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- #60
This chapter was originally uploaded on November 14, 2017. I'm also including a couple of suggested songs to have in the background while reading. I think they help with the mood. There's this one and/or this one.
XxX
"Unnnngggggggggh! C'mon, Airy! I could… use a little… help here!"
Serperior's body dangled high in the air, her outstretched vines wrapped around a large emera ore above her while her teammates hung below her. The stone floor lay dozens of feet below them, making it barely visible. Serperior's vines quivered and her body shook from the strain of holding up her teammates.
"Sorry," Dragonair squeaked. "I thought you were going for the other ore."
"Nnnrrrgh… less apologizing… more Waterfalling!" Serperior grunted. One of her vines started to slip, prompting her to squeal. Dragonair craned her head upward and her eyes flashed blue. A pool of water suddenly formed around her. The pool turned into a wall of rushing water that rocketed her skyward. This sent both Milotic and Serperior flying up along with her. Serperior lashed out with her vines and managed to pull the trio onto an emera ore before the waterfall dissipated.
Serperior struggled to catch her breath. "How… how much further?" she panted. "I don't think… I can take… anymore of this." Her vines fell limp by her sides. "I'm… I'm totally spent. I need… apples. And an elixir."
"Well, we don't have either of those," Milotic reminded her. "And if we can't catch Marshadow, then we won't get any of our supplies back." She looked up and a smile crossed her face. "Good news, ladies. It looks like the end's in sight! There's the ceiling."
Serperior craned her neck upward. "Oh-ho-ho, thank the gods! No more crazy rock-climbing."
"Not to dampen the mood, chief, but how exactly are we going to blow apart the ceiling?" Dragonair wondered. "It looks to be solid rock, just like the walls."
"Let's combine our strongest attacks," Milotic declared. "Hydro Pump for me, Dragon Pulse for you, Serpy, and Flamethrower for you, Airy. If we aim them just right, we might be able to bust a hole through this thing."
"Y'know, I just thought of something," Serperior interjected. "What if we blow through the ceiling and we don't end up on top of one the falls? There could be another cave or some boulders up there, for all we know. And if we break the ceiling, we could cause a cave in."
Milotic frowned. "Okay, admittedly that never crossed my mind. But we're already up here. And the alternative option could end just as badly. So, we've got to try."
"Good thing that paralysis wore off then, huh?" Serperior said. "For the record, if we do cause a cave in and fall to our deaths, I'm going to haunt you throughout the afterlife."
"Love you too, Serpy," Milotic deadpanned. "Now, stop talking and start firing." She pointed her head skyward and opened her mouth. A massive stream of highly-pressurized water gushed outward, hammering the ceiling. Seconds later, a sparking, blue bolt and a stream of fire joined it. The attacks united into a single, concentrated burst. Dragonair's flames superheated Milotic's water, vaporizing it. Serperior's dragon energy then amplified the burst of heat.
Within a few seconds of the attacks combining, cracks formed in the ceiling. They splintered outward until, eventually, the ceiling began to crumble. "Get back!" Milotic hollered and pressed her teammates up against the wall. Large chunks of rock plummeted to the ground, but the group stayed safely out of harm's way. Milotic looked up and noticed only bits of dust sprinkling down. Even better, light filtered down into the cavern.
"Okay, girls. It looks like we're home free."
The sounds of shattering glass echoed from down below. All three serpents immediately tensed up. "M-Millie?" Serperior stammered.
"Yeah?"
"Tell me that wasn't an emera ore that just shattered."
Milotic glanced down and noticed a brilliant, explosive burst of blue light. It consumed nearby emera ores, setting off a domino effect creating more blasts beneath them.
"Nope, it definitely was. And they're starting a chain reaction," Milotic said. "We've gotta get out of here now!"
Her teammates saw cascades of blue explosions making their ways up every wall in the room. "Oh, brilliant," Serperior hissed. "Why can't we just catch a break? What do we do? There's nothing for me to grab onto up there."
"Then we'll have to blast ourselves up," Milotic declared, taking in a deep breath. "Ready, Airy?"
Dragonair nodded. She formed up a pool of water, which shot up into a midair waterfall. The moment it did, Milotic unleashed super-pressurized water downward. It further propelled the trio upward. Milotic continued pumping water out until brisk evening air brushed against her scales. She suddenly lurched to the right, as Serperior had grabbed a stone slab and managed to pull the group safely away from the cave.
There was little time to celebrate, however, as they heard more emeras exploding inside the Catacombs. The ground trembled beneath them. "We're still not out of the water yet," Dragonair said. "But where do we go? I don't even see a path down."
Milotic turned around and spotted a small outcropping of rock and, next to it, rushing water that spiraled down into dense fog. "We're going to have to ride the falls down."
"What?!" her teammates gawked in unison.
BOOM!
Everyone flinched and spotted crystal fragments flying out of the cavern. Milotic seized on her friends' momentary panic, shooting ice at the base of the rocky outcropping. She lunged forward, dragging her teammates along with her, and struck the frozen rock. It shattered, sending the unfrozen part falling toward the river. Milotic awkwardly hopped onto the rock, turning it into a makeshift raft. The movement of the current swept her teammates along the ground until they were forced to jump on with her.
They all turned back just as the river started turning downward. Blue light exploded outward, encasing the spots they'd just been standing in. Fragments of rock rained down all around them. Some of them struck the river, kicking up waves that threatened to upend their raft.
"Have you totally lost it, Millie? You're gonna get us killed!" Serperior shrieked.
"Stop screaming and help me steer," Milotic hissed. She leaned to her left and the raft tipped with her, skirting one of the falling rocks. "Now, right! Right!" she shouted, leaning to the other side. Dragonair complied and the raft avoided another rock. At that point, the river took a sharp downward turn, speeding the raft up considerably.
"How is this helping us in any way? We're gonna plummet off one of the falls as soon as this river ends!" Serperior yelped. Milotic ignored her, spewing out ice instead. It struck an upcoming rock and froze it solid. The team's raft collided with the ice and shattered it, jostling its passengers in the process.
"Be quiet, Serpy," Milotic repeated her order. "I have a plan, alright?"
"Really? Cause it seems like you're just flying by the end of your tail here," Serperior said. "Rock dead ahead!"
"I'm not blind. I can see it," Milotic exclaimed. She leaned to her left. Her teammates copied her movements and steered the raft to the left. "Now, we've got to hug the wall to follow the rightward curve. Everyone lean right!"
Milotic's teammates followed her command. Their rock moved to the right just as the river curved sharply in the same direction. The rock leaned over, putting the trio in close contact with a cluster of jagged rocks. "Now, grab that last rock, Serpy."
Groaning, Serperior thrust her vines forward. They wrapped around the rock, allowing the raft to safely turn along with the river. As the trio passed the cluster, Serperior withdrew her vines. The river then took another sharp downward turn, nearly causing Dragonair to fall off the raft.
"It's getting faster. We must be getting close to the waterfall," Serperior panicked. "Now would be a really good time to let us in on that plan of yours, Millie."
"Not yet," Milotic said. "Just brace yourselves, okay? Try not to fall off this thi– WHOA!"
Rapids appeared all around them. Their makeshift raft struck one, tossing Team Captivate about and spraying them with salt water. "Hack… plebth… rrrnggh… yeah, real great plan here, chief!" Serperior sputtered. The raft bounced toward another rock, dousing the girls once again. Their momentum made the raft spin around and start moving down the river backwards.
"Dragonair! I need eyes up front," Milotic shouted. "What's happening?"
"The… the river's dropping o– YEEEEK!"
Team Captivate's raft fell down a small set of rocky steps, bouncing the trio about. Serperior shrieked in terror as she struck the raft and started tipping off the side. Milotic and Dragonair quickly leaned to the opposite side, grunting from the strain. Serperior just managed to get herself back on the raft when it passed through another set of rapids. The harsh currents spun the rock around to face forward once again.
Just as the girls got their bearings, a loud roaring noise rose up to the greet them. Milotic looked forward and noticed the river suddenly disappeared in front of them. "This is it!" she shouted. "We're gonna jump on three!"
"That's your big plan?!" Serperior screamed. "We're doomed!"
"One…"
"We're gonna smack the water and drown!"
"Two…"
"I can't believe I let you drag me into this!"
"Three! Jump!"
The makeshift raft careened over the edge of the falls. Team Captivate leaped off the rock with as much energy as they could muster. They cleared the descending water, falling toward the plunge pool below them, Serperior shrieking in fear. Milotic spun around in the midst of the freefall and opened her mouth. A massive water stream shot out, slamming into the plunge pool. It managed to provide some resistance against gravity, slowing Team Captivate's fall.
Milotic had to release her attack before they splashed down, however. The trio fell the rest of the way and smacked the surface of the water. Bubbles and froth exploded out around the girls. Both Dragonair and Serperior gasped from the impact, letting out big mouthfuls of air bubbles. Milotic got her bearings, shifting to her hidden gills to let her breath underwater. When she did, she noticed she had full range of use of her tail.
'Yes! The rapids must've loosened the knot Marshadow tied our tails in. And the impact knocked us free,' she cheered. She glanced over and noticed Serperior thrashing about in a panic while Dragonair drifted up toward the surface. Milotic swam forward and wrapped herself around her teammate. She carried Serperior up and broke the surface of the water.
Serperior took in a huge gulp of air, coughing and sputtering. "It's okay, Serpy. It's okay. I've got you," Milotic coaxed.
Serperior hacked up seawater. "We're… we're alive?" she gasped.
"Alive and unbounded," Milotic reported.
Serperior's eyes widened in disbelief. "I… I can't believe we pulled that off. I think we just used up a lifetime's worth of good fortune on that one."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Milotic boasted. She swam toward the side of the plunge pool and helped Serperior onto rocky ground. Serperior collapsed on her belly, breathing heavily. Dragonair slithered out of the water behind them, shaking out her body to dry off.
"Don't lie… Millie," Serperior panted. "You must've… been just as scared… as us."
"Oh, totally," Milotic conceded. "But, like I said, I had a plan. And I do love it when a plan comes together."
"I want… a vacation… when this is all over," Serperior groaned.
"Let's focus on getting Marshadow first," Milotic exclaimed.
Serperior shot upward and her eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? We just got lucky to escape the Catacombs with our lives. Let's accept the loss and tell Zoroark we screwed up."
"Absolutely not," Milotic said. "We just took the fast way out and we're back near the entrance to Glyphic Falls."
"And who's to say he's not just going to run off into one of the neighboring areas, huh?" Serperior said.
"Because there are large, fast-moving rivers surrounding this place, remember?" Milotic retorted with a smirk. "There only one way into and out of the falls. And we're going to head him off before he can get to it."
"Um, forgive my interjection, Milotic, but how exactly do you plan to do that?" Dragonair asked. "Marshadow is much faster than us with that shadow-melding trick of his."
"That may be true," Milotic acknowledged. "But now we have access to something that wasn't down in the Catacombs." She turned around and faced the river trailing off from the plunge pool.
"Oh-ho no, no, no, no, no," Serperior said, shaking her head rapidly. "I've had more than enough of a swim for one day, thank you very much."
Milotic rolled her eyes. "Will you quit being such a baby? You don't have to do any of the work." She turned and pointed her tail a bit down the path. "There's a rotting tree over in that direction. We can knock it into the river. You and Dragonair can sit on it and keep your eyes peeled for anything shifty, while I push the raft forward through the river. Sound good?"
Serperior slouched. "… fine." She slithered over toward the dead tree, muttering, "The things you'll do for a huge payday."
Milotic hopped into the river and swam forward. At the same time, her teammates lashed out at the tree with their tails. The bark shattered, sending it falling into the river with a slight splash. Dragonair and Serperior jumped on and immediately felt the tree bob in and out of the water.
"Are you two situated?" Milotic asked. They nodded. "Good, then here we go!" She straightened out her tail and began ferrying the dead tree . It lurched forward, causing Serperior to gasp, then it sped along the river.
"We need to be Milotic's eyes and ears right now," Dragonair said, scanning the rocky trail running beside the river. "The question is, how far are we from where we entered the Catacombs?"
"Don't know," Serperior said. "We're probably wasting our time anyway. I'd be surprised if the guy hasn't already left the place." She scowled and faced forward, only to raise a confused eyebrow. "Huh. Look over there, Airy." She pointed her tail skyward.
"It's a flock of Murkrow," Dragonair observed. "And they seem pretty riled up."
"And what could frighten a bunch of Murkrow in the dead of night?" Serperior offered.
"An unexpected visitor to whatever part of the falls they were roosting in," Dragonair concluded. "Milotic, there's something causing a ruckus due east of us. It could be Marshadow."
"Do you see any divides in the river?" Milotic asked, barely keeping her head above the water to get that question out.
"Yeah, there's one coming up ahead here," Serperior announced. "We've got to go left." She leaned over to the left, as did Dragonair. Milotic thrashed her tail out to her right. Their combined actions turned the tree ever so slightly to the left, allowing them to pick up the branch off the main river. Milotic hissed loudly as they started heading east. "Everything okay down there?" Serperior asked.
"It's much shallower here," Milotic replied. "I think I just nicked my tail on something sharp."
"Do you need to stop?"
"I'm fine. We have to keep moving," Milotic declared. She pressed her head harder against the tree and swam with even more vigor. The tree sped through the river, passing underneath the flock of Murkrow in the process.
"Well, there goes our directional cue," Serperior sighed. "And these rock faces are way too high up to see anything reliable."
Dragonair tried looking ahead, but this part of the river ran through a small chasm and offered no clear view forward. They hit a downward stretch and sped up even more. When the river flattened out again, the cliff faces parted, giving rise to two trails that spiraled alongside the river.
"See anything?" Milotic asked.
"No," Serperior sighed. "Face it Millie, this is a dead e–"
A glass orb came flying in from the trio's right and conked Serperior in the head. "Eyowch!" she shouted, collapsing on her back. The orb fell in front of Dragonair, who quickly scooped it up.
"This is an Escape Orb," she realized. "But where did this come from? Hey, Milotic, slow down for a second."
Milotic swung her tail in front of her and oscillated it against the river's current. The net effect slowed the tree considerably. "What's happening? What's going on?"
"What's going on?" Serperior growled, rubbing her head. "What's going on is that some jerk chucked a perfectly usable Escape Orb and hit me with it!" She looked over in the direction the orb came flying from and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth up and shot a crackling bolt.
Dragonair's face blanched. "What are you doing?" she gasped. Moments later, a cry of pain echoed out across the area.
Serperior's expression fiercened. "That sounded like Marshadow. Forward, Millie, forward!" she barked, keeping her gaze fixed on the direction she fired her Dragon Pulse in. Milotic pushed the tree forward. Sure enough, a dazed-looking Marshadow came into view at a narrow portion of the trail with a very large rock hanging precariously over it.
"Hey, jerk-face!" Serperior hissed. "Remember us?" A green glow overtook her body and she shot branches of green energy forward. Before Marshadow could realize what was happening, the tendrils struck him and sapped some of his strength.
Milotic poked her head up and saw Marshadow staggering about. "Surround him if you can, girls," she said. Serperior and Dragonair leaped off of the tree, landing on either side of Marshadow. Milotic pushed away from the tree and ducked under water. She swam down, then curved upward in order to leap out of the river. As she did, she opened her mouth wide and spat a stream of scalding water right at Marshadow.
He finally managed to get his bearings however, and retaliated with a ball of crackling ectoplasm, splitting apart the Scald. "Well now, this is quite the surprising development," he exclaimed. "Seems you're better explorers than I pegged you for. Better than that dopey girl I ran into before, anyway."
"So, you're the one who attacked Zoroark in the Catacombs and stole the paper she was carrying," Milotic accused.
Marshadow tilted his head in confusion. "Zoroark? Can't say I know anything about that. And stealing is really such an ugly word, luv. I prefer to think of it as 'borrowing without returning.' Besides," he chuckled as he reached into the puffy ectoplasm around his neck and produced the looplet-like band he'd swiped, "I managed to make off with the real prize in the end, didn't I?"
"And now we've got you surrounded!" Serperior hissed. "So, fork over the band, the paper, and our stuff. And maybe we won't beat the spooky out of you before hauling you off to Officer Magnezone."
Marshadow tapped his chin. "Hmm… tempting. But here's a counteroffer, luv. You're in the night and that's my element. So, stand aside and let me depart or you'll suffer another humiliating defeat at the hands of Master Thief Marshadow!"
As he finished speaking, Marshadow sank into the ground. That's when a giant wave of water crashed out along the rocky trail. Serperior and Dragonair backed away from it, while it harmlessly passed over Milotic and crashed atop Marshadow. He hollered as the waters slammed him into the rock wall on his right.
Marshadow hit the ground, losing his grip on Team Captivate's item pouch in the process. Serperior shot her vines forward without any hesitation and grabbed onto it. "I've got our items, chief!" She reached into the bag and tossed her teammates a set of elixirs and oran berries.
"You seem to have forgotten something, 'Master Thief Marshadow.' There's water here. Which means you're in my element," Milotic boasted, flicking her long, sparkling lashes to the side. "The only one who's going to suffer a humiliating defeat is you."
"Mmm, tough words for a goody-goody, I'd say," Marshadow scoffed, shaking water off his body. "The fact is that I'm faster than all three of you put together and there's nothing you can do about it, luv. Observe!"
Marshadow flash-stepped in Dragonair's direction and punched her in the snout with a shadowy-black fist. Dragonair recoiled in shock, giving Marshadow the opportunity to slip behind her just as Serperior sent green energy branches at him. "Ah, ah, ah," he taunted, grabbing Dragonair by the neck and holding her in front of him. "Wouldn't want to see any friendly fire here, would we?"
Serperior dissolved the branches. Marshadow failed to account for Dragonair's tail, however, and she used it to quickly whip up a twister, blowing Marshadow back up the trail. His smirk reappeared and he melted into the ground. The puddle of shadows that formed immediately blended in with the ground's dark coloration.
"Quick, Serpy. We should still have a Luminous Orb or two!" Milotic said. Serperior fumbled through the item pouch, only for a purple blob with bright-yellow eyes to lunge out from the base of the rock towering over them. Serperior's eyes widened in horror. At the very last second, she managed to coil herself around the item pouch to prevent Marshadow from grabbing hold of it.
Marshadow retreated and formed up out of the shadows, breaking into a run. Serperior righted herself, a weary look in her eyes. "You'll never catch me, luv. No exploration team has! Aha ha ha ha!" he shouted.
"We're chasing him down," Milotic declared. "Serpy, stick to the land. I'm taking my chances with the river. Airy, your choice who to follow." Before either of her teammates could protest, Milotic dove into the river. Dragonair slithered down the rock pathway with Serperior following suit. Both of them could just make out Marshadow up ahead, though he was clearly increasing his lead.
"We'll never catch him at this rate," Serperior groaned.
"I think that's what Milotic's using the water for," Dragonair said. As if on cue, a wave rose out of the river and threatened to crash down on Marshadow. He turned and shot a ball of shadowy energy to his left, splitting open a hole in the wave.
"Ha! Is that the best you go– AGGGH!"
Marshadow's boast was cut off as dragonfire washed across his back. Serperior then launched a blue beam forward, sending Marshadow straight to the ground. Milotic leaped out of the river, frosty air gathering in her mouth.
"Not so fast, luv!" Marshadow snarled and rolled onto his back. Dark energy encased his fist and, before Milotic could unleash her ice, Marshadow shot off the ground and socked her in the snout. Milotic fell to the ground, writhing about and squealing in pain. Marshadow landed on his feet. "Sucker!" he taunted as he ran off. But he didn't count on a diamond-shaped blast of blue energy striking him in the back.
It didn't cause him any pain, but he noticed his running speed drop significantly. "W-What the devil?" he gasped.
"Nice use of slow wand, Serpy," Milotic said, before turning and blasting Marshadow from behind with scalding water. Marshadow gasped and fell forward onto his belly, giving the other members of Team Captivate openings to use their own attacks. Green energy tendrils speared Marshadow's back and dragonfire doused his legs.
"Agh! You… you cretins!" Marshadow hissed. Despite his hindered movements, he managed to slip back into the shadows.
"Brace yourselves, ladies. He could be anywhere," Milotic declared.
"Or he could just be trying to run like a coward!" Serperior accused, slithering forward. "Where's all that bravado and tough talk from before, huh? What's the matter? Afraid of getting your butt whooped by some girls?"
"Um, Serperior, maybe you shouldn't taunt him like tha–"
"Leave her be," Milotic cut Dragonair off with a whisper. "I think Marshadow's part fighting-type and Serpy's picked up on it. She's trying to trigger that reckless fighting-type pride."
Dragonair nodded her acknowledgement. At the same time, an icy fist popped out from the shadows and clobbered Serperior in her right side. She fell to the ground, ice crusting over her torso. Marshadow turned and raised his fists at Milotic and Dragonair.
"C'mon, luv. I can keep this up all night! But I just need to stall until this stupid slow wand wears off," Marshadow exclaimed. Milotic's response to this was to spit up an ice stream. Marshadow couldn't gather any shadowy energy quick enough to dispel the attack. The beam struck him in the chest, covering him in a layer of frost. Dragonair then propelled herself forward with a plume of water, striking Marshadow and bringing him to the ground.
"That's enough out of you. Surrender," she ordered.
"Sorry, luv. Afraid I don't know the meaning of that word," Marshadow grunted. He tensed for a moment, and then phased out from underneath Dragonair. More ice surrounded a fist and Marshadow pummeled Dragonair from behind. He had little time to celebrate, however, as branches of leafy-green energy latched onto his side and sucked out some of his vitality.
Milotic was by Dragonair's side in an instant, bearing down on Marshadow. She flicked her tail and a wave of water washed onto the trail. It swept Marshadow up against a boulder, drowning out his pained hollers. Milotic wasted no time in gathering up ice in her mouth and shooting it forward. Only, instead of aiming for Marshadow, she hit the puddle surrounding him. The water froze up on the spot.
She then swept the ice toward Marshadow. His eyes widened as his body froze before his eyes. He thrashed against his icy prison to no avail. And to his horror, his limbs were tightly bound against his torso, rendering him unable to phase through the ice.
Marshadow's eyes grew heavy and he glared defiantly at Team Captivate. "Well, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to drop some cheesy one-liners or whatever it is you guild-types do when you catch an outlaw?"
A smirk crossed Milotic's lips. "Ha! I'm afraid your 'refined gentleman' routine is all washed up, you crook."
Serperior slithered up beside her teammate. "Oh, how about this one? We put your 'uncatchable master thief reputation'… on ice!"
Dragonair smacked both her teammates upside the head. "We've gotten banged up enough to last a month. I don't need a headache on top of it."
Marshadow rolled his eyes. "How disgustingly sappy. Knock it off and call your constabulary already. I'll take the slammer over listening to any more of your drivel."
Kzzzaaaaack! This is incredible! Magnezone gasped, showering Marshadow in electrical waves that paralyzed his ghostly form. Marshadow has topped our outlaw list for well over a decade. And you three have managed to catch him.
"No need to thank us, sir. All in a day's work for Team Captivate," Serperior boasted.
Sir, what about the reward we were offering? a Magneton deputy spoke up.
Serperior's eyes lit up. "What reward?"
Well, given that this particular outlaw has skirted through every continent we know of, there's been a 20,000 Poké reward on his head for quite some time, Magnezone announced. We can transfer the funds to your account at Dhelmise Depot.
Poké signs appeared in Serperior's eyes. "Awesome! That's the kind of money that can get us a year's vacation."
"Frankly, we could really use it," Dragonair sighed.
"Yes, yes, all's well that ends well and all that jazz," Marshadow growled. "Take me away, officer. I've had enough of their disgustingly pretty faces."
Very well. Deputies, remove this outlaw, Magnezone instructed. The three Magnetons utilized electromagnetism to lift the paralyzed Marshadow into the air and carry him off. I will issue payment upon returning to Aeon Town. Thank you once again for your hard work.
"Our pleasure, officer," Serperior chirped. She waved him off with her tail and then turned back toward her teammates. "This is perfect. Now we just find Zoroark and give her the drawing we found. Then we get to keep the band and 30,000 Poké. That's the haul of a hundred lifetimes!"
"Team Captivate? Thank the gods, you're okay! I was getting worried."
The girls looked over and saw Zoroark limp up to them. She was still bandaged up and had a tired look in her eyes. "Zoroark," Milotic gasped, "you didn't have to drag yourself all the way out here for our sakes."
"Sorry. It's just that, it had been much longer than six hours since we had parted ways and I thought something might've happened," Zoroark explained. "I figured I at least owed it to you to come out and look around."
"We appreciate it," Dragonair said.
"Yeah, but we're professionals! We were never in any dang–" Serperior started boasting when Milotic held up her tail.
"Truth is, we did run into trouble," Milotic confessed. "Tell me, did you get attacked by an outlaw called Marshadow?"
"I don't know, remember?" Zoroark responded. "Something sneaked up on me from the shadows."
"That sure sounds like our guy," Serperior scoffed. "Not to mention, Marshadow had this in his possession." She reached into the item pouch and pulled out a scrap of paper. Zoroark's eyes lit up.
"Ah, that's it! That's my reference page," Zoroark cheered. "You actually found it. Thank you so much!" She walked over and accepted the page from Serperior. As she took it, Milotic noticed a picture in the center of the page.
"So, were you here to look for that band?" Milotic asked.
"Yup," Zoroark replied, looking at the page. "Why do you ask?"
Serperior shot her teammate an annoyed look. "Marshadow was apparently looking for it, too. Or, rather, I guess he was looking for it after he stole the drawing from you."
Zoroark frowned. "I see. That's… not good. But he didn't find anything, right?"
"Actually…" Milotic started but her voice trailed off. Zoroark's eyebrows raised.
"Forgive my teammate, Zoroark. She must still be a little disoriented from dealing with Marshadow," Serperior cut in, giving Milotic a stink eye.
Milotic ignored Serperior and continued, "We found a band that matches your drawing. Marshadow tried to steal it but we took it back when we defeated him. It's in our item pouch."
Zoroark's eyes widened. "Y… you're kidding!" she gasped. "You've got to let me have it. Do you have idea how happy it'll make the Expedition Society?"
Serperior pouted. "No way. We're not just going to give this up, are we?"
"Drop it, Serpy," Milotic ordered. "I know you found it, but Zoroark here was actually looking for it to begin with. It's one thing to take treasure that's just randomly left in a dungeon. But this is something someone was on the hunt for. Give it to her. It's the right thing to do."
"… fine," Serperior huffed. She slithered forward and handed the band off to Zoroark. "You're lucky we're such generous ladies. You have no idea how tempting it is to run off with this thing. What's so important about it anyway?"
"Beats me," Zoroark said. "Mawile had an interest in it because she thinks it's tied to that whole anti-Legendary plot. I don't suppose you girls found anything out about that, did you?"
Milotic pursed her lips. "We did find something. It was apparently an old letter… a warning."
"Or so we think. It was written in Unown and Marshadow read it to us," Dragonair said. "I'm not entirely sure if we can trust that guy's interpretation. But if he was telling the truth, then a group of Pokémon banded together to try and construct their own Pokémon from scratch. Apparently, their plan failed and the creature went berserk."
Zoroark's muzzle stiffened. "Goodness. That's… quite the tall tale. I'll relay it to Mawile anyway." She reached into her mane with her good arm and pulled out a very heavy-looking bag. It dropped to the ground in front of Team Captivate with a loud thud.
"This seems like a more than 30,000 Poké," Milotic said, eyeing the bag.
"What can I say? You found the artifact I snuck over here to look for. That deserves a little extra generosity, wouldn't you say?"
Serperior eyed the bag skeptically. She poked it with her tail. "This isn't gonna, like, blow up or do some other trick you Zoroarks like, is it?"
"Serpy," Milotic chided. Her teammate shut up. "We appreciate the reward, Zoroark. And please, give our regards to the Expedition Society."
"I will. So, where are you girls heading now?" Zoroark asked.
"Well, I'd really like to contact our guild's science expert," Milotic exclaimed. "I think there's something we need to discuss with her."
"Not a chance. We might as well wait until she's back from the expedition before saying anything," Serperior said.
Milotic leaned over and whispered. "But what about Null? We have to warn Team Radiance."
"Millie, please. The guy's been here half a year now and nothing's happened. If he was going to attack Team Radiance, he would've done it by now," Serperior said. She turned back to Zoroark. "I don't think we'll be doing much of anything. I'm beat. I need sleep. There's a small base camp just to the west of the entrance. We're crashing there and not getting up for the next couple of days, I'd say."
"Oh, yes. I don't think I could make it back to the Observatory right now," Dragonair agreed.
"Well then, I guess this is where we part ways," Zoroark said. "I've got to contact my ride back to the Water Continent, after all."
"Travel safe," Milotic said. Zoroark watched Team Captivate head off down a small side-path toward the lone cluster of trees in the entire area. She overhead Milotic say, "Hey, am I crazy, or does the moon seem bigger to you girls than usual?"
"Don't know, don't care," Serperior replied. "Sleep now, talk later."
Zoroark stood on the rock pathway and continued to watch Team Captivate until they'd disappeared into the trees. When she was absolutely sure she could see no sign of them, she took a step back, sighing in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness. I can finally ditch this uncomfortable form." She pulled a small bag from her mane and dropped it to the ground. Then she threw off the sling and bandages, crouched down on all fours, and stretched out her back and neck.
A bright-blue glow overtook her entire body. All at once, her four limbs and wild mane disappeared. Two large red wings replaced them, protruding from a rounded torso of red feathers. In the center of her belly lay a blue triangle. The red on her body gave way to a long, slender neck line with a white down. This continued to a pointed, angled head with an upside-down, red triangle covering her face.
"Much better!" she squeaked, opening her hazel eyes and running claws through the feathers on her neck. "Heh… and big brother said I couldn't keep a disguise up for an entire day. Boy, did I prove him wrong in a big way. I'd better call him up and give everyone the good news!"
Her eyes glowed a deep blue and her irises and pupils faded. Hellooooooooooo! Anyone home? she telepathically sang.
Cripes! a male voice responded. Latias, is that you?
Latias put a paw to her mouth and stifled a giggle. Actually, it's your conscience speaking. We really should talk more. Who do you think it is, dummy?
Very funny. What do you want? You know how I feel about you calling me when I'm on supper duty.
Oh, that was this week? Must've slipped my mind. Sorry, Latios! Latias giggled. Is Slurpuff giving you trouble?
Uggggghhh… I don't wanna talk about it, Latios groaned. Just tell me what you need so I can get back to work.
Actually, I need to speak to Mawile. Is she around?
She set out to Noe Town this morning with Team Gaia, Latios replied.
Okay, what about Ampharos?
I'm given to understand he got lost after running an errand in Serene Village, Latios sighed.
Latias lowered her head and shook it, groaning. Jirachi, then?
He's sleeping. I'm not waking him up, Latios responded.
Latias groaned again. Is anyone with any authority actually available?
Nope. Want to leave a message? Latios teased.
"Uh, hello? Latias, is that you?" a calm, female voice suddenly interjected.
Mawile! Great to hear from you. Big brother said you were out on another continent, Latias said.
"What? No, I got back in the early afternoon. He must've been too lazy to look for me," Mawile scoffed. "I take it you have an update about your special assignment?"
Yup. And it's great news, to boot. I've got the Memory Looplet in my possession, she declared. Even better, I think the Pokémon that can make use of this is currently staying with the Horizon Guild. I didn't want to pry too much into that, though. And, uh, that's kind of because I maaaaaaaaay have hired their top exploration team to help me get the looplet.
She heard an audible sigh. "Oh, Latias… I told you not to drag anyone from the Horizon Guild into this," Mawile said. "Because it could whip them up into a panic if they learn there's a Pokémon designed to destroy Legendaries wandering around."
I'm sorry, Mawile, but I needed to take a chance on it. I got jumped while looking for the looplet, Latias confessed. It was some sort of Pokémon that could blend into the shadows so well, I couldn't detect even the faintest trace of his aura. According to the Pokémon I hired, he's a notorious outlaw called Marshadow. I got bombarded with a ton of ghost-type energy. And then, before I could even see the guy, he Throat Chopped me!
You got attacked? Latios gasped. Are you hurt? Do you need any help? Where the heck are you, anyway? I'm not picking up your aura at all!
I'm doing okay, Latias said. I had berries to get my strength back. But that Throat Chop... something was off with it. I haven't been able to get any of my attacks to work since he hit me. I think he might've struck a major pressure point. So, I took a gamble and hired some help. I know it sounds bad. But I didn't feel safe trying to go back and look for the looplet myself.
"Well, the important thing is that you're okay," Mawile declared. A beat followed. "Wait, did you say that the Pokémon is in the Horizon Guild right now? Because if it is, we've got a serious problem on our hands."
I wouldn't worry about it too much, Mawile, Latias exclaimed. The veteran team let slip that Null – that's what they're calling this thing – has been living in their Observatory for six months. And nothing bad's happened so far. So, we still have time to figure out how the Memory Looplet is supposed to work before bringing the Horizon Guild up to speed. Much as I'd love to just head there right now, we really ought to study this thing. Giving the looplet to this Null fellow may cause him to go berserk like it said in those papers you found. I'm not willing to take that risk.
And even though Team Captivate did learn about this whole conspiracy thing, they definitely don't have the full picture. And they seemed very skeptical, she continued. For one, I disguised myself as a Zoroark and submitted a cryptic request directly addressed to them. Then I sent them out on a meaningless task. They became super suspicious of me after that. So, frankly, I'm not entirely sure they believe what they do know. I sensed quite a bit of doubt in all three of their minds. I did use a sizable sum of Poké to pay them, though. I'll make up for it, I swear!
"I suppose that's better than nothing," Mawile declared. "At least your trip to Horizon didn't turn out to be a waste."
Wait… all this time you've been in Horizon? Did you not think to tell me? Latios gasped. Are you sure you're okay? How did you fly all the way over there?
I'm perfectly fine, big brother, Latias insisted. And I'm heading home. I should be there in about three hours or so. Save me a bite to eat, okay?
Ha! You and I both know that's not happening with Slurpuff around, Latios scoffed.
Ugh… fine. I'll pick something up for myself, Latias sighed. The blue glow from her eyes faded. She pointed a paw at her bag and it levitated toward her. She grabbed a set of tricked-out goggles, with the Expedition Society's logo etched into it, and strapped them onto her eyes. Then she took out a looplet and fastened it around her neck.
"Okay, awakening emera, time to work your magic!" she said, rising into the air. Orange beams of energy encircled her entire body.
CRACKA-THOOOOOOOM!
A loud, supersonic boom echoed through the falls as a purple and white blur sped off to the west, crossing the enlarged, brightly-glowing moon.
For anyone curious, Latias and Latios are the same ones from Red/Blue Rescue Team, as well as Super Mystery Dungeon.
XxX
Chapter 19: Dive Another Day
"Unnnngggggggggh! C'mon, Airy! I could… use a little… help here!"
Serperior's body dangled high in the air, her outstretched vines wrapped around a large emera ore above her while her teammates hung below her. The stone floor lay dozens of feet below them, making it barely visible. Serperior's vines quivered and her body shook from the strain of holding up her teammates.
"Sorry," Dragonair squeaked. "I thought you were going for the other ore."
"Nnnrrrgh… less apologizing… more Waterfalling!" Serperior grunted. One of her vines started to slip, prompting her to squeal. Dragonair craned her head upward and her eyes flashed blue. A pool of water suddenly formed around her. The pool turned into a wall of rushing water that rocketed her skyward. This sent both Milotic and Serperior flying up along with her. Serperior lashed out with her vines and managed to pull the trio onto an emera ore before the waterfall dissipated.
Serperior struggled to catch her breath. "How… how much further?" she panted. "I don't think… I can take… anymore of this." Her vines fell limp by her sides. "I'm… I'm totally spent. I need… apples. And an elixir."
"Well, we don't have either of those," Milotic reminded her. "And if we can't catch Marshadow, then we won't get any of our supplies back." She looked up and a smile crossed her face. "Good news, ladies. It looks like the end's in sight! There's the ceiling."
Serperior craned her neck upward. "Oh-ho-ho, thank the gods! No more crazy rock-climbing."
"Not to dampen the mood, chief, but how exactly are we going to blow apart the ceiling?" Dragonair wondered. "It looks to be solid rock, just like the walls."
"Let's combine our strongest attacks," Milotic declared. "Hydro Pump for me, Dragon Pulse for you, Serpy, and Flamethrower for you, Airy. If we aim them just right, we might be able to bust a hole through this thing."
"Y'know, I just thought of something," Serperior interjected. "What if we blow through the ceiling and we don't end up on top of one the falls? There could be another cave or some boulders up there, for all we know. And if we break the ceiling, we could cause a cave in."
Milotic frowned. "Okay, admittedly that never crossed my mind. But we're already up here. And the alternative option could end just as badly. So, we've got to try."
"Good thing that paralysis wore off then, huh?" Serperior said. "For the record, if we do cause a cave in and fall to our deaths, I'm going to haunt you throughout the afterlife."
"Love you too, Serpy," Milotic deadpanned. "Now, stop talking and start firing." She pointed her head skyward and opened her mouth. A massive stream of highly-pressurized water gushed outward, hammering the ceiling. Seconds later, a sparking, blue bolt and a stream of fire joined it. The attacks united into a single, concentrated burst. Dragonair's flames superheated Milotic's water, vaporizing it. Serperior's dragon energy then amplified the burst of heat.
Within a few seconds of the attacks combining, cracks formed in the ceiling. They splintered outward until, eventually, the ceiling began to crumble. "Get back!" Milotic hollered and pressed her teammates up against the wall. Large chunks of rock plummeted to the ground, but the group stayed safely out of harm's way. Milotic looked up and noticed only bits of dust sprinkling down. Even better, light filtered down into the cavern.
"Okay, girls. It looks like we're home free."
The sounds of shattering glass echoed from down below. All three serpents immediately tensed up. "M-Millie?" Serperior stammered.
"Yeah?"
"Tell me that wasn't an emera ore that just shattered."
Milotic glanced down and noticed a brilliant, explosive burst of blue light. It consumed nearby emera ores, setting off a domino effect creating more blasts beneath them.
"Nope, it definitely was. And they're starting a chain reaction," Milotic said. "We've gotta get out of here now!"
Her teammates saw cascades of blue explosions making their ways up every wall in the room. "Oh, brilliant," Serperior hissed. "Why can't we just catch a break? What do we do? There's nothing for me to grab onto up there."
"Then we'll have to blast ourselves up," Milotic declared, taking in a deep breath. "Ready, Airy?"
Dragonair nodded. She formed up a pool of water, which shot up into a midair waterfall. The moment it did, Milotic unleashed super-pressurized water downward. It further propelled the trio upward. Milotic continued pumping water out until brisk evening air brushed against her scales. She suddenly lurched to the right, as Serperior had grabbed a stone slab and managed to pull the group safely away from the cave.
There was little time to celebrate, however, as they heard more emeras exploding inside the Catacombs. The ground trembled beneath them. "We're still not out of the water yet," Dragonair said. "But where do we go? I don't even see a path down."
Milotic turned around and spotted a small outcropping of rock and, next to it, rushing water that spiraled down into dense fog. "We're going to have to ride the falls down."
"What?!" her teammates gawked in unison.
BOOM!
Everyone flinched and spotted crystal fragments flying out of the cavern. Milotic seized on her friends' momentary panic, shooting ice at the base of the rocky outcropping. She lunged forward, dragging her teammates along with her, and struck the frozen rock. It shattered, sending the unfrozen part falling toward the river. Milotic awkwardly hopped onto the rock, turning it into a makeshift raft. The movement of the current swept her teammates along the ground until they were forced to jump on with her.
They all turned back just as the river started turning downward. Blue light exploded outward, encasing the spots they'd just been standing in. Fragments of rock rained down all around them. Some of them struck the river, kicking up waves that threatened to upend their raft.
"Have you totally lost it, Millie? You're gonna get us killed!" Serperior shrieked.
"Stop screaming and help me steer," Milotic hissed. She leaned to her left and the raft tipped with her, skirting one of the falling rocks. "Now, right! Right!" she shouted, leaning to the other side. Dragonair complied and the raft avoided another rock. At that point, the river took a sharp downward turn, speeding the raft up considerably.
"How is this helping us in any way? We're gonna plummet off one of the falls as soon as this river ends!" Serperior yelped. Milotic ignored her, spewing out ice instead. It struck an upcoming rock and froze it solid. The team's raft collided with the ice and shattered it, jostling its passengers in the process.
"Be quiet, Serpy," Milotic repeated her order. "I have a plan, alright?"
"Really? Cause it seems like you're just flying by the end of your tail here," Serperior said. "Rock dead ahead!"
"I'm not blind. I can see it," Milotic exclaimed. She leaned to her left. Her teammates copied her movements and steered the raft to the left. "Now, we've got to hug the wall to follow the rightward curve. Everyone lean right!"
Milotic's teammates followed her command. Their rock moved to the right just as the river curved sharply in the same direction. The rock leaned over, putting the trio in close contact with a cluster of jagged rocks. "Now, grab that last rock, Serpy."
Groaning, Serperior thrust her vines forward. They wrapped around the rock, allowing the raft to safely turn along with the river. As the trio passed the cluster, Serperior withdrew her vines. The river then took another sharp downward turn, nearly causing Dragonair to fall off the raft.
"It's getting faster. We must be getting close to the waterfall," Serperior panicked. "Now would be a really good time to let us in on that plan of yours, Millie."
"Not yet," Milotic said. "Just brace yourselves, okay? Try not to fall off this thi– WHOA!"
Rapids appeared all around them. Their makeshift raft struck one, tossing Team Captivate about and spraying them with salt water. "Hack… plebth… rrrnggh… yeah, real great plan here, chief!" Serperior sputtered. The raft bounced toward another rock, dousing the girls once again. Their momentum made the raft spin around and start moving down the river backwards.
"Dragonair! I need eyes up front," Milotic shouted. "What's happening?"
"The… the river's dropping o– YEEEEK!"
Team Captivate's raft fell down a small set of rocky steps, bouncing the trio about. Serperior shrieked in terror as she struck the raft and started tipping off the side. Milotic and Dragonair quickly leaned to the opposite side, grunting from the strain. Serperior just managed to get herself back on the raft when it passed through another set of rapids. The harsh currents spun the rock around to face forward once again.
Just as the girls got their bearings, a loud roaring noise rose up to the greet them. Milotic looked forward and noticed the river suddenly disappeared in front of them. "This is it!" she shouted. "We're gonna jump on three!"
"That's your big plan?!" Serperior screamed. "We're doomed!"
"One…"
"We're gonna smack the water and drown!"
"Two…"
"I can't believe I let you drag me into this!"
"Three! Jump!"
The makeshift raft careened over the edge of the falls. Team Captivate leaped off the rock with as much energy as they could muster. They cleared the descending water, falling toward the plunge pool below them, Serperior shrieking in fear. Milotic spun around in the midst of the freefall and opened her mouth. A massive water stream shot out, slamming into the plunge pool. It managed to provide some resistance against gravity, slowing Team Captivate's fall.
Milotic had to release her attack before they splashed down, however. The trio fell the rest of the way and smacked the surface of the water. Bubbles and froth exploded out around the girls. Both Dragonair and Serperior gasped from the impact, letting out big mouthfuls of air bubbles. Milotic got her bearings, shifting to her hidden gills to let her breath underwater. When she did, she noticed she had full range of use of her tail.
'Yes! The rapids must've loosened the knot Marshadow tied our tails in. And the impact knocked us free,' she cheered. She glanced over and noticed Serperior thrashing about in a panic while Dragonair drifted up toward the surface. Milotic swam forward and wrapped herself around her teammate. She carried Serperior up and broke the surface of the water.
Serperior took in a huge gulp of air, coughing and sputtering. "It's okay, Serpy. It's okay. I've got you," Milotic coaxed.
Serperior hacked up seawater. "We're… we're alive?" she gasped.
"Alive and unbounded," Milotic reported.
Serperior's eyes widened in disbelief. "I… I can't believe we pulled that off. I think we just used up a lifetime's worth of good fortune on that one."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Milotic boasted. She swam toward the side of the plunge pool and helped Serperior onto rocky ground. Serperior collapsed on her belly, breathing heavily. Dragonair slithered out of the water behind them, shaking out her body to dry off.
"Don't lie… Millie," Serperior panted. "You must've… been just as scared… as us."
"Oh, totally," Milotic conceded. "But, like I said, I had a plan. And I do love it when a plan comes together."
"I want… a vacation… when this is all over," Serperior groaned.
"Let's focus on getting Marshadow first," Milotic exclaimed.
Serperior shot upward and her eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? We just got lucky to escape the Catacombs with our lives. Let's accept the loss and tell Zoroark we screwed up."
"Absolutely not," Milotic said. "We just took the fast way out and we're back near the entrance to Glyphic Falls."
"And who's to say he's not just going to run off into one of the neighboring areas, huh?" Serperior said.
"Because there are large, fast-moving rivers surrounding this place, remember?" Milotic retorted with a smirk. "There only one way into and out of the falls. And we're going to head him off before he can get to it."
"Um, forgive my interjection, Milotic, but how exactly do you plan to do that?" Dragonair asked. "Marshadow is much faster than us with that shadow-melding trick of his."
"That may be true," Milotic acknowledged. "But now we have access to something that wasn't down in the Catacombs." She turned around and faced the river trailing off from the plunge pool.
"Oh-ho no, no, no, no, no," Serperior said, shaking her head rapidly. "I've had more than enough of a swim for one day, thank you very much."
Milotic rolled her eyes. "Will you quit being such a baby? You don't have to do any of the work." She turned and pointed her tail a bit down the path. "There's a rotting tree over in that direction. We can knock it into the river. You and Dragonair can sit on it and keep your eyes peeled for anything shifty, while I push the raft forward through the river. Sound good?"
Serperior slouched. "… fine." She slithered over toward the dead tree, muttering, "The things you'll do for a huge payday."
Milotic hopped into the river and swam forward. At the same time, her teammates lashed out at the tree with their tails. The bark shattered, sending it falling into the river with a slight splash. Dragonair and Serperior jumped on and immediately felt the tree bob in and out of the water.
"Are you two situated?" Milotic asked. They nodded. "Good, then here we go!" She straightened out her tail and began ferrying the dead tree . It lurched forward, causing Serperior to gasp, then it sped along the river.
"We need to be Milotic's eyes and ears right now," Dragonair said, scanning the rocky trail running beside the river. "The question is, how far are we from where we entered the Catacombs?"
"Don't know," Serperior said. "We're probably wasting our time anyway. I'd be surprised if the guy hasn't already left the place." She scowled and faced forward, only to raise a confused eyebrow. "Huh. Look over there, Airy." She pointed her tail skyward.
"It's a flock of Murkrow," Dragonair observed. "And they seem pretty riled up."
"And what could frighten a bunch of Murkrow in the dead of night?" Serperior offered.
"An unexpected visitor to whatever part of the falls they were roosting in," Dragonair concluded. "Milotic, there's something causing a ruckus due east of us. It could be Marshadow."
"Do you see any divides in the river?" Milotic asked, barely keeping her head above the water to get that question out.
"Yeah, there's one coming up ahead here," Serperior announced. "We've got to go left." She leaned over to the left, as did Dragonair. Milotic thrashed her tail out to her right. Their combined actions turned the tree ever so slightly to the left, allowing them to pick up the branch off the main river. Milotic hissed loudly as they started heading east. "Everything okay down there?" Serperior asked.
"It's much shallower here," Milotic replied. "I think I just nicked my tail on something sharp."
"Do you need to stop?"
"I'm fine. We have to keep moving," Milotic declared. She pressed her head harder against the tree and swam with even more vigor. The tree sped through the river, passing underneath the flock of Murkrow in the process.
"Well, there goes our directional cue," Serperior sighed. "And these rock faces are way too high up to see anything reliable."
Dragonair tried looking ahead, but this part of the river ran through a small chasm and offered no clear view forward. They hit a downward stretch and sped up even more. When the river flattened out again, the cliff faces parted, giving rise to two trails that spiraled alongside the river.
"See anything?" Milotic asked.
"No," Serperior sighed. "Face it Millie, this is a dead e–"
A glass orb came flying in from the trio's right and conked Serperior in the head. "Eyowch!" she shouted, collapsing on her back. The orb fell in front of Dragonair, who quickly scooped it up.
"This is an Escape Orb," she realized. "But where did this come from? Hey, Milotic, slow down for a second."
Milotic swung her tail in front of her and oscillated it against the river's current. The net effect slowed the tree considerably. "What's happening? What's going on?"
"What's going on?" Serperior growled, rubbing her head. "What's going on is that some jerk chucked a perfectly usable Escape Orb and hit me with it!" She looked over in the direction the orb came flying from and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth up and shot a crackling bolt.
Dragonair's face blanched. "What are you doing?" she gasped. Moments later, a cry of pain echoed out across the area.
Serperior's expression fiercened. "That sounded like Marshadow. Forward, Millie, forward!" she barked, keeping her gaze fixed on the direction she fired her Dragon Pulse in. Milotic pushed the tree forward. Sure enough, a dazed-looking Marshadow came into view at a narrow portion of the trail with a very large rock hanging precariously over it.
"Hey, jerk-face!" Serperior hissed. "Remember us?" A green glow overtook her body and she shot branches of green energy forward. Before Marshadow could realize what was happening, the tendrils struck him and sapped some of his strength.
Milotic poked her head up and saw Marshadow staggering about. "Surround him if you can, girls," she said. Serperior and Dragonair leaped off of the tree, landing on either side of Marshadow. Milotic pushed away from the tree and ducked under water. She swam down, then curved upward in order to leap out of the river. As she did, she opened her mouth wide and spat a stream of scalding water right at Marshadow.
He finally managed to get his bearings however, and retaliated with a ball of crackling ectoplasm, splitting apart the Scald. "Well now, this is quite the surprising development," he exclaimed. "Seems you're better explorers than I pegged you for. Better than that dopey girl I ran into before, anyway."
"So, you're the one who attacked Zoroark in the Catacombs and stole the paper she was carrying," Milotic accused.
Marshadow tilted his head in confusion. "Zoroark? Can't say I know anything about that. And stealing is really such an ugly word, luv. I prefer to think of it as 'borrowing without returning.' Besides," he chuckled as he reached into the puffy ectoplasm around his neck and produced the looplet-like band he'd swiped, "I managed to make off with the real prize in the end, didn't I?"
"And now we've got you surrounded!" Serperior hissed. "So, fork over the band, the paper, and our stuff. And maybe we won't beat the spooky out of you before hauling you off to Officer Magnezone."
Marshadow tapped his chin. "Hmm… tempting. But here's a counteroffer, luv. You're in the night and that's my element. So, stand aside and let me depart or you'll suffer another humiliating defeat at the hands of Master Thief Marshadow!"
As he finished speaking, Marshadow sank into the ground. That's when a giant wave of water crashed out along the rocky trail. Serperior and Dragonair backed away from it, while it harmlessly passed over Milotic and crashed atop Marshadow. He hollered as the waters slammed him into the rock wall on his right.
Marshadow hit the ground, losing his grip on Team Captivate's item pouch in the process. Serperior shot her vines forward without any hesitation and grabbed onto it. "I've got our items, chief!" She reached into the bag and tossed her teammates a set of elixirs and oran berries.
"You seem to have forgotten something, 'Master Thief Marshadow.' There's water here. Which means you're in my element," Milotic boasted, flicking her long, sparkling lashes to the side. "The only one who's going to suffer a humiliating defeat is you."
"Mmm, tough words for a goody-goody, I'd say," Marshadow scoffed, shaking water off his body. "The fact is that I'm faster than all three of you put together and there's nothing you can do about it, luv. Observe!"
Marshadow flash-stepped in Dragonair's direction and punched her in the snout with a shadowy-black fist. Dragonair recoiled in shock, giving Marshadow the opportunity to slip behind her just as Serperior sent green energy branches at him. "Ah, ah, ah," he taunted, grabbing Dragonair by the neck and holding her in front of him. "Wouldn't want to see any friendly fire here, would we?"
Serperior dissolved the branches. Marshadow failed to account for Dragonair's tail, however, and she used it to quickly whip up a twister, blowing Marshadow back up the trail. His smirk reappeared and he melted into the ground. The puddle of shadows that formed immediately blended in with the ground's dark coloration.
"Quick, Serpy. We should still have a Luminous Orb or two!" Milotic said. Serperior fumbled through the item pouch, only for a purple blob with bright-yellow eyes to lunge out from the base of the rock towering over them. Serperior's eyes widened in horror. At the very last second, she managed to coil herself around the item pouch to prevent Marshadow from grabbing hold of it.
Marshadow retreated and formed up out of the shadows, breaking into a run. Serperior righted herself, a weary look in her eyes. "You'll never catch me, luv. No exploration team has! Aha ha ha ha!" he shouted.
"We're chasing him down," Milotic declared. "Serpy, stick to the land. I'm taking my chances with the river. Airy, your choice who to follow." Before either of her teammates could protest, Milotic dove into the river. Dragonair slithered down the rock pathway with Serperior following suit. Both of them could just make out Marshadow up ahead, though he was clearly increasing his lead.
"We'll never catch him at this rate," Serperior groaned.
"I think that's what Milotic's using the water for," Dragonair said. As if on cue, a wave rose out of the river and threatened to crash down on Marshadow. He turned and shot a ball of shadowy energy to his left, splitting open a hole in the wave.
"Ha! Is that the best you go– AGGGH!"
Marshadow's boast was cut off as dragonfire washed across his back. Serperior then launched a blue beam forward, sending Marshadow straight to the ground. Milotic leaped out of the river, frosty air gathering in her mouth.
"Not so fast, luv!" Marshadow snarled and rolled onto his back. Dark energy encased his fist and, before Milotic could unleash her ice, Marshadow shot off the ground and socked her in the snout. Milotic fell to the ground, writhing about and squealing in pain. Marshadow landed on his feet. "Sucker!" he taunted as he ran off. But he didn't count on a diamond-shaped blast of blue energy striking him in the back.
It didn't cause him any pain, but he noticed his running speed drop significantly. "W-What the devil?" he gasped.
"Nice use of slow wand, Serpy," Milotic said, before turning and blasting Marshadow from behind with scalding water. Marshadow gasped and fell forward onto his belly, giving the other members of Team Captivate openings to use their own attacks. Green energy tendrils speared Marshadow's back and dragonfire doused his legs.
"Agh! You… you cretins!" Marshadow hissed. Despite his hindered movements, he managed to slip back into the shadows.
"Brace yourselves, ladies. He could be anywhere," Milotic declared.
"Or he could just be trying to run like a coward!" Serperior accused, slithering forward. "Where's all that bravado and tough talk from before, huh? What's the matter? Afraid of getting your butt whooped by some girls?"
"Um, Serperior, maybe you shouldn't taunt him like tha–"
"Leave her be," Milotic cut Dragonair off with a whisper. "I think Marshadow's part fighting-type and Serpy's picked up on it. She's trying to trigger that reckless fighting-type pride."
Dragonair nodded her acknowledgement. At the same time, an icy fist popped out from the shadows and clobbered Serperior in her right side. She fell to the ground, ice crusting over her torso. Marshadow turned and raised his fists at Milotic and Dragonair.
"C'mon, luv. I can keep this up all night! But I just need to stall until this stupid slow wand wears off," Marshadow exclaimed. Milotic's response to this was to spit up an ice stream. Marshadow couldn't gather any shadowy energy quick enough to dispel the attack. The beam struck him in the chest, covering him in a layer of frost. Dragonair then propelled herself forward with a plume of water, striking Marshadow and bringing him to the ground.
"That's enough out of you. Surrender," she ordered.
"Sorry, luv. Afraid I don't know the meaning of that word," Marshadow grunted. He tensed for a moment, and then phased out from underneath Dragonair. More ice surrounded a fist and Marshadow pummeled Dragonair from behind. He had little time to celebrate, however, as branches of leafy-green energy latched onto his side and sucked out some of his vitality.
Milotic was by Dragonair's side in an instant, bearing down on Marshadow. She flicked her tail and a wave of water washed onto the trail. It swept Marshadow up against a boulder, drowning out his pained hollers. Milotic wasted no time in gathering up ice in her mouth and shooting it forward. Only, instead of aiming for Marshadow, she hit the puddle surrounding him. The water froze up on the spot.
She then swept the ice toward Marshadow. His eyes widened as his body froze before his eyes. He thrashed against his icy prison to no avail. And to his horror, his limbs were tightly bound against his torso, rendering him unable to phase through the ice.
Marshadow's eyes grew heavy and he glared defiantly at Team Captivate. "Well, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to drop some cheesy one-liners or whatever it is you guild-types do when you catch an outlaw?"
A smirk crossed Milotic's lips. "Ha! I'm afraid your 'refined gentleman' routine is all washed up, you crook."
Serperior slithered up beside her teammate. "Oh, how about this one? We put your 'uncatchable master thief reputation'… on ice!"
Dragonair smacked both her teammates upside the head. "We've gotten banged up enough to last a month. I don't need a headache on top of it."
Marshadow rolled his eyes. "How disgustingly sappy. Knock it off and call your constabulary already. I'll take the slammer over listening to any more of your drivel."
XxX
~Glyphic Falls Entrance, One Hour Later~
~Glyphic Falls Entrance, One Hour Later~
Kzzzaaaaack! This is incredible! Magnezone gasped, showering Marshadow in electrical waves that paralyzed his ghostly form. Marshadow has topped our outlaw list for well over a decade. And you three have managed to catch him.
"No need to thank us, sir. All in a day's work for Team Captivate," Serperior boasted.
Sir, what about the reward we were offering? a Magneton deputy spoke up.
Serperior's eyes lit up. "What reward?"
Well, given that this particular outlaw has skirted through every continent we know of, there's been a 20,000 Poké reward on his head for quite some time, Magnezone announced. We can transfer the funds to your account at Dhelmise Depot.
Poké signs appeared in Serperior's eyes. "Awesome! That's the kind of money that can get us a year's vacation."
"Frankly, we could really use it," Dragonair sighed.
"Yes, yes, all's well that ends well and all that jazz," Marshadow growled. "Take me away, officer. I've had enough of their disgustingly pretty faces."
Very well. Deputies, remove this outlaw, Magnezone instructed. The three Magnetons utilized electromagnetism to lift the paralyzed Marshadow into the air and carry him off. I will issue payment upon returning to Aeon Town. Thank you once again for your hard work.
"Our pleasure, officer," Serperior chirped. She waved him off with her tail and then turned back toward her teammates. "This is perfect. Now we just find Zoroark and give her the drawing we found. Then we get to keep the band and 30,000 Poké. That's the haul of a hundred lifetimes!"
"Team Captivate? Thank the gods, you're okay! I was getting worried."
The girls looked over and saw Zoroark limp up to them. She was still bandaged up and had a tired look in her eyes. "Zoroark," Milotic gasped, "you didn't have to drag yourself all the way out here for our sakes."
"Sorry. It's just that, it had been much longer than six hours since we had parted ways and I thought something might've happened," Zoroark explained. "I figured I at least owed it to you to come out and look around."
"We appreciate it," Dragonair said.
"Yeah, but we're professionals! We were never in any dang–" Serperior started boasting when Milotic held up her tail.
"Truth is, we did run into trouble," Milotic confessed. "Tell me, did you get attacked by an outlaw called Marshadow?"
"I don't know, remember?" Zoroark responded. "Something sneaked up on me from the shadows."
"That sure sounds like our guy," Serperior scoffed. "Not to mention, Marshadow had this in his possession." She reached into the item pouch and pulled out a scrap of paper. Zoroark's eyes lit up.
"Ah, that's it! That's my reference page," Zoroark cheered. "You actually found it. Thank you so much!" She walked over and accepted the page from Serperior. As she took it, Milotic noticed a picture in the center of the page.
"So, were you here to look for that band?" Milotic asked.
"Yup," Zoroark replied, looking at the page. "Why do you ask?"
Serperior shot her teammate an annoyed look. "Marshadow was apparently looking for it, too. Or, rather, I guess he was looking for it after he stole the drawing from you."
Zoroark frowned. "I see. That's… not good. But he didn't find anything, right?"
"Actually…" Milotic started but her voice trailed off. Zoroark's eyebrows raised.
"Forgive my teammate, Zoroark. She must still be a little disoriented from dealing with Marshadow," Serperior cut in, giving Milotic a stink eye.
Milotic ignored Serperior and continued, "We found a band that matches your drawing. Marshadow tried to steal it but we took it back when we defeated him. It's in our item pouch."
Zoroark's eyes widened. "Y… you're kidding!" she gasped. "You've got to let me have it. Do you have idea how happy it'll make the Expedition Society?"
Serperior pouted. "No way. We're not just going to give this up, are we?"
"Drop it, Serpy," Milotic ordered. "I know you found it, but Zoroark here was actually looking for it to begin with. It's one thing to take treasure that's just randomly left in a dungeon. But this is something someone was on the hunt for. Give it to her. It's the right thing to do."
"… fine," Serperior huffed. She slithered forward and handed the band off to Zoroark. "You're lucky we're such generous ladies. You have no idea how tempting it is to run off with this thing. What's so important about it anyway?"
"Beats me," Zoroark said. "Mawile had an interest in it because she thinks it's tied to that whole anti-Legendary plot. I don't suppose you girls found anything out about that, did you?"
Milotic pursed her lips. "We did find something. It was apparently an old letter… a warning."
"Or so we think. It was written in Unown and Marshadow read it to us," Dragonair said. "I'm not entirely sure if we can trust that guy's interpretation. But if he was telling the truth, then a group of Pokémon banded together to try and construct their own Pokémon from scratch. Apparently, their plan failed and the creature went berserk."
Zoroark's muzzle stiffened. "Goodness. That's… quite the tall tale. I'll relay it to Mawile anyway." She reached into her mane with her good arm and pulled out a very heavy-looking bag. It dropped to the ground in front of Team Captivate with a loud thud.
"This seems like a more than 30,000 Poké," Milotic said, eyeing the bag.
"What can I say? You found the artifact I snuck over here to look for. That deserves a little extra generosity, wouldn't you say?"
Serperior eyed the bag skeptically. She poked it with her tail. "This isn't gonna, like, blow up or do some other trick you Zoroarks like, is it?"
"Serpy," Milotic chided. Her teammate shut up. "We appreciate the reward, Zoroark. And please, give our regards to the Expedition Society."
"I will. So, where are you girls heading now?" Zoroark asked.
"Well, I'd really like to contact our guild's science expert," Milotic exclaimed. "I think there's something we need to discuss with her."
"Not a chance. We might as well wait until she's back from the expedition before saying anything," Serperior said.
Milotic leaned over and whispered. "But what about Null? We have to warn Team Radiance."
"Millie, please. The guy's been here half a year now and nothing's happened. If he was going to attack Team Radiance, he would've done it by now," Serperior said. She turned back to Zoroark. "I don't think we'll be doing much of anything. I'm beat. I need sleep. There's a small base camp just to the west of the entrance. We're crashing there and not getting up for the next couple of days, I'd say."
"Oh, yes. I don't think I could make it back to the Observatory right now," Dragonair agreed.
"Well then, I guess this is where we part ways," Zoroark said. "I've got to contact my ride back to the Water Continent, after all."
"Travel safe," Milotic said. Zoroark watched Team Captivate head off down a small side-path toward the lone cluster of trees in the entire area. She overhead Milotic say, "Hey, am I crazy, or does the moon seem bigger to you girls than usual?"
"Don't know, don't care," Serperior replied. "Sleep now, talk later."
Zoroark stood on the rock pathway and continued to watch Team Captivate until they'd disappeared into the trees. When she was absolutely sure she could see no sign of them, she took a step back, sighing in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness. I can finally ditch this uncomfortable form." She pulled a small bag from her mane and dropped it to the ground. Then she threw off the sling and bandages, crouched down on all fours, and stretched out her back and neck.
A bright-blue glow overtook her entire body. All at once, her four limbs and wild mane disappeared. Two large red wings replaced them, protruding from a rounded torso of red feathers. In the center of her belly lay a blue triangle. The red on her body gave way to a long, slender neck line with a white down. This continued to a pointed, angled head with an upside-down, red triangle covering her face.
"Much better!" she squeaked, opening her hazel eyes and running claws through the feathers on her neck. "Heh… and big brother said I couldn't keep a disguise up for an entire day. Boy, did I prove him wrong in a big way. I'd better call him up and give everyone the good news!"
Her eyes glowed a deep blue and her irises and pupils faded. Hellooooooooooo! Anyone home? she telepathically sang.
Cripes! a male voice responded. Latias, is that you?
Latias put a paw to her mouth and stifled a giggle. Actually, it's your conscience speaking. We really should talk more. Who do you think it is, dummy?
Very funny. What do you want? You know how I feel about you calling me when I'm on supper duty.
Oh, that was this week? Must've slipped my mind. Sorry, Latios! Latias giggled. Is Slurpuff giving you trouble?
Uggggghhh… I don't wanna talk about it, Latios groaned. Just tell me what you need so I can get back to work.
Actually, I need to speak to Mawile. Is she around?
She set out to Noe Town this morning with Team Gaia, Latios replied.
Okay, what about Ampharos?
I'm given to understand he got lost after running an errand in Serene Village, Latios sighed.
Latias lowered her head and shook it, groaning. Jirachi, then?
He's sleeping. I'm not waking him up, Latios responded.
Latias groaned again. Is anyone with any authority actually available?
Nope. Want to leave a message? Latios teased.
"Uh, hello? Latias, is that you?" a calm, female voice suddenly interjected.
Mawile! Great to hear from you. Big brother said you were out on another continent, Latias said.
"What? No, I got back in the early afternoon. He must've been too lazy to look for me," Mawile scoffed. "I take it you have an update about your special assignment?"
Yup. And it's great news, to boot. I've got the Memory Looplet in my possession, she declared. Even better, I think the Pokémon that can make use of this is currently staying with the Horizon Guild. I didn't want to pry too much into that, though. And, uh, that's kind of because I maaaaaaaaay have hired their top exploration team to help me get the looplet.
She heard an audible sigh. "Oh, Latias… I told you not to drag anyone from the Horizon Guild into this," Mawile said. "Because it could whip them up into a panic if they learn there's a Pokémon designed to destroy Legendaries wandering around."
I'm sorry, Mawile, but I needed to take a chance on it. I got jumped while looking for the looplet, Latias confessed. It was some sort of Pokémon that could blend into the shadows so well, I couldn't detect even the faintest trace of his aura. According to the Pokémon I hired, he's a notorious outlaw called Marshadow. I got bombarded with a ton of ghost-type energy. And then, before I could even see the guy, he Throat Chopped me!
You got attacked? Latios gasped. Are you hurt? Do you need any help? Where the heck are you, anyway? I'm not picking up your aura at all!
I'm doing okay, Latias said. I had berries to get my strength back. But that Throat Chop... something was off with it. I haven't been able to get any of my attacks to work since he hit me. I think he might've struck a major pressure point. So, I took a gamble and hired some help. I know it sounds bad. But I didn't feel safe trying to go back and look for the looplet myself.
"Well, the important thing is that you're okay," Mawile declared. A beat followed. "Wait, did you say that the Pokémon is in the Horizon Guild right now? Because if it is, we've got a serious problem on our hands."
I wouldn't worry about it too much, Mawile, Latias exclaimed. The veteran team let slip that Null – that's what they're calling this thing – has been living in their Observatory for six months. And nothing bad's happened so far. So, we still have time to figure out how the Memory Looplet is supposed to work before bringing the Horizon Guild up to speed. Much as I'd love to just head there right now, we really ought to study this thing. Giving the looplet to this Null fellow may cause him to go berserk like it said in those papers you found. I'm not willing to take that risk.
And even though Team Captivate did learn about this whole conspiracy thing, they definitely don't have the full picture. And they seemed very skeptical, she continued. For one, I disguised myself as a Zoroark and submitted a cryptic request directly addressed to them. Then I sent them out on a meaningless task. They became super suspicious of me after that. So, frankly, I'm not entirely sure they believe what they do know. I sensed quite a bit of doubt in all three of their minds. I did use a sizable sum of Poké to pay them, though. I'll make up for it, I swear!
"I suppose that's better than nothing," Mawile declared. "At least your trip to Horizon didn't turn out to be a waste."
Wait… all this time you've been in Horizon? Did you not think to tell me? Latios gasped. Are you sure you're okay? How did you fly all the way over there?
I'm perfectly fine, big brother, Latias insisted. And I'm heading home. I should be there in about three hours or so. Save me a bite to eat, okay?
Ha! You and I both know that's not happening with Slurpuff around, Latios scoffed.
Ugh… fine. I'll pick something up for myself, Latias sighed. The blue glow from her eyes faded. She pointed a paw at her bag and it levitated toward her. She grabbed a set of tricked-out goggles, with the Expedition Society's logo etched into it, and strapped them onto her eyes. Then she took out a looplet and fastened it around her neck.
"Okay, awakening emera, time to work your magic!" she said, rising into the air. Orange beams of energy encircled her entire body.
CRACKA-THOOOOOOOM!
A loud, supersonic boom echoed through the falls as a purple and white blur sped off to the west, crossing the enlarged, brightly-glowing moon.
End of Special Episode 2
XxX
XxX
Master Thief, Marshadow
Horizon's most notorious outlaw. Countless exploration teams across the continents have tried to capture him throughout the years, but all have failed miserably. His mastery of shadow-melding makes him as elusive as the most well-trained Kecleon. His signature move, Spectral Thief, can pummel a Pokémon into unconsciousness so quickly, they don't even remember how they were knocked out.
Horizon's most notorious outlaw. Countless exploration teams across the continents have tried to capture him throughout the years, but all have failed miserably. His mastery of shadow-melding makes him as elusive as the most well-trained Kecleon. His signature move, Spectral Thief, can pummel a Pokémon into unconsciousness so quickly, they don't even remember how they were knocked out.
For anyone curious, Latias and Latios are the same ones from Red/Blue Rescue Team, as well as Super Mystery Dungeon.
I'm not sure I've figured things out with her just yet, but I feel like pieces are slowly falling together. The pacing feels just right there.
