(ACE) The SHIPWRECK Team

"With so many of their grimy mouths to feed it takes a lot to.. satisfy them. Besides, with that bloody disease in them rotten meat is routine to them. Living stuffs a treat if they can get it." Just the thought of anyone eating such a bloated, disgusting corpse made the sea weasel grimace. But...what Saferi said made sense. Why would the undead care what they ate? The mental image of them digging in made her want to retch. "Yeah... Usually things like those prefer having live blood. I guess if they don't have an alternative, they'd go for it."

"I guess that makes sense." Aqua concludes with a sigh, banishing the thoughts of the actual feeding from her mind as best she can. "Hey now! I'm only 'volunteering' cause I'm the only one with hands." The floatzel pouts, flushing slightly below her fur at the huntail's minor joke. "I, can carry it." If it had been anyone else to say that, Aqua wouldn't have smiled. However, it was Bell and she did. "Woah there partner. I think this fish is a bit more than you're bargaining for. You better leave it to me."

"What would be the idea? To draw them out, and then what?  We just swoop in and kill them before they know we're there?" Now that was a really good question. Great, they drew out a bunch of blood-thirsty fairy demons, then what? "More or less, but its a lot more then that." The sea weasel stares at the eel with disbelief."There's too many of them to take on, even if we have the element of surprise."

"We will all be nearby and our living scent with draw even more of them out. Then we just wait for the prize to come out." Prize? What is she getting at...Aqua tries to connect the puzzle pieces in her mind. Her hands scratching the top of her head beneath her hat. But, nothing is coming together right. "Prize? Like their queen?" Did that kind of pokemon even have a queen...? Before she even has a chance to open her mouth to ask, Saferi continues.

"Not quite. Phione dont breed like most 'mons. They wouldn't really have a queen but I do think they have something they are protecting. Maybe a crazed leader? It would explain why they settled in the ship instead of drifting like their species normally do. Once their reason to stay is gone the remaining Phione should scatter and move on." Aqua glances to her other companions, gauging their reactions to the proposed plan before turning back to Saferi. "That sounds logical and all, but what if their leader or whatever isn't drawn out? 'Cause, we're not really sure it's a moving 'prize' the critters have, right?"

The floatzel slowly lowers herself to the sandy ground below. Carefully curling the toes of her feet through the shifting sand. "We need an escape plan before trying something like this. In case they go hog wild and we remove take our their prize." Pausing, Aqua glances at their surroundings, thinking back to what was around the ship itself, but everything is blurry...the attack happened so fast..."Saferi, you know this place like the back of your han--well, heh, uh, you know what I mean. Is there somewhere we could lure them where we could use what's around us? The environment and the like to our advantage?

"N ya wouldn't even have to touch that dead thing much." The change of topic catches the sea weasel off guard. Her mind having to jump back and recall their earlier part of the plan. "Yeah? How you figure that?" She asks curiously. "The kid here gave me an idea." Aqua leans back, blinking up to Bell as the poliwag is mentioned. "You'll only have to touch it for a moment. Enough to tie some of that seaweed around the base of its tail. Then any of us could drag it along really."

"Well all be! Thank you Bell. I vote for that!" The floatzel agrees excitedly already pushing off the sand towards the closest stalk to tear and use. "Just tying I can do! As long as I don't have to hold it for long. Heck, it's probably better to have some distance between us and the body to for the plan overall, right?"

At his inquiry, Saferi ceased her pacing, and responded, "More or less, but its a lot more then that." He nodded, and he waited for the eel to continue her explanation. However, he had doubts about successfully killing all of the Phione in a surprise attack.

Aqua then interrupted, "There's too many of them to take on, even if we have the element of surprise." She seemed to be thinking along the same lines he was, and he was glad that she had spoken aloud his own doubts.

Saferi detailed her plan, If we bring them a meal they will go for it. Thats no question. However, since its already dead they will probably be suspicious and swarm it, maybe eat on sight or check for how a rotten tool could just float by. We will all be nearby and our living scent with draw even more of them out. Then we just wait for the prize to come out."

Okay, good. She's thought this through a bit. he mused. However, he was wondering what she meant by her last statement. What do you mean by 'prize?'" he asked aloud.

He heard Bell's voice above him, "Prize? Like their queen?" He smiled at the kid's suggestion. She had a better guess than he did on what Saferi meant by the vague word. He was thinking of an object instead of a 'living' thing was the reason they were sticking around.

"Not quite. Phione dont breed like most 'mons. They wouldn't really have a queen but I do think they have something they are protecting. Maybe a crazed leader? It would explain why they settled in the ship instead of drifting like their species normally do. Once their reason to stay is gone the remaining Phione should scatter and move on," Saferi, oddly patient, explained, and her thoughts appeared logical.  If the species usually preferred wandering, they had to have something keeping there, and from what he saw of infected Pokemon, they usually didn't stick around once prey became scarce like the area the Phione were currently in. There were still a few things that bugged him, though.

He saw Aqua glancing at Aysu and him, and he met her gaze. She looked worried about something. She then voiced her concerns,"That sounds logical and all, but what if their leader or whatever isn't drawn out? 'Cause, we're not really sure it's a moving 'prize' the critters have, right? We need an escape plan before trying something like this. In case they go hog wild and we remove take our their prize. Saferi, you know this place like the back of your han--well, heh, uh, you know what I mean. Is there somewhere we could lure them where we could use what's around us? The environment and the like to our advantage?"

"Aqua's right," Thorn agreed. "How sure are you that this 'prize' is a living... You know what I mean.... thing. If it isn't... We could be drawing them out and hoping for something that doesn't happen. Then they'd probably try hunting us out, and it's not like I can hide well." He then starts thinking about what Aqua had mentioned about using the environment. "However... I have an idea that might help thin out their numbers if we do it right, but I need to know if there are any areas that are unstable..." His voice trailed off as he tried thinking through the idea. If they could get the Phione into an area where rocks or something could fall if shaken enough... He could use Earthquake to open a crack in the ocean floor, and while they were fighing the current, the debris would fall and hit them. If they did this though, they'd have to make sure that no one was too close to the area...

As he continued trying to think through this plan, he tuned the others out until he heard Saferi say,"You'll only have to touch it for a moment. Enough to tie some of that seaweed around the base of its tail. Then any of us could drag it along really." He suddenly twitched as he started paying more attention to the conversation. Given Aqua's description of the corpse... it may have been infected. The thought of getting close to the dead body made him nervous, and  he really didn't want to have to drag it himself. Hopefully, Aqua would still be okay with moving it. An image entered his head of an undead Gyarados rampaging, and when the blue scales suddenly changed to red, his body shook for a second.

"Well all be! Thank you Bell. I vote for that! Just tying I can do! As long as I don't have to hold it for long. Heck, it's probably better to have some distance between us and the body to for the plan overall, right?" Aqua was noticeably happier, and that helped clear the vision in his mind. He would have shaken his head, but since Bell was still situated there, he settled for taking a deep breath. He would volunteer if they needed to, but it seemed like he wouldn't have too.

"We should get this plan figured out, though. Before we do much more. We have ideas, but we need more definite things." Thorn stated as he looked towards Saferi.

"Woah there partner. I think this fish is a bit more than you're bargaining for. You better leave it to me." The Poliwag pouted. "But!" She wanted to argue but stopped herself. "Okay okay," Even if she knew she could handle it if Aqua said no then she had no choice but to oblige. If only she was a bit bigger, if only she.. all she needed was to get some hands! Bell stood tall. Yes, that is what she needed! If she had hands then it wouldn't matter how big she was. "Well all be! Thank you Bell. I vote for that!" She beams, hands or not she seemed to of made Aqua happy, somehow. "Just tying I can do! As long as I don't have to hold it for long. Heck, it's probably better to have some distance between us and the body to for the plan overall, right?" Nodding she squeaks, "It'll be like a lure at the end of a fishy rod!" She can remember so clearly all the lures bobbing around in her pond.

"That sounds logical and all, but what if their leader or whatever isn't drawn out? 'Cause, we're not really sure it's a moving 'prize' the critters have, right?" "Aqua's right. How sure are you that this 'prize' is a living... You know what I mean.... thing. If it isn't... We could be drawing them out and hoping for something that doesn't happen. Then they'd probably try hunting us out, and it's not like I can hide well." The Huntail let out a slow breathe, the water vibrating deep in her gills. "Then we will hightail it. No ones going inside while its still infested or sticks around if its not happenin'."
"We need an escape plan before trying something like this. In case they go hog wild and we take their prize." Was she implying that they would need to use to use a getaway plan? Saferi grinds her fangs together, unsure of how to respond. Having one was fine but the eel didn't like the prospect of things going sour and having to use it. Without whatever they were protecting the Phione should scatter.. they shouldn't to run but if they did..

"Saferi, you know this place like the back of your han--well, heh, uh, you know what I mean. Is there somewhere we could lure them where we could use what's around us? The environment and the like to our advantage? The Huntails gold eyes rolled along Thorn's massive red frame. What was she supposed to do with a Pokemon larger then the space in which she enjoyed living? A grumble escapes her as she draws a blank. "However... I have an idea that might help thin out their numbers if we do it right, but I need to know if there are any areas that are unstable..." "Unstable?" She repeats, raising a brow. "Depends on the orientation we are talking. When you get closer to shore the harbor is utterly filled with unstable human shit. Without them around a of it has fallen into... disrepair, and shouldn't take much to collapse."

She muses on the first thing to come to mind. While she hadn't been there for it a fair portion of the dock had been crushed when the Anne sank. Sure, a massive boat should be able to break apart some silly dock with no problem but a sea-bitten, waterlogged, barnacle covered dock shouldn't be much match for them either. And if that was true, what was stopping from from wrecking other things? "We should get this plan figured out, though. Before we do much more. We have ideas, but we need more definite things." She still didn't know which way Thorn wanted it to be. "Over in that ravine," She starts, "Under the corals the walls are made of stone. Its not unstable but its breakable..." No, that wouldn't work. It would just make a hole bigger and murder a bunch of coral. Something facing downward like that wouldnt work, not with sand and stone being what they had to work with. No they needed something- "Actually, the harbor! There is a spot to far left of the harbor where the bank is made of a sheer wall rocks and mud. There's a little cave over there, completely submerged and one straight path to the end. Its pretty deep, might of been somethings den at one point, but it hasn't been touched in a while and probably wouldnt be able to stand any abuse now."

"However... I have an idea that might help thin out their numbers if we do it right, but I need to know if there are any areas that are unstable..." The floatzel nods, still working on the strand of kelp she had begun to tear to use for transporting the body. "I can see where this is heading I reckon.." Aqua adds quietly. Unstable terrain and a team member large enough to cause an underwater avalanche. It didn't take an Alakazam to figure out where this was going. "Depends on the orientation we are talking. When you get closer to shore the harbor is utterly filled with unstable human shit. Without them around a of it has fallen into... disrepair, and shouldn't take much to collapse."

The dock...had she been near there before? Thinking back, the sea weasel can't recall an exact image of the harbor behind. Though, given the location, she can imagine various portions of the docks collapsing into the water and other debris from the town in a shallow watery grave. "Over in that ravine," Aqua focuses on the eel again, abandoning her musings. "Under the corals the walls are made of stone. Its not unstable but its breakable..." Stone walls? The water-type's lip twitched slightly downward. That was certainly a task for their new friend assuming they went through with it. "Even the thought of trying to crack a stone wall makes my--" "Actually, the harbor!"

The sea weasel barely gets halfway through before the huntail interrupts. Aqua lets her mouth hang open mid-sentence, but makes no sound to interrupt in return. "There is a spot to far left of the harbor where the bank is made of a sheer wall rocks and mud. There's a little cave over there, completely submerged and one straight path to the end. Its pretty deep, might of been somethings den at one point, but it hasn't been touched in a while and probably wouldnt be able to stand any abuse now."

"So to get to make sure I got this right. We bait the mess of Phione out of their little hidey-hole with our, uh, dead friend over there. Trick them into the ravine, collapse it over them, then take out whatever they're sticking around here for before they can regroup?" Aqua recounts, one clawed index finger pushing down on her other paw's digit's in turn as she counts the points on her fingers. "I don't know about y'all, but that's sounding better to me...do we have any idea what they might be protecting in there...?"

Saferi thought about Thorn's question for a few moments, and after first dismissing the idea of just using the human stuff in the harbor, she suggested, Over in that ravine. Under the corals the walls are made of stone. Its not unstable but its breakable..." That was an option, but that wasn't quite what he was looking for. That may involve more random destruction than what was needed, and it probably wouldn't dent the Phione population if they tried dropping lots of coral on them.

"Nah... That's not what I'm thinking of... I mean something that we could trap them with even if they aren't killed in the initial attack..." He responded thoughtfully.

Aqua seemed equally reticent about the plan, and she started frowning at the idea."Even the thought of trying to crack a stone wall makes my--"

"Actually, the harbor!" Saferi interrupted. Aqua was left slackjawed at the interruption, but she allowed the eel to continue. "There is a spot to far left of the harbor where the bank is made of a sheer wall rocks and mud. There's a little cave over there, completely submerged and one straight path to the end. Its pretty deep, might of been somethings den at one point, but it hasn't been touched in a while and probably wouldnt be able to stand any abuse now." That was more what he was thinking about. He could collapse the den with a bunch of those Phione in it, and that would definitely stall them if it didn't kill them. Hopefully it could thin out the numbers a bit, so that there would be fewer of the damn water fairies messing with them.

"Now we're talking!" He announced aloud. With a plan coming together, they could soon actually do something. He started getting a little excited at the idea of the upcoming fight.

Aqua then recounted the plan aloud to make sure everyone was on the same page,"So to get to make sure I got this right. We bait the mess of Phione out of their little hidey-hole with our, uh, dead friend over there. Trick them into the ravine, collapse it over them, then take out whatever they're sticking around here for before they can regroup?" Wait a minute.... Either Aqua misused a word, or she was still thinking that they were talking about the ravine... "I don't know about y'all, but that's sounding better to me...do we have any idea what they might be protecting in there...?"

He asked to clarify,"Uh... You do mean that cave thing Saferi is talking about, right? I don't think the coral ravine would do what we need, and I'm not sure I can collapse that. The cave however..." He also had a sudden realization about what he was going to do to cause the den to cave in. "Also... I'm probably going to have to use Earthquake to make this happen. You guys are going to need to figure out a way to not get effected by it... cause otherwise it's probably going to hurt a lot, and we don't need that right when we're dealing with these guys. Especially you, Bell." If Bell got hit with that... He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he hurt her in his foolishness. He responded to Aqua's question by asking the Huntail, "Uh...Saferi? I've got nothing on what they'd be sticking around for, but I hope you know."

"Now we're talking!" Thorn seemed pretty excited and so did Saferi but Bell found herself drifting out of the conversation. Adults are talking, Her mama would say, Be polite and courteous, and wait until it is your turn. The Poliwag frowned at her own thoughts. Even if it became her turn she couldn't say anything as she really didn't know what the others were talking about anymore aside from moving the Phione so they could explore the ship. I just want to help too.. She swims in a small circles, resettling herself in the soft sand while gently kicking it with her toes. At least we can go exploring when this is all over. That was the point of all this, right?

"So to get to make sure I got this right. We bait the mess of Phione out of their little hidey-hole with our, uh, dead friend over there. Trick them into the ravine, collapse it over them, then take out whatever they're sticking around here for before they can regroup?" The Huntail made a straight face. "No, I dont think it'd work out. Breaking though those stones would be trouble in itself and the Phione could probably swim out from between them. Rocks dont really compact all that great if you know what I mean. Plus it would be a real shame to decimate a coral reef like that." It would be like filling an aquarium with beach balls; lots of little gaps where the shapes couldn't quite fit together. "Uh... You do mean that cave thing Saferi is talking about, right? I don't think the coral ravine would do what we need, and I'm not sure I can collapse that. The cave however..." Thorn had the right idea. "Yeah, I think it was some critters den a while back but it hasn't been touched in Kyogre knows how long. It's begging to be destroyed. That whole area is made of stones, mud, and sand. Any cave in's with that combo wouldn't be easy to squeeze through."

"Also... I'm probably going to have to use Earthquake to make this happen. You guys are going to need to figure out a way to not get effected by it... cause otherwise it's probably going to hurt a lot, and we don't need that right when we're dealing with these guys. Especially you, Bell." The child looked up at Thorn with big, questioning eyes. Would they have to go far away? She didn't want to leave Thorn and she wanted to watch whatever was going to happen. "Im tiny, it probably wont hit me!" She tries to persuade him along with a large smile. Beating her tail against the sand she gets paddling, swimming around in circles to show him that while she wasn't the strongest swimmer she was much more agile in the water then anywhere else.
The eel was less playful. "I doubt you would want to do this and my knowledge of the city above ain't that great but I believe a Gym is right above that cave. If ya did your Earthquaking up on the land that place and all thats under it is probably heavy enough to bring the whole cave down in an instant." That would bring along a whole bunch of new problems, but it was an idea. "I don't really want anyone to get separated and swarmed but we could stay by the ship then. That would be plenty of distance if you want us to be a fair ways away when you let it rip."

"I don't know about y'all, but that's sounding better to me...do we have any idea what they might be protecting in there...?" Saferi shook her head, the bunch of necklaces around her throat swaying with the motion. "Uh...Saferi? I've got nothing on what they'd be sticking around for, but I hope you know." "Their spawnmother perhaps? I doubt a Manaphy is in there but could be. Maybe a Psychic Type controlling them for its own gain. Or The Anne could of had some mass collection of stones or other such things and they are feeding off their energy. It could be a multitude of things honestly and unless we get it to come out or go in and check I can't say for certain." She waits, remembering something she had always thought to be mundane, "It reeks of death in one part of the ship though. You can taste it if ya get past the rust. Could be that they are obsessed with a corpse for legends know why."

"Uh... You do mean that cave thing Saferi is talking about, right? I don't think the coral ravine would do what we need, and I'm not sure I can collapse that. The cave however..." Aqua's jaw clamps tightly together and her eyes widen. Had she said that? "Yeah, that's what I meant! Pardon me, 'Trick them into the cave, collapse it over them.'" The sea weasel corrects herself, embarrassment momentarily making her cheeks flush. However, like a fast-moving current, the matter at hand quickly pushes back into the forefront of her mind and conversation.

"Yeah, I think it was some critters den a while back but it hasn't been touched in Kyogre knows how long. It's begging to be destroyed. That whole area is made of stones, mud, and sand. Any cave in's with that combo wouldn't be easy to squeeze through." The floatzel nods, conjuring a mental image of those materials falling over top one another. It'd be like trying to put back together an enormous puzzle with tiny, broken and missing pieces. "If it's as you say, even those little critters shouldn't be able to wiggle their way out of that one."

"Also... I'm probably going to have to use Earthquake to make this happen. You guys are going to need to figure out a way to not get effected by it... cause otherwise it's probably going to hurt a lot, and we don't need that right when we're dealing with these guys. Especially you, Bell." Getting hit with friendly fire was the last thing they needed..and by an earthquake at that. "Im tiny, it probably wont hit me!" Aqua's eyes linger to the child who has since floated down from Thorn's head to prance about the sand underfoot.

For once, Bell's antic's didn't bring a smile to her face, only worry. This was going to be dangerous...and there was no safe place to take much less, leave a child...by the look on the gyarados' face, he was having the same sick feeling thinking about her getting hurt as she was. "I doubt you would want to do this and my knowledge of the city above ain't that great but I believe a Gym is right above that cave. If ya did your Earthquaking up on the land that place and all thats under it is probably heavy enough to bring the whole cave down in an instant."

"It would be helpful to have the extra weigh crashing down on the slippery demons and it might be another neat thing to explore assuming it isn't completely destroyed or crawling with any surviving phione." The sea weasel adds, thinking back to the gyms she had been inside in the past. If it was intact, there would be a lot of human items inside... "I don't really want anyone to get separated and swarmed but we could stay by the ship then. That would be plenty of distance if you want us to be a fair ways away when you let it rip." Her eyes linger again to the gyarados. How far onto land would he have to travel...and without feet? "Mr. Thorn, if we did split up...could you make it on land to the gym? I reckon it wouldn't be the easiest for you...and if the rest of us are by the ship, how are we gonna bait them to the cave?"

During the conversation, Bell had drifted off of her perch on Thorn's head to instead play on the sea floor. When he had pointed out how she could get hurt, she looked at him with those big eyes and a huge smile. "Im tiny, it probably wont hit me!" she exclaimed as she tried to demonstrate a mastery of swimming. He would be amused by this, but he had used Earthquake enough times to know how it could devastate the landscape. He also had a feeling that using it underwater would just make it harder to dodge, regardless of how nimble a Pokemon was. "Trust me, kiddo, you don't wanna be hit with this. It'd hurt a lot, and I don't wanna take any chances with that," he explained gently. He didn't want to hurt the kid's feelings too much, but the reality of the situation demanded that he indicate how serious this was.

"I doubt you would want to do this and my knowledge of the city above ain't that great but I believe a Gym is right above that cave. If ya did your Earthquaking up on the land that place and all thats under it is probably heavy enough to bring the whole cave down in an instant. Saferi suggested. A gym? Wonder what type they specialized in... Hopefully not electric... If the undead around the gym were related to the type that it specialized in, that could spell some serious problems for them at some point.

[#974C2A]It would be helpful to have the extra weigh crashing down on the slippery demons and it might be another neat thing to explore assuming it isn't completely destroyed or crawling with any surviving phione,"[/color] Aqua added. She seemed to be on board with the idea as well.

"I don't really want anyone to get separated and swarmed but we could stay by the ship then. That would be plenty of distance if you want us to be a fair ways away when you let it rip," The blue eel continued. She did seem concerned for the group, and that was promising as well.

"It's probably our best bet, Saferi. And Aqua makes a good point." Thorn agreed.

"Mr. Thorn, if we did split up...could you make it on land to the gym? I reckon it wouldn't be the easiest for you...and if the rest of us are by the ship, how are we gonna bait them to the cave?" The Floatzel inquired and brought up a good point about the baiting.  There wasn't going to be an easy way to put the bait in there without someone going in, and potentially getting attacked or worse, trapped.

"I can make it around on land alright. My kind can stay out of water for a fairly long time," Thorn responded to Aqua's first question. Him being out of the water was probably the least of their concerns. "I think someone's gonna have to put the bait in there and swim like hell...." That only left two of them that could do that...

"Their spawnmother perhaps? I doubt a Manaphy is in there but could be. Maybe a Psychic Type controlling them for its own gain. Or The Anne could of had some mass collection of stones or other such things and they are feeding off their energy. It could be a multitude of things honestly and unless we get it to come out or go in and check I can't say for certain. It reeks of death in one part of the ship though. You can taste it if ya get past the rust. Could be that they are obsessed with a corpse for legends know why," Saferi responded to the question involving the Phione's supposed prize. Basically, no one knew anything, and they were going to have to go in blind and hope for the best. Great....

"Trust me, kiddo, you don't wanna be hit with this. It'd hurt a lot, and I don't wanna take any chances with that," The Poliwags expression drops in an instant. Could she do nothing right? She felt really out of place and unneeded here, every odd comment gaining her nothing but looks and momentary acknowledgement. Letting her mind drift farther afield she can no longer keep her thoughts latched to the boring conversation and instead ponders the kelp beds nearby. Already she can imagine herself swimming through and playing in them, something she had resisted doing before while she watched the Remoraids swim around in the light. If she recalled correctly Saferi said this place was not dangerous so the Poliwag beats her tail and starts to swim away from her friends. "Im gonna play in the kelp." She states bluntly not waiting for a reply. Sure, she should of asked permission first but Saferi had said it was okay earlier and the others had ventured out with no quarrel so why should she be any different?

The Poliwag's mood changes drastically. Swirling her tail about the flat instrument propels her round body about faster then one would expect. The seaweed swayed in the current and Bell raced to bob about quicker then it. Yes, this was so much better then sitting around being quiet! Swirling around one strand she rises up to the surfaces and breeches with a triumphant giggle, her brown gaze looking toward the dipping sun. Splashing back down her blob-like body wiggles and shakes as she kicks the water. This was way more fun and she goes to breech again.

"It would be helpful to have the extra weigh crashing down on the slippery demons and it might be another neat thing to explore assuming it isn't completely destroyed or crawling with any surviving phione," Saferi hadn't thought about that. At one point she had considered making the cave her den but it was much too large and lengthy for her desires. The small, cramp space that was just large enough for her and her food was all she wanted and by kyogre's wrath she was going to get it back from these bitching Phione. "Might be cool to explore it after and pick off any Phione if they survive." Giving a toothy grin at the thought the Huntail is ready to purge the bay of those bastards once and for all. "It's probably our best bet, Saferi. And Aqua makes a good point." She nods, "Completely destroy it for all I care. Those creatures benefit no one." While it was only her that mattered from their removal it was true that it would help everyone. Checking out the cave afterward, a possible territory expansion, would just be a bonus.

"Mr. Thorn, if we did split up...could you make it on land to the gym? I reckon it wouldn't be the easiest for you...and if the rest of us are by the ship, how are we gonna bait them to the cave?" "I can make it around on land alright. My kind can stay out of water for a fairly long time," A beached Gyarados was a force to be reckoned with. Only twice in her life had the eel seen such an event but they were spectacular spectacles of terror. "I think someone's gonna have to put the bait in there and swim like hell...." Would it really be that simple though? The Phione were crafty, naive but crafty. "If we head to the cave dragging the Seaking they will follow. That's a given but we need something to actually entice them into the cave." A shadow passes by in front of her, crossing over the sand and Thorn as it moved. Turning her head Saferi expected to see another school of Magikarp but instead only saw Bell playing in the plants, the sun casting a long shadow out ahead of her. "Unless.." The Poliwag had just alerted her to two things, one positive and one negative. Once more the child was inadvertently giving her ideas. Was this the purpose of offspring? "We give them something they cant ignore." A wicked grin cracks across her face again as she looks back to the Gyarados and Floatzel. "Like a pile of fresh, bleeding kills. A big ol' pile of bait. Between the scent of blood and the free food there is no way they would even think its a trap."

If that was the case they could essentially use a fresh kill for the tether as well but it most likely wouldn't be as large. Maybe they could add a prey item to the tether as well, blood scent on top of the rotting meat smell. Either way worked but it really mattered how much they were able to catch to determine what got the bonding. "Another thing," She mutters, her voice cooling, "The suns headed south. We still have a fair amount of daylight left but if we get this scheme done it may be a bit too late to go exploring. Id rather not face these things or their old territory in the dark." Well, being the deep-sea creature she was night vision was no problem for her but she doubted the others. That just means Ill be stuck with ya'll for another day.. How repulsive.

The floatzel's mouth opens instinctively to say something as Bell darts away from the group without waiting for a reply. "Don't go too far...!" The sea weasel finally manages, though she doubts her words were heard as the child swims nimbly towards the surface. "If we head to the cave dragging the Seaking they will follow. That's a given but we need something to actually entice them into the cave." Aqua's eye stay focused on the poliwag's dancing shadow above as the others speak, half listening and half considering truly how dangerous this all was. "I think someone's gonna have to put the bait in there and swim like hell...."

"I'll do it." Brown eyes linger only for a moment longer on the shadow above before turning towards the companions before her. "I'm faster than a scalded dog. I can carry the bait the easiest and, if worse comes to worse, I can hop up on land to get away." She finishes with a nod, as if in some way to confirm her words further. "It's risky, but I think it'll work...with a bait pile in the cave too tempting to pass up, why would they chase after one fleeing 'mon huh? Maybe one or two stranglers, but that's nothing compared to a whole herd of 'em."

"The suns headed south. We still have a fair amount of daylight left but if we get this scheme done it may be a bit too late to go exploring. Id rather not face these things or their old territory in the dark." The floatzel turns her head upward once again, this time, searching for the distorted image of the sun above. "Ain't that the truth." Then words leave as a sigh. "I'll go tell Bell." Kicking off from the floor below in a small cloud of sand and pebbles, Aqua propels herself towards the surface. Her tails only beginning to spin as her initial momentum wears off, but they slow down quickly to allow the weasel to breech smoothly.

"Howdy Bell, find anything interesting up here?" A smile returns back onto the floatzel's face as she looks over to the smaller tadpole. "I think we're just about done planning." Pacing her sentences out, Aqua takes deep breaths, filling her lungs with fresh air again and looking again towards the sun. Though her hat dripped steadily all around her head, it didn't hinder her as she confirmed again that indeed, most of this day was behind them. "Though it's getting a little late to be fixin' to start work on it today." She adds with a light splash aimed in the child's direction. "So we can stay here a bit more before moving to check out some other things if that's alright with you."

"Im gonna play in the kelp," Bell's voice indicated frustration, and Thorn realized that he had been harsh with his words. It hit him hard that the child might be upset with him, but he really couldn't take the words back now. In reality, though, he really couldn't let the child think she could take an Earthquake.

The Poliwag darted away, and Aqua called out, "Don't go too far...!" Though Bell didn't indicate that she had heard, she still didn't get too far away. The child bobbed amongst the kelp, and would occasionally breach the surface.  She seemed like she was having fun, and that brought a small smile to Thorn's face. Kid was probably bored out of her mind... can't blame her too much.

As Bell had played, shadows danced across the small group, and this spurred Saferi's thinking. "If we head to the cave dragging the Seaking they will follow. That's a given but we need something to actually entice them into the cave. Unless.. We give them something they cant ignore. Like a pile of fresh, bleeding kills. A big ol' pile of bait. Between the scent of blood and the free food there is no way they would even think its a trap." Saferi lays out her plan with near enthusiasm. The idea was certainly a solid one, Thorn had to admit. She had a smile on her face that kind of worried the Gyarados, but he couldn't quite place why.  Well, she did just suggest killing something else to draw these things in... Thorn didn't like the idea of killing something and then not eating it, but he really couldn't think of a way to argue the point with the eel.  

Aqua offered, "I'll do it. I'm faster than a scalded dog. I can carry the bait the easiest and, if worse comes to worse, I can hop up on land to get away. It's risky, but I think it'll work...with a bait pile in the cave too tempting to pass up, why would they chase after one fleeing 'mon huh? Maybe one or two stranglers, but that's nothing compared to a whole herd of 'em." There were so many ways this could go wrong, but this plan was going to be high risk anyway. She also made several good points about lugging the corpse around.  

"Another thing, The suns headed south. We still have a fair amount of daylight left but if we get this scheme done it may be a bit too late to go exploring. Id rather not face these things or their old territory in the dark." The Huntail also added.  Thorn looked up at the sky to see if he could catch the sun's current position, and realized that they were running out of time for this to happen during the day

"Ain't that the truth. I'll go tell Bell." The floatzel admitted, and then broke away from the party to swim upwards and speak with Bell. Now that he was stuck alone with Saferi, Thorn couldn't help but notice the awkwardness between them growing.

"Sounds like we have a plan.," Thorn states. "Are we calling it done for the day? If so, where do we plan on resting?"

Looking between the weasel and the behemoth Saferi notices something. "I'll do it." They were down by one. Where did bitch fins go? The imbecile was hardly noticeable with their lack of interaction or utility but the eel hadn't even noticed they were missing. Whatever. While losing her meant little Saferi was concerned about something relative- they still needed numbers. "I'm faster than a scalded dog. I can carry the bait the easiest and, if worse comes to worse, I can hop up on land to get away." With the composition they had this thing could work even with the small group. But if anything went wrong and they ended up surrounded by the entire school.. there would be trouble. "It's risky, but I think it'll work...with a bait pile in the cave too tempting to pass up, why would they chase after one fleeing 'mon huh? Maybe one or two stranglers, but that's nothing compared to a whole herd of 'em."
Giving her head a quick jerk Saferi pulls away from her thoughts. No, no it would be fine like this. Even if it wasn't, in the end it was every fish for themselves and she knew these waters best. "Eh, Yeah. If a couple get away we can take them easy. As long as we snag most of them then its as good as done."

Still.. she felt off. They were down to three and a fifth. "Ain't that the truth. I'll go tell Bell." The Floatzel offers and swims off. If the child ended up in a fight would the other turn to hep her or continue fighting as the enemy was distracted? Damn rotten liability. The Poliwag may of given here several ideas but she still hated children and wouldn't shake a scale if something happened to her. "Sounds like we have a plan," The eel nods, thinking over their game plan. "For the most part." It was mostly complete- they just needed to settle on their own positioning during the events then it would be golden.

"Are we calling it done for the day? If so, where do we plan on resting?" Looking at the reflection of the sun and orange shade it was casting the Huntail knew better then to push their luck today. "It would be best if we waited it out till tomorrow. Just to be safe." However, she hesitates on answering the latter. A place thats shallow enough for the air breathers but large enough for a Gyarados? Just fillet me now thats damn near impossible.  What kind of place could fulfill that.. "The only place I can think of that could fit our.." She pauses a moment, looking the Gyarados up and down.  "Needs, is a small estuary the next route over. Its rather far away though and I cant really vouch for it. Not like I go that way often." It would be big and deep enough with shores for the others but she couldn't verify its safety. "Its all I can think of off the top of my head though unless you can think of something that could fit.. well you."


The Poliwag lays on her back like an otter and paddles gently with her tail. The sun was so warm and the water was so cool and nice even though it was a bit salty and weird. She blinks gently, looking at the little locket on her belly as the light gleamed off it. So pretty! There is a splash next to her and her flat tail sweeps upward to keep any drops out of her eyes. "Howdy Bell, find anything interesting up here?" Howdy! Oh she was going to start saying that! Letting her tail fall back to the water the youth beams, "Hi Miss Aqua!" Had she come over to play? "I think we're just about done planning." "Oh thank goodness! It was taking so long." She cheers flipping upright. That meant they were going to do whatever it was they were doing, right? "Though it's getting a little late to be fixin' to start work on it today."

"Oh..." The word falls without her digression, her smile falling flat. There isnt time for the sadness to sink in as a small splash of water is gently tossed toward her. Its enough to muster a giggle and a splash back. "So we can stay here a bit more before moving to check out some other things if that's alright with you." She sends another splash Aqua's way. "But I wanna explore the ship!" Unable to hide the disappointment from her voice the Poliwag pouts. "Is there even anything to see out here?" The seaweed was pretty cool but was it the only thing around?

"Hi Miss Aqua!" Bell's excited tone causes a grin to spread across the sea weasel's muzzle. As  Aqua continues, the child practically cheers as she announces the planning meeting is over. "Oh thank goodness! It was taking so long." The floatzel can't help put chuckle with her at her enthusiasm. "Now I know you wanted to explore the ship kiddo, but that is going to have to wait till tomorrow." "Oh..." It was as if a switch had been flicked with the realization. Bell's smile instantly fell flat and it hurt. Like a punch to the shoulder.

"But I wanna explore the ship!" Aqua's own smile waivers. "I know, but it wouldn't be safe until we get rid of those nasty phione and we can't do that with the day already half over hun." The creases in the seas weasel's expression lighten as her ears pick up the sound of soft giggles -- right before a miniature wave of water splashes over her with further giggling following, but this time it is her own. "Is there even anything to see out here?" The floatzel has to shake her head to get the straying drops from her face. They fall back into the water in a quick succession, leaving little interlocking ripples in their wake.

"In this much water? Now there's bound to be something. But we won't know unless we look, right?" Nice way to say you have no idea what the heck is here Aqua. She thinks to herself, though that thought never touches her returning smile. "We'll be explorers. Miss Saferi will probably have some ideas where to start, but then it'll be up to us to find all the cool stuff."

"It would be best if we waited it out till tomorrow. Just to be safe." Saferi responded to Thorn's first question. He nodded in response. It made sense, no point in having an attack at night, especially when going on enemy turf. The eel didn't seem too keen on the idea of them being around her for long periods of time, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

Then the Huntail looked him up and down and said, "The only place I can think of that could fit our.. Needs, is a small estuary the next route over. Its rather far away though and I cant really vouch for it. Not like I go that way often." She was obviously referencing his size, but it seemed like there was another reason she was reccommending this spot. His eyes went to Bell and Aqua playing, and it hit him that the Floatzel, unlike him, couldn't stay underwater for forever. She needed somewhere that would let her breath air.

The blue eel continued the thought,"Its all I can think of off the top of my head though unless you can think of something that could fit.. well you."  He couldn't help the snarky response that formed in his head, but he made sure not to say it. Are you calling me fat?. If Saferi was of a different temperment, Thorn would jest about the obvious comment on his size. However, he got the impression that making a joke out of the situation wouldn't sit well with her, and he didn't want to piss her off.

"I don't know anything about this area, and I didn't really have time to look before... Uh... Running into the local problem. " Thorn admitted. He had just been passing through and thought he'd check out the city he could see on the shore. Unfortunately, unless the human and Pokemon he was looking for we're close to the beach, he wouldn't be able to see them or vice versa. However, he couldn't help but hope. Besides, his trainer had always loved beach areas... Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he focused his magenta eyes back on Saferi. "I'll follow your lead."

The eel can feel a faint exhaustion starting to plague her. The Phione were one thing but dealing with people was always an immense effort for her. Maybe rest will help. Her body yes, but her mind was already numbing over from thoughts of doing all this again tomorrow. "I don't know anything about this area, and I didn't really have time to look before... Uh... Running into the local problem. " It would be easier to find a place if I didnt have all these conditions to follow. Taking in a deep breath Saferi tosses her head to one side, her many necklaces shifting in the water. "Then I guess we got our place. Lets go." She turns, heading into the kelp and looking at the others as she swam. "I'll follow your lead." She does not look back.

The Poliwag pouts and let out a soft groan. She never got to go exploring or have any fun. It was always rules and restrictions or boundaries made by adults before getting chased away. "I know, but it wouldn't be safe until we get rid of those nasty phione and we can't do that with the day already half over hun." Couldn't they just ask them to leave or leave them alone while they looked? Its not like they were going to hurt anything, just look around and be happy spelunkers as they ventured into unknown territory. Could she at least look forward to wherever they were going? "In this much water? Now there's bound to be something. But we won't know unless we look, right?"

Bell blinks, processing the words. She had heard the ocean was pretty big. So that meant it had a lot of cool stuff in it, right? "Like sunken treasure, or a secret grove of super plants or shiny stuff!" The Poliwag perks, excitement coming back to her from her own thoughts. "We'll be explorers. Miss Saferi will probably have some ideas where to start, but then it'll be up to us to find all the cool stuff."  "Yay, we're gonna find all the things!" She cheers, flicking her tail harder while paddling her little feet. They were going to go exploring and see all the cool things! Even though she was still sad it wasn't going to happen right now at least there was no more boring talking.

She beams at Aqua, her smile making a return, only to have her gaze caught by something behind her. "We're heading out." Saferi calls to them, snaking her way forward with confidence and not stopping for the chatting females. "Our respite is a fair swim away so we gotta move. Its past all this seaweed where the terrain gets more gravelly. Once we see that its a matter of heading up river a small ways but the flow is gentle, especially at this time of year." Bell turns and swims after her, noticing again that she wasn't nearly as fast as everyone else. "We aren't going back to the cave?" She asks curiously. "Its not open enough for Thorn." she states bluntly.
Paddling her tail hard the Poliwag is suddenly very tired. She was little and had done so much swimming today and now they were going too fast! "Mr Thorn?" She squeaks to the shiny, "Can I ride with you?"

"Like sunken treasure, or a secret grove of super plants or shiny stuff!" Not likely, but hell, anything was possible! Why spoil the kids fun? "It's possible." The floatzel chuckles, laughing louder as Bell's enthusiasm grows. "Yay, we're gonna find all the things!" In stark contrast to before, the tadpole already taking off, beaming at her. At least for the moment things were...good. Aqua catches Bell twisting downward before Saferi's words reach her.

The initial shock dissipates quickly as she registers the two snake-like bodies swimming below them. "We're heading out." Glancing to the poliwag to make sure she is heading out as well, Aqua kicks at the water around her and dives. The sting of her earlier wound sets her lips into a tense grimace, but as the sea weasel gains speed she is able to switch to rotating her twin tails instead. Pain slowly fades again from her leg as her tails alone continue to propel her towards the rest of their group.

"Our respite is a fair swim away so we gotta move. Its past all this seaweed where the terrain gets more gravelly. Once we see that its a matter of heading up river a small ways but the flow is gentle, especially at this time of year." The floatzel nods, having no reason not to trust the eel. After all, she was a stranger ton these waters. "Is there any, uh, unfriendlies we should be on the look out for?" Brown eyes scan the kelp forest around them cautiously. The fur along her spine tingling as she once again, thinks back to the corpse she saw before and imagines finding a similar...more mobile one..."I'm not particularly familiar with any of the waters in this region anywhere."

Saferi looked rather peeved in general, but, thankfully, she was choosing not to act upon it. She took in a deep breath, and this shook something around her neck that Thorn hadn't noticed before. It looked like several necklaces, but he couldn't see what was on them. Strange... Those don't look like things a wild Pokemon would just come across randomly... Then she responded, "Then I guess we got our place. Lets go." With that, she went towards the kelp where Bell and Aqua were playing and talking. The words shook him out of his musing, and he uncoiled himself so that he could follow.

"We're heading out," the eel called out to the pair. The Poliwag and Floatzel both turned to look at Saferi before diving to catch up with her. The Huntail didn't stop to make sure everyone was following, but Thorn slowed down to make sure that the pair wouldn't be left behind. Saferi added, "Our respite is a fair swim away so we gotta move. Its past all this seaweed where the terrain gets more gravelly. Once we see that its a matter of heading up river a small ways but the flow is gentle, especially at this time of year."

The kid inquired, "We aren't going back to the cave? It was a valid question, and it wasn't her fault for not accounting for his... size. Then he noticed that Bell was struggling to keep up with the eel and pointedly slowed down even more so that she could catch up with him.

Saferi's response was rather blunt, "Its not open enough for Thorn." She was being honest, but the way she said it was still rude. Well then. He couldn't help rolling his eyes with that thought, and since Saferi couldn't see him, he didn't care.

When Bell caught up with him, the tiny Poliwag looked really tired. She squeaked a request, "Mr Thorn? Can I ride with you?" He felt shamed that he hadn't offered her a ride earlier, but he didn't dwell on the thought for too long. Everyone was either hurt or tire at this point, including him.

"Sure! Here you go, Bell," he made sure she was on level with his head again, so that she could settle back on his head.  He made sure to wait until she firmly settled, and caught up with Saferi and Aqua. "Did you have fun playing with Miss Aqua in the kelp?" He asked the tadpole Pokemon.

Aqua had trouble for a second until she switched to only using her tails to propel her. I hope she's alright... She asked, "Is there any, uh, unfriendlies we should be on the look out for?" The floatzel scanned the kelp forest as she moved, and  explained, "I'm not particularly familiar with any of the waters in this region anywhere."

The child was tired, so tired. How long had she been swimming, how far even? Before that how far had she walked before meeting up with that Pokemon who tossed her into the water? Numbers circulate through her mind but the answer is clear. Too far, too long. Even if she didn't get to do what she wanted today being able to just lay down and rest would be most welcomed. Getting to their rest place though.. "Sure! Here you go, Bell," The massive Gyarados shifted positions, bringing his head a bit lower for the Poliwag. With a small squeak she swam toward him, nestling back into her spot along his crest. Wrapping her tail gently around him the child already feels more relaxed. "Let's go!" She cheers, thankful for her friends kindness.

"Did you have fun playing with Miss Aqua in the kelp?" While she knows Thorn can't see it the Poliwag nods, "Yeah! The seaweed stuff is so bendy and strong, its nothing like the stuff back in my pond." All the plants back home were delicate and mushy. "And we're gonna go treasure hunting tomorrow too and we'll find lots of cool things!" Speaking of cool things... "What do you think is in that ship?" Bell ponders aloud. Everyone kept saying their were Phione but that couldn't be the only thing.


The Huntail swam neutral but quickly. They had to wait till the next day to do the deed and she had suggested that. Why extend how long you must associate with them? While annoying at least they weren't too irritating. "Is there any, uh, unfriendlies we should be on the look out for?" "Other then prey?" Undead prey were easy to take out and were bound to happen but they were more of a nuisance then a threat. "Not right now. Larger undead usually don't like to come in this shallow. Or Pokemon for that matter. The prey options are too small for them despite being plentiful." Being close to the human settlement and the tang it left in the water probably helped as well.

"I'm not particularly familiar with any of the waters in this region anywhere." The Huntail doesn't wish to mince anymore words and gives her stiff jaw a shift. "The route up here will have a lot more wild Pokemon on it but they shouldn't bother us." The only ones who would come to the river would be thirsty living or ambush predators undead and living alike, and the latter wouldn't be looking for fish except maybe Bell. However, Saferi was not worried as Thorn's presence would hopefully deter even the bravest of hunters.


Swimming past the end of the seaweed the sand shifts slowly to a mix of clotted mud, thick with stones and roots from the nearby route. They were getting close. "Watch yourselves," She starts, slowing the pace a bit. "There could be territorial mons around here." The sunlight was dropping further, the rays turning a deeper orange. They would get their with plenty of time, she was sure. Hopefully though they wouldn't bump into anything unwelcoming. "The river we need is right up here."

"What do you think is in that ship?" A good question...riches? A pool of dead bodies? Some sort of hatchery? "It's anyone's guess hon. But I'd beat money on there being some human gadgets inside."

Relief trickles through the floatzel's form as they emerge from the kelp forest. It was akin to passing through a barrier in the sea weasel's mind. A leafy wall between their earlier conflicts with the blood thirsty phione and the, hopefully, safer temporary residence they were heading to now. Watching the sea floor below, Aqua observes as it shifts to a much muddier appearance. Unlike the sandy floor before, large stones and roots dot the landscape in irregular patterns. "The route up here will have a lot more wild Pokemon on it but they shouldn't bother us."
           
"That's good to know." Aqua adds with a nod to the eel. Even after receiving the small reassurance, the fur along her spine prickles. The sensation of eyes on her. Brown eyes linger first to the growing number of roots and shadows, but fall on nothing definite. Tilting mid-swim to bring one arm around to look behind her. There was indeed a large, imposing 'mon watching her--but one she knew. Returning Thorn's concerned look with a thumbs up, the floatzel rotates her twin tails even faster. Determined not to look distressed or in pain in front of the others more than necessary. "Make sure you hang onto Mr.Thorn tight Ms.Bell." She smiles as she looks to the tadpole in question thankful the gyarados is allowing her to hang onto him once again.

Turning back completely forward to keep herself from accidently clipping any of the growing number of obstacles, the sea weasel directs another question to their impromptu leader."If there is as much prey up ahead as you say Ms.Saferi, it might help us later with the plan. Plenty of options then for possible bait."

"Yeah! The seaweed stuff is so bendy and strong, its nothing like the stuff back in my pond," Bell chirped in response to his question.  He was happy that the kid managed to have fun, and then he caught onto the comment about her home. Oh... So she is freshwater... Wonder how she got from a lake to the ocean... She continued cheerfully chattering, "And we're gonna go treasure hunting tomorrow too and we'll find lots of cool things! What do you think is in that ship?" Her question gives him pause as he tries to think about what would be on one of those things.

Aqua answered the tadpole's question first, "It's anyone's guess hon. But I'd beat money on there being some human gadgets inside." Yeah, that was definitely likely, but given how long that thing had been there, it was also possible for other Pokemon to have eieither left or taken things.

The red Gyarados slightly slowed down as he thinks about mentions of boats that his trainer or comrades may have vocalized. "Let's see... My trainer used to have to ride those things, and some of my friends talked about being on boats a lot," He mused aloud.  Melody and Kale were the main culprits of those conversations, but he recalled that Omar once spoke about being on a ship as well.  "They mentioned that it was like... a human hotel that could float?" He struggled to remember their exact wording. "So it was a place humans could live comfortably while the boat took them across the ocean. For us, that means we can find lots of stuff meant for humans, like Miss Aqua said. But, we could also find lots of things meant for Pokemon. This includes basic stuff like potions, but we could find other things that humans may have left." Thorn knows he's starting to ramble, but he's tired, and, Arceus, he missed talking to other Pokemon.

"Then there's the chance that other Pokemon have brought things and left them there in the years since the... uh... humans disappeared." That was definitely nowhere near what he was going to say, but he still hated talking about the epidemic. It's also a bit of a lie since he knows damn well the humans are still around. Though he doesn't like thinking about those humans with deadly weapons pointed at him and his remaining friends with his trainer screaming for them to run and begging for their lives. The image, though old, was still strong, and he had to make himself focus on the here and now.  Soon the kelp forest ends and they start approaching an area full of mud and obstacles. Thankfully there wasn't anything large blocking his path, but he still had to keep a sharp eye out so that he didn't accidentally clip something. Especially with his tail.

Saferi goes on to answer Aqua's questions about potential foes in the area, "Other then prey? Not right now. Larger undead usually don't like to come in this shallow. Or Pokemon for that matter. The prey options are too small for them despite being plentiful. The route up here will have a lot more wild Pokemon on it but they shouldn't bother us." He didn't sense anything wrong with Saferi's statements, so he elected to just keep listening. As a Pokemon completely unfamiliar with the area, and not particularly attuned to ocean life, he was willing to accept what the Huntail was saying as truth.

Aqua simply responded with, "That's good to know." After a few seconds of swimming, the Floatzel must have realized he had been staring at her because of her wound and looked back at Thorn. He had been worried about her since he had noticed her having issues when diving. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up, and the familiar gesture gave him a sense of ease. "Make sure you hang onto Mr.Thorn tight Ms.Bell," she called back to them. The sea weasel pokemon then turned back around and spun her tails a little faster to keep up with Saferi.

Something Saferi said gave Aqua an idea, "If there is as much prey up ahead as you say Ms.Saferi, it might help us later with the plan. Plenty of options then for possible bait." Yeah... the bait thing.  He really did hate killing needlessly, but they needed to figure something out. Who knows, maybe they'd be lucky and find something else they could use.  He seriously doubted that, but he couldn't help hoping for it.

Soon after, the strangely colored Huntail told them, "Watch yourselves. There could be territorial mons around here. The river we need is right up here." She also slowed down, and he had to work not to accidentally overshoot her. He had to slow his forward momentum with extra effort from his tail, and the wound twinged in pain again. Thankfully, he was able to ignore it this time.

"It's anyone's guess hon. But I'd beat money on there being some human gadgets inside." Human gadgets? The Poliwag's expression twists. Humans used to throw stuff in her pond sometimes. Usually it was icky stuff and her parents would chuck it right back at them but every now and then they would toss cool stuff. Oh! Like her locket that she found in a pond after getting lost! If things like that were what Aqua meant then she wanted to see all of the gadgets. "Let's see... My trainer used to have to ride those things, and some of my friends talked about being on boats a lot. They mentioned that it was like... a human hotel that could float?"

Blinking her big eyes the Poliwag tries to imagine humans floating around on a boat that wasn't sunk. Whats a hotel? She means to ask but does not want to interrupt. "So it was a place humans could live comfortably while the boat took them across the ocean." So that's what it was, a house that moved on water? Such a strange thing for humans. All the human dens she had seen were square and rooted to the ground, but it made sense that they would want to be in the wonderful world of the water. "For us, that means we can find lots of stuff meant for humans, like Miss Aqua said. But, we could also find lots of things meant for Pokemon. This includes basic stuff like potions, but we could find other things that humans may have left." Kicking her little feet Bell can feel the excitement building up once again. "I cant wait! I just know there are gonna be such cool things in there!" The possibilities were endless.

"Then there's the chance that other Pokemon have brought things and left them there in the years since the... uh... humans disappeared." Falling still again with confusion the Poliwag flops forward onto her Bell, thinking. "Why would they leave things in there? Are boats like.. a common hiding place for booty stashes?" Wouldn't they just want to keep precious things safe in their homes? "Make sure you hang onto Mr.Thorn tight Ms.Bell." The Poliwag is shaken from her thoughts and realizes her tail was no longer wrapped around the Gyarados' crest. One strong current and she could of been swept off! "Oh, sorry! I got it now!" She apologizes, making her she had a firm grip with her tail. Laying on her belly was really comfy though and she stayed in that position.


The Huntail does her best to tune out the others conversation. While hearing and smell were two completely different things she didn't want anything distracting her from tasting for other presences. Seems pretty clear right now. The scent of things she would consider prey waif by but nothing unusual or threatening. Tapping her tongue against her teeth the eel groans, realizing she is uncomfortably peckish again. Everything she had had today was either small or nasty and the thought of wanting to eat again was unwanted. "If there is as much prey up ahead as you say Ms.Saferi, it might help us later with the plan. Plenty of options then for possible bait." Cocking her head back slightly Saferi nods, "It might even be better if we get some land-dwellers. The heavier kind, and drown 'em so we can bleed them out later." What a sick, wonderful idea that would be. Especially since they only had one really good pair of legs amongst them.

The Huntail slows, feeling the vibrations she had been waiting for. "We're here," She states, feeling for the water shifts with her body while her eyes scan the land. While she can not look above the water and see the river thats only a few yards away the feeling of water bumbling into the ocean is clear in her scales. "You can see the bubbles from the mouth of the river from here." Assured of their location Saferi zooms on ahead, meeting the rivers mouth with a satisfied grin. It was wide, respectably deep, and the flow was not ungodly strong. Even from here she could see where the river widened out into an estuary and the waters mixed. "All's quiet.." She mutters, disturbed by the lack of lifeforms.

((ooc: Please skip me this round.))

"Why would they leave things in there? Are boats like.. a common hiding place for booty stashes?" Bell inquired after Thorn finished his rambling. He thought for a second about a response. He could make guesses, but he really didn't know the answer. He didn't tend to hold onto items for long, and when he lived at the Lake of Rage, he didn't pay much attention to the small boats some of the more daring humans would use. His train of thought was interrupted by Aqua's warning, and feeling Bell shift around on his head while saying, "Oh, sorry! I got it now!"

"I'm not sure about how often boats are used as stash places, if I'm being honest," the Gyarados admitted. He then added in a more encouraging tone, "But... since the boat is so big, it's possible that someone hid something there and then lost it."

Due to his conversation with Bell, he missed part of Saferi and Aqua's conversation, but after hearing something about drowning, he found that he was grateful that he did. He hoped that the little Poliwag didn't hear it either... from what he had heard, drowning was a nasty business. If they were making plans to drown something, he wasn't sure if he could stay to watch. He'd have to leave while they did that if they needed to do this.  Something about watching another living struggle so hard to survive only to fail after a long hard fight sat wrong with him.

The topic changed suddenly when strangely colored Huntail called out, "We're here." She informed them, "You can see the bubbles from the mouth of the river from here." At that tidbit, his eyes scanned the area and found that she was right. Saferi then quickly swam ahead into the river's mouth. Thorn followed behind at a slower pace, but that was so he didn't have another problem stopping. When the group was closer to her, Thorn heard her quietly say, "All's quiet.."  The fact that Saferi appeared on edge quickly made the Gyarados nervous. He also noticed how quiet the area was, and given the area, that was unusual.  Magenta eyes started scanning the area for any signs of life, and he was unconciously adopting an intimidating expression and posture.  His eyes appeared angrier, and he was bearing his fangs.

Quietly he asked, "Think there's something bad here?" If they had to fight... all of the adults had injuries, and Bell needed to be protected. Either they take it out quickly, or they needed to get out.

"I'm not sure about how often boats are used as stash places, if I'm being honest. But... since the boat is so big, it's possible that someone hid something there and then lost it." Tilting herself at the thought Bell's mind pictures the sunken Anne once more. It was a huge boat, totally massive, and losing or forgetting something in there would be so easy. We gotta rescue it then! Even if "it" was still unknown there was something in there and the youth was completely determined to find out what it was.

There is a small tickle in the back of the Poliwag's throat and she gives a massive yawn, tilting her entire body back in the process. Her eyes squeeze shut and it feels good not to have to see for a moment. Maybe the adventuring can wait till morning... The others kept saying that and she could not see their point. Peeking her brown eyes open once more something catches the childs gaze and brings a awestruck smile to her face. "Look Mr. Thorn!" She cheers, "The stars are starting to come out!" It wasn't quiet dark enough for them to truly shine but the tiny glowing dots were just starting to peek out of the red sky. They were so pretty, and later on they would be even prettier.


The eel stares into the riversmouth, utterly still aside from what little resistance was needed not to be pushed back by the waters flow. This was the perfect place for little fish to rest at night but it was rather.. deserted. She does not know why. Had something happened recently and everyone peaced out? "Think there's something bad here?" Thorn asks but the Saferi has no idea that she is putting him on edge. Its not that she thinks something bad was lingering about but more of something bad had been here recently. "Nah," Is her only reply before heading up river.

Scanning the waters carefully Saferi is completely alert to her surroundings as she moves forward. She is not afraid, fear is not an emotion she knows, but cautious- nothing would sneak up on her. The water does not taste of blood, death, or undeath, nor does it have the fresh taste of other living company. Was something hunting here, or did a hunter just pass though? Would they be skilled enough to catch a fish and not draw blood? Or did something trample through the water from the land? While all her senses say something happened here nothing is telling the powerful Huntail to leave. She could defend herself from whatever was here and she was not afraid to do so. Hell, if the place was empty then that was even better as they would not have to fight for the territory.

The river widened and deepened as she reached the pool that was the estuary. Finally, Saferi stopped and looked behind her, as she hadn't once checked to see if the others had followed. Between her and Thorn anything would probably think twice before attacking. Even though the quiet is unnerving the area doesn't feel as foreboding as she once thought. "It's clear." She concludes.

"It might even be better if we get some land-dwellers. The heavier kind, and drown 'em so we can bleed them out later." Aqua couldn't speak. She was appalled. Granted, they had been talking about killing other pokemon for their plans, but not in that way. The sea weasel couldn't tell if the other 'mon was joking or not...though Saferi hardly seemed like the kind to crack a joke. Mercifully, she's spared from having to come up with a response.

"We're here."

Bubbles heralded the opening of the river. The waters here were surprisingly calm in more ways than one. Able to float more easily without the presence of strong currents, Aqua glides through the fresh waters. Nothing else stirs. There is no blood, no corpses, no trace of the schools of little fish that should have been calling this sheltered water home. "Think there's something bad here?" The floatzel gulps, turning her head to the side to glance at her larger companion.

Did he see something? The shiny gyarados was tense--his red coloration highlighting all the more his bared fangs and sharp glare. Suddenly on alert, Aqua's own eyes sweep around the terrain. Twisting her body in a full circle, she checks 360, not able to calm any of the jitters working their way up her spine until she's looked behind them as well. "It's clear." Without a trace of fear, the eel swims towards the estuary. "It could have been empty for a while...something got hungry and left. We're probably alone."

Though they leave her lips much less confidently than intended, the sea weasel follows Saferi. "The stars are starting to come out!" Chancing a glance upward, the unmistakable specks of light were beginning to appear over the darkening sky. Though faint now, it would only be a matter of time before their surroundings became dark enough to really bring out their shine. "Real good thing we didn't go forward with the plan today. Look at how fast it's getting dark. We'd be stumbling around like spindas." Spinning her tails faster, the floatzel swims higher, breaking the surface quietly--just enough to bob her head above water. Taking in several breaths, she squints her eyes to try and see their above-water surroundings in the approaching darkness. "Any idea of what's suppose to be around here?"