Lucre Wishingmist Falls

[Cresselia92]

Oooh yeah, Jean had a very valid point! While Lyra was 153% positive in being able to pinpoint her Silver — Somehow? Maybe through the “power of heart” or with an “it’s-really-you” moment like in all those rom-com movies! — it would have been best if she gave some description to be extra sure they were talking about the same guy.

Except that, again, she had no idea what Silver looked like as a Pokémon! If only that world came with some online guide or questionnaire to figure out what species humans turned into… but then she realized: she didn’t need any of that! Persons might change bodies, but not their personalities!

“Ah, right! Does the Silver you know talk like this?”

Lyra placed her hat in the floor and ruffled the tips of her ears, making the tufts look spikier and wild. She rolled her left ear to cover part of her left eye and let the right ear fall on her back, mirroring a wild hairdo. Her expression turned into a scowl, definitely much more comical than threatening, and she crossed her arms.

“Hmmmmph! I hate the weak!” she muttered with an exaggerated grumbling tone, before shifting her expression into a overly defiant smirk. She pointed in a direction with one paw and held the other on her hip. “Today! Right here!! I’m gonna crush YOU!!!”

Whoa! What a COOL appeal! Lyra learned Imitate [Copycat]?! …Nope. That’s just a regular imitation!

Lyra dropped her glare with a snort and an amused giggle, and grinned at the others while keeping her last pose. “Something like that. Pretty good act, huh?”

Whistling merrily to herself, Lyra picked her hat again and glanced at a nearby tunnel, her ears twitching. “Anyway, hmmm, I don’t think I hear any wild cry from that direction, so that might be a safe path? We could check that out first and then… oh, dunno, see if we stumble upon something interesting?”

 

[Namohysip]

"A... superhero team," Mhynt echoed. "Yes, of course. I suppose that would make me... Batmon."

Her shadow morphed into a Lunala's outline, briefly, before returning to Owen's visage.

"Oh, that's a really cool comic!"

"I was hoping that wasn't real," Mhynt murmured.

"Staying around won't give us much," Zena said. "We can wander. Hopefully, whichever way we go will... get us to your companions?" She turned her body toward Mhynt and Owen.

"Hopefully. The first thing we need to figure out is what part of the world we're in. But based on the climate..." She glanced at the sky. "...Well. I don't really know anymore. Especially with what happened before..."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“Y-you know Silver?!”

"How do you know Silver? Are you sure it's the same one?"

“Hmmmmph! I hate the weak!” she muttered with an exaggerated grumbling tone, before shifting her expression into a overly defiant smirk. She pointed in a direction with one paw and held the other on her hip. “Today! Right here!! I’m gonna crush YOU!!!”

The sudden rush of questions and the boundless energy these two had was starting to give Kimiko a headache. Gods, she was too tired for this. On the bright side, she had a little sister, so at least she knew how to hide it. And Lyra's impression was silly, if nothing else, which actually made her smile.

"W-well, I know a Silver, yes. Is it the same one?" She shrugged, as best a servine can. "Can't know for certain, but as far as I know, it's a rather unique name, so it's probably a safe bet. Doesn't sound like the one I know, though... he's actually a good guy, maybe kinda gruff and distant at first but a bit of a softie if you can get him to open up. Oh- has a feraligatr partner named Ordile?" It wouldn't be concrete evidence of being the same Silver, given how many other 'other-worldly' copies the Wayfarers had encountered in their time on Forlas, but it was a start. And maybe their Silver had been a cocky little shit before arriving on Forlas. The one she'd had a heart-to-heart with didn't sound like that punk Lyra was impersonating, but there were... traces if one squinted.

Meanwhile, Alex looked on with growing interest. Just how long had all these other 'mon been here? Kimiko, at least, sounded like she'd been living this life for some time if she'd been able to break down some barriers; he, at least, knew no one named Silver.

“Are you okay with walking? We can always take a few breaks whenever you need them.”

"Perfectly fine by me," Alex answered, oblivious to the fact that the question probably wasn't meant for him. "If we're gonna be here a while, I feel like I'm gonna need some time to get used to this, uh... form." He cast a curious glance at both Lyra and Jean. "...Either of you tried to use a technique yet?"

Behind him, Kimiko rolled her eyes. "I can walk," she added quietly.

Did the voice tell all of you to save the world? We should form a real superhero team!"

Alex looked back at her with interest. "Not me, I heard her calling me." He jerked a... thumb? Claw? Digit? at Kimiko behind him, before turning around to stare, a prompt to take over.

"Er, well... something like that," the servine replied, staring anywhere but at her boyfriend. Had to change the subject. "I dunno about superheroes, but we uh... there are a lot of us here, and you could call us a team of sorts." Wrong direction. Encouraging them was not the move; if anything, they'd need to get Betel to un-summon the newcomers. If that was something Betel could do. Kimiko had been assured she'd be returned home after their mission here was complete, after all... and they were surely going to be getting an earful for the whole 'fabric of reality' thing. They couldn't stay. As much as the thought of having Alex by her side was comforting.

"Hopefully. The first thing we need to figure out is what part of the world we're in. But based on the climate..." She glanced at the sky. "...Well. I don't really know anymore. Especially with what happened before..."

Right. Back to business. "I honestly couldn't say where we are," she said, turning to Mhynt. "Definitely not where we were... moments ago. Some sort of... portal, I guess? We could be pretty much anywhere." Hopefully still on Forlas, but she didn't say that part aloud. "I don't recognize... any of this, though." A glance towards the cavern Lyra had gestured towards. "Gotta start somewhere, and that sounds as good a suggestion as any."

Assuming no objections, she began making her way towards the cavern, keeping her eyes open for any possible threats - if any existed, it would be up to her and Mhynt to defend the newcomers, weak and inexperienced as they were... Well, at least grass-types had an advantage against most cave-dwelling 'mon. In theory. Kimiko sorely hoped beyond hope that there was at least one cavern in the universe where zubat did not roost.

Alex spared one more glance for Zena, making sure she'd be able to follow along, whether through hydrokinesis or being carried, before following, sparks playing along his head experimentally as he walked.

 

[Cresselia92]

"W-well, I know a Silver, yes. Is it the same one?" She shrugged, as best a servine can. "Can't know for certain, but as far as I know, it's a rather unique name, so it's probably a safe bet. Doesn't sound like the one I know, though... he's actually a good guy, maybe kinda gruff and distant at first but a bit of a softie if you can get him to open up. Oh- has a feraligatr partner named Ordile?"

“That’s him!” exclaimed Lyra, her eyes sparkling like the first stars of a summer sunset. “Ordile’s his first Pokémon and he is a Feraligatr! So that’s already three outta three — it’s definitely him!”

Lyra nodded vigorously, agreeing with the Servine’s assessment. “And I knooow! He’s such a great guy with a good heart, even if he often downplays that. Bitter and tough as nails outside but very soft and sweet deep inside. But shhh, never tell him that! He values greatly his reputation as a cool and levelheaded guy.”

The Buneary looked down, her smile turning sad. Something was definitely weighing her down, a truth we was unwilling to disclose, but soon that sadness faded and her smile regained its initial cheer. She placed her paws over her heart, sighing contentedly. “Still, I’m so glad he has found some friends here. He would’ve never showed that side of him to people he didn’t trust…”

"...Either of you tried to use a technique yet?"

Lyra glanced at the Elekid and motioned her head toward Jean. “Well, Jean here knows how to use Ember, but I’ve yet to see what I can actually do.”

She held her paws together over her mouth, a mischievous spark glinting in her chocolate eyes as she fantasized the myriads moves and combinations she could try with her new rabbit body.

“I’m sure I can figure something out! My grandparents are caretakers and taught me how to teach moves to all kinds of Pokémon. It’s gonna be lotsa fun to try teaching some of that sparkly stuff to myself~!”

"Gotta start somewhere, and that sounds as good a suggestion as any."

Lyra beamed encouragingly, before standing close to Jean. “Alright! Lead the way!”

And so the group started their journey into the cavern, with the Grass-types as the leads and guardians for the newcomers. A new adventure into the unknown awaited them…

---

The journey through the caverns proved to be equally quiet and long, but in the meantime Lyra got to learn everyone’s names and some information about Forlas. It turned out that the group was currently wandering something called a mystery dungeon, a location where the laws of space and physics were more fluid and fragile. How utterly fascinating: it felt like being the protagonists of some supernatural or sci-fi novel featuring a mystical or cursed location! Maybe they could have found some treasures, too!

The best way out of the dungeon involved finding its ‘heart’, the very essence that gave stability and tangibility to the entire place. For a split second Lyra wondered if it was a literal pulsing ‘heart’ (oh no, that’d be sooo scary!), but that thought was quickly crushed when the others revealed it was something less literal and more ‘symbolic.’

Hmm. Symbolic. What could be considered symbolic about some place filled with waterfalls and populated by fae and fish? As soon as the Wayfarers reached one of the upper levels, they stumbled upon something that might fit the criteria of symbolic.

“Whoooaaa!” Lyra squealed in awe, admiring the marvelous surroundings. “This is so pretty!”

A round rocky chamber welcomed the explorers, housing what seemed to be some stone tablet or maybe even a shrine, and surrounded by a patch of colorful flowers tended by a swarm of Flabébé and Floette. A massive waterfall poured into a medium-sized pond with pure, crystalline water, where Finneon and Lumineon swam placidly and shone their tails. Light filtered through a crack above the waterfall, creating a spectacle of multicolored lights amidst the mist floating at the base of the roaring water, and illuminating stray petals scattered on the surface of the pond.

Oh! Wait! Could that be a puzzle, a clue to find the heart, or maybe a simple yet mystical place of worship?

Time to think, think, think! Perhaps there was some connection between the shrine, the rainbow lights, and the swarm of fae tending to their symbiotic flowers…

 

[Namohysip]

"...You seem awfully contemplative for just seeing something that beautiful," Mhynt said, eyeing her. But then she took that time to admire it herself--she never got to see a waterfall like that before, not in a long while, at least.

"Oh, if only I still had my full water powers," Zena bemoaned, her little fins flapping in the water.

"Maybe we could ask the locals? They don't seem too hostile."

"Until they notice we're outsiders," Mhynt mumbled.

"You know, you could try being a little cheerful. Maybe you won't stand out as much," Zena said.

"What? I'm sure the most at-risk person would be you," Mhynt said.

"What? Why?"

Mhynt realized she'd cornered herself. She quickly faced the waterfall. "Well, because you're... Water."

"...And Owen is a blob under your feet. Wouldn't that stand out more?"

Mhynt glanced at the others to save her.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“Still, I’m so glad he has found some friends here. He would’ve never showed that side of him to people he didn’t trust…”

"There's something about fighting for your lives with someone that sparks a bit of trust between them," Kimiko said completely nonchalantly. "We've all relied on each other, and Silver in particular has been a very good support for me."

“Well, Jean here knows how to use Ember, but I’ve yet to see what I can actually do.”

"Huh, nice. Picked it up quickly, did she?" Alex said, shooting a glance at the vulpix. "I'm a trainer back home, so I've done my fair share of teaching my 'mon how to work their moves, but... it's rather more difficult performing them myself." And that was as far as he needed to go with that admission.

Kimiko just laughed. "You'll get the hang of it, probably even faster than I did."

---

Throughout the trek, Kimiko regretted not setting up some grass earlier while everyone was sitting still, if only to restore a fraction of energy. She toyed with the idea of dropping a leech seed on some of the wild 'mon they passed by, but considering none seemed terribly aggressive, she decided it was probably a bad idea to initiate that aggression and invite retaliation in her current state. So she kept her mouth shut and slithered on in relative silence as Alex chatted with the others while they moved.

The idea that they might have been dumped off inside a dungeon hadn't occurred to her - their original summoning to Forlas hadn't been that difficult, all things considered - but the longer they walked, the more likely it felt.

"...And Owen is a blob under your feet. Wouldn't that stand out more?"

Mhynt glanced at the others to save her.

"Er... from what I know of feebas, they're not much more naturally powerful than the average magikarp," Kimiko added awkwardly. "But frankly, I think... any of us are going to stand out here." She gestured to the wide open area; it really was quite pretty, and she too might have considered simply curling up and taking in the sights were there not a dozen pending questions needing answers buzzing in her otherwise empty brain.

She'd been quietly, periodically trying to make contact with Betel, meeting the same static-y silence every time. They had no way of calling for help, no way of making sure everyone else was safe, to say nothing of what happened to Betel themself. They had to hope this was the heart... which left the question of, just what were they supposed to do?

"I dunno about asking around. Fae can be just as mischievous as ghosts, and sometimes all the more obnoxious. Then again... if our travels have taught us anything, its that we probably need to inspect that stone tablet. And doing that means either getting close to it, or bringing it to us." She paused momentarily, thinking. "I'm a grass-type, and flabebe are kind of... afficilated with them? Maybe they'd let me just walk up to it if I'm careful." And then what? she wondered.

Kimiko bit her lip, shooting a quick glance down at Owen. He could have perhaps retrieved it for them... but then, if he and Mhynt felt as tired as she did... and there was no telling how the fae would react to the tablet simply vanishing.

"Well, hold on a minute," Alex's voice broke through her thoughts. "You said these dungeon hearts tend to be like puzzles, right? And we've got some pieces here, don't we? Look... finneon are known for their colorful fins. Flabebe tend to different colored flowers, and evolve based on those. And the mist from that big waterfall is lighting up those floating leaves."

Kimiko stared at him, waiting for his solution, but that was apparently as far as his thought process went. "So... what? Do we need to match the leaves to the correct flabebe?"

She said it sarcastically, but for all she knew, gathering all the blue petals in one portion of the lake and the red ones in another like some kind of twisted take on a Rubik's Cube was exactly what they were meant to do. These dungeon puzzles didn't always follow logic and physics...

 

[Butterfree]

"A... superhero team," Mhynt echoed. "Yes, of course. I suppose that would make me... Batmon."

Her shadow morphed into a Lunala's outline, briefly, before returning to Owen's visage.

"Oh, that's a really cool comic!"

"I was hoping that wasn't real," Mhynt murmured.

Jean gasped in delight, bouncing around Mhynt. "Ooooh, how did you do that? Was that Lunala? The legendary Pokémon? Is that Owen's secret identity?"

She chattered away as they trekked through the dungeon, asking the others about their worlds and what they were like and whether they had any cool powers. Silver sounded so cool. The dark, tough guy with a secret heart of gold inside that he only let out with the people he trusted most... There were characters like that in many of Jean's favorite books and movies, and they were often the heroine's love interest, too. They had to find him, and she'd be rooting for him to realize his feelings for Lyra, too!

The rainbow light over the waterfall took her breath away when they reached it. She'd seen lots of beautiful places in photos, but her dad wasn't a huge nature lover, so she hadn't gotten to see a lot in person - mostly that time she got to go camping with Will's family. When Kimiko suggested sorting the petals by color, she eagerly joined in, carrying petals this way and that to the floating Flabébé.