Nate patted Dash's neck to help keep him calm. Dash's ears turned back to lay flat with slight distress. Sean inched closer, whispering aloud as the Crystal Onix eyed them with tense caution. "Wow... It's beautiful." Mark lowered his phone to quietly flip it shut, warning them all calmly. "No one make any sudden moves." Pryce removed his Pokedex to point the light at the Pokemon. The light blinked before Dexter announced to everyone in a casual tone. "New entry. Crystal Onix. A rare mutation due to Onix's change in diet. Onix normally eats Iron Ore and burrows deep into the earth. However, this Onix's diet seems to of consisted of gemstones. Thereby changing its appearance to solid diamond. Registering Pokemon Type... A Rock and Fairy type. Fairy trait suggests that unlike his kin, Crystal Onix has a timid nature unless provoked. Due to its mutation, it does not get along with the more common Onix. For it is weak to... Ground, Steel, and Grass. While his mutation has made it immune to Water, and Dragon types. More data needed..." Nate glanced around at them all, uttering out softly. "Well... This could get messy."

Mark put his phone into his pocket, then inched toward the Crystal Onix with his palm out. Everyone tensed, warning him to back away, but Mark ignored them. The Crystal Onix turned its head enough to avoid being touched but kept his eyes on him. Relaxing, Mark told it softly. "Easy now. It's ok." The Crystal Onix let out a soft throaty roar in warning, but Mark only slowed down to tell him. "I don't want to hurt you." Pryce inched forward, saying softly aloud. "I'd heard rumors that Gold and Silver had seen one... but I didn't believe it. It didn't seem possible. So stunning. Like crystalized ice." Nate saw both Pryce and Sean removing pokeballs from their belts and went to remove an empty great ball from his pocket. He wasn't going to let them get it before him. Sean moved forward a bit, saying coolly. "This is a remarkable find. Once in a lifetime. Mark, move." Mark just touched the Crystal Onix, causing the Pokemon to flinch at first but it relaxed with a deep throaty groan. Mark chuckled, stoking the Crystal Onix as he said. "Guys... He feels so smooth and cool to the touch. I think it's a baby..."

When Mark finally looked back, his face paled as he said. "Guys...? What are you doing?" Sean was the one to answer, honestly replying. "Get out of the way. We can't let it get away. We need to know more about it. It's undocumented. It could change everything we know about Pokemon Mutations." Mark turned, spreading his arms out as he snapped out. "NO! Leave it alone!" Pryce and Sean expanded their pokeballs, but Nate was the one that simply acted. Pointing, Nate yelled out. "Dash, Flamethrower!" Dash braced for a fight and unleashed a jet of flames over Mark at the Crystal Onix. Mark ducked to avoid the flames as the Crystal Onix let out a loud roar of pain. Twisting in the tunnel, the Crystal Onix turned around to begin slithering away! Nate kicked Dash's sides, yelling out. "After it, Dash!" Mark stepped into Dash's way, getting slammed aside by Dash's shoulder as he ran by. Dash thundered down the tunnel after the Crystal Onix. As Dash started to gain on it, the Crystal Onix began to spiral around the walls of the cave to pick up its own speed and made itself harder to hit as the incline increased.

The ground was getting more and more wet like mud, causing Dash to slide more often than running. At the far end of the cave there was a bright light that blinded both him and Dash. The moment their eyes adjusted; Nate let out a scream. The Crystal Onix launched from the tunnel and dived straight into a lake of water. Dash let out a panicked whiny, twisting mid-slide to try running back up the wet incline... but it was no good. Dash couldn't get the traction he needed, and his own speed was working against him as they slid backward toward the edge. Cutting his losses, he stashed his empty pokeball and yelled out. "Dash! Return!" Dash let out a terrified whiny as his back hooves slipped off the edge of the tunnel and he started to fall, but the pokeball turned him into a red light as it withdrew him back into the safety of his pokeball on his belt. With Dash gone, Nate hit the wet mud and continued to slide at the same speed to the edge. Clawing at the mud, Nate managed to grip the rocky edge as his body went over. Hanging above the lake of water, Nate groaned loudly from the pain of his broken leg.

Looking down at the crystal-clear water below him, he wondered how deep it was and if falling into it would kill him. At least until a pair of ghostly hands grabbed his wrists. Jerking at the sight of them, he stared up into that hollowed out looking Pikachu. He had forgotten that thing had been on Dash. The Pokemon was covered in mud but had a pretty strong grip on him. Staring at the pokemon uneasily, he asked it curiously. "You don't happen to know how to fly or swim, do you?" The lopsided head shook lazily in response. Nate hung his head, grumbling out. "Ya, just my luck... Maybe I can-" He didn't get a chance to finish, when a voice from below casually uttered out. "You seem to be in quite a pickle. Would you like some help?" Nate looked around the brightly lit cave but didn't see anyone... except for a strange pokemon sitting with its feet dangling in the lake of water. A Slowking. The Slowking was munching on a cluster of seaweed, looking directly up at him as it splashed its toes in the water like a little kid. Nate stared at it a moment, before asking aloud. "Did you say something?"

The Slowking nodded, casually replying. "I did. I offered to help. Unless your intention was to hang there. But judging by your distressful thoughts... I'd say not. However, your thought will work. Gengar can get you down. So, I take no offence if you refuse my offer." Nate swallowed nervously. He had seen Slowking's on TV but had no idea that they could talk. The Slowking chuckled to himself, pulling out another strip of seaweed from his hand as he commented lightly. "I could tell you all about my superior intelligence... but you might want to come down from their first. Your friends are coming." From farther up the tunnel, more screams rang out as the others clearly hit the muddy surface and were sliding straight down toward them! The weird pokemon holding onto him, turned slightly and deflated a little. Nate screamed as they collided into the strange pokemon, who fell from the tunnel and took him with him. They all fell through the air toward the lake as terrified screams left them. Seconds before any of them hit the water, Nate's body slowed and stopped in the air.

Above him a muddy Dragonite whimpered as it hovered in the air, highlighted in a bright pink light. Nate looked to the shore to see the Slowking with its hands raised out toward them, its eyes a bright blazing blue. The Slowking moved its hands slowly with graceful moments, causing them all to float over to the shore, where they were laid across the ground safely. When it released them, the Slowking smirked as it said in the silence. "You're welcome." Nate sat up, asking it curiously. "Why did you help us?" The Slowking picked up the strips of seaweed from the ground, saying without a care in the world. "Because I had the means too. Do I need a reason to do a good deed?" The others climbed to their feet to flick mud off their clothes. Sean was the first to look around, asking Nate curiously. "Where did the Crystal Onix go? Did you catch it?" Nate shook his head, pointing to the Slowking that was standing at the edge of the lake. The Slowking chuckled to himself, not even turning around as it said. "No. He didn't. As for where Crystal Onix went... I won't tell you. Crystal Onix is very shy. He likes his privacy."

Mark smugly turned to Sean, huffing out with bright grin. "HA!" Sean threw a handful of mud at Mark's face, splattering his smug expression in more mud. Pryce moved closer to keep them separated by pointing out. "Guys, look." They all looked around the cave to see the walls around the lake were covered in glittering crystals. Nate staggered up onto his good leg and was the first one to say grimly. "Oh, fuck... Guys... There is no exit." Everyone except Slowking started to get worried. The strange pokemon crept across the floor to wrap its ghostly arms around Mark's leg, hugging him close. Sean looked to Slowking, asking him curiously. "The exit is underwater, isn't it?" Slowking's calm nature suddenly tensed as he told them seriously. "You should back out the way you came. It's not safe for you past this point." Pryce moved to kick a small rock into the lake, curiously stating out. "Is that because there are more water Pokemon down there... or because your friend fled down there?"

The Slowking stood up straighter, standing no higher than a small child. Folding its pink arms behind its back, it answered with a calm seriousness. "You bring darkness here. Your future is hidden in a dark shadow." Pryce stiffened, locking eyes with the Slowking. The Slowking looked at everyone else in turn, commenting softly. "Oh no..." The Slowking's eyes turned a soft blazing blue again, before it regaled in a powerful deep voice. "Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning. Lest these titans reek destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the waters great guardian shall arise to quill the fighting, alone its song will fail. Lest the earth shall turn to ash. Oh, Chosen One. Into thy hands bring together all three, their treasures combined tame The Beast of The Sea." Pryce blinked completely confused as he asked Mark and Sean. "What does it mean by that?" Mark and Sean shared nervous looks. Nate smirked, slipping in smugly. "Sounds like you three triggered a prophecy. Seems those little Team trinkets of yours control something bigger."

Sean lifted his chin, replying defensively. "I don't know what you're talking about." Nate huffed, coolly retorting. "Don't play stupid... I know all about those treasures your Teams use to summon the Legendary Birds to those petty island shrines. You pamper them like gods. When they don't give a shit about you. They tolerate you for the food you give them." Both Mark and Sean turned to look at him with concerned looks, but Nate stood his ground. Sean moved closer to him, causing Nate to discreetly remove a Pokeball from his belt. Holding it behind his back, he clicked the button to expand it. Sean stared directly at him, asking bluntly. "How do you know about them? Only the higher ups know about the jewels. They are a secret only known to the Teams!" Nate narrowed his eyes on Sean, removing a pellet from his pocket as he said wickedly. "True... Until someone switches Teams." Nate didn't wait any longer, he threw the pellet to the ground, causing it to pop into a thick smoke cloud.

Ducking to the floor, Nate released his Pokemon. His Pokemon quickly used an illusion to look exactly like him and then attacked Sean from within the smoke cover of the cloud. Shoving Sean back with inhuman strength against the cave wall to stun him, his clone turned its attention to the Slowking. Slowking came out of its psychic trance, shaking its head to clear it before trying to use a psychic attack on Nate's clone. The attack did nothing to Nate's clone, causing Slowking to stagger back as the clone dashed toward him with inhuman speed, raising its hand with glowing red fingers to slash out at Slowking's chest. Slowking was hit so hard that its body skidded across the lake water to the shore on other side. The clone didn't waste any time waiting to see if the Slowking would get up. So, Nate watched it for a minute. When the Slowking didn't get up, Nate grinned. Its mind reading tricks and psychic crap wouldn't work on his Pokemon. Besides Cyndakill and Dash, Zoey was his pride and joy.

Nate's Pokemon then rushed over to tear off Sean's Pokeball belt and backpack, tossing the stuff to the ground by Nate. After tossing the stuff, it rushed to attack both Mark and Pryce before they could hear or see what was happening. Removing their belts with swift hands to keep them from summoning any Pokemon to their aid, Zoey tossed the belts backward to Nate. Nate collected the belts, stuffing them into his large backpack quickly. Sean, Mark, and Pryce coughed loudly from the effects of the smoke pellet, but Nate simply held his breath. Staggering over to a coughing and dazed Sean, Nate sucker punched him and removed the Prism Scale from his pocket. As the smoke cloud disappeared, Nate staggered to the edge of the lake. Mark took a punch to the gut by Zoey, forcing Mark to the ground. Nate opened his backpack wide letting Zoey toss in Pryce's and Mark's bags. Zoey even used one of Mark's Pokeballs to recall Mark's strange little defeated Pokemon before tossing it into the bag too. Pryce spit blood across the ground, glaring between the two of them, before asking weakly. "How...?"

The perfect clone of Nate changed its form back to its original form, the Pokemon chuckling loudly as it covered its long black muzzle with its bright red taloned claws. Pryce removed his Pokedex to scan the Pokemon and Nate told it loudly. "Grab that, Zoey!" His Pokemon dashed straight toward Pryce, swiping it from his hand just as Dexter stated out aloud. "Zoroark, The Illusion Fox. The evolved form of Zorua. This Pokemon can create powerful illusions that are indistinguishable from reality. Making it able to fool large groups of people simultaneously. It can even create illusionary landscapes. Zoroark's illusions are so powerful that despite not being real, its attacks and actions fool one's senses into believing they are. Its illusions can even be seen on cameras. They are extremely protective of loved ones and extremely loyal. Going so far as to die for the ones they love and hunt down those that have hurt loved ones to the ends of the earth." After snatching Dexter, Zoey rushed back to drop Dexter into the backpack. Nate zipped up the bag, then dived into the lake with Zoey. Zoey wasn't the best swimmer, but she was more than good enough to help him with his broken leg.

Zoey held onto his sides, bouncing off the rocks under the water to propel them faster through toward the large hole in the center of the lake. Some Water Pokemon scattered as Zoey dug her hind claws into the walls of the water tunnel to run better. The tunnel wasn't too long, but long enough to make Nate gasp as they broke the surface. Zoey jumped out onto the rocky shore first, pulling him up into her wet arms. This cave was just as brightly lit with crystals all around. There were many tunnels leading all over the place around the smaller pool they had come out from. Deciding to just pick a tunnel that had lots of pokemon tracks leading into it, he told Zoey happily. "Let's go down that one and... just in case they manage to swim up that... We should cover our tracks." Zoey nodded, hugging him closer, before using her long bushy tail to dust her tracks away as she carefully moved toward the tunnel. Nate relaxed in her strong arms.  

He didn't plan to stay in her arms forever. He just wanted to stay up long enough to be sure that his own tracks couldn't be found so easily. Zoey's tracks were much easier to make disappear because she treaded lighter across the ground. Opening up his backpack while he waited, he took a peek inside all their bags. He wanted to double check that he had the scale and all their pokemon to give to Giovanni... only to discover the G.S. Pokeball. To Be Continued...