°.H2Ott.°

## Overview

Down the big blue, where Krabby die, there are treasures of outstanding value waiting for those that will be able enough to unseal the halls of the ancient guardians....before their ship will sink in the bottom of the defeat.

## Prologue

"*And that anomalocaris woke up in a museum eventuall-*eh?" it was then that Anorith realized squinting the eyebulbs as the first lights of the sun approached them "Wait, what time is it...morning already?! Where...wheeere..." looked between the claws, nothing, behind the shell, nothing, in the shower, nothing "Wheeeeee-ergh-egg!!!" he saw it in a blink of an eye, merging on the brink of the toilet, and leapt to catch it in time! Then, right then, the door opened. "Squirtle is in da house, men! Uh, there's a dude already here, sorry, didn't think of it but actually we're men between men here, hope it's not a problem for ya."

"No, not at all. I come from the sea, and the sea was the primordial bathroom." Anorith was quick and thought to be witty hiding the egg under his rear, sitting. Dissimulating the most manly attitude of nonchalanchery possible. Squirtle cracked a laugh in reply "You're telling me you used to poop in the Corsolas? Ahahahahah! That's glorious! Maaan, I would have payed for seeing those times." Then he proceeded for his need. Anorith didn't share the same humour, but the worse part had still to come in that conversation: "Anyway, sheik, why are you using that seat and not standing by me?"

"W-What do you mean? There's no difference."

"...a-ah!! This is your first time,sure. I got it now." Anorith looked at the turtle in utter confusion "You never used one of these before, of course pfff! Okay, sorry, I understand your position, man, you come from another era, I respect it. But it still cracks me up! You know why...?" he panted and dried the tears on the sunglasses "Cuz that it's the female way to do it!"

"FEMALE?" Anorith lost it feeling the urge to give the kid a lesson to remember "No, no, no, you don't laugh at me in this way and go with it, I cant' let a scoundrel like you to..." he istinctively pulled the level to get down that thing and heard a rumbling sound of water soon after that interrupted anything he was thinking to do. He slowly turned back, asking "What was that? What did I activated exactly."

"Flush, man." Squirtle polished his sunglasses with attitude "You know, it is where the krabbies die that it goes, whatever comes out always returns to the sea." Pointed the finger down down down.

"Holy shit."

"Exactly, that's the main purpose of it. You made a new discover here, it's your lucky day, man." Squirtle then turned to the mirror, smirking "And it's everyday the lucky day of my Oshawott because of this," blinked.

"Please for Kyogre's sake, tell me this plane is landing right now!" Anorith fleeted in the bathroom vent system and spied from the flits: a neverending ocean was waiting for them all down there. He almost had a stroke at the realization "T**oo much water...**"

.*..meanwhile...*

Piplup and Oshawott were having their usual breakfast moment sipping tea and dipping elegant cookies. And of course nurturing themselves of uppertwit tweeters: "Dear Oshawott, have the latest news reached your ears yet? Hold tight. Jirachi and Shaymin are officially a thing now."

"Oshawow, noo!"

"Yes, he found solace in her paws soon after he left the plane for unknown reasons I have yet to get more deep about, but that's not important, it's important that he found a girlfriend! Can you think at someone else less suitable for a romance?" Piplup chuckled maliciously but her smile dimmed slowly as the *answer* to her question appeared at their table. "Monin', leydies." Spoke in a reproduced english man voice while sporting a cylinder and a monocole, the brand new Porygon Z. "This gentle sea breeze with an inch of cinder of Soothopolis City (alias Ceneride) is the perfect (voice-not-found#error 220 halifaxxxx) - for smelling (other system failure) and having an informal brunch by the plane. Don't you agree?" Both the starters looked at each others clueless and, by Piplup's side, shameful too. "@xcuse my manners, byte the way." He took off the hat and kissed one of her wings, that she promptly retreated! "No, excuse MY!"

"**Byte** the way...?" Oshawott pondered in the meanwhile.

Porygon Z continued, going for an even more dazzling approach, pulling the entire Piplup towards himself making her do a twirl and fall in his arms "You span my heart, milady. Yet I'm a cursed poet, *our love would be a tumultuous ocean, wave after wave, smashing on the cliff and rumbling the beach of the rest of our feelings*." it was the byronian hero approach. "Pi--pi---pi...." put the polygonal hand on her beak, smoothing her lips "Hush, my forbidden angel, may we see again later? I'll portray the shape of your beauty in the shadow of the evening crescent better. DONE! Excellent, then enjoy the rest of your breakfast, I don't need to eat at all." Left. Piplup was speechless, there was more life in the cookie Oshawott was dipping to say the least. "Speaking of the devil, indeed. Still hungry or can I finish it?" The Victory Plane splashed in the middle of the ocean flooding the entire indoor, but Oshawott coped with it unexpectedly well "Looks like I can't anymore."

**// Vent //**

**Porygon Z proudly confessed at the camera "I applied all the knowledgable techniques acquired from my studies regarding love affairs. First rule overall: match perfectly with your partner. Piplup's perfect match can't be anyone else than an overly snooty lord of outdated gentlemanry, @h!" added at the end "Byte the way."**

**"What world has become this if a milady of my society extraction can't enjoy her dejeunèe without being aggressed by freak peasants?!" Piplup vented "I was almost violated in my personal space, how dare you ambush me in this way? I'm traumatized."**

And she continued outside the confessional space, meanwhile the plane merged back and floated on the surface "I pretend restrictive measures between contestants by now, Mr. Victini. I'm tired to share so many spaces with people that attempt to my life and principles, and I want back SEPARATE BATHROOMS! Gasp, anf, anf."

"Contestants, the new episode begins now. The Hoenn ocean will be the theater of your next drama: an underwater treasure hunt." the sky camera showed that Victini and the cast were right in the middle of the ancient crater nowadays filled on water, and that under the shadow of the plane the water darkened more and more "This was the land of Kyogre that he shaped as his personal pool once he had finished with Groudon, in a true sign of victory. Victory you can only dream about so far." words of disdain aside, the host continued "There's a treasure in the bottom of this water waiting for your trials. Find it or sink the boat for all your team. Literally meaning." Victini pointed the burning fingers and carved directly on the belly of the plane with minimal effort: three ships slipped outside, each one with the flag symbol of a team. They were in extreme poor maintainance conditions. "Here is your retail boats. Those of you that cannot swim underwater will take part to the surface battleship. If you don't come back with your treasure in time ***before the ship of your teammates is sunk, sunk will also be your chances of victor**y*. First team to bring the treasure to the Oceanographic Museum by boat, wins. First boat to sink equals defeat. Any question?"

It was Beheeyem that raised the arm before everyone else "Yes, I'm amused to discover how are we supposed to take a battleship seriously inside a volcanic lake."

"Once you have split roles, I will teleport each ship in a different point of the map, and no regrets. You have 51 seconds for the decision." Victini snapped fingers "Also, your role is assigned already: the anchor!" and Beheeyem flounded in the water for the heavyweight."

"Sssplendid, another deadlock punishment."

"49 seconds."

"It's obvious who's the one in charge for this challenge: again and always me, later!" Anorith quickly vanished underwater. "Wait, who's going with you? I can't trussst you sssolo! Someone else must go with him." Seviper was about to pick Porygon "Nope. I book already to be the captain computer aboard. Battleship is my forte. And Aurorus should be the figurehead (polena), just look at her aerodynamic shape."

"To sssink faster?" Seviper joked but returned serious soon after "Sssince when I gave anyone the permission to take decisions before? Listen, newbie, I'm the one who gives orders here: you execute them just! Get underwater, I know you can."

"Uhm, let me process... Last time I checked, Psychic > Poison." the cybernetic soldier lighted on an electronic cigarette, fumed it making the smoke twirl in mid air, and smiled "That makes me the one with power, actually. I can boss you round and circles all the life."

"Excusssse me? Snakes are slightly deaf, ssso maybe I didn't hear you correctly: you claim MY leadership?" Porygon Z surrounded her in a psychic bubble "Byte the way, last time I checked, half of the oceans in the world are populated by snake species, so this is your natural environment and shut up and get busy." and launched in the lake. "Call me Captain Z as of now."

"Call? KILL YOU. Soon I'm done with this stupid challenge..." the humiliated viper faded in a whirlpool of bubbles and swears.

Skipping on the choice made by the **Jigglers** because of obvious like hot water reasons, the **Leviathans** were the last to make their mind. Lester was undecided between treasure hunting and battleship, which of the two would have been the most epic to remember? Metagross tried to convince him with the backup of Minun "You're the only one able to go underwater, and the only one of the entire cast able to bring people underwater: you've a crucial role in this challenge, Lester."

"Yes, I guess Submarine Lester is unique for this challenge, but I'm tempted by the battleship, I'm born for warfares! I could become the same ship and battle solo. Or I could provide for the weaponry! And what about THE LEADERSHIP? It says it in the same word: leader-ship. Ah, I'm so undecided now...mumble mumble..."

Minun sighed "So votes? I vote Metagross for captain -don't look at me that way, Lester!- just for this challenge, just for the battleship. Reason? Ehm, battleship is about computering tactics and we all know Metagross's skills when it comes to calculates and strategy, right? Please, trust me for once..." Lester raised arm for himself instead "Next are Lampent and Dunsparce."

"Don't worry, my vote doesn't count, consider it whatever you prefer." the land snake quickened to reply in a discouraged mood. "No, it counts! Just say it, Dunsparce." he was encouraged but no avail "I prefer to not." Lampent joined the same mood but for other reasons "I vote myself to go underwater. I always wanted to visit the darkness of the abyss." Blushed.

"Wish that will be fulfilled today, ah!" Lester felt a raising sensation of burn within the chest, his heart consumed by the guilt he covered all the time behind the smile. Shape-shifted in a washing machine, he "invited" her to join inside and said solemnly "I decided eventually for the underwater adventure leaving the surface task to Metagross and Minun. Yes, because I want also you abroad, Dunsparce." vacuumed him before he could reply anything depressing "That will make me the first pokèmon to travel a fire lamp and a land snake underwater, by the way. A little extra to boost my mood to the infinite and beyond! Please, passengers, now stay away from the openings of the spin dryer: we're going deep down. . ." As the washing machine submarine slowly egressed in the dark water, Minun watched in relief "I can't believe we managed to make a decision in the this team. What happened? This wasn't the Rotom I expected."

"It was actually 50-50. Minun, we won't be given a second chance. I need your assistance for the entire battleship."

"Glom. M-My assistance?" he made a pitched squee of joy. "At your service, commander Metagross!"

"Time passed. Let the challenge begin!" Victini teleported ships and contestants in three different docks.

## Challenge

The ship of the **Jigglers** reappeared at the dock of **Lilycove City** **(Porto Alghepoli)**, carrying Bagon, Chimecho, Lucario and Ninkask aboard. However, Lucario was still recovering from the injures suffered in the Reversal Mountain and stayed below deck (sottocoperta) assisted by Chimecho the whole time. Bagon was honored to be given the responsibility of the "H.W. Marine Department", in Squirtle's words, an extension of the Hot Water Police for special naval operations. Ninjask was more than happy to leave him the lead of the operation "We both know Hoenn very well. Direct to the abandoned Idro Hideout: I think you want to enforce the ship first of all. You will not only enforce the ship, but an entire fleet. I want you create a *swarm*." Bagon's eyes shimmered in commotion, an entire fleet created out of his engineering? As the ship approached to the small cave his eyes focused on the vastity of wrecks and the engines of his mind started to steam "I accept the challenge, master."

**Mossdeep City (Verdeazzupoli),** a pacific island in the middle of nothing used for rocket testings. Here was docked the navy of the **Venturers**. Porygon Z landed "feet" on the island solemnly "A small leap for a pokèmon, a big one for a Porygon. Okay! Time to update the ship to a version that...at least is able to float." He set the flag straight "It's resource time again. \*@pic P@se\*" Aurorus didn't bother to ask and limited to give a dull look following the virtual pokèmon with the sight at the horizon.

Metagross and Minun found themselves at the end of a waterfall that created an outstanding view on the Hoenn League: **Ever Grande City (Iridopoli)**. Metagross didn't waste time and sailed immediately. "Why we don't do any maintenance?" Minun asked a little startled but showing respect "Because we will exploit the surprise effect and catch them in trap if we do it during their preparation. Victory today is 50% possible in a way and 50% in the other, I want to be the victorious percentage."

°.°

Anorith was swimming the fastest, he had already left Sootopolis behind himself several minutes ago. He should have known the entirely map of Hoenn's ocean as nothing seemed changed in over nine thousand of years, but it felt strange the same "When I think I used to swim here before...bah, no time for memories. I must focus on that egg! C'mon! It can't be too far from the landing spot, no? But, which was the landing spot already?! And I have a challenge, too! Of course: troubles, multiple tasks, misfortune, and once again the heavyweight of a team of limbless ungrateful bastards. I think my moveset is full for today, again." He entered in a field of corals soon a shadow appeared over him, a shadow of a bigger fish "Sharpedo? No, maybe it was just a Lanturn. This sea is dangerous for a shrimp already, an egg has no chance to survive here that's why I must find it." The anomalocaris returned in full view and followed the large line of the rift, that split in three different directions. "If the plane landed few minutes before I flushed the egg, we came from south for sure. The route for Ever Grande, then."

"Bip! Wrong direction."

"What the helix? Not again! Get out of my mind, once for all."

"Not Beheeyem, but Captain Z. While you were all asleep, I installed a microchip under your skin tissues, so I know exactly where my teammates are whenever we do challenges that require splitting choices. Efficiency is going to be 51% improved!"

"What did you do to me exactly?!" Anorith knocked his head with the claw "Tell me immediately where did you insert that microstuff! I'll extract with my bare claws. Tell it!"

"Request failed. Byte the way, the right direction is west. The path for Pacifidlog Town where the sealed ruins lie." Porygon Z then shut the communications.

"Great. I wasn't enough under pressure, I also needed a freaking satellite leftover to spy on me. What's more?!?" vented down the scorn, he reflected "Pacifidlog Town? I had completely forgotten about it! I swear to have seen a floating building when I looked outside. Hopefully..." without further ado, he followed the west rift.

"Hot Water Police, here we are, time to split forces again." the three starters were at the same point of Anorith, but they didn't see him in plain sight. "Our target is on the loose already and it could have taken one of three directions: Agent Snot, go east, Agent Hott, go north, and I go to the left. Who busts Anorith first, calls the others. Easy peasy squeezy as a lemonberry." Oshawott raised her shell up for a demand "Speak, baby."

"Excuse me, commander, why we need to follow Anorith for this mission?"

"Baby..." Squirtle half smiled and explained "Anorith is old Hoenn material, who betters than him knows this sea? He knews where the ruins are. That's why we settled this stake out." then whispered "Don't worry, I love you dummy." Oshawott glared blushing, oops not the best outcome for Squirtle, but recomposed herself professionally.

Piplup raised her feather, too, but didn't wait for permission. "I don't like the idea. Do you remember what happened yesterday? Half of the team finished in the medical center. Oshawott, I brought you too there! Splitting in this ocean is pure nonsensicality: we're STARTERS." repeated the concept trembling "Three. Little. Starters."

"Nah, pfff. We're trained soldiers. We serve the nation of the Jigglers with bold and ballz." the Kanto starter made his final claim before to leave his agents alone: "We rocked a mountain, we'll rock the sea."

**// Vent //**

**Piplup was really worried in her confessional "I-I can't be the only sane of the team to think this play of the police has gone too far."**

**"Dummy." Oshawott grumbled upon that word "So even my boyfriend thinks that I'm dumb...*Squirtle*."**

Oshawott took the northway as ordered but soon found herself followed by Piplup "At least you, listen to me. Please."

"Alright, we'll be together. I own you a debt. Follow me, I see something interesting!"

"Where?" Oshawott pointed to a dark entrance barely hidden in the seafloor. "No way."

"I can see Anorith get in there to deceive us. Or we could find a treasure there, too." the ott was confident on that theory, and slightly impatient to prove it. "Hurry up, Piplup!"

Piplup refused at first but a fin of Sharpedo in the horizon was enough to change her mind "I'm here! This seems a familiar situation." *Little they knew that Sharpedo presence was a warning sign*.

Lester was the slowest, afterall, have you ever seen a washing machine swim before? But he wasn't upset about it, he was more nervous for the charge he was taking. The silence of both Dunsparce and Lampent was nerve-racking, he needed to do something to distress the atmosphere "Enjoying the view? I can provide for the music, too!"

"No, thanks, I want silence after yesterday." Lampent drawled "You can't know the reason. Besides, so far the water is still too bright for my tastes."

"I know, I know." Rotom rolled eyes "Give me time to reach the abyss and you'll be astonished by...by the way, Dunsparce! How is it for a land snake to be in the bottom of the sea for the first time?"

"Oh, ehm, seems beautiful." Dunsparce seemed absent minded.

"...Only. Wow." Lester sighed, descending more until to touch the bottom of the sea. Then the idea to spice things up. "Would you like to give it a walk, land snake?"

"E-Eh? I don't understand, s-sorry."

"Of course, of course, Seviper never told you how to swim but she's not here now, don't you feel the urge of freedom? The infinite choice? Your new leader is offering you this: a new \*experience\*. Still nothing? Bah. Really? No reaction here? No impulsiveness no nothing!?"

"Ehm...I'm not for this and I'm not used to have desires on my own. S-Sorry sorry if I am so underwhelm-iiiing!" Lester opened the window suddenly for a second enough to slip Dunsparce in the outside, also to fill the water enough to wet Lampent's feet but details as actually, Aghostine felt some chills about it. "Sorry me, but I can't stand in front of a pokèmon this depressed. I won't open door back until you walk back and forward to that sleeping Corsola."

"B-But I'm a l-land snake..."

"Yet you're breathing! Now do as I said, THISSS ISSSS an order! And there you know why Lester rhymes with Seviper, too."

"Y-Yes!"

"Ehm, can you open again a little....?" Lampent asked him reluctantly.

"Eh, sure. Gniiek."

**// Vent //**

**Assuming to be in his Rotodex Form, Lester provided his explanation for the audience "Dunsparce species resembles the Acanthophtalmus, a fish that lives right under the seafloor (in questo caso si intende fondale ma non necessariamente marino n.d.r.), with poor sight, and that drills in the sand to hide himself. Tell me this isn't a Dunsparce's life in a nutshell!"**

**"I had forgot the sensation of water under the feet since I lost mine and every mean of sensation as well." the gothic Fire Ghost (reluctantly) sketched a smile "I chilled for my life despite having no skin or life at all."**

**"By the way, I didn't remember that Corsola shiny could be white."**

Dunsparce crawled between the kelps helping himself with the fluttering wings used as fins, he was actually confused of what was going on and unsure if he was actually enjoying it, trembling for the adrenaline and the fear he was experiencing. "T-This Corsola, right?" he reached the tubular corpse of the coral eventually. It was then that Cursola attacked. The body cracked in half and the head elongated from the carve creating a disturbing view of a skeletonal formation, it trapped Dunsparce to himself for the drain. Lampent secretely loved every bit of the spectacle.

"Oh-oh. It wasn't shiny at the end of the day...eh eh ehhh. Don't worry by the way, it's ghost to ghost, I can deal with it!"

"Or he could simply join us." added Lampent dismissively, receiving a quizzical look "Talking about Dunsparce, nevermind." shrugged. Very creepy.

"Very..." Rotom focused back on the situation "Okay, there are two way to find a deal: a diplomatic ghost chitchat or die a second time." Cursola launched its **Curse** at him. "So you chose death." Lester casted a Shadow Ball from the belly and hit the coral monstrosity but did no relevant damage despite being supereffective. "I see high Special Defense here. Interesting challenge and consider it utterly accepted!" Then Cursola striked back the entire hit received with **Mirror Coat** (Specchiovelo), auch. Lester lost temporary senses after the damage sustained, but recovered when Lampent used **Pain Split** (Malcomune) sharing her energy to restore his "Woah! That was a terrific attack. By the way, thanks Lampent. Agh." but she could not remove the curse effects. Meanwhile Dunsparce was being drained of his soul by the roots, and maybe that was the reason why he didn't feel any fear longer at some point and retailed back with his attack: looking straight into the red glowing eyes of the predator with his open eyes, the prey paralyzed it in fear. The giant body of the coral retreated in its own shell and *Dunsparce was finally free, yet marked to death by the ability of Cursola*.

"By the way! We stayed here too much, time to return to the submarine, Dunsparce."

"I don't need it anymore, thank you."

"Yeeees, but no, you're very slow to follow." but Dunsparce had already disappeared drilling under the seafloor "Hooray, I created another Porygon today, \*Epic Fail Pose\*."

**// Vent //**

**Lester: "Yes, I have also created an epic pose for failures. What to say, given the recent performances, it's better to update my repertory."**

°.°

"Lester, can you hear me?" Minun decided to check on the situation using the Rotodéx device: the akwardly smily figure of Lester appeared then on the monitor. "Lester at the call! What do you want?"

"Nothing, but we heard terrible noises down there: there was a battle? Are Dunsparce and Lampent **still** fine with you?"

"Ah, sure they are! Do you get that whenever you use the device you force me to travel miles under the ocean with my plasmic body to reach it? Use it only if it is important by the way!" and shut the communication right and there.

"Wait, it is important, what about the battle noises? What happened! *NO SIGNAL BY THE WA*Y. Oh, come on, Lester, I know this is impossible to happen. You're still in the device..." Minun sighed very deeply breathing on, gave up, and closed the device. "I know, I sense it, something has gone wrong down there. But, what can I do about it?" Metagross was directing to Mossdeep City first of all, in this way he could have blocked the way for Pacifidlog for both the other two ships. "You have to help me, and nothing else. We'll do our 50% of the challenge and assure that even if Lester screws the other 50% we win. This is the plan: we will trap the Venturer ship at the dock of the island and force through it. As you see in the map Mossdeep it's the only passage for the oceaninc route for Pacifidlog Town, therefore the other foe will come across from west and will have to take the same path and will be exposed to our fire."

"Ohh. But how do you know already their position with such precision?" Minun asked in amaze. "I did just calculates. Assuming that Lester and the other treasure hunters are going here" Metagross pointed at the Sealed Ruins "and all the other contestants, including us, were sent at the same distance from the same spot, **Pacifidlog Town** becomes the middle of a circumference whose **Lilycove**, **Mossdeep** and **Ever Grande City** are the rays."

"I-I would have never noticed." The eyes of the mouse goggled for the astonishment, then shone "This is pure genius, I-I wish to be like you one day...or at least 50% of it would be enough I think, still more than I am now." Sighed.

"You're a being of flesh and bones, I'm made of brains and metal. There's nothing to calculate about, it's self explanatory." was the harsh cold reprise received from the armored crab.

"Alright, alright...Ehm, I digressed, sorry! Didn't want to distract from the situation." Minun looked again at the map on the screen shaking the upset aside "About the battleship itself? I mean, I don't see any weapon on the boat but I guess the other ships will be well armored at this point."

"We are the weapon." Metagross then megaevolved developing a full battery of artillery, one for each arm, making for a potentially devastating looking 4x4 war machine. "Gasp, you can do that too?!" The machine opened and closed the giantic claws a few times with a satisfied grimace under the cross, then detached them from the body and fired the four punches in the air. "Yes. Consider the battleship started."

Porygon Z was looting from the Space Center (let alone to another story how he took over the control of it) when he spotted unidentified firing objects on the monitors. Bleeping noises everywhere alerted the population of the incoming unexpected meteorite rain but he was certain they were wrong and teleported immediately back on board "Those are not meteors but a war declaration. And war will be! Byte the way, bip, Aurorus! Activate your shields, I didn't finish to mount the additional armor plates, once I'm finished this ship will not sink ever."

Aurorus obeyed: first changed the weather in a snowstorm that was pretty a unique scene even for a region like Hoenn and then the Aurora Veil that glaciated the water in the air rendering it a thick solid transparent wall. The four fists penetrated it but lost half of their energy in doing so, in this way they couldn't have enough inertial force to arrive at the target and only two of them actually hit the ship of the Venturers. But that was all prevented in Metagross's scheme: he now knew the exact position of their navy.

"We took damages! Quick damage calculation in process. . . 10%. Attack successfully contained. Aurora Veil shield. . . 85% left. Okay, nothing to worry but we can't take risks. We sail now to prevent risks. Time need for installation of the crucial components but we're exposed. How we get more time? Tactical retreat." The Venturer ship left the embarkation point circumnavigating the eastern coast of the island. Fleeing from more punishment. "AS CALCULATED." Metagross, barely receiving damages from the hailstorm, drove the ship to the dock and dropped the command to Minun. "I proceed on the ground, stay behind them. There are two ways to reach the Shoal Cave: if we do both at contemporary they will have no escape."

"The Shoal Cave, right! I should have remembered it. But...are you sure you want to leave me the responsibility of the ship and what if they decide to counterattack all of sudden?" Metagross tossed him an hard disk and replied with two single words "*Raindance. Thunder.*"

**// Vent //**

**Metagross: "That isn't a simple HM (MT) but an entire advanced collection overall. I downloaded it from the Team Rocket's archive with the same disk that evolved Porygon 2. It is more than a simple archive of moveset however, it drains moveset from the owner and transcripts them in my braincells. *Minun's moveset will be useful in the future.***

"The battleship has started without us. This is something we must get advantage." Ninjask observed the sea waves focusing all the five senses on the horizon. "Bagon, how long for the repairs?"

The dragon merged from a pile of scavenged wrecks covered in kelps after having explored the abandoned lagoon "Situation is worse than I expected to be honest: something or someone HUGE damaged these ships. I can barely find a few pieces useful to repair ours, let alone build a naval crew!" Bagon pondered on an alternative, he suddenly found it: "Hold on, Team Idro didn't move only by sea, right? Do you remember like me, they even got to the Mt. Pyre once."

"And to Mt. Chimney as well."

Bagon exposed his design "They used helicopters! Now look at the idea: I could mount a couple of helix on the main ship to make it stay afloat and on occurrence fly over the enemies. One helix on the front and the other should on the back. What do you think?"

Ninjask studied the project "Is it quick and practicable for you?"

"Pffft. When it comes to flying contraption, I'm the weapon of choice. All I have to do is cut the helix and attach them. I could also make a pair of drones out of the remaining parts, so we can still have a decoy. All I need are those heli." His confidence won on Ninjask this time.

"Now show me the back."

"Rgh. Noo.."

"Shhh, relax. The bruises are almost healed but your spine is still injured."

"S-Stop doing whatever you are doing, it...it..." Lucario's spine shivered whenever she touched it. He had already embraced her but never felt her skin this close before! Her soft coiling around his chest, too. The chilling wind she seemed to emanate through her pending tail... "I know you hate direct contact, but your health needs to be restored soonest possible and this is the only way. I promise it will be very quick."

"N-No. Hggrrr..." Lucario moaned in pain, blushing, Chimecho immediately recoiled from his body "I meant! You can continue, pla..ple..plu..**plusle.** Urgh."

The leader of the Jigglers suddenly called up Chimecho: "Mt. Pyre. Teleport me there."

"Mt. Pyre? Okay..." Chimecho gave an intense glance at Lucario then a sad one at the ground like she was buried, doing what ordered. Lucario was confused by this behavior and cursed himself for this fact.

"We're looking for helicopters with the Team Idro's logo." Ninjask flew in circles around the mountain, leaving Chimecho to climb the stairs. There was a solemn silence in that place perfect for echoing thoughts, but she wanted to leave, she rushed to the research rushing her own memories: she was barely a teenager by the time of Team Idro takeover. A recruit had almost captured her and another recruit was going after an old couple, she met them halfway during her personal escape when the bad man decided to attack. It was then that Chimecho learned Protection: a globe enveloped her and those near bouncing away the poison launched. The attack was repeated and she tried to repeat herself but this time failed. The poison hit her and the poor sages "Thank you, courageous pokèmon, but we don't deserve to be saved in your sacrifice." she was blocked by them as she tried to rescue them with her healing powers. "You're young with all the life in front of you, and judging by your actions, you are called to help many beings in the future than us. It's already written that this situation will be solved on its own path, your destiny is written in a complete other story. Flee!"

End of the flashback, Chimecho never met that couple again. She had escaped as she had appeared, like another wild pokémon in the tall grass. She was safe, the rain was getting huge, but the major events had already happened. Team Idro left. The last recruit, carrying the blue orb tore from the hands of the old man, took off with his helicopter that was struck by a lightening in the rainstorm. Ivan didn't care for the man itself and recuperated the orb in the aftermath, got back on his personal vehicle and left Mt.Pyre with all his men.

10 years later she was now contemplating the old remnants of that accident. The chassis was heeled over and opened, resembling a dead sharpedo, and still presented the rusty logo of the team, so she had no doubt. "I found one." Ninjask had casually found another one with a Magma logo on the other side, maybe a spy that was busted at work. "They both have the helix still functioning then we can proceed with the teleportation." Chimecho was ready to leave.

Ninjask gave her some space alone: a teleportation of those dimensions required the perfect focusness. He followed his way, coasting the several tombs. "*We were here, too, at that time*. *Found."* The cicada kneeled and prayed for a minute. Then, he rejoined and teleported back with Chimecho.

"Guys, you were really quick aaand look at that! Now we're talkin'." Bagon spat on his hands and began the dispatching. Chimecho returned to assist Lucario finding a mummy instead of him, trapped in kilometres of bandages. "I'm terrible at healing, snort." But in reality he had done it on purpose certain to see again a smile on her face. He succeeded.

°.°.°.°

"Pacifidlog Town, here I am. That egg **mus**t be in this area: could be lucky for once?!" Anorith's attention was caught by a shimmer in the seafloor, where a colony of Clamperl lied asleep. Pearl, pearl, pearl, the egg, pearl, pearl, more pearls. The egg?" He couldn't believe at his eyesight but his egg was sitting idle in the cavity of a Clamperl. All Anorith had to do was snatch it "*Hush everyone, I don't want not a single sound in the ocean, just a movement and I'm done.*"

Anorith didn't even swim, he fluttered like a dead leaf until to touch the sand and slowly crawled to the target, in utter quietness. Never wake up a baby egg, let alone if it was sleeping inside another pokèmon... "PORYGON Z AT THE CALL: BIP! **PORYGON Z AT THE CALL: BIP**! We urge an update on your mission as our mission has already been compromised. BIP! **WANT TO UPDATE, ANORITH?! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK HERE!**"

"...You kidding me." That sudden breach of the silence made the egg quill vehemently icing the innards of the shell: Clamperl reacted closing itself immediately. Anorith used all its claws to force it open again, but no avail. "Argh, if only I could keep it open for a second, hold on, maybe an extra claw could help. Ngh. Ah!" extracted from the back of a shell a long needle "I remembered correct: still have it since the time I was bitten from that dunkleosteus."

**// Vent //**

**"Long story short, just the souvenir of an average day in the cambrian age. Having a predator on my ass was just normal stuff." Shrugged. "I even thought about exchange it with Seviper: a new tooth for her, freaking freedom for me. But then I realized: would she have respected the deal soon after? More likely I, an invertebrate, would have grown a vertebra."**

Anorith promptly stuck the tooth inside Clamperl, opening the shell with a smug face "There you are, eat this and shut only when I'm done. Calm, calm, eggy, come to daddy...what's this shine now? Oh, it doesn't come from you. Don't tell me." The Clamperl evolved in Huntail and only Anorith's "*always the same shit*" reflexes saved him from being eaten alive as what was a shell cavity before was replaced by a sharp-teethed mouth then. "Spit the egg or eat me back already!" deeming Anorith as not worth a taste, Huntail swam away in the darkness with its favorite meal. "First Seviper, than the toilet, and now this: what's wrong with it being eaten every time!?"

"No jokes here, that dude really know to be stealth. No signs of the target already." Huntail and then Anorith passed by him at light speed, swimming towards the powerful stream "Scratch that, found you, **bellow**!" (*citazione di livello altissimo*) and with this scream Squirtle joined soon after. However, for a pokèmon unused to Hoenn, those streams were trickery to deal with. Huntail and thus Anorith sped up to the surface at a certain point while Squirtle didn't and crashed into a Tentacool colony "So this shit also infest Hoenn." Got poison as result. "I feel dizzy now @ but I see building? Cave? Maybe ruins! Let's go for the treasure mission by now." With a wobbling swim he dove to the Sealed Ruins and was first. The entrance was easy to break through. "But there's nothing in here. What a fluke, man!"

"Have you seriously thought it would have been this easy, a challenge of my?"

Jirachi was there, somewhere, his voice echoing in surround.

"Yo, Jirachi? So here you back, we wondered where you had gone, sleepwanker duuuud! I busted youuu."

"I knew he would have done this challenge anyway. I was the original writer of it. Afterall, I was always the mind of the show, while he was the face!" Jirachi boasted but the Jiggler was starting to feel the poison "Dude, no rude, but I don't have time to waste, like, really."

"You're already fainted if you're talking to me, genius."

"Ah. SHIT: that escalated quickly." his body was actually floating unconscious in the empty hall. "So, where are you in reality? I mean, physically, in the awoken world, yeah."

"I'm at my birthplace, more or less, an island unknown for many unless you wish to visit it. But you can't, this wish is forbidden for common mortals."

"Guessed it. *So it isn't forbidden to Shaymin, neh.*"

"Shaymin?!" the inner voice of the wishmaker stuttered by this moment "She's not here, at all. She's not asleep on me! You know what? It's about time you wake up and continue the game!" Squirtle was suddenly woken up. "So I was dreaming the whole time or not? Nevermind! Get busy." After a few minutes, he scratched the back of the head "Maybe there's another secret entrance outside otherwise I dunno." Or maybe it would have been better to remember to take off the sunglasses, first...

Lester arrived second "Last stop: Sealed Ruins! Passengers...without the s actually...can leave now. Totally meant to be a metaphoric statement, Lampent! Stay inside."

"Aw..."

"Lights on, please." Lampent's glow could barely enlighten the chamber enough to see forward: there wasn't much actually to meet the eyes. Empty. "Riddling situation. Uhm. I mean, it's platitudinous there is a secret door somewhere...less platitudinous seems where." The painstaking sensation increased in the meanwhile.

"*The k...key...lies in the ocean. F...Find a piece of the ancient and a piece of the giant to reunite it.*" Dunsparce was reading the scripts in dot characters. "Mind me, I'm just used to this alphabet and I noticed immediately there was a script on the wall."

"In the darkness you saw **that** from the entrance...And how did you end up here, by the way?" Lester was astonished.

Dunsparce, flattened on the floor, showed a small hole: "I'm ten times faster underground than on the ground. so I reached you eventually and, since I was here, wanted to try on it...S-Sorry for the intrusion, Lester."

"Sorry?!" Lester pat patted him like a proud father "This was totally unexpected! I was skeptical about you at the beginning, but then you have quirks. How else could you translate from dots? Kongratulations: you're fully promoted as an honorary Leviathan. By the way there's still a long path for the graduation."

Lampent resumed it under voice "In short, you just made a first impression on him."

"Ehm, eh? Really...?" he was a little uncertain to have got any of the words of the odd leader in the right way, but felt encouraged by his reaction and excitement. "Wow. I'm not used to be praised by my leader. So, ehm, any idea about the riddle yet?"

"Piece of the ancient, piece of the giant...both looks like Hoenn pokémon." the ghost lantern assumed it as obvious as did Lester and Dunsparce. "So the eldest and the biggest in the pokédex should be the key. I also personally like the idea we need just a *piece* of them." Similarly obvious, her last line was creepy as usual.

Obviously "The giant is Wailord, no less." Dunsparce reflected. "Anorith isn't the most ancient species discovered as a fossil?"

"It is!" Lester equipped on a pair of scissors in place of the clothespins. "Finding Anorith."

"And Wailord...how."

"We don't need the pokémon to be alive."

"Eeeh, Lampent?"

Shrugged doing a somber smirk. "All the corpses and remnants of the fishes on the surface always end in the bottom of the abyss. Dead whales are the primary source of sustaining for life forms of the likeliness of Kabuto, Wimpod, and Anorith, too. if there are more alive nowadays." Dunsparce gulped at the sole idea. "Yes, our Anorith could be ***saprophagus*** as well." She shrilled in excitement at the sole idea "Let's go in the abyss! Lester?"

"Oh...urgh...I didn't mind a check up...turning on the spin dryer now by the way!" as Dunsparce got in the submarine again, the washing machine restarted to swim in a stuttering style. Seviper had overheard their whole conversation by sheer luck while she was creeping under the sand. "Anorith, eh? Where is that moron if not doing the challenge? In the abyss for what...Useless satellite, tell me where is Anorith now!"

"Krrr...fzzz...i-interference...middle of a batt-" clanking noises followed in the communication.

"Ssscrew you, I'll find him the same."

And Squirtle? He had misunderstood everything. "I got it now. If I draw a key uniting the dots it will open! I'm da best when it comes to puzzles." Picked up the receiver: "Here Hot Water to Water Hot: primary target acquired. Reach me when you can, agents, no more need to seek for Anorith. Passo."

...

The message was received when was already too late. Oshawott and Piplup had no idea where they were after an hour of searching in that sea cave. Lost and confused by the place, they looked for an exit way getting even more further. "No, I'm not going to say: I told you. At all! Why bother listen to me if you didn't already before?"

"Okay, I was wrong, OKAY?! I tried to appear clever, for once." Oshawott had such a sad depressing look on the face that Piplup felt sorry for the first time and quickly tried to patch up an excuse. "Instead, instead...Even my boyfriend thinks low of me!"

"I don't think Squirtle even realized what he was saying." Piplup remarked slightly sarcastically. "Besides that, ehm, let's just say you're impulsive as everyone in their youth times. Sometimes you even remind me myself around your same age." Tried so hard to hide the blush while talking, but Oshawott appreciated her words. "Making mistakes, many mistakes, is just part of the growth to the maturity."

"I'm curious, now. What kind of mistakes?" the ott smuggled.

The penguin stuttered then "Just generic stuff typical of youngsters. Move forward. Didn't you hear a sound a second ago?"

"Come oooon...speak it out." Oshawott didn't buy her immediately, but soon heard the same sound. "Oh! Rushing water. Something is moving, or someone..." Filed the shell ready to use it at the first sign of danger. The two proceeded cautiously forward, walking and swimming alternatively between rusty metal mines and wrecked ships all marked with the unmistakable flags of *Team Idro*. It looked like a graveyard sealed under the ocean. "I don't like this place at all, at all! There are skeletons, too. We need to find an exit before we join them."

"I know, but I can't see the end of this cave, for now. Until then..!" Again that sound. And a clanking noise repeated. The first fin merged from the underbelly of the largest wreck, more followed detaching small pieces of metal while merging from other wrecks. Piplup was the first to avert their presence, and with a choked voice whispered: "Sharpedo, *everywhere*."

"Maybe if we don't move...stop rattling."

"Those aren't dinosaurs, Oshawott!"

"What are you doing in our secret cradle?" The matriarch spoke. It was the largest of the sharpedo, that they assumed being mothers as well. "We rid off of our masters long time ago to grow our offspring out of human harm's way."

"Pip-Perfect, I'm certain between females we can find a dial-"

"But easy seafood is always appreciated." This single line killed every attempt of diplomacy. "We need all the possible nutrients during pregnancy and after, our hunger increases and thus the hunger of our sons." A Shell Blade bashed against her skull soon after.

"We're not providing for your diet!"

"OSHAWOTT!!!"

They were attacked from every side. Oshawott fended both for herself and Piplup unable to attack at all. The unovan starter did her best to replicate the same movements of Master Ninjask, first dodging then striking with Aqua Jet. However, she didn't know Double Team and was one against a swarm. Dodge after dodge, the sharks spotted her weak cool-timing and hit her from multiple sides at contemporary. They now had learned her pattern at perfection to counterattack her whole moveset.

"Anf, anf...I'm still alive that counts. As long I am, none will touch a single feather of this penguin! Clear?"

"O-Oshawott...Watch out!"

A Sharpedo pounced on Oshawott at such speed to crash her through the battleship wreck. "Shit! If I ruined the main cabin where she sleeps, the matriarch will use me as seafood, too. Better have a check." Oshawott hit out of nowhere with Revenge sending the shark to the dream world. Her strength seemed terribly grown up, A disc was stuck in her forearm with the claim **Sword Dance** written on it. Sword Dance, she had just learned how to use it!

Piplup was about to be gangbanged by the shark horde when Oshawott recoiled all the wounds received so far. "Is there more? Anf, pant, ANYONE WANT A PIECE OF SHELL AGAIN?" Launched the challenge in the overwhelming of the adrenaline, and the challenge was accepted: the matriarch swatted Piplup away like a fly with a single fin. Now face to face alone, Oshawott noticed a blue cloth penning at the dorsal fin of that Sharpedo, and a fake eyeball at the left..

"*Ivan* was a fool from the beginning to the end, but was also a good trainer that made me discover my true power to overcome the rest of my own species." The shark explained opening her mouth while dropping the fake blue eyeball swallowing it down.

"Eww."

The true nature of that orb revealed itself as the muzzle of the shark elongated twice the original measure resembling the same shape of the battleship, becoming the terrifying demon of the swimmers known under the name of **Mega Sharpedo**. "Now dance with the devil, if you dare."

Meanwhile arrived in the deepest point of Hoenn, Anorith had finally caught on Huntail in a blind corner...somewhere. He could finally retrieve it now with the good or the bad means.

"Spit it! If you think I can't, I warn that I extracted it already from the belly of a snake twice your size." Anorith chose the bad means snapping the eel's throat several times. "Told you." The egg finally rolled outside over the long tongue and stopped its course meeting the gentle touch of two fins in the form of clamps. "Oh, dear, you evolved then. Did you bring a gift, too, or maybe more? What do we have here? Ooh, what a cutie." The pink eel pecked the surface of the egg with the needle, entertained by the effect made: the egg whipped the tail like a puppy. "And...what an Anorith, too." Her expression changed immediately.

"Gorebyss?!"

"Sweetie, could you please leave my child breath again? Nice." Gorebyss fanned the fin in a regal manner, signing her son to retire in the darkness. She was the same Gorebyss as usual yet she emanated a different vibe, something fishy... It was only when he could see her entirely in the spotlight that he noticed her body shape at full: A long long long pink body moving away part of the sand at her own passage, Gorebyss had turned in a beautiful monstrosity of the ocean.

"What happened here? You're thrice the size of before and twice Seviper's at least." Anorith's eyes ricocheted halfway between attraction and horror.

"Oh, this? I changed a lot since the last time we saw." Gorebyss giggled in a creepy way. "Afterall, it was a long journey from *Kalos to home*." Toyed with the egg pressing on it a little.

"Hey about that, it's mine! It's something so complicate to explain but it's my egg at the moment..."

"Anorith, Anorith. Another commission from your snake spouse?" she provoked, pressing harder on the egg that whipped the small tail faster and no more seeming entertained. "Babysitting Dunsparce wasn't enough, you needed another one? At least it seems by the tail that didn't take the ugliness of the mother."

"Urgh, just give me that egg, now." Anorith was losing patience. "You clearly have no clue how is to take care of another life so don't waste my time. I don't even know how you ended up here."

"Aww. You don't? Making me fall off the plane, landing in a sweetwater lake being immediately forced to swim back to the ocean with bare breath left, and once in the big blue, how do you think a lone attractive female would have ended? MATED." Gorebyss showed the signs of fight on her extremities, they didn't prevent her complex beauty of course but were totally unexpected for Anorith. Signs of bites, scratches and little scars scattered her fins and an huge bite was around her neck, too. "The first gift from my several male mates. There were many fights over me and exploit for eggs, they forced me to procreate an entire colony and, at the end, they elected me the queen of it and abandoned me with the prole. *So this was the life that expected me outside the tank!*"

"Urgh. I'm sorry yet I never said it would have been easy! It's good you finally tried it."

"All because of you! You eliminated the pokémon that had always protected and served me since I was fished as a Clamperl, then YOU also abandoned me at the jaws of your slaving girlfriend!"

"I'm the slave of none, unlike Vanillite was yours! Now, the egg and then you can go back to your procreative machine job." Anorith also added. "Plus, be now the slave it's what I would call karma for your sake."

"I'm afraid you will be my new slave, unless you want that I promote this egg from toy to prey. I usually do that." Gorebyss punctured a little hole on it with her thin mouth, posing to suck it like a drink. "You preferred Seviper to me, so now you will have another violent queen to deal with and only. Your choice?"

"Are you seriously threatening me using the life of an innocent egg?! You're disgusting."

"Sssh. You should be used about it. Now provide me an alternative prey, I'm thirsty of seafood." Ordered.

"He takes orders only from me and not from a whatever bitch." Seviper rolled her tail around Anorith and dragged him away.

"Seviper? What about the egg? I can't leave it there!"

"Why not? It's useless at this point. I already got what I wanted from it: the complete control on Aurorus."

"Okay, but never on mine and you know it!" Anorith liberated from her grip swimming backward.

"Forget it. I need you for another purpose now!" Seviper was suddenly hit by Hydro Pump. "GOREBYTCH."

"To serve me for the rest of his life." Gorebyss dodged the immediate counterattack with extreme calm "Underwater is a complete different match, isn't, bitch?"

"You byss, off water or underwater I'll always be better than you!"

"Better at sucking getting partners? The closest thing you got as it is 551 million of years old." the eel provoked further, tasting her revenge on a silver plate. Seviper enraged and attacked with a powerful blow of her tail but still too slow in the water while at contemporary exposing herself to the enemy. Gorebyss used Confuse Ray and confused her figure in the darkness. Seviper couldn't properly distinguish the shadow from the darkness and attacked the void many times, giving Gorebyss all the time to Shell Smash with a yawn and then hit Psychic with max power. Seviper was utterly destroyed by the supereffectiveness and sent out of the game for that day.

Anorith, however, snatched the egg exploiting the distraction provided by the battle and dug in the sand of the seabed. "*Don't do a single move, for once, or we're both screwed*."

"Where are my new toy and my new slave?" Gorebyss unleashed the colony of Huntail all over the area. "Provide them immediately!"

"Found Anorith!" Dunsparce merged from the sand right in front of Anorith. Before this one could do anything Lester sucked him in the spin dryer and locked. "Found and collected, ah!"

"Part of dead Wailord collected as well."

"What the hell?" Anorith found himself stuck between Dunsparce and Lampent with no escape way. "And stay away with those flames, Flare Fire user! Last thing I need is it to hatch."

"Is that the egg of..." Dunsparce had seen that just for a minute before, and now, the source of all his guiltiness, was next to him sharing space inside a ghost submarine... That made him feel strange. Or was the effect of Cursola? Lester hadn't start yet, too. "L-Leader?"

"Eh? Just a moment of sickness of the pilot. Passengers can relax." Lester dismissed about his true conditions, holding to not puke. Anorith attempted an escape but was immediately blocked by Lampent. "I may want to cook some egg meal to kill this time."

"Message received."

"Actually we just need a piece of Anorith according to the scripts." Dunsparce tranquilized.

"For WHAT???" Anorith settled claws ready. "Do it! I'll show you why I was considered the first apex predator on Earth then."

"So apex that..."

"Don't even add anything. Don't dare, scoundrel." He reflected about a compromise. "Actually, I could give you a scale on second thought. Take it." Detached an old piece of rocky material. "Here. Deal? Bye then!" Force-opened the door enough to slid through it and the machine fulfilled of water.

"Ohh, so this is the forgotten sensation of drowning..." Dunsparce promptly shut the door back. "But Dunsparce!"

"I've already seen a pokémon die under my eyes, o-o-okay? No more allowed."

"Really? Tell me about it..."

"N-Now? Ehm, doesn't seem proper."

"On the contrary, it utterly suits my idea of killing time."

**// Vent Confessional //**

**Anorith later confessed: "That was just another souvenir. A Relicanth fought with me and lost of course: the prizefight was one of his teeth gloriously used to replace the single scale he managed to get from me. They have still to born another time to even think to trick an old trickster like me."**

°.°.°

Porygon Z and his boat were under the bombardment of Mega Metagross, that had blocked the primal exit, while Minun occupied the back one. It seemed a lose lose situation at this point. He needed to think outside the box, to think it outside the lex, to embrace the way of Lester. " 98% of the ship was severely damaged already, retreat furthest. MUST be a s@luti@n. There have to be an impossibility to turn in possibility!" He studied the satellite map again: "Shoal Cave. A spot famous for the high and low tide effects that alternate daily. Today is in the high tide. In fact, the cave is filled of water in almost every corner, otherwise we could have not navigated to the depth of it. Water everywhere...a liquid. Ice everywhere...a solid! Here's the solution. Freeze-dry all you can do!"

"The whole Shoal Cave?" Aurorus tried her best recurring to all her energies. The huge mass of waves was progressively frozen in solid shapes and the same ship became an unique block of ice. Underwater Beheeyem followed the same destiny. "Done. The ship won't leak water anymore for sure, but I can't think any more benefit."

"Cuz you aren't into the Lester code as I am." Porygon Z looked proudly at the outcome. "Yours is not common ice but dry ice (ghiaccio secco): if this type of ice doesn't have enough space to expand its volume when contained in a perfectly sealed ambient, the CO2 sublimates it until an explosion occurs. Now, imagine that the Shoal Cave IS the **containe**r, what did we obtain?"

An ice bomb. Metagross had suspected about it by the sudden volume of the frozen water. "Minun, backward and escape from there immediately. The Shoal Cave will blow up in fifty one seconds."

"The Shoal Cave is exploding how?!!" The rumbling boiling noise of water announced that it was too late. Minun was invested by an explosion of icicles shards and freezing air cutting stream that almost blew him away. "A-a-a..." The worst had still to come. The Leviathan ship was rammed by an iceberg came from the cave, and only the suicidal intervention of Metagross prevented the sinking. "*Fascinating, it definitely absorbed the mental processes of Lester with mine*. Minun, you'll be the surviving half of the plan for today. GO AWAY!" Detached a rocket punch to push the Leviathan at high speed, then the massive explosion of the iceberg followed.

The Venturer ship merged from the aftermath, more or less in one single piece. "It worked. Ahahahahah! I'm the next Lester! The upgraded with science version of it."

**// Vent //**

**Porygon Z tried on something, full of himself. "@h! CYBERNEPIC P@SE. Uuuh. Y.E.S."**

Laughing maniacally, Porygon Z drove at the pursue of Minun. "Onward! The battleship has switched roles in our favor and key word is: no mercy."

"We should repair it before anything." Aurorus suggested trying to put the crazy pokémon back to sense.

Beheeyem landed on top of the boat in awful shape. "Congratulations for the E-xperiment of the explosive ice. I know who to thanks for having ice shard stuck in my organs for the rest of my life."

"Brrr-rrr-rrrr. H-H-How I'm still alive?" Minun shook himself barely feeling in touch with his own body parts, frozen and chillblained. He remained alone and the heavyweight of the challenge was all on his shoulders, at least on the surface. He heard the Venturers were at his pursuit and the ship was launching sinister noises of cracking everywhere, he was basically screwed unless he managed to stay away and keep the ship survive enough for Lester to come back hopefully with the treasure.

The Jiggler ship flew over the waves literally. Bagon proved to be an astounding engineer. The contraption built allowed to keep the main body suspended assuring zero attrition with the sea, gaining huge benefit in terms of speed and drift. Bagon was actually impatient to see the war drone escorts in action. He had made them out of a couple of sharpedo-shaped rusty torpedos and the smallest gyros of the helicopters. He was currently using them for recognition.

"The sky seems clear and stable in weather, but there is an huge smoke in the distance. Wow, is that the Shoal Cave fuming? Looks like it was interested by Groudon recently: look at that crater!" The drone camera reported on screen the new aspect of the Shoal Cave, tore open by the explosion: "So Soothopolis got a twin." Bagon made a joke, then returned focused. "A little further I see two ships: enemy fleets detected! Drone combats ready."

"We stay away from unnecessary troubles." Ninjask was firm in his denial. The dragon obeyed reluctantly to his authority do not hiding his disappointment for once. Spotting some lack of trust from that behavior Ninjask decided to assign him to another task. "Contact the underwater squad and say them that we'll be in Pacifidlog Town for the salvage operations within an hour. I want to know their progress with the treasure hunt."

"Okay. Looks like Oshawott and Piplup shut every communication. Trying with Squirtle."

"They should have been all together. It took responsibility of the mission."

"Squirtle is available. Talking to him right now." Bagon communicated with his friend through the shell-phone improved by himself. "Buddy? How's the mission going down there? You're at the regi ruins? OK. Are the agents with you as well? I can't talk to Oshawott and Piplup anymore. Mh. Okay. Split ways apart to get Anorith faster. Wait, Anorith? For what purpose? Ahahahahahah dude! Everyone in Hoenn knows that you need Relicanth and Wailmer to open the first chamber." Bagon and Ninkask slapped themselves soon after he said that. "Man, we utterly forgot to tell him, like fools. Anyway, I think you better...Squirtle? Can you still listen to me? There's like an interference of another device in the nearby."

"Fossil me. Who's talking in my eardrums again? Wait, is that what they needed me for...? And Relicanth...of course! I have to return in the abyss for take that scale back, damn. DAMN!" the rough voice of Anorith outburst in a wave of swears coming from the phone. Bagon shut the communications then.

"I'm afraid lot of crap is happening underwater that the only solution is winning the battleship, Master Ninjask."

Ninjask thought on it a bit. "Looks like we don't have other choice: move to the targets, but keep in mind it has to be a quick battle otherwise we'll retreat for the original plan." Bagon assured it, and directed the automated engines of the ship to the opposite direction.

°.°.°

"Have you found them?! You're dumb as your fathers!" Gorebyss went to the hunt personally leading the Huntail colony in that pitched darkness. The same Anorith was returning into carrying the egg clenched firmly in the claws. The egg began to glow in a yellowish light alternated with a blueish for unknown reasons. It certainly helped him to see where he was going but also would have been an easy prey on sight for Gorebyss and Huntail.

"Thanks for the lighting but no. Stop. The best way to survive in the abyss is stay in the abyss. Keep it dark. Okay? Of course you're not understanding a single word, you're an egg!"

"What's that glow?" Gorebyss's attention was dragged by the intense pulsing light coming to them. "What's the source? Go investigate." All the Huntail started to feel a terrifying sensation and stared paralyzed in fear. "Mom, could be a predator."

"We're the only predators! There's no other pokémon to compete with us at this depth. Right?"

"Mother...?"

The light approached looking like a blinking eye. Gorebyss's body shivered. She was starting to feel very unnerved. "K-Keep going. childs, it's order of your mother." Stayed behind, unnoticed, moving backward.

"There's only one another pokémon in this region that glows in the abyss, and you should know better than us."

"Kyogre. Foolishness! Kyogre has gone asleep years and years ago after Team Idro was defeated in the whole region."

Suddenly Anorith's microchip received the late rebound of the explosion caused by Porygon Z earlier on: an astounding screeching howl propagated from it everywhere in the void.

"Alpha Kyogre has awoken!!!" Gorebyss and Huntail dismembered in different direction in utter panic to never be seen again.

"For Kyogre's sake, what the hell just was that? Porygon Z of my shit." Anorith reached the bottom without further accidents.

"Since then I see Lunatone everywhere is dark, and whenever I sleep he says: *I CEE YOU*." Dunsparce finished his story.

"Fascinating." Lampent's eyes were glowing in awe. Then admitted "Similar to my story with Darkrai."

"Oh...and I saw Lunatone right then in the mansion of, ehm, Darkrai. It was the last time we encountered directly, unless it was a nightmare caused by Jirachi."

"Jirachi..." Lampent lowered the dome directing her face down. Dunsparce didn't dare to ask why, instead "We're still here. L-Lester?" The washing machine didn't give signals of life anymore. "Oh-oh. W-w-w-w-w-w-what are we doing now? I can't even dig in the ocean, not if we're already in the bottom of it, how to explain?! We're doomed to stay here."

"I changed idea." Anorith swiftly entered in the machine, assuming "Better to stick in group in the abyss and I could provide more pieces if there's need. Deal?"

Lampent shrugged in agree. Dunsparce knew Anorith way better than her but his presence kind of reassured him. He explained their current issues, too.

"This scrapyard of an electrodomestic is broken? There's another ghost than Lester that can possess it!" the anomalocaris pointed at the lantern. Lampent's face brightened.

"Her? S-She's a fire type." Lampent's light dimmed down.

"So does I'm a Rock type for your information and I swim and swam the entire map of Hoenn since I was here." Lampent's turned on her light again hearing the next words. "Like Gorebyss and hopefully not exactly, give her a chance!"

Dunsparce looked in worry at Lampent. Lampent looked in worry at the ocean outside, but also there was something else in her mind than fear of the unknown*. It was the will of the unknown*. Crossed an arm through the glass panel: didn't feel. Waved it like swimming: feel slightly. Maybe an illusion, but her thin black skin was embraced by the solid darkness. Put outside the other arm, swimming it as well. Both at contemporary now mixed with the darkness.

"The coordination at least! It's the key of swim." Anorith mimicked the right way to move them.

A single move and Lampent was half outside, her head didn't fill of water and the gaseous flame kept burning oxygen. Lampent resembled a jellyfish in her movements, slowly waving the tentacles up and down, up and down... Aghostine had completely forgot how she swam when she was alive, it was like begin from ashes. The darkness was so comfortable, though...and she felt it closer than ever. Touched the bottom like a kid at her first sand contact. Picked up something she could not distinguish with the eyes being black as the rest around, but felt smooth and pointy at touch at the same time.

Anorith and Dunsparce waited patiently for her to come back.

"She could be my daughter as much I know how young she is. Sgrunt. I can't ruin this moment for her."

"Yes. Pretty strange to be here without Seviper, ahem?"

"Pretty much. I have screwed this challenge so much already that it's a miracle if she doesn't kick me out the plane personally. I'm carrying yet sinking this team the whole time, day after day."

The machine suddenly moved again. Lampent wasn't exactly Lester and her washing machine looked more as a deathbringer dryer with a black tentacle replacing the clothespin and a flamethrower for tube.

/**/ Vent //**

**"Made in Chtulhu." Anorith and Dunsparce remarked sarcastically.**

**Lampent didn't hide from that: "I inspired to kraken and chtulhu legends for that aspect in fact."**

As Lampent appeared clear at the eyes of the runaway sons of Gorebyss, they lost their color palette for the fear along with their mother as the dead itself seemed to paint them on. "**H\_H\_H\_HISHFISH!!!**"

"Farewell, Gorebyss, forever."

From a dark spot to the ultimate abyss itself. It had been a long and unfair battle that had consumed all Oshawott's attack but not Sharpedo's. The megaevolution energy seemed endless. Piplup knew it already but Oshawott refused to give up. She was too stubborn! Piplup had looked in vain for an escape way all the time. Sharpedo hit the ott again sending her crash against a wreck. The recent holes suggested that Oshawott had been carved through all the shipwrecks of the area during their fight.

The matriarch didn't wait for Oshawott's comeback this time jawing her by the tail and tossing her body back to the middle of the action. "How long I have to continue before you resign to your fate? You're the most energy wasting seafood seen in my life."

"I'm an agent of the Hot Water Police, our code is never give up on a mission until death."

Hearing that Piplup couldn't hold anymore "Are you still into that stupid game? In case you didn't notice, we're facing death for real!" Mega Sharpedo's eyes gleamed in her direction, she temporary dropped Oshawott.

"Mind if I take a quick snack before I finish you?" the shark sauntered to the prey with open jaws for a single bite meal. Piplup, in a surviving instinct span, used Aqua Jet to dodge it. Sharpedo crushed on Ivan's wreck behind with such violence to tore the rusty metallic corpse of the battleship in halves, revealing an hole beyond it.

"A-An exit?"

"No. An egress to the bottom of hell!" Sharpedo spat a skeleton and struck back. Oshawott, again, put herself between the two.

Sharpedo boosted like a missile thrusting Oshawott against the wall but Oshawott kept the jaws of the shark open recurring to the shell. "I ALREADY SAID, AND REPEATED: NONE IS ALLOWED TO HARM PIPTNEY THAN ME."

"Mijou... Your shell changed!"

The scallop blade ,firm in the hands of Oshawott, fused with her own arms for a second growing an huge vertical single claw, pressed against the palate of the mega shark.

"K-kkk--kk."

Oshawott then transferred her last energies to the edge of the Sacred Sword, and swung it inside the mouth of the predator once for all. It removed the megastone from her stomach whamming the body of the shark through the wreck. The matriarch returned to be a normal Sharpedo. That was the right moment to escape.

Piplup dragged Oshawott, barely able to swim, to the hole but blocked staring in front of it. "No. This too deep. Too dark. I can't proceed further! I'm afraid of depth." Cried.

"Are you less afraid of death?" Oshawott handed her feather. "Come on, follow me."

The rest of Sharpedo were already going after them but the matriarch prevented them to get at their pursuit. "Don't even think about it. Anf...pant...They have no idea what monster is sleeping down there. I do. It is far worse destiny."

The screech of Kyogre cut the whole sea in half.

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

**// Vent //**

**"Not gonna lie, man. Capture a Wailord was absolutely a pain in the ass." Squirtle vented while a montage of his attempts rolled in... "Especially after the rainstorm kicked in."**

Attempt number one: Squirtle using a fish rod. Underwater. 'Nuff said.

Attempt number two: Squirtle using a fish net. Waiting for Wailord... "Gotch ya." and getting flattened in the way.

The number three the most promising: Squirtle standing on top of a cliff, ready to leash and ride the whale until to tame it. "Lika a f\*\*\*n bronco. Yu uhhhh!" But Wailord used Water Sprout as soon the turtle sat on it sending him for a direct ticket to Rayquaza. When he was back from the ozonosphere, he would have tried again.

Attempt number four was the second try on the same idea. This time standing on a board made of scrap wood, Squirtle prepared to surf the waves of Hoenn USING THAT F\*\*\*\*IN SWIMMING TRAINWRECK ON FINS ,to put it in his exact words, until to guide it into a trap corner or something like that. So her we go: Squirtle tied on the tail of the gigantic whale and skimmed over the crest, dodging all the rocks and obstacles of the marine course that brought to the ruin...or backward to Pacifidlog Town.

He decided that was too easy that deserved a little add on the difficulty "Oh, yeah, now we're talkin' the same language. Look at thiz mad skillz, audience. Yeet! Full flip. On the roof?" Wailord submerged under Pacifidlog Town while Squirtle faced and enjoyed the surface part of the village.

"Welp, bullshit. Crash crash crash crash crash crash crash!"

Through window to window until the houses finished and landed on the crotch on a sign post. "*Welcome to ~~Pacifidlog~~ Painfullog Town*. Diiiude." The rain intensified.

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

The sudden change of weather forced Porygon Z to drive to the nearest anchorage, meaning back to Mossdeep, because the ship could have never survived the storm in that ominous condition. Minun couldn't make any choice being already in the open sea then proceeded in the middle of the tempest, buttoned up his k-way. "A-Atciù. Brr."

Bagon's goggles were weather proof, not the same for the drones he had built. "Just a little bit of Kyogre, not a big deal for Hoenn pokémon like us. But it was a killerswitch for my drones. Uhm."

Ninjask's fluttered the wet wings, that were too soaked he could barely fly. "Last position detected by the scopes?"

"Mossdeep Island. At least one foe ship docked in the area." Bagon and Ninjask studied the charts carefully. "The other ship should have already circumnavigated Soothopolis and can't dock anywhere nearby. We have one choice between two ways: cluster the ship docked at Mossdeep or intercept the other boat at the end of the corner for Pacifidlog. Which one?"

"We'll try both the targets."

"Really, how?"

Ninjask focused all his mind on a single point and duplicated himself and the boat. A transparent ghost copycat detached from the original ship and directed to the island.

"W-o-w."

"There's an unknown fleet moving on the radar, but this time I'm prepared for the offensiveness!" Porygon Z was again at the space center control boot. He was certain to have lured someone in the trap this time, posing to dock the ship for repairs. "All the wars have always been won by satellite means. Missile battery: fire C4-C5-C6-C7-C8. Done. I deserve myself a coffee." Spilled it on the monitor reading at the end: "Missed. Missed. Missed. Missed. Missed. Impossible. My calculates were perfect and the precision of these computers is infinitesimal: what happened? New position spotted! It's on the opposite side of the grill. Re-calculating. . .

G1-G2-G3-G4-G5. Fire."

Missed. The ship was still on the radar. "A ghost signal to deceive the satellite?! Soldiers, tell me everything you see at current time.

"Shadow of a ship."

"So **there is** a ship out there?!?" Porygon Z rearranged the aim once again. "Still there? Okay. H1-H2-H3-H4-H5! Definitive fire! Target successfully hit, finally."

"Clap, clap, clap. You hit our ship." Beheeyem communicated from the other end of the receiver.

"Eh? @@@hhhh!" Porygon Z teleported immediately on the boat to see the damages inflicted by the rockets. "@mergency measure protocol activated." Porygon Z became one single unit with the electronics of the ship, hacking in the core system. "Fleeing mode on. Full speed. To Pacifidlog Town immediately!"

"They moved and directing to the same path of the Leviathan ship."

"We can focus on both the targets in a single point by now."

"Oooh, that was your plan from the beginning.

**// Vent //**

**"All that darkness, the indefinite endless pitched absence of light in the abyss, enlightened on me. I see the world with different eyes: it can be deep down beautiful eventually. Sometimes." Lampent was writing what looked like a poetry, then interrupted "Whatever, Dunsparce fainted at the end just for the update."**

°.°.°.°

On the way back for the Sealed Ruins, Anorith swiftly snatched the piece of Relicanth and the piece of Wailord from the unconscious land snake and rushed to solve the puzzle alone!

"A reminder: you forgot the egg in the washing machine." Indeed, totally unexpected. Lampent blackmailed him. "It would be a shame if I washed it at 360° but I'm still a teenager and I have yet to practice on the laundry... Glad you offered to unlock the door, then."

"Damn it. I have only two claws afterall! Another blackmail, I'm filling my personal collect...nevermind. Okay, I'll solve this for you." Anorith accepted the terms and occupied of the puzzle. The wall was only apparently smooth: on a closer look it was carved in a pattern. "Illuminate more, please. My sight has worsened after, you know, centuries over centuries. A-Ah! Here." Nothing happened.

"You have done it the wrong way." hearing that voice from nowhere was blood freezing.

"You see what I'm doing, too?!? Crap. *It's Aurorus."*

"Porygon's microchip provides an x-ray camera, too." Aurorus explained. "However, I have just connected. Things have been pretty bad here and if you don't hurry we'll sink. Besides. I don't like the idea that my future is 20.000 leagues under sea because of Seviper. Let's end this useless challenge soonest possible. Show me the place."

"O-Okay." Anorith turned several times around do not knowing exactly where the camera pointed.

"In your case, it was put through anal sonda." Beheeyem kicked in the conversation for a brief moment. "Alien technology I take the merit for. Porygon Z loved the idea yesterday night."

"It was YOUR idea, Scumbem?"

"Of course, better to prevent than cure after when it comes to ***S3***."

"S3? I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even have true bones to begin with."

"Sure I meant that. Sure." Beheeyem closed.

"Anorith, I have the solution of the puzzle. According to the research on the archaeological site, the ancient passage was built with an unique technology that recognizes biological tissues. The bare-eye invisible tiles that compose the door are a braille code itself: touch them. They should compose the linear figure of Wailord, place the piece in the middle. Go to the opposite wall, the entrance where you came from and do the same finding Relicanth. The beginning ang the end."

The hoennian native performed all the indications at perfection. Finally, the passage opened. The walls trembled a little and some pieces fell from the ceiling, but the ruins were unsealed again. "Where's the treasure? Oh no, not another empty chamber."

"Fascinating..." Lampent, carrying her dead laundry with her, was second to enter. It was a long hall with a statue at the end. As Lampent gazed in that direction, the light revealed a colossal statue of a Regi. Aurorus was the only one that expected this outcome and immediately translated the new braille showed through the Ano-Cam:

"The second room existence is confirmed. The script says: *the treasure is beyond the sight of the guardian, those who pursues it shall avoid light and trust their faith in the darkness*."

"Sounds like something I was born for." Lampent became overconfident.

"Lampent makes light, though. Anorith, stop her before-!"

"Mh? What happened?" Anorith received no reply. "Anyway, miss, you heard the Land Before Ice Age there. Mud Slap!" Lampent nullified it thanks to Levitation of the washing machine. "Urgh, there's never any sense when dealing with a Leviathan. Come back here! Don't do anything. Didn't you listen to the warning?" She had flung the egg away to distract him for a single but enough second.

"I'm a teenager fascinated by darkness and mysteries." Lampent laughed loudly. "How much do you think I could obey?" The ghost rushed in front of the statue in excitement, leaving a trail of light on the floor, and put her hands inside the orb cavities. Another tremble. The hands of Lampent remained stuck while the statue rotated until it was completely on the other side. That was the final chamber. Lampent had done it. What she met there was absolutely astounding.

Anorith cursed. Rushed to do the same carrying the egg in the mouth for full handiness. The glow irradiated by the egg lighted on the last floor tile with a dot upon. Together, the tiles formed the same pattern of the statue. An huge tremble followed, and more curses soon after as well, as Anorith discovered the full meaning of the warning. "Oh, you done it this time, kid...you ruined me big time..."

A long wailing of ice and misery, somehow resembling a distorsion of Wailmer and Relicanth's cries fused together, rebounded in the ruins. The dot of the statue illuminated in a rythmic sequence until they stopped. The statue returned to life, ice revealed to be where looked like stone, it was the awakening of Regice. It shot the first ice beam but Anorith deflected it accidentally using the egg of Aurorus.

"Gotta whale. It was awful. Baggy, one question: how am I supposed to make it through if the Wailord is too big to enter inside?" Squirtle was frozen down solid in replacement.

"So you can shield this?" Anorith asked in unbelief to the egg that whipped happily the tail as it seemed to reply to that. "I'm invincible then! Get lost, Regice, I have a treasure that awaits me." The immunity of Anorith didn't last much. The giant simply squashed him under an hammer fist and proceeded to the pursuit of more relic hunters.

The egg was spared by the hit, it rolled on the side whipping the tail in more amusement while the flattened anomalocaris attempted to stand up after having been seemingly turned into part of the floor itself. "At least you see the comic part of the situation, I would like it too."

About Lampent, waiting for her in the treasure chamber there wasn't only the relic. A strange visitor patrolled the chest already. "Looks like someone or something came before us..." It was a purple jellyfish-looking being that inflated at deflated as the water exited and replenished its innards. It would have natural if that being wasn't supposed to live in the sky...

"Who are you? I'm the new guardian of the ruins. I was promoted, about, thousands year ago when I discovered this entrance from behind. Again, who are you, visitor?" the creature spoke solemnly, standing on guard.

"I'm Lampent, this is Lester, and you are Drifloon evolved." Lampent rolled eyes sarcastically. "So, how did you end here?"

"Ohhh, the Larvitars! Long time we don't see." Drifblim hugged them all, a reluctant Lampent and the corpses of Rotom and Dunsparce. "I missed you so much that I almost forgot you. GAAASP. You found me eventually! My personal search for what I didn't remind is over! You have no idea how many things happened. And, I evolved? I don't have a mirror down there."

"In order, try to remind everything happened since you disappeared." Lampent snickered do not hiding her sarcastic curiosity about the full story.

"Sure! Okay, one second...it all started with a crab..,then the fall...the ocean...the jellyfishes...uhm...ehm...Oh! Almost. I was grasping the memory for an inch. Why I'm born this way!"

"More like dead."

**// Vent //**

**"And I guess 99% it was a brain death." Lampent snickered at her own morbid joke.**

"Anyway, would you like to return with us? I'm certain I can put a good word for you with my dad."

"Victini is your new dad? Congratulations, Castform!" Drifblim poked her with her subtle elbow "Found the executive meddling loop, eh?"

"Yes, you totally got everything right." Lampent rolled eyes shrugging with an half-smile. "Do you want to help me?"

"Even if you didn't offer me anything, I would have always helped a former fellow Larvitar. But sure I want to come back in the game!" shrilled for the joy. "However, I think my superior won't approve the betrayal." As soon she said that, the ruins started to fall apart. Lampent opened the chest and put the relic in the washing machine. "We're both teenagers, we don't need the approval of superiors. Follow me." The two attempted to escape but the last earthquake had completely obstructed the way, Lampent looked around for an alternative. "You said to have discovered another secret entrance. Where?"

Driflblim turned all red in shame. "I...forgot that too. Wait! A flashback." She stared at the ceiling intensely. "*The relic is the key, to seal or disclose all.*" Put the relic, an hexagon shaped crystal with several round dots carved, in a fissure on the ceiling: it fit until to half. The small carves entranced perfectly in the dents of the structure. Drifblim then rotated it, did a creaking noise of the unseen gears being activated again, and slowly the chamber lifted up. *An ancient lifter built with an unknown technology of centuries ago, and Drifloon had managed to understand it all somehow before any scientist*. *Lampent reconsidered her opinion on her: she was an hidden genius. Maybe just too hidden.*

"I did it! Voilà." Drifblim extracted the relic from the opposite side. They were outside the ruins. Regice noticed them turning backward. "Here my ex-superior! Hi, boss, I can explain, nevermind, I was never payed to begin with so I take my wage, uh."

"It's slower than us but I have a quirky idea to get on the surface faster. What to say, maybe it's the influx of Lester stuck in the washing machine." Lampent's fire attacks didn't work underwater but only as oxygen ejects. She had the idea, to use it as a propeller. Tied herself with the arms of Drifblim and inflated her dome with oxygen before she could say anything. "Enough swimming, it's time you remember how to fly. Keep your mouth shut and flow, to the surface!" They dodged the giant hand coming onto them. "Wow, it's working for real."

Like a projectile, Anorith torpedoed at their pursuit exploiting the ice beam of Regice to boost its aqua jet. "The relic hunt is not done yet. I'm a swift swimmer, remember?!"

°.°.°

On the surface, Porygon Z monitored the situation alone. The last bombardment had hit destroying completely the control cabin and knocking Aurorus and Beeheyem in the ocean. He had sheltered the ship behind the floating pokémon center but yet the enemy could spot its exact location: how could???

Similarly, Minun, wondered the same. Still half cold, utterly wet under the rain, and paranoid during the entire battleship, he could not even be able to contact the underwater part of the team for hours. "Where is Lester? Where is Metagross? They abandoned me! Ciaf-ciaf-ciaf. Breath. Calm down. And find the optimistic side of it like Plusle would. "No Lester, yu uuuh!" Sighed deeply. "Not this way, I'm getting insane. What Lester or Metagross would do instead? Woah, another attack, all power behind, row, row!" Giving orders to himself, Minun avoided the worst. The draco meteor fireballs scorched his whiskers missing the core of the ship for a hair. "Think QUICKLY like Lester and Metagross, or I'm screwed. Why I'm talking to myself?!" slapped again. "Metagross would calculate while Lester would think outside the box...Calculate..calculate...the trajectory of the cannons. I can do this, I'm good at math. The toughest part is thinking like Lester...like Lester..." the enemy could see him everywhere he moved with max precision, could move faster than everyone else as well ignoring the turmoil of the sea caused by Kyogre. "Only way is the sky. They're going above us!"

**// Vent //**

**Porygon Z, who had not come at the same conclusion, confessed his fault in the later recordings do not hiding the burn. "I'm still stuck into calculates and logical processes most of the time! I still think too much like a computer, that's my only weakness at this point. I'LL ASSURE TO REPLACE L.E.S.T.E.R. EVEN MORE FOR THE FUTURE, ORGANICS, YOU'RE ALL WARNED. *I'm on RAMpage.*"**

Like a perfect war machine, the four Jigglers had organized it perfectly. **Ninjask** replaced the drones flying hidden between the foggy clouds, **Chimecho** used Helping Hand to raise the power of **Bagon**'s attack and the dragon shot adapting his Draco Meteor into cannonballs. He also guided the whole structure as Lucario had refused to drive saying he could not stand on his feet for this long. Considering he had been injured to save Chimecho the previous day, Bagon didn't blame on him this time. He was also having too much fun being in the lead to care!

"Bagon, adjust to quadrant K. The Venturers have circled around Pacifidlog again."

"Received."

"Also something is merging from the water, something huge. Oh no." Ninjask restrained an inner curse. "That idiot." Squirtle and Wailord merged on the surface in the form of ice cubes.

Bagon went to check immediately, setting on the eye scope function on the goggles. "Maaan, what did you do? Why the Wailord? Oh boy, he took me literal as usual."

"The Hot Water Police failed it completely. We must win, it's up to us!" Ninjask incitated the team meanwhile he struggled in the storm. He was flying in prohibitive conditions.

"Ninjask, isn't getting too dangerous even for you? I can try restore a drone in less than 30 minutes."

"No. Stay at the cannon, we don't have much time. Keep shooting. K1-K2-K3-K4-Ka-kraaak!" a sudden lightning struck the fly. Chimecho, even if it was Ninjask, sacrificed herself to heal him soon after.

"Noo!" Lucario grabbed her before she could fall in the void. The touch of her skin, again...even in that situation...he reacted. "Don't do that again anymore!"

"Oh, now your leg is not hurting anymore?" Bagon asked with saltiness.

"I said I couldn't stand, I just did a single jump. Shut up then." Lucario focused carrying on Chimecho's body. "Hurry up with this challenge already, I'm tired of risking my life in the middle of this shitstorm."

Bagon turned his attention at Ninjask. Both wondered where that lightning came from.

"Of course it was a dumb idea..." Minun recriminated on his intuition. "And even if by any quirky logic they are in the sky, there's no way to know their exact position. *Rain Dance is useless, Thunder I just used it and no results.* If I don't know where to hit it's useless even with maxed precision. Wait, the trajectory was perpendicular last time. They're right above me! I must be crazy, if I use Thunder, if I use Thunder vertically and I'm utterly wrong I will hit my ship. Gnnn. Not Lester neither Metagross, I need to think like Plusle right now! Quadrant K5. **Charge. Thunder**!"

The flash of electricity reached up to the nimbus above generating a chain reaction that cast out a terrific thunder wave against the Jigglers. It struck their ship to the core mechanism, blocking it.

"This is a critical damage: the ship is technically intact but all the electronics have been killed." Bagon abandoned everything and rushed at the control cabin. "The helix don't work anymore, the servomotors are utterly burned, all gone. I can only attempt to land in the sea at this point!"

"To the battlestations, then." Ninjask ordered to everyone to prepare for direct combat. "You too, Lucario."

"Fine, sgrunt." Lucario jumped off the board and landed fist first on the bridge of Minun's ship causing a long fissure in the iron. Minun protested "T-That's not a battleship anymore this way, glom."

Meanwhile Bagon managed to land their ship smoothly on the sea surface, but didn't consider the stream of that route that brought to the ruin dive spot. "Crap, the merging rocks here are everywhere. I can't leave the drive without the risk we crash onto something!" Ninjask was suffering paralysis instead. He stuttered to fly for the targets. Porygon Z decided it was the right moment to switch roles again and attacked them.

Suddenly a bleeping noise intensified averted him that Anorith was reaching the surface, with several more objects after him. "What the halifax...?!"

From the thunderous waves a giant hot-air-balloon pierced the air carrying her charge away with herself.

"D-Drifloooooon?!?"

Lampent, Lester and Dunsparce were all attached together at her, and Anorith was clenching at one of the ribbon arms with a single claw!

"Follow us, Minun!" Lampent shouted. "Drifblim, Slateport City is on the other side by the way."

"They have the relic, Porygon, do something before it's too late!"

The captains of the respective foe teams, Ninjask and Porygon Z, simultaneously reacted at that. Ninjask accelerated and was the accidental token of the Zap Cannon. Minun took courage watching this and slid on the iced floor to kick Lucario right under the belt! "Sorry! Argh, what have I done, I'm screwed for the rest of my life." He then rowed the ship to Slateport City followed by Porygon Z.

All of sudden, resembling an iceberg, Regice merged in all its glory, under the belly of Bagon's ship that cracked in half before he could even move it. The Jirachi Jigglers had officially lost by now. Bagon saluted his ship for the last time while sinking. "So long, *Salamencygon III,* and thanks for your services: Kyogre is claiming us as his next trophies."

**// Vent //**

**"A captain always sinks with his ship." Bagon dried a manly tear.**

It was only Venturers and Leviathans at this point. Driflblim was flying above the submarine dock already, impossible to reach. Porygon Z had to adjust his aim on a different target: Minun. "No ship, NO VICTORY. That's the condition. Conditions have no loopholes this time so it's just sink or win. Target acquired. Charging. . . H. Y. P. E. R .B. E. A. M!" The laser could have cut the ship in halves but was redirected in the air as the ship suffered a sudden inclination. "N@@@!" It was Metagross. Metagross had managed to stay attached to the bottom part of the embarkation the whole time and waited the suitable opportunity to make use of its heavyweight.

The new target of the beam happened to be the last Venturer remained. It was not really effective but still enough to force Anorith off the grip and fall through the roof of the museum. He crashed through the plexiglass of the oceanographic exposition, finding himself in the worst position of his nightmares. "Where am I finished? What is this crap of artificial sand for?! It's unrealistic. It's...an exposition."

"Here's, visitors, the most terrifying being that ever existed on Earth: the anomalocaris. Anorith is believed to have been extincted in the Cambrian Age, the first known age to have advanced life forms. About its extinction, all the scientists are unanimous that it was just one of many experiments scrapped by Arceus. A failure of nature, to put it clear."

"It looks like a shrimp crossed with a lobster crossed with an insect. Eww!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

"Omanyte was way better, hell even Kabuto was less creepy."

"*B-But he was also the apex predator of his age...*" he tried to reply in defense assuming to be a voice in the audience.

"The terror of Omanyte and amoebas." The guide pointed out causing general hysteria in the audience. "Enough, let's move on the true pride of the Oceanographic Museum: a fully conserved fossil of Lileep!" The mass of visitors immediately followed him. "Ohh." The petulant voice of the guide continued. "It was found by Steven (Rocco) when..." Anorith remained alone after this traumatic experience. "Don't swear in front of the infant, *don't swear in front of the infant,* ***don't swear in front of the infant.***"

Minun arrived at the shipyard of the O**ceanographic Museum** in safe and at the same time Drifblim and the other Leviathans landed in front of Victini. Lampent gave the relic personally to her father. Victini was pretty astounded. "Here, as prize of our victory I claim the reintegration of Drifblim in the game. I'm certain you didn't like her random elimination the first time, right, dad?"

"VVow, Lampent...You're growing so fast. I'm impressed. Ahem. In quality of host of the competition, though, I'll give you a second chance for the victory, Drifblim. Don't waste this unique opportunity."

"Welcome back in the team, Drifblim!" everyone glomped the balloon except for Dunsparce that didn't know her much. He felt a slight envy for her position and already replaced in their attention. "I don't remember that yellow-blue pokémon was with us."

"He was a Venturer before in fact. Join us!"

"W-Why me?"

"After the first day of try-out, I officially give you the Leviathan membership graduation at full. You're part of the family now, ah! A dysfunctional family but still a family by the way."

Minun called up everyone for a collective hug, screaming "You remember, Drifblim, the cheer? Lester Latias Leviathans, a-a-atchoom!"

"Ohh, yes! I did except for the last part of it."

"By the way, Leviathans, as your leader I have one order for you: let's party on the plane to celebrate victory and return of our member Drifblim! \*EPIC POSE\*."

°.°.°

The sun returned to shine on Hoenn. The last drops of rain melted into dew at the sunlight. Stranded on the beach there were Oshawott and Piplup fainted. An huge wave shattered against the shore soaking the two in a bath of foam. The two starters opened eyes at contemporary and immediately realized.

**<< "A TROPIPLUP OSHAWOTTAVE" - https://youtu.be/l\_Qj9DZFkAA >>**

*Piplup: P-Pipl...?*

*Oshawott: Up!*

*Piplup: Was it the twister?Mind I call it disaster?*

*Where are we supposed to be after!*

*Oshawott: No clue , but I have a smile of Lester*

*unusually optimistic, I feel I can master. (\*touches her shell proudly)*

*Piplup: The shellphone! Oh no, no service.*

*why even I'm trying this purposeless device?!*

*Oshawott: No useless, listen sea always*

*otherwise see further and think at new ways.*

*Piplup: Unbelievable, my end is here*

*poor my feathers, that will sear*

*Maybe if I swim, like a torpedo*

*I'll leave this island but there's Sharpedo, Sharpedo!! (run away around bitten by a shark)*

*Oshawott: Now clam down, leave me that shark*

*here is gone, let's try to build an ark*

*Piplup: how you can keep this serenity?*

*oh sure you have no dignity!*

(0:46)

*Oshawott: In fact I long lost it, now that I lack heat, finally use innovation*

*After so many humiliations*

*at least once for every destination*

*a life spent in self deprecation*

*I finally feel the evolution of the situation.*

*We don't always get what you're looking for*

*I don't worry, shame of my fails no more.*

*Being unlucky was actually worth it*

*now that I'm used to deal with it*

*Developed guts, stamina, various*

*not everyone would scream so often at Lucario!*

*So I feel oddly comfortable*

*in which I'm never supposed to be able*

*Not forced to advance in life for successing*

*just doing my best for surviving*

(1:16)

*Life a shell of a problem, a shell of pain*

*Nothing to be achieved without a bit of strain*

*Back to us, I know by the sand*

*we are in a sea of troubles stranded on an island!*

*Just joking, c'mon relax your beak*

*don't look bitter at me, no need to be prick*

*Still alive already a success, isn't that true?*

*I would have been sad alone instead of singing with you!*

(1:32)

*Piplup: Please let me some space, I ask the permission*

*Can't stand you act like the ace, while I'm lost for starvation*

*It was all my fault, if things got worsen.*

*Oshawott: But Pipney, Pipney, stop and just listen!*

*Shell strand together, everything will be fine then.*

*as long we have each others we are golden.*

*Piplup: Get the crown, my pedestal is broken for Arceus.*

*Oshawott: I don't want it, I'm just here to rescue.*

.......(Oshawott lifts up Piplup and makes her twirl and dance together).........

*Oshawone, two, three, Pipney dance with me!*

*We're both starters to begin with yet we survived the open sea*

*Come on let's show them all*

*why we are still here after all*

*At least we did our best overall!*

........................................

*Oshawott: Call it a twister, call it disaster*

*Piplup: The important is that I'm still here after!*

*Oshawott: Wanna renew our rivalry smiling?*

*Let's bet again who'll do the kissing (Porygon this time, maybe?)*

*Piplup: Oh, Oshy, you have no sense of posh*

*but prepare this time will be a clear loss.*

*Oshawott: I dare you, Piptney, who builds worst*

*But later, shell watch the sunset at first.*

"Gasp, I remember everything now! Kyogre...the Sharpedo! You saved us all the time and I've just been ungrateful to you, ag-"

"Sssh, quiet now, Piplup. Just look."

The two starters lied on the shore and embraced together tightly losing themselves in the horizon. The vivid colors of the rainbow created after the rain meshed with the colorful palette of the sky. They almost forgot why they were there for a second. The growling noise of their bellies reminded them.

The ott stood up first. "Alright, let's find some fruit for dinnertime. This region should be the land of berries after all."

The penguin turned at her with a pity look. "Yes please, I'm starving for real." Twitched. Panicked all of sudden. "O-Oshawott...your skin! It's...its..."

"Awful? Well, I'll call it battle scars from now. I fought a Mega Sharpedo, can't still believe what I did."

"N-No! Look better at your arms, your paws, your claws."

She glanced at Piplup perplexed. Did it with more attention. The arms were blue now with black palms ending in shifting claws. Dekkoed down, her feet paws were of the same color. "Aaah!" Dewott leaped in the water for the shock. "I did the evolution. When did this happen?"

"I swear to have seen still an Oshawott when I woke up..." Piplup was more shocked than her.

"Then it happened during our song." Dewott sat again, the appetite was lost after this revelation. "After all those battles and struggles, I am no more the Oshawott I started. Oshawow...D-Dewow! Ehm, do you think Squirtle will find me still attractive?"

"If they'll ever find us..."

Last famous words, the V Plane figure appeared at the horizon and Squirtle waved them from the tail of losers. "Found youuuu, agents! How did you end up in Ever Grande City (Iridopoli)? That's craaa...aaa.....aaaazy. Who is that hottie?!"

"This is **Ever Grande**? Ooh the rainbow." Piplup slapped herself and fainted.

"Ah-hem-hem. I was Oshawott. Hi, honey." Dewott hid her blushing behind the shell but didn't the same with her new curves of the body. "Wait, does that mean we lost this episode?!"

## Tail of Losers

"Finally, Jigglers, vvelcome back on the Tail of Losers, alone, so none is going to be eliminated in your place, uh?" Victini didn't hide his malicious pleasure to see his unfavorite team there "Ironic that last time was Drifloon to save you and today that Drifblim returned in the game you're here!"

The teammates exchanged looks between each others all glaring at the V-Host but none dared to reply as Victini's mood had been pretty volatile in the recent period. Or should they, because Squirtle "Yes, it has been so long since the last time I even forgot how to vote." winked with smug "Maybe it's because you were going to call us *Venturers* again?"

"Stop, buddy, don't provoke his rage." Bagon whispered gritting teeth.

"Nah, Victini is a surf dude as well, we're just having a little of fun, man to man."

"I'll refresh your memory then. Each pokèmon votes signing its footprint on the pokècard of the selected competitor that wants **gone**. After I tally the votes, the unfortunate vapid that explodes with the Voltorb vamooses out of the plane fore-**V**-er." Victini crunched a bite on a macarone that instantly carbonized at the touch. "Which of you will become ash spread over Route 113 then? Let's discover!"

**// Nomination Boots //**

**"I was serious to be honest: sooo long since the last time." Squirtle picked the card of Piplup "Man, it sucks to eliminate a member of the *Hot Water Police*, but as a leader, for the sake of the alliance, I have to sacrifice the weakest link of the chain. Plus, she's overaged and should get retired from the office anyway. Thanks for your service, agent *Water Snot, then enjoy your retirement*."**

**"This is insane." Dewott was still not believing to have evolved "I've never felt this way before, like feeling all the responsibility on my shoulders all of a sudden. I have always been used to be in the shadow of my bigger sister, literally, she was so tall compared to me! Now that I'm tall as her, it's all a different perspective. I feel empowered." The camera zoomed on her paws marking Lucario's picture. "Of what? Besides the way things turned today, I don't know yet."**

**"Everyone is evolving than me." Bagon sighed dropping his goggles away "I don't know, maybe there's something wrong I'm doing or I have still to grow up? Anyway, I think Piplup has done her time in the competition at this point, fair and square."**

**"If Squirtle didn't split us and if more pokèmon would listen to me sometimes..this would have never happened." Piplup signed on Ninjask's card. "However, I owe my life to Osha...ahem...Dewott and I'm not liking how Ninkjask is leading the team, therefore my strategy today is join Chimecho's usual and rid off him."**

**"As a student Bagon failed us for the last time. Lessons are best learned after a punishment. I remember that, and I agree." Ninjask hazed the camera hiding the view on his vote and left in the same way.**

"First that's not getting ashed is...Dewott. I guess your evolution saved your performance."

"What do you mean?"

"Still dumb as before, I see. Nevermind!" Victini did a little twist and tossed the next two macarones to Chimecho and Lucario. "Our fanfavorite couple lives also another day." They both blushed viciously at such an upfront statement, Lucario quickly turned away as cranky as possible. Squirtle, Dewott and Piplup all chuckled but there was nothing to laugh about... "Bagon. Still floating in the midcard of safety, not what I expected at the beginning."

Bagon looked down in frustration "Same."

"Nah, Bagon it's rock! My buddy has just to fly higher and you'll see, maaaan."

"Thanks, Squirtle, you really think it? And you, master Ninjask?" Not now seemed to be the message from the cicada. He was stone cold focused on the final countdown.

"Squirtle, Piplup, and Ninjask on the verge of death but the victim of Voltorb will be only one, and it is...Squirtle!"

Boom! The explosion rebounded in the silence of the Route 113's valley, as the sparks turned immediately into cinder that covered the turtle in a white deadly tan: so much irony in this for a surfer dude. His friends were shocked as well. "Woah, didn't see that coming. I mean, wow, is this the end of the Hot Water Police already? I felt the merge this close, dudes!"

A deep breath, smirked, and took off his shades dramatically "Guess it's game over. It was an amazing rollercoaster from the beginning to the end, I hope my buddies, my agents, will keep strong and continue the main mission. Bagon, fly over the dreams buddy, and Dewott, my newly shaped baby, altogether my heart and what you know already" blinked boasting "I'll give you the sign of power as I nominate you the commander in charge of the Hot Water Police." He gave her a kiss first, and then put the shades on her nose. "Sq-Squirtle, I can't" - "Don't worry, I've bought another pair." and he dressed the new pair with attitude, they were round shaped.

Victini was starting to lose patience... Squirtle slowly walked backward "Make me proud of you all, guys, never forget: once Jirachi Jigglers, but forever Hot Water Police." and jumped rotating inside the shell "Dooooooo it meeeeeeen!" Bagon waved at him putting down the goggles in sign of respect "We'll do it, dude, it's a promise!"

"Ceremony over." Victini left them alone.

As soon she stopped seeing Squirtle falling, Dewott stormed on her team "Why you voted him off?! What did he do wrong! Lucario has skipped or screwed so many challenges and still is here: this makes no sense! WHO voted him?" useless were the attempts of Bagon and Piplup to calm her down, and Lucario's straight answer worsened the situation "Enough of his kid games. This story of the police was getting far on my nerves already. Satisfied?"

"You!"

Chimecho went between the argument, giving her explanation "It was for the best of the team. Lately Squirtle put us in dangers many times, I know he didn't mean any harm but this is the best solution for everyone. Also, for your own relationship, trust me." What did she mean by that? Dewott was too enraged to listen anymore! "I hope you will forgive me if and when you feel about it."

**// Vent //**

**"It was true I was convinced by Lucario, but..." Chimecho nervously stroked her tail "I did it for Squirtle too. He didn't realize but he was ruining both his friendship and relationship with his behavior and he would have lost both very soon continuing in this way. Unfortunately, I had to sacrifice my friendship with them for his. And overall I feel guilty the same. I didn't want today but I predicted Ninjask would have soon exploited the right moment...!"**

**Breathed soundly.**

**"I need to purify my soul." then collected herself in pray.**

"You don't have to blame, sgrunt." Lucario gently pushed her aside. "It was MY decision, your decision, she doesn't need to intrude in our business." Chimecho sighed deeply refusing to say anything more. "So, that's it. I don't trust you anymore, thanks for having ruined my evolution day." small tears dropped on her shell from the eyes, but her expression stayed angry and firm. Then Ninjask flew across her "Stay strong, we don't need to split apart. That's not what you promised to him. Stay focused on this and never let your anger distract you again. Take it as a lesson."

"Okay." the ott dried tears holding the sunglasses in a strong grip and dressed them on, but as Ninjask left "*I will win at the end, only for my Squirtle*."

## Epilogue

"After all that rain and dampness there's nothing better than a warm bath in the hot springs of Hoenn. All that forecast shape-shifting killed my body, Kyogre really flipped me badly today, but now...aaa..." Castform, long time we didn't see her, was followed by the camera of the reality show for a reason that wasn't only fanservice. "Mmmh, so warmy, I feel my biggies floating like cottonsugar clouds." A whirling noise cut the peace all of a sudden: "Dafuq? It isn't meteor fall season yet!"

And in fact, it wasn't a meteor, it was Squirtle that landed right in the middle of the spring lake with the impact of a meteorite.

"Hot Water in the hot water, of course! It's always my destiny. Whew. what a landing, man." he then realized merging "in the between" of Castform's shape "The landing of the year! It sucks to be eliminated this early but I feel the same a winner now. Oh, yeah, man, a very huge big wi-" Castform pressed so much to crush his skull and sunglasses "Then here's your prize!" The turtle gave a big thumb up out of the surface while sinking. "Perv."