[RG] JOB 3: Pipe Dreams - Chapter One

The cave was rather unsettling. Disturbed ancient vehicles lay strewn across the area, littered with the signs (and occasionally, the stench) of frequent residence and low moral fiber. Here, the warmth from fires along the edges were starting to overcome the cold outside, but every gust was still brisk and fresh, reminding Team Avant-Garde of just how close they were to the entrance.

The Cinders they were chasing weren't exactly slow, seeming to have every intent of rushing into the cave. They vanished into the darkness, the few fires along the walls and sides not illuminating their position.

Delta looked around. She didn't see them anywhere.

"M-Marius--"

But Marius just shook his head and gestured for them to continue running.

"They've already gotten a head start. We're going to have to be quick to catch up to them."

Delta sighed. "M-maybe... I c-could fly us faster?"

Marius finally paused and turned around, smirking.

"I thought you'd never ask."

As they flew, there was the sound of a rock being knocked over, further into the cave. It seemed like their targets had just rounded a bend. Delta almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the sound of the falling rock, then chided herself to concentrate on flying.

"Uhh... wh-what about Konjac?" she asked Marius, trying to take her mind off the fact that she was flying down a mysterious, dark tunnel in which anything could happen.

Perched on her back, the Roselia waved a dismissive rose.

"I think he's going in with a few of the other teams and even the guild leaders later," he said. "I think it's safe to leave him with them. I just want to know what these guys we're after are doing. If they think they're going to reach the arch first, they'd better think again, because Marius Mel-- Team Avant-Garde is hot on their heels."

Delta could feel her rosy partner shift in anticipation on her back.

"Can you imagine, Delta? This is our first job as Roaring Icebergs! I really want to show what we're capable of, you know?"

Delta smiled. Of course he did.

"I know."

Beyond the bend lay an interesting small structure. There were two ends of ceramic pipes, sticking out of the ground. The further one was low, close to the ground, little more than a glorified hole, while the nearer one stuck out, bending to the horizontal and facing away from the entrance. They were probably too small for the Cinders they'd seen enter, but Marius could probably fit.

On the other hand, it looked like the end of a scarf was sticking out of it, caught on the pipe closer to the ground. The scarf was the dull, ruby red of the Ardent Cinders, and looked recent enough....

Delta landed on the ground upon seeing the curious structure. Passionate with everything tech, she surmised it to be a contraption of some sort. She believed it was better to leave it alone until they knew what it did and how it worked, but, of course, Marius didn't. The rose was already sliding off her back and walking over to the pipes.

"Ah.... M-Marius...." Delta started, but if anything, the rose's stride only got more confident after he had apparently seen something. There was a smirk on his face.

"Look at this." With another of his fancy flourishing, he held something up for Delta to see. It was a scarf the exact color of the Ardent Cinders. "They left a very convenient clue for us! It was caught on this pipe here. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Delta?"

This time, Delta was pretty sure she was and she didn't like it. She played with her feathers nervously.

"M-Marius! I d-don't think it's a very g-good idea to--"

"This might be a secret passage of some sort! I am going in!" the rose announced and before Delta could stop him, he had already started climbing into the pipe.

Below, in the darkness, it seemed impossible to go forward. The only path was behind Marius, towards the entrance of the High-Way. It was pitch black and impossible to see.

"I can't see anything." Delta could hear Marius' muffled voice floating out of the pipe, all Captain Obvious.

But Delta was more concerned with what was happening outside. Every shadow started looking like a Pokémon, an ominous figure. The shadows looked as if they were surrounding her, stretching longer. She gulped.

Ahaha.... I k-knew we should've w-waited for the others. Now, I'm t-toast.

"M-Marius!" she called. "C-come out! It's s-scary out here alone!"

There was one thing - as they spoke, both could hear each other through both ends. Delta did notice that little quirk; the two ends of the pipe were obviously connected.

Somewhere, quietly, Delta heard whispers. Two voices, both young, began speaking in the darkness. Her first instinct was to yelp, but she forced herself to calm down and listen to what the voices were saying. As she focused, she heard the male one ask a question.

"...t's the point?"

"They're Fire-types, right? Maybe they shoot fire through it."

"...Clever."

They shoot fire through it?

Through wh-what?

That was when it hit her. She gasped.

"M-Marius!" she exclaimed. "G-get out of there, n-now! It's d-dangerous! I know wh-what the whole thing is for!"

But Marius' reply was simply, "Wait a moment, Delta. I think I'm nearly at the other end."

He seemed to be intent on following the pipe through.

As Marius found himself climbing up, he saw light, ahead. And Delta's voice seemed... closer?

He found himself poking his head out of the other pipe they'd seen, unless there were two rooms that looked exactly the same. The scarf that had led them there started glowing an aqua green, moving of its own volition yet deeper into the cavern. Marius was fairly sure he heard a young teenager laugh, presumably at their expense.

And Marius didn't like it.

How dare they?! This was obviously a prank!

He jumped out of the pipe and strode after the scarf - obviously floating with psychic energy - in a no-nonsense manner, his face bright red.

Delta's face had gone blue with embarrassment - it seemed as if her panic had been for nothing - but quickly followed Marius.

"All right, what's the meaning of this?!" Marius snapped, walking deeper into the cavern.

"Sorry, we couldn't fit! Had to find out where it went!"

The running Pokémon pulled the scarf around his neck, tightening it. His footsteps were very quiet, unlike those of the Skarmory chasing him.

"We're in enemy territory, Mr. Marius! Gotta stay on your toes!"

Team Avant-Garde went after the running Pokémon. Marius' face was still bright red. He was running ahead with the Skarmory following him close behind. He was utterly unamused by what their quarry was shouting at them. This time, even Delta had to speak up.

"S-so you used him to find out wh-where the pipes lead, even though y-you knew that Fire-types used them to shoot f-fire?!" she burst out. "Th-that's not v-very nice!"

"And it's Mr. Melrose for you; we do not use titles with first names," Marius snarled, continuing to run.

The mysterious Pokémon rounded another corner, seeming to disappear by the time Team Avant-Garde had reached it. Instead, they found another room, its walls crawling with pipes. Each pipe had markings on its lip, and as they searched for the trickster, they could see a few pairs, but there were too many to be certain if that was the pattern at a glance. Their target had vanished, swallowed up by the inky darkness.

"Why don't you come out here and face me?" Marius shouted. "Unlike you perhaps, I scarcely have time for little games of cat-and-mouse."

There was no sound, except the scratching of a pencil somewhere in the darkness.

Behind them.

"Are you the Roaring Icebergs' scouts? Please keep your voices down. We are walking into enemy territory. _{Pipe near entrance connects to…}"

The Mawile stepped out of the shadows, propping a notebook on her arm. She seemed to be sketching out the room's connections and pipes. Marius and Delta whirled around to face her. Marius had regained his composure - he was standing as tall as a Roselia could with his red rose behind his back and a calculating expression on his face as he studied the Mawile. After a moment, she looked up, seemingly surprised they hadn’t moved.

"...feel free to go ahead. Jasper was testing you, but he wouldn't have done it if he thought you were actually going to be in danger. This pipe trap has to be manned, and he didn't hear anyone in it. Though... while I wouldn't be surprised if you did mind, knowing whether these pipe’s markings actually correspond in pairs would be helpful."

Delta was silent for a bit, but then scratched the back of her head. "Ehh... w-we're not exactly scou--"

"Yes, we are," Marius interrupted with a haughty hint to his voice. He had somewhat lowered his voice but was still talking more loudly than the Mawile. "Team Avant-Garde of the Roaring Icebergs. We teach lessons to those who get in our way, climb into mysterious pipes for fun, and talk as loudly as we please. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Right then."

The Mawile shrugged.

"Team Smoke and Mirrors. We specialise in traps, deception, and stealth. Be as bold and brash as you please - we will be ready to provide assistance if you need it, but we're more than willing for you to take your own path."

The Mawile looked over at Delta.

"Working around an Iron Defense is, I assume, somewhat like your own struggles when being stealthy. If you find a situation where that is necessary, consider binding your feet in cloth - it will help significantly."

"O-oh." Delta looked down at the ground, playing with her feathers. "I'm... I'm sorry. I just c-can't help b-being loud wh-when I walk or run...."

Marius glanced at Delta, then back at the Mawile.

"Thank you, but I think we can decide for ourselves on what to do when such a situation comes."

Seriously, what was it with these guys? First they played a trick on him, then this Mawile had to go around telling them what to do.

"Good day and good luck to you," he said to the Mawile with a polite nod, then started off for the next cavern. "Come on, Delta."

"O-oh. Right," the Skarmory said. She glanced at the Mawile again before running after her partner, her steel claws making scraping noises against the ground and the golden buckles of her leather leg warmers clinking. In short, she was not a stealthy bird at all.

The Mawile nodded, turning around to pick up a book.

"Remember, Verana is a trickster. She is both strong and cunning, judging by what we know and have. Keep your eyes peeled."


It was becoming clear, a few more minutes in, that the Cinders were following Team Avant-Garde. They couldn't fully keep up if Delta took off, but every now and then Marius or Delta would see a purple ear disappear somewhere behind them.

Marius was aware that the other team - Smoke and Mirrors, was it? - was following them. At least they weren't getting in their way - in fact, Marius allowed himself a small, smug smile. It was Avant-Garde who ended up taking the lead after all, like how he thought it should be.

All of a sudden, a yell pierced the silence.

"Help!"

It was rough and rugged, but definitely in distress. Marius' Hero instinct immediately kicked in and he sprang to action.

"Someone's in trouble!" he exclaimed to the Skarmory, running towards the source of the voice, very much unstoppable and determined. "Never fear; Avant-Garde is here!"

"W-wait, Marius!" Delta gasped out, but her partner didn't slow down, giving her no choice but to run after him.

As they rounded another curve in the highway, they saw the yelling Pokémon - a Geodude, plugged with her back into a pipe. She flailed around, struggling.

"H-help me!"

"There!" Marius exclaimed, pointing at the Geodude and quickening his steps. To the poor Rock-type he shouted, "Hang on! We're coming!"

He finally reached the Geodude and grabbed ahold of one of her arms, trying to pull her out. She was heavy - it seemed as if it was going to take more than the strength of a little rose to get her unstuck.

"D-Delta, a little help?" he grunted.

"R-right!"

The iron bird flew to close the distance and landed right beside them. She offered her wings to the Geodude.

"Hold onto m-my wings; I'll help p-pull you out!" she said urgently.

The Geodude stretched her arms out, trying to grasp the offered wing, but suddenly convulsed, twitching and squirming.

"Ah! Hah... Hahahaaaaaa!"

She flailed and wriggled, laughing uncontrollably.

"Th-they're... Ahahahahahha! G-get back!"

"Wh-what...?!" Delta yelped, immediately withdrawing her wings. She had no idea why the Geodude was suddenly laughing.

There was a clatter further down in the tunnel and the sounds of people talking. And, among that, Delta felt something tap against the back of her foot, almost making her jump out of her skin. With that tap came a rustling of paper....

Marius had taken a step back, his roses at his sides.

"Delta. Get back," he said, extending his rose in front of the iron bird. "I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it...."

Delta felt the tap again, more insistent this time. It was an open book, glowing with the same glow as the scarf was before.



Verana is cold and calculating, and is more than ready to use a hero's attitude against them. I realised this the instant she performed this harsh little trick, wedging a Voltorb into a pipe.

When Barrik came to help, she sprung her trap. She'd used something feathery to reach down the other end of the pipe and tickled the Voltorb from behind. The poor thing laughed uncontrollably, and eventually set off its Explosion, doing massive damage to Barrik! Oh, how we laughed.



...The helpfully-provided diagram looked eerily familiar to the very situation they were facing now... And worse, the Geodude was starting to glow...

Her eyes widened. Delta understood everything now... That meant she and Marius had to get away from there as soon as possible or they would get badly hurt.

With a cry, she seized her little partner in her wings and sprang backward, hoping that the explosion wouldn't reach them. Being the clumsy poor bird she was, she managed to get herself and Marius away but promptly fell down onto a heap on the ground, bringing the rose down with her.

"Gah--!"

The Geodude exploded, releasing all the energy she'd stored. The two Icebergs were thrown forward, partially by the blast and partially by psychic yanking.

A few pieces of pipe flew out, scratching at Delta, but the Skarmory and her steel armor managed to take it with only minor injuries. Meanwhile, the Geodude groaned, her eyes spinning. She was unconscious, but she would be fine with a bit of rest.

But their troubles weren't over just yet. Suddenly, a small pack of Tyrunt bounded round the corner.

"There they are! Get them!"

Dazed, scared stiff, and her armor scratched up, Delta found it hard to get to her feet quickly. She stayed down, clutching the rose in her shaking wings.

Marius was the opposite. Because the Skarmory had protected him with her wings, he managed to avoid being scratched up by the shrapnel and was pretty much unscathed except for a cut on his cheek where one of her sharp feathers had accidentally grazed him when she grabbed him. Hearing the bounding footsteps and the shout, Marius knew that they weren't out of the fire yet.

He quickly disentangled himself from her wings and got in front of the bird, determined to protect her this time. He had infused his roses with Giga Drain energy so that they were glowing a soft green. He looked on and saw the pack of Tyrunt approaching as his partner struggled to get back to her feet.

The pipe the Geodude had been plugged in began spewing out thick, acrid smoke. A few footsteps from behind Marius made it seem like the Cinders were dashing into that, presumably to deal with the source of the smoke.

The first of the Tyrunts came in teeth first, going for a Poison Fang on Marius. The others all had similar glows in their mouths, of Fire, Ice and Electric energy, forming a rainbow of evil grins.

Marius saw the smoke but didn't have time to deal with that - besides, it seemed as if the Cinders were already on it. He focused on the immediate threat of the pack of Tyrunts. They were almost upon him.

He smirked.

Too easy.

Gracefully spinning to the side, he dodged the Tyrunt's Poison Fang and quickly counterattacked by punching her side with one glowing rose, the green energy infused within it curiously keeping the rose from getting too damaged. Not only that, infusing his rose with Giga Drain also enabled him to absorb quite a lot of the Tyrunt's energy upon contact.

He somersaulted backward (because Marius knew that somersaults looked damn cool) and, upon landing, stood straight with his head held high, taking a deep breath. He was using Growth, aka. Battle Mode, On.

Once he was done, he surveyed the rest of the pack, all of them preparing attacks of their own. He was smirking.

They want a brawl; I'll give 'em a damn good one, indeed.

The Ice and Fire Fangers charged Marius, going for high and low bites at the same time. The Poison master went wild, thrashing about at random. Both speed and power were there, but she clearly didn't care what she hit in the process - the other Tyrunts could take it.

With another intricate jump, Marius dodged both the bites of the Ice and Fire Fangers. Spinning once, he punched their sides with his glowing roses, this time also unobtrusively planting Leech Seeds on them. He stayed behind the two Tyrunts so that the Poison Fang Tyrunt would only hit her allies in her rampage.

By this time, Delta had managed to get back to her feet. Shaking her head and chiding herself to keep her head on, she became aware that her partner was fighting a pack of Tyrunts by himself.

Swallowing back her fear, she started running towards the brawl and, at the last minute, took off....

"M-Marius, look out!"

...and whipped her wings through the air to send razor-sharp Air Slashes at the whole pack. Marius saw them in time and jumped aside so that he wouldn't get caught in Delta's attack.

The Poison one took the Air Slash the hardest, but even then, the Rock-types didn't really get too fazed. The Thunder Fang Tyrunt sprung out of the smoke, leaping for Delta.

Delta yelped when she saw the Thunder Fang Tyrunt leap at her, but swung one of her wings to hit him. She did so haphazardly and more out of reflex, but she was quite powerful as an iron bird, and would be able to do a lot of damage on a direct hit. But it was not to be, as the Thunder Fanger bit into the wing, managing to grab hold despite the pain.

The pointless thrashing of the Poison biter was suddenly offset by the Ice one launching forward with an audible whoosh. An Aerial Ace hit home, slashing the Roselia across the chest and sending him backwards. Marius grunted in pain - Flying-type attacks hurt Grass-types like him badly - but didn't allow himself to think too much about it. He was able to land lightly on his feet and immediately started running towards the Tyrunt that had attacked him, ignoring the sharp sting.

He started sending Giga Drain punches at him, absorbing his health every time his punches hit, and never staying in one place for too long, moving about like an annoying green bug. The Ice Fang one whistled two short notes before making another lunge at Marius with Aerial Ace. This time he seemed intent to hold on as a glow began to come from one of the nearby open pipes... dangerously close to them both.

The fiery assailant stormed for Delta's legs, going to bite them, while the Poison one managed a solid thump against her side, managing little more than minor damage to her and becoming completely dazed in return. She slowly sat down, clearly having decided to take a break until the room stopped spinning.

"G-get off me!" Delta cried, trying to shake both the Thunder and Fire Tyrunts off. The words were scarcely out of her beak when the Poison Tyrunt slammed into her side. The hit was more annoying than painful, but Delta was getting tired of this. Slowly, her wings began to turn shiny.

"G-go away!" she cried out, suddenly spreading her shining wings and launching multiple razor-sharp feathers from them, hoping to throw all three away from her.

The Aerial Ace grazed Marius again, though he took this one less head-on than the previous one. The Tyrunt, however, seemed determined to hold onto him, keeping him in place as one of the pipes began to emit a glow.

Marius had no idea what this meant. He just knew that it couldn't be anything good.

Ignoring the pain, he slung another punch at the Tyrunt's head, and another, and another.

"Let. Me. Go," he snarled between punches. The Ice Tyrunt was sagging from the constant drain, but seemed determined to hold his grip on Marius. Out of the pipe, he saw it - a gout of flame, coming straight for him.

Marius saw the flames coming. He tried to twist out of the Tyrunt's adamant grip but alas, he was just a two-kilo decorative plant. He could only shut his eyes as the flames enveloped both himself and the Tyrunt, and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.

The fiery Tyrunt rolled off of Delta, sagging and groaning. The poisoner just rolled onto her back, looking quite thoroughly concussed after smacking his head on steel, both from her body and her wing. But the thunderous one vanished from sight, only making his presence known when she felt sharp fangs scratching at her back. She felt the hard THUMP of the Tyrunt's body, but the bite's electricity was making her feel numb and her body sluggish.

Delta gasped. No, not electricity!

She tried to shake off the Tyrunt on her back but her body was finding it increasingly difficult to obey. Her wings had no intention of doing what she told them to do, and without warning, her knees buckled.

The Ice Fanger loosened his grip, letting Marius fall to the ground, but toppled over himself. Before Marius had time to compose himself, still actually burning, the thunderous Tyrunt spoke.

"Oy! Roselia! You know, I've always been a little curious. People say Flying-types are immune to Earthquake, but what if you started it... on their back?"

He grinned.

"You'll let my fiery friend escort you to the boss, yes? Else, I might have to get REAAAAAAAL mean.”

Marius was still lying facedown. His whole body was in pain. He was aware of the fire still consuming his leaf skirt and his roses, yet was too weak to do anything about it. He was aware of the Tyrunt addressing him.

And he was aware of the Tyrunt referring to Delta.

That sent anger coursing through him, almost as hot as the flames burning outside. He forced himself to raise his head, propping himself up with one arm.

"N...no. I... won't... let you...."

One of the Tyrunts placed his claw on his back, forcing him down. Marius tried to resist but his attempt was laughably feeble.

"Paaaathetic."

The electric one, the apparent ringleader, grinned.

"Maybe I'll bite through her neck first, eh? Is her blood really a pretty, pretty blue? I've always wondered."

Hearing that compelled the rose to fight to prop himself up again, but the Tyrunt was still too strong for him, only allowing him to raise his head.

"O-over... my... d-dead body...."

Really, he'd rather have the Tyrunt do numbers to him than let him hurt Delta.

That was when it started. In the acrid smoke cloud, just behind the Thunder Fang Tyrunt.... Marius might have been hallucinating, but it seemed like there were two giant, glowing green eyes, maybe two or three meters off the ground.

Marius just stared.

That can't be real. There's no way that could be real....

"Right then. Three..."

The eyes began to glow even brighter.

"Two..."

A low, thunderous growl started to fill the area. Another shape could be seen through the fog - metallic, with a golden tip and shining teeth. The eyes focused downward, locking on the Tyrunt holding Delta down.

"U-uh, boss?"

"One..."

Marius found himself realising just how real the monster was when it reared back and attacked the ringleader.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

Aghast, Marius could only stare as the Tyrunt was grabbed and lifted up in the giant monster's maw, screaming. The dreadful thing spoke, even with its mouth full - and in a terrifying, leaden voice that evoked fear on some primal, fundamental level.

One... thousand... years... an heir of Theodora Melrosa calls….