Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 151 - Mu

Owen forgot what boats were. Kilo only had a single major landmass, after all, so the only real boats they had were for crossing large streams or going down long rivers where the ground was too hard to traverse.

And since Waypoints connected most of the world, his recent memories didn't have much water travel at all. Though he did vaguely recall a few times during his Reincarnations under Eon, when his memories were scrambled, he had tried to swim across a lake or two. And died. A lot.

"Um, s-so, what happens if we fall overboard?" Demitri asked the Dhelmise boat captain at the front of the dock, which was more like a stone outcropping built firmly atop the still, black water.

"Well," the living anchor whispered, "you die."

Demitri squeaked.

"Well, no. I suppose that's not true."

Demitri relaxed.

"It claims your soul. Which, depending on who you talk to... ehh, you'll be fine."

Mispy picked Demitri up and hauled him onto the ship as he whimpered. Dhelmise let out a rattling, hollow hiss that Owen realized was supposed to be laughter.

They all loaded onto the ship and had a brief meet and greet with the skeleton crew that had been assigned to them. Owen was impressed, at first, with how much North Null had provided, but then he realized that if this was an investment into escaping the Voidlands—an investment that they'd already paid for in South Null in some ways—they'd probably dedicate anything to their cause.

Having a nice reputation helped them get what they needed.

"Here is your room. Enjoy," rattled Dhelmise before floating down the dark hall. Had it not been for Owen's flame, it would've been very hard to see under the deck. It was already vaguely dim when the red sky was above them...

Their accommodations were modest. A few packs of leaves that worked well as bedding for the time being, some kind of purple cotton, and a few tables. There was an empty, tiny room meant for storage of their supplies and a bucket of clean water in the corner for drinking.

And in the back of the room, set there like a piece of furniture, was the statue of Valle. The Shiftry rumbled in greeting and said nothing else, apparently content to be another fixture in the room.

"Not bad," Owen remarked. "For something that's going to be floating across the sea for weeks, I think that's good. They said more supplies were deeper in the ship, right?"

Mispy nodded and planted Demitri on one of the beds, patting him on the head until he'd calmed down.

The Trio of Mind, meanwhile, floated around one another in a circle.

"Yeah, this'll do," Azelf said.

"Big enough for Azelf is big enough for us," Mesprit added, nodding. "Maybe we can get some training in while here?"

"Training?" Owen asked.

"You know..." Mesprit gestured to Demitri. "Trying to sync up. So the... transition isn't so bad."

"Oh." That still tightened Owen's chest. "Right. Yeah, that's fine."

Zena brought a ribbon over Owen's shoulder, having just entered. He leaned against her and sighed. "Sure. I'll help however I can."

Mhynt was the last to enter, pacing around the room as if to appraise it.

"I'm in the next room over," she said. "Seems we have three rooms to share. I have the joy of picking who I'm going to be a spare for the pair."