these- hey, what gives?"
The remark brought Kayla back to focus a bit. She shook her head and blinked several times, and some semblance came to her. The team had gathered around a single cactus taller than them, with two upward arms.
"Wait it's… is it made of metal?" Kayla cocked her head. It didn't have any needles, and it was too thin to be a Cacnea.
"That's some kind of cruel joke, right?" Shannon asked, giving it a tap.
"Hey there, traveller!" a friendly voice spoke up, making everyone jump. It had the clarity of a bad radio.
"Did it just… the cactus… is it a Pokémon?" Pola shifted back.
"So that's where the ferals were," Kayla growled as she did the same.
"Gimme a coin, and I'll give ya a drink!" the voice continued, followed by a little wiggle from the cactus. A screen appeared on the side of the green tree with the word 'TOUCH' blinking in a bright, colourful font.
"It's… asking for money…" Shannon mumbled.
"At least it's friendly about it," Kari smiled. "Let's give it a try! Anyone got any change?"
"Who the heck charges Pokémon for water in the desert? Shannon's right, this has gotta be some sorta sick joke, right?" Pola pouted.
"Hurry! We accept PET payment, too. Please insert coins or touch your PET to the screen, and I'll give ya a drink!" the cactus began to recite.
"We are not paying this thing one Gald," Kayla demanded. "C'mon. Just leave it alone… and we'll…"
"You sure? You look like you're about to melt," Pola replied.
"I'll… be fine…" Kayla huffed. Now that she was calming down, the harshness of the desert was catching back up to her, and it felt many times worse. She could barely stand.
"Yeah. Fuck that. We're gettin' you water," Pola said, shoving her way to the front. She passed her PET over the screen on the cactus, and it began to wiggle like a Maractus.
"Thank you. Now pucker up, traveller!" the cactus instructed.
"Pucker… huh?" Pola leaned away. Surely enough, after a few spins and wiggly dances, a pair of large, pink, toon styled lips appeared at the top of the cactus, soon followed by the sound of a motor rumbling within. "Ew! What the fuck?"
"I'm pretty sure cactuses aren't supposed to work that way," Shannon said.
"Well Pola? Pucker up," Kari teased.
"Gladly," the Plusle giggled.
"Not me, the cactus!" Shannon yelped, keeping her back with a paw.
"Y'know, even if I wasn't burning up here, I would not kiss that thing." Kayla was half-lidded.
"You're telling me!" Pola squealed. "Are all the cactus here like this?"
"I hope not," Shannon sighed, taking out a little telescope. "I… I think they are. None of them have needles from what I can see."
"Aww what?" Pola hissed. She gave the metal cactus a hard kick. "Stupid modern scam! Who the hell thinks of this stuff?"
The motor sound grew louder, followed by the crackling of electricity, and then a noise Kayla couldn't recognise. Whatever it was, the cactus began to spin around again, and water began to spit from its lips.
"Weeheehee! It's like one of those party sprinklers!" Kari cheered, bouncing and giggling.
"Darn it Pola, what did you do?" Shannon worried as the cactus spun faster and grew louder.
"Don't look at me!" she cried, stumbling back.
"Is it… gonna?" Kayla gasped.
A second later, the cactus exploded, sending metal shards and pillows of smoke all over. Despite guarding, Kayla cried out at the blast of heat that hit her, which seemed to do her in for good. Her senses dulled and sounds stopped completely, leaving nothing but a high-pitched ringing in her ears. She couldn't feel anything besides burning more intense than anything she had ever felt, while she lost complete control of her body. She knew she hit the ground as she felt grains sink into her fur, but all that did was intensify the heat.
No… what's going on? Why… I can't move. What just happened? Did I just… seriously… no, c'mon Kayla! Do something! Move, why won't my body move! She growled in her mind. Thinking seemed to be all she could do as everything faded into darkness. It's so hard… to stay awake… it's like I'm being pulled away…
"Kayla! Kayla, no!" Kari squeaked. "Shannon!"
"I'm on it," he said, paws held over the fallen Buneary. Life Dew trickled onto her and her body glowed with its healing effect, but it didn't seem to do anything. "This isn't… she doesn't have any damage. Nothing's happening."
"Is it heat stroke? Should we pour water on her?" Pola tilted her head.
"U-um, yeah! Aromapippy is the right move, right?" Kari squeaked, dancing on her toes.
"Uh, I think you need to calm down," Shannon said, standing back.
"Shannon!" she whined. She looked like she was about to cry, and he sighed.
"That wasn't a big explosion. She's breathing, her pulse is stable, and even her temperature is natural. Kayla's fine," he said. Kari moaned and started dancing on her toes again. "Also, it's Aroma-therapy. That heals problems like paralysis and forced sleep. If she fainted, it won't work."
"Ooh, so I should do this instead?" Kari replied. She pulled out their dream catcher and held it high.
"That's not what I… urf, forget it," Shannon sighed again. "Just help me carry her please."
"Geez, I'm really gonna have to have a go at her again, aren't I?" Pola groaned. "We keep telling her how serious—"
She cut herself off as the dream catcher activated even though Kari was the one holding it up. Energy crackled like electricity, while wind began to blow toward the dream catcher, and subsequently, Kari's paw.
"Er, Kari, maybe we shouldn't?" Pola gasped. Before the Furret could do anything, a Dream Pool formed directly where her paw was, sucking her in in a flash. "Ah, great. Guess we're doing this now, too?"
"Hey if she can warp us back to RSE, it makes the trip easier. To think that she just fell asleep," Shannon stared at the motionless Buneary. In this brief moment, she actually started to look comfortable, and was visibly breathing. He grumbled at the thought, then hoisted her up and jumped in.
…
"Finally… I've finally had enough of this. And I'm sure you have, too."
"I don't even care if he's around. I need to get things moving, or they're only going to keep getting worse."
"… Wake up. Wake up you stupid woman!"
The aggressive tone made Kayla snap awake with a gasp. Kari and the others were looking over her with their usual round of worried faces. Besides Pola this time, who put on an annoyed look with folded arms. Kayla sat up and shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Hey, it's pretty cool here," she muttered. She was sat in the sand however, and stood up to shake it out of her fluff. "Bleh, why're we still here?"
"That's what we should be asking you. You're the one who fell asleep for some reason," Pola complained.
"You were so hot you fell asleep! I was super-duper worried, I thought you fainted," Kari said.
"To be honest, I dunno what happened. But if this is the Dream World…" Kayla began to mutter as she scanned the area.
It looked like they were still in the Sunbed. Everything was here – the endless dunes, the occasional cactus, the fissures in the distance, all separated by a cloudless sky. This time, the area was as cool as a summer night, complete with a pleasant breeze that could only be felt, not heard. A giant moon replaced the sun, while stars glistened to brighten the night sky. There was also a large field of pool residue around them, though the Dream Pool they came through had vanished.
"It's really pretty, isn't it?" a familiar voice asked, making Kayla gasp. She turned slowly, but surely enough, there she was. That familiar human, stood right behind them. They were turned to the side to avoid looking at Kayla directly. There was a second, even larger moon behind her that made her colours a silhouette. "Ima keep it simple. I dragged you in here."
"Dragged me in here? You can force me to sleep?" Kayla asked sceptically.
"I didn't know I could do that either, to be honest. But I suppose it makes sense," the woman replied, sounding surprisingly casual.
"Kayla!" Jirachi cried, popping out of her ponytail. "We need to get out of here!"
"This again," Kayla grumbled. "Will one of you please just explain what's going on? Otherwise this is gonna keep happening, and I'm getting pretty tired of being kept in the dark."
"You and me both. I don't even care if Jirachi's around. It's time for you to get going, Kayla!" the human snapped. "This is your Dream World. Your realm, where you can do anything you dream of. So start using it already!"
"Don't listen to her, Kayla!" Jirachi cried. "Your job is to stop the disturbances, not create more. We need to leave the Dream World, now!"
"You're a wretched liar!" the woman almost turned around. "I won't let you do what you want with Isnomia. Not while I have the power to change things for the better!"
"You know everything you need to know. What you are doing is already changing Isnomia for the better. You are saving the world," Jirachi retorted. Kayla couldn't stand the lack of emotion in his voice.
"Y'know what I think?" Kayla sighed, going half-lidded. "You guys're getting on my nerves. And if you're gonna be putting me to sleep with… whatever it is you're doing, just to drop vague complaints like this, then the only way I'm gonna get to the bottom of this is by doing something about it."
"Wait, you don't mean—" Pola gasped. Kayla's cross face said it all. "Oh hell, I did not sign up for this today!"
"Look, you, human! Whatever the heck you are. Tell me who you are, what the heck you're talking about, and what you want with Jirachi, or get outta here. I've had it up to here with your riddles!" Kayla shouted.
"Jirachi? It's you I want with!" the human's eyes widened. "And I just told you! Make this world your own. You playing by Jirachi's rules almost got you killed in the battle against Mathildaath. I'm not gonna let that happen again!"
"You said something similar back then, too. Alright. This is gonna get us nowhere. Put up or shut up!" Kayla shifted a foot back.
"You're going to fight me?" the human shifted, almost turning around again. Instead, she turned her back to Kayla completely, and looked over her shoulder. "Even without being able to look at you, you don't stand a chance.
"We'll see about that!" Kayla growled, launching into Quick Attack.
"Kayla!" Jirachi cried. "The rest of you, you have to stop them!"
"What's with you?" Shannon questioned.
Kayla ran so fast her shirt generated a blue glow from her arms, making her appear as a blue blur as she leapt up to strike the human in the back. The human reacted perfectly, and spun around to backhand her, knocking her to the ground. Kayla skidded to a stop, and Kari took her place, claws bared for Fury Swipes. This time, the human turned around proper, and carefully hopped away from Kari's attacks. Her eyes were fixated on the Furret, enough to dodge a surprise thrust from a stretched arm.
"Here it comes! Hidden Power Fire!" Pola called with an upbeat raise of her paw. Red orbs of light swarmed around her, and then sailed through the air. The human visibly tensed up and focused, clenching her fists and arms. She began to punch, slap, and kick each of Pola's magical orbs, each of her movements as swift as a gust of wind. One by one the fireballs were sent haywire, and all within the span of a few seconds. The attacks soared into the distance, where they exploded harmlessly.
"Whoa, okay. Is she even human? She's competing with Pokémon attacks!" Pola gasped.
"Considering she pulled me in here, I think we established she's not normal," Kayla became tense herself. The human turned her back to them again.
"Be careful with this. Humans can pull all manner of dangerous tricks," Shannon warned. "They're craftier than foxes!"
"Do you want to see the kind of power you should be wielding?" the human challenged, looking over her shoulder. Their brown eyes seemed to glow in the night view. She crossed her arms over her front and began to growl with increasing volume, and shouted as she unfurled them. In a flash of murky, sludgy colour, her arms had transformed into large, jagged claws outlined in a crackling red energy. The energy went right up her arm too, hidden by the sleeves of her jacket.
"What's-" Kayla gasped. Those claws were way bigger than average human hands, too. Getting backhanded earlier didn't hurt, but if she'd been hit by those, it surely would've.
"Frustration. It's called Frustration," the woman spoke coldly, eyes narrowed.
Kayla finally went into her world of battle, and shifted a foot back again. Just her, this human, her friends, and the range of navy blues and desert yellows swirling in spiral patterns. Her instant concern was the human's reaction, which was just as Pokémon-like as the way she had fought so far. They were motionless, yet concentrated just as hard as Kayla was.
Even though she's got her back to me, it's like there's no openings at all… How can a human be this alert? Kayla thought. She gasped lightly. Wait a second… her eyes! She's not looking at- "Kari!"
In the blink of an eye, the human dashed right past Kayla, whipping her with a strong gush of wind as she passed. By the time Kayla and company turned around, they were at the edge of the pool residue with a claw around Kari's neck. The human held her outside of the safe zone, causing the particles to burn at her body.
"Kari!" Pola cried, quickly posing to recite a new spell.
"Wait Kayla, don't!" Shannon stuck an arm out at Kayla. She ignored his warning, gritting her teeth as she rushed in for another attack, only to get held back by the human's other claw.
"Ack- let go of- me!" Kayla growled as she was held up by her neck. The human still didn't look at her. It was Kari beginning to moan and scream that had their attention. "Kari, Kari!"
She unrolled her ears to punch and kicked her feet, all to no avail. That grip was so strong she could barely wriggle. She had full view of Kari under the same circumstances, only worse as she was burnt by being outside the field. The Furret was already whimpering and her face was red with angst. She just couldn't break free, nor take the pain.
"Kari, stretch! Grow big!" Kayla ordered.
"I… c-can't—" she coughed, gripping at the nails around her neck.
"Just stretch! Grow, something!" Kayla ordered. There was a moan of effort, but no visible effect. "Kari!"
"Look around you and think. Can't you imagine a proper way out of this?" the human asked, sneaking a glance at Kayla. "This is your dream, after all. Aren't your friends part of it?"
"What the heck do you mean?" Kayla growled. In fact, why would… are you trying to help me? If this is really my dream, then…
"I'm a thing called a Dreamer. I can physically enter my dreams, where I can do anything I want to and make any world I want to."
"As long as you can dream it, yes," Jirachi nodded.
…
"There are some limitations. If something or someone does not belong in that particular realm, the particles encompassing the Dream World will attempt to remove it in order to keep the dream exactly as the one dreaming it imagines. This attacks the very life force of a living being," Jirachi added. "Put bluntly, if Kayla does not dream of each of you being in this dream properly, the atmosphere will put you in extreme pain until you leave. If you stay there for too long, you will vanish."
Kayla blinked as the memories replayed in her head. Kari was being torn apart by the particles as she was held outside of the pool residue, and the human was holding them there instead of attacking them directly, like they easily could have. If this is really my dream, then why help me? And why does Jirachi want to stop me?
A weak moan from Kari made her shake her head. Who cares? I have to try. It's now or never!
With that, Kayla shut her eyes and relaxed, despite being in the grip that made her uncomfortable. She breathed carefully, and before she knew it, she could feel some sort of strain on her body. It was as if she was in pain, the pain of those nails digging into her body as they held her tight, and yet, she couldn't feel a thing. She opened her eyes, revealing they had taken on a bright yellow glow.
The human gasped lightly, and snapped back to Kari, whose body was beginning to glow the same shade. A blast of wind occurred, and Kari suddenly expanded in size. Not once, but twice, thrice, growing in spurts like the expansion of a dynamax Pokémon. She broke free of the human's grip with ease, forcing them to leap away or be crushed by the growing Furret. When she reached her maximum size, the field of the pool residue vanished.
"Kari, way to go!" Pola cheered, paws glowing as she had her attack ready.
"That wasn't me!" Kari squealed.
"It doesn't matter! Let's get her!" Kayla ordered, keeping her eyes on the human. She smirked as she dashed into Quick Attack, leaving Kari behind to lumber after them. The human still managed to avoid her first attack, but Kayla kept up her speed as she u-turned for a second hit.
"Not this time! Earth Power!" Pola yelled as she smashed her fists into the sand. The human stumbled as the trail of erupting ground homed in on her, and yet she still managed to dodge the greater eruption by flipping high into the air. Kayla leapt after her, forcing them to clash attacks, Kayla's foot to the human's claw. Energy exploded between them, sending both skidding across the ground. The human had to use one of her claws to keep herself upright.
"Uhh, guys?" Kari called out, still in the same spot. "I-I can't control this. I can't turn back to normal size!"
"Wait, that isn't- why are you fat?" Shannon cried.
"Huh?" Kayla glanced over. Kari was the same size and shape as when they first entered the dream world: massive and pear-shaped, rather than actually stretching to large size like she usually did. "U-uh, oops. I guess I thought of the wrong one? I wonder if I can…"
With another glow from Kayla's eyes, Kari's body flashed again, and she promptly returned to normal Furret size. She glanced at herself in total confusion, and then danced and flailed about. "What is happening to meeeeeee!"
"You're fine now. We need to focus on—" Kayla said, cutting herself off. The human was gone. She glanced around anxiously, even unrolling both ears to listen out. They had completely vanished. "Uh, o-kay then. That just happened."
"She's gone?" Shannon gasped. "But why would- is she in hiding?"
"A sneak attack?" Kari squeaked, dancing on her toes.
"Nope. Well and truly gone," Kayla confirmed, calming right down.
"Er… Yeah, okay then, what exactly just happened? Seriously, the hell was all that?" Pola said, giving her a little slap on the arm.
My dream… it's not just a single reality, but one where I can do whatever I want, even to my friends. And if they're in on it, no harm can come to them, Kayla realised, slowly turning to Kari. She'd calmed down, but she still picked at her fur and sniffed herself to try and find what was wrong. "I think it might be better to show you."
"Kayla!" Jirachi called out. He was high above the scene, and glared down at her. For once, his face showed aggression. Kayla spared him a glance, but just smiled cockily.
"Check this out!" she announced. Her eyes glowed once more, and then the world began to shake as loud rumbling shook the air. From below the sand rose a structure made of metal webbing. The others gawked in disbelief, wary of the sand raining off the structure as it appeared.
"It's a fun fair! I think," Kari chirped with a paw by her lip.
The structure held up a giant slide, though the slide made no sense. It was almost like a roller coaster in that it went uphill and downhill wildly, curled into spiralling, sideways slopes, and even had a mobius loop in one section. The whole course made Kayla's heart race with excitement, and went further into the desert than the eye could see. She kicked the sand in front of her, and out flipped a snowboard adorned with a design of blue waves and Buneary fluff.
"Heh, let's add some flair!" she snickered. A loud splash occurred as her eyes glowed again, and a massive wave of water washed up in the area ahead. It was shallow and clear enough that you could still see the desert sand below. The moon and space backdrop grew brighter, while coloured stage lights waved back and forth in the distance. In less than a minute, the deadly desert had been turned into a cool zone of iridescent wonder.
"Wha-what the heck is happening? This looks awesome, but what the heck?" Pola stumbled forward, unable to close her mouth. Their starting line appeared last, a ramp with a light layer of water on it. The water seemed to be flowing up the ramp at high speed, even though there was no contraption or source for the water.
"Hmm… I don't take you for much of a skater. Wanna grab hold?" Kayla asked, looking at Shannon.
"What does that have to do with… uh, wait a minute, are you planning to go across this?" he replied, starting to sweat.
"Me first, me first, me first!" Kari squealed, charging off.
"Wa-wait, Kari!" Pola cried, diving onto her, but it was too late. The instant Kari touched the water on the ramp, she was launched up it like a squealing pinball, and disappeared into the sky not a second later.
"Heh, c'mon! I'm not falling far behind," Kayla said, giving her snowboard a kick to flip in into position. Shannon said something, but she didn't hear him as she slid onto the ramp. He just about managed to dive and grab onto her cape, and the two of them were launched.
Just like that, Kayla was back in her own world. Heavy wind and pressure pushed against her, flinging her hair and cape back so hard she could hear them flapping. The constant splash of water filled most of her hearing, while Shannon's cries filled the rest. The scenery went from the glitzy desert wonderworld to blinding blurs of bright, flashy lights that sped past her so fast everything turned into lines. With a cocky grin and a tense of her body, Kayla glanced back to admire the huge wake of water tailing behind her as she rocketed up the ramp, and then faced forward as she shot off the edge and high into the sky.
"Wow," she whispered, gawking as pressure and adrenaline let up for a moment. Shannon was still screaming, but that didn't stop the chilly air from cooling her off. Her world was far below her, looking like a playground of glamorous toy skyscrapers lit up by stage lights. The ramp had taken her so high that she was amongst the stars, where she could even touch them and their sugary surface. When she and Shannon began to descend, the pressure and speed kicked right back up. "Woo hoo, YEAH!"
Kayla had never cheered so lively in her life. Heck, she had never felt so alive in her life. She spun, flipped, and posed before planting her feet on her snowboard, and landed on the waterslide that weaved amongst the skyscrapers and city lights. Snickering with eagerness, Kayla got right into the course she'd spawned. The water propelled her along many times faster than her Quick Attack, turning the scenery into a series of flashy blurs once again. All she had to do was tilt her body to turn with the course, and she put every bit of enthusiasm into it she could muster.
Leaning to the left so hard that she could feel the splash of the water on her face, and then right as the course had her spiral sideways. She felt like she sped up during this moment, and had to squint to keep her eyes focused. A sudden left caught her off-guard, but a little hop let her grind along the edge of the waterslide, where she kicked off back into the centre of the course once it went straight. Here she was being propelled uphill again, where she caught up to Kari, who was squealing and cheering just as happily. Pola was latched to her tail the whole time.
"Race ya to the bottom!" Kayla challenged as she passed.
"Hey no fair!" the Furret whined. She had to slide on her backside, but that didn't make her any slouch when it came to this thrill ride.
There was a brief slow when they reached the top of the slope, enabling them to see the twists and loops ahead. Kayla cocked another smirk as she skated down the slope, eager to take it all on. Heavy swerves left and right, speed she couldn't measure, and a wicked headrush were her experience as she sped through the loops, seeing the surrounding world twist and turn upside-down. The whole time, Kari took her challenge seriously, somehow shooting ahead while cheering and squealing her own triumph. Kayla skated and swerved with all the enthusiasm she could to try and take the lead, and before she knew it, the group were approaching the end, a final ramp. Seeing that, she faced forward, grit her teeth, and grinned, propelling herself off the ramp with all the force she could.
The constant water splashing stopped, letting her and Kari's cheers fill the air. Shannon's screaming took over, but it didn't distract her. The group had shot off high into the sky again, where they overlooked a gigantic oasis that reflected the moonlight and glistened in the dark night. This was their destination, the perfect spot to set up the ambush. The wind picked up and she nosedived, desperate to beat Kari at her game, who then caught on and copied her.
Long before they threatened to hit the water, a Dream Pool appeared below, this one large enough to obscure the whole oasis. It didn't deter Kayla at all however, and she dove right in, falling back into the real world. The nighttime desert was replaced by the real one, with its cloudless sky and obscene heat. An oasis was still below them, but this one was hardly as grandiose as the one in her dream world. The team plummeted right in, their speed enough to send them crashing to the very depths of the water.
Despite all of the thrill, at some point Kayla had managed to take a breath as she calmed down and got her bearings. Her friends were the same, each one spread out in the water but motionless as they got a hold of where they were. Kayla wound up face to face with Kari, who had the silliest, most dumbfounded look of surprise she had ever seen.
She couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing, ignorant of the gurgling and bubbles she made. She must've appeared silly herself, as Kari burst into laughter as well, clutching her chest. Even though she hated water so much, she was too happy to care, so happy that she couldn't stop herself from laughing. Euphoric was an understatement – she wanted to stay here forever, just laughing and floating along with Kari without a care in the world. Everything caught up with her before long and she choked, then heaved, and then sprinted for the surface. Pola helped her along, though she was scrambling desperately herself.
The whole group jumped out of the water at once, and all gasped in perfect sync. Kayla quickly broke it by falling back into laughter however, and threw herself back-first onto the sand.
"Kayla, get it together!" Pola whined. There was an attempt to stop, but she just kept laughing, making the Plusle slump. "Ah, of all the things to make you lose it."
"Are you KIDDING? That was the most awesomist awesome thingy to ever be awesome I wanna do it again! Again, again, again!" Kari cheered, bouncing around her at thrice the speed as usual. Pola almost made herself dizzy trying to follow, where she spotted Shannon doing just that. The Pachirisu stumbled around ditzily, and his face was going green. She spotted his cheeks bulge as he covered his mouth, making her turn away.
"Aw man, you were serious about motion sickness, huh?" she grumbled.
After a whole two minutes of careful breathing, Kayla could finally sit up and shake herself off. Her mouth hurt from all the giggling and smiling, but her chest still felt like it was in heaven. "Oh-kay. I'm done. I can breathe again, hee hee."
"About time. You sure you've got it together? 'Cos seriously, that was nutty," Pola said, paws on her hips. "And you kinda fucked up Shannon."
Kayla glanced over to find Kari soothing him with a back rub. His face was still green. "Oh, right. Okay, oops. That's my bad. I wonder if I can cure him with Dreamer powers, too?"
"Dream powers? Was that what all that was?" Pola said.
"Yep! As long as we're in a dream I made, everything in it can be twisted to be whatever I want. The scenery, the items, even you girls," Kayla explained. "Jirachi explained it before, yet I never really thought about going all the way with it like that. Making a world I want, and then just… living in it, doing the cool stuff. To think that I can just do that at any time I want, that's so cool!"
"That's what it's like…" Pola went quiet. She tilted her head. "Er, what about the human?"
"Okay that I don't know about. I guess she can pull me asleep anytime she wants or something. For whatever reason, she wanted me to do all that. Make the Dream World my own. She hurt Kari to show me what I could do," Kayla became serious. "I don't get her, other than that she has it out for Jirachi. Jirachi doesn't want me to twist my dreams or you guys too much because it messes with reality and makes disturbances, but when they're that cool and useful? Once in a while can't hurt, can it?"
"There's something I don't get," Shannon said, coming over. He sniffled and clutched his stomach. "How did we get here?"
"Oh, by warping, obviously. I saw the oasis and thought this'd be the best place to wait for Zude," Kayla smiled.
"But isn't this your first time to the Sunbed? No one even knew this place had an oasis, right?" he asked.
"Oh yeah! That means you've been here before, right Kayla?" Kari beamed while everyone else's eyes widened.
"I… uh, no, I've never been here before. Ever," Kayla went quiet. Everyone glared at her. "Argh, I don't wanna think about this. Fact of the matter is, we're here, and we can bait out Zude now. Let's er, get to work?"
"How convenient…" Pola grumbled.