[ti]closed[/ti][Instance][C/Alicia] LEVEL-3: Moonlit Grotto

Sensing vibrations from Sylvene taking off, the Drilbur pivoted toward the bird, leaping out of the soft soil and tearing into the bird's sensitive underside with METAL CLAWS. Yikes, that looked like it hurt! It was a quick little pest, too: before even the Zebstrika's illusory double could reach the Pokémon, it was already underground, causing the fires to barely graze the mole. Only Sylvene's QUICK ATTACK was fast enough to register full damage.

"That's enough, Raiden, return! Granmarg, you're up!" Josh exchanged the two horse Pokémon, the Mudsdale hitting the ground with a thud that immediately attracted their foe's attention. Moving toward the ground-type with slightly higher speed than before, Josh kept an eye on the displaced dirt to be able to track the burrowing foe. "Come on, this thing speeds up the lower it gets on health?!"

{Map}

The vibrations from Granmarg hitting the ground attracted the Drilbur, which is exactly what the clever racer wanted. "That's exactly it!" Josh chirped as the horse reared, stomping right above the ground-type and rocking it with a titanic blow. Though they couldn't see the explosions, they could hear sound effects of the sub-boss being defeated.

A spinning red portal spawned on top of Josh and whisked him away... to the dungeon's entrance. Immediately taking the paired portal, he would reappear in front of Alicia and Sylvene seconds later. "Looks like we've opened up a shortcut to the entrance. How are you feeling?" the Kindler asked.

Provided Alicia was good to keep going, Josh would swap out Granmarg for Raiden, taking advantage of the increased range of his FLAME CHARGE to strike bridge-extending switches from a distance. One such bridge allowed the duo to access the basement's turnstile room from three directions. With some annoying backtracking and a fight or two, he and Alicia had access to the basement's east wing. One more puzzle remained in their way.

To the south of a shuttered passage was a switch that Josh pointed for his Zebstrika to stand on. Once operated, it raised two mushroom caps over an endless abyss, their stalks seemingly begging to be crushed by the electric horse's ranged FLAME CHARGE. Ordering his Pokémon to use the attack, the fiery reflection bounced off the north wall, disappearing when it hit the east one. "Right, we can't bounce it off two walls. Gotta do it with one."

He first had the idea to step on the switch himself and have Raiden stand in a spot where he could burn the two stalks to cinders, but that plan was derailed when Josh's weight wasn't enough to operate the switch. "Do you have another Pokémon that's heavy enough to weigh this thing down, Alicia? I think it's rusted."

{Map}

Josh looked like he had acquired forbidden knowledge, as well. How could a metallic dragon that stood as tall as a small building be so light and so tough? Perhaps when he became an Ironsmith, he would craft a piece of armor from Duraludon hide. How many of them would he need to hunt down? It would be worthwhile when he was high enough level to equip it: the combination of light weight and hefty protection made it ideal for the mounted combatant. "Wow. I had no idea Duraludon were so light." What were their bodies filled with, helium gas?

Without a Pokémon to weigh the switch down, the Pokémon limit was going to complicate things... and due to size limitations, Josh wouldn't be able to fit beyond the bend with both of his horse Pokémon there. "When the descriptor said this dungeon had non-trivial puzzles, it wasn't kidding."

Then the solution dawned on him.

The scout set Granmarg's Poké Ball on the switch, then backed away from the cramped corner. "Raiden, I'm gonna need you to gently click the switch on Granmarg's Ball. Gently. Be careful, and don't crush it." The young man crossed his fingers as the electric horse pushed the button, causing Granmarg to emerge and hold the rusted mechanism down. "Perfect! Now Raiden, FLAME CHARGE!"

The Zebstrika reared and charged toward the pit, bouncing his reflection off the wall and toward the two tall stalks, the obstacle disintegrating. With a repeat of the attack, he smacked the switch hanging deeper over the pit, causing the door on the north side to open. "Great teamwork, both of you!" the scout cheered, withdrawing both his Pokémon one at a time.

As the screen transition pushed him into the next room (and Alicia if she followed), their COMPASS signal played, confirming the contents of the ornate blue and yellow chest in front of them. Josh pushed the lid open, and with a metallic creak, the golden, red-jeweled BOSS KEY was theirs for the taking.

You obtained the BOSS KEY! Now you can get into the chamber where the Boss lurks.

The speed demon offered Alicia a high five. "Great stuff! Now, let's high-tail it to the Boss room and prepare."

{Map}

Standing outside the door, Josh did as asked, releasing his Dewgong to patch up Sylvene with a dose of LIFE DEW, followed by Giyun. Their HP wouldn't be healed completely, but it was better than before. "That's all he's got," the speed demon sighed, seeing the ice-type's special skill resources exhausted. "We won't have any heals at all for the boss. Let's make it count."

Thinking about what they could face, Josh shook his head. "There's no sense speculating about it. I'm just bringing in my strongest Pokémon from the beginning." Withdrawing Ulysses for Ares, he smiled at the Charmeleon's enthusiasm.

"I'm ready for a barbecue, what about you?" the fire-type smirked. With a nod, he asked if Alicia was ready one more time before opening the locked door and leading the way into the large, open chamber to the west. Both of them would catch a glimpse of a Decidueye melting into four shadows that charged toward them in an erratic pattern that threatened to deceive their senses. Were the shadows to align with those of Josh, Alicia, or their Pokémon, they would find themselves the target of a LEAFAGE arrow from beneath.

{Map}

The sharpshooter was relentless, aiming for Alicia with another volley of razorlike grass arrows. Giyun's attack was mighty, but it was also slow. The instant the Decidueye and Duraludon made eye contact, the ghost-type disappeared into the shadows, three of them converging upon Ares and slicing into his red skin with another volley. "Cheap shot..." the Charmeleon hissed before turning around and belching a cone of FLAMETHROWER toward their foe. For a second time, and with instantaneous reaction at that, it disappeared back into its invulnerable state.

A lightbulb blinked on in the scout's head. "Alicia, that's it! Remember how our dungeon treasure can reflect attacks? I think what triggers it to retreat into the floor is eye contact! We have to be able to hit it without seeing it!" Even with their doppelgangers able to reflect attacks off the walls, hitting a target they couldn't directly look at would be much easier said than done...!

{Map}

The Decidueye squealed loudly, Giyun's reflection landing a gigantic blow upon the grass-type. Fearing another such blow, the guardian disappeared into the floor again, only to spawn behind Josh and charge at him. Seeing his trainer in danger, Raiden neighed and fired off another FLAME CHARGE, crashing into the boss... but not before a SPIRIT SHACKLE rendered his trainer completely immobile, sapping his strength. "Need a hand over--"

Before the scout could finish his sentence, the ghost-type disappeared into the shadows, all of which easily converged on him and his Zebstrika. The blinking-red ghost-type's quadruple SHADOW SNEAK knocked the horse on top of Josh, smashing the trainer into the floor and pinning him beneath his own Pokémon. His model likewise flashing red, he struggled to reach for the electric-type's Poké Ball. "Hur...ry..." he managed, his strength fading as his body thumped from being weighed down by the heavy Pokémon. The only thing that may have been more painful than that was the constant beeping noise playing from his UI, an indicator that his health was low. "There are two ways to make the beeping stop, and one of them is preferred over the other..." he thought, praying Alicia would come to his rescue...

{Map}