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Oh hey an intermission!

It's a really long, so grab some snacks and get comfortable.
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Dolce looked at the water and held himself. He didn't know why he was even going to the temple anyways. Wasn't it dangerous? Who's dumb enough to let a bunch of guild rookies go to a place with a so called spirit who is presumably hostile. He groaned again, "This is so stupid..."

Lagging behind him was Artemis. She was concentrating more on the river it'self than her partner's silent complaining and let out small gasp at the ocassional babbles that rose from it.

Ever lured onward, the cloaked Pokemon could hear the crunching of the rocks against the ground with ever step he took. Save for the few wayward noise of a running river and the rustling of the leaves at the top of the trees, there wasn't much else to even take note of. Except for that light

It was so bizarre. As he went about his business, preparing for the coming battle, a sudden strange light appeared in the distance. Hidden between the trees of the swampy terrain. It's faint yellow glow like a Will-o'-wisp calling to him. The boy swore he saw the faint outline of a Pokemon too, something with a large crest.

A faint, but chilling call echoing to him and him alone as it faded further into the jungle. 'Kooookoooo...', that call forever stuck with him, burned into the recesses of his mind. There was almost no convincing him he hadn't heard anything. And now, he was curious to see what that creature or...thing was. It was always fading into the distance, but never enough not to stop luring him.

Whatever it was, he had to be ready.

Artemis heard something call off in the distance, along with a small faint glow far off. She got down on all fours and took off, leaving a temporarily startled and distraught Ralts behind her. She hopped off following the sound with her well defined ears.

'Koooooooo..'

She stopped half way to catch her breath. Slowly she got back up on her hind legs and looked around. She could still her the strange noise in the distance but she could also hear something- or someone else near by. Her whiskers twitched a bit, stricken with fear as she realized she left Dolce behind. She called out.

"Uhhh, hello? Who's there?"

The hooded boy heard that bizarre call again, however now followed by someone asking who was there. Instinctively, he tensed up, but from the tone of the voice, he could tell they didn't mean any harm. At least he hoped not.

Following where the voice itself came from, he found what he believed to be the source of the voice itself. A small Buneary, at least small compared to himself who was just over 3 feet tall for his species.
"Oh," he said, his ears pricking up at noticing the Pokemon in question.

"Hello there ma'am," he did his best to sound friendly, even though his face was obscured by the hood of his cloak.
"I'm sorry if I startled you. Are you alright? Are you lost?" the boy asked concerned, getting on one knee to try and be at eye level with her.

Artemis was a bit shocked when she saw that a another pokemon had came up and replied to her question. She gave him a warm smile.

"Oh sorry! I uh, was following a sound and this light with my friend. We're looking for this temple place and- oh wait where is Dolly?"

She reminded herself of her missing teammate and looked around for him. There was a rustle in the near by bushes and the shiny Ralts appeared before the two, out of breath and very angry. He stormed up to the Buneary and glared at her.

"Do you understand how dangerous that was?! You could've gotten hurt or lost or- ugh for fuck's sake what if there was some feral pokemon out here?! You gave me a heart attack!"

The smaller Buneary flinched a bit and played with her long ears a bit. The Ralts then looked at the pokemon nearby and glared at him, getting in a defensive stance in front of Artemis and glaring. Despite not being much taller than him he tried his best to look bigger.

"And you are you"

"Oh, right!" He said in realization, jumping slightly himself. The boy's dark blue and furry arms came out from under the black cloak as he reached for his hood. Pulling it down, he revealed himself to be a young Riolu. He couldn't be any older then a child.
"I'm sorry, I was being very rude," with a bow to them both, placing one foot behind the other and placing a paw on his hard leather chest plate, he gave a pleasant and friendly smile.
"My name's Reef. It's a pleasure to meet you both!" his voice couldn't have been any more positive, even if he tried. It was almost as though he oozed kindness from his entire being.

"I was just tracking this odd noise and light a keep seeing out the corner of my eye. It's so strange, it's like it's calling me to somewhere..." He voiced his thoughts out loud as he looked on to where the faint light had originally been, now a lot less obvious, but that very same call kept echoing to him.

'Koooooo...'

He didn't seem all that amused at all by the Riolu's greeting. In fact he was annoyed if anything. Being a Ralts he could pick up emotions and judging by this kid's positive attitude he could sense it from a mile away. He only rolled his eyes at Reef's greeting as he turned around, trying to pick up any other signs of life to try to get close to the temple.

Artemis leaned over in whispered in Reef's ear.

"Excuse Dolly's behavior. He's acts all big and grumpy but actually he's super shy. Anyways, if your looking for the temple as well maybe you can join us-"

"I don't remember saying that he could join us at all. I'd rather have you buzz off and go get lost somewhere else kid."

Dolce had his arms crossed while looking directly at the other two, looking even more annoyed than he did before.

"I'm not really looking for any temple admittedly," Reef said, scratching his cheek fur.
"But if that's where that light leads me, I'll have to take a look and see what it's about. If there's something in the temple that could help with Gilgamarsh, I think we should at least investigate," Reef looked to the Ralts who had displayed such a rather hostile attitude, yet the Riolu really didn't hold any sort of ill will towards him. He could understand in a way.

"If you have an issue with me coming with you, then I'll go ahead and check out the temple first," Reef suggested.
"That way, you can be sure if there's any danger. I'd imagine you'd want to keep your partner safe, yeah?" He looked down towards the Buneary in question.
"So I'll go in first. If I come back, then you know it's safe enough to explore. If I don't come back, then you know not to go in," Reef seemed like he believed he presented a good offer to the Ralts.

"That way, you stand to lose nothing. You don't seem like you'd care if I died, so this is probably the best deal for both of us."

The Buneary didn't seem to like this idea. She fidgeted a bit and panicked.

"What? You can't go in there alone though. You're just a kid and you could get hurt. I'm not gonna let you go in there by yourself."

She looked at her friend and crossed her arms at him.

"If you got a problem with him coming along then I won't go with you. You can stay here alone since you hate being around others so much."

The Ralts flinched a bit at her words. He huffed, he knew she would be this stubborn but at the same time he just didn't want her going in alone, or well with a kid. He especially didn't like the idea of a kid dying on his accord, he already had other things to worry about with his reputation. With a final groan he looked at the two.

"Fine. Bring him along. Just....make sure neither of you get hurt please."

She let out a small cheer and her ears could faintly her the sound of the mysterious creature far off. She got back on all fours again preparing to speed off.

"We better get going. That thing might stop calling and we probably won't be able to find it or the temple if we don't hurry."

"Yeah, good call," Reef nodded, walking forward and following what trace of the call and the light he could find.
From the general direction, it did seem like they were heading in the same direction as the temple, so at the very least their objectives were coinciding somewhat.

"Psst," the boy spoke, leaning over and whispering into the Buneary's ear so her friend couldn't hear him.
"Good going getting him to agree to having me tag along," he winked at her.
"I got the sense he wouldn't let me march off to my death, so I was trying to play on that. Guess you were right: he acts ten foot tall and bulletproof, but he's a real softy," Reef grinned, preventing himself from chuckling.

"Yeah, he's really a nice pokemon once you get to know him. He curses like a sailor though."

She chuckled. She kept one ear focused on the conversation and the other for the noise the creature was making. She turned back to tge Riolu and decided to make small talk.

"Hey uh, if you don't mind me asking, where did you come from anyways Reef?"

"Nowhere in particular," he shrugged.
"I've pretty much been traveling all my life, so I've never really settled down. Tabira is like, the first place I've ever have a home in," the boy wasn't lying, he was telling the truth as best he could.

Really, because of his origins, he couldn't talk about it to much of anyone, but the answer he gave might have sufficed. After all, it was the truth.

"Been here about...a few months now. Own a house and everything. Mind you, the guild pays so well, I don't really know what to do with my money half of the time. It's kinda crazy honestly!" Reef gave a friendly laugh to convey his cheerfulness.

Hopefully this'll get them to loosen up around him. Or at the very least show them he doesn't mean any harm.

"Oh that's so nice! I wish I could travel around like you. Well I also wish I knew where I came from...or who I am..."

She said the last part with a sad tone, but try to cover it up and act as if her amnesia wasnt bothering her.

"Uh, but I'm with Dolly and Luci now and they said I shouldn't worry about it much for now."

Behind them walked Dolce, who's legs were getting tired from all the walking. He could feel they were getting closer to whatever they were looking for, but he couldn't tell where it was. He called to the others in front.

"Hey, can you too stop chatting and be productive for a bit?"

Turning around as he continued to walk backwards, Reef retorted.
"By chatting, our trust in one another will become more solid and we understand each other a little better. That way, whenever we need to work together, we can do so without much trouble," He topped that off with a honest smile.

"So we ARE being productive. We're deepening out bond of trust and getting to know each other as friends. This makes teamwork a lot more easy should we ever need to solve a problem."
There was a sense he was being coy with Dolce, though after a sigh he came back with something more serious.

"How else can we be productive? We're trying to figure out what that cry was and what does it have to do with the temple. The first step in that is to actually GET there. Which we nearly are."

Dolce just let out a huff and mumbled something probably rude under his breath. Artemis stopped moving for a bit and listened. She look back and forth before hopping off into the under brush. After a bit there was a suprised 'Ah' and she hopped back out to the other two of the party.

"I found an entrance! I'm not entirely sure if it's the temple or not but that weird sound is coming from there, I'm sure of it!"

The dark blue Riolu's ears pricked up at hearing what the Buneary had just said. Like he had just discovered the treasure trove to end all treasure troves, a large smile spread across his face.
"Sounds like we found the place we were looking for!" The boy said, taking a step forward through the foliage, Reef laid eyes on what was presumed to be the temple itself.

"Wow..." he said in wonder, seeing the architecture of the building. From all the stylised totem-like assets that laid in front of the enterance, it definitely seemed like the temple he had heard of from a passing conversation.

"Look at this...it's actually kinda amazing..." Reef smiled again, like he was witnessing history play out before his eyes at analysing every brick and mortar that went into creating the structure itself.

Dolce walked into the entrance , he was more scared than he was actually interested in the temple. Deep within the building there was a menacing spirit and he could feel it. He looked at his friend behind him and the Riolu in front. They didn't seem scared at all. He envied them a bit and held himself for comfort.

"L-Let's hurry up this place is giving me chills..."

The Buneary hopped forward. She looked futher down and saw a small light, accompanying it was the sound they have been following.

Koooo!

She flinched a bit and held her ears. Sometimes she wished her hearing wasn't as sensitive as it was.

"I think what we're looking for is down that way. Let's go and see what it is before it runs off or something."

She quickly bounded off deeper into the temple until her body was nothing more than a small pink figure in the distance, leaving the other two off the party on their lonesome.

She stopped as Reef pulled on one of her ears and recoiled it back. She then remebered her slower friend. But she couldn't help but feel her fur stick up on end at the sight before her. I inner sanctum of the tunnel was being guarded by....well Artemis wasn't rewlly sure what this thing was in front of them. It was like a mixed blotch of Yellow, black, and orange. She was about to speak up to it when the spirit let out a sharp

Koooo!

When Dolce had finally caught up he couldn't believe the sight either. The spirit's air was intimidating, almost the point when the young Ralts had to cover his horn just to prevent it from scaring him anymore. He jumped up a bit when the spirit spoke the three of them in a low but smooth voice.

Fight....Fight until only one remains...

Reef shook his head at what he just heard right now. Fight? Them? Was this thing bloody nuts?!
"Whoa, hold up there," Reef said, stepping forward and looking at the strange looking spirit.
"I hardly know these two, yeah, but I'm not gonna hurt them just because some ghost said to!" He almost said in a rather defiant tone, as if he was putting his foot down at the idea of hurting these two he had just met.

The spirit zipped immediately to him, looking Reef dead in the eyes like it was staring into his very soul. Its eyes began to glow a light yellow, with the Riolu's own following suit as his jaw went slack. He looked like he was under some sort of hypnosis.
Reef's mind seemed to go blank as the details of his surroundings fell apart, leaving only himself and the spirit that gazed into his eyes. Its intended words seemed to echo continuously into his mind, like a crazed mantra.

I am Tapu Koko...prove you have what it takes to restore this place to its former glory...fight with everything you have, until one remains...

Reef recoiled, as though there was a sudden attack on his mind. He held it as he could feel a headache coming on as he processed everything he had just heard. It was very little, but it almost felt like each word carried weight that caused his mind to throb in pain.

"Tapu...Koko...?" he said, trying to get his bearings. It seemed like only he had heard the spirits voice just now. But he did wonder what his new friends were hearing.

Dolce gazed up at the spirit, he could feel it's eyes piercing into his very being but could not look away. He was slowly losing hismelf to the being.

"Dolly?"

Her partner didn't reply. He grabbed his head in an attempt to get the spirit out hs mind. It spoke once more, this time a bit harsher.

If you do not fight leave these sacraed grounds. This temple is no place for cowards or the faint of heart. You three are not worthy of entering.

Dolce winced at these words. He didn't want to leave after coming this far, but he also wasnt about to fight this kid or Artemis. He looked at the both of them.

"Well...guess we call it quits here huh?"

"You can leave if you'd like," Reef said without any issue. There was no trace of hate or disdain in his voice, only what appeared to be understanding. Like he knew Dolce didn't want to be here.
"I'm not gonna make you stay if you think your life is in danger. Heck, if you think it'll protect your friend, go ahead," he gave a small smile to the Buneary as he approached the spirit once more. This time looking much more humble.

"Tapu Koko? I'm sorry for my disrespect towards you earlier," he bowed, as if asking for forgiveness.
"However, if you wish to see a battle, I'm sorry but I couldn't bring myself to hurt either of them," again, he seemed as though he was asking to be forgiven for what he was doing.
"But," Reef thought, giving a pondering look. "Perhaps we could 'battle' in another way? Maybe other then fighting? I'm not entirely sure what we could do, but perhaps you could think of a test for us to prove ourselves?"

"Tapu Koko if you don't mind,"

started the shiny Buneary as if adding onto Reef's point.

"Maybe we could have a battle of moves? Maybe not used on each other but see which of us has the strongest or most spectacular one?"

When she spoke it was filled with a bit of uncertainty that she herself wished wasn't there, but kept a smile on her face as she looked up at the entity that called themselves Tapu Koko.

Tapu Koko they seemed like it was thinking one the point Artemis made. There was silence for quite a while, which made Dolce very uncomrtable with the slight tension. He was about to speak up about leaving when Tapu Koko finally spoke.

Very well. I will accept that challenge. I will permit you three to stay under the condition that you compete in a battle of showcasing your moves. Only one move I will allow from each. The one that appeases me most will allow the others and themselves to enter this temple's inner sanctum.

"Sweet!" Reef said the Buneary.
"Good thinking there buddy," he kneeled down and pat her on the head to congratulate her. His ever present pure white smile showing how grateful he was to her for coming up with a challenge where none of them got hurt.

"Alright," Reef said, cracking his joints and loosening up his limbs.
"So which one of us will go first? What order should we do it in?"

"Heh heh, thank you Reef." She said a bit bashfully. She eyed Dolce and fiddled with her ears a bit as if telling him to go first. Dolce groaned and flexed and loosened his muscles a bit. He lifted his one hand up as if summoning something. His eyes and horn flared up the magical and physic energy before he chanted,

Umbras

Slowly his shadow was taking shape into something similar into his own body. It wasn't long though before the Ralts started moving his hand and shaping it into several different kinds of pokemon, sort of like a clown would do with a ballon animal.

Artemis stared in awe of all the different shapes of pokemon Dolce's shadow would make. There was a Gliscor, a Frogider, an Ampharos, a Meowstic and one in the shape of a Gallade.

Dolce then finally withdrew his shadow back and held his chest while take deep breaths.

"That..took a lot more out of me than expected.." he huffed.

Reef stood there, mouth agape as he witnessed what the Ralts had just preformed. Knocking the daze out of his mind and shaking himself back to reality, he quickly rushed over to the Psychic/Fairy type's side and offered him some support with his shoulder.
"Whoa there," he said, catching the Ralts to prevents him from falling over.
"You alright there, mate?" he asked in a concerned tone before clearing his throat.

"Geez, ain't nothing I got is as impressive as that," he seemed to downplay his own abilities for one reason or another. Perhaps he was just too humble.
"So should I go next or does my little buddy get to strut her stuff?" Reef spoke, pointing a finger towards the Buneary.

Dolce slowly pushed Reef away from himself, not with enough strength to send the boy stumbling but just enough to get him off. He was holding his chest as he caught his breath.

"I'm...fine. I'm fine. Artemis you go next."

The shiny Buneary jumped up a bit and toyed with her ear nervously. She twitched around anxiously.

"Uh um, okay. Here goes."

She closed her eyes as she tried to focus. Nothing much happened for a bit but after a while a little spark of static was forming around her. Nothing else happened after that though. Her partner just stared at her confused.

"What was that?"

He asked crossing his arms. She held her arm and chuckled a bit, as if trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Uh, that was Shock Wave...um, how about Reef goes next?"

"Uh...alright," Reef shrugged, not entirely sure what he had just saw himself.
"I don't have many interesting moves, but I think I can still put on a show," With that, he stretched out his arms and legs. readying himself for his own display.

The Riolu slowly draw the cutlass from its sheath that rested in his red waist sash. Holding it out in front of himself, he placed his other paw over it, like he was channeling something through the blade.
Within seconds, the entire length of the sword was coated in a pale green light.
"Furry Cutter," the boy mumbled to himself to stay focused.

All at once, he unleashed a flurry of cuts at the air in front of him, twirling the blade in a styling display of what could only be called a dance. After giving a spinning slash, he threw the cutlass into the air, causing the energy infused in the blade to leave a trail of afterglow as it spun into the air. Without missing a beat, Reef planted a paw onto the ground and shifted all of his weight towards it. With that, he lifted his body into the air by a single-handed handstand!

Just as the blade came back down, the boy grabbed the handle of the cutlass with his foot! He continued his display of agility and almost acrobatic fighting, almost like he was breakdancing. The glow of the Furry Cutter's trail creating rather exciting looking patterns as he continued his dance. After a good minute of his display, he threw the blade back into the air with the foot he caught it with. Using all of his might, he pushed down and launched himself back onto his feet! Extending his arm, he caught his sword by the handle and sheathed it once the light green glow had vanished.

"How was that? Was that alright?" His tone was as innocent as could be. Like a child who was trying to follow instructions in order to complete a task correctly.

The two stood there, their mouths agape. Even Tau Koko who looked so monotone seemed impressed. The spirit cleared their throat and spoke up.

Well, it seems we have a victor. Young Riolu, you have impressed me. You and your party may pass.

Artemis went over and congratulated Reef. She wrapped her ears around him as if in a hug.

"Wow that was so cool! I can't even doing anything like that! I'm not even sure Dolly can."

As if insulted a bit the Ralts groaned and shrugged, trying to down play the Riolu.

"I mean, it was fairly entertaining for a child."

"Ahahaha, thanks little buddy," Reef smiled, returning the Buneary's hug.
"Honestly, I don't really think I deserve it," h admitted, standing up after he retracted his hug.
"It was just Furry Cutter. There really wasn't anything special about it," he looked over to The spirit, bowing to it with respect.

"But thank you none the less, Tapu Koko. I'm happy I was able to impress you. Thank you for agreeing to my friend's suggestion. I appreciate it very much."

Tapu Koko bowed back towards Reef. They turned towards the door sealing the inner sanctum of the temple and opened it for them.

Please, take whatever you need. You have proven to me worthy so you will be rewarded generously. Thank you for proving your worth to me young Riolu. And you two as well young Buneary and Ralts.

After speaking, Tapu Koko vanished in a flash of light, where it disappeared to is unknown though. Artemis slowly walk towards the newly opened entrance and looked inside the room with awe. There was spoils of past battles everywhere and...something that looked like broken down machinery too. She looked back at the others.

"You guys have to come see this!"

Without a seconds hesitation, Reef dashed to Artemis's side. Coming to a stop in front of the machinery that see seemed to have found.
"Huh, nice find there little buddy," Reef gave a small smile and a pat on the head to the Buneary.
"I...Don't really know what it does though," Reef said with an exasperated expression.
"Don't know WHAT it is either," he added afterwards.

She placed a paw of the strange object. It was cold and rusted. Artemis too her paw away from it as Dolce rushed to them. He looke at the machine and cocked his head to the side.

"You think this may be what they want? I don't know how they'd expect us to get it back..."

"Maybe we could carry it?"

Artemis said half jokingly half serious, earning herself a glare from her partner.

Without even asking, Reef approached the machinery itself. Dusting his paws off, he placed his paws in a good position along the base of the device itself. After taking a breath, he got to work.

Reef's arms and legs begun to surge with power, the outlines of veins and the splits between each of his practically rippling muscles underneath his dark blue fur. With some effort, he was able to make the object move. The machinery lifting over Reef's head as he stood firm to make sure he didn't drop it.

It was pretty clear from the grunts and the look on his face that the machine was pretty heavy to him. But it seemed as though he was willing to carry the thing all the way out of the temple. Think of it as training, he thought to himself over and over again like a sort of insane mantra.
"Al...Alright!" Reef was able to grunt out, his biceps seemingly ready to burst through the skin underneath his fur.
"Where do you guys...want me to put this thing?!" He adjusted himself so that the weight was evenly spread out so he could easily carry it. He still seemed to be struggling.

"Wait what?! You can't carry that by yourself, you'll sprain your arms or legs. Here let Dolly and I help."

Though she doubted she could lighten the load Artemis placed both her ears on the machinery and using all the strength she could muster lift the machine up a bit. Dolce stood their in confusion for a bit.

"You two I can make it levitate for a bit if you want. Stop before you hurt yourselves."

He focused on the machine and a light purple arua seemed to appear around it and his horns as well. He couldn't do this for long but he could at least make it easier for the both of them to carry. The ralts placed a hand on his head and let his fingers slip through his blue hair.

"Ow...fuck this is gonna be one terrible headache tomorrow.." he mumbled.

"Oh...sorry guys...!" Reef grunted as he started to walk with the machine in tow, making sure not to leave Artemis behind.
"I just sorta...started acting without thinking. Sorry about that!" he gave a weary smile to show that the action was indeed without proper foresight, as he just wanted to help them move the contraption itself, he didn't really think too much on the how.

Oh the irony, he could think of ways to trick and fool his enemies in the heat of battle, but he couldn't have the thought process of how to lift something without hurting his entire body.
"I think I can see daylight!" Reef said, noticing the sharp rays of light spilling in from the temple's entrance.

Artemis was excited to see sunlight again after being in that temple for so long. She wanted to go ahead of everyone else and run straight outside but she prevented herself from doing so because she remembered that she had to hold the machine. She looked at Dolce, who was walking beside them with one hand still on his head. Then she looked at Reef.

"Hey um, what are you guys gonna do after this?" she asked.

Dolce never really thought about what they would do after this job to be honest. He was really going to look for more jobs to do to get a house for Artemis, Luciel and him to stay in. But then he remembered the upcoming battle with that swamp witch.

"i'll probably have to fight that witch, Gligarmarsh I think he was called. Tch, how pathetic a witch like him got himself cornered like that."

"I'll do the same..." Reef said, seeming as though he was lost in thought. After placing the machine down gently, his gaze was locked onto the horizon. Giving a sigh, he looked to his paw. As smooth and soft as they seemed, there was an obvious look to them that they had experienced a lot of hardship and exhausting work.

Gripping his paw into a fist so tightly that it shook with intensity, it almost seemed like Reef's smile had disappeared from his face. "Gilgamarsh needs to pay for everything he's done," the young Riolu growled.
"The pain, the suffering, all the innocents that were hurt because of him, and all the lowlife scum that took advantage of the weak because of what he's done...," the seemingly now calm yet enraged Fighting-type lowered his clenched fist, yet he never loosened his grip.

"He needs to answer for it all. I'll drag him back kicking and screaming to Tabira to face justice if I have to..."

Artemis placed one of her ears on Reef's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. She glanced over at Dolce, who seemed to be thinking about something.

"I wish I could help you uys fight...I don't want Gligamarsh doing terrible things to others anymore but at the same time I don't want you, Dolly, anyone getting hurt.."

She stopped and shook the thought out of her mind. Dolce was a witch, just like Gligarmarsh. He can handle himself. And Reef seemed pretty capable even for a kid.

"I don't really care what happens to Gligamarsh. Honestly, he can run rampant for all I care he's these peoples promblems not mine. But nope, I just had to get involved huh?"

He groaned. The Buneary felt this was partially her fault. She was the one who pressured him to join the guilds in the first place. She wrapped her free ear around Dolce's shoulder to calm him down.

"No offence, mate," Reef replied. "But I think that's a pretty poor attitude to have towards Gilgamarsh."

Reef stood up and walked over to Artemis, patting her on the head as reassurance that he himself was alright.
"You DO know what that Goodra has done, right?" Reef asked rhetorically.
"He's poisoned the water supplies of nearly every major settlement along the west coast. Water that people use to wash their cloths, to drink, cook, and who knows what else," Reef begun to explain to the seemingly apathetic Ralts.

The boy sighed and gave a shrug. "But I guess that's not what you care about, huh?" Before getting his answer, he pointed towards Artemis.
"So let me put it into perspective. Your friend here could have been infected herself if she drank any of the water that he polluted with his sludge. How would you feel if that happened?"

Reef stood up again, looking over the machinery that they brought out. "And it eventually would have happened, because if no one cared about what Gilgamarsh was ding, we'd all be sucking down his bile right now, desperate for drinking water and we'd be turned into his slaves."

The Riolu took a few breaths to calm down, and he turned back to the Ralts.
"I'm sorry for that, I was out of line," he bow in apology.
"If you don't believe he has anything to do with you, then that's alright. It's your opinion after all," Reef sighed as he placed a paw on his hip.
"But I believe it's important to realize how much of a threat Gilgamash is. If he was left to his own devices, more and more people would suffer. And who's to say one of those people won't be someone you care about?"

"I don't mean to force my opinion on you, not at all," Reef made apparent towards the Ralts.
"But I do think it's worth looking at what sort of damage this witch can do if he kept going like he has. He isn't just 'these peoples' problem. He's the entire regions problem. And I'm going to do my best to make sure he answers for everything he's ever done," Reef sounded much more determined now, not angry. But ready to face the witch.

"Anyway, I'm sorry you had to hear all of that, please forgive me," he said, hanging his head in slight sorrow.

Dolce never really thought about it that way. He never really had many he cared about but now that he had a few, this could've been his problem now. But he refused to accept the idea that this could've spread further. The guilds could handle it, right? He sat there pondering, thinking about what to say or day. Finally he just shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"Whatever..." he mumbled.

Artemis walked over to Reef and sighed. She really wanted to tell him that Dolce was a witch himself and the reason why he acts like he doesn't care. But she's not sure how the Ralts would react giving his secret out like that. Instead the rabbit pokemon just hugged Reef quickly and got ready to leave with her partner.

"Thanks again for helping us! I'm very sorry about dragging you into this with us, and Dolly's attitude. I know he's rude but like I said he's just shy and has some very strict morals he goes by. Please don't hate him." she said looking towards the ground.

It was always awkward how she ended up apologizing for what her partner did. Always trying to make the other party not see him as some jerk who doesn't have manners.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Reef chuckled.
"Life's far too short for hate. Besides, I prefer to make friends rather then enemies," he gave the little Buneary a big strong hug, showing her that he considered them friends.

Leaning inwards to whisper to her, he held a paw in front of his mouth. "I know he probably has his reasons, so I don't hold it against him." Giving a wink, he stood back up and stretched.

"Well, I'm glad I could help, at least a little bit," he gave them both a smile before turning around. He began to walk, only to suddenly remember something and turn back to face the Ralts and Buneary.
"Oh yeah! You guys haven't told me your names," he mentioned. "I mean, I got 'Dolly', but I'm guessing that's a nickname."

Dolce walked off, preferring not to give Reef his name. He carried the machine using his telekinesis. Artemis looked at him and sighed. She waved towards Reef and gave him a smile.

"My name's Artemis! And his name is Dolce! Thank you for helping us Reef! Oh and please be safe when you're fighting Gligarmarsh! I hope I get to meet you again, and I'm sure Dolly does too!"

With that the rabbit pokemon hopped off to join her partner as the walked back to where they came from and complete the job.

"I hope we meet again too, Arty!" Reef had suddenly thought up the nickname for the Buneary, not entirely sold on it. He'll have to think of a better one by the time he sees her again.
"You and Dolace be safe now, alright? I'll see you two later!" He waved goodbye as he headed off on his own. Now, even more determined then ever not to let the swamp witch have his way.

With Pokemon like Artemis and Dolce wishing him luck, he had to pull out every trick in the book in order to survive battling that creature. But, he knew he could do it. For the sake of everyone who suffered because of him, and for the sake of all his friends.
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Reef belongs to

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Oh hey an intermission!

It's a really long, so grab some snacks and get comfortable.
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Dolce looked at the water and held himself. He didn't know why he was even going to the temple anyways. Wasn't it dangerous? Who's dumb enough to let a bunch of guild rookies go to a place with a so called spirit who is presumably hostile. He groaned again, "This is so stupid..."

Lagging behind him was Artemis. She was concentrating more on the river it'self than her partner's silent complaining and let out small gasp at the ocassional babbles that rose from it.

Ever lured onward, the cloaked Pokemon could hear the crunching of the rocks against the ground with ever step he took. Save for the few wayward noise of a running river and the rustling of the leaves at the top of the trees, there wasn't much else to even take note of. Except for that light

It was so bizarre. As he went about his business, preparing for the coming battle, a sudden strange light appeared in the distance. Hidden between the trees of the swampy terrain. It's faint yellow glow like a Will-o'-wisp calling to him. The boy swore he saw the faint outline of a Pokemon too, something with a large crest.

A faint, but chilling call echoing to him and him alone as it faded further into the jungle. 'Kooookoooo...', that call forever stuck with him, burned into the recesses of his mind. There was almost no convincing him he hadn't heard anything. And now, he was curious to see what that creature or...thing was. It was always fading into the distance, but never enough not to stop luring him.

Whatever it was, he had to be ready.

Artemis heard something call off in the distance, along with a small faint glow far off. She got down on all fours and took off, leaving a temporarily startled and distraught Ralts behind her. She hopped off following the sound with her well defined ears.

'Koooooooo..'

She stopped half way to catch her breath. Slowly she got back up on her hind legs and looked around. She could still her the strange noise in the distance but she could also hear something- or someone else near by. Her whiskers twitched a bit, stricken with fear as she realized she left Dolce behind. She called out.

"Uhhh, hello? Who's there?"

The hooded boy heard that bizarre call again, however now followed by someone asking who was there. Instinctively, he tensed up, but from the tone of the voice, he could tell they didn't mean any harm. At least he hoped not.

Following where the voice itself came from, he found what he believed to be the source of the voice itself. A small Buneary, at least small compared to himself who was just over 3 feet tall for his species.
"Oh," he said, his ears pricking up at noticing the Pokemon in question.

"Hello there ma'am," he did his best to sound friendly, even though his face was obscured by the hood of his cloak.
"I'm sorry if I startled you. Are you alright? Are you lost?" the boy asked concerned, getting on one knee to try and be at eye level with her.

Artemis was a bit shocked when she saw that a another pokemon had came up and replied to her question. She gave him a warm smile.

"Oh sorry! I uh, was following a sound and this light with my friend. We're looking for this temple place and- oh wait where is Dolly?"

She reminded herself of her missing teammate and looked around for him. There was a rustle in the near by bushes and the shiny Ralts appeared before the two, out of breath and very angry. He stormed up to the Buneary and glared at her.

"Do you understand how dangerous that was?! You could've gotten hurt or lost or- ugh for fuck's sake what if there was some feral pokemon out here?! You gave me a heart attack!"

The smaller Buneary flinched a bit and played with her long ears a bit. The Ralts then looked at the pokemon nearby and glared at him, getting in a defensive stance in front of Artemis and glaring. Despite not being much taller than him he tried his best to look bigger.

"And you are you"

"Oh, right!" He said in realization, jumping slightly himself. The boy's dark blue and furry arms came out from under the black cloak as he reached for his hood. Pulling it down, he revealed himself to be a young Riolu. He couldn't be any older then a child.
"I'm sorry, I was being very rude," with a bow to them both, placing one foot behind the other and placing a paw on his hard leather chest plate, he gave a pleasant and friendly smile.
"My name's Reef. It's a pleasure to meet you both!" his voice couldn't have been any more positive, even if he tried. It was almost as though he oozed kindness from his entire being.

"I was just tracking this odd noise and light a keep seeing out the corner of my eye. It's so strange, it's like it's calling me to somewhere..." He voiced his thoughts out loud as he looked on to where the faint light had originally been, now a lot less obvious, but that very same call kept echoing to him.

'Koooooo...'

He didn't seem all that amused at all by the Riolu's greeting. In fact he was annoyed if anything. Being a Ralts he could pick up emotions and judging by this kid's positive attitude he could sense it from a mile away. He only rolled his eyes at Reef's greeting as he turned around, trying to pick up any other signs of life to try to get close to the temple.

Artemis leaned over in whispered in Reef's ear.

"Excuse Dolly's behavior. He's acts all big and grumpy but actually he's super shy. Anyways, if your looking for the temple as well maybe you can join us-"

"I don't remember saying that he could join us at all. I'd rather have you buzz off and go get lost somewhere else kid."

Dolce had his arms crossed while looking directly at the other two, looking even more annoyed than he did before.

"I'm not really looking for any temple admittedly," Reef said, scratching his cheek fur.
"But if that's where that light leads me, I'll have to take a look and see what it's about. If there's something in the temple that could help with Gilgamarsh, I think we should at least investigate," Reef looked to the Ralts who had displayed such a rather hostile attitude, yet the Riolu really didn't hold any sort of ill will towards him. He could understand in a way.

"If you have an issue with me coming with you, then I'll go ahead and check out the temple first," Reef suggested.
"That way, you can be sure if there's any danger. I'd imagine you'd want to keep your partner safe, yeah?" He looked down towards the Buneary in question.
"So I'll go in first. If I come back, then you know it's safe enough to explore. If I don't come back, then you know not to go in," Reef seemed like he believed he presented a good offer to the Ralts.

"That way, you stand to lose nothing. You don't seem like you'd care if I died, so this is probably the best deal for both of us."

The Buneary didn't seem to like this idea. She fidgeted a bit and panicked.

"What? You can't go in there alone though. You're just a kid and you could get hurt. I'm not gonna let you go in there by yourself."

She looked at her friend and crossed her arms at him.

"If you got a problem with him coming along then I won't go with you. You can stay here alone since you hate being around others so much."

The Ralts flinched a bit at her words. He huffed, he knew she would be this stubborn but at the same time he just didn't want her going in alone, or well with a kid. He especially didn't like the idea of a kid dying on his accord, he already had other things to worry about with his reputation. With a final groan he looked at the two.

"Fine. Bring him along. Just....make sure neither of you get hurt please."

She let out a small cheer and her ears could faintly her the sound of the mysterious creature far off. She got back on all fours again preparing to speed off.

"We better get going. That thing might stop calling and we probably won't be able to find it or the temple if we don't hurry."

"Yeah, good call," Reef nodded, walking forward and following what trace of the call and the light he could find.
From the general direction, it did seem like they were heading in the same direction as the temple, so at the very least their objectives were coinciding somewhat.

"Psst," the boy spoke, leaning over and whispering into the Buneary's ear so her friend couldn't hear him.
"Good going getting him to agree to having me tag along," he winked at her.
"I got the sense he wouldn't let me march off to my death, so I was trying to play on that. Guess you were right: he acts ten foot tall and bulletproof, but he's a real softy," Reef grinned, preventing himself from chuckling.

"Yeah, he's really a nice pokemon once you get to know him. He curses like a sailor though."

She chuckled. She kept one ear focused on the conversation and the other for the noise the creature was making. She turned back to tge Riolu and decided to make small talk.

"Hey uh, if you don't mind me asking, where did you come from anyways Reef?"

"Nowhere in particular," he shrugged.
"I've pretty much been traveling all my life, so I've never really settled down. Tabira is like, the first place I've ever have a home in," the boy wasn't lying, he was telling the truth as best he could.

Really, because of his origins, he couldn't talk about it to much of anyone, but the answer he gave might have sufficed. After all, it was the truth.

"Been here about...a few months now. Own a house and everything. Mind you, the guild pays so well, I don't really know what to do with my money half of the time. It's kinda crazy honestly!" Reef gave a friendly laugh to convey his cheerfulness.

Hopefully this'll get them to loosen up around him. Or at the very least show them he doesn't mean any harm.

"Oh that's so nice! I wish I could travel around like you. Well I also wish I knew where I came from...or who I am..."

She said the last part with a sad tone, but try to cover it up and act as if her amnesia wasnt bothering her.

"Uh, but I'm with Dolly and Luci now and they said I shouldn't worry about it much for now."

Behind them walked Dolce, who's legs were getting tired from all the walking. He could feel they were getting closer to whatever they were looking for, but he couldn't tell where it was. He called to the others in front.

"Hey, can you too stop chatting and be productive for a bit?"

Turning around as he continued to walk backwards, Reef retorted.
"By chatting, our trust in one another will become more solid and we understand each other a little better. That way, whenever we need to work together, we can do so without much trouble," He topped that off with a honest smile.

"So we ARE being productive. We're deepening out bond of trust and getting to know each other as friends. This makes teamwork a lot more easy should we ever need to solve a problem."
There was a sense he was being coy with Dolce, though after a sigh he came back with something more serious.

"How else can we be productive? We're trying to figure out what that cry was and what does it have to do with the temple. The first step in that is to actually GET there. Which we nearly are."

Dolce just let out a huff and mumbled something probably rude under his breath. Artemis stopped moving for a bit and listened. She look back and forth before hopping off into the under brush. After a bit there was a suprised 'Ah' and she hopped back out to the other two of the party.

"I found an entrance! I'm not entirely sure if it's the temple or not but that weird sound is coming from there, I'm sure of it!"

The dark blue Riolu's ears pricked up at hearing what the Buneary had just said. Like he had just discovered the treasure trove to end all treasure troves, a large smile spread across his face.
"Sounds like we found the place we were looking for!" The boy said, taking a step forward through the foliage, Reef laid eyes on what was presumed to be the temple itself.

"Wow..." he said in wonder, seeing the architecture of the building. From all the stylised totem-like assets that laid in front of the enterance, it definitely seemed like the temple he had heard of from a passing conversation.

"Look at this...it's actually kinda amazing..." Reef smiled again, like he was witnessing history play out before his eyes at analysing every brick and mortar that went into creating the structure itself.

Dolce walked into the entrance , he was more scared than he was actually interested in the temple. Deep within the building there was a menacing spirit and he could feel it. He looked at his friend behind him and the Riolu in front. They didn't seem scared at all. He envied them a bit and held himself for comfort.

"L-Let's hurry up this place is giving me chills..."

The Buneary hopped forward. She looked futher down and saw a small light, accompanying it was the sound they have been following.

Koooo!

She flinched a bit and held her ears. Sometimes she wished her hearing wasn't as sensitive as it was.

"I think what we're looking for is down that way. Let's go and see what it is before it runs off or something."

She quickly bounded off deeper into the temple until her body was nothing more than a small pink figure in the distance, leaving the other two off the party on their lonesome.

She stopped as Reef pulled on one of her ears and recoiled it back. She then remebered her slower friend. But she couldn't help but feel her fur stick up on end at the sight before her. I inner sanctum of the tunnel was being guarded by....well Artemis wasn't rewlly sure what this thing was in front of them. It was like a mixed blotch of Yellow, black, and orange. She was about to speak up to it when the spirit let out a sharp

Koooo!

When Dolce had finally caught up he couldn't believe the sight either. The spirit's air was intimidating, almost the point when the young Ralts had to cover his horn just to prevent it from scaring him anymore. He jumped up a bit when the spirit spoke the three of them in a low but smooth voice.

Fight....Fight until only one remains...

Reef shook his head at what he just heard right now. Fight? Them? Was this thing bloody nuts?!
"Whoa, hold up there," Reef said, stepping forward and looking at the strange looking spirit.
"I hardly know these two, yeah, but I'm not gonna hurt them just because some ghost said to!" He almost said in a rather defiant tone, as if he was putting his foot down at the idea of hurting these two he had just met.

The spirit zipped immediately to him, looking Reef dead in the eyes like it was staring into his very soul. Its eyes began to glow a light yellow, with the Riolu's own following suit as his jaw went slack. He looked like he was under some sort of hypnosis.
Reef's mind seemed to go blank as the details of his surroundings fell apart, leaving only himself and the spirit that gazed into his eyes. Its intended words seemed to echo continuously into his mind, like a crazed mantra.

I am Tapu Koko...prove you have what it takes to restore this place to its former glory...fight with everything you have, until one remains...

Reef recoiled, as though there was a sudden attack on his mind. He held it as he could feel a headache coming on as he processed everything he had just heard. It was very little, but it almost felt like each word carried weight that caused his mind to throb in pain.

"Tapu...Koko...?" he said, trying to get his bearings. It seemed like only he had heard the spirits voice just now. But he did wonder what his new friends were hearing.

Dolce gazed up at the spirit, he could feel it's eyes piercing into his very being but could not look away. He was slowly losing hismelf to the being.

"Dolly?"

Her partner didn't reply. He grabbed his head in an attempt to get the spirit out hs mind. It spoke once more, this time a bit harsher.

If you do not fight leave these sacraed grounds. This temple is no place for cowards or the faint of heart. You three are not worthy of entering.

Dolce winced at these words. He didn't want to leave after coming this far, but he also wasnt about to fight this kid or Artemis. He looked at the both of them.

"Well...guess we call it quits here huh?"

"You can leave if you'd like," Reef said without any issue. There was no trace of hate or disdain in his voice, only what appeared to be understanding. Like he knew Dolce didn't want to be here.
"I'm not gonna make you stay if you think your life is in danger. Heck, if you think it'll protect your friend, go ahead," he gave a small smile to the Buneary as he approached the spirit once more. This time looking much more humble.

"Tapu Koko? I'm sorry for my disrespect towards you earlier," he bowed, as if asking for forgiveness.
"However, if you wish to see a battle, I'm sorry but I couldn't bring myself to hurt either of them," again, he seemed as though he was asking to be forgiven for what he was doing.
"But," Reef thought, giving a pondering look. "Perhaps we could 'battle' in another way? Maybe other then fighting? I'm not entirely sure what we could do, but perhaps you could think of a test for us to prove ourselves?"

"Tapu Koko if you don't mind,"

started the shiny Buneary as if adding onto Reef's point.

"Maybe we could have a battle of moves? Maybe not used on each other but see which of us has the strongest or most spectacular one?"

When she spoke it was filled with a bit of uncertainty that she herself wished wasn't there, but kept a smile on her face as she looked up at the entity that called themselves Tapu Koko.

Tapu Koko they seemed like it was thinking one the point Artemis made. There was silence for quite a while, which made Dolce very uncomrtable with the slight tension. He was about to speak up about leaving when Tapu Koko finally spoke.

Very well. I will accept that challenge. I will permit you three to stay under the condition that you compete in a battle of showcasing your moves. Only one move I will allow from each. The one that appeases me most will allow the others and themselves to enter this temple's inner sanctum.

"Sweet!" Reef said the Buneary.
"Good thinking there buddy," he kneeled down and pat her on the head to congratulate her. His ever present pure white smile showing how grateful he was to her for coming up with a challenge where none of them got hurt.

"Alright," Reef said, cracking his joints and loosening up his limbs.
"So which one of us will go first? What order should we do it in?"

"Heh heh, thank you Reef." She said a bit bashfully. She eyed Dolce and fiddled with her ears a bit as if telling him to go first. Dolce groaned and flexed and loosened his muscles a bit. He lifted his one hand up as if summoning something. His eyes and horn flared up the magical and physic energy before he chanted,

Umbras

Slowly his shadow was taking shape into something similar into his own body. It wasn't long though before the Ralts started moving his hand and shaping it into several different kinds of pokemon, sort of like a clown would do with a ballon animal.

Artemis stared in awe of all the different shapes of pokemon Dolce's shadow would make. There was a Gliscor, a Frogider, an Ampharos, a Meowstic and one in the shape of a Gallade.

Dolce then finally withdrew his shadow back and held his chest while take deep breaths.

"That..took a lot more out of me than expected.." he huffed.

Reef stood there, mouth agape as he witnessed what the Ralts had just preformed. Knocking the daze out of his mind and shaking himself back to reality, he quickly rushed over to the Psychic/Fairy type's side and offered him some support with his shoulder.
"Whoa there," he said, catching the Ralts to prevents him from falling over.
"You alright there, mate?" he asked in a concerned tone before clearing his throat.

"Geez, ain't nothing I got is as impressive as that," he seemed to downplay his own abilities for one reason or another. Perhaps he was just too humble.
"So should I go next or does my little buddy get to strut her stuff?" Reef spoke, pointing a finger towards the Buneary.

Dolce slowly pushed Reef away from himself, not with enough strength to send the boy stumbling but just enough to get him off. He was holding his chest as he caught his breath.

"I'm...fine. I'm fine. Artemis you go next."

The shiny Buneary jumped up a bit and toyed with her ear nervously. She twitched around anxiously.

"Uh um, okay. Here goes."

She closed her eyes as she tried to focus. Nothing much happened for a bit but after a while a little spark of static was forming around her. Nothing else happened after that though. Her partner just stared at her confused.

"What was that?"

He asked crossing his arms. She held her arm and chuckled a bit, as if trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Uh, that was Shock Wave...um, how about Reef goes next?"

"Uh...alright," Reef shrugged, not entirely sure what he had just saw himself.
"I don't have many interesting moves, but I think I can still put on a show," With that, he stretched out his arms and legs. readying himself for his own display.

The Riolu slowly draw the cutlass from its sheath that rested in his red waist sash. Holding it out in front of himself, he placed his other paw over it, like he was channeling something through the blade.
Within seconds, the entire length of the sword was coated in a pale green light.
"Furry Cutter," the boy mumbled to himself to stay focused.

All at once, he unleashed a flurry of cuts at the air in front of him, twirling the blade in a styling display of what could only be called a dance. After giving a spinning slash, he threw the cutlass into the air, causing the energy infused in the blade to leave a trail of afterglow as it spun into the air. Without missing a beat, Reef planted a paw onto the ground and shifted all of his weight towards it. With that, he lifted his body into the air by a single-handed handstand!

Just as the blade came back down, the boy grabbed the handle of the cutlass with his foot! He continued his display of agility and almost acrobatic fighting, almost like he was breakdancing. The glow of the Furry Cutter's trail creating rather exciting looking patterns as he continued his dance. After a good minute of his display, he threw the blade back into the air with the foot he caught it with. Using all of his might, he pushed down and launched himself back onto his feet! Extending his arm, he caught his sword by the handle and sheathed it once the light green glow had vanished.

"How was that? Was that alright?" His tone was as innocent as could be. Like a child who was trying to follow instructions in order to complete a task correctly.

The two stood there, their mouths agape. Even Tau Koko who looked so monotone seemed impressed. The spirit cleared their throat and spoke up.

Well, it seems we have a victor. Young Riolu, you have impressed me. You and your party may pass.

Artemis went over and congratulated Reef. She wrapped her ears around him as if in a hug.

"Wow that was so cool! I can't even doing anything like that! I'm not even sure Dolly can."

As if insulted a bit the Ralts groaned and shrugged, trying to down play the Riolu.

"I mean, it was fairly entertaining for a child."

"Ahahaha, thanks little buddy," Reef smiled, returning the Buneary's hug.
"Honestly, I don't really think I deserve it," h admitted, standing up after he retracted his hug.
"It was just Furry Cutter. There really wasn't anything special about it," he looked over to The spirit, bowing to it with respect.

"But thank you none the less, Tapu Koko. I'm happy I was able to impress you. Thank you for agreeing to my friend's suggestion. I appreciate it very much."

Tapu Koko bowed back towards Reef. They turned towards the door sealing the inner sanctum of the temple and opened it for them.

Please, take whatever you need. You have proven to me worthy so you will be rewarded generously. Thank you for proving your worth to me young Riolu. And you two as well young Buneary and Ralts.

After speaking, Tapu Koko vanished in a flash of light, where it disappeared to is unknown though. Artemis slowly walk towards the newly opened entrance and looked inside the room with awe. There was spoils of past battles everywhere and...something that looked like broken down machinery too. She looked back at the others.

"You guys have to come see this!"

Without a seconds hesitation, Reef dashed to Artemis's side. Coming to a stop in front of the machinery that see seemed to have found.
"Huh, nice find there little buddy," Reef gave a small smile and a pat on the head to the Buneary.
"I...Don't really know what it does though," Reef said with an exasperated expression.
"Don't know WHAT it is either," he added afterwards.

She placed a paw of the strange object. It was cold and rusted. Artemis too her paw away from it as Dolce rushed to them. He looke at the machine and cocked his head to the side.

"You think this may be what they want? I don't know how they'd expect us to get it back..."

"Maybe we could carry it?"

Artemis said half jokingly half serious, earning herself a glare from her partner.

Without even asking, Reef approached the machinery itself. Dusting his paws off, he placed his paws in a good position along the base of the device itself. After taking a breath, he got to work.

Reef's arms and legs begun to surge with power, the outlines of veins and the splits between each of his practically rippling muscles underneath his dark blue fur. With some effort, he was able to make the object move. The machinery lifting over Reef's head as he stood firm to make sure he didn't drop it.

It was pretty clear from the grunts and the look on his face that the machine was pretty heavy to him. But it seemed as though he was willing to carry the thing all the way out of the temple. Think of it as training, he thought to himself over and over again like a sort of insane mantra.
"Al...Alright!" Reef was able to grunt out, his biceps seemingly ready to burst through the skin underneath his fur.
"Where do you guys...want me to put this thing?!" He adjusted himself so that the weight was evenly spread out so he could easily carry it. He still seemed to be struggling.

"Wait what?! You can't carry that by yourself, you'll sprain your arms or legs. Here let Dolly and I help."

Though she doubted she could lighten the load Artemis placed both her ears on the machinery and using all the strength she could muster lift the machine up a bit. Dolce stood their in confusion for a bit.

"You two I can make it levitate for a bit if you want. Stop before you hurt yourselves."

He focused on the machine and a light purple arua seemed to appear around it and his horns as well. He couldn't do this for long but he could at least make it easier for the both of them to carry. The ralts placed a hand on his head and let his fingers slip through his blue hair.

"Ow...fuck this is gonna be one terrible headache tomorrow.." he mumbled.

"Oh...sorry guys...!" Reef grunted as he started to walk with the machine in tow, making sure not to leave Artemis behind.
"I just sorta...started acting without thinking. Sorry about that!" he gave a weary smile to show that the action was indeed without proper foresight, as he just wanted to help them move the contraption itself, he didn't really think too much on the how.

Oh the irony, he could think of ways to trick and fool his enemies in the heat of battle, but he couldn't have the thought process of how to lift something without hurting his entire body.
"I think I can see daylight!" Reef said, noticing the sharp rays of light spilling in from the temple's entrance.

Artemis was excited to see sunlight again after being in that temple for so long. She wanted to go ahead of everyone else and run straight outside but she prevented herself from doing so because she remembered that she had to hold the machine. She looked at Dolce, who was walking beside them with one hand still on his head. Then she looked at Reef.

"Hey um, what are you guys gonna do after this?" she asked.

Dolce never really thought about what they would do after this job to be honest. He was really going to look for more jobs to do to get a house for Artemis, Luciel and him to stay in. But then he remembered the upcoming battle with that swamp witch.

"i'll probably have to fight that witch, Gligarmarsh I think he was called. Tch, how pathetic a witch like him got himself cornered like that."

"I'll do the same..." Reef said, seeming as though he was lost in thought. After placing the machine down gently, his gaze was locked onto the horizon. Giving a sigh, he looked to his paw. As smooth and soft as they seemed, there was an obvious look to them that they had experienced a lot of hardship and exhausting work.

Gripping his paw into a fist so tightly that it shook with intensity, it almost seemed like Reef's smile had disappeared from his face. "Gilgamarsh needs to pay for everything he's done," the young Riolu growled.
"The pain, the suffering, all the innocents that were hurt because of him, and all the lowlife scum that took advantage of the weak because of what he's done...," the seemingly now calm yet enraged Fighting-type lowered his clenched fist, yet he never loosened his grip.

"He needs to answer for it all. I'll drag him back kicking and screaming to Tabira to face justice if I have to..."

Artemis placed one of her ears on Reef's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. She glanced over at Dolce, who seemed to be thinking about something.

"I wish I could help you uys fight...I don't want Gligamarsh doing terrible things to others anymore but at the same time I don't want you, Dolly, anyone getting hurt.."

She stopped and shook the thought out of her mind. Dolce was a witch, just like Gligarmarsh. He can handle himself. And Reef seemed pretty capable even for a kid.

"I don't really care what happens to Gligamarsh. Honestly, he can run rampant for all I care he's these peoples promblems not mine. But nope, I just had to get involved huh?"

He groaned. The Buneary felt this was partially her fault. She was the one who pressured him to join the guilds in the first place. She wrapped her free ear around Dolce's shoulder to calm him down.

"No offence, mate," Reef replied. "But I think that's a pretty poor attitude to have towards Gilgamarsh."

Reef stood up and walked over to Artemis, patting her on the head as reassurance that he himself was alright.
"You DO know what that Goodra has done, right?" Reef asked rhetorically.
"He's poisoned the water supplies of nearly every major settlement along the west coast. Water that people use to wash their cloths, to drink, cook, and who knows what else," Reef begun to explain to the seemingly apathetic Ralts.

The boy sighed and gave a shrug. "But I guess that's not what you care about, huh?" Before getting his answer, he pointed towards Artemis.
"So let me put it into perspective. Your friend here could have been infected herself if she drank any of the water that he polluted with his sludge. How would you feel if that happened?"

Reef stood up again, looking over the machinery that they brought out. "And it eventually would have happened, because if no one cared about what Gilgamarsh was ding, we'd all be sucking down his bile right now, desperate for drinking water and we'd be turned into his slaves."

The Riolu took a few breaths to calm down, and he turned back to the Ralts.
"I'm sorry for that, I was out of line," he bow in apology.
"If you don't believe he has anything to do with you, then that's alright. It's your opinion after all," Reef sighed as he placed a paw on his hip.
"But I believe it's important to realize how much of a threat Gilgamash is. If he was left to his own devices, more and more people would suffer. And who's to say one of those people won't be someone you care about?"

"I don't mean to force my opinion on you, not at all," Reef made apparent towards the Ralts.
"But I do think it's worth looking at what sort of damage this witch can do if he kept going like he has. He isn't just 'these peoples' problem. He's the entire regions problem. And I'm going to do my best to make sure he answers for everything he's ever done," Reef sounded much more determined now, not angry. But ready to face the witch.

"Anyway, I'm sorry you had to hear all of that, please forgive me," he said, hanging his head in slight sorrow.

Dolce never really thought about it that way. He never really had many he cared about but now that he had a few, this could've been his problem now. But he refused to accept the idea that this could've spread further. The guilds could handle it, right? He sat there pondering, thinking about what to say or day. Finally he just shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"Whatever..." he mumbled.

Artemis walked over to Reef and sighed. She really wanted to tell him that Dolce was a witch himself and the reason why he acts like he doesn't care. But she's not sure how the Ralts would react giving his secret out like that. Instead the rabbit pokemon just hugged Reef quickly and got ready to leave with her partner.

"Thanks again for helping us! I'm very sorry about dragging you into this with us, and Dolly's attitude. I know he's rude but like I said he's just shy and has some very strict morals he goes by. Please don't hate him." she said looking towards the ground.

It was always awkward how she ended up apologizing for what her partner did. Always trying to make the other party not see him as some jerk who doesn't have manners.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Reef chuckled.
"Life's far too short for hate. Besides, I prefer to make friends rather then enemies," he gave the little Buneary a big strong hug, showing her that he considered them friends.

Leaning inwards to whisper to her, he held a paw in front of his mouth. "I know he probably has his reasons, so I don't hold it against him." Giving a wink, he stood back up and stretched.

"Well, I'm glad I could help, at least a little bit," he gave them both a smile before turning around. He began to walk, only to suddenly remember something and turn back to face the Ralts and Buneary.
"Oh yeah! You guys haven't told me your names," he mentioned. "I mean, I got 'Dolly', but I'm guessing that's a nickname."

Dolce walked off, preferring not to give Reef his name. He carried the machine using his telekinesis. Artemis looked at him and sighed. She waved towards Reef and gave him a smile.

"My name's Artemis! And his name is Dolce! Thank you for helping us Reef! Oh and please be safe when you're fighting Gligarmarsh! I hope I get to meet you again, and I'm sure Dolly does too!"

With that the rabbit pokemon hopped off to join her partner as the walked back to where they came from and complete the job.

"I hope we meet again too, Arty!" Reef had suddenly thought up the nickname for the Buneary, not entirely sold on it. He'll have to think of a better one by the time he sees her again.
"You and Dolace be safe now, alright? I'll see you two later!" He waved goodbye as he headed off on his own. Now, even more determined then ever not to let the swamp witch have his way.

With Pokemon like Artemis and Dolce wishing him luck, he had to pull out every trick in the book in order to survive battling that creature. But, he knew he could do it. For the sake of everyone who suffered because of him, and for the sake of all his friends.
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