Welcome to Gaia! ::

Once again Era and Ethfael found themselves standing before the notice board, looking for a mission. Erinn was with them, staring up at the board completely in awe of the sheer number of notices, having never seen it before. ”There are so many!” the Paras said excitedly, ”How do you choose?” Era and Ethfael said nothing to their curious partner. The Dratini was scanning the board quickly, and the Pichu followed his gaze, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Erinn watched the two leaders of his team curiously, trying to see what they might be thinking.

Without warning, Ethfael removed a notice from the board and set it on the ground in front of himself and Era, causing Erinn to hurry over to see what had been decided. Era scanned it with interest, a smile appearing on her face as she read. ”Well,” she said, ”This will be interesting, that’s for sure.”

Erinn peered over the notice, his eyes widening in shock as he read. ”How-How does that happen?” he asked in amazement. ”You can’t just switch bodies can you? I mean, it just doesn’t happen!” Noting the look on Ethfael’s face the Paras shrank back, ”It doesn’t right?” he asked Era, almost pleading for help.

The Pichu looked at Erinn sympathetically. She knew that he was inexperienced, but she hadn’t realized that it was to this extent. Just as she was about to explain however, Ethfael spoke, ”It does happen,” he said coolly to a cowering Erinn, ”But it is their hearts that are swapped. Not their bodies. A Pokemon called Manaphy knows a move called Heart Swap which does this. That’s why they requested that we lead them to Manaphy, so that it can reverse it.

Erinn nodded nervously, wilting under Ethfael’s gaze, and Era took pity on the young Paras. ”Don’t be too harsh on him, she said to Ethfael, ”He’s still inexperienced, but that’s not his fault. That’s why we let him join our Team, so that we could teach him. Ethfael nodded; he still felt slightly angry at Erinn, but Era was right, and he couldn’t argue with the truth. ”Now then,” Era said briskly, picking up the notice to put in the bag which Ethfael wore around his neck, ”If we’re all ready, we should go. Our clients need our help. The other two nodded, and the three of them headed out of the Guild to begin their new mission.

~~~~

”WHAAAAAT?! YOU WEREN’T THERE WHEN THE GUILD WAS HEART SWAPPED?!” The Kadabra who was really a Marshtomp shouted angrily. ”Well this is just great” he said to his partner. ”What good are they going to do!” Clearly he was furious that they hadn’t been a part of it, which caused both Era and Ethfael to grimace, but they stood firm trying to appear as if they knew what they were talking about anyways. Erinn however, cowered behind his leaders, terrified of the Marshtomp and Kadabra, whichever was which one.

”Calm down,” the Marshtomp who was a Kadabra said. “I’m sure that we can get this straightened out. The Guild wouldn’t have sent a Team that couldn’t help us, no? So I’m sure that these three will be perfectly fine. They’ll get us back to normal, I am certain of it. Era nodded gratefully to the Marshtomp who was a Kadabra, as did Ethfael, as the Kadabra who was a Marshtomp scoffed scornfully. ”Now then, I suppose we should introduce ourselves,” the Marshtomp who was a Kadabra said, ”My name is Trillion, although most call me Trill, and the Marshtomp currently taking residence in my body is-“

”Derrick, if it matters to you.”The other Pokemon said, ”And don’t act as though I want to be in your body Trill, I’m STUCK in it darn it!”

Derrick angrily brandished the spoon which he held at Trillion who glared daggers at him. ”Be careful with that!” he snapped, ”That is a very delicate instrument of psychic power!

Derrick glared back at Trillion, ”No it’s not!” the exasperated, Heart Swapped Marshtomp said. ”IT. IS. A. SPOON.”

By this time the two looked about ready to attack each other, and Era stepped in to intervene. ”Calm down you two,” she said, stepping between the two. The whole sight was rather comical, a Marshtomp and Kadabra about to fight, and a tiny Pichu standing between them with her paws to either side, trying to prevent the fight. Erinn stifled a laugh as he peeked out from behind Ethfael, but the Dratini watched, ready to intervene if Era was threatened at all by their clients. ”We’re here to help you out, so you can’t fight if you want to get back to normal!”

Both Derrick and Trillion looked down, ashamed. ”You’re right of course,” said Trillion, ”It’s just that we’ve both been out of sorts since we switched bodies.” Derrick harrumphed in agreement, but had enough grace to look slightly shameful. The general mood of the group relaxed considerably after that, although the Kadabra and Marshtomp still seemed a bit tense.

”Well then…” Era said, breaking the increasingly awkward silence between the group. ”I guess we’d best be off. Manaphy will be underwater, so we purchased some air beads from the sailors at the port. We brought an extra just in case you didn’t have one.”

The last comment was directed at Derrick, who looked at Era with disbelief. ”Why do I have to accept something from you?” he asked accusingly. ”If I were in my real body I wouldn’t even need that.”

”The question is do you have one or not?” Ethfael said steadily in place of Era, annoyed that the Marshtomp, no matter what his problem was, was treating his partner this way.

”Of course not,” Derrick said angrily. ”I’ll take it when we actually get underwater though, so keep it until then.”

Trillion glared at Derrick, ”Watch your mouth,” he warned, ”That’s no way to talk to someone here to help you.” To Era and Ethfael he said, ”I apologize for his rude behavior. Please don’t mind him.”

”I don’t regret a word,” Derrick said darkly, only for Trillion to shoot him another glare.

Era said nothing but rested a paw on Ethfael to calm him down. ”Alright then,” she said, choosing to ignore the comments from Derrick, ”Let’s get started.” Without another word, Era headed off and Ethfael and Erinn waited for Derrick and Trillion to follow before they went along behind, heading down to the beach.

~~~~

They reached the dunes of the beach without further incident save for a bit more squabbling between Derrick and Trillion. The beach itself was beautiful: the sea glistened in the sun, a beautiful turquoise green color, and the sand glinted a pearly white which darkened slightly where it met the water. It was a stunning sight; enough to strike silence into even the bickering Marshtomp and Kadabra duo, which was truly amazing. Erinn was the first to break the silence, ”It’s so beautiful!” the Paras said, his eyes wider than saucers. The younger Pokemon had never seen anything like it in his entire life, and even Era and Ethfael were impressed by the sight although they’d seen things like it before. The Marshtomp and Kadabra calmed down as well, allowing a sense of pleasant surprise to overcome the group at the sight of the beach’s natural beauty.

”So…” Derrick said after a moment’s pause, ”Where do we start? I personally would love to get into that water right about now.” The fact that he was currently speaking from within a Kadabra’s body made this remark seem very out of place, along with the undignified manner with which he raced down the dune towards the water.

”DON’T DO THAT YOU IDIOT!!!!” came an indignant cry from Trillion. Kadabra aren’t meant to swim! Don’t go anywhere near that water with my body! Trillion hurried down the dune, waddling awkwardly, obviously unused to the body of a Marshtomp, and Ethfael went after them hurriedly, to prevent the conflict.

”Enough!” Ethfael said, his voice surprisingly intimidating, ”We’re never going to get anywhere at this rate! If you two ever want to find Manaphy, you have to cooperate! The reason why Manaphy uses its Heart Swap is because it wants Pokemon to understand one another. Obviously it believed that you two should learn from each other, and it won’t return you to normal until you learn what it wanted you to learn, even if you do find it, so you’d best try to at least get along if you ever want to get back to normal, understand?” Both Trillion and Derrick paused in mid-step, contemplating Ethfael’s words.

Era sighed with relief, hoping that they got the message this time. It was hard enough to find a Manaphy as these two had requested, but to play peacemaker all the way was certain to grow tedious after awhile. She walked down after the others with Erinn close behind her, the Paras sticking very close for fear of being left behind. ”Cheer up everyone,” Era said gently, ”We can get through this if we all get along. I know it must be hard to be in the wrong body, but you have to bear with it until we find Manaphy. Please?”

The two Pokemon muttered their agreement although it was certain that neither one was any happier with the arrangement than they had been before. ”Perhaps it would just be best if we kept going, Trillion said at last. ”If anything is true, it’s that we won’t get anywhere by standing here.

”For once he makes sense,” Derrick said, ”Come on rescue team, let’s get going.”

As they crossed the sandbar, Team MistMelody kept careful track of their clients, both of which seemed to be determined to ignore the other. Derrick was determinedly ignoring Trillion’s protestation and walking in the water. Trillion looked on with disdain, and walked on the sand on the other side of the group from the water. Era glanced at Ethfael nervously and whispered to him, ”What do we do Ethfael?” she said, ”These two aren’t getting along at all.”

“Well,” he responded, “I suppose we could-“ Ethfael’s words were interrupted by a squeak from Erinn who pointed one quavering claw across the beach. The others turned to look and were greeted by the sight of a group of Krabby heading for them with a Kingler not far behind. The Pokemon glared at the smaller group of adventurers, and Ethfael immediately shifted his focus to battle tactics. ”Erinn, take those two Krabby over there, I’ll take the three on that side if I can. Era…”

”I’m way ahead of you,” she said with a smile. ”Don’t worry about me, take care of our clients.” Then the Pichu raced towards the Kingler, ready to take him on one on one. Ethfael nodded and also rushed to meet his opponents, they couldn’t allow the clients to be injured. Erinn took a deep breath and headed towards the Krabby that were his to fight, hoping that he didn’t mess this up.

”WAH! WHAT DO I DO?!” Derrick shouted, staring at the oncoming Krabby, ”I don’t know how to use Psychic moves! I’m a Marshtomp darn it!”

Trillion sighed in exasperation and took pity on his friend. ”To use a Psychic move,” he said, dodging a Water Gun, ”You have to clear your mind and concentrate on what is most important. See your opponent’s moves in your mind and then use your power to stop them in their tracks. That’s where the spoon comes in. Use it to channel your power, and it will help you.

Derrick tried to follow Trillion’s words, but the more he tried, the more frustrated he got until at last he gave up. ”THAT’S IT! he said, ”I can’t do this!” Just then a Krabby which had escaped the watchful eyes of Team MistMelody spotted him and the creature excitedly raced towards him claws extended. ”WAAAAH! WHAT DO I DO IT’S GOING TO-“ That instant there was a loud cracking noise and Derrick reappeared in the air. ”KILL ME!” he finished before looking down, ”Hey! I did it! I used your Teleport move!

Trillion looked up with concern, ”Yes, but can you stop yourself from falling?”

”Piece of cake!” Derrick replied, and paused to hover in the air as if he’d done it all his life. ”Hey!” he said with surprise, ”What do you know? It worked!”

Trillion felt a sense of relief for his friend until he realized that the Krabby was now headed towards him. Instinctively, he tried to Teleport away, but the power wasn’t there, for this wasn’t his body. Rapidly, Trillion tried to think of a move his friend knew, but for once he was drawing a blank. ”Mud Shot!” Derrick shouted at him. ”Just use Mud Shot!” Trillion blinked in surprise, of course, why hadn’t he thought of that? Unsure of where to begin the Kadabra watched the oncoming Krabby and then felt a sort of tickling sensation in his throat. Taking a breath, he aimed at the rogue Krabby and fired, pleased when a stream of mud came firing out towards it. The Krabby fell onto its back, writhing in surprise at being bowled over, and Trillion moved in to finish it with another Mud Shot. The Krabby managed to get up again though, and the moment it did, it raced off to the water, not wanting to risk another attack.

While all of this was going on, Team MistMelody was efficiently taking care of the other Krabby. Ethfael came to the trio on the left and attacked mercilessly to keep them away from Derrick and Trillion. He felt a sensation build up within him that he hadn’t experienced before, and he attacked using Dragon Rage on the first Krabby. The unlucky Pokemon fell to the ground unconscious from the sheer force of the attack, and the other two stared first at the unconscious Krabby, then at Ethfael, and then they turned and fled.

Erinn cautiously met the two Krabby on the right as they charged, and as the Krabby reached out to clench him in Vice Grip, he parried with a Slash, causing the Krabby to draw its claw back very quickly. This act was met by silence between all three, Erinn because he was impressed with his own power, and the Krabby because they were slightly frightened of him. With greater confidence, Erinn advanced and Slashed again at the Krabby on the right, causing it to wince in pain. The one on the left was ready for him though, and hit him with a Bubble attack. Erinn recoiled and glared at the Krabby, which stared back at him. Drawing into his internal power, Erinn used Giga Drain, straightening as the energy from the Krabby left it and came into him. He leaped forward and Slashed the two Krabby again with renewed energy. The two turned and fled, not wanting to take any more damage, and Erinn smiled slightly as he watched them go. ”I did it,” he whispered incredulously to himself.

Era had the hardest fight of them all by far. The Kingler watched her come with an almost lazy look in its eyes; it obviously didn’t think that a Pichu that wasn’t even one fourth of its size would pose any threat to its well-being. Era was determined to prove it wrong, and she advanced on it, sparks flying from her cheeks. She attacked first, sending a Thundershock through her foe, causing it to cry out as the volt raced through its body. It retaliated then, trying to Stomp on Era as she raced underneath it. She flinched as the legs crashed around her, but stood her ground, using a Headbutt from underneath the Kingler which set it off balance, and then using Swift to finish the job and topple it over. Era was surprised by the Swift attack, something she hadn’t known she could do, but she disregarded it, the Kingler being the most important problem here, and used Thundershock once again. The Kingler, in a last attempt to gain the advantage spun around and grasped Era in its claws squeezing with Vice Grip. Era forced breath into her lungs just barely, as she was squeezed tighter and tighter, and then she fired off a final Thundershock. It was at such close range that the Kingler didn’t stand a chance, and its grasp slackened as it fell unconscious, allowing Era to escape from its grip. She panted slightly, her lungs sore from being deprived of air, and she winced slightly as she moved although she smiled when she looked back and saw everyone else safe.

”Era,” Ethfael said with concern, coming up to her, ”Are you alright? You suffered a harsh blow there.” Era was about to respond when the others came over, each eager to tell their own story of victory.

”Era I did it! Two Krabby came at me but I handled them, no problem! You should have seen them run! It was amazing!”

”I used Teleport! It was the coolest thing ever! It was like one second I was there and then all of a sudden I wasn’t! Then I just levitated there while the Krabby attacked where I had been standing just before!”

”I must admit, it was rather impressive, how quickly you figured it out Derrick. I however actually attacked the Krabby! Oh it was a sight to behold when I used Mud Shot, you should have seen it. It was a marvelous piece of work. That Krabby fled after one attack!”

Era smiled at the others, ignoring the pain that she felt. ”I’m so glad that you all did so well!” she said, ”It’s a shame I couldn’t have seen it happen, but I’m sure you were all spectacular.” The three who she spoke to radiated with pride at her praise, but Ethfael still regarded her with concern, knowing that she was more hurt than she was making herself out to be. ”Well come on then,” she said with a smile, ”We’ve still got to find Manaphy, and I’m sure before we do that we’ll have to find Mana Reef, which is where Manaphy is said to be found.”

”Well then, let’s go!” said Derrick, who’s spirits seemed to be greatly improved. Trillion followed contentedly and Erinn followed close behind those two.

Era watched them go and went to follow but she was stopped by Ethfael, who barred her way with his tail. ”You can pretend all you like, but I know that you’re hurt,” he said. ”There’s still a long way to go, and I won’t have you below your normal strength before we even have gotten started.” He removed an Oran Berry from the bag and placed it on the ground in front of Era.

The Pichu looked gratefully at Ethfael and ate the juicy Oran Berry as they walked on to join the other three. ”You’re too kind Ethfael, she said with a smile, ”But thank you.” The Dratini smiled slightly but said nothing, and together they sped up their pace to catch up with the other three.

As they continued along the sandbar, they came to a spot where they had to wade across a stream of water that cut off another portion of the beach from them. Everyone but Trillion began to cross; Era, Ethfael and Erinn practically swimming despite its shallowness, and Derrick was walking through it quite contentedly. Trillion however stood on the edge of the sand, staring at the water with distaste. ”You coming Trill?” Derrick asked, ”The water’s great!”

Trillion paused before responding, ”I despise getting wet,” he said, looking at the water distastefully.

Era sighed, ”I’m afraid that you have to,” she said, ”Manaphy is certain to be somewhere underwater, which means that we have to get wet to find it.”

”Besides,” Derrick broke in, ”You’re a Marshtomp now, and Marshtomp love the water! He proved his point by splashing about slightly, with an expression of delight on his face. Despite being in the body of a Kadabra, Derrick was still a Marshtomp at heart. ”Lighten up a little Trill,” he said, splashing Trillion with water.

Trillion spluttered as he was doused in water, looking offended by the act. He was about to say something to Derrick when an expression of surprise came over his face. ”It feels…good,” he said, astounded. Then, without warning he leaped into the water in a display of childish delight quite uncharacteristic of him. ”This is amazing!” he cried, swimming around in the water, ”And to think I always thought you were crazy to like swimming.”

Derrick looked offended for a second but then laughed good-naturedly. ”It’s about time you relaxed a bit Trill,” he said, ”I sometimes wonder how you can be so uptight without hurting yourself.” The two Heart Swapped Pokemon laughed as they splashed in the water, and Era looked on in approval. The first step to finding Manaphy was cooperation, and it seemed as if Derrick and Trillion were getting closer to that.

As they came up to the next part of the beach, the appearance of it changed. This sand was darker in color which obviously meant that this part of the beach was often covered in water. ”We have to be careful of the tide,” Ethfael said to the group as a whole, ”The moment it comes in, we’ll be swimming, and, if we’re not careful, we’ll be carried out to sea. Erinn quickly hid behind Ethfael from the water, afraid of being swept away, which was greeted by light hearted laughter from the group as they cheerfully kept up their trek.

The island was a rather plain one, nothing special really, or so it appeared. Era glanced around at the glistening ocean with delight, it was really very lovely on a day like today. Missions never took place in such happy places, so it was quite simply wonderful to find that they got to spend the day in a place like this. The ocean breeze blew lightly over them and it brought a contented smile to her face, things were good. ”Are you enjoying yourself?” Ethfael teased her lightly.

Era nodded, ”Things are really nice here,” she said, ”It’s too bad that we can’t have more of our missions in places like these.” They continued progressing forward, water lapping at their feet more frequently now. ”Everyone, we have to hurry,” Era said to the others. Receiving no comment, she looked back and saw the other three clustered around something knee-deep in water, much to her dismay. Alerting Ethfael of the situation, they both made to head over to the others as quickly as possible.

”Hey guys! Come over here!” Erinn called suddenly, waving his claws. ”Check out what we found!” Era and Ethfael exchanged a glance and picked up the pace considerably to see what the others might have found.

Their clients and Erinn were all hunched over something buried in the sand. When they reached it, Derrick glanced up, ”About time you got here,” he said, ”Look what I found buried in the sand!” They both glanced down, seeing a luminescent gem glinting beneath the sand. It was ruby red in color and had a perfect red shape. ”Pretty neat, huh? Derrick said, looking pleased with himself. ”I found buried treasure.”

Trillion gave him a sharp glance. ”If it hadn’t been for me you wouldn’t have seen it at all,” he said, ”I was the one who pointed out something shining in the water, so you can’t claim full credit.”

”Fine, fine,” Derrick said, rolling his eyes, ”So maybe you helped, a little, but I still actually found it. Trillion threw his arms into the air in exasperation, but only shook his head to express his displeasure. ”Anyway, I’m going to take it!”

”No wait!” Era and Ethfael shouted together, but it was too late, Derrick had already grabbed the jewel, now submerged in water, and pulled. The jewel lit up and out of the sand erupted a Staryu, clearly furious that its jewel had been touched. Derrick backed up in alarm as it advanced on him, spinning so fast that its legs were like blades.

Era leaped out in front of Derrick, zapping the Staryu with Thundershock and standing protectively in front of their client. The Staryu made a noise of anger, and focused on her, locking onto the tiny Pichu. It advanced, furiously whirling about in Rapid Spin, and Era stood her ground, not about to let it get to Derrick, watching for the moment of opportune attack. Ethfael plunged forward with Extremespeed, knocking the Staryu off course and into the water. There was a moment of silence then Derrick laughed nervously, ”Thanks for that,” he said to them, ”I won’t touch anything lying around again. I promise.” Era nodded and was about to relax when suddenly the Staryu reappeared. It spotted her and made a high-pitched noise of anger, its jewel slightly cracked. Then out of the ocean more Staryu appeared, and they found themselves outnumbered four to one. ”Oh boy…” Derrick said nervously, and the Staryu charged.

Team MistMelody sprang into action, all three jumping in front of their clients. Erinn aimed at the nearest Staryu and shot a Psybeam directly at it, and the Staryu fell backwards into the ocean again. Ethfael charged at another opponent with an Extremespeed, and Era sent a Swift attack flying towards the entire group of Staryu. The Pokemon made unintelligible angry sounds and came upon them, legs spinning furiously like razor sharp knives. Never backing down, Ethfael raced into the fray, attacking the Staryu left and right with Extremespeed and Icy Wind. Era followed suit, with a Headbutt here and a Swift attack there to subdue the enraged Pokemon. Erinn wasn’t quite as adventurous as the other two, but stayed in front of Derrick and Trillion, attacking any Staryu that came too close. The entire scene was chaos, and soon everyone save for the Marshtomp and Kadabra was beaten and bruised. ”They won’t stop coming!” Erinn moaned as he parried a Staryu’s blades with his claw. ”What do we do?!”

Era heard his cry of distress and threw the Staryu on top of her off with the force of her Swift attack. ”Maybe if we take care of the one whose gem we cracked, the others will leave!” It was a wild guess, but the other Staryu seemed to be circling protectively around the one with the cracked jewel, as if it were their leader. Era winced as a Staryu crashed into her, ”Erinn, Ethfael, let’s go for that one!” The other two nodded and hurried to join her. ”Be careful Derrick, Trillion, don’t let them hit you!” Era called to them before Team MistMelody rushed towards the mass of Staryu where the one with the cracked gem lurked. Derrick and Trillion nodded, both looking terrified, and too scared for words.

Era, Ethfael, and Erinn came to the barricade of Staryu and burst through aided by Ethfael’s Dragon Rage. The Staryu with the cracked gem was there, just as expected, and Era didn’t wait, but jumped to make the first attack. Allowing the electricity stored in her to raise up to the surface, she lunged at the Staryu with a Volt Tackle. Four Staryu burst in from the circle around them and took the blow, crumpling to the ground in place of the one in the center. Era gasped in pain as the recoil raced through her, and backed up as Ethfael charged toward the rogue Staryu. The same strategy was used on his attack as was on Era’s and a few Staryu fell to the ground from Ethfael’s attack, but not the one which was the target. The Staryu in the middle shot Swift attack at them, causing all three to jump opposite directions to avoid it and effectively separating them. Era and Ethfael both were met by Staryu where they ended up, and found themselves fighting once more, but Erinn was overlooked. Seeing his chance, the Paras slipped around behind the cracked gem Staryu and then used Giga Drain. The Staryu all froze as their leader shrieked in pain, and fell to the sand, not rising again. Erinn stood behind the fallen Staryu, a look of satisfaction on his face and Era and Ethfael smiled at Erinn relieved that the leader had been defeated. Unfortunately, this didn’t bear the intended result; all of the Staryu turned, gems flashing with red light and swarmed towards Erinn, whose look turned terrified in an instant as six Staryu headed towards him at once. ”Sorry Erinn,” Era muttered, ”I have only one choice.” The Pichu fired a Thundershock at the Staryu, and it spread across them like fire through a forest, until the last had fallen.

All of the Staryu safely taken care of, Trillion and Derrick rushed over to Team MistMelody. ”Great Arceus!” Trillion said, ”Are you all alright? You gave us quite a scare!”

”You were so brave,” Derrick said in admiration, ”Fighting all of those Staryu like that even though it was my fault.” For once Derrick appeared to humble himself and said sincerely, ”I am sorry that I doubted you. You’re a decent rescue team after all.”

Ethfael reached into his bag, pulling out an Oran berry for himself, Era, and Erinn. ”It is our job you know,” he responded lightly to Derrick’s comment. ”Rescue teams are there to help after all.” The team finished off their Oran berries quickly, and then they prepared to move on. ”Now, we have to find Manaphy,” Ethfael said, ”We’ve still got a long way to go before we find one, that’s for certain.” Without further ado, the group returned to the sands and continued their search.

As they walked across the sandbar they spotted the larger sand dunes up across another band of water. ”We should go there,” Ethfael said, pointing with his tail. ”If I recall correctly the stories say that the entrance to Mana Reef is hidden in a deep pool between large sand dunes.” Noticing the questioning stare he recieved from Erinn, Ethfael clarified his statement for his Teammate. ”Mana Reef is supposed to be the home of Manaphy. Seashore Beach is the place where its entrance is located, so that’s what we’re searching for.”

”Really?” Erinn asked, ”Manaphy lives in a place like this? Weird…”

”They say it’s much more impressive once you actually find Mana Reef,” Trillion interjected, somewhat eagerly, ”There’s rumored to be coral of all shapes, sizes, and colors which even changes when the atmosphere is right.” Trillion seemed very excited, his Marshtomp glimmer brightly as he spoke of the place.

”Ha!” Derrick laughed harshly, clearly skeptical, ”Coral that changes? What will they think of next? Flying rocks?”

”Well actually…” Ethfael began.

”Never mind,” Derrick responded quickly, so that he wouldn’t be corrected. ”What matters is that we actually find this pool or whatever because we need to find Manaphy so that Trill and I can get back to normal.”

The next break of water was crossed without much incident, except for Trillion being slightly reluctant to get out of it. ”You’ll have plenty of time to swim once we get underwater,” Era pointed out to him reasonably, so he grudgingly obliged. There were a number of different dunes to be looked around, so they decided to split up into two groups.

”Ethfael, Trillion, you take the right side,” Era said, ”And Derrick, Erinn and I will take the left. If you find something Trillion can shoot a Mud Shot into the air to help us find you, and I’ll make a lightning bolt from Thundershock if we find something, alright?

”Sounds good to me,” Trillion said, saluting the much smaller Pichu, ”I’ll do my best.”

”We’ll be fine,” Ethfael assured her, noting Era’s concerned look. ”Take care!” With a wave from his tail, Ethfael set off after Trillion who had already rounded the first dune.

”Alright,” Era said, ”Let’s go find that pool.” She turned and headed in the opposite direction, and Erinn and Trillion followed.

As the small group turned the corner, they encountered a group of Slowpoke sunning on some rocks, an interesting sight to see. ”Stay very quiet,” Era whispered, ”Slowpoke are normally peaceful creatures, but we shouldn’t take chances if we can help it. We’ll be alright so long as we don’t wake them up.” The group wove their way through the pack of Slowpoke, making as little sound as possible so as not to disturb the slumbering Pokemon.

After a while of this, Derrick started to grow bored, and began playing with the pebbles on the ground using the psychic powers of his Heart Swapped body. Using Confusion, he lifted them off the ground a few feet and then dropped them back on the ground. He and Erinn became quite involved in this game, and soon he was lifting them higher and throwing them with his mind. ”Check this out Era,” Derrick whispered, nudging her. ”I can hit that rock over there with this, want to see?” Without waiting for an answer he concentrated and lifted a medium sized rock off the ground and caused it to soar into a larger rock and crumble. ”Cool, huh?”

Era smiled, glad that Derrick’s mood was still a good one. ”You’re really getting the hang of it, aren’t you?” she whispered back, and Derrick grinned. They continued walking through and were almost at the edge when Era heard a ‘thunk’. Ears twitching, she turned around to see Erinn standing paralyzed with fear at the feet of a Slowbro. Derrick shook his head indicating that it wasn’t his fault, and then he closed his eyes and concentrated, lifting a large rock off the ground with Confusion. Opening his eyes and aiming carefully, he threw the rock at the Slowbro’s head, creating another ‘thunk’ as it hit. The Slowbro blinked slowly and looked toward Derrick disinterestedly, Yawning. Derrick looked into the Slowbro’s eyes and yawn also, his eyes starting to close. Recognizing the attack, Era sighed with exasperation and shot a Swift Attack at the Slowbro, trying to keep the battle as quick and silent as possible. The Slowbro turned its gaze to her and its eyes glowed as it shot a Confusion attack into her mind. Era winced as a pain like a headache coursed through her skull. Her thoughts jumbled and she looked around, puzzled. Who was she fighting? Her eyes settled on a Paras who looked familiar, yes, that must have been who it was. Charging up her electricity, she shot a bolt at the other Pokemon, hoping to finish this fight quickly. The Paras didn’t look like he’d put up much of a fight.

Erinn yelped as the electricity hit him, and stared at Era with hurt that she would attack him. The Pichu’s gaze seemed slightly unfocused as she looked at him, and he guessed that she had been meddled with by this Slowbro. Turning to Derrick for a hand, he found that the Pokemon in question had fallen asleep, and was currently lying on the ground and snoring. That left…him. Erinn gulped, and looked at the Slowbro which stared back at him rather vacantly, waiting for him to do something. Well then, do something he would. Erinn took a deep breath and fired a Psywave at his opponent causing the Slowbro to take a step back. It lazily looked at him and sent a Confusion attack at the Paras as well. Erinn bit his lip, forcing himself not to cry out in pain. Arceus that had hurt!

Era meanwhile stepped back, still muddled. The Paras had attacked that Slowpoke, not her, so maybe they weren’t fighting. Why was she here at all anyway? She should be doing something, not being at the beach. This was by far the strangest thing that had happened to her. Turning around, she began to walk away. This couldn’t be the right place for her to be. She passed by a sleeping Kadabra and blinked with surprise. What sort of Kadabra slept like that? Curiously she poked the sleeping Pokemon in the side. ”Hello there, what are you doing?”

Erinn Slashed the Slowbro across its soft belly and jumped to the side to avoid a Psybeam that it shot his way. This Pokemon was creepy, it was so slow and deliberate, and it wanted to kill him. ”Why me?” he said glumly, as he Slashed at it again. The Slowbro said nothing responding with only a Yawn. Erinn was ahead of the Slowbro’s game though, and forced himself not to yawn as well. ”I’ll give you something that will make you tired!” he said, and used Giga Drain, sucking the power from the Slowbro. It looked at him for a long time, and didn’t blink. Erinn waited for it to retaliate but it didn’t respond at all. Cautiously he poked it, and the Slowbro didn’t respond. It had fallen asleep with its eyes open, and standing up. ”Right…” Erinn said awkwardly, and turned to see what had happened to Era and Derrick.

Derrick didn’t stir from Era’s poking, and she was quite put out for being ignored. ”Wake up already!” she said, shoving the Kadabra this time. Derrick didn’t stir, and she glared at him. ”WAKE UP!!!” she said loudly, shocking him with a Thundershock.

Derrick awoke with a start at the shock, and looked about groggily. ”What was that for?” he whined, ”Can’t a guy get some rest?”

”Why were you sleeping?” Era asked, ”I’ve never known a Kadabra to sleep with other Pokemon around!” She giggled childishly, what an odd Pokemon he was.

Derrick blinked with confusion, Era was acting really strangely. ”You know perfectly well that I’m not a Kadabra, and I can sleep however and where ever I like.” Standing up, he wiped the sand off of himself awkwardly and gave her another glance, noting that her expression was slightly vacant like the Slowbro’s had been. ”What did that guy do to you Era, you don’t look like you’re all there.”

Now Era was more confused than ever. How did this strange Pokemon know her name? The pain in her head was more annoying than ever, and she wanted something to make sense. ”Do I…know you?” she asked with some effort. If she thought about it this Pokemon was kind of familiar like that Paras. If only the pain in her head would stop she might be able to remember.

”Okay, something’s seriously wrong with you,” Derrick said, picking her up in his arms. ”That crazy Slowbro must have messed with your mind. I’m Derrick remember? Trill and I were Heart Swapped by Manaphy and you’re helping us get switched back. Come on Era, you know this already!”

”Set me down!” Era said indignantly when he picked her up, struggling to get out of the Kadabra’s hands. She wasn’t some child to be held by larger Pokemon. As she listened to what Derrick said though, the haze over her thoughts finally dissipated and reality came crashing back. That’s right, she was here to help Derrick and Trillion, and that Slowbro had confused her. ”Alright,” Era said, looking Derrick in the eye, ”I’m alright now. The Slowbro confused me.”

Derrick nodded and set her down again, ”Glad you’re back to normal,” he said, ”That Slowbro was pretty devious.”

”That’s right! The Slowbro! What happened to it?” Era asked.

”Don’t worry, Erinn said, watching the ongoing scene from a few feet away. ”I took care of it.” He smiled proudly as Era and Derrick looked over at him. ”It fell asleep after I attacked it, so if we leave soon we should be able to get away from it before it wakes up again.”

Era smiled at Erinn. He was growing braver with every battle. ”Good for you Erinn,” she said encouragingly. ”Come on. Now that everything’s back to normal we’d better hurry up and find that pool considering we’ve lost so much time.”

”Something tells me we don’t have to worry about that,” Derrick said with a grin, pointing at the sky. Era followed his gaze to see a stream of mud like a fountain erupting into the area above the dunes. ”Come on!” Derrick cried, hurrying forward. ”I can almost feel my flippers again!” Era and Erinn laughed and then followed, hurrying to catch up with their eager companion.

Ethfael and Trillion were waiting for them in the break between the dunes a few sections away. When Trillion spotted them, he let the stream of mud die, causing a great majority of the mud to fall on himself and Ethfael. ”Maybe I should have said Water Gun,” Era said as she, Erinn, and Derrick waded through a pool of mud to reach the others. ”Did you find it?”

Ethfael nodded, gesturing to an area that the mud pool did not touch. ”We stumbled across it by accident in those bushes. A Shellder was giving Trillion a bit of trouble and he nearly fell in.”

Derrick laughed loudly, grinning. ”Smooth Trill, real smooth.”

Trillion nodded awkwardly, ”Not one of my finer moments I’m afraid, but it found us the pool.” The group walked over to the bushes and Trillion spread them apart for them to take a look. Sure enough there was a small pool, large enough for most medium-sized Pokemon to fit into without squeezing. It was too dark to see what lay beneath the surface but it was clear that it went on for a distance below.

They all stood in awe for a moment, realizing that this would lead them to the legendary Manaphy and stared at the calm waters. ”Alright,” Era said after a moment, ”Ethfael, if you would, please pass out the air beads.” The beads were small when they were handed out, but once they reached water, they would expand into a bubble around the Pokemon holding them which was filled with air. Once everyone but Trillion was holding one, Era nodded, and one by one they slipped into the water.

~~~~

((Excellent mission! Great themes and great conflicts, not to mention you wrote way over the required amount. Good job~))

The team arrived back at the guild, soaking wet but at least back in their own bodies. Some water that came along with the teleporation pooled on the ground about them.

"Man, you guys are the greatest!" Derrisk grinned, examining his limbs, spinning around as if checking the fins on his back were still there. Trill calmly squeezed the water out of his whispers and his large bushy tail.

"I must thank you dearly for all you have done for us." He told the team, bowing slightly. "We'll come back with the promised rewards tomorrow- you deserve it."

Later on that day a few Pokemon showed up, all wanting to join Team Mistmelody. Three Pokemon approached them. A Staryu lead them, silent, its gem flashing brightly. Behind it came a familiar Slowbro, crawling along at a barely perceptible pace. A Corsola came in beside him, hopping slightly in happiness.

Early next morning a knock sounded at the door of their Team room, and when they opened it they would see a familiar Lanturn. By its side floated a small blue Pokemon, oddly resembling Manaphy, but...not quite. The Lanturn explained that the small water type was a Phione, and that it had been sent by Manaphy to the team in order to learn more about the world.

"Manaphy hopes that you won't mind taking Phione in." The Lanturn told them. The small blue Pokemon offered the team a deep green gem. Within the enchanted TM was the move Skill Swap.

Early afternoon the clients finally came back, holding a small intricate box. Both Trill and Derrick were grinning quite broadly as they presented it. When the Team opens it, they would find several valuable items within.

Taking up the bulk of the box was a beautiful semi-transparent yellow stone, its surface polished until it was gleaming. If one looked closely, sparks danced within its heart. It was a Thunderstone.

"We figured you wouldn't need it for some time Era, but when you are ready to, we would be honoured if you would find our gift useful." Derrick explained with a grin.

The entire box was lined with a silky, shiny material, its colour seemed to shift around, never staying still. It was a Mirage Cloak, designed to protect those of the Dratini line from powerful Ice attacks.

The last of the items was a small necklace, a simply charm at the end of a string. The charm itself was carved out of some sort of smooth white stone in the rough shape shape of a Paras.

The clients explained that it was made from an everstone, and it was for Erinn, to protect him from the mushrooms that grew on his back. Trill had done some research and learned about the nature of a Paras's evolution- that the mushrooms kills their host and take over. They hoped that the Everstone would help.

After leaving the bag of PD with the team, the Kadabra and the Marshtomp waved their goodbyes and left.