<Tsunamis POV>

So, there I was. Taking on a challenge no one else dared to face. Which was quite strange, considering they all accepted to walk into a temple taken over by some evil creature and filled with possessed pokemon. What could a single Umbreon possibly do to scare everyone away? From what I'd seen of him, he and I had a lot in common. Who knows? I might have turned out exactly like him if I'd had his past. He hadn't spoken much about it, but I'd heard he'd grown up in the hands of Team Rocket just like Pidgeot, so it was a wonder they'd both managed to keep any of their sanity. But well, I'm straying from the subject. There we were, walking along a dark and gloomy corridor. The silence was too awkward, so I had to break it somehow.

"Well, we have enough shadows around," I commented. "Now all we need is some water and we'll be able to go anywhere unnoticed. I could provide it, but it would make so much noise it would contradict its purpose, so we'd better find the pool or some other wet place."
"Well, I think we're supposed to be finding the pool anyway, aren't we? Call me weird but I don't think they're going to be keeping Gyarados anywhere else," Milly replied.
"I wouldn't be that surprised if they were. Besides pokeballs, there are many unbelievably weird places a pokemon can go to. One of my best friends knows that first hand."
I was referring to Caledor, but actually the list was larger, considering that Gabi, Lagi and Ventura had been on the same mind trip to the eerie dimension of weirdness. And I'd missed all the fun and stayed sitting around and worrying my heart off wondering if they'd be able to return. But then again, I hadn't grown up as a lab rat, seen my family shatter and my brother fall in a comma for years, experienced the maniacal rage that had ultimately led the Black Battalion to suicide, nor been abandoned by my own parents, so we were even after all. Bah, I'm digressing again.
"But yes, they're probably in a pool in this case. Especially since Estel did mention there was one," I continued. "Anything else would be a waste of magic or psychic energy or whatever."
"Okay, now we've finally reached that conclusion, don't suppose you have a dowsing rod to hand, do you?," Milly asked me. "No, wait, don't answer that question. It really doesn't warrant a reply anyway."
"Nothing to hand you in any case," I laughed. Actually, the only thing I was carrying was my bottle of Mystic Water.
"Not like either of us could grip one anyway. Where's Kirei's irritatingly accurate powers when you need them?"
"Complementing Ventura's irritatingly painful powers if I recall correctly. You're lucky you don't have to take her surprise psychic pulses. Though now that I think of it, that's nothing like Caledor's Thunderbolts." I thought about Caledor again. It felt weird not to have him around. "Hmm... It's not fun to talk about him when he's not present."
"Heh, you forget that I'm immune to psychic powers unless I want to accept them. Although I have my own fair share of being irritated by pok?mon who can use psychic attacks. But I know what you mean, you think I enjoy not being able to tease my little family of misfits?"
"I don't forget. Why do you think I said you were lucky? Anyway, yes, I know the feeling. What do you do when you're alone?"
"I suppose I'm lucky in that respect as well. Our house is always so crowded, between people and pok?mon and friends of the above I'm never alone and there's always some mug to pick on."
"Oh. Ours too, but there's always some point when everyone's doing something that doesn't involve me and it gets kind of frustrating sometimes. Not that I want to be the center of attention. I just don't like being alone."
"I guess there's the difference between you and me. I like being the prima donna. And tough **** to anyone who doesn't like it, I challenge anyone to take up my role in the team and pull it off!"
I was sort of freaked out. Those words, or a variant of them, could have been mine. I just wouldn't say it so openly. Craving for attention tends to drive attention away, ironically.
"So, who gets the movie rights to this dumb-ass situation, anyway?," he asked after walking a few more steps. "Big temple, demons, evil all around, there's a profit making blockbuster in the making if you ask me."
"Aren't there too many movies of that sort around?," I wondered. "Though I wouldn't mind starring in one."
"Yeah, there are too many. But hey, if they didn't make a profit why are they still being made?"
"Good point."

We would have carried along with our conversation about repetitive movies, but some distant voices gave us the cue to stop.
"Okay, here's where I do my melting into the shadows bit," said Milliardo. "Hope you've got some good ideas as to how you're gonna hide!"
I looked around. There was no water in sight, and using Surf would only attract whoever was out there to us. There was only so much I could do.
"I guess Water Gun + Acid Armor will have to do," I shrugged, releasing some water. "This place is so dark and messy no one will notice a new puddle."
"Oh, ffs, as if a Vaporeon can hide in the puddle made by a Water Gun, we'd need Becks to do that one!," he mocked me. "Here..."
With that, he used his Grass hidden power to cause some condensation.
"Okay, it's not that much bigger a puddle, but count yourself lucky I didn't increase its size using the method I originally thought of!," he said. "Now quick, hide!"
"Thanks, I owe you one," I told him as I melted into the water.

The voices became clearer as their owners got closer. We listened to them in silence. They were the voices of two ghost pokemon: a Duskull and a Misdreavus, floating along a corridor that crossed the one we were hiding at.
"So what of those still to be converted?," were the first words I could make out, uttered by the Duskull.
"Many pokemon out there are carrying extra pendants for them," answered the Misdreavus. "The only problem now are the ones caught in the pool. I think they'll have to be taken to the main room one by one, otherwise they might be too hard to deal with, even for our master. Of course, the Black Dragon must have something planned for them already."
"Indeed. There is only so much the pendants can do. And those in the pool seem too strong. Of course the main room is the only way they can be converted. And the only way the stronger of our kind can find a suitable host."
"Right. I hope we're allowed to witness the possession. It will make for the most interesting sight!"
"Indeed! Only a select few are allowed into the inner chambers. I do hope we are amongst the lucky ones invited."

The ghosts floated away and I could no longer hear what they were saying. But what I had heard was alarming enough. Evidently, my companion saw things the same way as I did.
"Okay, that's it. Call Bolovayr now, he was clearly right all along..."
"I think you'll have an easier time calling him," I suggested. "I've never been able to use telepathy except with Caledor. And Gabi, but only when I'm speaking and she's by my side and touching the stone. What was he right about anyway?"
"Oh, he's always so convinced the world's a big horror film, and in this case me might have a point, we couldn't have scripted this one better if we'd tried!"
"Ok, ok, I got it. We can contact a producer later. Just make sure we live to sign the contract."
"Hey, you've survived Ventura and I've survived Tsuyoi. I'd say we'll get through this one, somehow."
"I've survived Hero, who can be much worse than a headache. You're right, we'll get out of this one. Now would be a good moment to see if someone has found anything and tell them the news."
"Are you trying to tell me something? Okay then. Just give me a moment." I waited for a whole minute to see what he had in mind. It turns out he was just wasting time to prove he wasn't following orders. "Right. Okay, NOW is a good moment to contact the others."
"Whatever," I shook my head. It wasn't the time for an argument.
"I'm glad you agree with my timing!"
I summoned all my patience and let him have it. I needed his psychic abilities to contact the others, and he was just playing around after all.